Confession time. When I was in middle school, I was into sports (that's not the confession. Read on). I collected team hats, jerseys and considered being "knowledgeable about sports" a manhood rite of passage. So, my parents let me get a subscription to Sports Illustrated. Though my parents were diligent to screen the mail, I "happened" to visit the mailbox the day IT arrived. That's right, the annual swimsuit issue.

It didn't take me long to determine that these photos deserved to be on display on my bedroom wall (no, I was not very smart). I carefully removed each full page photo and taped them on the wall, just behind the door so they would be unseen when the door opened. I was well on my way to being a "real man." Until my mom came along. Who knew she would actually walk all the way into my room and look around?! It was either later that day or the next (I'm not totally sure), my mom opens the door and simply said, "Take the pictures down" and she left. A little surprised and honestly ashamed, I went about the task of removing each picture from the wall. For the record, I've never had another Sports Illustrated subscription since...maybe I'm not the sports fan I thought I was.

Well, here we are again a few decades later. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is out again. I do appreciate what Sports Illustrated does for sports, but frankly the swimsuit issue is too much for any man remotely concerned about his purity. Parents, take notes here. My mom did what any mom (or dad) should do - she expected more from me than to gawk at scantily clad women. She refused to allow me to become a man that treated women like sex objects. Parents, your job is no different today. You must be heads up. You must not take lightly things like the SI Swimsuit issue.

This is ultimately an issue of respect. We must train our children to have proper respect for themselves, others and, most importantly, Almighty God who made them and calls them to a life of honor. Who knows what the specific issue is going on in your home? I can assure you there is some issue that threatens the respect your kids have for God, others or self. This issue needs to be addressed quickly, clearly and firmly. Just the other day, I reached over and covered the eyes of my eight-year-old son because a Victoria's Secret commercial came on TV. I must physically guard his eyes in order to train him in what it takes to guard his own eyes. I must start now "carving a groove" of purity in my child's heart and mind that holds him accountable to being a respectful and honorable man.

Men, if you happen to take Sports Illustrated, I believe you can "opt out" of the swimsuit issue. I encourage you to. If you feel like you are less of a man if you opt out, you completely misunderstand manhood, in which case I encourage you to watch the Hero series I taught last summer.

Parents, be intentional...you've got 7000days®.

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Men, part of the calling of manhood is learning how to treat the woman you love. Let me let you in on a little secret. Today is Valentine's Day. In honor of the day, I have created a little guide to help you love your wife well this year. It is important to make the most of days like today, even if you think Valentine's Day is stupid (frankly, it's not much different than the Super Bowl). Regardless on how you feel about the commercialize day, it is a chance to show your wife what she means to you, and to elevate her as the prize she is.

Express love verbally. As men we often allow ourselves to be far too quiet in life. We give reasons like, "I'm just not a talker." Yet if it's sports or hunting or our hobby of choice, we can talk all day. Men, take time this year to express your love for your wife verbally. This means actually saying something. Tell her how you feel about her out loud or at least in written form on a card. You will likely need to think this through before you open your mouth. Bring notes if you need to, but express it verbally! By the way, the most important words in a marriage are not "I love you;" they are "thank you."

Express love physically. Ok guys, physically does not ONLY mean sex. If it did, there would be no issue here. Expressing love physically also means holding her, sitting next to her and simply being present. It is important on special days like today (her birthday, Mother's day, etc) to protect your schedule to spend time to physically be with your wife. It is also important to express love sexually but not as the only physical expression. You wife may enjoy holding hands or taking a walk together or a drive around town to talk (see #1). Or sit next to her on the couch and run your fingers through her hair (easy on the tangles!)

Express love sacrificially. Men, I can say with reasonable confidence that your wife sacrifices often for your good and the good of your home. Use moments like these to love her through sacrifice. Come home early and relieve her of "kid duty." Dust off the "honey-do" list and complete some overdue projects you've been avoiding. Let her know you will make dinner and maybe do some laundry...if she will let you. Show her how much you appreciate her by serving her sacrificially.

Express love generously. Everyone woman loves a gift. Gifts communicate value and care. They can be a token of love and a statement that says, "I've been paying attention to your WANTS." You do not have to spend a fortune, it is the thought that counts...unless you gave it very little thought, then it doesn't count. We need to learn to be generous in the giving of gifts, time and attention. Sometimes the latter two are valued more than the first.

