Training4Manhood

Do You Actually Want to Trust and Follow God | Episode 1 of 2 from The Man for the Day

 

Guest: Dr. J. Josh Smith, Senior Pastor, Prince Avenue Baptist Church

 

I have really enjoyed the writing of Josh Smith. His earlier book The Titus Ten: Foundations for Godly Manhood was an excellent read and a great resource for men’s groups wanting to dig deeper into the Word of God and life together.

 

His most recent book is The Man for the Day: Answering the Call to Godly Manhood and it is a much more personal look at the daily walk with the Lord for men - it is both challenging and encouraging at the same time - again, a great resource for men’s groups or for men to read as individuals.

 

In this first episode, Josh helps men who feel discouraged and distant from God with practical wisdom and a plan to learn how to walk with God today - focusing on doing the small, consistent things. He also reminds us that a new work from God requires a new surrender from us - we have to actually want to trust and follow the Lord!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

What Should I Be Reading | Week 2 of 2 Recommendations

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

From my Top Ten, here are the second five books that I have found to be a great read:

• A Practical View of Christianity by William Wilberforce
• The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
• Holiness by JC Ryle
• The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
• Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks

 

The “Five Categories” are:

• Family and Relationships
• Passion and Devotion
• Biblical Literacy/Discipleship
• Spiritual Disciplines/Maturity
• Cultural Awareness
• AND…Thought-provoking reads/good literature!

 

The importance of reading your Bible - Dr. Jason Snyder’s sermon The Book That Built America.

 

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

What Should I Be Reading | Week 1 of 2 Recommendations

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

From my Top Ten, here are the first five books that I have found to be a great read:

• The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson
• Life without Lack by Dallas Willard
• The Indwelling Life of Christ by Major Ian Thomas
• Serious Times: Making Your Life Matter in an Urgent Day by James Emery White
• Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp

 

The “Five Categories” are:

• Family and Relationships
• Passion and Devotion
• Biblical Literacy/Discipleship

 

The importance of reading your Bible - Dr. Jason Snyder’s sermon The Book That Built America.

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Maturing into Manhood | Learning to Speak, Think, and Reason Differently

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

 

How can you mature from boyhood to manhood:

• Mature from being reactive in your speaking to reflective - thinking about what you say, why you say it, and how it will be received.
• Mature in your thinking from being stuck in the here and now to thinking about how things will impact the future
• Mature in how you reason and understand things, not with you at the center, but with Christ at the center and you playing an important role in stewarding the things that He has given you.

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

The Passion of Whitefield, The Providence of God

 

Host: Dan Panetti

Tricia and I went and saw the movie A Great Awakening - and it was incredible. The movie highlighted the fascinating friendship of George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin and there were many outstanding history and life lessons. One of the things that the movie examined was the powerful and important letter/speech that Ben Franklin gave at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 about how “God governs in the affairs of men.”

 

I hope that you’ll not only see the movie, but also pause to reflect on the lessons presented - especially the idea that God governs in the affairs of men - that God is Providential. My daughter is actually reading a truly wonderful book titled Providence written by John Piper - highly recommend you get a copy for yourself and read it!

 

Finally, let’s take the passion of George Whitefield to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with any and everybody as a reminder to do so in our lives as well!

 

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Why Science Doesn't Explain Everything (and What You're Missing)

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

This episode started with a question - “why don’t more people celebrate Easter?” I thought that was a very profound observation and it got me thinking…first about the difference between Christmas (celebrated by most) and Easter and then into some deeper questions about what many are missing because they are focused on the natural world…and missing the supernatural!

 

Here are links to the books I referenced in this episode:

• Old Paths: Being Plain Statements on Some of the Weightier Matters of Christianity by J.C. Ryle
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Providence by John Piper

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Choose a Man for Yourselves, and Let Him Come Down

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

In 1 Samuel 17, we read about how David was chosen to be the representative for the nation of Israel to fight against the giant Goliath. For forty days, Goliath demanded for a man to be chosen, to come down to fight him - and one day, we will be asked if we have a champion, an advocate, to stand and represent us on the most important day - the day we stand before a holy God!

