New Episodes!
We are two ordinary Christian guys who feel compelled to call men back to true Masculinity. Through raw conversations between a Protestant and a Catholic, we seek Manhood Restored.
About Manhood Restored
Mighty Men of Valor (that’s you!): We invite you to pull up a chair and have a listen—just as if we were talking over cold beers (or hot coffee!). Be entertained, be inspired, be challenged. Then, join us, and let’s get down to some restoration!
Ben Neff
Co-Host
Chad Stolly
Co-Host
Chad Stolly was also a middle school teacher, but got out long before Ben did. He is ONLY an insurance salesman in his five-generation family-owned agency. Podcasting is a welcomed distraction from the always-selling-insurance reality that is his day job. He too is married to his wife of nearly 20 years and is obviously the Catholic because he has 7 children (not just 4).
Recent Episodes
Episode 120- Should I Send My Kids to College?
A traditional liberal arts education is an endangered species of the Western world. In modern parlance, the phenomenon of “going to college” is what’s accessible to our children post high school. While “going to college” can admittedly mean a of variety of things (technical schools, 4-year state universities, Ivy Leagues, etc), what it commonly looks like on the ground is a far cry from the old liberal arts conception of education and involves a trajectory rife with ideological and moral hazards that parents ought to give an honest evaluation of.
Ben masterfully leads this episode, looking at the topic from every angle, while Chad bellows and blusters along as the underachieving co-host. The two give a critical shakedown of the default answers parents often give to their kids’ post-secondary choices. What are the significant risks inherent in sending your kids to college, and are those risks outweighed by the benefits? If things are in fact so bad, how did Ben and Chad manage to survive their time at college? And what are some intentional things that Christian parents can do to help their kids prepare for, and discern through, these kinds of important decisions?
SHOW NOTES:
Resources mentioned by Ben:
Episode 119- Soft Men
Looking for a kick in the pants as you wind down 2023 and ramp up for a New Year? Well, you’re in luck! Because Chad’s fresh off a failure and feeling a little rowdy. He’s tasted him some humble pie and, finding it rather helpful, he can’t resist the urge to imitate the late, great Kobe Bryant and share the Humble all around with some in-your-face straight talk!
Chad, coming to grips with his “loser” status, proceeds to rip it, MR-style, as Ben keeps up as co-host with his own big word and various voices. The two cohesively call out a number of categories where men might aim at becoming Mightier in 2024. Men: what ways are you stubbornly settling? Are you the master of your desires or are you mastered by them? Can you honestly say you’ve got your life’s priorities in proper order? And which man-demanding cause have you taken up during the last year?
SHOW NOTES:
Kobe Bryant – Soft Like Charmin (youtube.com)
Soft Kobe Bryant GIF – Soft Kobe Bryant No – Discover & Share GIFs (tenor.com)
Episode 118- Can Big Families Save the World? (Man Talk)
We once again fire up the four-microphone format known as the MAN TALK! Taking on this audacious question, our mic’d up Mighty hosts and co-hosts compare notes, tell stories, and sit with the topic long enough to see where the question will lead. Hang to the end and you’ll hear how each man concludes when the conversation comes to an end. (We’d love to hear your input on the topic as well, dear listener! Email: mightymen@manhoodrestored.tv )
Dr. Joshua Steinke and Matt Roessner are Men of Valor in their own rights, both at the helm of heroically large families! Joshua–the proud owner of two Nissan NVs–is the father of seven children, while Matt (and this isn’t a typo) is the father of nine! Both help lend perspective to Chad (7 kids) and Ben’s (4 kids) leading question, as the four fathers ride “27 deep” in this BIG discussion episode. How did each man end up being a father of a big family, and what is it like–the good, the bad, the ugly–raising so many kids? How does each man respond to the criticism that big families are a drain on scare resources and leave some of the kids wanting for individual attention? And what are some of the benefits a large family brings into the culture at large?
Episode 117- Why All Men Should Hunt
It’s official: Ben is a hunter! (Chad is still–most certainly–not.) Ben nabbed yet another buck this hunting season, and the process by which he accomplished that kill made him feel like he’d finally arrived. What about this year’s hunt brought him this sense of achievement? Now having found it, he tells his story and shares how he believes other men should strive for the same.
Ben scopes out an episode based on his hunting experience and leads the charge, as Chad wanders into unchartered territory as the co-host still sporting the same stereotypical salesman getup (khakis & polo for life!). The two gut this topic for all its meaty content. How is hunting a great example of a skilled activity that requires patience and the honing of a craft to become successful? What about being both immersed in nature and needing to be quiet while hunting can be so spiritually rewarding? And can Ben sell the salesman, Chad, on giving hunting a try?
Episode 116- Remember When: A Marriage Reflection
Whether you’re married 5 years or 50, looking back on the early days in your relationship with your spouse can bring about feelings of great nostalgia. The excitement of thinking she might be the one; the deep desire to have her become yours forever; moving into your first home together: these are memories with strong emotional resonance. They are the things we sing songs about! But how well, as the years go by, do we see the present moments of our marriage and the storybook ones of our past as being part of a connected whole?
Chad grabs the lead mic to twang out a tune for this episode, while Ben’s on the backup vocals hitting a nasally note as co-host. The two reminisce about their relationships with their wives, searching for meaningful threads that tie their present marriages back to past memories. What is a newly engaged couple dreaming of when they decide to share the rest of their lives with each other? What are some of the stories Chad and Ben recall about the early years of their respective marriages? What does it mean that two “become one flesh” (Mark 10:8) in marriage, and how can that oneness help us better understand the meaning of married love?
SHOW NOTES:
Book read in episode: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry | Goodreads
Andrew Peterson song referenced: Andrew Peterson – Dancing in the Minefields
(Official Video) – YouTube
Alan Jackson song (in episode title): https://youtu.be/TTA2buWlNyM
