In 1960, Martin Luther King, Jr. called 11 a.m. on Sunday morning the most segregated hour in Christian America. Today, the issue of race continues to polarize and divide American Christians.

How is God calling us, as men, to engage with this issue?

We sat down with David Bowens, an African-American worship leader at a predominantly white church in Pittsburgh, to get his take. Our conversation was on the heels of Bowens helping to lead two campuses of that church through a series of face-to-face discussions on how racial differences affect our relationships and our faith.

In these highlights from that interview, Bowens explains how the experience changed his perspective and that of many who participated.

Restore Addiction Recovery not only helps men defeat their addictions but also equips them for full-time employment and prepares them to thrive in the real world.

That’s the world where they have failed so many times in the past.

But then again, so have we.

This week’s Bible passage: Matthew 11:25-30

Weekly Strength podcast resource: 52 Weeks of Strength for Men (ebook, paperback, study guide)

Other resources:

• Chris Bolinger’s other devotional: Daily Strength for Men
• Mike Hatch’s book: Manhood: Empowered by the Light of the Gospel
• Relational men’s discipleship programs: CLC

When a man goes through a divorce, it’s like a bomb has exploded in his life. Everything is affected, including his identity, his dreams and plans, his relationships, his finances, and his physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

If he is a Christian, then he expects to find support and help from other men in his church. Instead, he often finds a cold shoulder. As a result, most Christian men who go through a divorce leave their church, and 30% of them walk away from their faith altogether.

This episode provides practical ways that you can provide support and encouragement to your divorced Christian brother.

Check out Chris Bolinger’s article “9 Ways Men Can Support Christian Brothers through Divorce.”

God is not bound by the constraints of time. But we are.

We wish we weren’t. That’s why manipulating time is a recurring theme in films.

But our time on earth, as short as it may be, is just the beginning . . . because we live forever.

This week’s Bible passage: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Weekly Strength podcast resource: 52 Weeks of Strength for Men (ebook, paperback, study guide)

Other resources:

• Chris Bolinger’s other devotional: Daily Strength for Men
• Mike Hatch’s book: Manhood: Empowered by the Light of the Gospel
• Relational men’s discipleship programs: CLC

He got his first job when he was 10. At 14, he took his 12-year-old brother to Beijing for six weeks to attend a conference. He graduated high school early, left home, and at age 17 started running a retail store. At 19, he went to Turkey to “find himself” and came back a Christian. Since then, he’s done restaurant management, started and run non-profits, served as a pastor, and helped The Bible Project (website, YouTube channel) reach people around the world.

All while fighting against a core belief that he’s not good enough and doesn’t have what it takes.

In these highlights from our September 2023 interview with Mike McDonald, he shares that “getting in the mud” – stepping outside your comfort zone to follow God’s call – is a key part of understanding your true identity in Christ.

Mike leads The Bible Project’s global focus team, which is localizing nearly 200 videos into 56 different languages. Before The Bible Project, Mike spent 11 years leading a global development organization and served on boards for international compassion and justice organizations. To learn more about The Bible Project, read this article penned by podcast co-host Chris Bolinger.

In day-to-day life, you often team up with your closest friends. In a crisis, however, a team may be formed from total strangers.

When one of the Apollo 13 spacecraft’s oxygen tanks exploded, the lives of three astronauts suddenly were in the hands of their teammates: flight controllers and engineers 200,000 miles away. 

This week’s Bible passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Weekly Strength podcast resource: 52 Weeks of Strength for Men (ebook, paperback, study guide)

Other resources:

• Chris Bolinger’s other devotional: Daily Strength for Men
• Mike Hatch’s book: Manhood: Empowered by the Light of the Gospel
• Relational men’s discipleship programs: CLC

A key part of Christian leadership is managing our finances in a way that honors God. But God calls us to more than just sound money management, says Mike Hatch.

In fact, God challenges us to ensure that all our economic activities — at work, at home, at the store, and everywhere else — contribute to God’s redemptive purposes.

In this interview, Mike gives the whys and hows behind pursuing redemptive economic activities.

For more information, check out the Mises Institute website and Gary North’s website.

A graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Mike started his ministry career in Young Life before becoming the men’s pastor at a large church in the Pittsburgh area. Currently he serves Christian small business owners as a Chapter President for Truth At Work in Pittsburgh, where he lives with his beautiful bride and beloved son.

Research shows that past adversity can help you persevere in the face of current stress. And that makes sense, because perseverance requires strength, and adversity makes you stronger.

Just ask anyone who lifts weights.

This week’s Bible passage: Psalm 46

Weekly Strength podcast resource: 52 Weeks of Strength for Men (ebook, paperback, study guide)

Other resources:

• Chris Bolinger’s other devotional: Daily Strength for Men
• Mike Hatch’s book: Manhood: Empowered by the Light of the Gospel
• Relational men’s discipleship programs: CLC

Even if you’re reading the Bible every day, you may be missing — or misunderstanding — some of what it says.

Bible expert David Instone-Brewer recommends putting yourself in the place of the first Christians. By reading the Bible through the eyes of the people for whom it was first written, you’ll better understand the meaning of the text.

How do you do that? In highlights from this 2022 interview with David, he offers practical tips for mining more gold from the pages of God’s Word.

Here is an article based on the interview.

After serving as a Baptist minister, David spent over two decades as a research fellow at Tyndale House, a research library in biblical studies located in Cambridge, England. His books include Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible, Divorce and Remarriage in the Church, and three books in the  Scripture in Context Series. Check out his Step Bible resource.

At the end of Field of Dreams, Ray finally loses his cool. He has sacrificed a great deal and wants to know how he’ll be rewarded.

Is it wrong for a Christian to ask about reward? You know that you’ll have eternal life in heaven. But what about here on earth?

How did Jesus answer that question?

This week’s Bible passage: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Weekly Strength podcast resource: 52 Weeks of Strength for Men (ebook, paperback, study guide)

Other resources:

• Chris Bolinger’s other devotional: Daily Strength for Men
• Mike Hatch’s book: Manhood: Empowered by the Light of the Gospel
• Relational men’s discipleship programs: CLC