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Stretched Men Group – Fall 2018 Mastermind – Forming NOW
The next semester of the Stretched Men Group is getting ready to start, and men are getting ready to STRETCH their marriages, their parenting, their careers, their faith, and their lives.
You don’t want to miss the opportunity to be part of the Stretched Men Group!
The Stretched Men Group provides a safe, transforming environment to help men like you take steps forward. Here are some of the ways the group has helped other men:
One man started praying for his ex-wife.
One man started taking his family back to church.
One man changed jobs.
One man had a tough conversation with his wife that transformed his relationship.
One man had a difficult conversation with his co-worker that led to a job change.
One man tackled a pornography addiction.
One man started reading his Bible on a daily basis.
One man reached out to his estranged sons.
One man took his marriage and sex-life to a whole new level.
If you’re looking to STRETCH and experience this kind of change in your life, you should join the next semester of the Stretched Men Group. For more information, go to www.stretchedmengroup.com. Once you are there, you can request a FREE, no pressure informational call with me to see if the Stretched Men Group is right for you.
Don’t wait too long, the spots will fill up fast.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to STRETCH now!
Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.
Napoleon Hill
6 Things You Need to Do Today to Prepare for the Empty Nest
Later today, I’ll be dropping my daughter off for the start of her junior year of college, and my wife and I will be entering the empty nest. (Last week, we dropped our son off for his freshman year of college.) While I’m sad to say goodbye to my kids knowing their return home will never quite be the same, I’m extremely excited by this next step in our journey together.
Many people talk about the empty nest with negativity. People imply that life is almost over when the kids leave the house. Or people wonder out loud about how spouses will handle each other without the barrier and distraction of children.
The empty nest doesn’t have to be a scary thing. In fact, there are things you can do today to better prepare yourself for the empty nest.
6 Things You Need to Do Today to Prepare for the Empty Nest
- Date your spouse while your kids are under your roof. Many parents fall into the trap of making their parenting more important than their marriage. This is a big mistake. When we get married, we commit – we promise – to live life together for the rest of our lives. When your kids leave the house (as they should at some point), you don’t want to find yourself living with a stranger. Continue to get to know your wife. Continue to have fun together. Continue to grow closer. Leanne and I have a weekly date night. This has been a great way to help prepare us for the empty nest.
- Parent your children with purpose. Too many parents make the mistake of trying to be their child’s best friend instead of people their mom or dad. Also, many parents miss out on the importance of preparing their kids to leave the nest. Talking to your kids about life after high school or college is important. Kids need to understand the expectations you have for them as they get older. Talking about these expectations, modeling expected behaviors, and establishing appropriate boundaries are all critical parts of parenting with purpose and of preparing for the empty nest. Leanne and I have intentionally approached our parenting aiming our kids at the target and launching them well-equipped to leave the nest and contribute to this world.
- Invest in your marriage. Beyond dating your spouse, you need to make regular investments in your marriage. Find a mentor couple or two who are ahead of you in their married lives and take time to learn from them. Spend money and take time to get away on a regular basis to connect with each other, to discuss goals, and to assess progress. Go to a marriage retreat or conference (ie. Family Life Weekend to Remember) to learn from marriage experts. Sign up in a marriage class like Dynamic Marriage (Leanne and I are getting ready to lead our next Dynamic Marriage class, and spots are still available). Leanne and I have done a lot of things to invest in our marriage, and we will continue to do these things as we enter the empty nest. Our marriage is worth it!
- Invest in yourself. I’m a father, and I’m a husband. I’m also me. Our identities are complex. While you will always be a father if you have kids, that part of your identity will change as the kids leave the nest. It’s important to learn and grow (to STRETCH) as an individual. I’m doing this through reading, through podcasts, and through mastermind groups. In a few weeks, I’ll be launching the next semester of the Stretched Men Group – a mastermind group for men. If you are a man, consider signing up. This is a great way to invest in yourself and to help you prepare for the empty nest.
- Plan ahead. Don’t get to the empty nest without plans for the future. Leanne and I have been making plans for doing things together to have fun, to contribute to our church and community, and to position ourselves for further steps in our married lives. We’ve created a “Dream Board” to document some of our bigger goals for the future. If you want to prepare for the empty nest, plan ahead for what you will do once the kids leave the nest.
- Pray. Don’t underestimate the importance of praying together about the future. Pray for your kids. Pray for their future spouses. Pray for your spouse. Pray for your future together. God wants to be part of your marriage. Pray that God would prepare you for the empty nest.
When you take these steps, you too can enter the empty nest with enthusiasm, hope, and excitement. Don’t wait for the kids to say goodbye, take action today to get ready for the empty nest!
