Catholic Men’s Blog, Back Up and Running!
January 19, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, cultural manliness, Faith, manliness, pornography, Virtue
With great excitement, I write to let everyone know that TrueManhood is back up and running! After a break for over 2 months due to 
a website hack, we were finally able to remove all the malware and are back at it. Thank you to the hacker for allowing me to learn about website security a little bit more and about ways to protect my website from future hacks. I pray for you and hope for your sake, that from now on, instead of hacking my website, that you actually read it.
Many things have taken place in the world of Catholic men’s ministry, in the Catholic Church, in the pro-life battle and in America and we are sorry that we’ve missed it.
More to come soon on the fight against pornography, cultural manliness, and the culture of death!
TrueMan up!
“Courageous” Opens Tomorrow
September 29, 2011 by admin
Filed under Blog, cultural manliness, Faith, Fatherhood, For Women, manliness, Military, Scriptural Examples, Sports, Virtue
VERY RARELY do I get excited about a movie debuting in the theaters. To put my theater-movie-watching in perspective, the last two movies I’ve seen in the theater have been “Tangled”, which I took my oldest daughter to as a special daddy-daughter date and the 4th Indiana Jones. (That one came out in the summer of 2008.) So, you can see that I don’t frequent the movie theater. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy movies, but I struggle terribly to find time to go to the theater and I struggle even more with paying ticket prices for movies nowadays! (Tangled was a matinee with a coupon, and someone gave me free passes for Indiana Jones.)
BUT… I must say that I am VERY excited about an upcoming movie that is making its way to the
big screen tomorrow (Friday, September 30, 2011). The movie is called “Courageous”. The producers of this film also produced the movie “Fireproof” (and a few others), which I thought was a good movie. If “Fireproof” was good, “Courageous” is great! I had the privilege of pre-screening the movie with my colleagues at our office and have the honor of being part of The King’s Men, one of the ministry-resources for men after they see the movie.
For the pre-screening, I went in very skeptical. I went in believing that Sherwood Pictures was going to make the movie cheesy with Bible innuendos and very heavy, to the point of burdensome, like they did in “Fireproof”. Not so. “Courageous” was very well done and had just the right amount of the “Jesus-factor” so as to still be relate-able as a tool for evangelization purposes with men who are non-believers. This movie has action, drama, suspense, thrills, excitement and a host of other great characteristics. I cannot recommend this movie high enough. Go see it, even at current ticket prices, and show Hollywood that Americans want good, wholesome entertainment and not the garbage they have been spewing for years.
This movie is real. It is about real men, attempting to live through some real life issues and situations. It’s very practical and very helpful. The acting is top notch, the storyline is right on and the cinematography is great. Again, I cannot recommend this movie enough. (The trailer is located on our homepage on the right side.)
After you see the movie, you may want to get involved. If you desire to follow in the example of the men in the movie, and become part of a small men’s group, I have a turn-key solution for you. I’m happy to recommend a format for a men’s small group meeting that is easily duplicated, dynamic, and proven. We do not charge dues, have no membership and offer incredible support to our leaders. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel – we have the track record of a program that works. Men’s lives are changed because of it. Men who invest themselves into a men’s small
group experience extreme growth and positive change. Don’t wait another day! If your parish/church/group/city/area gather enough men together, I can personalize a leader’s training workshop for you and train all of your facilitators in a day-long training session, complete with resource manual and all the how-to’s and nuts and bolts you could ever need.
If we don’t currently have any groups nearby, maybe this is the day you step up and start one. Contact me for all the resources and support you need. Info@TrueManhood.com.
TrueMan up!
Men’s Formation Groups
October 25, 2010 by admin
Filed under Blog, cultural manliness, Faith, manliness, pornography, Virtue
Interested in joining a men’s formation group? Sometimes they are referred to as a “small group”. (If you are interested, I can connect you with a group in your area or teach you how to start one on your own.)
