One Good Thing This Week
I was redeemed as a father this week… 18 months ago [Christmas 2023] I bought my [oldest] son a 3D printer. For 18 months, it has sat in our garage, with the promise of "one day setting it up…"
Technologically illiterate, and way too busy [self-involved], I never got around to doing it… until this week. I called a tech-savvy deacon at my church, who came over and helped my son and me set it up. Within two hours, we were making a boat.
It was a good week.
Someone needs to hear this: It is never too late to make good on a commitment.
"When you make a commitment, you create hope. When you keep a commitment you create trust!" — John C. Maxwell
Something Beautiful This Week
I had the privilege of being with my brothers and sisters at Flat Creek Baptist Church [Georgia] on Father’s Day. A beautiful church, in the middle of a beautiful town, full of incredible people. I promised I would deliver a sermon that did not belittle men or call them out; rather, I would encourage men and call them up to something greater.
I pray I delivered.
Something Worth Imitating
I learned something called the 3-Minute Kindergarten Check-In this week.
At the end of your day, ask yourself:
Was I kind?
Did I help?
Did I create something?
Did I wait my turn?
Did I rest?
I am trying to answer "Yes" to at least 3 of these every day. Definitely worth imitating.
My 3 Favorite Quotes of the Week
"Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all life really means." — Robert Louis Stevenson
"Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you." — Saint Agustine
"Great movements are born of great sacrifice in anonymity." — Dr. John Hannah
Stat(s) I Found Interesting This Week
NOT correct: Young men are more religious than young women.
Empirically supported: The religious gender gap among younger adults appears to have disappeared.
It is NOT that significantly more men are going to church… It’s that significantly FEWER women are.
My Favorite Pic This Week
A powerful perspective [and reminder]:
Book(s) I Read This Week
Read When the Sea Came Alive—An Oral History of D-Day this week. Absolutely fascinating. The book is a chronological journey, guided by firsthand accounts. I loved this book. There is so much to glean from the stories—the feat of a cross-channel invasion, the mass and size of such an undertaking, the preparation, planning, and sacrifice. The world changed on June 6th, 1944.
About halfway through the book, you learn that on June 5th, Airborne [US] Rangers and British Special Forces went in early, on gliders, behind enemy lines, to disable and destroy the batteries that housed troops and machine guns defending the French coast. The gliders were small, and the only weapons the troops could carry were a knife and a few grenades. In the cover of night, they glided down [crash landing], approaching each battery and "bombing it to hell."
Battery after battery, pillbox after pillbox, the operation was a success. But it was not without loss. One soldier remarks…
"I remember walking up to a pillbox that had been blown to pieces. Inside was one of ours, surrounded by nine dead Germans. You could tell there had been a struggle. The butt of a rifle had been split in two. After tossing a grenade into the box, he must have jumped in, killing the rest by hand. I reached down to see the name on his dog tags: Martin V Hirsch. I wrote his name in my prayer journal, hoping that when I got home, I would find out where he was from, if he had a family… I searched but found no one. No one will ever know what he did…"
I immediatley thought of George Eliot [Middlemarch], "...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."
Hannah [above] was right: "Great movements are born of great sacrifice in anonymity."
May we never forget the forgotten, hidden heroes.
Song(s) I Listened To This Week
Thankful for my brother,
for turning me onto this song. I, too, love a good mountain yodel…"Dry wood that splits good and burns all night long…"
What God Taught Me This Week
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." — 1 Thess. 5:16-18
I’ve adopted a new 'prayer-practice.' For too long, I have struggled to talk and listen to God. I was recently introduced to a Greek-Orthodox prayer practice. The Greek priest would pick a word and pray that word all month long. In moments that their minds drifted, they would pray the word. Moments of celebration, they would pray it. Moments of frustration and temptation, they would pray it. By consistently praying it, the opportunity to practice it would often 'manifest.'
So, this month my word has been 'mercy.' Multiple times a day, I pray that God would show me mercy, teach me about mercy, and give me opportunities to be merciful.
And guess what… I find myself understanding and growing in mercy.
Here is what the rest of my year looks like:
July - Kindness
August - Patience
September - Self-Control/Temperance
October - Boldness
November - Thankfulness
December - Generosity/Charity
I want to shout out my brothers at AVAHouse [A Voice Amplified]. You know I LOVE wearing my faith, I’m a swag-geek. These brothers have hit a nerve—I love their mantra, "Lead Well, Stand Strong." Take some time and check out their gear.
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
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I am incouraged to know that I will be with you in the month of Patience and the month of Boldness. Carry on.
Separately, for those that didn't jump to ChatGPT as quickly as I did, CES-Cooperative Elections Study, GSS-General Socail Survey, RLS-Religious Landscape Study.
Harp,
You came out to Anchor Church in Hawaii and spoke a couple years ago. Since then, BetterMan continues to impact our multigenerational men's groups. Can’t thank you enough.
Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you personally for your weekly "week in review."
Each week, your emails have not only challenged and encouraged me—they’ve also sparked something I never expected: a weekly rhythm of writing “Dad Notes” to my kids in our weekly family text thread. What started as a small reflection, inspired by the tone and honesty of your messages, has become a way for me to pour into my kids with scripture, personal stories, and life lessons rooted in faith.
Through these notes, I’ve been able to open up in ways I hadn’t before—sharing where I’ve fallen short, how the Lord is working in me, and the truths I want my kids to carry forward. It’s brought us closer, opened up spiritual conversations, and, honestly, become one of the more meaningful things I’ve done as a dad.
More than anything, I pray these weekly notes become a gift they carry long after I’m gone—a written legacy of love, faith, and the goodness of Christ in the everyday. When the Lord calls me home, I hope these words will continue pointing them to the One who never leaves.
So, thank you. Thank you for your consistency, your authenticity, and for leading with humility and courage. The ripple effects of your words are reaching farther than you may ever know.
In Christ,
Brian Barksdale