What action do you need to take to prepare for the empty nest? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The Chickens and the Bees – Why You Need to Have That Uncomfortable Conversation with Your Child
Several years ago, I had the brilliant idea that our family should become chicken farmers. We ordered baby chicks from a good friend, and I set out to build a chicken coop – actually a deluxe chicken palace. Our chicken coup had two floors, a four-seater nesting box, and spectacular picture window.
When our baby chicks arrived via the U.S. Postal Service, our adventure began. For the first several weeks, we kept the chickens in the shed under a heat lamp. Over time, the small baby chicks grew feathers and became big enough to move to the chicken palace I had constructed earlier.
Our chicken raising experience brought us many amazing stories and delicious farm-fresh eggs.
When we were getting ready for the baby chicks to arrive,I had a couple of challenging conversations with my son, Isaac. Here’s how it went:
On my way to my saxophone lesson with both kids in the car on Saturday morning…
Isaac: “Dad, what happens if we crack an egg and there’s a chicken inside?”
Hannah: Snicker…
Pause
Me: “Well, we won’t have to worry about that, because we aren’t getting any roosters.”
Another pause.
Isaac: “What do roosters have to do with it?”
Hannah: Snicker, snicker…
A longer pause.
Me: “Well, you can’t have baby chickens without roosters.”
Isaac: “Oh…”
Me: “Maybe, we should talk about this later.”
That evening while I was washing the dishes, Isaac is hanging around me…
Me: “You remember that conversation we had this morning about the chickens and the roosters?”
Isaac: “Yes.”
Me: “Well, maybe we should talk about that some more.”
Brief pause.
Isaac: “I think that will be an uncomfortable conversation.”
Me: “No kidding.”
A few weeks later, Isaac and I were alone in the car on the way to the mall, and we had a chance to discuss the 30,000 foot view of the fact that roosters and chickens were needed to have baby chickens just like dads and moms were necessary to have babies. We didn’t get into all the details, but this laid the foundation for more conversations.
As I think about this topic, I’m extremely grateful for the model my own dad gave me for talking openly and frankly about an “Uncomfortable” topic.
As fathers, we have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to talk with our kids about things that really matter in life.
If you are struggling when it comes to having the “uncomfortable” conversations with your children, remember these three things:
- Your kids will find out one way or the other. Our kids are actually pretty smart. They will find things out from friends, from the internet, or from other resources.
- Your kids deserve to hear the truth from someone they can trust – namely you. You have a responsibility to talk with your kids and to teach them about life. Too many parents shirk this responsibility. They let their kids learn from others instead of from you. You are both missing out when you rely on other sources.
- You don’t want your kids to get the wrong messages. Let’s face it. A lot of the sources outside of your house are simply unreliable. Culture sends the wrong messages about sex, identity, and other things that really matter.
Have you been putting off an important conversation with your child? Take time today to initiate that conversation. If you are struggling with how to start, take time for yourself to plug into reliable resources and mentors to help you prepare for the conversations you should have with your kids.
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
Frederick Douglass
How have you handled the “uncomfortable” conversations with your children? How did your father handle these conversations with you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Men – It’s Not Too Late!
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
– George Eliot
Do you feel as though life is rushing by and your opportunities for influence are slipping away?
Does it seems like your parenting journey, your marriage, and your life is a blur as the calendar pages change at rapid pace?
Do you think it’s too late to be the dad, the husband, the leader, or the man you want to be?
You are not alone!
“THE MASS OF MEN LEAD LIVES OF QUIET DESPERATION”
– Henry David Thoreau
Today, I’m excited to announce the launch of the Stretched Men Group and the new website that goes with this paid mastermind.
www.stretchedmengroup.com
The Stretched Men Group is designed to help you take the next step in your journey to becoming the man you were meant to be. Through valuable teaching, customized coaching, and essential conversation with other men, you will be challenged and held accountable to take the next step as you go through the next three months with the men in this group and me.
For more information on the Stretched Men Group, click here.
Also, if you know a man who needs to take the next step, I’d love to connect with him. Let him know about the group and send him to the site, so he can sign up.
I’m accepting new sign-ups for a group launching in January until December 31, 2016. Don’t wait. Sign up TODAY!
The Time To Ask For Help Is Now
I don’t like asking for help.
I came back from Guatemala almost six weeks ago with a cough I picked up at the end of our trip. A week after our trip, I figured the cough would go away as I began to feel better. Unfortunately, my cough has persisted.
Finally, I made a visit to the doctor’s office on Monday evening. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and an over-the-counter cough medication. Next week, I’ll return to the doctor’s office for a follow-up checkup to make sure the cough goes away.
