I’ve had a growing burden for young men growing up in a world that is not only confused about masculinity but even hostile to it. In recent weeks, the Gillette ad has sparked renewed debate about “toxic masculinity.” Young (and not-so-young) men are looking for clarity, direction, and practical help about what it means to be a man and, especially, how to be a Christian man in today’s culture.

Jordan Peterson has tapped into this with his videos, books, and speeches, inspiring men to step up, take responsibility, and be the best men they can be. But, while Jordan Peterson incorporates many Christian themes and truths, for which we are grateful, he is not operating from a distinctively Christian worldview.

That’s why I’m launching the Christian Man Academy. It’s a video-based website for Christian men that will provide clear, practical, biblical teaching about what it means to be a man of God in our culture. I’ll be posting two short videos each week (on Tuesday and Thursday), together with further reading suggestions. I’ve already got fifty scripts ready to film and I’m working on the next fifty.

We’ll be starting off with the basics of being a Christian man, but we’ll eventually cover relationships, marriage, parenting, study, work, finances, organization, health, sex, and lots more. This will be a comprehensive, holistic, practical course on Christian manhood.

If you sign up for our free weekly newsletter, each Saturday you’ll get an email containing not only what’s been posted on the website each week, but additional articles and resources for further study. So why not enroll in the Academy and send this invitation to all the men in your life. Did I mention it’s all free?

Have a look around the website and watch the Welcome video here.

Big thanks to Cameron Morgan and Jordan Replogle for all their work on getting the website ready.

Shona and I had the privilege of speaking at the recent Bethlehem Baptist Pastor’s Conference in Minneapolis. Shona told her story of depression, and then I shared the lessons we both learned through this time. Click here for video. The rest of the conference video and audio is here.

Blogs

Four Words that Describe Today’s Pre-Teen Girls
They are insecure, anxious, confused, deceptive. How to change that? Have a look at Lies Girls Believe Online Bible Study.

5 Common Mental Errors That Sway Your Decision Making
Here are five common mental errors that sway you from making good decisions.

A Puritan Primer: The ABC’s of Counseling the Aged
“The following directions, taken from A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter,[1] provide a Puritan lens for counseling the special responsibilities of the aged. ”

Modern-Day Slavery by the Numbers
Worldwide, 40.3 million people were victims of modern-slavery in 2016.

Four years ago, I was a basket case
It’s vulnerability and transparency like this that’s smashing the stigma of mental and emotional disorders.

“That is one of the worst parts about anxiety: the anxiety that people will notice our anxiety. When one begins to have that feeling, she knows it is out of control. We shouldn’t feel so worried in the church, but unfortunately, that is the place I felt the least safe. The place where I felt the safest was with my husband, and to this day, I am so thankful for that.”

Sabbath Rest Is for Busy Moms, Too
“Over the course of several days, conversations, and prayer, I realized I needed a new definition of rest. I didn’t just need the kind of rest where I kick my feet up, I needed the deep soul rest that comes from dependence on Christ and is commanded by God: Sabbath rest. Out of his goodness and mercy, God rested from his work on the seventh day of creation (Gen. 2:15), setting a pattern for his creatures to follow.”

Kindle Books

Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church by Keith and Kristyn Getty $2.99.

Putting Amazing Back into Grace: Embracing the Heart of the Gospel by Michael Horton $1.59.

Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul by John F. MacArthur $2.99.

Here’s the video for Expedition 37 in Exploring the Bible. If you want to bookmark a page where all the videos are posted, you can find them on my blog, on YouTube, or the Facebook page for Exploring the Bible.

If you haven’t started your kids on the book yet, you can begin anytime and use it with any Bible version. Here are some sample pages.

You can get it at RHB, Westminster Books, Crossway, or Amazon. If you’re in Canada use Reformed Book Services. Some of these retailers have good discounts for bulk purchases by churches and schools.

I agree with James Clear that “Habits are easier when they align with your natural abilities.” I disagree with his application, which is, “Choose the habits that best suit you.” As he puts it:

“One of the best ways to ensure your habits remain satisfying over the long-run is to pick behaviors that align with your personality and skills. Work hard on the things that come easy.”

