Being Sons

The world is an anxious place and growing more anxious. Why? What is God's provision and path to help us live above the fear, in union with Him, no matter what life looks like?

For this 2-part discussion I invited my friend Mandy Nelson to discuss her life-long journey with anxiety, what she is learning, and how it has led her to becoming a mentor who helps others navigate fears and find the peace God promises us. It's a topic I need to engage personally, wrestling with anxiety myself at times.

Mandy Nelson is a highly gifted communicator, teacher and mentor who also leads Socratic Scripture Studies and Biblical Dream Interpretation classes where she is Co-Director of Empowering Ranch with her husband Scott Morin. Find our more about Mandy.

To join Mandy and Scott for Empowering Ranch's socratic scripture study, email Mandy at mandy@empoweringranch.com

What is the Biblical definition of a sage? In part 2 of this 2-part conversation with author Chris Bruno we cover this and explore the first and second passages every maturing man must take in order to become the hero behind the hero.

Chris Bruno is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Director of Restoration Project and author of the new (and excellent) book Sage: A Man's Guide into His Second Passage.

After decades of diving deep into the sacred stories of men as a counselor, Chris Bruno has learned why so few men successfully navigate the final earthly stage of their masculine journey.

Find out more about Chris Bruno at https://www.restorationproject.net/

Chris Bruno's Books on Amazon

ReStory Counseling

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Being Sons helps men live in union with God, as Father and sons. We host solo adventures for men and 1-on-1 father + child adventures.

Learn more at https://www.beingsons.com/​ 

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/57RK9lH8dKi8gh8lLVtK97?si=1d49d12321b84b0e

On iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-sons/id1447340022

On Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9iZWluZ3NvbnMubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwjgo8j21vSAAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQUQ

YouTube Subscribe to our free 47-week Video Journey called "The Way of Sonship": https://mailchi.mp/beingsons/way-of-sonship

In the stories we all love so much there is often an older man in the shadows guiding the hero on his journey. He is the Sage...the hero behind the hero. But what exactly is a "Sage"? Who becomes one? And why are sages so rare today? These are the questions we explore with Chris Bruno, Licensed Professional Counselor, Director of Restoration Project and author of the new (and excellent) book Sage: A Man's Guide into His Second Passage.

After decades of diving deep into the sacred stories of men as a counselor, Chris Bruno has learned why so few men successfully navigate the final earthly stage of their masculine journey. In part 1 of this 2 part conversation we start with the BIblical definition of a sage and explore the first and second passages every maturing man must take.

Find out more about Chris Bruno at

https://www.restorationproject.net/

Chris's Books on Amazon

ReStory Counseling

Chris Bruno on Youtube: Watch here

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Being Sons helps men live in union with God, as Father and sons.

We host solo adventures for men and 1-on-1 father + child adventures.

Learn more at https://www.beingsons.com/​ 

ON YouTube

On Spotify

On iTunes

On Google Podcasts

YouTube Subscribe to our free 47-week Video Journey called "The Way of Sonship": https://mailchi.mp/beingsons/way-of-sonship 

This is part 2 of our conversation with Jim Barker, a wise man who has for decades explored the invitation into sonship and become comfortable sitting with big questions. In this episode I press Jim to help us understand how sons are practically transformed by the love of God, and how experiencing it and operating in it go hand in hand.

There is a secret power released in us only when we learn to move from the sickness of the singular into the power of the plural. It's the essential shift from "Me to "We". Our intended destiny as God's sons can only be realized via ever-increasing union with our Father, a reality Jesus demonstrated with perfection so that today we can experience the same union as we follow in His footsteps.

Jim Barker has taken a wild journey from mocker of God to present day discipler of men. He is a national treasure, as are all the rare sages of the Kingdom.

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Being Sons helps men discover and live the powerful life God intended.

Being Sons: https://www.beingsons.com/​
YouTube Subscribe to our free 47-week Video Journey called "The Way of Sonship": https://mailchi.mp/beingsons/way-of-sonship
Being Sons Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@beingsons9393
Check Out Our Adventures for Men​: https://www.beingsons.com/events

My guest on this episode is Jim Barker, a man who has done the work to become a true sage to me and so many other men. I asked Jim to sit with me and share some of the stories and wisdom he's gathered on his journey from being a pro golfer who mocked Christians to a son of God and gifted discipler of men. 

