Brothers, This week I was reading Chapter 3 of Joby Martin’s Stand Firm & Act Like Men, where he unpacks Paul’s command: “Stand firm in the faith.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13 That phrase has been sitting with me. When I think about standing firm, I usually think about resisting obvious sin or not compromising on biblical truth. But I’m realizing there’s another part of the fight: standing firm against my own disordered desires. The world is constantly shaping what we love and what we chase. Success. Influence. Productivity. Adventure. Recognition. Even ministry. None of those things are bad by themselves. But if my heart is not set on Jesus, my wires can get crossed. I can feel energized by something because it feeds my ambition, my ego, or my desire to control an outcome — not because God is actually leading me there. That led me to a question I’ve been wrestling with: Just because something energizes me, does that mean it’s God’s will? I don’t think it does. Standing firm is not just about resisting obvious sin. It’s about guarding the deeper parts of my heart so my desires stay submitted to Christ. If my heart drifts, my discernment drifts with it. That brought me back to Henri Nouwen’s In the Name of Jesus. Nouwen talks about three temptations every Christian leader faces: the temptation to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful. I’m starting to see these not just as temptations to avoid, but as questions to ask when trying to discern God’s will. 1. Am I pursuing relevance? Am I saying yes because God is leading me, or because I need to feel useful? Jesus refused to turn stones into bread just to prove His usefulness. His identity came from the Father’s love, not His productivity. Question: Would I still pursue this if no one needed me to solve the problem? 2. Am I pursuing spectacle? Am I trying to glorify God, or prove myself? Jesus refused to perform for public validation. He didn’t need applause because He already knew He was the Father’s beloved Son.

Most men live from the public place. Their energy comes from recognition. Their confidence rises and falls with performance. Their identity is shaped by what others can see. Jesus points in the opposite direction. “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”— Matthew 6:6 (ESV) The secret place is not primarily a location. It is a reality of communion with God that exists beyond visibility, applause, and productivity. This is where false selves die. In the secret place, there is no audience to impress. No platform to build. No reputation to manage. Only a man and his Father. That is precisely why many avoid it. The flesh can survive on activity. It cannot survive on intimacy. A man may lead a team, serve at church, provide for his family, and still be spiritually malnourished if his life is fueled by public obedience without private surrender. The secret place exposes what the noise conceals. It reveals whether you love God’s presence or merely His benefits. Whether you seek Christ Himself or simply the outcomes He provides. Whether your obedience flows from communion or from duty alone. Throughout Scripture, God forms His servants in hidden places before He uses them in visible ones. Moses in the wilderness. David among sheep. Elijah by the brook. Jesus in the desert. God does some of His deepest work where nobody is watching. The world measures impact by visibility. The Kingdom measures it by faithfulness. Reflection What would remain of your walk with Christ if every visible expression of it disappeared tomorrow. No title. No beautiful family. No control. No audience. Would there still be a man meeting with God? The secret place is not preparation for the Christian life. It is the Christian life. Everything else flows from there. Prayer Father, Strip away every desire to be seen, admired, or validated. Teach me to seek You when there is no reward except Your presence. Expose the places where I have substituted activity for intimacy. Form in me a life that is rooted in what is hidden rather than what is visible.

It’s been incredible to see the response so far. We already have six Fire Teams signed up for the Stand Firm and Act Like Men study. If you’ve been thinking about joining, it’s not too late. Over the next six weeks, we’ll be walking through Joby Martin’s book together in small groups of men who are committed to showing up, telling the truth, and helping each other grow in our faith. And don’t worry—nobody is asking you to take cold showers, run marathons, or commit to some extreme challenge. The weekly challenges are practical applications from the book itself, designed to help you put what you’re learning into practice in everyday life. If you’re looking for accountability, encouragement, and an opportunity to grow alongside other men who are trying to follow Jesus faithfully, this is a great place to start. If you’re interested, send us a message and we’ll help get you connected to a Fire Team.

Brothers, as we enter this fast, please pray for SFC Jon Salva, a Ranger assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning. Jon is an incredibly fit man and an ultramarathoner, which makes what is happening all the more mysterious. A few weeks ago, he was medevaced to Walter Reed after multiple unexplained cardiac arrest events. On one occasion, his wife, Kimberly, had to perform CPR to resuscitate him. The doctors have been dumbfounded. It appears to involve the electrical signals of his heart not firing correctly, but they still do not have clear answers. The Ranger Regiment chaplain asked me to check on one of his Rangers, so I went to Walter Reed and met Jon and Kimberly. I asked if they would like to learn more about the story of God, and they both said yes. I shared the story using the Three Circles, and they were deeply impacted. They had never heard the story presented the way we are learning it here in Forge Tribe—as one unified story God is writing from Genesis to Revelation, with Jesus as the Hero. Afterward, Jon told me he wanted to learn more, so I came back, gave him a Bible and some resources, and he has since been listening to The Legend of Messiah, the story we walked through inside The Crucible. Since then, Jon has had several more cardiac arrest events. Today, they are flying him to Vanderbilt, where one of the world’s leading heart specialists in this area will see him. Jon gave me permission to share this prayer request and the picture with you all. Please pray: -That the doctors would discover exactly what is happening and provide the treatment needed to fix it. -That God would heal Jon’s heart. -That Jon and Kimberly would continue learning the story of God and come to full faith, belief, and surrender to Jesus our Messiah. -That God would strengthen and protect Kimberly as she walks through this with him. -That God would care for and provide for their three children back at Fort Benning, all under the age of 11. Brothers, as we fast, let’s carry Jon, Kimberly, and their children before the Father.

Brothers, our next 6-week Fire Team study starts the week of June 7 and runs through July 18. We’ll be walking through Joby Martin’s book, Stand Firm and Act Like Men: Becoming the Man You Were Created to Be Instead of Who the World Says You Are. This is not a book club. It is not a classroom. It is a Fire Team. Each week, we’ll read one chapter, do the “Doing the Stuff” challenge, meet with 3–5 men, and talk honestly about what happened in real life. The goal is simple: transformation over information, obedience over knowledge, honesty over image management, and brotherhood over isolation. Here’s how it works: - Join a Fire Team of 3–5 men. - Read only the assigned chapter each week. - Do the weekly challenge. Joby calls it “Doing the Stuff.” - Meet weekly with your Fire Team. Here is the link to the guide: https://www.skool.com/forgetribe/classroom/d4c7860c Tell the truth and help your brothers obey Jesus. If you want in, comment below with: 1. “I’m in” 2. Best days/times you can meet 3. Whether you’re willing to lead a Fire Team Check out the attached video. If God is stirring something in you, step in. Ready, break!