Category: Basic Training

Throughout this series about 2025 as The Year for Better Male Friendships, I’ve highlighted experts’ concerns about the growing epidemic of loneliness. Some point to The Decline of Friendship as a key factor. Others argue that social media has made staying connected easier—even as smartphones contribute to Male Disengagement from the Real World, leaving us with fewer close friends. However, I believe the real issue isn’t the number of friendships we have today but rather their quality. This post explores the biggest challenges men face and how cultivating deeper, more meaningful friendships can help us overcome these challenges; ultimately making us better men. The Root of All Our Problems: Pride If you ask any man about his biggest challenges, you’re likely to hear a multitude of issues. These may include financial struggles, job stress, marriage and raising children, time management, anger, and lack of confidence, among others. The list could

As I continue making the case for 2025 as The Year for Better Male Friendships, let’s look at just how many relationships a man can and should have. In this excerpt from my book, Get Out of Your Man Cave: The Crisis of Male Friendships, I describe the limits of our social network and suggest the optimal number of friends one should have.  We are Designed for Community As human beings, we are designed for relationships. As I stated in my last post, Don’t Be “That Guy”, author and pastor, John Ortberg’s book, Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them explains that for all our quirks, sins, and jagged edges, we need each other. In community, we come together as a group of flawed, abnormal people for life-changing relationships. But how big should your community be?  One of the key parts of my GodBuddy theory is that men need

My last post in this series, The Barriers to Male Friendship, continues to make my case for 2025 as The Year for Better Male Friendships. In this next post, I want to remind you that we all have the qualities to be a good friend. You’re fun to hang out with and personable. You are experienced, mature, or even well-connected. You are the kind of person who people want as a friend.  Once they find you have similar interests or hobbies, you’ re on the way to developing a new friendship. However, as you get to know each other better, you may see that guy has one glaring trait that drives you crazy that could make him a lousy friend. But just remember, you also have flaws. In fact, you may be “That Guy” and not even know it! Yes, it’s hard to admit we all have characteristics that may