Category: Basic Training

MANual Lessons: Paul’s Unity Letter to the Church in Ephesus

My year-long journey through The MANual, my NIV Bible for Men, continues with Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. While some of the Apostle’s “epistles” were dated earlier, Ephesians seems out of place since it follows Galatians in the New Testament. Why? Read on to find out. Paul’s Letters Not in Chronological Order According to a post titled Why is Ephesians after Galatians?, modern copies of the New Testament generally order Paul’s epistles according to length. Romans is the longest and first of Paul’s letters, while 2 Thessalonians is the shortest and last of his letters. For this reason, I wrote my previous posts on the Book of Romans, Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians (which combined 1 and 2 Corinthians), and an upcoming post on 1 and 2 Thessalonians (probably also will get combined), in sequential order as they appear in the New Testament before Paul’s “Harsh” Letter to

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MANual Lessons: The Acts of The Apostles

My year-long journey through The MANual, my NIV Bible for Men, brings us to the book of Acts, which is an accurate historical account of the birth and growth of the early church. Acts present a strong case for the validity of Christ’s claims and promises. It is a theological book with lessons and living examples of the work of the Holy Spirit, church relationships and organization, the implications of grace, and the law of love.  About Acts Also known as The Acts of The Apostles, this book was written by Luke (a Gentile physician) as a sequel to his Gospel, about 63 A.D.; just a few years after his Gospel. Like his Gospel, Luke also addresses Acts to Theophilus, which means “(be)loved by God” or “One Who Loves God” in the Greek language.  In 28 chapters, Luke tells the stories of men and women who spread the Good News

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The MANual to Downshift and Refocus

As we enter a new year, it’s time to refocus on what’s important. It’s time to change the pace of life by “downshifting”, per se, in order to focus on becoming a more godly man. This year, I’m asking you to join me on a journey of intentionally pursuing God and the good life He offers. In Reflections on Year 2 of God Buddies, I explained how the first 12 months of writing this blog to refine my thoughts about why men need deeper, more authentic friendship. Of course, last year was unexpectedly different for most due to the coronavirus pandemic. This led to last year’s posts about adjusting to change, the emotional and physical health of men, and how God Buddies support each other during a really tough year.   So this year is about focusing on our journey as men. Like fixing a car or putting something together, it

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