Express love vicariously. To the dads...if you have a son, or in my case four sons, you have a big responsibility to train those boys how to love a woman well. While your boys are in the house, you should love your wife vicariously through your sons by training them to love their mother well. This will help develop the skills necessary for when they decide to love a special young lady one day. Boys learn early to forget about mom. Your job is to make sure they don't. Doing this will be an act of love to your wife and honestly to your future daughter-in-law.

Express love regularly. One of the dangers of Valentine's Day is the tendency we men have to love well today and forget the other 364 days of the year. If you have not loved well this year, you cannot make it up on one romantic evening of dinner, wine and roses. Love, especially in marriage, is an every day calling. We must choose it whether we feel like it or not. We must honor our wives by loving her so well that Valentine's Day is the icing on the cake. If you aren't there yet, start today. Confess to her that you have not loved her well and that things will begin to change starting today.

I hope this helps. I hope you have a great Valentine's Day today or whatever day you choose to celebrate it. If you need further inspiration, please check out the series I taught in October of 2011 entitled, "A Ridiculous Idea Called Marriage."

Happy romancing!

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The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 makes Christian mission clear: "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

In a phrase we are called to "make DISCIPLES." I've heard lots of debate on what that passage "really means." Some prefer to see it as a primary text for the evangelistic work of the Church, focusing on the word "Go." Others focus on the phrase "make disciples" elevating the one to one discipleship/mentoring approach. As a teacher, I often focus on the phrase "teaching them to observe all...," elevating the role of preaching and teaching. In the end, I think we would all do well to recognize these interpretations are all embedded in this text and undeniable parts of the Christian Mission. If we are honest, every "part" of the Great Commission is in need of more frequency and excellence.

Today I am boldly promoting an innovative new tool that I believe is a game-changer for Christian mission. My friends at Downline Ministries here in Memphis have developed a tool to help individuals and churches better fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus. It's called the Downline Builder (please watch the video above). I am encouraged by this tool for a number of reasons...

1. Customizable, ever-growing library of excellent curriculum. You get to pick and choose the curriculum YOU need for your context. We've all done Bible studies that have great cover designs and promise the world, only to be disappointed by the content or some portion of the content that seems irrelevant. The DL Builder allows you to select the number of lessons and focus of your curriculum, taking out the guess work and making the most of your time. You can customize and download curriculum for a number of uses including: personal mentoring, group leadership, Sunday School class lessons and I dare say sermon prep helps. 

2. Not just for pastors. DL Builder is designed for the regular Joe in need of a no-nonsense curriculum to ensure disciple-making can exist right alongside the busyness of family life and career. You don't have to be a pastor or have a seminary degree to do this. At the same time...pastors, we need this tool as well. If we're honest, sometimes we need a leg up from time to time in our content and our personal involvement in disciple-making.

3. Electronic, global access. Downline is committed to continue development in multiple languages so this technology is available to the world at the touch of a button. Currently the entire English speaking world has access to this tool, making it a one of a kind, affordable resource for the big "C" Church around the world. Please share this with your friends and those you have on the mission field around the world.

4. Saves money. For the individual or church on a budget, this tool is remarkably affordable. I strongly encourage churches to consider the DL Builder to become the curriculum choice for Sunday School classes and small groups church-wide. This would likely result in hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars saved for churches; money that could be put back toward global missions or community development in your church's backyard.

5. Theologically responsible. If you care about good theological content (which you should) the DL Builder will not leave you disappointed. The Downline team is scholarly yet practical and approaches Scripture honestly seeking the intersection of God's truth and everyday life. There is deep truth explored in every lesson as well as life-changing points of application so we do not fall into the trap of being "hearers of the Word and not doers." You may not "line up" with every doctrinal position Downline takes, but I think you will find, as I have, that Downiline is "theologically responsible" giving you confidence in everything they do from their original Downline Institute, to the Downline Men's and Women's Summits  and now with the Downline Builder.

Please don't miss getting in on the "ground floor" of the Downline Builder. Your initial involvement will help promote this unique and needed tool around the world. For the record...I was not asked to post this, I'm not getting paid by Downline and I don't teach for Downline...yet :). I simply believe in this tool and recommend it to all my readers...Downline Builder is "Stuff I Like."