I don’t go to the doctor’s office very often. Thankfully, I’m generally very healthy. But honestly, I tend to try to beat whatever illness I’m fighting with rest, time, and home remedies.
In this case, it was time to get some help.
Men often do a terrible job when it comes to asking for help. We don’t like to ask for directions, and we typically don’t want to appear weak by asking for anyone’s help.
We’ll drive around lost for an hour if it means we don’t have to stop to ask for directions.
Does this sound like you?
Do you struggle to ask for help?
It’s great to be independent, but we need people in our lives who will push us forward, who will give us a hand when we need help, and who will hold us accountable to take action on things we’ve been avoiding.
Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Next week, I’m launching the Stretch Man Mastermind. This is an opportunity to get the help you need.
The idea for a mastermind group was developed in part based on a conversations I’ve had with men who have approached me about mentoring them.
“No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind.”
― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
This is humbling – to say the least. It’s also a bit overwhelming. (How do I find time to meet with these guys who want my attention?)
After a lot of prayer, thought, and conversations with other men and my family, I’ve decided to launch a three-month, on-line paid mastermind group for men starting next week.
The group is made of men who want to intentionally “stretch” their marriages, their parenting, and their manhood. The group is meeting on-line (via Zoom) every other week. After our initial kick-off/get-to-know you meeting, the bi-weekly meetings will consist of a 15-20 minute teaching time where I will share with the group. After that, we will rotate a hot seat from week to week. On the hot seat, one guy will bring up an issue or question in which he needs help, and the group will discus the issue/question/topic with the purpose of helping each man STRETCH. (The hot seat time will typically last 30-45 minutes each week.)
The group will have a private Facebook group for communication in-between our bi-weekly meetings.
And I will be reaching out to each man in the group two or three times throughout the session for one-on-one coaching/conversation and for feedback.
I’m looking forward to the community and accountability that will come out of this group.
Most men are missing this kind of man-to-man interaction in their lives. And I believe this mastermind will raise the bar for each of the men in the group. I still have a couple of open spots in the group, and I’d love to fill them before next week.
Is it time for you to ask for help?
If this sounds like something you need in your life or if you simply want to learn more, please contact me so we can schedule a phone conversation. Leave a comment below or fill out the form below. Let’s connect. I’d love to talk with you!
(Please pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested in the Stretch Man Mastermind. Thanks!)
Introducing the Stretch Man Mastermind Group
You don’t climb mountains without a team, you don’t climb mountains without being fit, you don’t climb mountains without being prepared and you don’t climb mountains without balancing the risks and rewards. And you never climb a mountain on accident – it has to be intentional.
Mark Udall
Life is way too short to let it pass you by without a plan and without a support team.
I don’t want to get to the end of my life only to realize I had wasted my time here on earth.
I want to be intentional. And I want to know I gave it my all.
Being a man – and specifically being a father and a husband – can be pretty challenging. We have careers, family, friends, hobbies, and finances to balance.
I believe many men want to have deeper, more fulfilled lives, but they don’t know where to start. Guys wander around through life afraid to ask for directions, and they miss out on living their best life ever.
Over the past several months, I’ve had multiple guys approach me in search of a mentor or a guide. While I’m not a perfect parent or perfect spouse, they have seen something in my family and in me that makes them want to learn more.
These conversations are humbling, and I want to help.
Today, I’m excited to announce the launch of the Stretch Man Mastermind Group. (To learn more about the mastermind group concept, click here.)
What is the Stretch Man Mastermind Group?
The Stretch Man Mastermind Group is a group of men committed to meeting together for three months. The group will meet every other week in September, October, and November. The meetings will be held over video conferencing software, so an internet connection, a webcam, and a decent microphone will be important.
Meetings will last 60-90 minutes.
Most meetings will start with a 20 minutes teaching time where I will share on a topic designed to help guys stretch themselves. These topics will focus on helping us become better fathers, better husbands, and better men. Then we will have a rotating “hot seat”. Each meeting, we will focus on a challenge or question brought to the group by one of the mastermind members. The “hot seat” will rotate from meeting to meeting, so everyone has the opportunity to be on the “hot seat” and to focus on their challenge/question.
The first meeting will provide an opportunity for the group to get to know each other. And we’ll jump into our normal format for the second meeting.
In between the bi-weekly meetings, the group will correspond with each other in the group’s private Facebook group.
During this inaugural three months, I will also offer two one-on-one calls with each participant to tackle your additional questions and challenges.
This paid mastermind is designed to provide the support, community and accountability you need to intentionally STRETCH your parenting, marriage, and manhood to the next level.
Spots in the Stretch Man Mastermind Group are filling up fast, and I don’t want you to miss out.
If this excites you or you want to learn more, connect with me in the comments or by leaving your information below: