I’m Sam.

I wrote in paper journals for years. Every day there would be an entry.  For the most part, those entries encapsulated stories, experiences, and lessons that I had learned.  However, I as I grew older, my reasons for writing changed.  What started off as a neat little way to document interesting moments became a compulsive need to capture every high and every low.  I wanted to be able to see it all, in hopes that one day I could tally it.  I could see if life as going really good or really bad. I wanted to remember birthdays, first days, heartbreaks, exams, school friends, summer friends, job tasks, and personal milestones.  I wanted to quantify, analyze and muse over my existence through the pages and the ink.

As time went on, I grew out of this stage as well.  Life picked up speed, and I was unable to be as meticulous with my existence cataloging. Still, I used general writing as my outlet. I would write songs  and fill up my phone with notes. I discovered the magic of applications like Google Docs and Notion and continued to build pages upon pages of material.  As the Lord began giving me opportunities to preach , I began writing sermons. In my own personal Bible study I began writing devotionals.

In 2023, I decided to open everything up.  All of my notebooks and all of the files in my hard drives needed to be consolidated. There were so many lessons.  Things I’d learned through happy times and sad times.  Things I had captured moments of bliss and moments of grief. Thoughts I had gleaned from watching loved ones die, moving out to live on my own, starting new schools and new jobs, and so many other events.  I had pages from grade school days, college days, and my career days. I had visible testimony of how God had worked in my life over the years.

After counseling at a Christian camp for a summer, and getting the opportunity to mentor young men, I realized I wanted to share all that I had learned. Each week, I would pull from my life to give them examples on what to do and what not to do.  I’d regale them with stories of where I had learned that had helped me, and things that I had done that had hurt me. Through this process, I saw how many of them were struggling. They didn’t have resources. They didn’t have people in their lives who spoke openly and plainly about right and wrong. They didn’t have men they looked up to. And they were starved for guidance.

Thus, Man of Might was born.  This was created solely to document the do’s and don’ts of how real men should relate to the world around them.  It’s lived experiences, paired with personal opinions. It is grounded in Biblical truth.  I hope the Lord uses it to bless you, like he’s used these lessons to bless me.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”

Jim Elliot