SE12:E1 - Men in the Arena (Introduction)

Jake and Brett share their highs and lows of the summer, and introduce the theme for Season 12: Men in the Arena. Over the next few weeks, we’ll hear from five men who are living ‘in the arena,’ including a Navy SEAL, a priest and columnist for a major publication, a ministry leader, a priest engaged in parish renewal, and a high-level business executive. Jake and Brett explain what made them choose to interview each man, and tease some surprising turns in the conversations.

Guiding Quote:

“It’s not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Key Points

• Brett shares a summer high: being together face to face for the first time with his men’s group

• Jake’s summer high: his motorcycle trip

• Jake’s low: health issues with a family member and the dynamics that accompany it

• Brett’s low: a heart-level grasping at not wanting the summer to end

• In the midst of many good things/blessings, it’s easy to focus on the one or few things that aren’t going right or that have been ‘missed’

• What it means to ‘be in the arena’ and how it matures us

• The difference between low-level and high-level-risk arenas

• The kind of courage that being in the arena requires

• Redefining failure for life in the arena

• The introduction of five special guests who demonstrate what it means to be a man in the arena

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?

2. What are the arenas I’m in? What are my low, medium and high level arenas?

3. How do I handle failure?

4. What do I do when a brother is in the arena? How do I respond to him?

Resources

• The Men’s Retreat 2022: Man in the Arena

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Audio editing by Forte Catholic