REAL Men

You've heard em all.  You know what I'm talking about.  The 'Real Men' quips.  YOU KNOW!  "Real men don't cry,"  or how about "Real men aren't afraid to cry."   "Real men don't eat quiche."  "Real men drink their coffee black. . . ."  The list goes on and on.  Anything another man does or doesn't want to do, is given value by the statement: "Real men. . ." 
The problem with the statement is. . . WHAT DOES THE STATEMENT MEAN?  Are there artificial men out there?  Is there some government agency whose job it is to validate real men?  Do you get a certificate stating whether you are a real man or not?  Is there a list of qualifications for being a real man?  Do you have to drive certain cars, play manly sports, or drink manly beverages?  Who decides whether you are a real man or not?  Is it done at birth.  If you come out of the chute less than a man, do you get some kind of stamp on your forehead from the U.S. Department of Manhood stating that you are less than "Grade A Choice Man?"  This could be of national or global importance. What do the hospitals do with the less than 'real' men? 
Is being less than a real man genetic, or is it caused by environment?  Is there a manual for parents to raise real men? 
What about the women of the world?  How do they know whether they are getting a real man or not?  Wouldn't it be a shame for a woman to shave her legs, put on her most tantalizing outfit and discover she is married to a 'fake' man.  I wonder if a woman could suit her husband for being less than a real man?  Is there anybody with the authority to validate your manliness?
Are real men Navy Seals, Special Forces, or other elite military groups?  Is the football field the only place real men hang out?  Are there physical requirements for being a real man?  
Actually, I know some REAL men.  I know about twenty of them.  I know they're REAL men, because they go to REAL Ministries.  I've known most of them for going on 16 years.  I watched some of them grow up from little men to big men, but I can vouch that every one of them are REAL. 
The men of Real Ministries are the ones I'm writing this blog for.  One of the men asked me to do a blog for our young men who are away from home at college.  He hopes it will keep them connected to us and make it easier for them to come into our study when they get a chance to come home.  I thought it was a great idea! 
So, here it is. 
I've been working on this blog for two evenings straight and I still have a long way to go.  This weekend, Glenda and I are celebrating 35 years of wedded something. 
OH COME ON!
I would have loved to have said 'BLISS," but I can't vouch for her. It's been good for me, but then I wasn't always good to her.  BUT, I digress. I wanted to get this up and running tonight, so I wouldn't be working it in my head while working to let Glenda know how happy I am that she didn't leave my rear end at the altar, like her mother and daddy wished she would.  I hope you will all be patient as I work in the necessary elements that will make it more than just a study sheet.  When I'm done, you'll know what we're reading, what we're doing, and where we're going.  For those of you who aren't away at college, it will give you some insight into what I took away from the study group and even prepare you for the next weeks lesson. 
For those of you who are my Facebook friends and followed the link to this blog, I hope you'll FOLLOW this blog and learn with us.  Who knows, maybe you ladies will even get a good idea of what a real man is. 
Disclaimer: 
For the last five years, I've been writing most of our studies.  However, this year we are studying the book "Everyman's Marriage."  by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker.  This has been a laborious and slow study because we want to get it right.  I'm not really keen on getting permissions from the authors, nor do I wish to violate copyright laws.  For that reason, this blog will not have quotes from or mention names from the book aside from what you just read.  Instead, I will be taking the comments made during the study and expanding upon whatever jewel is brought forth.  Believe me, there have been some awesome things brought out during the study.
As to the question I've been asking, the answer is:  "REAL Men love Jesus."  Real men are everywhere.  I haven't seen an artificial man yet.