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Matt Chandler Challenge To Men

Matt Chandler speaking at the Village Church on April 6th, 2014 for Part 9 of the series on Acts entitled “The Second Wave” on Acts 16.

We often seem to celebrate minimal effort and the path of least resistance, there’s a clarion call for men to rise to the challenge of their God-given roles—particularly within the family. It’s a message about the nobility of duty, the honor in exhaustion from a day well-spent in service to one’s family and God’s kingdom. This blog is a challenge to men, urging them to embrace their responsibilities not just as providers, but as nurturers, spiritual leaders, and dedicated partners.

Embracing Exhaustion: A Sign of Fulfillment

Why are many men finding themselves at the end of the day with reserves of energy left untapped? This isn’t just a physical query, but a spiritual and emotional one. The biblical expectation isn’t merely to work hard at our jobs, but to pour ourselves into our homes with equal, if not greater, fervor. When God designed men, He designed them to expend their energy in meaningful ways, ensuring that by day’s end, they would feel the satisfying tiredness that comes from fulfilling their divine roles.

Serving at Home: The First Ministry

Upon returning home from work, the real ministry begins. This involves more than just being present; it entails active engagement. Praying as you pull into the driveway is just the start. Entering your home should be akin to stepping into your primary place of ministry. Here’s what that might look like:

Loving and Serving ‘Mama’: Ensuring that your wife feels cherished and supported, understanding her needs, and being her partner in every sense. This includes emotional and spiritual support, such as checking on her heart and praying together.
Engaging with Your Children: Getting down on the floor to play with your kids, understanding their unique personalities and needs, and taking the time to tuck them in with prayers and conversations, reflecting the love and teachings of Christ.

Spiritual Leadership: More Than a Title

Leading spiritually means setting a tone of righteousness and grace in your home. It’s about embodying the values you wish to instill in your children. It’s not enough to tell them about God and His ways; you need to show them through your actions, decisions, and the way you treat their mother.

Challenge to men in helping around the house

The Complexities of Fatherhood

Navigating fatherhood, especially when you have daughters, adds another layer of complexity to a man’s role. Each child is different, and understanding them requires patience, empathy, and a lot of divine guidance. When your daughter cries and you don’t know why it’s an opportunity to show up for her emotionally, to be the presence she needs even when you don’t have all the answers.

A Call for Holistic Vigor

The challenge here is not merely to be physically present at home but to be fully engaged in the lives of your family members. It’s about being so involved in the work of loving and guiding your family that you go to bed each night exhausted but fulfilled, knowing you’ve poured all of yourself into the most important work you were given.

Conclusion

To the men of faith and commitment: your family is your primary ministry and your most profound responsibility. The call to ensure your wife and children are “well-watered vines” flourishing in their gifts and feeling profoundly loved is a noble one. Let us not take lightly the tasks assigned to us. Embrace the exhaustion that comes from a day spent in loving, leading, serving, and protecting those entrusted to your care. This is the mark of true manhood, the signature of a life well-lived in service to others and to God.

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A. CHRISTIAN COUNSELING EXPECTATIONS

1. Christian/Biblical Counseling: Biblical Counseling, sometimes called Pastoral Counseling or Christian Counseling, has the Lord Jesus Christ as its center.

It is the counsel which:

a) Includes listening, teaching, encouraging, preparing, comforting, warning, admonishing.

c) Its purpose is to glorify God and guide the counselee into an increased understanding of his/her personal, love, grace-oriented relationship with Jesus Christ.

d) Will result in pursuing a transformed life that reflects God’s grace, glory, and joy. This type of counseling is in contrast to secular forms of counseling. Our goal is to:

“Proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Col 1:28-29).

“Equip the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:12-13).

2. Referrals to Professionals: If you have significant legal, medical, or other technical questions, seek advice from independent professionals. Our Christian counselors will cooperate with such advisors and help you to consider their counsel in light of relevant scriptural principles.

3. Intent Listening: We encourage counselees to speak their minds appropriately and discuss thoughts, anxieties, and fears so the counselor can clearly understand core problems.

4. Assignments: Counselees progress more rapidly when they study or perform specific informational or behavioral assignments individually tailored to the problem.

5. Accountability: We desire to maximize your and the counselor’s time. One of our goals is to help believers learn how to glorify God and have the outward life reflect the yielded, godly inward life, resulting in peace and joy. Therefore, each counselee must participate actively in the counseling sessions and excercises between the sessions.

