Raising Godly Boys Minute

Before GPS, did you ever come to a fork in the road and think, “Which way should I go?” Each of us eventually comes to a fork in the road – literally and figuratively – where we will have to decide which way to go. As Christ-followers, we have the perfect navigator in our lives. God knows what’s down each road we travel; nothing surprises him. If we are unsure which way to go, we can look to him,...

Have you ever trusted someone who let you down? Most of us have experienced this. Most of us have broken someone’s trust too. Yet, life requires you to trust others every day, often without thinking twice about it. The only One who will never let you down and is completely trustworthy is God.  “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.” Psalm 118:8 You must seek to trust and...

With each step he took, the load felt heavier. Matthew was on a hike with a group of other boys when he realized his backpack was overloaded. He feared that if he asked for help, the other boys would make fun of him. Finally, he fell to his knees, and confessed he couldn’t carry his load. To his surprise, the boys took off Matthew’s backpack and distributed the heavy contents equally in their own...

Your son needs a place to be a boy. In 2018, the Boy Scouts of America announced that they would allow girls to join. One scoutmaster was asked, “How do you like having girls a part of your troop?” The scoutmaster answered, “We love having girls because they are so much better behaved than boys!” That answer broke my heart. Society already deems boyhood and masculinity as something negative– and n...

Fire is always destructive, right? Well, not necessarily. The knobcone pine tree relies on fire in a crazy way. In order for its seeds to escape the hard resin that traps them inside the cone, an intense heat source is required. That’s where a forest fire comes in handy. After fire melts the cone’s resin away, the cone cracks open. Seeds are then free to flutter to the ground where they can grow t...

The 4th quarter of a football game is often a nailbiter. Teams battle it out as the minutes tick off the clock. At times, it feels like that 4th quarter will last forever. But then, before you know it, the game is over. The same is true in parenting. Many boys head off to work or college after high school. That means that if your son is at least 14 years old, then he’s probably in the 4th quarter...

George Müller—an evangelist who established orphanages in the 1800s—was known for his prayer life. And yet, in addition to his faith in God’s provision, Müller was also a man of action. He wisely said, “Our walk counts far more than our talk, always!” That’s so true. You may talk to your son about patience, kindness, and self-control, but do your actions demonstrate these characteristics? If a ref...

Here’s an easy question: What does www stand for? If you answered, “world wide web,” you're right! But if you think about it, that phrase is actually quite descriptive of online content. We all know that the Internet is helpful in many different ways. And yet, it’s also a web that easily entangles boys in temptations. Violence, vulgarity, and sexuality are trapping boys in sin. Don’t let your...

See if you can answer this joke: When leaving for work, what did the daddy buffalo say to his son? . . . Bye-son!  [Bison] Maybe that joke made you groan, but tell it to your son tonight, and you’ll probably get a smile from him—maybe even a laugh. Dad jokes are corny, but they’re still fun. Of course, you and your son can have fun in a thousand other ways, but the important thing is that you have...

Did you ever play Capture-the-Flag when you were a kid? If so, you know the object of the game is to capture the opposite team’s flag before getting tagged. It’s one thing to play Capture-the-Flag, but don’t let today’s secular culture capture your son’s heart and mind. The love of money, the desires of the flesh, and the pride of life are all trying to steal his attention. And if they capture it,...

On his first day of preschool my son peered into the classroom and said, “Dad, I don’t want to go in there.” I dropped to one knee in front of him and put my hand on his shoulder. Meeting him eye-to-eye, I reminded him about the first time he had ridden a pony. At first, he had been scared of the horse. But he faced his fear, and had been so glad that he did. With that memory in mind, my son walke...

Have you seen the video of the football player who ran the wrong way? I heard about a man who is coaching his 6-year-old son’s flag football team. He told me his biggest challenge is getting the players to head in the right direction when they get the ball. Often their first instinct is to head toward the wrong end zone. Boys today are missing the moral compass needed when they leave the playing f...

