The Resolution for Men

1.The Kendricks describe a 'resolute man' as one who has decided in advance how he will live, rather than making moral and spiritual decisions reactively in the heat of the moment. How much of your current spiritual life is proactive versus reactive?

1.The Kendricks distinguish between a man who 'occupies the house' and a man who 'leads the home.' What is the practical difference between those two, and which more accurately describes you?

1.The Kendricks describe a common pattern: men who were deeply romantic and attentive before marriage who became distant and distracted after the wedding. How have you seen that drift happen — in others or in yourself?

1.The Kendricks open this chapter by noting that Nehemiah called men to 'fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes' (Nehemiah 4:14). What does that kind of fierce protection look like in a 21st-century home?

1.1 Timothy 5:8 says that a man who does not provide for his family 'has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.' The Kendricks take this seriously. How does that strong language land on you — does it feel motivating, convicting, too harsh, or exactly right?

1.The Kendricks describe the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) as the model for intentional fatherhood — faith is meant to be woven into the fabric of everyday life, not reserved for Sunday mornings. How naturally or unnaturally does spiritual conversation flow in your home?

1.The Kendricks define integrity as 'who you are when no one is watching.' How different is the person you are in public — at church, at work, with friends — from the person you are when you are completely alone? Be honest.

1.Job said, 'I made a covenant with my eyes' (Job 31:1). The Kendricks hold this up as the kind of pre-emptive, decisive commitment men must make in the area of sexual purity. Have you ever made a covenant like that — formal, specific, and accountable? What has prevented you?

1.Micah 6:8 calls God's people to 'do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.' The Kendricks place this not in the abstract but in very specific contexts: the fatherless child, the impoverished neighborhood, the vulnerable family. Where does justice feel most real and urgent to you?

1.The Kendricks draw heavily on Joshua 1 — where God commands Joshua to 'be strong and courageous' four times in the span of a few verses. Why do you think God repeated the command so insistently? What does that repetition suggest about Joshua's emotional state?

1.Psalm 78 calls each generation to tell the next about God's mighty works — 'so that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn.' What specific stories about God's faithfulness are you actively passing on to those who will come after you?

1.Paul calls Timothy to 'pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness' and to 'fight the good fight of faith' (1 Timothy 6:11-12). The Kendricks use this as a picture of the whole-life posture a man of God takes. Which of those pursuits feels most energizing, and which feels most like a fight?

1.Looking back across the entire book, which chapter or theme struck you most powerfully — either because it deeply encouraged you or because it most clearly exposed an area of weakness? What made it land so hard?