"Why is acceptance so important to a man? Because without it, he will feel that you are pressuring him to become something he's not. With it, he will sense that you love him for who he is today and not for what you hope he will become."

"If your husband didn't have praying parents, you can step in the gap. You can pray for his eyes to be opened to see what God wants him to do, and where God is leading. Your prayers can help him feel appreciated and encouraged enough to recognize he has worth no matter what he does. You can assure him that God has uniquely gifted him with ability and talent and has something good ahead for him. Then pray for God to reveal it and open a door of opportunity which no man can shut. Your prayers can pave a path for him."

“In order to live as we were designed to live, we must be in pursuit not simply of manhood but of godly masculinity. That begins by being men who are rightly related to God, who understand what it means to fear him, and who respond to that fear by being alert, standing firm in the faith, and being men of courage.”

"According to Dr. Howard Hendricks, of the 2,930 individuals mentioned in the Bible, we know significant details of only 100. Of those 100, only about one-third finished well. Of the two-thirds that did not finish well, most failed in the second half of their lives."

“Regardless of your financial condition, as you approach midlife, you will likely begin to get restless with your current work. Pay attention to that restlessness, because it is the yearning of your soul to become what you were divinely wired to be.”

“In his forties your man will likely hit that middle-aged crisis of wondering whether his life counts for anything. Even if he’s achieved some success, he might say, ‘So what? Is this important? Does it really matter? What’s next? Where do I go from here?’ These are good questions for him to ask. But in sorting them out, he needs someone special to talk to about the tremendous feelings of doubt and fear and insecurity they stir up. He especially needs a sensitive wife who can help lend perspective to his accomplishments and what he’s done right. You, more than any other person, can build him up during a period of instability.”

“When you come to the end of your time here on earth, you will not be judged for what you had but by what you did with what you had.”

"Many Christian families today lack a sense of unified purpose and, instead of turning outward, are turning inward--not toward one another, but toward self."

“We work harder and longer hours to make more money so that we can improve the lifestyle of our families. Although we may improve their lifestyles, I wonder if we are improving their lives … As fathers, we must understand the truth that, to our families, our presence is more important than anything else--including extra money.”

“God created us to thrive in relationship with others, and the results of our relational investments will last beyond our lives on this earth … How much money we made will be irrelevant from an eternal vantage point. How successful a career we had will likely not be remembered as well as the time we spent face to face with those we love.”

“If we can learn to make connections and build relationships for business purposes on the road, then we can surely do so where it matters most—in the home. We can still let God into our hearts and ask Him to help us redefine what it means to be a success.”

“Since you cannot go back and undo past mistakes, you really have only two options. You can dwell on them and become consumed with the effects they may have had on your family and career. Or you can come to terms with them through grace, accepting them as poignant markers from which you can learn something valuable for the second half.”

“It is not unnatural nor should it overly concern you that you feel the need for a change. The mistake most people make when they begin to feel this way is to ignore the voice that is telling them to stop and listen.”

“While the first half is all about gaining, which sometimes results in loss, the second half is more about releasing and relinquishing, which usually results in strength.”

“Nothing grates on a man’s spirit quite like irrelevance. The knowledge that our best efforts and heroic deeds were meaningless is a bitter pill to swallow.”

“Most of us have large challenges in our families.  Ironically, it is this sense of failure and great need—our sense of being overwhelmed by so much responsibility—that can actually be the starting point of a genuine intimacy with God in prayer.”