 

As Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate, Pilate sends Jesus out to the crowd and says, “Behold the man.” What a powerful statement - Jesus is THE MAN - our man, our representative before God - and can you imagine having a better advocate for yourself than the Son of God?

 

Training4Manhood is a ministry to help equip you to be God’s man, but the most important issue is whether you have accepted the Son of God to be YOUR man! As we enter into the Holy Week in preparation for Easter weekend, let this be a time for you to consider the life and statements of Jesus - I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sent from heaven to be my representative, my sacrifice, the payment for my sin - and I pray that you reach this same conclusion!

 

Choose a MAN for yourself!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

The (Your) End is Coming...Are You Ready?

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

The conversation started with this line, “All you can do is live a good life and hope for the best.” I know many people believe this to be true…but is it? And is this the best we can truly hope for? It seems strange to me that we can know more about what we need to get on our final exam in our freshman English class to secure an A in the class than most people believe they can truly know about where they will spend their eternal destiny.

 

But, I don’t believe that God wants us to live with this insecurity and anxiety, when assurance of our eternal destiny can be known…for sure!

 

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, God wants us to know that we are all born with the same spiritual condition: death. We are all separated from God because of sin. But in Ephesians 2:4-7, God tells us how we can have the assurance of our salvation - “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

 

Now that’s “Good News” - or the Gospel of Jesus Christ - that you can have the assurance of your eternal destiny WITH God made available to you paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross! If you’ve never accepted this “free gift” (see Romans 6:23), today is the day of salvation and assurance! As Easter approaches, this truth is what Christians worldwide for centuries have been celebrating - that Jesus Christ paid the price to make men alive - transformed by His grace into “new creations” for His glory!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Fellowship, Friends, & Acquaintances | A New Layer to the Equation

 

Guest: Campbell Panetti

 

If you’ve been hanging around T4M for a while, you know that we take the designation of “friend” to be very important. I often share a quote from George Washington - here it is in its entirety:

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation.”

Recently my youngest, Campbell, approached me with a new thought and addition to this conversation - he was saying that there are different levels of friends, too - that those who are your most intimate friends are your fellowship - and we see this modeled in the life and ministry of Jesus as well. Jesus had the 12 disciples, but He often took the 3 (Peter, James, and John) while leaving the others.

Apparently this concept is supported by science and research as well. According to psychologist Robin Dunbar, the maximum number of close friends that a person can have is about five people - you can have a larger circle of friends (about 15 people) and another circle of about 50…and the maximum number of people that a person can have “meaningful contact” with is about 150 people.

The last part of our conversation dealt with the idea that “friends accept each other as they are.” I don’t wholeheartedly agree with that assessment - I think Scripture teaches us that friends are important tools to sharpen and improve us, often through saying hard truths and constructive criticism. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” The only way for iron to sharpen iron is for there to be honest and open conflict/friction to remove areas of weakness or sin. Hopefully you have friends around you who are working to help you be a better version of yourself!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Manhood: Back to the Basics

 

Host: Dan Panetti

 

My very first episode of T4M was about this idea - who is going to pick up the sock in the living room? Yes…that’s what men do - they do what needs to be done, even if it comes at a cost to them! Manhood isn’t about advancing yourself, but about using the gifts, talents, and resources that you have to advance others!

 

One man who embodied this concept was General George C. Marshall - and a great book that you can read to learn more about his life, work, and character is Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall by Jack Uldrich.

 

The quote about Abraham Lincoln that is attributed to Robert G. Ingersoll is “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Awesome concept that Lincoln lived out so well.

 

Another great resource to learn more about the concept of humility is Andrew Murray’s classic Humility: The Path to Holiness.

 

And I couldn’t remember the title of Tim Keller’s awesome (and incredibly short) book on this as well - The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy. Trust me, you’ll want to read this and give copies to friends!

T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.