Man Card: (For Christians)

By Mike Klooster

Is your Man Card intact?

Turn in your man card! Most men have heard this term man card before. It's a good-natured way we evaluate each other as men on whether we are acting like so-called manly men. This book introduces the concept of a new kind of man card: a man card for Christians. We explore the standard-issue man card, examples of well-known people who have lost their man card as well as a comparison to biblical men who also lost their man card.

The Christian Man Card is discussed in detail from how it gets issued, who issues it, the ground rules for keeping this man card, and what you must do to get it back should you lose it. Today's world offers many temptations for a man, and we can quickly get sidetracked from how we are supposed to conduct ourselves. Morality and accountability are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Our actions can hurt or even destroy our loved ones and the people around us. The devastation that can be created by our actions can be detrimental to future generations.

Inside Man Card (for Christians), you will learn the essential character traits we should portray and the behaviors we must adhere to in order to hold onto your Christian Man Card. The book includes clear direction on how to start the process of conforming to a different way of life and the top areas we can address immediately to help in the transformation. Our future as a decent society relies on men receiving and maintaining their man card for Christians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098082161

Book preview

The Man Card

Iremember the day very well. This particular day remains a very vivid memory in my mind. It was a surprisingly beautiful day for February in Carmel, California. There was a sky full of sun; the temperature was a spectacular sixty-two degrees, and there was a slight breeze blowing inward from the ocean. You could hear waves crashing against the rocks at the edge of the ocean and if you were close enough, feel the sea mist kissing your face. Yes, it was an amazing day, and the perfect day to watch golf.

Our company was having a corporate group event at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament near Carmel, California. This is a golf tournament where professional golfers and celebrities team up to play golf in a team format, but the professional golfers also play as individuals in a PGA tour event. The tournament raises millions of dollars for local foundations and nonprofit charities. It is as much an entertainment event as it is golfing, and I really enjoy the beauty of the Carmel-by-the-Sea area. This area is an amazingly beautiful spot that sports beaches, forests, multiple golf courses, shops, restaurants, celebrities, wildlife, and some amazing homes.

It was Saturday which is the day that most of the A-list celebrities play the Pebble Beach golf links, and usually, they are teamed with the high profile professional golfers. Today was plainly not an exception. Throughout the day, I had seen many celebrities while walking the course and was able to see some of the world’s greatest golfers. I ended up eventually following a foursome that included Dustin Johnson and his father in law, Wayne Gretzky. I had made my way up to one of the putting greens to watch the dynamic pairing’s approach shots and then watch them putt.

Both of these guys are rather impressive when you get up near them. Johnson is a strikingly strong, lanky looking six feet four inches with Gretzky standing a little shorter at six feet tall however was once considered one of the greatest athletes in the world. Johnson just crushes the golf ball when he hits it, and fans are always treated to sheer amazement with his shot distance. When you are around Gretzky though, you can feel something is different. The air and environment are oozing with enthusiasm when he is present. Perhaps this is because you are standing in the presence of arguably the greatest professional hockey player ever. Men, women, and children seemed to want to be near him as the crowd became bigger and bigger as he approached the green to putt.

With all players now on the green, they marked their balls, fixed their divots, and began to talk among themselves. It is not uncommon in this tournament for the pro golfer to help out or give advice to the amateur. As the players continued to assess their putts, the crowd continued to swell in size, and the noise level increased. Gretzky was away which meant he had to putt first. From where I stood, it appeared to be about a twenty-foot putt, and it was up a hill. Gretzky went into his putting routine by looking at the putt from behind. He took his time evaluating the break in the putt which didn’t look like much from my viewpoint. Then he carefully placed his feet in the putting position and took a few practice swings. Gretzky was ready to putt the ball and make a birdie. He took a few baby steps forward, rocked back and forth a little, addressed the ball with his putter, and then took the putter back and took the shot at a twenty-foot birdie.

Surprisingly, the ball went about seven feet. It was thirteen feet short of the cup! What the heck? I could have hit that shot. I have hit that shot! The crowd moaned. Gretzky looked puzzled and scratched his head at the result. The other golfers in his foursome looked like they were trying to hold back from busting his chops. And then suddenly a big voice yelled from the gallery, Hey, Wayne, it’s not ice. A tremendous laughter rose from the crowd. Gretzky also laughed and joked for security to remove the man from the course. Another voice yelled Alice. For the nongolfers, this is a term men use to tease each other when they leave putts short of the cup, insinuating that you hit it like a girl (sorry, ladies). Finally, another fan yelled turn in your man card. Wait, what? Whoa! Some of us turned to look for who had said this. I think this fan had jokingly questioned the manhood of Wayne Gretzky. Are you kidding me? Maybe this had crossed the line. This is Wayne Gretzky. This is the greatest hockey player of all time. Any one of us amateur golfers could have hit that putt just as short. In fact, if we’re honest, sometimes we would have hit that putt even worse. Most of us can hit that putt thirteen feet short or thirteen feet long! You know it’s true, guys. It’s also true most of us consider Wayne Gretzky a man. But here was someone questioning his manhood for hitting a putt woefully short. That really had me scratching my head, and for some reason, I couldn’t let it go. Eventually, both Johnson, Gretzky, and the others finished the hole, and the massive crowd moved with them to the next hole.

As I continued walking the course, I pondered this phrase, Turn in your man card! Most of us have heard the expression, but what does that even mean? What actually is this man card anyway? Does every man have one? Why did Wayne Gretzky have to turn it in? Can we as men do things to lose it? Have I lost my man card and don’t even know it? I had lots of questions rolling around in my head.

You can google the term, and there is actually a website called OfficialManCard.com (https://officialmancard.com/), and this is how their website defines a man card:

A man card is required proof of manhood in order to become a respected member of the male community. It can and will be temporarily revoked if privileges as a man are abused.

The Urban Dictionary (https://www.urbandictionary.com/) defines a man card as a requirement to be accepted as a respectable member of the male community. Can and should be revoked by other respectable males for doing non-respectable-male things.

After intently reading on, it looks like all of us men get a man card at some point in our life. It appears to be a mystery though that it is unclear exactly when this defining moment of a man’s life this occurs. This man card is to be guarded and cherished throughout life. We are to act like men, or we run the risk of losing this card which seemingly could be humiliating to us depending on the situation. But it also appears we