A view about manhood

 An authentic man focuses on things differently than a conventional man. He focuses on what a man is as opposed to what a an does. This includes focusing on the community of men- not a competition with other men. Focusing on a power and purpose outside of any worldly personal rewards that we may obtain before our death from this world.   An authentic man has his focus on the eternal rewards which are received by building others up not focused on self. A focus on significance and not on success. A conventional man can suffer from burn out because of the lack of significance in his life.   An authentic man avoids burn-out because he focuses on the significance for what he is living his life for- something beyond his short years on this earth.  An authentic man rejects passivity, accepts the responsibility for his life and others around him, leads those placed under him courageously ( and serves them with the same courage), and in turn expects God's greater reward.

  We all have a common wound. It's not a wound inflicted by anything in our environment. It's a wound we are born with. We are born depraved. We are born selfish, prideful human beings. This depravity wound is a sickness that effects all areas of our lives. "The heart is more deceitful than all else and desperately sick. Who can understand it?"  Depravity doesn't mean we are as bad as we can be, it means we are as bad off as we can be. The only solution to this wound is through God. I can testify through my own life that only God has the power to fix this problem. The first step to the solution was admitting I had a problem. I knew I had a problem because I knew what I was capable of doing. This sickness was with me throughout my life, but before I admitted the problem I did many things to try to alleviate it. I played the blame game by blaming others. I didn't take responsibility for things I had control over. This pattern doomed me to a mediocre life and I w

  Genesis 1:27   God created man  in His own image, in the image of God He created him;  male and female This verse speaks of many different things about manhood. It signifies human value both male and female- Both male and female in the likeness of God. It is a personal statement- given uniqueness and a special bond between God and human beings. In verse 28 we are called to fill the earth, subdue and rule over the earth.  Continuing we see that man is given an occupation and a responsibility over the earth. Man is designed to work and to be a leader. We are to take this leadership responsibly and act according to God's word. When we deviate from God's instruction we suffer the consequences. Male domination is not taught in God's word and is a personal moral failure. Some insights from Genesis chapter 3 include: Adam is held accountable for the first sin. God asks him about and he doesn't stand and take responsibility for his failure. It's a direct question without

 As a man gets older he can get worn down by the things that go along with living in this world. The daily grind of getting up each and every day to go to work can cause a man to lose his purpose for living. An older man (which is a relative term) doesn't realize the power he has at his disposal. This power comes from experience- good experiences and bad experiences. The power is released when we share it with a younger man (again a relative term).  We share this power when we show a younger man how to do something- the been there done that. We also share this power through warnings of where or what not to do- again this could be been there done that. This could include warnings about substance abuse, sexual relations, or divorce. A person that has experienced these things and suffered the consequences can give insight to someone so that they may avoid these struggles and realize some issues that may not be evident to someone that hasn't gone through these things.  An older man

 All men are influenced - one way or another- by their mom. What we learn from mom effects every area of our lives. Experience has always been a great teacher. Moms - no matter how well intended- will always lack in one area of raising boys. They don't have the experience of actually "being" sons. So even though mom meant it for good, the understanding of "walking in someone's shoes" will never be there. So somewhere in a son's life there needs to be a physical and an emotional break from mom. A lack of either of these breaks can cause a son to grow up out of balance. A son can grow toward being passive or demanding. A passive man would be someone that acts like a man instead of living as a man. An example of this would be a male that lives in a fantasy world- someone that could be gripped by pornography. He would have a tendency to feel threatened by women and retreat to this fantasy world. On the dominant or demanding end would be a man that rules with