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.”

Guiding Question: What if your life as a man could be more than responsibilities and routines—what if it could be a great adventure, full of purpose, meaning, and joy?

• Responsibility Alone Will Drain You Robert Lewis warns that when a man's life becomes nothing more than duties—family, work, obligations—he becomes exhausted emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Anger, sadness, or fear often creep in when adventure and passion are absent.

• Men Need More Than Survival—They Need Purpose Real manhood isn’t just about showing up; it's about showing up with vision. Men were never meant to just survive life but to live it with mission, balance, and joy.

• The Great Adventure = Purpose + Fit + Destiny Every man should strive to find a life that:

  • Aligns with a sense of calling (purpose),

  • Matches his personal design (fit),

  • Builds toward a meaningful impact (destiny).

• Three Core Adventures for Every Man Drawing from Genesis 1:28–30, Lewis outlines God's original commission to men as the basis for a threefold adventure:

  1. The Family Adventure – Engaging hands-on to shape a virtuous next generation.

  2. The Noble Cause Adventure – Fighting for something bigger than yourself that benefits others.

  3. The Man-Sized Adventure – Having fun, taking risks, and doing things that make you come alive.

• Self-Discovery is Critical in a World of Options In today's culture of endless career paths and distractions, men must become pioneers of their inner world. This means asking: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?

• Culture Offers Confusion; God Offers Clarity While modern culture defines men by performance, pleasure, or possessions, Scripture roots manhood in being:

  • Created by God – I am not random; I am a man made on purpose.

  • Commissioned by God – I am called to live fruitfully and with impact.

  • Accountable to God – I will one day answer to Him for how I lived.

• Your Job Should Serve Your Life, Not Define It Work is meant to be a means to the adventure—not the entirety of it. If your career is crushing your sense of family, passion, and mission, something’s off.

• To Find Life, You Must Risk Something Real adventure will always require courage—facing fears, asking hard questions, making bold choices, and sometimes breaking from the norm.

• Genesis 1:28–30 – “Be fruitful and multiply…subdue the earth…enjoy all I have given.” (The foundational mandate for manhood—reproduction, contribution, enjoyment.)

• Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “The body returns to the earth… the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (We are spiritual beings accountable to our Creator.)

• 2 Corinthians 5:10 – “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” (Each life is headed toward a divine evaluation.)

• 3 John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (A father’s greatest joy is seeing his legacy live on.)

• Deuteronomy 30:19 – “Choose life so that you may live…” (Life is a series of choices with eternal consequence.)

• Men’s Fraternity is a Journey of Rediscovery Robert Lewis frames this session as the start of a meaningful journey for men to uncover their true identity, understand their design, and live with purpose. This is not just a Bible study—it’s a bold initiative to challenge passivity and embrace courageous manhood.

• Three-Year Structure of Men's Fraternity:

  • Year 1: The Quest for Authentic Manhood – Focused on core identity and rejecting passivity.

  • Year 2: A Man at Work and at Home – Emphasizes responsibility in vocation and relationships.

  • Year 3: The Great Adventure – Invites men to step into their destiny and lead courageously.

• Men are Often Disconnected Many men are drifting—successful on the outside but unclear on the inside. They lack spaces to be real and honest about their struggles, dreams, and fears. Men’s Fraternity offers a safe, supportive environment to change that.

• Rediscovering the Spirit of Adventure Somewhere along life’s path, many men lose their sense of adventure. Responsibilities pile up, passions fade, and life becomes maintenance rather than mission. This year’s focus aims to reignite that inner fire and clarify life’s direction.

• Masculinity Must Be Defined and Lived Intentionally Without a clear, compelling definition of manhood, men default to culture’s confusion or retreat into passivity. Lewis emphasizes the need to establish personal mission, reflect on one’s design, and step forward with conviction.

• Life is a Choice—Choose Adventure Men can either live managed by circumstances or step into life with intention. This means rethinking careers, risks, passions, and even how we approach aging. The goal: to finish life satisfied, with a sense of "mission accomplished."

• Genesis 1:28 – “Be fruitful and multiply…subdue the earth.” (God’s original mandate to Adam was adventurous and expansive.)

• John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” (Jesus invites men into a full, flourishing life.)

• Psalm 90:12-14 – “Teach us to number our days…that we may present to You a heart of wisdom…that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (A call to live with purpose, joy, and reflection.)

• Ephesians 5:15-16 – “Be careful how you walk…making the most of your time.” (An urging to live wisely and not waste life’s opportunity.)

• Deuteronomy 30:19 – “Choose life so that you may live…” (Life and death are choices—men must decide how they’ll live.)

• Genesis 25:8 – “Abraham died…satisfied with life.” (A beautiful picture of finishing life well, having lived a full adventure.)