What is ”The Strange Him!!”? The Strange Him!! is a MAN who has conviction, courage, and strength. A “MAN” in today’s society is totally different than a “man.” A MAN is one who protects, provides, and leads. These MEN are truly strange to most people, and this newsletter is an observance and celebration of that MAN. Thank you for your support, and hopefully, you will like what you read. If you like this content, share this newsletter with another “strange” MAN. You can share the newsletter by simply clicking on the Facebook, X, Linked In, or email buttons above. Stay strange, my friend!!

First, I apologize for my long delay in publishing The Strange HIM!! I hope that a small part of you has missed your weekly dose. Since September, I have been preoccupied with a little health issue, but now I am on the other side of it. I am thankful first to my Lord and Savior for bringing me through this. I have learned so much more about love and compassion during this time, and I give God the glory for that. The Lord has a plan for all of us, and I am thankful He used my valley to enable me to see more of Him. I am also very thankful to my family (especially my wife) and friends for their constant support and consolation. I am blessed beyond measure for the relationships God has placed in my life. I am a truly lucky man!

Where do we go from here?

This newsletter seeks to encourage men to reflect on what it truly means to be a MAN. In prior editions, we kicked off each week’s topic with a concise overview, essential definitions or principles, practical tools for personal growth, challenges to motivate readers to push their boundaries, and a recap of the previous week’s challenge. From this edition onward, we will delve deeper into masculinity, with a special emphasis on biblical masculinity. We will also adopt a new structure. At the start of 2025, Pastor Joby Marting from The Church of Eleven22 launched a podcast named "The Daily Blade," co-hosted by Kyle Thompson, which provides a five-minute dive into biblical masculinity. This inspired me to implement a similar structure for our newsletter. While most content will draw from scripture, there will occasionally be insights and concepts about masculinity that resonate with our everyday experiences. This newsletter aims to deliver factual information and stimulate deep thought, assisting each of us in becoming the men God created us to be.

FAILURE - It does not define you!!

As MEN, masculine MEN, especially masculine Christian MEN…failure is not the end of the line. Why do we have a tendency to give up when we fail? The list goes on and on about MEN who have failed, but their failure did not dictate how they lived their lives from that point forward, nor typically how they are remembered. Sure, there are men whom history remembers as failures, but MEN are usually not in that list.

How is one of the most iconic Moses remembered? Moses was remembered as a leader and a friend of God. But did Moses fail? This says it all…”But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” Numbers 20:12. This seems like a pretty severe punishment for the man God entrusted with his people to lead out of Egypt. One would think that Moses had to be disappointed, but he never quit loving the Lord or being used by God after that.

Think of yourself right now. Put yourself in Moses’ shoes. If, for the past 40 years, you had been working to achieve a goal, you were suddenly told you would never attain that goal. How would you feel? What would you do? What would that do to your faith? I know how I would feel. I would be like, “What the heck? You can have this desert and all of these ungrateful people, but that was not what Moses did. Moses continued to trust in the Lord with all of his heart, mind, and body, and God continued to bless and use Moses for the remainder of his life.

What I want to leave you with is that God’s love is always falling on us, even when we fail. You can never fail more than God can love you. Remember, God can and will use you for his purpose even after you have failed. God still used Moses even after he failed God. We, as MEN, can never stop trying to walk like Jesus. We may stumble along the way, but God is always there, willing and able, to help pick you up.

You are worth more than what you do! Even if you stumble, God loves you and won’t quit loving you!

The Daily Blade has become my favorite podcast for sharpening Godly men. It is a short-form podcast that can be listened to in about 5 minutes but it is direct and to the point. Pastor Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson are on a mission to help men become true men of God. Give it a listen, you will not be sorry you did!!

https://www.thedailyblade.com/

The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

The Daily Blade, hosted by Pastor Joby Martin of the Church of Eleven22 and Kyle Thompson of Undaunted.Life, is a short-form devotional show that equips Christians to apply the Word of God to their everyday lives.---Don't miss the chance to join Pastor Joby & Kyle in person at the 2025 Men's Conference in Jacksonville, Florida — grab your seat at http://mensconference.com

As always I am going to plug my cult. F3 groups are popping up nationwide. This is a great way to find a great group of MEN.

I am also going to continue plugging GORUCK. This is an activity you can do with a group or by yourself….anywhere you go.

Stay Strange My Friend!