Raising Godly Boys Minute

What sets a boy's heart on fire? Whether it's beating the next level, winning the next game, or paddling around the next bend, boys love a challenge.  And more than that, boys need a challenge. Put a group of boys in canoes, and they will turn it into a race or a competition to turn each other over.  Send them on a campout, and they'll race to see who can set their tent up first so...

Who are your families’ heroes? Take time in the month of November to teach children about great spiritual heroes - and also remember some of the heroes in your own life. Don't just let these days float by as missed opportunities while the culture is already trying to make money off of Christmas.  Redeem this time and use it as a stepping stone into the holiday season. Spend the month of Novem...

Have you ever seen the power of a boy? All that boundless energy is there for a reason.  Steve led a 50-mile hike with a group of boys and began to worry he might have to cut it short.  His son and some of the other younger boys were lagging behind and wanted to quit. Just as Steve  made the decision to turn the entire group back, the older boys took charge, taught the younger ones silly songs and...

Is there a storm in your son’s life? When your son inevitably faces something difficult in his life, it may feel like a hurricane is blowing through. And when it does, you want nothing more than to end the storm—or at least hold an umbrella over your boy’s head. But as hard as we try, we cannot protect our son from every pain in this life. But here’s the good news. Whatever storm your son is endur...

Now is the best time in history to raise a boy. Michael Reichert makes that claim in his book How to Raise a Boy. At first, it may seem like he is wrong, since boys are falling behind their female peers in almost every area. But Reichert  says those statistics are what makes it a great time. Now that we’re aware that boys are struggling, it only takes a little intentionality to help. We can make s...

Have you ever watched a boy turn into a man? Tony was a goofy boy that liked to chase lizards, quote movies, and prank his friends. But he was smart and kind, and the leaders in his volunteer group began to suggest roles of responsibility. Soon, he began coming up with original ideas for activities, developing new games, and planning outings on his own. As an older youth, he commanded respect from...

Your son needs to take a walk. Walking has more psychological benefits to your son than you probably even realize. Researchers have found that the rhythmic left and right motion can actually help your boy’s brain process thoughts and feelings. The physical movement can reduce his anxiety and depression, and also helps create new white blood cells in the brain which helps him think better. If your...

Are you sure your son is on the right path? Once, while teaching a map and compass course to a group of boys, the leaders began to notice that none of the boys were finding the right path.  Some were off by small margins, and some went entirely the wrong direction!  The activity was a failure, and only later was it discovered to be because of  buried power lines and water lines under the church pr...

How can you teach your son to be honest? To put it simply: Champion the truth. If your son makes a mistake but confesses, praise his honesty more than focusing on the mistake. And if he does tell a lie, make sure he knows he’s getting punished more for the lie than the wrongdoing. It’s also crucial to remember that your son is watching you closely. He will hear you lie to your boss about why you h...

Can you protect your son from today's toxic culture? The Bible says to “train up a child in the way he will go, and he will not depart from it.” Just like training to throw a spiral pass or paddle a canoe, training your son to avoid today's moral pitfalls is worth the time and effort. Workouts and drills are for more than the football field and the outdoors. Teaching your son that daily...

Would you give your son a blessing? It may sound like a strange concept, but it’s  seen throughout the Bible between fathers and sons. Dr. John Trent and Dr. Gary Smalley wrote about this in their book, The Blessing. They say that most blessings in the Bible include five things, quote, “meaningful and appropriate touch, a spoken message, attaching high value, picturing a special future, and an act...

How can you be sure your son will succeed? If you've asked this question, you're not alone.  We all want the best for our children, but how can we help them on their way?  Give your son something to aim for.  Set a target for him that ignites excitement.  Surround your son with great examples of godly character. Finding father figures and mentors to teach him, train him, and be his guide...

Is your son struggling in school? He’s not alone. Unfortunately, many traditional schools are not set up to maximize a young man’s success. First, boys are wired to be movers, so sitting all day can be a challenge. Second, boys’ ears are less skilled at picking up higher frequencies, so learning from a female teacher’s voice can be difficult. And lastly, boys usually develop slower than girls, so...

How fast can a riptide kill you? Matthew was about to find out.  Caught in a riptide off the coast, he watched the shoreline grow further away as he exhausted himself fighting against the current.  Weak and in despair, he suddenly remembered his training, and swam a short twenty feet out of the current, where he was able to float, recover his strength, and swim back to shore. Today’s toxic culture...

How does a boy learn right from wrong? Sometimes, boys can learn more from our mistakes than from our teaching.  Brian had just finished teaching ax and saw safety to a troop of boys eager to build towers and rope bridges.  While loading his equipment, he carelessly tossed a saw that bounced and rolled to within a foot of the boys he had just taught about safety. Everyone froze.  They all stared a...

Do you know where the world’s tallest skyscraper is located? At an incredible height of 2,722 feet (just over half a mile), Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, is almost 500 feet taller than the second-tallest skyscraper. If you want to build high, you must first dig deep and build a foundation below the surface. As a parent, grandparent, or mentor, you can help build a deep and firm...

Have you ever seen good advice ignored, with hilarious results? I heard about a boy who camped with a new group of friends in a campground he knew well.  It flooded frequently, and was nicknamed, “The Swamp.”  All of the adults and other boys ignored his advice to camp on higher ground, and they pitched their tents in the easy, sandy soil. Finding the highest ground, he slept through the night to...

Here’s an idea to connect with your son: show him your high school yearbook. First, let him make fun of your outdated haircut and clothes. Show him the picture of your basketball team, and the page where it says you were voted class clown. Next, show him pictures of your friends. Talk about what friendships ended and which ones have lasted through the years. And finally, talk about the power of ch...

Why is there an attack on biblical manhood? All around us, the very idea of a man as a devout father, provider, and hard worker is ridiculed and torn down.  A spineless, conforming, weak-willed androgyne is modeled, and we are told to sacrifice our sons to modern culture. How can you keep your son safe from these attacks? Model godly character.  What he sees in you, he will follow. Provide godly m...

“In a thousand feet, turn left.” Imagine that you’re driving in a town you’ve never visited before. The GPS on your phone is telling you what turns you need to make.  But suddenly, your phone’s battery dies. Without your GPS, you feel lost, alone, and you wonder if you’ll even make it to your desired destination. That “lost”  feeling is what many young men experience in our society today. In the c...

Why do boys love adventure? Mark Twain said, “There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.” The search for adventure drives some boys to video games, where they can conquer kingdoms and gain virtual accolades.  Others find their adventures in sports. But deep down, the call of the woods, the wild, the mountains...

Doesn’t it seem like the more you want your son to talk, the less he will? Of course, some boys are talkative. But generally speaking, your son is not going to volunteer a lot of information about his day. One reason is biological. Males have fewer language centers in their brain than females, and process things internally. Your son may also feel the pressure from you to share, and is backing away...

What makes worship, worship? Jesus defined worship for the Woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well in John 4:23 and 24. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” We should teach our children to worship God w...

If you ask your son what it means to be brave, what would he say? Your son would probably answer that bravery is entering a dangerous situation or saving  someone’s life– and that’s true. But in this day and age when depression and suicide rates of teenage boys are at a crisis point, your son needs to know that there’s another way to be brave– asking for help. Give your son small exercises in aski...

Where should a boy turn to when he needs wisdom? Today, through the internet and other sources, there is more information available than ever before. But the best source of information and wisdom is found in a book written thousands of years ago — the Bible. The book of Proverbs is especially powerful when it comes to seeking wisdom. We often think we need a “life hack” to navigate life’s most dif...