The Highest Importance -- the most basic steps

These are crazy days. 

Let’s refocus our hearts, minds, bodies, and relationships on what truly matters.

In the midst of a dark and fallen world, we stand for something different. Trailhead Fellowship is about developing Christian brothers and leaders who are strong in four areas of life: spiritual, physical, relational, and emotional. Our goal is to build MARVEL Men -- men who have been led into the Marvelous Love of God. 

The crazier the world is, the more we need these kinds of Marvel Men. In fact becoming one and then making one is the matter of Highest Importance and provides the most basic steps for our lives as believers -- whenever we face the tragedies or confusion of life. 

Brothers, don't stay in the despondency of this world. Commit to the process of whole life transformation. This is the invitation of Jesus, the greatest revolutionary in the history of the world. 

The MARVEL Process
M.A.R.V.E.L. isn’t just a name—it’s a path, a process, a way of climbing life’s mountains together:

• Maturing in Christ — making time to know Jesus, meditate on His words, love Him, and be loved by Him.
• Accepting our responsibilities — as men, husbands, fathers, friends, and neighbors.
• Rejecting passivity — refusing to sit back in any area of life: spiritual, physical, relational, or emotional.
• Victorious over temptations — overcoming anger at home, pornography, laziness, or whatever trial each man faces. With brothers beside us, victory is possible.
• Exercising regularly — caring for our bodies with movement, nutrition, rest, and healthy touch.
• Loving and leading courageously — perhaps the greatest challenge. Do we truly know how to love? What would our wives say? What would our kids say?

A Call to Change
In a culture of unhealth, we call Christian men to live healthier, intentional lives: to become true disciples of Jesus and then go make disciples. The greatest difference will come not from changing "the world" we are in, but from us changing within—and bringing that change into our families and friendships--the world in which we actually life and influence.

Part of God’s plan to renew any city begins with His people—being light and love. Renewal starts in our hearts, then in our families, then in our churches.

Jesus Himself didn’t start by reforming a corrupt system. He went to small, dusty fishing towns and chose ordinary men—brothers—to build something new. Over the next several years, He turned their lives upside down. And because of them, we stand here today. Jesus isn’t about reforming systems; He’s about resurrecting souls who bring a spiritual revolution.

The Challenge We Hear
I’ve been hearing the voices of our wives: “When will these Christian brothers really change?” I’ve been hearing the voices of our kids: “My dad isn’t the same at home as he is in church.”

What a challenge to us!

Yet the good news is this: in our brotherhood we already have testimonies of men who have changed—and their wives and children notice. God’s blessing often begins with a changed man—a husband, father, and friend.

So, what kind of men will we be for those closest to us?

This Morning I Spoke to a Man
Today at the local fitness center, I met a young African American man, 27 years old, sitting at the front desk with a Bible wide open. I asked him what he was reading. “Ezekiel!” he said. That conversation lasted an hour. We talked about life, society, family struggles, and growth in Christ. His life has not been easy. At one point he said, “I tried living for myself. I learned I needed to live God’s way.”

At the end, I asked how I could pray for him. His response floored me:
“Pray that I won’t have a hard, stubborn heart, but that I can hear God’s message and obey Him. And pray that I may know more of God’s mercy—so I can show mercy to those who need it from me.”

No shallow requests. No self-focus. He wanted transformation.

It reminded me: even in times of tragedy, the first question is not “What’s wrong with the world?” but “What kind of men will we be in this world?”

That’s one step I took today to build a better world and make a disciple.

Brothers, Our Next Step

My brothers in Trailhead Fellowship, let’s focus on what matters most. Work to become the healthiest man you can be—in Christ. But you cannot do it alone. You need a group of men you deeply trust -- a discipleship group of four, bothers who love you, encourage you, hold you accountable with God’s grace, and walk with you as you become the man God designed you to be.

And as Jesus changes you with His Marvelous love, you—and your brothers—will be able to do what He commanded: Be one and make one.