In 2012 18 men signed The Resolution.

Are you up to the challenge in 2013?

1. Watch the movie “Courageous”

2. Come to the training

3. Sign the Resolution

 The Resolution

• I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife and my children.
• I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
• I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honour her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
• I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
• I WILL train them to honour authority and live responsibly.
• I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
• I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
• I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
• I WILL forgive those who have wronged me  and reconcile with those I have wronged.
• I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins,
  and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
• I WILL seek to honour God, be faithful to His church,  obey his Word, and do His will.
• I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

Mark 9:33-35 (NIV) They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

This is such a clear statement of how God views life.

Life is not about being first and being the greatest. It’s not about making it to the top and being the most successful. Life is not about bigger, better or greater. Life is simply not about what many often pursue.

Life is about loving God and loving people. Life is about serving God and serving people. Life is about putting other people before ourselves. Life is about giving and not about getting.

Life from God’s perspective is up-side-down to what the world says life is all about. It’s not all about me – it’s about God and others. God’s ways truly are different to man’s ways.

“So is your focus more on yourself advancing or on helping others fulfil their God-given destiny?”

Let’s commit our lives to loving and serving others; to giving to them and adding value to them. This is God’s way.

Steve McCracken

David McCracken Ministries

I was impressed by the words from my morning devotion which fit well with the goals of the Real Men Challenge…

People living significant lives pursue excellence. They lead their organizations, their families, their businesses, and, in fact, their very lives, striving for their best. Whether they want to win games, make an impact on their children, or win their share of the market, the thread of excellence runs through the fabric of their lives. 

Jesus was committed to excellence. The New Testament gospel writer Mark reminds us that God gave his very best — ​his Son. And his Son gave his very best — ​his life. His followers should do no less. Less than our best is inadequate when we consider the fact that God has given us his very best. In view of all the Lord has done for us, less than our best is less than adequate. 

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.” Whatever our role, our position, our organization, or our lot in life, we should strive for the best. The measure of our success should be attached not to our particular career or what we earn, but on our character and what we give. 

True champions are more willing to give than to get. They go the extra mile. They move beyond expectations. They strive for higher standards. 
Excellence does not mean being the best, but being your best. Understanding that distinction makes all the difference in the world.  

Jesus, help me to give my very best today . . .

I was drawn to a new website aimed at men, Man Therapy, developed by Beyond Blue http://www.mantherapy.org.au/

I found it very interesting and then my journey led me to their online discussion forum for men. 

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/connect-with-others/online-forums/men

As one of the leaders of TripleM (part of Life Church Mooroopna), I take my responsibilities seriously to support the men in our church and outside of it who are seeking answers to the questions life.

So after reading a few posts in the online forum, I realise that men from all walks of life can suffer anxiety and depression.

So my question to the men who read this blog? Do you suffer depression? Do you have anywhere you can go? Anyone you can talk to?

If you need help, drop me a private line. Don’t try and fight this alone and have a look at Man Therapy.

Maybe we can adapt some of this for “Christian Man Therapy”