✝️ The Resurrection: Overwhelming Victory Emerges From Utter Defeat

Good morning, my brothers! Many of us live with a strange disconnect—we believe in the resurrection intellectually, but struggle to access its power practically. We’re what I call “Saturday Christians,” affirming Christ’s victory while facing our battles as if He is dead and we are one our own. This issue explores how the same power that raised Jesus from the dead can transform your current “3-28 moment” into an incredible comeback story. Whether you're battling persistent habits, relationship struggles, or mortality itself, Christ’s resurrection transforms defeat into victory. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (6-min read):

🧠 MINDSET Few doctrines of our Christian faith challenge the sincerity of our faith as Christ’s resurrection. What does it mean to believe Jesus rose from death … and we with Him?
📰  NEWS Relationships are what make life meaningful. Relationships are also what make life difficult. Let’s consider a few ways we can make them more of the former and less of the latter.
🗓️ SAVE-THE-DATE We are always on the lookout for opportunities to bring value to the MTM fraternity. See below for details about a live event May 6 that will help your personal and professional life.

MINDSET
The Resurrection: Overwhelming Victory Emerges From Utter Defeat

Have you ever wondered why we still struggle so much when we claim to believe in a risen Savior?

Super Bowl 51 remains unforgettable for my family, especially my middle son - a devoted New England Patriots fan. At our church’s watch party in North Carolina, he found himself vastly outnumbered: roughly 148 Atlanta Falcons fans versus just two Patriots supporters, including him.

Despite the good-natured ribbing, my son kept his spirits up ...  until the game progressed. Midway through the 3rd quarter, after their 4th touchdown, the Falcons led 28-3. The Patriots’ chance of victory had plummeted below 0.5%. Everyone had written them off – everyone except the Patriots themselves.

Before the second half started, with his team down 28-3, Patriots receiver Julian Edelman turned to quarterback Tom Brady and declared, “This is going to be one heck of a story!” Brady responded with that confident smile of his. Their belief in victory never wavered, even in those bleak moments.

The Patriots went on to achieve the greatest Super Bowl comeback in history, winning 34-28. My son still reminds his friends about it to this day.

When Hope Died

Two thousand years ago, the followers of Jesus experienced a far more devastating defeat. The man they believed was the Messiah, the one they had left everything to follow, hung lifeless on a Roman cross.

This wasn't just a disappointing loss: it was the end of everything they had built their lives upon.

I sometimes wonder if we’ve sanitized the reality of this belief. These weren’t theological scholars with perfect understanding. They were ordinary men, much like us, who had wagered everything on Jesus being who He claimed to be.

Think about it. Peter had left his fishing business. Matthew had walked away from a lucrative tax collector position. They had all invested three years of their lives following this man. And now He was dead, executed as a criminal.

Can you imagine their conversations that Saturday? The doubt. The second-guessing. The fear. “Were we deceived?” “Did we waste the last three years of our lives?” “What do we do now?” The despair must have been crushing.

I've experienced moments like that in my own life. Perhaps you have too. The business venture that failed after years of investment. The marriage that fell apart despite your best efforts. The prodigal child who hasn’t come home. The addiction you can't seem to overcome despite countless promises to do better.

Those Saturday moments when hope seems dead.

The Victory That Changes Everything

But Sunday was coming.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the single most pivotal event in human history. Not just a nice spiritual metaphor or an encouraging story but a world-altering reality that changes everything.

When Mary Magdalene and the other women discovered the empty tomb, when the risen Christ appeared to His disciples, the impossible became reality. Death was defeated. Sin was conquered. The game had completely changed.

The Apostle Paul understood this with stark clarity:

Paul doesn’t mince words. Without the resurrection, Christianity collapses. Our faith becomes meaningless, our hope vanishes, and we remain trapped in our sins. But because Christ rose, we have the ultimate victory.

The Disconnect

Here’s where many of us, myself included, struggle. We believe the resurrection happened. We affirm it intellectually. We celebrate it annually.

But do we “live” in the resurrection?

When you face that persistent temptation, do you approach it as someone with resurrection power available to you? When anxiety grips your heart at 3 AM, does the reality of the resurrection calm your spirit? When your body shows signs of aging and decline, does resurrection hope shape your perspective?

Too often, I find myself living as a “Saturday Christian” – believing in Jesus, but acting as if He's still in the tomb. I suspect I'm not alone.

