1
2
3 TIME TO MAN UP! PART 2
4 What is our Purpose? To give boys the opportunity to practice the skills critical for manhood on a small scale throughout boyhood.
5 What is our Purpose? To transform a boy’s zeal for boyish dominion, into a man’s zeal for manly dominion.
6 What is our Purpose? To be able to take a boy’s energy and put it to use for the glory of God in his young single years.
7 Preparation: Spiritual
8 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
9 Titus 2:6-8 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
10 1 John 2:13-14 I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one… I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
11 Preparation: SpiritualFather-led teaching of the Scripture from a very young age. Read the Word daily from as young of an age as possible and study it in-depth as you get older. Put yourself under the spiritual mentorship of other godly men, approved by your dad. Experience a “rite of passage.”
12 Preparation: SpiritualLearn to love the church. Take a father- and elder-approved leadership role in the church. Surround yourself with godly peers. Hold one another accountable. Develop discernment in all areas.
13 Preparation: SpiritualInvest in the lives of others. Care for the widows and orphans. Devote yourself to service. Use your youthful energy for God’s glory.
14 1 Corinthians 7:31-33 But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided.
15 Preparation: PhysicalDevelop resilience and toughness; eradicate timidity. Don’t be afraid to play rough or do things that involve risk.
16 Wisdom from “American Boy”“I believe that those boys who take part in rough, hard play outside of school will not find any need for horse-play in school. While they study they should study just as hard as they play foot-ball in a match game. It is wise to obey the homely old adage, ‘Work while you work; play while you play.’”
17 Preparation: PhysicalUse physical challenges to prepare yourself for manly duties.
18 Preparation: Work Develop a strong, solid work ethic.
19 The Nehemiah Corps Boot Camp
20 Wisdom from the Proverbs18:9 - He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys. 21:25 - The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, for his hands refuse to work. 22:29 - Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
21 Preparation: Work Work with your hands, before you work with your mind. Work hard, work in the heat, work until you can no further; it WILL make you a better man. Be the first to start, the last to quit, and ALWAYS CHECK FOR ROOSTER TAILS!
22 Preparation: Work Working as boys will teach you what you need to know to work as men. Start your own small business. Even young boys should be given great responsibility. Save your money. Learn how to work with your father… and love it!
23 Preparation: Manly Character
24 Wisdom from “American Boy”“A boy needs both physical and moral courage. Neither can take the place of the other. When boys become men they will find out that there are some soldiers very brave in the field who have proved timid and worthless as politicians, and some politicians who show an entire readiness to take chances and assume responsibilities in civil affairs, but who lack the fighting edge when opposed to physical danger. In each case, with soldiers and politicians alike, there is but half a virtue. The possession of the courage of the soldier does not excuse the lack of courage in the statesman and, even less does the possession of the courage of the statesman excuse shrinking on the field of battle.”
25 Wisdom from “American Boy”“…there is urgent need that he should practice decency; that he should be clean and straight, honest and truthful, gentle and tender, as well as brave…The boy can best become a good man by being a good boy - not a goody-goody boy, but just a plain good boy…‘Good,’ in the largest sense, should include whatever is fine, straightforward, clean, brave, and manly.”
26 Preparation: Manly CharacterRead the Proverbs. Then read them again. Repeat. Strengthen your dedication by devoting yourself to goals in academics, physical exercise, service, and other achievements. Fathers, engage your sons in manly conversation. Learn how to give a manly handshake and make a good first impression.
27 Preparation: Manly CharacterLearn what it takes to please other men. Have a proper understanding of authority. Always be PUNCTUAL and DEPENDABLE. Take INITIATIVE Be someone younger boys look up to. Be a leader, and a leader-developer.
28 Preparation: Gentlemanliness
29 The same thing that entered into the training of knights and pioneers must enter into the training of the Boy Scouts of today. Just as they respected women and served them, so the tenderfoot and the scout must be polite, kind to women, not merely to well-dressed women, but to poorly dressed women, not merely to young women, but to old women wherever they may be found, wherever, they may be.
