Are you living with the end in mind, and how does your view of eternity shape the way you live today?

• Sacred Ground as a Mental and Physical Space: Robert Lewis introduces the concept of “sacred ground”—a moment or place, whether physical or internal, where we reflect deeply on what matters most. These encounters can reorient our lives, helping us clarify what is truly worth living and dying for.

• Orientation Determines Destination: Using the metaphor of an "adventurer's wiring," Lewis maps a man’s life from birth to death and eternity. Right orientation—knowing where you are going and aligning your present with that end—is essential for a meaningful life.

• The Power of Contemplating the End: Lewis urges men to regularly reflect on death and eternity—not as a morbid exercise, but as a life-shaping habit. This contemplation leads to better decisions, deeper satisfaction, and a clearer sense of purpose.

• Two Competing Worldviews: He contrasts the traditional religious worldview (which affirms divine origin, design, eternity, and ultimate meaning) with secular scientism (which views life as a random accident with no ultimate purpose). Every person lives according to one of these views, consciously or not.

• Peripheral Vision and Metaphysics: Just as athletes rely on peripheral vision, men need “metaphysical vision”—the ability to see the bigger picture beyond the immediate. This vision shapes our everyday choices and values.

• Four Views of the End:

  1. Dead End – Life ends with death, nothing follows.

  2. Blind Optimism – “Everything will be okay” without reason or clarity.

  3. Good Enough – Based on self-evaluation and comparison to others.

  4. I Need Help – Recognizes the need for grace and divine help—this is where Christianity uniquely speaks.

• Why the Christian Vision of the End Matters: Contrary to caricatures of heaven as boring or irrelevant, Lewis teases that the Bible offers a compelling vision of eternity—one worth exploring deeply in coming weeks. Christianity uniquely answers the human longing for meaning, justice, and hope beyond the grave.

• 2 Corinthians 4:18 – “...the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has also set eternity in the human heart...”

• 1 Corinthians 15:32 – “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (Referenced indirectly through Paul's quote)

How does a man make wise, lasting decisions in the chaos of life—and what role does his unique wiring play in creating a meaningful legacy?

• Life Feels Like Air Traffic Control. With so many pressures, obligations, and decisions swirling around, it’s easy for a man to lose his way. Wise living depends on good "wiring."

• Wiring = How You're Made + What You've Lived + Where You're Headed. Robert Lewis presents a model where your design, past experiences, present convictions and problems, and future vision all feed into how you navigate life.

• Your Design Matters. Every man is uniquely made with talents, abilities, motivations, and God-given strengths (Psalm 139:14). Knowing your design helps you find energy and fulfillment in your pursuits.

• The Past Always Carries Over.

  • Positives (e.g., strong family, success, faith) can empower your present.

  • Negatives (e.g., wounds, broken relationships, shame) act like hidden cancers if unaddressed. Until past wounds are faced and healed, they will sabotage your current pursuits.

• Convictions Anchor You. Many men lack real convictions. True convictions aren’t just beliefs—they’re values you live by and can prove with your actions. Without convictions, men drift.

• Problems Are Destabilizers. The big four: marriage, children, job, and money. If unaddressed, these problems quietly wreck your wiring and pull you off course. Facing them honestly is part of godly manhood.

• Future Vision Pulls You Forward. Knowing where you’re going—your dreams and God’s purposes—keeps you moving with clarity. Most men lack defined dreams or plans and get lost in the fog of routine.

• Legacy and Destiny Matter. Life isn’t just about success—it’s about legacy and eternity. What happens when you die? Your answer to that shapes how you live today.

• Self-Evaluation is Key. Robert offers a "circuit tester" exercise: Evaluate each aspect of your wiring (design, past, convictions, etc.) and label it with a "+" (healthy) or "–" (unhealthy). Where you see a negative, that’s where your next life adventure must begin.

• The Goal is Full-Life Manhood. One path leads to a dead-end half-life manhood: pressured, lost, isolated. The other leads to life-giving adventure: healed, purposed, future-facing.

• Psalm 139:14 – “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Affirms God’s intentional design in every person.)

• Proverbs 15:22 – “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Wise men seek help.)

• Ecclesiastes 12:1, 7 – "Remember your Creator… the spirit returns to God." (Life is short. Eternity is real.)

• Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:11; 5:18; 9:9 – Various calls to enjoy life as a gift, yet live with eternity in view.

• John 10:10 – “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (True life comes through Christ.)

What does it take to make a life, not just a living—and how do I re-engage when life starts to feel flat, numb, or overly burdened?

• Anyone can make a living—but it takes adventure to make a life. Many men settle into half-life manhood: successful but unsatisfied, responsible but restless.

• Four core life adventures define whole-life manhood:

  1. Family Adventure – Reproducing life in your children through intentional, hands-on fatherhood that shapes their character and future.

  2. Noble Cause Adventure – Fighting for something bigger than yourself that contributes to others’ lives, moving from mere success to significance.

  3. Man-Size Adventure – Making space for fun and rejuvenating experiences; planning for joy and making memories that sustain you.

  4. Spiritual Adventure – Experiencing a relationship with God that brings eternal perspective, peace, and purpose.

• Time for a "timeout": This session was intentionally a pause to reflect, process, and realign with the journey so far. Life is like mountain climbing—you need rest stops.

• Tension is a gift. The restlessness many feel isn’t something to run from—it’s a signpost, revealing areas of needed growth or change.

• Fun must be reinvented. Especially as men age, meaningful recreation becomes something you must plan and pursue with intentionality.

• Finding your unique design matters. Robert introduces a future exercise (led by Bill Wellons) to help men discover what makes them come alive and how they’re wired to thrive.

• Work is a means, not the end. Work should serve your life’s adventures—not be the thing that swallows them whole.

• It's okay to need change. For some, that may mean adjusting work roles; for others, it might require the bold step of changing jobs entirely.

• For younger men: Be realistic, pursue wise mentors, and take God seriously. Avoid chasing a dream version of manhood that leads to burnout or boredom.

• Not religion—relationship. Robert clarifies he’s not pushing religious tradition, but offering the Bible’s wisdom and the reality of a spiritual life with God.

• Genesis 1:28 – The foundational call to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth, revealing God’s original design for man’s adventures.

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – God has set eternity in the human heart.

• Ecclesiastes 2:24, 5:18, 9:9 – Emphasize enjoying one’s work and life as gifts from God.

• Third John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

• John 10:10 – Jesus promises life, and life abundantly.

• Augustine (quoted): “There is a God-shaped vacuum in every human heart that can only be filled by God.”