DON'T FORGET TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MEN

My husband has been asked to lead the men’s ministry at our church. I am very excited for him because he has been part of some most excellent ministries in other churches. Now he has an opportunity to grow and develop his own ministry. He immediately called his mentor and shared his exciting news. He also asked for suggestions and ideas. His mentor offered to help in any way possible and they began to brainstorm.

I love that my husband has a mentor, especially since his father has passed away and he doesn’t really have another man to connect with. He has several friends, and I am grateful for that as well, but friends fill a different role than mentors.

Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Some men may not have had a positive male role model in their lives and after coming to Christ they are at a loss as to how to be a Christian man. Some men had a man in their lives to teach them how to be a godly man. That influence is absent now so these men are struggling. In both situations they don’t know how to lead their families, how to work through the issues at work and at home, and either feel failure or simply give up. All these men need a helping hand.

I decided to so some research so I turned to Google. I came upon the website www.radicalmentoring.com and was very impressed. The site has found the lack of male mentoring is a real problem in churches today and they are stepping up to eliminate this problem.

This organization has found churches can be “a mile wide but an inch deep” in their enthusiasm to grow the church. They have many wonderful ministries, including a men’s ministry, but the genuine connection on a deeper level is missing. This deeper connection igniting a passion to follow Christ. To get that connection we must all be genuine and intentional. If this passion begins with the men, it will filter down to all levels of ministry.

On top of all our other tasks we need to add Supporting My Men. I challenge you to pray about it, discuss it with your men, and discuss it with your pastor. Let’s face it ladies-men are the heads of household but women are the heart. We keep our home running and that includes supporting our family.

I find a lesson to be learned in all my past deeds. I wish I had realized this need a long time ago. I wish I had done more than just encourage my husband to go out with his buddies to a movie or dinner. I wish I had realized that he needed just as much male support and mentoring as I needed from my female friends. But now that I do, I plan to continue encouraging him to pursue this need.

Please comment and let me know your thoughts on this post. Let me know of any suggestions, resources, or experiences you’ve had regarding men mentoring men.