30 Preparation: GentlemanlinessNo matter your age, always put women and children first. Practice on your mother and sisters. Everyone should expect all boys to practice common courtesy. Honor older men.
31 Preparation: Education
32 Wisdom from “American Boy”“No boy can afford to neglect his work, and with a boy work, as a rule, means study. . . a boy should work, and should work hard, at his lessons - in the first place, for the sake of what he will learn, and in the next place, for the sake of the effect upon his own character of resolutely settling down to learn it. Shiftlessness, slackness, indifference in studying, are almost certain to mean inability to get on in other walks of life.”
33 Preparation: EducationFollow TR’s advice: always do your lessons well, for it builds strong character. Gain a well-balanced and broad-based understanding of academics. Study mathematics, logic, philosophy, history, literature, and art with exceptional vigor. Learn the themes, not just the facts.
34 Preparation: EducationRead, read, read. Write, write, write. Speak, speak, speak. Take advantage of every opportunity. Never limit your education to academics.
35 Preparation: Mastering the Manly ArtsThe manly arts are activities that… Make you feel manly Allow you to conquer Make you a part of a manly tradition Inspire you Enhance your confidence in your manliness
36 Preparation: Mastering the Manly ArtsThese may include… Hunting and fishing Self-defense techniques Knot-tying, carving, and whittling Outdoor cooking Debate and oratory
37 Preparation: Mastering the Manly ArtsThings to do… Something manly you’ve always wanted to do. Learn a skill important to your father Get a barbershop haircut and a straight-razor shave. Chop down a tree Write a book, paper, letter or a journal Join “The Art of Manliness”
38 Preparation: Mastering the Manly Arts
39 Preparation: Leisure Boyhood is short. There is little time for activity with no redeeming purpose. Why do we have leisure? Why is it important to us? How did manly men of the past use their leisure time? How did we come to have leisure available in the first place?
40 The Strenuous Life A life of slothful ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual. I ask only that what every self-respecting American demands from himself and from his sons shall be demanded of the American nation as a whole. Who among you would teach your boys that ease, that peace, is to be the first consideration in their eyes - to be the ultimate goal after which they strive?
41 The Strenuous Life If you are rich and are worth your salt, you will teach your sons that though they may have leisure, it is not to be spent in idleness; for wisely used leisure merely means that those who possess it, being free from the necessity of working for their livelihood, are all the more bound to carry on some kind of non-remunerative work in science, in letters, in art, in exploration, in historical research - work of the type we most need in this country, the successful carrying out of which reflects most honor upon the nation.
42 The Strenuous Life Freedom from effort in the present merely means that there has been stored up effort in the past. A man can be freed from the necessity of work only by the fact that he or his fathers before him have worked to good purpose. If the freedom thus purchased is used aright, and the man still does actual work, though of a different kind, whether as a writer or a general, whether in the field of politics or in the field of exploration and adventure, he shows he deserves his good fortune.
43 The Strenuous Life But if he treats this period of freedom from the need of actual labor as a period, not of preparation, but of mere enjoyment, even though perhaps not of vicious enjoyment, he shows that he is simply a cumberer of the earth's surface, and he surely unfits himself to hold his own with his fellows if the need to do so should again arise. A mere life of ease is not in the end a very satisfactory life, and, above all, it is a life which ultimately unfits those who follow it for serious work in the world.
44 Preparation: Leisure The way most boys today spend their free time is very destructive. They are invested in self-serving activity. They become consumed with entertainment and having fun. Most activity only serves the moment, and has no long-term redeeming value.
45 Preparation: Leisure Most traditional leisure activities are counterproductive to developing manhood. Movies and video games consume our time, restricting us from manly work. Media often present false images of manhood, which become impressed in our sons’ imaginations.
46 Preparation: Leisure Though TR praised athletic competition in some respects, his warnings should receive the bulk of our attention.
