The Gauntlet is a format for an inspirational study of the some of the key people of the Bible; this first one is directed at men who want to disciple other men or boys and is especially a tool for father’s to use in discipl-ing their sons.
Lord willing, the Gauntlet for Girls will be finished this fall.
The format makes a few assumptions that I think are accurate. Men don’t have a lot of spare time laying around. Most men don’t need something else to do. Also, many men don’t feel prepared as a strong enough spiritual leader to guide their children, families, and even other men, through a study of any part of the Bible. This study is designed to help with both of those.
The final assumption is that boys and men need heroes to model their lives after. They need to see what other men have deemed worthy to live, kill, and die for, so that they decide what to devote their own lives to.
For these reasons, the format is one that studies freely certain men from the Bible. A quick shortened account of each man’s story is included, along with references from the Bible, and then key questions for fathers and sons or discipleship groups to discuss… and this material is adapted so that it can be discussed in the Deuteronomy 6 model – instead of assuming that leaders always have an hour a week to set aside for intentional devotional, this study ecourages teaching and discussion that happens when you rise up, and walk by your doorposts, and travel along your way with your student(s).
As a bonus, between each man is an illustrated training on a certain “manly” skill written by key men in my life. Tying knots, looking up Bible passages, changing a tire, doing a pushup, sharpening a knife, scrambling eggs, starting a fire, baiting a hook, and more!
I will also include some recommendations here and then add an excerpt from the book in another post. Recommendations:
“In a time when the Church urgently needs to pass on our faith to the next generation, Chris Legg has ‘thrown down the gauntlet,’ challenging men to answer that call. This hands-on tool equips men with a practical resource to successfully mentor, train, and encourage the younger men God has brought into their life.” – Chris Sherrod, Director of Bluffs Family Camp, Pine Cove, and author of “Homefield Advantage” in Apologetics for a New Generation, 2007
“The Gauntlet is a simple and natural way for a father to pass on to his son the critical life values/skills that the Bible sets apart for a man to develop. Am I sold on this manhood tool by Chris Legg? I am starting this crucial study with my own teenage son this week!” – Dr. Johnny Derouen, Associate Professor of Student Ministry @ SouthWestern Baptist Theological Seminary, author of Christ, the Basis of Faith, 2005
I was part of Young Guns , a discipleship program a Pine Cove Christian Camps for guys who just graduate from high school.
I did not get the full version of this Bible Study/ Descipleship tool, but “The Gauntlet” was definitely thrown down. We only met with Chris a couple of times for Bible Study and team building exercises, but I learned and took away from his mentoring was enough to give me the push I needed to follow whole heartedly after God.
Before Young Guns, I would rarely make time to have a quiet time. After having a set time where we would go off to ourselves, Dig deep into the message God was going to have us read, and journaling our thoughts during
the program, my number one goal of the day in the busy world that is college is to make time daily to dive into the Word.
If you have a son that is graduating from high school, I would encourage you to check out the Young Guns program. It’s a tough program in many ways, but your son’s life will come home with life-long friends and an enriched spiritual life.
Aaron – it is great to hear from you – what year YG were you? Who are you discipling these days?