SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

Leading with Excellence and Purpose

True men that lead, do so with character, honor and values that are visible.  Whether they be a visionary that sits on a board of a non-profit, a minister or priest leading a local church, a small business owner leading a few, a father or husband leading his family.  Whatever your role is you must take charge and lead with compassion as well as courage. Many of us I am sure have had the experience working for or with people who lack moral character and the ability to lead.  Those people who may have the title of manager, supervisor, or even father yet are paralyzed by fear and could not make a decision if their own lives depended upon it. They may not be the obvious responsibility shirking weasels we all know so well.  They can also come in the form of unorganized mutterers that rely on other people to force them into a decision.  They can be the guy down the street that talks about all the things he wants to do to improve the neighborhood yet always is away on business on beautification day.  Or the guy at church that talks about how things need to change but is never willing to give up watching Football to help out at church. In a world that is faced with morality issues that cannot depend upon the people who are currently leading the charge, we need men that will step up.  Men that have morals, values, are God-fearing, and wife loving men. Men that will […]

So a Friend Sharpens

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. – Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron is a common phrase when looked at in the natural sense can be misleading.  Iron as it exists cannot truly sharpen other iron as they are of the same consistency and strength. Before you all stop reading and run me out on a rail let me continue… When iron is of the same density, just like any other substance it will not wear down or sharpen its counterpart.  Therefore, and as is intended in the scripture, there would need to be differing levels of density,strength and texture for iron to sharpen iron. The same is in the case of men, we can sharpen each other in these ways: Mentoring Spiritual guidance Sharing experience Learning from mistakes Being a sounding board Trust confidant All of these and more can be accomplished without diminishing our character or causing one to be superior or inferior to the other.  As men, if we are strong enough to admit our own shortcomings, we provide ourselves with the opportunity to learn and grow with others. The challenges we face today is that many men were raised with the idea of asking for help is just not what we do.  The men that gave us this advice however were of a different generation. This generation was already unknowingly sharpening each others character in the form of things like the military, all boys schools, discipline in the home and at school, church communities, rotary and other men […]

What Room Does Fear Have

Fear exists within all of us, some in the darkness others in the light. It is not the life that was intended but yet we are paralyzed by the fear of ‘what if’ rather than ‘what is.’ If we possess any of these things there is no room for fear Trust in Others Hope for More Walk in Faith Hold onto Inspiration Embrace Weakness Run with Endurance Stand in Awe Find Perfection Step out of the Darkness into the Light.  Others may talk and have opinions, but they do not matter.  If we live in Fear of others that have no respect for themselves then we are powerless. ‘Limits like fears are often just an illusion.’ – Michael Jordan Some of us it is the Light rather than Darkness that we are afraid of.  This comes in the form of Power, Ego and can be just as paralyzing. If we are in the Dark we must fight our way back into the Light.  Fear  is mentioned hundreds of times in the Good Book I am pretty sure God was probably onto something.  If we focus on  the negativity and live with an anxious mind and spirit we will not be able to experience the peace that is intended for us. We need to erase and leave no room left for Fear, so “Do not be afraid“. Easier said than done for most of us, as men in the world we live in we are faced with many challenges.  We pretend to be the Knight, Warrior […]