Brave Men Podcast with Paul Louis Cole

Seth Barnes founded Adventures in Missions and the World Race to disciple men and women as they take their faith around the world. His numerous books speak about the power of prayer, the power of action and the discipline to walk the talk. Or in his case, to race your talk. Seth's innovative short-term missions trips have empowered thousands of people to put their faith into action. Seth's vision is that God would raise up a generation of radically committed disciples of Jesus Christ. The World Race takes participants literally around the world to 11 countries in 11 months to share their faith and engage locally. The transforming power of God is seen in the thousands of remarkable stories of changed lives and families brought back together. Seth will stretch your faith and get you fired up about carrying the gospel across the street and around the world.

What you value you will make a priority ... and your priorities expose what you value. With powerful stories and biblical depth Paul takes us on a journey of personal growth and heart expansion. Setting your daily ritual, holding on to your dreams and building a life that withstands the chaos is the result of setting strong priorities. In Genesis we find the remarkable life of history maker Joseph, son of Jacob. From favored son to slave to prison to CEO of Egypt this young man held on to his dreams. Amidst the chaos of life he never wavered in his identity and purpose - because he had set rock solid priorities in his heart. Here's a personal session with Paul Cole that will make a difference in your life.

Bold, fearless and outspoken meet John Cooper today on BraveMen. John is the lead vocalist, bassist and songwriter/producer for Skillet, one of the best-selling rock bands of the 21st century. The two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated 12x platinum band was recently invited into Pandora’s Billionaire club after garnering 2 billion streams, received a pair of GRAMMY Award nods, sold over 12 million albums worldwide, taken home a Billboard Music Award and more. Their breakout single “Monster” remains “one of the most-streamed rock songs of all-time” with 285 million global audio streams.   Today we talk with John about his life, his music, his worldview and his aggressive new book, “Awake and Alive to Truth; finding truth in the chaos of a relativistic world”. His passion is clear, “God wants to rescue you from the chaos and the darkness and bring you into His glorious light!” Awake and Alive to Truth tackles the reigning philosophies of our day of post-modernism, relativism, and the popular view of the goodness of man-and combats these viewpoints by standing on the absolute truth of the Word of God.

Growing up surviving the streets and housing projects of Atlanta, Ray Ray McElrathbey never thought Disney would make a movie about his life … and yet Disney+ has made a movie about what he did in helping raise his little brother, it’s called “Safety” and it’s out now. Ray Ray’s inspiring story began when his family moved into a housing project in Atlanta, where Ray Ray picked up sports. As he excelled in athletics, his mother struggled with drugs and his parents divorced. Raised by loved ones he miraculously got a scholarship to Clemson. During his freshman year at Clemson, Ray Ray’s 11 yr. old little brother Fahmarr needed to escape the issues in the projects - so Ray Ray, with the help of teammates, hid him in his dorm room. They were discovered … but then something amazing happened. The Clemson community came to his aid. ABC News named Ray Ray the Person of the Week – and the NCAA allowed friends and family to help him take care of his little brother.

From drug dealer to dealer of hope. This story will inspire you to attempt the impossible. Robert Kalatschan is a Huntington Beach businessman who with his wife Dorothea founded Giving It Back To Kids, a charity that helps at-risk orphans, children and families in VietNam and Southeast Asia. Robert is a successful businessman that was transformed by the ministry of Maximized Manhood. His remarkable story is now the subject of the book, What If You Took a Step?. Robert simply asked the question, "What if someone helped these kids?" That someone became him. This is the remarkable story of how God captured his heart - even while he was trying to smoke weed at his first CMN men's event. Robert and his late wife Dorothea have helped thousands of orphans across Southeast Asia from their base and team headquarters in DaNang, VietNam. Robert inspires men to do good works and help those in need. His constant admonition is, "If God can use someone like me to bring hope to an entire nation, then God can use anybody." Robert is a close friend of Christian Men's Network and founding member of the Brotherhood of Commissioned Men.

