Making of a Man Bible Study Guide: How Men and Boys Honor God and Live with Integrity: How Men and Boys Honor God and Live With Integrity, Six Sessions - Brossura

Brown, Tim

Brossura

ISBN 10: 052911304X ISBN 13: 9780529113047

Casa editrice: HarperChristian Resources, 2014

Riassunto

What Does It Take to Be a Godly Man? Every young boy dreams about what he wants to be when he grows up. Some have goals of becoming an astronaut, or a fireman, or a professional athlete. But what does it take to be a man? How does a young person get there?

In this six-session video-based curriculum (DVD/digital video sold separately), NFL All-Pro, sports analyst, and businessman Tim Brown uses experiences from his life to teach men the principles and priorities he has learned for leading a life that honors God. Through his stories of struggling with God, overcoming temptations, and discovering what it takes to be a good husband and father, he shares what true manhood is all about and what guys must do to attain it. These principles have helped Tim lead a life of honor and integrity that has made him one of the most respected men in the world of sports.

The Making of a Man will not only inspire men of all ages but also challenge them to measure their lives and success by a higher standard.

Designed for use with The Making of a Man Video Study (sold separately).

Su questo libro

Informazioni sugli autori

Tim Brown is one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play in the National Football League. Notre Dame's Heisman Trophy winner in 1987, and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, Tim played  sixteen seasons for the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders, earning nine Pro Bowl selections and setting numerous team and league records. He has served as a television analyst for Fox Sports, NBC, ESPN, and Sirius XM Satellite radio, and devotes his time and efforts to numerous charitable causes.

 

 

Judson Poling is coauthor of the Walking with God series and general editor of The Journey: A Study Bible for Spiritual Seekers.

Estratto. © Ristampato con autorizzazione. Tutti i diritti riservati.

The Making of a Man

How Men and Boys Honor God and Live with Integrity

By TIM BROWN, Judson Poling

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2014 Tim Brown
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-529-11304-7

Contents

How to Use This Guide, 7, 
Session 1 A Man Uses His Talents, 11, 
Session 2 A Man Overcomes Temptation, 29, 
Session 3 A Man Takes Responsibility, 47, 
Session 4 A Man Forgives Others, 63, 
Session 5 A Man Has His Priorities in Order, 77, 
Session 6 A Man Builds a Godly Legacy, 95, 

CHAPTER 1

SESSION 1

A Man Uses His Talents

GET TOGETHER

If the men in your group are just meeting each other for the first time, be sure to go around the circle and introduce yourselves to each other. Have each group member complete the following icebreaker sentence:

As a boy, I wanted to grow up to be a _____ [Your Response] _____, because ___________ [Your Response] _______________________ ______________________________________________.

GET THINKING

Watch the video for session one. Use the outline provided to note any thoughts or concepts that stand out to you.

NOTES

Tim Brown made the transition from being a Heisman Trophy college star to playing in the NFL. A 97-yard kickoff return in his first game boosted his confidence — though he quickly discovered that the professional players he encountered were faster, stronger, and more talented than in college.

[Your Notes]

After his first season, Tim was named to the Pro Bowl as a kick returner. When he returned home, his parents welcomed him with a big banner across the porch to congratulate him. However, his mother told him to leave the "big head" outside and just be "Timmy" when he got inside!

[Your Notes]

We all have talents, but we need to use our skills and abilities for God's glory, not our own.

[Your Notes]

Jesus told a parable about a man who gave his three servants bags of gold to use in his absence. The first two used theirs well to increase their master's wealth. The third one foolishly did nothing with the treasure entrusted to him. The point is clear: God wants us to use the talents He has given us and not hide them away.

[Your Notes]

You may think God can't use your abilities for Him, or you may not know what your God-given skills are. However, when you're in tune with God, and are reading the Bible and praying, you're in a position to get the answers you need.

[Your Notes]

You may not have the talents others have, but that's okay. Maybe you have the ability to listen well, or multitask, or find solutions to complex problems. God has entrusted you with those skills, and He wants you to use them for His glory.