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My name is Cooper, and I cannot read, write or type; nevertheless I decided to write a blog :) Today is my birthday. I'm five. So, I though I'd pass along five life lessons I've learned in my five short years. I hope you enjoy!

1. Life ain't fair, be happy. You better learn this one early. Very little in life works out perfectly in your favor. In fact, just the other day, I had a an open heart surgery because I was born with a hole in my heart...unfair. The surgery went great...until I got an infection that almost killed me...unfair. For a few days there I had my poor parents pretty worried...also unfair. Why me? Who knows?! The bottom line is, we only discourage ourselves more when we think life has to be perfect for us to be happy. I choose to be happy anyway. I'm not always cheerful...my dad says I get, "grumpy." Life is just too short to keep score on how fair you think you are being treated. Life ain't fair, get over it. 

2. Always fight. I'm a fighter. I have to be. I was born with Down syndrome, so nothing comes easy for me. The first few weeks of my life wore me out! No one should have to have surgery the day after they are born, it ain't right!  It took me forever to learn to walk, but I did. Things my friends do that looked so easy, can be very hard for me...like using a straw or putting on a coat. But I'm a fighter. I'm gonna catch up. Even my recent health issues have probably set me back in the short run, but I will fight, and I will overcome. Everyone needs to fight. Some people let their struggles get the best of them, and they give up. I say, "never give up!" I learned that from my mom and dad. They never give up on me. And trust me, I'm a handful!

3. No Excuses. I have Down syndrome, blah, blah, blah. Everyone has their excuse keeping them from success; keeping them from being all God wants them to be. I know you've got issues. Don't we all?! My parents refuse to let my "special needs" be an excuse for me not behaving right, learning what I need to learn and having the same bright future as everyone else. Excuses only create more space between where you are and where you want to be. What will it take for you to call out your excuses and kick them out of your life? What things or people in your life are waiting on you to stop making excuses? Maybe you need some people like my parents who won't let you make excuses!

4. Lovestrong. If some guy on a bicycle can have a bracelet with the word "Livestrong," I can have one that says, "Lovestrong!" Some people think I'm genetically created to love stronger than others. The truth is, love is a gift from God, and it's the only thing that works when all else fails. Love, according to the Bible, is the greatest thing we can give or receive. My life, if anything, is a story of love. I love people (especially my brothers), and people, lots of people, love me. I overheard my dad say that my mom has prayed my whole life that God would cause lots of people to love me and make my life a little easier. I guess they do, because sometimes my parents cry; they are so thankful of all the people who love me. One thing is for sure, real love is stronger than any offense or difference. You will never go wrong loving people, especially those other people forget about.

5. Trust God, question nurses. A lot of people give up on God when things don't go their way. It's easy to wonder why God allows certain things happen, but somehow in His wisdom He does. In my humble opinion, what choice do we have? Sure, you can let the circumstances destroy your faith, but then what do you have? I'll tell you, you will have a life dependent on your own abilities to manage the chaos. Faith in God just makes more sense. God understands the chaos in our world, and He ultimately solved every problem we face in life by offering us eternal life through Jesus. I think our biggest problem is trying to figure out how everything works in our lifetime. God never promised that. He does work out all things for good, but not always on our timeline. But make no mistake, ALL things work together for good for those who are called by God. Nurses, on the other hand, scare the Pull-Ups off of me! Every time they walk in the room, they wanna touch me, listen to my heart, hook me up to monitors and poke me with sharp objects. They always act nice too. Don't believe them, it's a facade. Don't trust the nurses.

I hope this brightens your day and helps you with whatever you are facing right now in your life. We all have a long way to go. Good thing God is with us.

Happy Birthday to me!


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Rock climbing is amazing. The pros somehow scale huge rock faces with little more than a half-inch finger hold. The entire process leaves the expert climber one false move from total failure. Most of us would not attempt to scale a rock face without a safety net like an expert would, but we do attempt to scale our lives with a similar margin of error.

Few of us know how frighteningly close we are to that fine line between strength and weakness. I think it's human nature to want to be strong or at least appear strong. Strength is held at a high value in our culture in nearly every arena from physical prowess to emotional stability. Feeling strong makes us walk taller and proceed with confidence. However, there is a subtle deception in our strength. We are not nearly as strong as we think we are.

