085: John Eldredge on Being Fathered by God and Healing Manhood

We live in an era when true fathers are in short supply; where authentic men have been emasculated; where young boys simply age, but don’t mature. It’s not the case for every man. But it is the case for a lot of men around the world. Guys, I’m desperate for this conversation. I have an incredible father. He’s a real man. He’s a godly man. But I need to be strengthened from the inside out like a lot of you joining us today.

But in an age when true fathers are in short supply, here’s the question: how do you find the path to manhood? How do you steer clear of the dangers? Joining us this week is bestselling author of Wild at Heart and Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You, John Eldredge. And today, we’re calling men back to a simple and reassuring truth: God is our Father. In life’s trials and triumphs, God is initiating boys and men through the stages of manhood and into a place of health and vitality. And today, we’re mapping out the path of manhood; not more rules, not another list of principles, not formulas, but a sure path men have followed for centuries before us. Find that path and become the man God sees in you.

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There is a path leading to authentic manhood, cut by men who have gone before us, sons following in the footsteps of their fathers, generation after generation. There are perils along the trail, even disasters? All the more reason to rely on the guidance of a Father who has gone before. But in an age when true fathers are in short supply, how do you find the path to manhood? How do you steer clear of the dangers?

In Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You, John Eldredge calls men back to a simple and reassuring truth: God is our Father. In life’s trials and triumphs, God is initiating boys and men through the stages of manhood from Beloved Son to Cowboy to Warrior to Lover to King to Sage. Fathered by God maps out the path of manhood? Not more rules, not another list of principles, not formulas, but a sure path men have followed for centuries before us. Find that path and become the man God sees in you.

Every man was once a boy.  And every little has dreams, big dreams, dreams of being the hero, of beating the bad guys, of doing daring feats and rescuing the damsel in distress. Every little girl has dreams, too: of being rescued by her prince and swept up into a great adventure, knowing that she is the beauty. But what happens to those dreams when we grow up? Walk into most churches, have a look around, and ask yourself: What is a Christian man?  Without listening to what is said, look at what you find there. Most Christian men are bored.

John Eldredge revises and updates his best-selling, renowned Christian classic, Wild at Heart, and in it invites men to recover their masculine heart, defined in the image of a passionate God. And he invites women to discover the secret of a man’s soul and to delight in the strength and wildness men were created to offer.

About John Eldredge

John Eldredge is an author (you probably figured that out), a counselor, and a teacher. He is also president of Ransomed Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own hearts in God’s love, and learn to live in God’s Kingdom. John grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles (which he hated), and spent his boyhood summers on his grandfather’s cattle ranch in eastern Oregon (which he loved). John met his wife, Stasi, in high school (in drama class). But their romance did not begin until they each came to faith in Christ, after high school. John earned his undergraduate degree in Theater at Cal Poly, and directed a theater company in Los Angeles for several years before moving to Colorado with Focus on the Family, where he taught at the Focus on the Family Institute.

John earned his master’s degree in Counseling from Colorado Christian University, under the direction of Larry Crabb and Dan Allender. He worked as a counselor in private practice before launching Ransomed Heart in 2000. John and Stasi live in Colorado Springs with their three sons (Samuel, Blaine, and Luke), their golden retriever (Oban), and two horses (Whistle and Kokolo). While all of this is factually true, it somehow misses describing an actual person. He loves the outdoors passionately, and all beauty, Shakespeare, bow hunting, a good cigar, anything having to do with adventure, poetry, March Madness, working in the shop, fly fishing, classic rock, the Tetons, fish tacos, George MacDonald, green tea, buffalo steaks, dark chocolate, wild and open places, horses running, and too much more to name. He also uses the expression “far out” way too much.

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What Listeners Are Saying…

“So great to find a podcast that is both encouraging and challenging! It is professionally produced, yet still has an informal feel like I’m hanging out with Chris… And frankly, I’d love to hang out with him! I really appreciate his heart and have been able to apply many of his topics in my life to help me grow professionally, physically, and relationally. A+!”