If you are in the Colorado Springs area, a new group will be meeting weekly. Any man is welcome to join, at anytime. The format of the meetings follows the highly tested and proven model created by The King’s Men. No matter what stage of life a man is in, no matter his education or experience, no matter his marital status or career, a formation group is good for every man. A small formation group is intended to be multifaceted. Men may experience some or all of the following from being in a small group: friendship, accountability, challenge, spiritual fortitude, fraternity, strength, encouragement, purpose, virtue!
The meetings typically go something like this:
- Group prayer – the Rosary is suggested. 15-20 minutes.
- Discussion based on a masculine resource. 30-45 minutes. (Masculine resources might be “Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue”, “Be a Man!”, an encyclical/papal letter, “Signposts” or something similar.) The discussion time is facilitated by a leader and kept on-time by the time keeper. The discussion is not a “teaching moment”, but a formation moment where each man has time to share if he so desires.
- The 4-Cs. Commit, Confess, Challenge, Confirm. Each week, each man makes a commitment to something he is going to do over the next week. The next week, he comes back and “confesses” how he did with his commitment. This process continues each week. If a man needs to be challenged, another man may do so. If a man deserves to be confirmed, another man may do so. 30 minutes.
- Closing prayer, including each man’s intentions. 5 minutes.
- Total meeting should be 1.5 hrs or less.
Groups should be kept to no more than 10-12 men. Once a group grows too large, it should be split into two separate groups. This is done so that each man has the ability to share, seek guidance, be formed and grow personally. If a group is too large, it stifles men’s ability to grow.
For more information on formation groups, especially the Colorado Springs group, contact me at Dave@TheKingsMen.org.
Tools and Resources
TrueManhood Men’s Ministry offers various tools and resources for men. If you don’t see something on this site, but are curious if we have anything for you, please ask. Find us on social media, or email us at Info@TrueManhood.com.
Regarding pornography addiction: There are numerous resources available for men (and women) who have addictions to pornography. The essential element in dealing with an addiction is that the FIRST STEP towards recovery takes place. The next important step is the continual work. The journey is long and hard but the freedom that comes from breaking the chains of an addiction to pornography is almost overwhelming. I highly recommend checking out TrueManhood’s Guide called “5 Step Plan” and then determine what sort of resource(s) you need to make your plan effective. Here are just a few ideas, and a few resources.
- Serious prayer and a life full of the Sacraments!
- Your PLAN is essential, figure out what it needs to be, then put it into action.
- Accountability with your accountability partner. This person needs to be a man and should not be your female friend, sister, girlfriend, fiancée, or wife.
- Spiritual Direction with a priest. I recommend seeing a priest regularly so that you can obtain necessary graces from the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
- Sexaholics Anonymous – check your local area for locations and times.
- Counseling/Coaching (Email us at ContactUs@TrueManhood.com for more information.) Group Counseling may be a good option as well.
- Support Groups/Men’s Groups
- Books, Prayer Guides, DVDs, CDs, Podcasts, Websites, etc.
- Internet filters, software and firewalls.
I also highly recommend installing Covenant Eyes on all of your devices (including each and every device you have access to). For a reasonable monthly fee, Covenant Eyes offers accountability and filtering. Click HERE to receive a free month of Covenant Eyes.
TrueMan up!
Covenant Eyes – Protect Yourself & Family
TrueManhood Men’s Ministry has teamed up with Covenant Eyes to bring you and yours important accountability and filtering software protection for your electronic devices. Today is the day – start protecting yourself now.
Click this link to receive your first month free.
Covenant Eyes provides not only a filtering service, but also accountability for the user. For any man working on personal growth, accountability is essential. This software not only protects you from what you see and come across online, but also sends a list of all sites and content viewed while online to your accountability partner. (Your closest friend, your spouse, whomever. Hey, you could send it to your grandma if that’ll help you stay pure!) Covenant Eyes can track across a wide variety of devices and operating systems, with many more to come. For more info on this product, check out covenanteyes.com.
TrueMan up!