Living Resurrection Reality

So what does it mean to live as a resurrection man in 2025?

First, it means we stop facing our battles alone. The same power that conquered death now lives in us through the Holy Spirit. This isn’t theological abstraction – it's practical reality.

When Paul writes, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection” Philippians 3:10, he’s talking about accessing a supernatural strength that is available right now, in the trenches of daily life.

Second, it means we view our failures differently. In resurrection reality, failure is never final. The God who raised Jesus from death can resurrect any dead situation in your life – the broken relationship, the financial disaster, the health crisis.

I've witnessed this firsthand. After my real estate business collapsed in 2008, I thought my professional life was over. The shame was overwhelming. Yet God used that very failure as the soil for a new chapter that I could never have imagined. That’s resurrection power at work.

Third, it means we face our own mortality with confident hope. The resurrection isn’t just about Jesus: it's about our future too. His victory ensures that death is not our end. This eternal perspective changes how we approach our remaining years, whether they be many or few.

From Head to Heart

Brothers, moving resurrection faith from our heads to our hearts requires intentional practice. Here's what has helped me:

1. Remember your personal resurrections. Take inventory of the “tombs” in your past from which God has already brought new life. Our memories often need training to recognize God's resurrection work.

2. Apply resurrection power specifically. Don’t just pray generally. Bring resurrection reality to bear on specific challenges. “Lord, by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, help me overcome this persistent anger.”

3. Embrace Saturday’s pain. Resurrection doesn’t erase suffering; it transforms it. Don’t deny your pain or rush past it. Instead, hold it in tension with the confident hope that Sunday is coming.

4. Live as a witness. Our lives should provide evidence of resurrection reality. How can your response to difficulty testify to a power greater than death?

When the Patriots were down 28-3, they didn't focus on the scoreboard: they focused on the next play, the next opportunity, confident in a victory they couldn'’ yet see. As Christian men, we’re called to live with that same resurrection confidence.

Your current struggle, whether with health, relationships, purpose, or temptation, is your “3-28  moment.” It looks impossible. The odds are stacked against you. But the resurrection guarantees that the story isn’t over.

This Easter, let’s move beyond merely believing the resurrection happened to actually living as if it matters. Because the empty tomb changes everything, including how we face whatever battles we’re fighting today.

And brother, with resurrection power available to you, “This is going to be one heck of a story!”

This week’s action plan:

1. Read 1 Corinthians 15 in its entirety, reflecting on Paul's powerful teaching about resurrection reality and its implications for your life.

2. Identify one area where you've been living as a “Saturday Christian” – believing intellectually but not enjoying Christ’s resurrection power.

3. Share honestly with a trusted brother about your struggles, and pray together for resurrection power to transform that situation.

4. Remember a “resurrection moment” from your past by writing it down and thanking God specifically for bringing life from death.

5. Declare resurrection truth over your current challenges by speaking Scripture aloud when doubt or fear arise.

Remember, brother: In Christ, the victory is already won. It’s time we started living like it.

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THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• What's one action that will strengthen your body, brighten your mood, costs nothing and can be used to improve your relationships? Walking with someone you care about. Research shows walking with others dramatically increases exercise consistency through accountability and motivation. These shared walks reduce stress and ward off depression—benefits that extend beyond physical health. Dial in these factors for optimal results:

  • Duration: Just 20-30 minutes produces significant heart, concentration, and immune benefits.

  • Environment: Green spaces significantly reduce heart rate compared to urban routes.

  • Consistency: Schedule a regular time to cement the habit.

  If your relationship with your spouse, child or friend is strained at the moment, schedule a walking date and watch the fence mend itself. Courtesy Harvard Health and WebMD

Relationships
“Two are better than one ...” Ecclesiastes 4:9

• What can divorced dads or fathers of grown-and-gone children do to stay connected and build the relationships that bless and guide their children? Here are a few ideas:

  • Weekly meal dates: Protect a weekly ritual of breaking bread with your children to create space for sharing your lives with each other.

  • Play with them: Little children need the enjoy the affection and sense of safety that only comes from horsing around. The way you play changes as they mature but the need for play does not ... and board games are making a resurgence among young people so there you go!

  • Read together: Reading together does for a child's mind and spirit what playing does for their body. Got older children? Find a book they are interested in that you can tolerate and read it together a chapter at a time and talk about what you read. You can do this with children that may not live with you to create new shared memories.