Parent the boy in front of you. Books, websites, and friends can be great sources of wisdom for parenting advice. But as you’re listening to others, don’t forget this profound truth– there is no one else on earth who is exactly like your son. You have been hand selected by God to be your son’s parent. That means there is no one else– no, not even that parenting expert with several degrees– who is...

Is it more difficult to be a teenaged boy, or a grown adult? Adult life is stressful. Of course, you have more responsibility than your teen son. But consider this– you also have more freedom, more balanced hormones, and a fully developed brain. Parenting experts say that some of the hardest, most chaotic years of life are between ages 13-18, especially for young men. Here’s the point. It’s true t...

Have you had to wait for something recently, or are you still waiting? With seven games left in the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge tied Roger Maris for the American League single-season home run record. With the world watching, Judge had to wait for five more games before finally breaking the record in the next-to-last game. Psalm 27:14 tells us to...

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Around 49% of people had a quick bowl of cereal. Popular brands include Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, and Raisin Bran. Across the country, Americans enjoy over a hundred types of cereal. That’s a lot of variety, but there are even more ways of parenting kids. That’s why when it comes to raising your son, understanding his personality is vitally important....

Life is busy. We all know that. But sometimes it feels as if we have to do everything to keep life running smoothly. We have to drive our kids to sports games, make sure they finish their homework, and tell them for the hundredth time to brush their teeth. But it’s important to remember that we aren’t the only ones that want to see our kids succeed. Sunday school leaders, classroom teachers, coach...

A battle is raging—and it’s destroying people’s lives. No, I’m not talking about wars and conflicts scattered across the globe. Rather, I’m referring to the cultural war on gender identity. Secular activists use words like “toxic masculinity” to shame people into thinking that gender is destructive. But the Bible is clear. God created people either male or female. As a parent, it’s important you f...

During Jesus’ day, leprosy was an awful disease that caused horrible deformities. That’s why when Jesus healed ten lepers, they were thrilled. They probably rushed away to tell the exciting news to their family and friends. And yet, only one leper returned to give thanks to Jesus. We’re quick to blame those nine lepers, but at times, we’re just as ungrateful. We may not have leprosy, but our Lord...

Don’t you wish parenting boys was easy? Wouldn’t it be great if your son always listened carefully, obeyed immediately, and behaved perfectly? The truth is—that’s rarely the case. When your son tests your patience for the hundredth time in a day, take a deep breath and remember our Savior’s example. When the Pharisees tried to trick him, He responded calmly. When the Jews demanded that He be cruci...

Ever wonder why your son can spot the elusive bad guy on his video game, but doesn’t seem to notice the dust collecting on his dresser? Well, there’s actually a biological reason for that. When compared to girls, boys have more rods than cones in their eyes. This makes boys more sensitive to movement, and more likely to focus on things farther away. The difference makes sense historically. Men hav...

You’re at the park with your son and his best friend. A hundred feet away is a water fountain. Your son asks if he can go get a drink. When you say yes, the two boys race to the water fountain. Your son’s friend yells triumphantly when he gets there first. Isn’t it funny how little boys often try to make everything a competition? As a parent, use that fact to keep your son engaged! Whenever you ca...

For years, a pair of sunglasses determined my worth. When I was in my twenties, I proudly made my first big purchase: a pair of Serengeti sunglasses. But shortly after buying those sunglasses, I lost them. It might sound silly, but that incident plagued me for decades. I told myself that I couldn’t be trusted and didn’t deserve nice things. I doubted my worth as a man and my ability to be a good d...

What’s something that does not come naturally to you? Maybe public speaking makes you break out in a sweat, or you think running is torturous. Now, how would you feel if you had to spend eight hours a day doing that very thing you are not good at? That’s the reality for many boys. Boys are natural explorers. When they reach school age, they are expected to spend most of the day sitting. No wonder...

The Bible is full of men who ruined their own lives. Moses was full of self-doubt and had an anger problem. Peter lied and said he didn’t know Jesus. David betrayed and killed a man. And yet, so many years later, we still remember those men not for the mistakes they made, but for being leaders in the faith. Kids today, especially boys, are desperately in need of positive mentors. You probably thin...