Last week it was my job to be strong. My son was having a major surgery, and I'm the dad. However, the moment we got word that the surgery was over and he was ok, I broke down. I lost the finger hold of my strength. My wife turned to me and said sarcastically, "Now, you're crying?!"  I was standing on that fine line. My strength was not nearly as strong as I thought. I desperately wanted to know everything was ok with my son.

There is something powerful about understanding our weakness. The constant lie of our world is that we have to be strong. Strength is not a bad thing, it's actually a very biblical thing when it comes from a true source of strength. To think that you or I can just muster up strength from deep within our imperfect selves is foolish. The Bible presents a paradoxical reality; true strength comes when we recognize weakness and depend upon God. So, in order to be strong we must - it is essential - identify with our weakness.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul writes, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

We are all one crisis away from something that will send us to our knees and God offers us His strength.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

God is willing, even eager, to find those who are committed to Him, those willing to express need and dependence...weakness. Even today as I prayed to start the day, I was reminded of how foolish it is to pretend to have strength that I just don't have. I need God's strength. His strength is exactly what I need. This strength is a byproduct of admitting (boasting in) weakness and a heart fully committed to Him. Don't worry, God is looking for people like that. He's ready to give true strength to carry you through.

Just like rock climbers who spend hours upon hours practicing their holds and ascents with the safety of harnesses, we too can practice boasting in our weaknesses and living lives fully committed to God. When the day comes and our strength is gone, we will know the One who gives us true strength to carry us through.

Proverbs 21:21 - He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. 

“I can't stop this feelin'
Deep inside of me.
Girl you just don't realize
What you do to me. 

When you hold me in your arms so tight,
You let me know everything's alright. 

I'm...
Hooked on a feelin',
High on believin'
That you're in love with me.” 

You may recognize these lyrics from the popular song Hooked on a Feeling performed by B.J. Thomas from a few years back. He is singing about this feeling that a woman gives him when they are together. He is hooked on this feeling that she gives him, and he is ready to sing to the world about it. He’s hooked on a feeling. 

This scenario is a good illustration of our definition of love. Many of us have bought into the idea that love is uncontrollable, that it’s something that just happens to us; it’s an over-the-top experience that takes over our mind and emotions. In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, “I fell in love,” as if love is some kind of a ditch. It’s like I’m walking along one day and bam! I fell in love, and I wasn’t even looking for it! 

The truth; however, is that love is not a feeling or experience; it is a choice. Proverbs 21:21 speaks of those who pursue love and righteousness. Love is not something that happens to us. We must pursue it. Love is a lifestyle of committed, decided actions. It’s true that attraction and excitement can be parts of a love relationship, but these wane or fade over time. True love never fades. True love never fails or turns its back. Those who truly love do so because they have made a choice to love. They make the choice, every single day, to offer themselves in faithful commitment to another. 

This is also true of your relationship with God. You have to choose to love God. He won’t force you to love Him. You are free to choose a path without God. He will pursue you, yet won’t force you to love Him. Why? Because He knows love can’t be forced. He understands that love is active choice. Will you choose to love today? 

Life Reflection
How did you previously define love? What do you think about the assertion that love is a feeling? 

Life Response
Choose to love today! One of the ways we love God is by loving other people. Choose one person to do a selfless act of love and service for today.

This entry was written by my friend, Casey Young @casey_young. Get your copy of the Hero Handbook here.

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I'm pleased to post another excerpt from the Hero Handbook produced this summer to give men a devotional option that speaks directly into the lives and issues men face. If you like what you read click here to get your copy of the Hero Handbook.

Proverbs 4:7-9 “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.  Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.  She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.”

The central theme of Proverbs is wisdom.  Know wisdom. Attain wisdom. Teach wisdom. Get wisdom.  On several occasions, we read in the Proverbs that only fools despise wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 tells us that even if wisdom cost us all we have, we should get wisdom. Notice this instruction is that of an active nature. This is an active pursuit. No matter the cost, go and get wisdom! 

Pursue wisdom. What does it mean to pursue? This could have a number of meanings; one definition of pursue is to “go in search of or hunt for.”  A couple of illustrations of this definition are “The offices pursued the suspect.” or “He returned to school to pursue a degree.” Most men know the feeling of pursuing a woman that we were interested in (some more successfully than others!). In any of these examples we find a commonality of a goal or purpose in the mind of the one doing the pursuing.  

