On Saturday nights, our family gathers at my parents’ house to eat and laugh and drink to grace. My sisters and their husbands come with their tribes and I with mine. My grandmother, mother to my father, went into the ground on top of a hill two years ago. James Irwin Wilson comes to these…
Becoming a King
It is not what a man does that is of final importance, but what he is in what he does. The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence. — Oswald Chambers Travel with me for a moment back to the narrow dirt roads of a first-century Roman…
What is a Man?
All too often, some of the most critical aspects of our lives require absolutely no formal training — marriage and parenting, for example. You do not have to take a class to become a parent or even to marry someone, even though these are both lifelong commitments. No formal training is required for these…
In Love with Distraction
Editor’s note: Even though we are all relying heavily on our phones and computers to stay connected during these times, it is vital that we remember our devices are our tools, not our masters. In today’s excerpt from Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad, author John Eldredge offers practical tips…
The Gift of Friendship
Editor’s note: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were two of the most prolific writers of faith and fiction in the 20th century. They were also great friends, and Tolkien was a guiding force in Lewis coming to faith in Christ. Both men also served as soldiers in the First World War, survived the trenches,…
Thanksgiving and the Path to Peace
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. James 1:2 NIV God promises no easy life or days without troubles, trials, difficulties, and temptations. He never promises that life will be perfect. He does not call His children to a playground, but to a battleground. Some people have a…
Be Careful, Little Eyes, What You See
There is truth to the adage that the eyes are the windows to the soul. What you let in through your eyes will work its way inside. Jesus warned us multiple times in the Gospels that our eyes can cause us to sin (Matthew 5:29; 18:9). He spoke about it with one of the…
Samurais & Monks: How Ancient Rhythms Can Help You Experience God
Editor’s note: The moment we live in presents us with many difficulties, but this time also offers an opportunity to revisit the rhythms of our life and the practice of our faith. In his books God in My Everything and Survival Guide for the Soul, pastor Ken Shigematsu demonstrates how the gospel can redeem…
Better to Be Known than Famous
If we are going to walk in the fame for which we were created, it will require that we learn to distinguish between His fame and the fame of this world. * Known But whoever loves God is known by God. — 1 Corinthians 8:3 We try to be famous when we should long…
A Different Kind of Men’s Group
Editor’s note: Nate Larkin is the founder of the Samson Society, a fellowship of Christian men with groups that meet virtually and in-person across the globe. Many men (but not all) first come to the Samson Society from a place of brokenness, addiction, or pain. But no matter how they arrive, all that attend recognize…