From Ease to Difficulty

Boys want a life of ease. Men are willing to embrace difficulty.

For the next 10 weeks, Cale and I will be studying the life of Joseph. Through this study, we’ll explore how Joseph navigated the many challenges in his life and how he consistently responded in ways that glorified God.

  • Whole to a Part – Difficulty Day

    Shift 3 Difficulty Day was awesome. Cale and I drove about 4 hours to the Ozarks to go camping in the middle of Matt and Sara Keener’s property. We had lunch with David and Tanya, and then Cale spent about an hour with each of them individually. Around 5pm, we set up our tent and…

  • Whole to a Part: Week Ten – The Greatest and the Least

    Boys look inward. Men look up. God will remember you. We wrapped up shift 3 this week by looking back at the two main ideas for this shift: Your life matters and should be full of significance. BUT, you are not the center of the story, so live with humility. One of the questions we…

  • Whole to a Part: Week Nine – Wrestling With Your Role

    Boys Question. Men Accept. God will confront you. Life can be hard sometimes. Death, sickness, infertility, loneliness, etc. are real things that are a part of life. In the midst of hard things, doubt can be a normal response. “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react…

  • Whole to a Part: Week Eight – The Cost of Critique

    Boys shrink back. Men Rise up. God will give you courage. John the Baptist could have very easily faded into the background when Jesus arrived on the scene. However, he continued to be outspoken. Cale and I talked about habituation: When we become numb to the sin surrounding us because it has become so common…

  • Whole to a Part: Week Seven – Jesus is Better

    Boys are Satisfied. Men want More. God will give you a hunger for more. Jesus has officially entered the narrative in the John the Baptist story. God shows the importance of 3 things when he speaks to Jesus: Acceptance: “This is my son.” Affection: “Whom I love.” Affirmation: “With him I am well pleased.” Showing…

  • Whole to a Part: Week Six – Behold the Lamb of God

    Boys point to themselves. Men point to Jesus. God will make you a witness. This week’s focus was about attention. It is natural to want other people to pay attention to you. We want to take credit when we make good grades, succeed in sports, etc. But we should be quick to redirect that attention…