When you hear the word “leader,” what picture comes to mind?

The man in charge? The boss? The guy with the title? The man everybody answers to?

Jesus gives us a radically different picture: the Lord of all creation on His knees, towel around His waist, washing dirty feet.

That's biblical leadership.

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, Tom Henry continues Week 5, “Jesus: The Model Man,” by examining what Jesus teaches us about leadership.

In John 13:14–15, Jesus tells His disciples that if their Lord and Master washed their feet, they should serve one another in the same way. Jesus didn't merely teach servant leadership - He demonstrated it.

Leadership isn't about how many people you can get under you. It's about how many people God has entrusted to you that you can serve.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why biblical leadership begins with service
• Jesus washing His disciples' feet
• The difference between authority and selfish control
• What servant leadership looks like for husbands and fathers
• Why leaders should be first to sacrifice, forgive, apologize, pray, serve, and take responsibility
• How fathers lead through example, not merely rules
• What servant leadership looks like at work and in ministry
• How the “dirty jobs” expose our pride
• Why no act of service should be beneath a follower of Jesus

TODAY'S CHALLENGE

Find one “foot-washing job” today.

Find something useful you might normally expect somebody else to do—and do it.

Don't announce it. Don't complain about it. Don't expect praise.

It could be at home, at work, at church, or wherever you are. While you're doing it, remember what Jesus said:

“I have given you an example.”

Follow it.

JOIN US SATURDAY

If you're in or around Blytheville, Arkansas, join us for the Sharpening Men Breakfast every Saturday at 9:00 a.m.

Ruddle Road Church of God — Back Building
1400 S. Ruddle Rd.
Blytheville, AR 72315

It's completely FREE and open to men 18 and older. You don't have to have everything together. Come eat breakfast, meet some men, and sit down with us.

SHARE THIS EPISODE

Also, think of one man who's in leadership - he might be a father, a boss, a pastor, a coach, a ministry leader, or maybe he's a younger man who's still learning what leadership means.

Send him this episode, not as criticism, but as encouragement.

Let's become leaders who look like Jesus.

Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast so you don't miss the rest of this week's conversations about Jesus: The Model Man.

Visit: sharpeningmen.org
Questions, prayer requests, testimonies, or just need somebody to talk to?
Email Tom: tom@sharpeningmen.org

Nobody gets sharp alone.

How do you know when a man thinks he's important?

Sometimes it's easy: everyone around him exists to serve him. Bring me this. Do that for me. Respect me. Notice me. Give me the best seat. Make sure I get the credit.

But Jesus gave us a completely different picture of greatness.

The greatest man who ever lived came to serve.

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, Tom Henry continues Week 5, “Jesus: The Model Man,” by looking at how Jesus completely turned the world's definition of greatness upside down.

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

The world often measures greatness by how many people serve you. Jesus measures greatness by how willing you are to serve others.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why Jesus measured greatness through service and sacrifice
• The difference between asking “What can they do for me?” and “What can I do for them?”
• What servant leadership looks like in marriage and the home
• Why no honest work should be beneath a Christian man
• Serving in the church instead of simply asking what the church offers us
• Why serving challenges our pride
• How God often meets us while we're ministering to someone else
• Serving even when nobody notices, applauds, or says thank you

TODAY'S CHALLENGE

Serve somebody today in a way that costs you something.

It might cost you time, money, convenience, energy, or pride. Do something around the house before you're asked. Help a coworker. Buy somebody lunch. Call someone who's struggling. Give somebody a ride. Pray with someone.

Do something useful for somebody who cannot repay you - and, if possible, don't tell anybody about it.

Serve because that's what Jesus does.

JOIN US SATURDAY

If you're in or around Blytheville, Arkansas, join us for the Sharpening Men Breakfast every Saturday at 9:00 a.m.

Ruddle Road Church of God — Back Building
1400 S. Ruddle Rd.
Blytheville, AR 72315

It's completely FREE and open to men 18 and older. Come eat breakfast, meet some men, and let's learn together how to become men who look more like Jesus.

SHARE THIS EPISODE

Think of a man who's always serving everybody else and rarely gets thanked for it. Send him this episode and tell him:

“I see what you're doing. Keep going.”

Sometimes the man who encourages everyone else needs somebody to encourage him.

Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast so you don't miss the rest of this week's conversations about Jesus: The Model Man.

Visit: sharpeningmen.org
Questions, prayer requests, or just need someone to talk to?
Email Tom: tom@sharpeningmen.org

Nobody gets sharp alone.

What does real strength look like?

Is it losing control when someone makes you angry - or having enough strength to control yourself? Is it proving you can hurt someone, or possessing the power to do damage and choosing not to?

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, Tom Henry continues Week 5, “Jesus: The Model Man,” by confronting one of the most misunderstood characteristics of Jesus: meekness.

Somewhere along the way, men began treating meekness as another word for weakness. But Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29) - and Jesus was anything but weak.

Meekness is strength submitted to God and governed by love.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why meekness does not mean weakness
• Jesus as the perfect example of strength under control
• Why uncontrolled anger isn't evidence of strength
• The difference between reacting and responding
• Why forgiveness can require more strength than revenge
• How another person can control you when they can control your reactions
• Learning patience and mercy from the way Jesus has treated us
• Allowing Jesus to control our strength

TODAY'S CHALLENGE

Identify one situation where you normally react instead of respond.

Maybe it's something your wife says, a situation at work, your children, or someone from your past. When that trigger comes today, don't react immediately.

Stop. Pray. Control your mouth, control your hands, and control your attitude. Then ask:

“How would Jesus respond here?”

Choose meekness - not because you're too weak to respond differently, but because you're strong enough to let Jesus control your strength.

JOIN US SATURDAY

If you're in or around Blytheville, Arkansas, join us for the Sharpening Men Breakfast every Saturday at 9:00 a.m.

Ruddle Road Church of God — Back Building
1400 S. Ruddle Rd.
Blytheville, AR 72315

It's completely FREE and open to men 18 and older. You don't have to pretend you've figured everything out. Come eat breakfast and sit down with other men who are trying to grow too.

SHARE THIS EPISODE

Think of one man who struggles with anger or has confused strength with aggression his entire life. Send him this episode - but don't send it pointing a finger.

Send it saying, “This challenged me too.”

Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast so you don't miss the rest of this week's conversations about Jesus: The Model Man.

Visit: sharpeningmen.org
Questions, prayer requests, testimonies, or just need someone to talk to?
Email Tom: tom@sharpeningmen.org

Nobody gets sharp alone.

What if one of the biggest problems in your life isn't what's happening around you - but the way you've learned to think about it?

Not everything you think is true. Some beliefs have been passed down from family, absorbed from culture, learned through painful experiences or picked up from the people around us. But when the way we think disagrees with the way Jesus thinks, we're the ones who need to change.

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, Tom Henry begins Week 5, “Jesus: The Model Man,” by looking at what it means to develop the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5 tells us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 12:2 tells us that transformation comes through the renewing of our minds.

Before our behavior changes consistently, our thinking has to change.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why Jesus - not culture - is our model for biblical manhood
• How wrong thinking can keep a man trapped in destructive patterns
• The beliefs men absorb about anger, respect, sex, money, strength, success and relationships
• Why following Jesus requires the humility to admit, “I was wrong”
• How God's Word replaces lies with Truth
• Why lasting transformation begins in the mind
• A practical challenge for identifying and confronting one area of wrong thinking

Don't merely try to behave differently. Start learning to think differently.

THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

Identify one area where your thinking doesn't line up with Jesus. Find out what Scripture actually says about it. Write down one verse that challenges your old way of thinking, read it throughout the day, pray over it, and when the old thoughts return, answer them with God's Word.

JOIN US SATURDAY

If you're in or around Blytheville, Arkansas, join us for the Sharpening Men Breakfast every Saturday at 9:00 a.m.

Ruddle Road Church of God — Back Building
1400 S. Ruddle Rd.
Blytheville, AR 72315

The breakfast is completely FREE and open to men 18 and older. You don't have to be a church member, know a lot about the Bible, or pretend you've got everything together. Come eat breakfast, meet some men, bring your questions, and let's learn together.

SHARE THE EPISODE

Think of one man whose thinking may be keeping him trapped. Maybe he's angry, bitter, believing something about himself that isn't true, or repeating destructive decisions because he's still thinking destructive thoughts.

Send this episode directly to him. One man. One conversation.

Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast so you don't miss the rest of this week's conversations about Jesus: The Model Man.

