Jake McCluskeyStand Your Watch

From Jake

The Blog

Raw reflections on Christ and prayer. Written for the man in the fight.

13 posts in Biblical Manhood & Leadership

Branded card for the post "The Church Picks Leaders Backwards".Biblical Manhood & Leadership

The Church Picks Leaders Backwards

The overseer list is almost all character and one line of skill. We promote the impressive man. God asks a different question: what are you like when the lights are off, at your own front door?

4 min read

A man and a woman's work-worn hands clasped tightly together over a plain wooden table, one warm light above them, the two of them braced on the same side, facing the same way, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "Marriage Divided Cannot Stand" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

Marriage Divided Cannot Stand

Most marriage fights are two teammates who forgot they are on the same team, swinging at each other while the real enemy sits back and enjoys the show.

3 min read

A father and his young son walking a gravel road at golden hour, seen from behind, the father's hand on the boy's shoulder, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "Discipling Your Kids Without Crushing Them" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

Discipling Your Kids Without Crushing Them

Every Christian father is scared of two failures and only watches for one. He cranks down harder and crushes them. Here is how to bring them up without breaking them.

3 min read

A rugged man alone at a kitchen table late at night, head slightly bowed over folded hands, a wedding band catching one low warm light, a woman's coat draped over a chair in the soft dark background, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "Praying for Your Wife" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

Praying for Your Wife

Ask most married men when they last prayed for their wife and you get a long pause. Not prayed about her. For her. It is one of the most important things a man does.

4 min read

Dark text card. In large letters: You threw away the dishes. Below in gold: God kept you. The Jake McCluskey logo sits at the bottom.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

God and the Dishes

I threw the dishes in the trash, yelling, because they were not done. You were forgiven a mountain. Stop coming apart over a sink.

3 min read

Cornerstone verse card, oxblood Jerusalem Cross on paper, 1 Corinthians 16:13: What a man of Christ isBiblical Manhood & Leadership

What Is a Man of Christ? The Plainest Answer I Can Give You

The word man has been argued into fog. Here is the plain answer, in black and white. Not a personality type, not how loud you are. Here is what a man of Christ actually is.

10 min read

A rugged man stepping out of heavy shadow into a shaft of hard amber light, half in dark and half in light, resolute, a man being forged into someone new, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "Become the Man God Wanted You to Be" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

Become the Man God Wanted You to Be

God had a man in mind when He made you. You are not him yet. Here is how you close the gap. Not seven ideas to think about. Seven things to do, starting today.

5 min read

A husband and wife sharing a hymnal in a church pew, she singing with her eyes closed while he looks at the floor, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "When Your Wife Is the Stronger Believer" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

When Your Wife Is the Stronger Believer

He believes it's real. He believes God is real. And he still feels like a fraud sitting beside her. Being behind your wife spiritually isn't a disqualification, it's a starting position.

9 min read

A church door stands open and dark tendrils creep along the center aisle toward the lit cross at the far end of the sanctuary.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

When Church Discipline Disappears, Darkness Moves In

When discipline disappears, darkness is not kept outside. It moves in. It finds room to grow.

23 min read

A man alone in a dim garage with both hands flat on a workbench, the warm kitchen window of his house through the open door, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "The Anger You Think You're Hiding" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

The Anger You Think You're Hiding

Nobody's been hit. Nobody could report anything. And everyone in the house is adjusting all day around one man's mood. Not hitting people is a floor, not a standard. Here's the diagnostic that tells.

9 min read

A man kneels on a living room floor with an open hand extended toward his wife, who sits on the couch listening. An open Bible and a mug rest on the coffee table.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

If You Want to Lead Your Home, Learn to Repent First

Biblical leadership is not built on getting the final word. It is built on taking the first step.

15 min read

Seen from behind, a man leans on a wooden rail at a mountain overlook at sunrise, an open notebook, a pen, a coffee mug and a Bible on the table in front of him.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say

Prayer is not a performance. God is not grading your vocabulary or comparing you to the man sitting across the aisle.

15 min read

A man praying in his truck before work, in the dark cinematic style of the series, with the words "The Importance of Prayer in Men’s Lives" set across the graphic.Biblical Manhood & Leadership

The Importance of Prayer in Men’s Lives

14 min read