Category: Basic Training

The Seasons of Friendships

In my last post, The Seasons of a Man’s Life, I suggested there are seasons of a man’s life when a God Buddy can help navigate the difficult transition periods and big decisions. There are also seasons for our friendships, which will also change just as the seasons come and go.  Recently, my original GB, Bill Johnson moved to another part of the country to be closer to family. We spoke over a beer before he left about how/if our relationship would change. We agreed that our relationship will, in fact, be different but we would just have to work a little bit harder at it and talk over the phone more frequently.  Friendships Also Change In his book Friendships That Run Deep, author Keith R. Anderson writes that there are seasons of fertility, growth & freshness for our friendships but also seasons of decay, decline, and stale monotony. There

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The Seasons of a Man’s Life

As men get older, we tend to reflect more deeply on our life, especially with regard to navigating the various stages or seasons we enter. It is no different than what many people do at the turn of the calendar for a new year as they assess their past year and then make resolutions for the coming year. For God Buddies, reflection and life planning is an important practice for navigating the big decisions and many seasons of your life. The Seasons of a Man’s Life One of my favorite websites is The Art of Manliness (AoM) which is full of advice on a man’s character, career, relationships, fitness, style, skills, and much more. It has weekly podcasts and well-written articles from the philosophical and serious to the practical and fun aspects of being a man.  Authors Brett and Kate McKay recently posted a series of articles titled, The Seasons

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The Foundations for God Buddies: Summary

Over the last several posts, I described some of the foundations of my God Buddy concept that I’ll summarize in this one.  In Men “Sharpen” Men, I started with what has become my favorite Bible verse and the guiding principle for God Buddies: Proverbs 27:17. Metal-making is a great parallel for how guys today need mature men in their lives to help them become better men. The premise is that –like iron on iron, as guys spend time together, an incredible sharpening occurs as we learn from each other.  God Buddies help each other keep their edge with proper amounts of encouragement and constructive feedback, given at the appropriate moments.  The next post, Looking at the “Man in the Mirror” explained how Patrick Morley’s book The Man in the Mirror: Solving the 24 Problems Men Face helped me understand the challenges of being male and the importance of educating myself

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