47 The American Boy We cannot expect the best work from soldiers who have carried to an unhealthy extreme the sports and pastimes which would be healthy if indulged in with moderation, and have neglected to learn as they should the business of their profession. A soldier needs to know how to shoot and take cover and shift for himself - not to box or play foot-ball.
48 The American Boy When a man so far confuses ends and means as to think that fox-hunting, or polo, or foot-ball, or whatever else the sport may be, is to be itself taken as the end, instead of as the mere means of preparation to do work that counts when the time arises, when the occasion calls - why, that man had better abandon sport altogether.
49 Preparation: Leisure The most harmful aspect of modern leisure in all of its typical forms is self-indulgence. As boys we cannot afford to develop appetites for entertainment that will distract us from our duties as men, fathers, and husbands later in life. Generational thinking is key in this area. If you can’t take it with you into manhood, why invest time in it during boyhood?
50 Preparation: Leisure Instead of playing sports or hanging out, why not… Organize a service project. Form a ministry or missions group. Take part in a political campaign. Mentor younger boys or be mentored by an older man. Meditate on your generational vision. Study and learn something of value.
51 Preparation: Leisure Parents…Remember, you have been tasked with a vital mission. A generational legacy is too great a thing to sacrifice for petty, temporal enjoyment. Don’t be afraid to say “no.” Direct your sons to redeeming activities. Explain your reasoning to them. Train them to be able to make their own decisions.
52 Preparation: Leisure One thing all boys need to do more of is read. Through books, we can gather a wide range of ideas about life, sharpen our sense of discernment, learn from the wisdom of others, develop a philosophical mind, enhance critical thinking, and explore new concepts. As the future heads of households (generational thinking again), we have a great responsibility to develop our minds. Books need to once again find a treasured place in our homes and our generational legacy.
53 Manly Books for Manly Men
54 Manly Books for Manly Men
55 Manly Books for Manly Men
56 Manly Books for Manly Men
57 Manly Books for Manly Men
58 Manly Books for Manly Men
59 Manly Books for Manly Men
60 Manly Books for Manly Men
61 Manly Books for Manly Men
62 Manly Books for Manly Men
63 Manly Books for Manly Men
64 Manly Books for Manly Men
65 Manly Books for Manly Men
66 Manly Books for Manly Men
67 Manly Books for Manly Men
68 Manly Books for Manly Men
69 Manly Books for Manly Men
70 Manly Books for Manly Men
71 Manly Books for Manly MenThe Great Gatsby Moby-Dick Treasure Island All the King’s Men Ben-Hur Hunting Trips of a Ranchman Death in the Long Grass Master and Commander (Aubrey-Maturin) Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer We Were Soldiers Once… and Young The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Rex The Last of the Mohicans The Jungle The Idiot Democracy in America The Federalist & Anti-Federalist Sun Tzu’s Art of War Roots: Saga of an American Family Plato’s Republic Captains Courageous The Man Eaters of Tsavo Endurance
72 Manly Books for Manly MenCity of God Don Quixote Preparing Sons Family Man, Family Leader High Calling The Bridge on the River Kwai The Great Escape The Count of Monte Cristo The Coral Island (Ballantyne) In Freedom’s Cause (Henty) The Odyssey The Iliad The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich John Adams All Quiet on the Western Front Plutarch’s Lives Herodotus’ Histories Of Mice and Men The Picture of Dorian Gray The Brothers Karamazov Ivanhoe The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire Wealth of Nations
73 Manly Books for Manly MenInto the Wild A River Runs Through It Leviathan Centennial (Michener) Black Hawk Down The Politics For Whom the Bells Toll Crime and Punishment Robinson Crusoe The Grapes of Wrath Undaunted Courage Band of Brothers The Killer Angels Lonesome Dove Into Thin Air Billy Budd The Man Who Would Be King Paradise Lost 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Heart of Darkness No Country for Old Men Sahara (Dirk Pitt) The Gulag Archipelago 1984