[Addiction] is not like a disease. It is something we do rather than catch, we confess it rather than treat it, the disease is in our hearts rather than our bodies, and only the forgiveness and cleansing found in the blood of the Great Physician is sufficient to bring thorough healing.
Edward Welch

Help boys grow to Men

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David takes care of his father's sheep. He stays with them in the day and in the night. He keeps them from being lost, and he will not let any wild beast kill them. Sometimes when he is alone out in the field he plays on the harp. He knows how to play on the harp very well, and he can make sweet music.

A fabulous article by Mark Hancock identifies many reasons why boys in today’s society are struggling to survive and thrive.   If you have a young man in your life, and care about how and what he develops into becoming, PLEASE read Mark’s analysis.

I’m going to spin the article around, from identifying causes/problems, to specific action items we can pursue.  Perhaps these are “Tips for Parenting a Boy”…

  1. Expose him regularly to positive male role models – give him examples of “Who can I be like?”
    1. at church
    2. at school
    3. at home
    4. Jesus is the perfect example
  2. Tell him stories that introduce him to examples of living, within the boundaries of right and wrong defined by God.
    1. What happens when I do right?
    2. What happens when I do wrong?
    3. The most impactful times I experienced with my parents, was when I saw THEM change course in their own lives, when they learned a lesson.  Seeing a parent grow and develop inspires the children!  Don’t hide your growth from them.
    4. Why are God’s standards better than man’s standards?
      1. Mankind is corruptible and can be perverted – set his sights to the highest level
      2. the stability of God’s laws and his grace is a wonderful experience
    5. Let him experience risk-based trust in God
      1. I think God may be leading me to ____, and it will cost me something (time, money, effort, peer-pressure), but the reward(s) might be…
    6. In my own journal, I ask myself:  “How much religion is enough?  How much faith is enough?”
      1. Help him explore extremes, because Jesus certainly did.
  3. Help him answer the question, “what is it like to be loved by God?”