Visit: sharpeningmen.org
Questions, prayer requests, testimonies, or just need someone to talk to?
Email Tom: tom@sharpeningmen.org

Nobody gets sharp alone.

What would have happened if everyone who knew the gospel had kept it to themselves?

Someone told you. Someone prayed for you. Someone invited you. Someone preached the truth, handed you a Bible, encouraged you when you were struggling, or took the time to point you toward Jesus.

Now the question is: Who are you doing that for?

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, we close Week 4 by looking at an essential part of becoming a disciple of Jesus: eventually, disciples make disciples.

Jesus didn't call us merely to receive the gospel, learn more Bible, get our problems fixed, and become better versions of ourselves. He commanded His followers to go and make disciples. Christian growth eventually has to turn outward. The gospel isn't just supposed to come to you - it is supposed to go through you.

You don't have to know everything about the Bible before you can help another man. Tell him what you know. Tell him what Jesus has done for you. Pray with him. Read Scripture together. Buy him a cup of coffee. Ask him how he's really doing - and listen to the answer.

You don't have to be twenty miles ahead of another man to help him. Maybe you're only three steps ahead. Turn around, reach back, and help him take his next step.

TODAY'S CHALLENGE: Think of one man who needs encouragement - someone struggling, lonely, drifting, searching for Jesus, or simply needing a brother. Then do something. Call him. Text him. Pray with him. Share your testimony. Send him this episode. Invite him to breakfast.

Don't just pray, "God, send somebody." Maybe God is sending you.

SHARPENING MEN BREAKFAST - Join us every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the back building of Ruddle Road Church of God, 1400 S. Ruddle Rd., Blytheville, AR 72315.

The breakfast is completely FREE and open to men 18 and older. You don't have to be a church member, know a lot about the Bible, or have your life together. Come eat breakfast, meet some men, open the Word with us, and let's sharpen one another.

Follow and subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast, and share these episodes with the men around you.

Visit www.sharpeningmen.org for information and resources.

Questions, prayer requests, testimonies, struggles—or maybe you just need someone to talk to? Email Tom at tom@sharpeningmen.org.

The gospel reached you because somebody refused to keep it to himself.

Now it's your turn.

Nobody gets sharp alone.

Have you ever gotten free from something - only to find yourself drifting right back into it?

Maybe it was drinking, drugs, pornography, anger, a destructive relationship, or another pattern you thought you had finally beaten. For a while, things changed. Then slowly, the old life began pulling you backward.

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, Tom Henry talks about the difference between experiencing a moment of freedom and learning to actually walk in freedom.

Jesus said in John 8:31–32, “If you continue in my Word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The key is to continue.

A disciple doesn't just hear God's Word once, agree with it once, or underline it in his Bible once. He keeps walking in it. Scripture begins rebuilding the way a man thinks - but patterns developed over decades aren't usually replaced overnight.

Don't just get empty. Get filled.

Don't just stop drinking - learn to walk with God. Don't just turn away from pornography - fill your mind with God's Word. Don't just leave destructive relationships - build healthy ones. Don't just stop spending time with men who pull you backward - find men who will pull you forward.

Freedom requires continuing.

Read. Pray. Obey. Keep showing up. Keep walking.

Today's challenge is to identify one area where you've experienced freedom but are tempted to go backward. Strengthen that area today. Delete the app. Block the number. Change where you go. Tell somebody the truth. Open your Bible and ask God, “What are You saying to me, and what am I going to do about it?”

Then do it.

SHARPENING MEN BREAKFAST - Join us every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the back building of Ruddle Road Church of God, 1400 S. Ruddle Rd., Blytheville, AR 72315.

It's completely free and open to men 18 and older. You don't have to be a church member, and you don't have to have everything together. Just come.

Know a man who's fighting to stay free or rebuild his life? Send this episode directly to him. Sometimes a man doesn't need another lecture. He needs another man reminding him to keep walking.

Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast and visit SharpeningMen.org for more.

If you're struggling, need prayer, have a question, or just need someone to talk to, email Tom at tom@sharpeningmen.org.

Nobody gets sharp alone.

What’s the difference between having Jesus as part of your life and having Jesus at the center of your life?

