As an adult, you probably remember a simpler time in our culture. Neighbors knew each other. The kids went to school together. The people who went to church lived near each other and knew each other, often sitting in the same “Sunday school class” together. Your kids know nothing of that environment. They’ve grown up on the run with schools, friends, church, sports leagues and activities all over the place. True connections are rare; heart-level connections with like-minded Christ followers are even more rare. Men today are extremely lonely.
The point of this is to establish the case for connecting with other men... meaningful, long term friendships with Jesus at the center. You’ll share your experience, both what you did and what you wish you’d done, in terms of making and maintaining spiritual friendships. We recommend you read a book that drives home the reasons for connecting and the risks of remaining a “free agent.” Friendships are costly...small groups are inconvenient and difficult to initiate... and it’s doubly hard for men who are inherently less “relational” and more “internal” than women.
Yet the value of “sharing your soul” with another person (or persons) and then traveling life’s road in pursuit of spiritual maturity together is immeasurable. Help your friends and kids explore the concept of Christian community. The benefits of having people truly “in your life” show up most vividly when trouble comes—when you need help, when no one else is there. That’s when the investment in friendships brings an incomparable return.
Help yourself and others see what they’re missing out on.