Have you really considered the power of fairy tales? From what dimension do these epic fantasies get their power to move the human heart? Join Jay Heck and guest Mandy Nelson as they use the blockbuster trilogy The Lord of the Rings to discuss how God uses story to grant us, His sons and daughters, access to truths written so deeply on our hearts only He can take us there.

About Our Guest - Mandy Nelson is co-director with her husband Scott of Empowering Ranch where she offers mentoring, pastoral counseling, teaches scripture using the Socratic method and helps people understand what God may be telling them through dreams. You can join their weekly Zoom call for discussion of scripture in the Socratic method.

What does it mean to be "adopted" as sons by God? This is the question Scott Morin (co-director of Empowering Ranch) and I dive into in this episode. Scott returns to the podcast to  bring some helpful perspective into this discussion using the lens of the Biblical language. We start with defining adoption, move into personal stories of how God transforms orphans into sons, and then discuss what the new testament has to say about it. (Galations 4:4-7, Romans 8:15, 23, 9:3-5 and Ephesians 3:1-6). Scott and his wife Mandy are gifted teachers leading disciples through scripture studies on Zoom calls on Wednesday nights. You can learn more about those and their other offerings at EmpoweringRanch.com.

Why wait for sex until marriage? Is there a compelling reason? Culture has lost God's vision for this incredible gift and the narrow path that ensures we get the most satisfaction out of it. In part 2 of this 2 part conversation, Jay talks with his 20 year old son Baer and his best friend Jake about the hot topic of sex.

Whether you are a father prepping for the conversations with your son, or a son looking for the good way, we pray you find these discussions life-giving and equipping.

Navigating our sons skillfully from boyhood into the world of men is confusing and sometimes terrifying, especially when it comes to the topic of sexuality. No father leads his son perfectly, but this perfection we'd like to offer is not as critical as simply having some courageous intentionality. In these next 2 episodes I have a conversation with my 20 year old son Baer and his best friend Jake about their humorously imperfect journeys into manhood. In this episode we look back on the early father + sex son talks and their honest struggles to find God's best for them in a sex-drunk and perverted world. Whether you are a father or a son we pray you find these discussions life-giving and equipping.

What does the journey of sonship look like? No one knows better than Darren Lewis.

In part 2 of this 2-part conversation Darren shares his personal redemptive tale to help us see how God rescues us from living like orphans, reveals our true identity as His beloved sons, and molds us into the spiritual fathers the world so desperately needs.

ABOUT DARREN AND FATHERING ADVENTURES: Darren Lewis is father of 4 sons and founder/director of Fathering Adventures, an adventure ministry in Australia equipping men to father the way God intended. You can join Darren with your son or daughter in Australia like I did for an adventure that will change your relationship forever.

Learn more about Darren at https://fatheringadventures.com.au/

Our guest is Darren Lewis, father of 4 sons and founder/director of Fathering Adventures, an adventure ministry equipping men in Australia with the guidance they need to father the way God intended. Darren’s redemptive tale poignantly illustrates how God takes orphans in their brokenness and lovingly molds them into the deeply good fathers humanity so desperately needs.

What does the journey from orphan to son to spiritual father look like?

What does every son, regardless of age, need from a loving father?

Darren has taken the ancient path, chosen radical trust, and is living the life of significance every son is made for. In part 1 of this 2 part story-conversation he offers wisdom and encouragement to help us see and trust that God is up to creating a masterpiece out of every son's story. Enjoy part 1.

Join Darren with your son or daughter in Australia like I did for an adventure that change your relationship forever. Fathering Adventures

In part 2 of this 2-part conversation, Being Sons continues it's interview with New York Times best-selling author and father-figure to many, John Eldredge, discussing his new book "Resilient". Spiritual pressures are increasing and testing our strength in these turbulent times, and God is making provisions for those who align themselves with Him. So how do we do this? How do we recognize what we are under and respond with a strength that prevails? We talk about that, and prepping, and what to do with our dreams and the dreams of our kids when the world is sincerely mad. This episode is packed with the wisdom and encouragement we have all come to expect from a warm conversation with "Papa" John.

