“As school begins in the coming weeks, parents of boys should ask themselves a question: Is my son really welcome? A flurry of incidents last spring suggests that the answer is no.”

Read: School Has Become Too Hostile to Boys

“The boy-man is selfish, young, immature, addicted to games, immune to responsibility, foul-mouthed, and weak. He’s overwhelmed by adulthood, so he chooses to stay in some sort of boyish fantasy. He doesn’t want to build big things, meaningful things, like a family, a six-decade marriage, a socially and personally profitable career, or a gospel-driven church or missions effort. He wants to make music, play games, follow sports, flirt with girls, loaf through life, bend the rules so he’s not accountable or inconvenienced in his selfishness, and ignore the need to help others.”

Read: Be Strong and Courageous (and Not a Boy Man)

“A real man . . .
…isn’t embarrassed to worship God and pray in a group setting. (Mark 8:38)

…is wise, yet humble. (Proverbs 2:1-10, 1 Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16)”

Read: Teen Girls Define a “Real Man”

“It’s the most inspiring 60 seconds in American culture today. Slow-motion combat, exploding rockets trailed by plumes of white. Men paying the ultimate price for a greater cause. Valor, vigor and victory. So what are we speaking of? A montage from military history? A call to join the armed forces in service to a nation in peril?

No. We are speaking of today’s greatest mini-artistic production: the trailer for that epic video game everyone’s talking about. It’s all fake. Yet it’s powerful and seeks to entice young men to buy, literally, into its alternate reality.

I should know. I used to play video games like the ones I’m describing. Maybe you’re like me in this way. You’re young, you really enjoy fun things, and sometimes, you’re glad to tune out the world and just, you know, escape.

You like being alone.”

Read: Why it is Not Good to be Alone

And finally, I enjoyed this music video by Andrew Peterson: You’ll Find Your Way

Have a grace-filled week end!