God has a purpose for our lives: to be holy as He is holy. Proverbs teaches us that the key to this is wisdom, or the knowledge and fear of the LORD.  If men are going to obtain wisdom and live holy lives of worship to the Father, this will not just happen because we intend to intellectually. It will happen because we know God more fully and respond to His Word and His Spirit. This will be a purpose that we must create and then pursue it passionately and relentlessly.  

Life Reflection
Up to this point in your life, has pursuing wisdom been a priority in your life?  Have you settled for “common sense” or do you actively pursue God’s wisdom? 

Life Response
Would you commit today to actively pursue God’s wisdom by reading His word daily? Consider reading one chapter from the book of Proverbs every day to build in a habit for pursuing wisdom.

Written by my friend Casey Young @casey_young

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 Every Monday I want to challenge men to be the "Hero" God intends them to be in life. A Hero is a man who constantly sharpens the following five character traits... 1) Speak Life, 2) Walk Wisely, 3) Choose Love, 4) Trust God and, 5) Control Self.  This entry is taken from the Hero Handbook 2011, published to give men an opportunity to better understand what it means to answer the call of Biblical manhood. Casey Young is the author of this entry for men to "Speak life." I know you will be challenged.

Proverbs 18:21a  “The tongue has the power of life and death…”

Our words are extremely powerful. What we say, and how we say it, carry much influence on the people in our lives. This is the point Proverbs 18:21 is making to us. Our words not only communicate, but they influence as well. That’s why the Bible encourages us to use our words in ways that encourage and lift others up, because with our words we have the ability to speak life.  

Husbands, are you careful not to speak harshly to your wife? Do you speak to her in ways that build her up? Fathers, do you regularly encourage your kids? In what ways do you speak to family members, to those with whom you work and those who may work for you? How do you speak to a server at a restaurant? Each encounter we have throughout each day is an opportunity to speak life. 

It’s also important to see the potential result of our words. According to Proverbs 18:21, our words lead either to life or to death. Life and death are opposite results. They are exclusive. There is no middle. With our words, we either build something up, or we tear something down. We either speak life into someone’s life, or we speak death. We encourage or discourage with our words. Again, there is no middle-of-the-road when it comes to our words. There is power in every word we speak. As we strive to answer the call of biblical manhood, may we begin to think about what we say, how we say it, and try to use our speech to bring the power of life to those around us. 

When you speak this week, think about the power your words have and ask yourself, “Am I using my words to bring life or death?”  

Life Reflection 

Was there a time in your life when the words of another deeply wounded you?  What impact did their words have upon your life? 

Briefly relate a time when you were the one who spoke words of hurt or anger. Do you feel your words caused harm to that person?  

In both instances, how did the hurtful things said affect your relationship? How did you respond in each situation? 

Life Response 

Identify someone in your life to whom you need to speak life.  How can you accomplish that today?

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If you would like to order a copy of the Hero Handbook, click here.

 Do you bring your passion to work? I am honestly tired of hearing people talk about wanting a job they can be passionate about. I know the joy of having a job that I love; however, I don't think the job is the issue; the issue is me.

So many people put the burden of this so called "passion" on their employer, company or organization. I would like to give you a radical principle that could change the way you go to work every day...

Bring your passion to work! Stop expecting this passion to find you. Decide to bring a passionate attitude toward the work you have in front of you. Seth Godin (I recommend anything he writes) writes about a similar concept in his book Linchpin. He uses the phrase "Emotional Labor." The idea is investing emotional energy in your work. This means truly giving your best, as if it were something you deeply cared about - even if you don't.  This may cause you to think this is not being honest or genuine. Remember that your employer or company did not hire you to make you happy about every task and responsibility. Your workplace has objectives and goals that you are expected to make your own in your respective role.

Finding fulfillment at work means choosing an optimistic attitude, even in the mundane. To pull this off, you will have to decide that your personal happiness is not the main objective. Along the way, I believe you will experience a new sense of fulfillment from excellence, creativity, hard work and productivity. In addition to this deliberate attitude change, you may rediscover the words of Paul, who wrote to the Colossians, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

So, today bring your passion to work; put this principle to the test. Think give, not take. Promote the goals of your company or organization. Go above and beyond. Give your best today.

Post your comments here.

