Go Beyond

In 2019, our missions and men’s ministries collaborated to write a series of study guides based on the theme of calling men to embrace God’s vision for biblical manhood. We also set our sights on doing Men of Courage Summits in Uganda, Cambodia, India, Brazil, and Nepal.

Men of Courage, our first discussion guide, has been translated into 9 languages. Working with our international partners, we have distributed more than 55,000 copies of this study guide with more requests coming in monthly. We are now working on translations of our Men of Character and Men of Conviction study guides and writing Men of Commitment, the fourth in our series.

This past week we led two Men of Courage Summits in Cambodia in cooperation with our partner Steve Hyde. Steve and his capable staff translated our study guides into the Khmer language in preparation for our summits in Phnom Penh and Poipet.

Our first summit in Phnom Penh was attended by area pastors and church leaders. We shared with the men about the three things God has placed in the heart of every man: a beauty to rescue, a battle to fight, and an adventure to live. We also talked a lot about why alone is dangerous and why it is important for men to do life in community with other men.

We enjoyed good fellowship with the men and concluded with a challenge to start small groups in their respective churches. Those in attendance expressed their gratitude for what we had shared and left determined to share what they had learned with the men of their churches.

We spent all day Monday driving from Phnom Penh to Poipet, a chaotic city along the Cambodian/Thai border. I have visited Poipet many times over the years. The small border town is small no more but has grown exponentially. Poipet is a gateway to Thailand and a wild west equivalent of Las Vegas — steeped in gambling, alcoholism, and human trafficking.

We led a two-day summit in Poipet with church leaders from around the area. We again addressed what biblical manhood looks like and why doing life alone is dangerous. After each teaching session, Gil Harris, Kingsland’s men’s ministry director, had the men sit in small groups and then led them in discussion of follow-up questions.

The leaders who attended the summits expressed their gratitude for both the teaching and materials. Based on the feedback we received, we expect that most of those in attendance will start small groups in their respective churches, providing opportunities for men to do shared study, shared mission, and shared adventure with other men.

I am grateful for my friends Gil, Brian, and Kyle for being a part of the teaching team. God used our team to inspire and encourage men in Cambodia to rise up and serve the purpose of God in our generation by becoming the men God has called us to be. We look forward to leading our next Men of Courage Summit in India.