Best-selling author and a father to many, John Eldredge joins us again for a 2-part conversation about learning to live with resilience from God in these testing times. It's the subject of his timely new book release "Resilient". We talk about the pressures of the hour we live in, the end of the age, the reasons men's hearts are failing, and the abundant provision God is giving in this hour to His friends. These 2 episodes are packed full of life-giving wisdom and perspective. Join us for this warm and encouraging conversation with a sage who fathers us out of immaturity and into strength.

Have you experienced a tough but life-changing season in the wilderness? It's unavoidable. God takes every son he loves through these tough seasons. But why?

In this encouraging episode I talk with Scott Morin, co-director of Empowering Ranch, about how God uses the wilderness to transform men and prepare them for a supernatural life in the land of blessing and influence. Scott brings his many years of Biblical Hebrew and Greek study to help us unpack this critical character called "wilderness".

ABOUT SCOTT MORIN: Our guest today is Co-Director of Empowering Ranch where he serves as a counselor, speaker, trip leader and Socratic scripture study teacher. He has a master of divinity with an emphasis on Hebrew and Greek.  And he is a friend.

Being Sons helps men discover and live the powerful life God intended. Here are Being Sons events and resources:

BOOT CAMPS For men 18+ 

FIRST TRACKS Father + Son (9-13) Adventure

TRAILHEAD Father + Older Son (14+) Adventure

FIRST BLOOM Father + Daughter (Age 7-13) Adventure

FIGHT CLUB - Campfires for men

Being Sons on YouTube

Donate

In this conversation I got to speak with one of my parenting heroes and an expert on girl's development needs, Sissy Goff. Out of the 29 years experience she has invested in working with girls, she shares some incredible wisdom and encouragement.

How important a role do fathers play in the lives of their daughters? What do daughters need most from us? What questions do daughters carry with them wherever they go, and what gifts does God give uniquely to fathers who have the courage to press in and love well? What common mistakes do fathers make when fathering their daughters into and then through their teenage years? And given that most girls suffer silently under the crushing weight of anxiety, how can we recognize this anxiety and offer our strength in a helpful way?

We also addressed the 4 developmental stages girls must go through to become women.

• Stage 1 – Discovery Years, birth - 5

• Stage 2 - Adventurous, 6-10

• Stage 3 – Narcissistic Years, 11-14

• Stage 4 – Autonomous Years, 15-19

We talk about these things and much more. Listen, enjoy and be encouraged that you are God-picked to be your daughter's father for a reason and with God's assistance you have everything you need to succeed. :)

ABOUT Sissy Goff, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP, spends most of her days talking with girls and their families, with the help of her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. She has worked as the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee since 1993, with a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Sissy speaks to parents and children’s ministers across the country, and is the author of twelve books, including the bestselling “Raising Worry-Free Girls”, “Braver, Stronger Smarter” (for elementary school girls) and her newest book for teenage girls, “Brave”. See her full collection at the link below). Sissy is a regular contributor to various podcasts and publications, including their own podcast called “Raising Boys and Girls”.

See Sissy's Amazon Bibliography: https://www.amazon.com/Sissy-Goff/e/B...

Daystar Counseling Ministries: https://www.daystarcounseling.com/

Raising Boys and Girls website: https://www.raisingboysandgirls.com/

Raising Boys and Girls podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Every boy needs things only a father can give.

In part 2 of this 2 part conversation, we continue our interview with David Thomas, a sought after counselor with 26 years experience helping boys and families. We begin to dive into understanding the developmental stages of boys into men.

• Explorer (roughly age 1-4)

• Lover (5-8)

• Individual (9-12)

• Wanderer (13-18)

• Warrior (17-25)

I also asked him "Is it our job as fathers to push or pull our sons through the stages to become men, or do they naturally flow from one into the other?"

What mistakes are common for fathers to make when fathering boys as they transition into manhood, between 7 and 20+ years old? What do we as fathers tend to focus too much on? Too little on? And what should we focus more on instead?

What is your counsel to fathers when we blow it? How do we most effectively reconnect with sons?

Very practically, what habits can we, as fathers, build into our routines with our sons to keep the lines of communication and joy open? What common qualities do you see in good, effective fathers? What do you want to say to men who fear they do not have what it takes to raise a son? (Maybe because fathering was not modeled well for them?)

