THE POWER OF A MAN

I just finished a book entitled "The Power of a Man" by Rick Johnson. The premise of this book is basically to challenge all men to stand up and be the man that you were created to be. As men, we all have people in our lives our age, older, and younger who look to us as an influence. This book challenges you to use your influence as a "man of character." As a teacher and coach, I teach and work with kids every year who are growing up in a household where there is no male role model available. Since they spend more than half a day with me everyday for 188 days, that's plenty of time for me to make an impression, be available, and choose for myself what kind of model that I want to be for these kids. Just like my 2 little ones at home, they watch, they see, they mimick. My prayer is that my words and my actions always line up. I know at times my human condition will cause me to falter and make mistakes. But in a consistent timespan, I want my kids to know that I walk the walk that I talk.

We live in a society today where the entertainment industry is dominating the rules and regulations of how we live day to day. Kids wear what they see on tv, act like folks act on tv, and have adopted their way of life based on what they are seeing. This book is a challenge for all men to step up your game in the roles that you are now living in, whether that's husband, father, sibling, mentor, whatever. It starts with what's going on inside your home. Are you being the husband to your wife that you need to be? Are you the father to your kids that you need to be? How many people are inside your daily "circle" that you are influencing and what kind of influence are you?

In today's world, the defintion of a "real man" has become very broad, yet also very skewed. Many think that you become a real man based on your status within your job or how much money you have. Some believe it's about how you are with the ladies. And others believe it's based on how many people you can beat down in any given evening. These would be very flawed definitions and there are many other flawed defintions not mentioned. But throughout this book and throughout my life, God has revealed some basics for "real men." Here are a few that I would consider essential:

A real man ......
1.) is the spiritual leader of his home.
2.) protects and provides for his family.
3.) uses his God-given influence to serve others.
4.) is accountable to God and other men.

These are just a few of the things that I have pulled out throughout my life and have been reenergized with throughout reading this book. I would highly encourage it for all guys out there, especially if you are a husband and father. Our generations to come, especially the males, are absolutely dependent on us teaching them what it's like to be a "real man." We need to not just talk about it and teach it, but to model it and live it so that our kids have the best chance possible to live a life for the Lord that they were created to live.

"Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13