Raising Godly Boys Minute

A young boy was playing with his pet goldfish, when he accidentally killed it.

Scared he would get in trouble, the boy, named David, lied about what happened to his fish.

Immediately, he felt guilty. He confessed the lie to his mom as tears streamed down his face. His mom said, “David, Jesus loves you no matter what you have done.”

That little boy was David Frey, who grew up to be the lead singer of the Christian band Sidewalk Prophets. He wrote a song about that experience, called “You Love Me Anyway.”

As parents of sons, let’s follow the example of David’s mom. Our son is going to make mistakes. When he does, let’s remind him first and foremost that there’s nothing he can do to cancel out Jesus’ all-consuming, unconditional love.

To learn about raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Did you listen to your parents, or did you listen to your friends?

Friendships can define a boy’s life.  More than that, friendships in a group can provide identity.  There is a reason sports teammates will fight viciously for one another on the field.  It’s also why gangs are so prevalent– it gives boys a sense of belonging, and can drive them to do things they know are wrong.

How can you help your son choose?  It doesn’t have to be left to chance.

You can give him godly friends who will inspire him as they help each other along the way.  And who knows?  Perhaps your son is the one the others will listen to and learn from.

For more information about raising your son into a godly man, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Show. Don’t just tell.

In Philippians 3:10, Paul says, “I want to know Christ.” He isn’t talking about head knowledge. In both the Greek and Hebrew languages, the word knowledge is experience based. Paul was saying that he longs to experience God in all of His glory.

That should be our heart’s cry as Christian parents. We can take our son to church and tell him about the importance of a relationship with Jesus. But the best way to teach our boys is to show them.

Let your son see you meeting with God, reading your Bible, praying, and sharing Christ with others. Let Christ transform your life. Your son will notice– and no doubt begin to desire to experience Jesus for himself.

To learn about a proven process for raising boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Theodore Roosevelt famously said,

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

But how? How do we as parents give our sons the chance for glorious triumphs?

Break free of the tyranny of screens!  Go outdoors, and teach your son to test his mettle against a lofty mountain peak, a wicked fastball, or paddling a canoe down a winding river in the early morning mist.

Rescue him from the gray twilight, and teach him to truly live!

For more information about raising your son into a godly man, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Your son craves four things.

First, he craves belonging– to “fit in.” Second, he wants a sense of competence. He needs to feel “good enough.” Third– boys need to know their worth. And the fourth thing that boys crave is a sense of autonomy. They want freedom and independence.

The next time your son is upset or angry, it may be a good idea to go through this list in your head. Which craving is your son lacking?

Then, once it’s identified, help your son find age-appropriate, healthy, ways to fulfill that desire. For instance, if he’s not feeling a sense of belonging at school, maybe he could find another group of peers to meet with. This could be a youth group, or an outdoor adventure group like Trail Life USA.

For more ideas to raise boys to be godly men, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.