[Your Notes]

GET TALKING

Tim Brown points out that we men are on a journey to understand what we need to do to make ourselves into the men that God wants each of us to be. Our search for understanding manhood begins early in life. As boys, we received ideas from a variety of sources: television, movies, books, sports figures, and, of course, our dads. Sometimes, we learned what we didn't want to become by watching men. Most of us can identify a man — in real-life or someone whom we learned about — who stood out, who impressed us, and whom we wanted to be like.

1. Share with the group members a man who was a hero for you growing up. What was it about him that made him your hero?

[Your Response]

2. Without naming names, describe a bad example of manhood you encountered in your formative years. How has that man continued to affect you — for good or bad — even now?

[Your Response]

3. If someone was your hero, he no doubt had some skills or special abilities he used to make the world a better place. He may have only affected those in his immediate family, or he may have been famous and changed history. In addition, heroes are almost always men of exemplary character, not just talent. All of our abilities vary, but true heroes live with integrity, compassion, and a drive to make a difference. What is it about a person who has talent without character that makes him unworthy to emulate?

[Your Response]

4. Given that "bad" men do so much harm, what do you think fuels our society's fascination with men who flaunt their destructive lifestyles and live with lax morals?

[Your Response]

GET INSIGHT

Because we are all human and made in God's image, we all have a longing for fulfillment and to find a purpose that can carry us through the ups and downs of life. We all want love and respect and to be treated fairly by others. We all feel emotions: sadness when something valuable is lost; angry when we are blocked from something we want; fearful when threatened; and happy when good things come our way. We also all have faculties of reason to help us solve problems and make good decisions.

The same God who made us to have so much in common also made us to have differences. Other than twins, no two people have ever had the same genetic code; and even identical twins are never exactly alike in temperament, interests, and abilities. These differences among us don't make one person better than another — in fact, quite the contrary, for they make us interdependent. When we recognize our differences as being God-given, it instills a sense of respect and of valuing one another.

5. Read Psalm 139:13 – 14. When are you most likely not to respect yourself or others as "fearfully and wonderfully made" by God?

[Your Response]

6. Although you may feel like you are bragging as you answer this question, what God-given abilities do you possess that you feel responsible to use well?

[Your Response]

Why is accurately knowing and faithfully using your God-given talents so important?

[Your Response]

7. Read Matthew 25:14 – 30. In the Parable of the Talents (mentioned by Tim in the video), the foolish servant did nothing productive with the money he was given. It kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it? Why would someone do such a wasteful thing?

[Your Response]

8. The problem wasn't that the man thought he could "get away with it" or that the master wouldn't hold him accountable for making good investments. The real reason is quite different. What was the servant's assessment of his boss? What kind of man and leader did the servant believe his master was?

[Your Response]

9. It's obvious that the master represents God and the servants represent us and our varied responses to God. The foolish servant's problem was not that he was lazy; it was that he didn't believe his master had legitimate rights over him, nor did he believe he was just and worthy of loyalty. That being the case, how do you think a wrong view of what God is like — believing He is a tyrant and unreasonable — will affect a person's fruitfulness and willingness to serve Him?

[Your Response]

In what ways do you think your view of God affects how you use — or don't use — your gifts?

[Your Response]

GET GOING

What are your strengths? How might God want to use them for His work?

Marcus Buckingham has noted that strengths are not just things you do well but things that, when you do them, make you feel strong. Defining strengths that way makes an important distinction: you might be good at doing something, but if it drains you and makes you feel weak, it is not technically a strength. You could rightly call it an ability, but such a skill is not one of your strengths.

Conversely, the things you do with near perfect performance every time you do them are your strengths — as long as you feel strong when you do them. Yes, you might be tired afterward, but with some rest, you're ready to get back into the fray. You actually derive energy from your strengths. You might even be a beginner at something, but if you're consistently drawn to that activity — if you feel strong when you do it, no matter your skill level — consider that a strength as well.

