Pursuing Godly Manhood

Below is an older piece that I wrote a while back on a former blog of mine. It specifically dealt with helping men pursue godly manhood. Since that topic is a great passion of mine and continues to be an important focus of my ministry, I thought I would add it to this new blog that is also aimed at ministering to men.

I’ve done a little tweaking of some of the following points and principles over the years, but it’s still substantially where I am today, if not exactly, in my thinking and practice.

Blessings,
Dale

Welcome to Pursuing Godly Manhood. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check out my blog. I hope it will bless you.

• Pursuing – Striving to gain; seeking to attain or accomplish; carrying on; continuing
• Godly – Pious; devout; characterizing a Godward attitude; doing that which pleases God; indicating reverence manifested in actions
• Manhood – No one seems to know! Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s not far from the truth. My desire with this blog is to help move us all forward in coming to a better understanding of such an  important subject as “manhood.”

Why Focus on Manhood?

While I serve my present ministry appointment in a  variety of ways (related to discipleship), ministering to men has been a special  focus and passion of mine for over a decade now. I can still remember when the  light bulb went off for me regarding the importance of ministering specifically  to men. The avalanche of statistics as well as my own ministerial observations  began to sink in. I finally realized that what I had read dozens of times was actually true. My little epiphany could best be summarized by the words that I once heard pastor and writer, Tony Evans, preach…

• As the man goes, so goes the family
• As the family goes, so goes the church
• As the church goes, so goes the community
• As the community goes, so goes the city
• As the city goes, so goes the state, then nation, and finally the world.

That’s how we will change the world for Christ… by extending God’s kingdom into every sphere of life… beginning first with ourselves and then working outward in what we might  think of as concentric circles or spheres of influence.

Of course, nothing is ever that simple. However, virtually every statistic I’ve come across – secular and Christian – has stressed that the positive influence of a man in the home is non-negotiable for health and vitality in that home, as well as for society. Therefore, I came to embrace the wisdom of, as well as to put into practice, an intentional focus on ministering to men. Additionally, as a father of three sons, I also realized that the best time to influence men is before they’re men… that is… when they’re still young men and boys. Thus, my purpose or mission statement is…

To glorify God by helping men know Jesus Christ as Lord and to become all that God has created, redeemed, and called them to be in every sphere and circumstance of life.

It’s a tall order to be sure… even impossible if I was relying on how clever I am. But I take God at his word when he says that nothing is impossible for him and that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Purpose of this Blog

As I just stated, my purpose is to glorify God by helping men become all that God has created, redeemed, and called them to be in every sphere and circumstance of their lives.  (I go into more detail of what this “purpose statement means on my “Vocation” page). It ought to go without saying, though I dare not go without saying it, that this is not a “self-help” blog. My fundamental premise is that no man, woman, or child can become godly until they first respond in faith to  the Gospel of Jesus  Christ. Only then can God’s Spirit and Word renew minds, renovate hearts, and transform lives.

My emphasis for this blog is pretty wide. I will focus on what I call the seven spheres of godly manhood: Beliefs (or, “worldview”), Godliness, Family, Vocation, Leadership, Witness, and Culture. You can find out more about each of those spheres by visiting my page, Seven Spheres. Those are broad and far-reaching themes to be sure, but I believe that they represent those areas of our lives that either relate to the spheres that influence us or those spheres where we have opportunity to influence others for Christ and his Kingdom.

Let me finish up with this “4 Sakes Prayer” that I found at the end of Jack Graham’s book, A Man of God:

For the sake of the Kingdom,
For the sake of my family,
For the sake of God’s Church,
And for the sake of our nation,
I will become a man of God.

PS – Check out our pages for our men’s ministry at Southside.

Grace and Truth,
Dale Tedder
(October 1, 2011)

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