This morning, I am listening to a podcast of "Anvil and the Hammer" # 13 Jonah 33 Part 1. It is an older podcast, but it screams loudly in my heart, and I felt compelled to post on it.

The hosts of the podcast speak to Jonah 33 front man Vince Lichlyter about his mission, and what his band represents. Throughout the cast, they talk about the need for real men in todays culture, and this hit me in the face. I am a father of 3 and husband, and the roles that I must fulfill as a man, father, and husband are great. My primarly role is to help to protect my portion of society and show others to don't have that protection the way to Christ.

I feel compelled to honor my wife, nurture my kids, and show others what a Godly man is. From where I stand, this is the single most important element that is missing from the culture around me. Society has "evolved" to the point that it attacks the importance of gender roles and how they impact the future growth of our culture. "We the people" feel content to blame the chaos that ensues from the deterioration of the family unit on shortcomings in education, politics, and anything else other than the brutal truth. Homosexuality, blurred gender definitions, and the push for absolute tolerance of all lifestyle choices have confused the next generation to the point that they do not know how to seperate truth from opinion when it comes to what their role is in the home. Boys only have one best option that they will learn from when they start trying to figure out what it means to be a man - other men. When the men that they learn from are abusive, disengaged, or just plain absent, we can only blame ourselves for the shortcomings that will naturally ensue.

The focal point that must be the center of growing the next generation has to be Christ. Men must turn to God for guidance in their own lives so that the children that are around them can learn truth from a good example. Mistakes will be made, but it is in that time that Godly instruction is absolutely important. The example that I show when dealing with my mistakes is what my children (and other children around me) will see as an acceptable way to handle theirs.

For those single mothers that may come across this post, I am not saying that a man is the only example that children can learn from. I know some men that grew up without a father as a result of one instance or another, and they turned out to be great, Godly men. What I am saying is that we, as parents (single or not), must realize that children look for examples. They will be influenced primarily by their own home situation, but they will see others and take their example into consideration as well. We must be prepared to answer the questions, and offer explanation of the things that those "little sponges" soak up.