The other day I received a random email from a friend that included a suspicious link. Guys, you know what I'm talking about. Somehow, my friend's email address was used to send me a link to some website that undoubtedly contained some kind of inappropriate images. Thankfully, I did NOT click.

Whether it be an email, on Facebook or via Twitter - you will get what I call a UFO, an "unidentified failure opportunity." Men, don't be foolish. Don't take the bait. These are serious threats to your purity, your relationship with your wife and your relationship with God. The moment you decide to live for God these UFOs will become a lot more obvious and a lot more frequent.

You will find that UFOs will come in the form of commercials on TV or even a racy scene in a show or movie. Your purity is too valuable to allow these opportunities to cause purity failure in your life. Change the channel, don't click or walk out of the movie. In my life, I've taken some steps to help stop UFOs.  

My wife is my ally in purity - she knows to change the channel when something inappropriate comes on. We check movie listings for content before even trying to go to a movie. It's better not to go than to debate in the moment whether or not to stay. Needless to say, we see very few movies. I don't click on emails or links that are not clearly identified. So, if you send me an email without a good subject line or explanation in the body, I'm not reading it. While I'm on the subject, I don't read cute stories or forwards that promise me stuff for reading or passing on to my list. On Facebook and Twitter, if you are inappropriate, I will unfriend you or unfollow you. In public settings, I will even dismiss myself if conversations become out of hand or if there is a lack of modesty.

All this being said, I will tell you that after years of taking these steps of purity, I have grown much stronger in my fight with UFOs. By no means am I free from danger, but I am far stronger than I was five or ten years ago. Now, much of my approach to purity is not based on a fear of failing but rather a genuine desire for my life to reflect Christ and to be filled with the things of God. I hope you will take up the fight against "unidentified failure opportunities!"

Post your comments here.

Almost everyone who reads this post can resonate with the frustration of trying to start a new discipline and failing. For years I did what lots of people do and started making New Years resolutions. And like most people, January would be great and then February would come...and one thing led to another, and the good intentions produced little results. There I was with yet another failed attempt at self-discipline.

I think this is one place we are losing our footing as men. We must develop the ability to be disciplined in order to fulfill our God-given roles as men. Far too many men allow a spirit of passivity to keep them from engaging the changes God wishes to make in their lives. Here's the reality: God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. So, what is one thing God wants to change in you? Whatever it is, you will need God's help and you will have to make some different choices.

Every successful new discipline has three essential ingredients:

1. Particular Wisdom.
A missing piece in our discipline is often particular wisdom, insight or information. We are unaware of some things and need special insight to know what's going on and how to change things. For some, this information is found on the scale as the number keeps getting bigger and bigger until you realize that something has to change. For some, that information is a specific Bible verse, a book that outlines the specifics of an issue or sermon that brought fresh conviction over some area out of control in your life. We need wisdom! I'll give you a prayer that King David prayed in Psalm 139: 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Would you be willing to pray, "God, show me the sin in my life and lead me to change"?
Particular wisdom answers the question, "Why?" of discipline.

2. A Proven System.
Every area of sin and lack of discipline is a result of a habit. in other words, the choices you have been making are giving you the results you are seeing. We need new patterns and habits and we need a system to develop successful disciplines. A system tells you what to do because you are trying to develop a new ways of doing things. You need a regimen or clear path to follow. Adopt a system and stick with a system until your new habits are stronger than your old habits.
A proven system answers the question, "What?" of discipline.

3. Purposeful Relationships.
"Everybody needs somebody sometimes." This is a powerful lyric from a song performed by Keith Urban that is absolutely true in our lives. We need a person to come alongside us and help us stay true to our commitment of discipline. We need a coach; someone to challenge us or motivate us when we want to quit. Frankly, we need someone to care for us when we fail to care for ourselves. When the freshness wears off and the old habits are fighting hard to keep their place, you need someone who doesn't feel your fatigue to help prop you up with encouragement and help strengthen you for another day.
Purposeful relationships answers the question, "Who?" of discipline.

I have seen these principles prove themselves to be true time after time in my life. If your discipline fails, it's because you are missing one or more of these essential ingredients.

Make a change NOW.
List one area of your life that needs discipline.
Why do you want this area to change?
What is your specific, proven system?
Who is your purposeful relationship?

Post your comments here.