Like the master in the parable, God gave you strengths — some of which you know and some of which you may have yet to discover. He wants you to use what He's given you for His work in the world. When you are the best version of you, living out of your Spirit-empowered strengths, you can be confident you are doing the work God has for you. Tim Brown's main strength was athletic ability — and you may identify with that strength. Or you might have an aptitude for administration, or entrepreneurship, or you may possess artistic skill. Your strength may not look like anyone else's, but that's okay. Whatever God leads you to do with your strengths is right for you, because those accomplishments flow out of His design for you and are meant for His glory.

This week, keep a "strengths/weakness" journal. Use the chart below or create your own on a separate sheet of paper. Each day at lunch, dinner, and just before bed, jot down anything you did that made you feel strong and anything that made you feel weak. At the end of the week, summarize what you think are your top strengths — and consider how you can do activities that involve those strengths to a greater degree. Also, summarize what seem to be your weaknesses. How can you do less of those activities?

After making observations for one week, summarize your findings below.

To conclude this meeting, pair up with another person. Pray that you can know and use your gifts, talents, and strengths for God's work. Pray that God will bring to light any "buried" strengths you have and confirm the ones you already know. Ask God to show you specific people or situations where your gifts and strengths are needed.

Between-Sessions Personal Study

Complete the following personal study on your own sometime between now and your next group meeting. It's best to not try to finish it all at once but do it over a few sittings to give yourself time to mull over what you're studying.

READ AND REFLECT

Read chapter 4, "A Man Uses His Skills," and chapter 7, "Even Heisman Winners Get Humbled," in The Making of a Man book. Use the space below to write any key points or questions you want to bring to the next group meeting.

[Your Notes]

REVIEW AND STUDY

1. Look over the video outline and your notes from the group study. What is the "big idea" you want to take away? It may be a quote, a new way of looking at an issue, a reminder of a forgotten lesson, or something you sense God wants you to do. Note it here:

[Your Response]

2. During the group time, you shared about someone who was a hero for you growing up. Read Psalm 16:2 – 3. This passage points out that God is our leader — and the supreme good in our lives who gives us all the other good things we have. It also says we should seek to delight in good people. As the New Living Translation puts it, "The godly people in the land are my true heroes!"

In what ways do you think the hero you mentioned from your childhood is also a gift from God?

[Your Response]

Did that person give you a model of godly character? If so, describe those traits. If not, what was missing?

[Your Response]

Why do you think God needs to remind us, as fully grown men, that we still need heroes who are strong believers (compare Philippians 2:29 – 30)?

[Your Response]

In what area of your life could you use a strong, godly example? What's a step you could take to seek out such a person?

[Your Response]

3. Being a man means, obviously, being human. But being a man in the sense of this study also involves being masculine. In order to strive toward being good men, we must also have a clear understanding of what it means to be masculine.

What are some of the superficial characteristics of "manhood" that everybody just assumes are true?

[Your Response]

In light of what you just wrote, fill in the following chart:

[TABLE OMITTED]

4. Read 1 Corinthians 13:11, 14:20, and 16:13. In what ways do you think manhood is the opposite of womanhood (that is, masculine versus feminine)? In what ways is it the opposite of childhood (that is, masculine versus immature)?

[Your Response]

What values do you see taught (or shown by example) in the following passages that line up with the idea that our manhood and maturity are developed through endurance, perseverance, and intentionally seeking challenging situations that will test us?

• Matthew 4:1

[Your Response]

• 1 Peter 1:6 – 7

[Your Response]

• James 1:2 – 4

[Your Response]

• Proverbs 27:17

[Your Response]

5. Jewish boys are brought into the full rights and blessings of manhood at age thirteen through a ritual known as Bar Mitzvah. Many tribal societies have a similar "coming of age" or initiation experience for young boys, such as the Xhosa tribe's Ukwaluka ceremony that Nelson Mandela went through at age sixteen. What is noteworthy about these passages to manhood is that the young man must prove himself through some kind of ordeal before he can become one of the men who have responsibility for the tribe.