If you are a father to a boy, you will wanna hear this encouraging discussion. And be sure to go back and listen to part 1.

ABOUT David Thomas: DAVID THOMAS, L.M.S.W., (Licensed Master Social Worker) is the Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN. He is the co-author of ten books, including the best-selling "Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys" and "Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social & Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach" as well as his two latest titles "Raising Emotionally Strong Boys" and the companion workbook "Strong and Smart: A Boy’s Guide to Building Healthy Emotions" (available for pre-order now!). He is a frequent guest on national television and podcasts, including his own called Raising Boys and Girls, has been featured in publications like The Washington Post and USA Today, and speaks across the country. He and his wife, Connie, have a daughter, twin sons and a yellow lab named Owen. You can follow him on social media @raisingboysandgirls and find the latest parenting resources at raisingboysandgirls.com.

Daystar Counseling Ministries: https://www.daystarcounseling.com/

Raising Boys and Girls website: https://www.raisingboysandgirls.com/

Raising Boys and Girls podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raising-boys-girls/id1366344369

David Thomas has written several books on raising boys, including:

1. Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys

2. Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social & Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach

3. Raising Emotionally Strong Boys (available for pre-order now!)

4. Strong and Smart: A Boy’s Guide to Building Healthy Emotions" (available for pre-order now!) See his bibliography on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/David-Thomas/e/B001JS98NC?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

Every boy needs things only a father can give. So what are those things?

In part 1 of this 2 part conversation, Jay talks with David Thomas, Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries, to help us understand the developmental stages of boys into men and what they need uniquely from their fathers. 

ABOUT:
DAVID THOMAS, L.M.S.W., (Licensed Master Social Worker) is the Director of Family Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN. He is the co-author of ten books, He is a frequent guest on national television and podcasts, including his own called Raising Boys and Girls, has been featured in publications like The Washington Post and USA Today, and speaks across the country. He and his wife, Connie, have a daughter, twin sons and a yellow lab named Owen. You can follow him on social media @raisingboysandgirls and find the latest parenting resources at raisingboysandgirls.com.

Daystar Counseling Ministries: https://www.daystarcounseling.com/ Raising Boys and Girls website: https://www.raisingboysandgirls.com/ Raising Boys and

Girls podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raising-boys-girls/id1366344369

David Thomas has written several books on raising boys, including:

1. Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys

2. Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social & Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach

3. Raising Emotionally Strong Boys (available for pre-order now!)

4. Strong and Smart: A Boy’s Guide to Building Healthy Emotions" (available for pre-order now!) See his bibliography on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/David-Thomas/e/B001JS98NC?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

Maintaining our physical bodies becomes more challenging as we mature. How can it be done well? And is it worth the investment?

In this episode I talk with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi about how our bodies are actually where God Himself resides. God's sons are temples and this reality should effect how we maintain them.

Dr. Balduzzi coaches us, as he has thousands of men, including Jay, to discover that there is hope for all men to age well and be as healthy in body as we are strong in spirit.

ABOUT DR. ANTHONY BALDUZZI: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi is a naturopathic doctor, national champion bodybuilder, and founder of the Fit Father Project and Fit Mother Project  – online health and fitness communities aimed at empowering busy parents to get healthy, lose weight, and build muscle through practical nutrition and exercise plans.

Cayce Harris, Director at ONE, joins us to discuss the question God is always asking us, "Who do you say that I am?" The answer to this question leads us not only to see Him as He really is, but it helps us see ourselves as we truly are. Cayce leads us through how to invite God to reveal His names to us.

ABOUT CAYCE: Cayce Harris is the Director of ONE (https://www.one-sa.com/), a ministry based out of San Antonio that specializes is helping people around the world practice union with God in their everyday lives. Experience 49 days of learning how to hear Gods' voice (https://www.one-sa.com/49-days).

As a father, how do you meet all your daughter needs throughout her feminine journey? Understanding what she needs at each stage will bear immense fruit. This insightful interview with famous author and speaker Stasi Eldredge will encourage and equip you to know how God has positioned you strategically to guide and comfort your favorite girl through each of the stages of her feminine journey into womanhood… and beyond.