A man can make room for Jesus alongside his work, family, money, hobbies, relationships, plans, and goals - but biblical discipleship calls us to something much deeper. Christianity isn’t about squeezing Jesus into the life we already have. It’s about surrendering our lives so completely that Christ begins living through us.

In this episode of the Sharpening Men Podcast, Tom continues Week 4’s focus on becoming a disciple of Jesus by looking at Galatians 2:20 and the radical truth behind Paul’s words: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”

Jesus didn’t come merely to renovate the old man, make us a little more respectable, or help us manage a few bad habits. The call of Christ is a change of ownership. Our marriage, money, body, career, sexuality, plans, future, thought life, and temper all belong to Him.

That means discipleship reaches far beyond Sunday morning. Christ must be Lord when we’re angry, when nobody is watching, when temptation comes, when our marriage is difficult, when an opportunity to compromise presents itself, and when life doesn’t go according to our plans.

Today’s challenge is simple but demanding: identify one area of your life where Jesus may be present but isn’t truly at the center. Then ask, “What would this look like if Jesus were really Lord here?” Take one measurable action today that reflects your answer.

Don’t merely say Jesus is Lord. Live like He is.

SHARPENING MEN BREAKFAST

If you’re anywhere around Blytheville, Arkansas, join us every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for the Sharpening Men Breakfast. We meet in the back building of Ruddle Road Church of God, 1400 S. Ruddle Rd., Blytheville, AR 72315.

It’s completely free and open to men age 18 and older. No pretending. No perfect men. Come as you are, eat breakfast with us, open the Bible, and spend time with other men who are learning what it means to follow Jesus.

CONNECT WITH SHARPENING MEN

Visit sharpeningmen.org for everything we’re doing.

Questions? Need prayer? Have a testimony? Or just need another man to talk to? Email Tom at tom@sharpeningmen.org.

Think of one man who needs to wrestle with this question: Is Jesus part of my life - or is He the center of my life?

Send this episode directly to him. One man. One conversation. That’s how this grows.

Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast so you don’t miss the next episode.

Nobody gets sharp alone.

What if following Jesus means that sometimes you don’t get what you want?

Our culture says, “Follow your heart. Do what makes you happy. Be true to yourself.” Jesus gives us a radically different message:

Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Me.

In today’s Sharpening Men Podcast, we continue our week on becoming a disciple of Jesus by confronting what following Him actually requires.

Luke 9:23 says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Notice that word: daily.

Following Jesus isn’t merely a decision you made years ago. Every day a man must decide again who gets the final word - himself or Jesus.

Self-denial doesn’t mean hating yourself. It means self doesn’t get to be God anymore. Your appetite, anger, sexual desires, pride, feelings, and personal wants don’t get the final vote.

Jesus does.

Sometimes we want Jesus as Savior without really wanting Him as Lord. We want Him to save us, fix our marriage, give us peace, straighten out our finances, and set us free - but we don’t necessarily want Him telling us what needs to change.

But Jesus isn’t trying to destroy your life. He’s trying to free you from the things that are destroying it.

That’s why Jesus uses the picture of a cross. A cross is where something dies. Sometimes it’s pride. Sometimes lust, anger, addiction, unforgiveness, the need to always be right, or the desire to get even.

And yesterday’s surrender doesn’t automatically make today’s decisions.

Today’s Challenge - Identify one area where your flesh has been calling the shots. Then take one measurable action today that declares, “Jesus is Lord here too.”

Delete something. Make the call. Confess something. Apologize. Walk away. Ask another man for accountability.

Whatever obedience looks like, do it.

Take up your cross. Follow Jesus.

Join Us Saturday - If you’re near Blytheville, Arkansas, join us for the Sharpening Men Breakfast, Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the back building of Ruddle Road Church of God, 1400 S. Ruddle Rd., Blytheville, AR 72315.

It’s completely free and for men 18 and older. You don’t have to be a church member, know the Bible, or have your life together. Come eat and meet some other men.

Not local? You’re still part of this. Follow or subscribe to the Sharpening Men Podcast and share this episode with one man who may be fighting the same battle. Don’t send it as a sermon aimed at him. Just tell him, “Brother, this challenged me too.”

Visit SharpeningMen.org.

Need prayer, have a question, or just need somebody to talk to? Email tom@sharpeningmen.org.

Tomorrow: What happens when Jesus stops being merely one part of your life and becomes the center of it?

Nobody gets sharp alone.