6. Length of Counseling: Biblical Counseling will vary in the amount of time required according to the individual, his/her motivation, the amount of time spent on homework, and the particular situation and/or problem. On average, Biblical Counseling requires less time than conventional, secular counseling. Simple issues may be solved in one session. Difficult situations often require a more extended period. When multiple people are involved in the counseling, more may be needed as frequently happens in marriage counseling. Substance abuse and addiction problems may require many more sessions, with intensive accountability, drug tests, and other professional help.

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1. I (We) understand that the counseling I, my family, or those legally under my guardianship will receive will be based upon the Bible to glorify God and lead to a healthy, Spirit-empowered grace-filled life.

2. I (We) will keep the appointment time or will call before 72 hours to cancel. If I cancel an appointment with less than 72 hours' notice or fail to show up, I will be charged for the appointment due to losing the counselor’s time or other potential appointments.

3. I (We) understand that confidentiality is an integral part of the counseling process, and my counselor is careful to protect confidentiality, desiring to operate under high ethical principles. However, there are times when my counselor must share certain information with others, such as revealed information that indicates a genuine potential for harm to me or others. In that case, counselors may have to share that information with the appropriate authorities or family members, being obligated by conscience and the laws of the State of Florida regarding counseling relationships.

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5. I (We) now agree to hold all independently contracted Christian Counselors affiliated with Impact Family Counseling Network and its leadership harmless from any advice, counsel, or suggestions rendered during our counseling sessions. I (We) recognize that their role is to assist me/us in hearing and understanding God’s will in the matters we discuss. Therefore, we will not prosecute or engage in any litigation negatively affecting Impact Family Inc., Impact Family Biblical Christian Counseling Network, Impact Family Network, or organizations granting them the ability and resources to provide counseling services. We will follow an Amicable Dispute Resolution with Professional Christian Mediation Companies only.

6. I (We) agree not to attempt to subpoena or require any counselor to appear in any legal proceeding related to any matters discussed during counseling, nor will I (we) attempt to subpoena any notes or records associated with this counseling.

C. CHRISTIAN COUNSELING CONTRIBUTIONS

Impact Family Inc. is a faith-based ministry that depends upon the generous contributions of its counselees, members, and partners. Impact Family Inc. underwrites additional costs. We encourage you to pray and ask the Lord what you should give above the suggested amount on the counselor’s profile.

If you cannot offer that amount financially or in kind, if your Church refuses to help with a contribution, or if you have questions, please discuss them with our team or apply for a scholarship.

Checks or money orders are to be written to Impact Family Inc. You can also donate online at www.impact.vision/donate. To schedule a session, please go directly to our team page.

Suggested Donation Amounts For Sessions:

$85-$150 new clients/intake session
$85-$150 existing clients
Sessions last, on average, 50-150 minutes.
See current contribution amounts here https://impact.vision/session

For mailed-in payments with written permission from the Executive director, please send your check or money order to us at:

Impact Family Inc.
8362 Pines Blvd. #116
Pembroke Pines, FL 33024

Counseling sessions with mailed payments are not scheduled until contributions have been received, deposited and cleared in bank account. Please schedule 2 to 3 weeks before sending the contribution.

D. CHRISTIAN COUNSELING CHILDCARE

Unfortunately, Impact Family Inc. is unable to provide childcare. If bringing a child, please ensure the issues you present to the counselor are appropriate for them.

E. CHRISTIAN COUNSELING CANCELLATION, RESCHEDULING, & REFUNDS

Clients are entitled to a full refund if they cancel 72 hours before the appointment by clicking the cancelation link on your client portal bookings page and clicking refund on the orders page. View Refund Process Tutorial
Clients are entitled to a full refund if the counselor does not attend the session after 15 minutes of their scheduled appointment. After 10 minutes of waiting, you must
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If clients have verified documentation of a medical emergency or death in your immediate family, you are entitled to a 100% coupon to reschedule your session at another more convenient time.
To reschedule your session, go to your Client Portal @ Click Edit on your Session | Direct Link: https://impact.vision/calendar-client-portal
- Step 1: Login Into Your Client Portal & Cancel the Session | Direct Link: https://impact.vision/calendar-client-portal
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- Watch the refund tutorial for help.

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