KOZ Blog | Mentoring Boys Outdoors & Outdoor Ministry Resources

A Christian mentor reading the Bible with a young boy outdoors, showing the impact of mentoring boys through faith and relationships.

When I think back on my childhood and my relationship with my dad, there are certain things I remember. I remember him being present when I was little. I remember a couple of specific times when he stood up for me. Once, a baseball coach didn’t play me in a game, and my dad wasn’t

Years ago, I wrote a story called Stinging Worms for Chicken Soup for the Country Soul. I’ve told the story plenty of times since then, but recently it came back to me because I couldn’t stop thinking about how closely it relates to mentoring boys in today’s culture. Our boys are growing up surrounded by

September 1st was opening day of dove season here in Central Texas, and over the last few years, it has become a tradition for our family. This year, my youngest son, Jon-Michael, and I got out for an afternoon hunt. It was hot, the birds were flying, and we had a fantastic hunt. While I

I was finishing up a run recently when a song stopped me in my tracks. There was a line about joining a “mighty set of misfits,” and I immediately thought about KOZ. I’ve used words like rogue and feral to describe us over the years because we’ve never been afraid of doing ministry a little

It doesn’t matter whether a boy grows up in the city or the country, or halfway around the world. His circumstances may be different, but I’ve learned after years of working with boys that what every boy needs from a man is remarkably similar. Boys want adventure and they want to belong. They want to

Sometimes the boy who gives you the most trouble is the boy who needs you the most. My wife told me something years ago that has stuck with me: Don’t just look at the outside reaction; consider what’s going on inside. That’s easy to say, but it can be a lot harder to remember when

There are some lessons you can’t teach from a classroom. You have to teach them sitting on a porch before sunrise, walking down a trail, or casting a fishing line into a quiet pond while the rest of the world is still asleep. One of my favorite things about KOZ is introducing boys to the

It’s amazing how often God teaches us life’s biggest lessons through ordinary moments. For me, it happened while mowing. After being gone for several days, I came home to grass that had exploded from all the rain we’ve been getting here in Texas. I spent hours on the zero-turn mower in the heat and dust.

Every morning, Hinge, my dog, and I take a walk. We’ve been doing it for nearly five years now and it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s a chance to spend some quiet time with the Lord before life gets busy. Most mornings are pretty routine, but one walk this week