21 men would not compromise their faith. They would not yield to the terrorists and deny Christ. With great courage, each man knelt down on the wet and cold ocean shore. Behind each man was an assassin poised to strike with a saber. In their final moments, these young Christian men – many of them in their late teens and twenties, prayed as evil charges were declared against them. The 21 declared to each other and to heaven, “Ya Rabbi Yassu,” “Oh my Lord Jesus,” just before sabers sliced their throats. At that moment, the 21 went from the shores of Libya to the shores of Heaven. Today on BraveMen, in a very personal moment, Paul shares the story of these men, the bravery, the stalwartness, the death and life. It is a memorial - and it is a celebration. Far from trophies to a militant dogma, "The 21" became trophies of grace. Heroes of faith. Men in whom courage was real. As we pursue the intense Dangerous Nations campaign to reach men for Christ in the darkest corners of the world, we are reminded of the sacrifice of men like these. And we are mindful of how much men need our brotherhood, even as we need their stalwart hearts for Christ. Dangerous Nations is focused on training 50,000 leaders and pastors to disciple 5,000,000 men in 50 of the toughest nations on earth. Whatever kind of anti-Christ actions the nation endures, this CMN campaign, partnering with “boots on the ground” and like-minded ministries, will build churches, rescue families, and reach young men on the streets of the nations.

Johnnie Moore is a relentless advocate for religious freedom in the Middle East, Nigeria and the most dangerous places in the world. He has authored several books including the one we talk about today on BraveMen – The Next Jihad, Stop the Christian Genocide in Africa.   Johnnie is founder and CEO of The KAIROS Company and President of The Congress of Christian Leaders. He began his career at Liberty University, where he served as the school's Senior Vice President for Communications and as a campus pastor. He then served as Chief of Staff and Vice President of Faith Content for Mark Burnett and the United Artists Media Group in Hollywood. He is a recipient of the prestigious Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He meets with African and Asian religious and political leaders often, has met with most heads of state across the Arab world and, in 2017, he participated in the drafting of the landmark Bahrain Declaration on Religious Freedom and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East. He is a Presidential appointee as a Commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Johnnie has been named one of America’s twenty five most influential evangelicals. He appears often on national broadcasts and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, Fox News, and CNN among many others.

John Smithwick is a global missionary. He and his team have planted churches, conducted regional crusades, directed hundreds of short-term missions groups and witnessed over 2 million people commit their lives to following Christ.   John and his wife Martine founded and direct Global Ventures, a missions organization active in 35 nations. The miraculous healing of hundreds of people from deadly diseases, crippled limbs, sickness and incurable issues has marked John’s ministry around the world.   John says, “Our mission is to initiate & facilitate a global evangelism movement by raising up and mobilizing an army of frontline harvesters who effectively minister the Gospel in power & miracles to the unreached masses, and as a result – win a billion souls to Christ.”

Doug Stringer is an extreme follower of Jesus who takes first-responder food, medicine and help to the most troubled spots in the world. Doug is the founder of Somebody Cares America and Somebody Cares International, with chapters, centers, partners, affiliate ministries and a global coalition around the world. Doug and his wife Lisa are authors, speakers, activists and courageous compassionists. Doug has written extensively, is a well known speaker and is a recognized thought-leader in community transformation. He is a key member of the CMN Board of Directors and Dangerous Nations Campaign. “What would Jesus do?” was a phrase that became popular years ago across the nations … at CMN we also ask, “What would Doug do?” That’s because this man carries the heart of Christ to those in the margins in over 40 nations of the world. Listen to Doug on BraveMen today – but at the risk of becoming radicalized! Ministry Today magazine called Somebody Cares one of the 21 Most Influential Ministries of the 21st Century. As an American of Asian descent and a revivalist at heart, he is considered a bridge-builder, and an ambassador for Christ.

Bill Scheer has never been anything but ‘full-on and uninhibited’ for anything he’s done in his life. That’s why his church is called GUTS Church. Our great friends Bill and his wife Sandy founded GUTS Church in Tulsa 29 years ago for people who felt marginalized by the modern church culture. Bill says, “I wanted to start a church for people who don’t like church”. Bill was raised in the St. Louis area and as he grew up he became immersed in a culture of drugs and violence, “my life got dark real quick,” he said. In this inspirational and challenging conversation Bill talks about living a chemically altered life for years, then coming to a radical faith in Christ. This happened after a hit was put out on his life, he went to his dad and all his dad did was pray for him. You have to hear this! He’s all about Biblical masculinity, the power of the Holy Spirit, motorcycles, healing and sports. He’s probably led more men to Christ in locker rooms and golf courses than most churches have ever done in their center aisles. Bill Scheer. Blood, guts and glory. The blood of Christ, the guts to be a real man and all to the glory of God!