The Week In Review
April 11, 2026
One Good Thing This Week
Me and 120 of my friends went to the rodeo this week. And here is what stood out: courage isn’t loud, it’s lived. Without a sermon being preached, every one of us saw it… Courage looks like something.
It looks like the man who nods his head, opens the gate, and steps into eight seconds he can’t control. No guarantees. No comfort. Just grit.
It looks like showing up when you could sit back.
It looks like taking the hit and getting back up.
It looks like stepping into the arena when it would be easier to stay in the stands.
Most men today are being discipled into safety. Comfort. Observation. But courage isn’t formed there. It’s formed in the dirt. In the risk. In the moment where you don’t know how it’s going to go, but you go anyway.
And here’s the truth: God didn’t call men to watch. He called them to step in. At home. In their marriages. With their kids. In their faith. Not reckless. Not foolish. But present. Engaged. And willing.
You don’t become a man by avoiding the arena. You become one by stepping into it and getting back up when life throws you down. Because at the end of the day, God isn’t forming spectators. He’s forming men.
And this week, 120 of them stepped a little closer into the arena. That’s a good week.
"True cowboys are the ones who aren’t afraid to get dirty." — Lane Frost
Something Beautiful This Week
This week, my brother surprised me with a birthday lunch. I walked in… and there were 12 men sitting around the table, guys I’ve had the privilege of doing life with.
As if the surprise gathering was not enough, he did something I did not expect: he had each one go around the table and affirm me.
One by one. What they saw. What stuck. What mattered. I won’t lie, it felt awkward. I’m not wired to sit in that. But I was incredibly moved.
It wasn’t hype. It was real. Specific. Earned over time. This week, I got a taste of my own medicine; my sermons came to life. I’m always talking about how most guys are starving for clarity, community, and affirmation.
On a Tuesday in April, I got a taste of all three. And it reminded me why this work matters. Pour into men. Stay in it long enough. And one day, you might find yourself sitting at a table, realizing… it was never wasted.
Something Worth Imitating
For the past few months, I’ve been using Lectio 365 as a daily prayer and Scripture rhythm—and it has been genuinely transformative.
In a world full of noise, it’s helped me slow down, center my heart on God’s Word, and start each day with clarity and purpose. It’s simple, grounded, and deeply formative.
If you’re looking for a practical way to build consistency in your time with the Lord, I highly recommend giving it a go.
Remember: If you don’t build a rhythm of hearing from God, the world will gladly fill the silence for you. No rhythm = Bad formation.
My 3 Favorite Quotes of the Week
"Your talent is your floor. Your character and work ethic will determine your ceiling…" — Anonymous
"Manhood is about gaining admission, and if you want to gain admission, you have to tread the deep waters…" — Tom Junod
"If you do not know which port you are seeking, no wind is favorable." — Seneca
Something I Found Interesting This Week
It is getting close to graduation season… Most fathers believe the active work of fathering ends when a son/daughter moves out. Research on what happens to young men in their first year after high school suggests the opposite. What changes is not the need for a father’s presence; it is the form that presence must take.
Recognizing this, Anthony Bradley shares eight practices every father should pay attention to. This is seriously worth your time…
My Favorite Pic[s] This Week
So true…
Book(s) I Read This Week
No book this week, but I did take my wife to see Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling, and it was incredible.
Great storyline. Wholesome. Entertaining in the best way.
What stood out most, though, was this: it quietly paints a picture of manhood not as dominance or ego, but as the joyful pursuit of sacrificial responsibility. A man stepping into what’s hard, not because it’s easy or glamorous, but because it’s needed.
Absolutely worth your time.
Song(s) I Listened To This Week
I’m gonna' trust in the name of the Lord…
What God Taught Me This Week
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." — John 8:36
The Lord showed me something so simple, yet so profound this week: Conviction is feeling guilt over unconfessed sin, and it comes from the Holy Spirit. Condemnation is feeling guilt over confessed sin, and it comes from the Enemy.
Sometimes seeing the difference is difficult. Author Michael Foster shares what he calls the Five Condemnments, the rules we inflict upon ourselves that run through our minds…
1. I don’t deserve a second chance.
2. I am my shame. I am my secrets.
3. I will always feel and be this way.
4. I am defined by my worst moments.
5. My life, my dreams, my hopes no longer matter.
We have to push back against condemnation with an Easter-fueled hope: Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. If God has forgiven you, it is right and good to forgive yourself. Christ is in the business of second chances. And third. And fourth chances. As Dr. Hershal York once told me, "Chris, when your repentance is more notorious than your sin, you’re okay."
Forgive yourself today, brother, God already has.
Looking to connect in person? Here are some places I’ll be in the next few weeks:
Sunday Service, The Heights Church, Richardson TX, April 12.
National Discipleship Conference, Houston, TX, April 15-16.
ISI North Carolina, Albemarle, NC, April 18th.
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
Thank you Harp
Was out in the desert with no WI-FI was a true blessing catching big rainbow and spending time with God! Just read this when I got home last night and downloaded Lectio365! Read it at 10:00 this am I can see how it can change a life. Love the Notification part and most Importantly for me is the Pause, And Pray . I been a mover and shaker since my drug days. In the 70s . Can’t thank you enough! Love ya Man
Gosh, I see those 5 Condemnments happen so often in my life. It is so great and freeing to acknowledged those as the enemy and give up that guilt. And also to segment the guilt of those unconfessed sin and deal with it in tandem with the Holy Spirit. I can get so focused on myself and then beat myself up over my failures. So glad the Lord uses my failures to teach me and not just pour on the guilt when I confess. What a gracious father!