Foreword by Ben Kinchlow
This is a book that is unabashedly, uncompromisingly written to men. There are many booksabout us, but precious few writtento us. It is a throwback to the days of “man-to-man talks,” male virtues, chivalry, and a respect for women and children that grew out of understanding the responsibility of being a “grown man.” It is a book that enables us to discover the maximum potential of our lives to live asmaximized men. It’s long overdue.
Chapter 1: Maximum Sentence
It had been evident that the moral fiber of our nation was being weakened and even shredded on every hand. But the I saw that the Church was not immune. The mores of society were imposing themselves on the Church of Jesus Christ. So many lives – all being affected by sex sins.
Chapter 2: Kept Out of Canaan
I want you to understand that Canaan is a land of promise where God wants you to live by faith today. There, He will fulfill His promises in your life. There, you can reach your maximum potential. Shangri-la was a fantasy; Canaan Land is real. But – the Israelites failed to reach Canaan. They failed for those five basic reasons that are listed in First Corinthians, chapter ten. Those five reasons are the same reason why men today do not get their Canaan Land fulfillment in life. God wants me to have Canaan Land marriages, businesses, parental relationships, educations.
Chapter 3: The Playboy Problem
The difference between human wisdom and divine wisdom, when it comes to sin, is that human wisdom wants to cover it up.
Chapter 4: Moses and the Ten Invitations
God created this whole thing, including you and me, and by His active Presence He sustains it all. God is all powerful, all Knowing, all Seeing. We are notinvited to obey God. We arecommanded to obey. By Him. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come sidling up to some person and ask, “Will you please obey me today?” When a man obeys God he maximizes his manhood. God maximizes a man’s personality, talent, and character.
Chapter 5: There’s a Hole in the Door
It’s part of your maximized manhood. It is Christlike to give and receive forgiveness.
Chapter 6: Tender and Tough
Just as the farmer expects figs under the leaves of his fig trees so God expects fruit from our lives. The result, the product of the inner working of God in our lives, will be visible fruit. And, since we belong to Him, God has a right to expect fruit. That fruit is – “Manhood.”
Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.You’ll hear me say that over and over again because it’s true. Only the greatness of Christ in our lives can make you and me great. Nothing else. It’s the reason John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It’s the reason we must allow God to produce the fruit of manhood in our lives.
Chapter 7: Is There a Priest in the House?
Sure, the man is to be the priest – but God has to lead him into it. It can’t be a woman pushing him. A woman’s push is only helpful when a man is already being pulled or led by God’s Spirit into being what God wants him to be. Men can change habits. Only God can change a nature.
Chapter 8: The One Dollar Tip
Self-justification’s process is to make yourself look right in your own eyes by placing your blame on someone else.
Chapter 9: Changing Heads
Much of the modern Church has failed o inspire, or require, courage in its men. Many pastors find they can preach to women, organize women, and work with women with much less effort than with men. In fact, many pastors today cannot relate to men in a positive way. It’s the reason why women outnumber men by such a large margin in many churches, and why the matriarchal society is being perpetuated instead of the patriarchal.
Chapter 10: The Buck Stops Here
Tragic consequences are left on society by men who still try to cover their mistakes, errors, and sins. Think of those who would rather let their marriage die than admit the sin and give it new life. Men who would rather let their business collapse than confront failure and give it new life. Men who would rather let their children flee in frustration than come to grips with their own shortcomings and renew those ragged relationships.
Chapter 11: The Video Daddy
Today, many men believe that America is great because of the virtue of its wealth. But, it was the virtues of American men and women that brought us our wealth. Men, families, nations are great bythe wealth of their virtues, not by the virtue of theirwealth.
Chapter 12: Our Father, Which Art Inactive
It may well be that the father is home every day but does not spend time with his children. Corporate life with its pressures to produce loyalty to the logo, and affection for ambition creates hovac in the home. Many wives know that their husbands’ adulterous relationship is not with another woman, but with their jobs. Other men hide in their hobbies.
Chapter 13: Stop, Look, Listen
Today – there is a new movement afoot. It is the movement of the “maximized man.” Families are finding themselves again, dad is listening again, lost members are being rediscovered right in the home and old lives are being rekindled. Parents are reuniting emotionally with their children; relationships are being re-established; children are learning to interact with adults once again. It is an amazing transformation.
Chapter 14: Born-Again Marriage
Marriage can be the closest thing to a heaven or hell that many will find on this earth.
Chapter 15: What’s the Question?
The Bible says that everywhere Abraham went hebuilt his altar andpitchedhis tents. Today, too many men arebuilding their tents andpitching their altars. They spend too much time on the temporal and not enough on the eternal- too much time on building personality, while merely pitching character. It’s a perversion of godly principles.
Chapter 16: Adult Boys
The people in the culture of our day, which is exchanging materialism for character, voting men into high office without concern for morality, ethics, truthfulness, men who are deficient in character, are sowing to the wind but will reap the whirlwind. The world is being conditioned for acceptance of the Antichrist, and we see the process throughout the world.
Chapter 17: It’s the Heart
Declension in morality follows the waning of love for God. The lesser the love for God, the lower the morality of an individual or a nation goes. Lower morality results in higher mortality, whether from physical or marital death. As long as divorce is an option, you can never make a total commitment to the covenant of marriage. Marriage is a covenant, even as salvation is a covenant made with us through the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross. A covenant is more than a contract, it’s all a matter of the heart.
Chapter 18: Take It to the Cross!
The reason God gave the law was to use it as a schoolmaster to teach us we are lawbreakers, and thus sinners. If sinners, then we are in need of some means to take away our sin and make us righteous in the sight of God.
Chapter 19: That’s My Dad!
Or responsibility is to raise trustworthy children who respect and admire their father. God’s admonition to us is not to provoke them to wrath, but to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. To do that takes time. Quality time. There is no substitute for time. To give time is to give yourself, and that is what it takes.
Chapter 20: Burn Out Don’t Fade Out
The fleshly nature of man will always want to relax, take it easy, find a resting place, and not be subject to the disciplines of the spirit that hungers and thirsts for God, seeks the daily application of Bible study and prayer, and wants to be part of what God is doing on earth in this hour!
Epilogue: Majoring in Men
Don’t let someone else create your world for you. For when they do, they will always make it too small. God is a big God and has big plans for you. Enjoy Canaan Land in the totality of your life. Marriage. Parenting. Profession. Finances. Eduction. In every area of your life. Be a man. Live the life of maximized manhood.Christlikeness.