The Week In Review
November 8, 2025
One Good Thing This Week
I have been dreaming and scheming with the BetterMan team this week. This is the time of year that we slow down, regroup, count our blessings, and look forward to the future. As we dream, one thought keeps coming to mind: From On-Ramp to Highway.
BetterMan began as a manhood on-ramp, a place for men to merge into something greater than themselves. We gave them language, tools, and a lane to start moving toward biblical manhood.
But we’re not just the on-ramp anymore. We’re becoming the manhood highway—a clear, connected path for every man, no matter where he is in life, to grow, to lead, and to disciple others.
On-ramps get men started. Highways get them somewhere.
That’s what the next chapter of BetterMan is going to be about: creating a movement that doesn’t just introduce men to biblical manhood but shows them how to stay on the road, how to bring others with them, and how to build new exits and entrances in their own communities.
We’re laying down pavement for generations. Every group, every champion, every local church is another mile marker. BetterMan isn’t just where the journey begins; it’s where men learn the way forward.
Looking forward to 2026.
It was a good week.
Something Beautiful This Week
My son got his first interception this week. He read the play, stepped in front of the pass, and made it look effortless. The crowd cheered, his teammates piled on, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
But what impressed me most wasn’t the play—it was what he did next. He handed the ball to the ref, pointed to a teammate, and jogged back to the huddle. No showboating. No chest thumping. Just gratitude [well, maybe a little showboating, he is my son, after all].
Time and time again, he reminds me of Philippians 2:3: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."
I watch as he quietly lives that verse out, considering others more important than himself. And I am reminded that’s what manhood in motion looks like. Real men don’t just celebrate the spotlight; they steward it. They know how to own the loss and give away the wins. They understand that character isn’t built in the end zone, it’s built in the in-between. Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" [Matthew 23:12]. Every moment of victory is a chance to point upward, to the God who gave the gift, and outward, to those who make it possible.
It was a beautiful pick by a beautiful kid. Proud of him.
Something Worth Imitating
Read something called the Learners' Prayer this week that I am making my own:
"Lord, make me small. Crush my arrogance. Let me love rebuke. Make me coachable. Don’t let me die coasting. Let me die growing."
My 3 Favorite Quotes of the Week
"We can’t be formed into the likeness of Jesus while clinging to the pace and priorities of the modern world. The soul doesn’t grow in a hurry." —
"If God had not permitted suffering, man would not know his limits, nor his need for God." — St. Gregory the Theologian
"Behind every beautiful thing, there’s some kind of pain." — Bob Dylan
Stat(s) I Found Disheartening This Week
The scale of violence against Christians in Nigeria has reached a devastating new intensity. Extremist groups like Fulani militants, Boko Haram, and ISWAP are running unchecked, spreading a campaign of terror. According to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law [Intersociety], as detailed in a report by Lyndsey Koh for Mission Network News titled "Report shows thousands of Christians killed in Nigeria this year," over 7,000 Christians were killed in just the first 220 days of 2025.
In June 2025, Fulani militants attacked Yelwata in Benue State, a massacre that Genocide Watch detailed in its report, "Fulani Jihadists Massacre Over 200 Christians In Nigeria." Just a month later, as documented in another Genocide Watch update, "Nigeria Team Report: July 29th, 2025," militants attacked the Christian farming village of Bindi. This follows previous atrocities, like the coordinated Christmas Eve attacks in December 2023, which International Christian Concern reported left "Nearly 200 Nigerians Killed in Christmas Eve Massacre." These are not isolated "clashes" but a consistent, targeted campaign of violence against Christians.
Muslims are slaughtering Christians, and the world is turning a blind eye.
My Favorite Pic This Week
Love that they installed this at JD Greer’s church this week. A great reminder for any pastor/preacher/teacher who takes the stage. No one needs to see you. Give em' Jesus.
Book(s) I Read This Week
Reading The Two Prophets To Nineveh this week, so good. The book is derived from a sermon series James McCarthy preached on the prophets Jonah and Nahum.
My favorite part of the book has nothing to do with Jonah and Nahum [specifically]. McCarthy tells the story of Henry Gerecke, an Army chaplain in WWII. As the war was coming to an end, Gerecke was preparing to return home. He’d served faithfully among the troops, preaching hope and tending to the wounded. But just before he left, a request came down from the top brass:
"A group of Nazi leaders—men responsible for unthinkable evil—had been captured and were awaiting trial in Nuremberg. They needed a chaplain."
Few wanted the assignment. Who could stomach ministering to men like that? But Gerecke accepted. He believed the gospel was powerful enough even for the darkest hearts. When he arrived, he didn’t begin with condemnation. He began with compassion, visiting the prisoners one by one, praying for them, reading Scripture, reminding them that grace was still possible on this side of eternity.
Over time, several of those men repented and trusted Christ before they faced the gallows. Gerecke wrote home to his wife, "I have never seen such broken men. Their crimes are unspeakable, but so is the mercy of God."
That’s the scandal of the gospel—grace reaching where we think it shouldn’t.
It’s Jonah walking into Nineveh. It’s Jesus dining with sinners. It’s a chaplain stepping into the cells of Nuremberg.
The story of Henry Gerecke reminded me: my call is not to decide who deserves mercy, but to carry it wherever God sends me. Sometimes the most radical thing a man can do is walk toward the darkness with the light.
Song(s) I Listened To This Week
On my way back home indeed JJ…
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” ― Jack Kerouac, On the Road
What God Taught Me This Week
"He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much" — Luke 16:10
I overheard a conversation this week that was so good… A lady said,
The teenager bagging groceries today asked if I wanted my bread on top. I said "yes." The young man nodded seriously and said, "Good call. Structural integrity is everything." He then proceeded to arrange my bags like he was building a cathedral. His coworker laughed at him. But my bread arrived home unpunched, my tomatoes unbrushed. Sometimes the people who care too much about small things are exactly who we need.
So good. And convicting. I admit, I overlook small things. Task. People. Places. And I do so because I lack 'structural integrity…' Too often, I value flash over faithfulness, charisma over character. I am quick to forget that the foundation of a man’s life—what actually holds everything up—is found in the small, unseen acts of structural integrity. How you bag the groceries, how you talk to your kids, how you follow through when no one notices.
Jesus said, "He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much…" That’s not just a proverb, it’s a principle of the kingdom. God builds great things through men who care about small ones.
God reminded me this week: "Slow down. Pay attention. Build with care." Because the bread matters. The small things matter. They’re what keep everything else from collapsing.
Looking to connect in person? Here are some places I’ll be in the next few weeks:
BetterMan Michigan, November 8, Brighton, MI [Church 2/42]
North Valley Church BetterMan Night, November 17, Phoenix, AZ
Excited to be at the Fatherhood Commission Dec 2-4, Rome, GA, hosted by Chick-fil-A
Brothers, my pledge to you…
"You will never suffer at my hands. I will never say nor do anything knowingly to hurt you. If you're down and I can lift you up, I'll do that. I will always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you need something and I have it, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future, either good or bad, my commitment to you will never change."
For the King,
—Harp
Those 3 quotes hit home in a beautiful way brother. Thank you and God bless you.