Strong and Courageous

The Scriptures have never been confused about what a man is for. Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Work it. Keep it. Love her as Christ loved the church. Do not exasperate your children. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Run, as Joseph ran, from what will destroy you. Stand, as the three men stood, even if He does not deliver. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. The Bible's description of manhood is not a relic of a less enlightened time - it is the design specification of the God who made men for a specific and irreplaceable purpose.

This book walks through fifty foundations of that purpose. Ten sections: the call to manhood, integrity, leadership, marriage, fatherhood, work, brotherhood, purity, perseverance, and legacy. No section is optional.

The church needs you to be who God made you to be. Your family needs it. The men around you need it. And you need it - because the life you were designed for is better than the life you will settle for if no one holds the standard in front of you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction

PART 1: The Call to Manhood

Chapter 1: Be Watchful, Stand Firm, Act Like Men
Chapter 2: Created for Purpose: The First Man's Commission
Chapter 3: The Man After God's Own Heart
Chapter 4: What Does the Lord Require of You?
Chapter 5: Finishing the Race

PART 2: Integrity

Chapter 6: The Man Who Does Not Waver
Chapter 7: A Good Name Is More Desirable Than Great Riches
Chapter 8: Who May Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?
Chapter 9: Daniel Resolved
Chapter 10: Let Your Yes Be Yes

PART 3: Leadership

Chapter 11: Not Lording It Over - Servant Leadership
Chapter 12: The Elders Who Lead Well
Chapter 13: Moses: The Making of a Leader Through Failure
Chapter 14: Nehemiah: A Man Who Prayed and Worked
Chapter 15: The Overseer Above Reproach

PART 4: Marriage

Chapter 16: Love Her as Christ Loved the Church
Chapter 17: Dwell with Her in an Understanding Way
Chapter 18: Rejoice in the Wife of Your Youth
Chapter 19: Isaac and Rebekah: Praying for Your Wife
Chapter 20: The Man Who Leaves and Cleaves

PART 5: Fatherhood

Chapter 21: Train Up a Child
Chapter 22: The Father Who Ran
Chapter 23: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Children
Chapter 24: As for Me and My House
Chapter 25: The Legacy of Abraham: Teaching the Next Generation

PART 6: Work and Provision

Chapter 26: Whatever You Do, Work at It with All Your Heart
Chapter 27: The Ant and the Sluggard
Chapter 28: Six Days You Shall Labor
Chapter 29: Joseph: Faithful in Every Season
Chapter 30: Providing for Your Household

PART 7: Brotherhood

Chapter 31: As Iron Sharpens Iron
Chapter 32: The Friend Who Sticks Closer Than a Brother
Chapter 33: David and Jonathan: The Covenant of Brotherhood
Chapter 34: Confess to One Another
Chapter 35: Do Not Forsake the Assembly

PART 8: Temptation and Purity

Chapter 36: Flee Youthful Lusts
Chapter 37: Joseph and Potiphar's Wife: The Man Who Ran
Chapter 38: A Covenant with My Eyes
Chapter 39: Put to Death What Is Earthly in You
Chapter 40: No Temptation Has Overtaken You

PART 9: Suffering and Perseverance

Chapter 41: Consider It Pure Joy
Chapter 42: Job: When a Man Loses Everything
Chapter 43: Paul in Prison: Contentment in Every Circumstance
Chapter 44: The Three Men in the Fire
Chapter 45: I Have Fought the Good Fight

PART 10: Legacy

Chapter 46: A Father's Last Words: David to Solomon
Chapter 47: What Will You Leave Behind?
Chapter 48: The Faithful Man - Who Can Find?
Chapter 49: Set an Example for the Believers
Chapter 50: Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant
Conclusion: The Man God Builds