About

What if you had the chance to impact a young life?  What if you had the opportunity to plant a seed in a future leader in order to prepare him for life?  What if you could tell someone what your life lessons are in order to spare a youth from having to make the same mistakes?

That is the mission of 52 Godly Men.

This idea was birthed in my heart before my son turned twelve.  I wanted to give him a present for his thirteenth birthday which would not simply impact his emotion but potentially change his life.

Initially, I was planning to simply find someone from numerous professions for my son to spend time with over the course of a year.  Expose him to a wide variety of jobs, businesses and ways to use his skills. After over a year of thinking, meditating and brooding, during a time of prayer the idea took on new clarity.  I needed to find 52 godly men, men of character and integrity who would not only be able to share from their wealth of experience in business and professions but also in the greater arena of how to approach life from the perspective of someone who is committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

I was actually quite pleased to realize that through the years I had amassed a wealth of relationships and could actually list close to that amount without a great degree of difficulty.  Then began the process of writing letters and e-mails asking if these men would be willing to spend a day with my son in order to share their lives and lessons with him. The journey began February 8th, 2010 with the first of the 52 men.

My son’s primary responsibility was to write an article about each of the experiences and include any photos or other media which would help to tell the story. Other than that, I wanted to give him great latitude to enjoy the times with the men, learn about their work, listen to their stories, and ask questions. Now, months later, he’s met many wonderful men, gained valuable life insight and developed much stronger writing skills. He’s also had a ton of fun in the process.

For my part, I’ve tried to share this idea with as many people as possible to encourage other parents to do the same (or similar) for their children. So far, we have two newspaper interviews, one video blog and more coming. A family friend has chosen to do the same project for her daughter beginning in 2011. I’m excited to hear that. I invite you to read the growing FAQ page and consider getting the Parent’s Information Packet and Planning Guide if you want to do this but have no idea how to get organized.

Please browse the site. Read David’s articles journaling his experiences. Read the articles I’ve posted for parents. Leave a comment. I hope you are inspired.