I disagree because God often requires us to eliminate sinful habits that are extremely easy for us, and to cultivate habits that are extremely difficult for us. By God’s grace, that can be extremely satisfying.

However, while Clear’s advice is bad for sanctification, it can be good for choosing our vocation. I’m sure we’ve all heard Dave Ramsey and others respond to people’s questions about their callings with the advice, “Follow your passion….Find your passion and develop it.”

I’d therefore like to take Clear’s words about habits and apply them to finding your vocation. To find your passion, ask yourself these questions:

What feels like fun to me, but work to others?
The mark of whether you are made for a task is not whether you love it but whether you can handle the pain of the task easier than most people. When are you enjoying yourself while other people are complaining? The work that hurts you less than it hurts others is the work you were made to do.

What makes me lose track of time?
Flow is the mental state you enter when you are so focused on the task at hand that the rest of the world fades away. This blend of happiness and peak performance is what athletes and performers experience when they are “in the zone.” It is nearly impossible to experience a flow state and not find the task satisfying at least to some degree.

Where do I get greater returns than the average person?
We are continually comparing ourselves to those around us, and a behavior is more likely to be satisfying when the comparison is in our favor. When I started writing at jamesclear.com, my email list grew very quickly. I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing well, but I knew that results seemed to be coming faster for me than for some of my colleagues, which motivated me to keep writing.

What comes naturally to me?
For just a moment, ignore what you have been taught. Ignore what society has told you. Ignore what others expect of you. Look inside yourself and ask, “What feels natural to me? When have I felt alive? When have I felt like the real me?” No internal judgments or people-pleasing. No second-guessing or self-criticism. Just feelings of engagement and enjoyment. Whenever you feel authentic and genuine, you are headed in the right direction. Our genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on. Once we realize our strengths, we know where to spend our time and energy.

Of course, we must also allow for the possibility that God’s calling may not be aligned with our passion, in which case we must follow God not our heart. However, if God has given us gifts and passion in one direction, we must seriously ask if that’s what God is calling us to.

See more Atomic Habits posts here.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Blogs

You Might Need Marriage Counseling—Especially If You Think You Don’t
“As a Christian woman of color, I’ve noticed that marriage counseling can be taboo subject among both the Christian and the African American communities. I believe this stigma thrives for several reasons”

The Spiritual Dangers of Disconnecting from Creation
“I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of development and conservation in parks, recreation, and preserved open spaces. Over the last 30 years I’ve witnessed a deep and growing disconnect between people and nature. This disconnect is accelerating as the digital revolution means more people spend less time outdoors in creation, particularly in developed and urban contexts. I believe this disconnect can negatively affect our individual and corporate spiritual health.”

8 Real-Life Questions about Children and Discipline
“The Bible teaches that a loving parent is one that disciplines his or her child. But the how can often confound well-meaning parents. Below, Sam Crabtree, author of Parenting with Loving Correction: Practical Help for Raising Young Children shares some practical advice for how to navigate some specific situations in the home.”

Celebrities, Professors & Care-Givers: How We Lost Our Missional IQ
“Celebrity, professor, and care-giver; the preferable images for spiritual leadership in North America. Each of them has a cultural history. Each is an overcorrection. None represents the biblical pattern.”

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, February 2019
This is an outstanding series of articles on a much neglected but important topic.

What happens when God suddenly sets a pastor aside from preaching?
“Pastor and Practical Shepherding President, Jim Savastio has preached God’s word faithfully for 35 years taking only a few weeks off at a time.  That all changed 3 months ago.  Jim unexpectedly experienced an onset of Bell’s Palsy in late November and has been unable to fill his pulpit for over two months. Listen as Brian talks with Jim and he reflects on God’s good providences and what he is learning during this time of being laid aside.”

A Jesus-Shaped Life Finished Well: Robert H. Mounce (1921–2019)
Click through for a beautiful video about Mounce’s care for his invalid wife.

Books

Embracing Obscurity by Anonymous $1.99.

Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken by David Powlison $2.99.

This Is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel by Trevin Wax $2.99