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!
“My Banner is Clear”
At the last two TKM Into the Wild retreats in October, we came across this very powerful and invigorating writing in the Magnificat from Patrick Madrid, a Catholic author and apologist. The timing of this publication was impeccable. It was amazing to hear the men read these words after having gone through so much growth on the weekend. Many men embraced these words and are now Part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED
THE DIE HAS BEEN CAST. THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE. I HAVE STEPPED OVER THE LINE. I WON’T LOOK BACK, LET UP, SLOW DOWN, BACK AWAY, OR BE STILL.
MY PAST IS REDEEMED, MY PRESENT MAKES SENSE, AND MY FUTURE IS IN GOD’S HANDS. I AM FINISHED AND DONE WITH LOW LIVING, SIGHT WALKING, SMALL PLANNING, THE BARE MINIMUM, SMOOTH KNEES, COLORLESS DREAMS, TAMED VISIONS, MUNDANE TALKING, FRIVOLOUS LIVING, SELFISH GIVING, AND DWARFED GOALS.
I NO LONGER NEED PREEMINENCE, PROPERITY, POSITION, PROMOTIONS, APPLAUSE, OR POPULARITY. I DON’T HAVE TO BE RIGHT, FIRST, THE BEST, RECOGNIZED, PRAISED, REGARDED OR REWARDED. I NOW LIVE BY FAITH. I LEAN ON CHRIST’S PRESENCE. I LOVE WITH PATIENCE, LIVE BY PRAYER, AND LABOR WITH THE POWER OF GOD’S GRACE.
MY FACE IS SET. MY GAIT IS FAST, MY GOAL IS HEAVEN. MY ROAD IS NARROW, MY WAY IS ROUGH, MY COMPANIONS ARE FEW, MY GUIDE IS RELIABLE, AND MY MISSION IS CLEAR.
I CANNOT BE BOUGHT, COMPROMISED, DETOURED, LURED AWAY, TURNED BACK, DELUDED, OR DELAYED. I WILL NOT FLINCH IN THE FACE OF SACRIFICE, HESITATE IN THE PRESENCE OF ADVERSITY, NEGOTIATE AT THE TABLE OF THE ENEMY, PONDER AT THE POOL OF POPULARITY, OR MEANDER IN THE MAZE OF MEDIOCRITY.
I WON’T GIVE UP, SHUT UP, LET UP, OR SLOW UP UNTIL I HAVE STAYED UP, STORED UP, PRAYED UP, PAID UP, AND SPOKEN UP FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST.
I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS. I MUST GO TILL HE COMES, GIVE UNTIL I DROP, SPEAK OUT UNTIL ALL KNOW, AND WORK UNTIL HE STOPS ME. AND WHEN HE RETURNS FOR HIS OWN, HE WILL HAVE NO DIFFICULTY RECOGNIZING ME. MY BANNER IS CLEAR; I AM A PART OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED.
BY PATRICK MADRID
Some People Just Don’t Get It
June 2, 2011 by admin
Filed under Blog, cultural manliness, Faith, manliness, pornography, Virtue
Working for a ministry that has chosen to take on a moral evil, pornography, we find ourselves getting all kinds of responses. Today, we received an email from, as he put it, “a disgusted individual”. If after we handle the situation I deem it appropriate to place some of the things he wrote in his “disgusted” email on the site, I will. For now, however, I will speak to the general tone of pornography and the misunderstood ideology that often accompanies pornography in our country.
Porn is harmful. The women in the sex industry that have turned their lives away from porn admit this to no end. (Check out the work former porn actress Shelley Lubben is doing.) Women are being exploited and MEN SHOULD NEVER EXPLOIT WOMEN, whether they walk into the situation or not. IT IS NOT OKAY TO EXPLOIT WOMEN!!!
Porn is not a “free expression of sexuality”. It is a disorder – an intimacy disorder. The “disgusted individual” assumed that because we were out in front of a sexually oriented business (SOB) with our protest last evening, that we are against sex. Not the case. In fact, ALL of the men who were out in front of the SOB last evening are very fond of sex – but only within the context of marriage and chastity within marriage. We don’t try to suppress sexuality, we want people to know about the right use of sexuality, which is never the use or abuse of an individual. If sex is performed outside of the marital union, it is abused. Plain and simple. There is no way around it.
The “disgusted individual” also commented that we were somehow related to radical Muslim extremists that bombed the World Trade Centers nearly 10 years ago. Can you believe this guy?!?! We’re peacefully and prayerfully protesting a business that exploits women, destroys marriages and harms children (not to mention leads to abortion, rape, incest, domestic violence, child abuse, contraception and divorce) NOT blowing up buildings with airplanes. Nice try, buddy, but that’s not going to fly with us.
And, he mentioned several times in his email that we were “forcing our beliefs down other people’s throats.” I’ve heard this a lot before. By standing out in front of this SOB, we are not forcing anything. We are trying to raise awareness of the danger and evil of pornography by spreading the Truth.
Bob – I hope that you read this and I hope that we can converse some day in person. You are misguided sir and your argumentation is lacking. I hope to, in our in person conversation, share with you, with the utmost respect and charity, the reality of what’s going on with the sex industry and how your disdain for those of us who are “do gooders”, as you referred to in the email, are attempting to make our world a better, safer, more moral and healthy place to live.
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.
Out of the Darkness
There’s a new documentary film coming out in 2011 called “Out of the Darkness”. The film is about the pornography industry and the story of a former pornstar named Shelley Lubben. Shelley shares the hard-to-hear truths about the industry and how it is affecting the women involved.
Mark Houck, Co-Founder of The King’s Men, is featured in the documentary. Here’s the trailer. If you can’t view the video below, click HERE.
Out of the Darkness Trailer from Anteroom Pictures on Vimeo.
“In the sex industry, every single day was traumatic…” – Shelley Lubben. Find out more about Shelley HERE.
We have to do something about this.
TrueMan up!
“Into the Wild” Weekend Retreat with The King’s Men
My friends Mark Houck and Damian Wargo over at The King’s Men put on an awesome (and manly!) weekend retreat in the wilderness of eastern Pennsylvania called “Into the Wild”. I highly suggest that if you’re in the area, or if you can make it to eastern PA for one of these upcoming weekends, that you make this weekend happen.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
Rugged Outdoor Men’s Retreat!
The King’s Men are sponsoring a retreat for men called “Into the Wild” at French Creek State Park on June 10-13th. This experiential weekend features fishing, orienteering, outdoor cooking, archery, and faith presented in a masculine modality. No experience is necessary and space is limited. “Into the Wild” is excellent for single or married men as well as fathers and sons. More information at www.intothewildweekend.com or call Damian Wargo at 215-906-8878. Financial aid is available.
TrueMan up!
