manly virtues

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…
Teaching the Manly Virtue of Controlling Your Mouth – and Heart
I just read a news article about a young newscaster on the air for the first - and last - time at his first job out of college. His first words on the air were a blast of profanity. Oh, he didn't know his microphone was on, but part of a reporter's training is to…
Character-Building Books for Boys
Someone just recently asked on our Facebook page: Do you have a list of book recommendations for building character and vocabulary? My son reads about 200 to 300 pages a day and I cannot keep up with the previewing. We had the same question when our oldest boys were younger. They could race through books…
A New Look at War
"Can I talk to you privately?" It wasn't an unusual request, so I stepped aside with her. "I need to ask you about my son. I think he may be...I'm afraid he might be...showing some tendencies toward being...Oh, I think something's wrong with him! Maybe he's a psychopath or something!" My eyebrows went up. "What…
The Manly Virtues: A Powerful Mercy
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485" caption="The Alamo, 1854"][/caption] When the outnumbered defenders of the Alamo refused the Mexicans’ demand to surrender, General Santa Anna ordered his buglers to play “El Deguello” – a call meaning “no quarter”, a signal that no prisoners would be taken, and anyone surviving the assault would be put to the sword.…
Down in the Dumps?
"To his son Custis, a cadet at West Point, Lee once wrote: 'Shake off those gloomy feelings. Drive them away. Fix your mind and pleasures upon what is before you. ... All is bright if you will think it so. All is happy if you will make it so. Do not dream. It is too…
On Self-Discipline
He disciplined himself to accept things as they were, to do his duty cheerfully because there was no sense in doing it any other way, and to do what he thought right without expectation of reward or recognition In his own words, it was enough to have "the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of…
The Two Sides of Strength
We love football. Growing up as the children of Clemson grads, you hardly have a choice. Football is the king of sports around here. Everyone was delighted when our friend Earl Pendleton started up the Homeschool Football League. Everyone, that is, except me. I was afraid, I said, they'd scramble their brains. I said they…
The Door Swings Wide in the Treacherous Borderlands of Mexico
We love to see the manly virtues played out in real life! Yesterday, we wrote in a Facebook note and shared the story of our courageous friend, missionary Mike Richardson and his determination to overcome fear to bring the gospel to those living in one of the most dangerous places on our continent - the…
Courage and Initiative Carry the Day
When a terrorist started a fire on a recent Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, most passengers sat in shock, but Jasper Schuringa jumped over four intervening passengers, tackled the man, beat out the flames with his hands, and subdued him. We're thankful he had the manly virtues of courage and initiative - he probably saved…