How do you think gangs supply a substitute "tribal initiation" for some young men today? What other kinds of initiation are taking the place of this widely practiced ritual (which is absent from our modern society)?

[Your Response]

6. In what ways do you think men can help "sharpen" each other? In particular, how do you think older men should be sharpening younger men (similar to the positive ways men in tribal societies do so)?

[Your Response]

7. If you were to design a Christian men's initiation process that was intended to help young men cross the line to manhood and be welcomed into the community of older Christian men, what would you include?

[Your Response]

8. Read Matthew 5:14 – 16. Jesus wants our good deeds to shine so that God gets the glory. As Tim Brown pointed out, to fully function as a man, you have to use your talents for God's glory as well.

In what ways do some of your talents (and resultant good deeds) still remain "under a bushel/basket"?

[Your Response]

What is one step you can take to let your light shine more brightly?

[Your Response]

CHAPTER 2

SESSION 2

A Man Overcomes Temptation

Note:During this session, the group is going to participate in an activity that requires a large bowl of water and identical books of matches for everyone but the facilitator. Designate one person to be responsible for bringing these supplies to the group meeting.

GET TOGETHER

Begin your time together by sharing your response to the following icebreaker question:

What were the circumstances around your first romantic kiss? Describe to the group.

[Your Response]

GET THINKING

Watch the video for session two. Use the outline provided to note any thoughts or concepts that stand out to you.

NOTES

At age sixteen, Tim started dating a girl with whom he eventually had sex. This began a pattern that carried on through college of him ignoring God's command not to have sex before marriage.

[Your Notes]

Tim rationalized his giving into temptation — the girls were beautiful, and it happened so easily, so why fight it?

[Your Notes]

The Bible is clear: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Sexual temptation is a big problem for most men — and both the media and cultural norms make it even harder.

[Your Notes]

God wants to help. Paul writes, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

[Your Notes]

In the Bible, Joseph is a great example of a man who resisted temptation. Despite Potiphar's wife taking a liking to him, he resisted her advances. He even ended up in jail falsely accused of attempted rape.

[Your Notes]

We must flee tempting situations. Paul writes, "Flee the evil desires of youth" (2 Timothy 2:22). We can't help it when we notice a beautiful woman, but we can choose where our eyes go next.

[Your Notes]

We must let women know where we stand — flashing our wedding ring if we're married; telling our dates we want relationships that start with friendship, not sex; staying out of tempting situations. We must also train our brains to focus on topics other than sex.

[Your Notes]

A single victory gives us confidence to do it again. Over time, we form a habit. This works with other temptations: Take control of your eyes and mind. Don't even crack the door to temptation. Look for the way out that God provides.

[Your Notes]

Tim eventually realized he was separated from God, and he reached the end of his rebellion. He prayed to God, asked for His help, and committed to be a spiritual man — not a natural man.

[Your Notes]

We need to live God's way. Paul writes, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). The Holy Spirit will take charge.

[Your Notes]

GET TALKING

1. When you were growing up, what values about sex were you taught?

[Your Response]

2. During your teen years, how did God fit into your understanding of the purpose of sex (if at all)?

[Your Response]

3. How do you think Christians can affirm the dangers of sexual activity outside the bounds of marriage, and yet at the same time not make it sound as if Christianity teaches that sex is bad?

[Your Response]

4. Many men believe that if you don't actually have sex with another woman, there is no harm in looking at (and lusting after) her. How do you respond to this common perspective?

[Your Response]

5. According to the following 1 – 10 scale, rate (by circling) your own "temptability" when it comes to sex.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Making of a Man by TIM BROWN, Judson Poling. Copyright © 2014 Tim Brown. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: HarperChristian Resources
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 052911304X
• ISBN 13: 9780529113047
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero di pagine: 112
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile