Manly Virtues

Book Review – Sir Ernest Shackleton’s South
[caption id="attachment_45864" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Photo Credit: Library of Congress[/caption] Before the space age dawned, the great frontiers for adventure and exploration were the polar regions. Sir Ernest Shackleton was part of two expeditions which set "Furthest South" records in 1902 and 1909, striving for the South Pole. After Captain Robert Scott's death on the way back…
Five Things You Need to Know About Your Boys & Internet Porn
"I don't know who else to talk to. My little boy has been watching horrible stuff. I don't know what to do." There are five things we wish all parents knew about internet porn. If they did, there would probably be a lot fewer of these heartbreaking messages for us to answer! (Note, this post…
Ten Ways to Keep Your Family From Being Devastated by Porn and Predators
We got another one last night. My heart sank as the sweet mama sobbed out her story. Please, Lord, not another one. Please no. It was, though. Another family crashing into the morass of sexual sin, completely unexpectedly. It's happening all the time these days. Moms and Dads telling us through tears about their son's…
Review: The Vanishing American Adult
The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2017) - 306 pp I rarely read a book that leaves me thinking, “I agreed with every single point he raised.” This one comes awfully close. Before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Ben Sasse was president of Midland University, a small…
Movie Review: 12 Strong
“Nineteen men attacked our country. The twelve of you are the first to fight back.” 12 Strong is the story of the Army Special Forces team which dropped into northern Afghanistan 39 days after 9/11, our first military response to bin Ladin's terrorist network. Their mission was to link up with an Afghan commander named General…
Why Luther is Important for My Kids
Our family makes a point this time of year to talk about the courage of Martin Luther, but there are reasons beyond a spirit of “Yaaaay, TEAM! Go, Protestants, go!” There are some serious lessons that we want our children to absorb from Luther’s life, and they’re not Protestant-vs-Catholic talking points – they apply to…
How Do You Sort Out Conflicting Stories?
One of our webinar participants asked a simple but significant question: When two children have an argument, how do you determine the truth when the two disagree? What do you do when you get two different stories? "Mama, would you please lower the boom on somebody?" Often when the kids have a disagreement, we only…
Guys That Help Around The House Are Just Being Biblical Men
This time of year, the housework goes into high gear - cooking, cleaning, and all that, getting ready for the holiday rush. If your home is like ours, the cry for "All hands on deck!" is deep, often, and heartfelt in November and December! When we were a boys-only family, though, a friend with daughters…
Q&A: What About A Boy Who’s A Slowpoke?
Erin asked a great question on our Open Wall Friday post, "One of our sons (almost 6) is a "slow-ski". He is far from the youngest and always the last to put on his shoes, coat, come to the table, walk into the grocery store, keep up with the group, get out of the van…
Q&A: How Do I Cope With My Really Emotional Boy?
"My son, who is 9, seems so sad all the time, keeps to himself, cries a lot, even when we try to do stuff he likes or stuff he asks. He can't seem to think of anything to do by himself, but gets upset when his brother bosses him around. So, he's bored, I'm at…