You were made out of the dirt, molded from the clay, and that’s also where you are called to return.  It’s where you relate—the field of contest—whether it’s a football field, a baseball field, a golf course, or even a battlefield.  It’s on the field of contest that man clashes with other men sharpening his skills and strengthening his resolve.

Women relate face-to-face sharing feelings; men relate shoulder-to-shoulder facing challenges.  A woman tells you what she feels; a man tells you what he thinks.

The Bible says, “Iron sharpens iron, a man sharpens another man.” Iron does not sharpen with a caress but with a clash.  You become a better man by the competition.  The struggle strengthens you.

Do you always win?

No, but you become a better man.  The competition conditions you.

The field of contest has always been in the heart of a man.  Early man left the home to hunt in the field, to kill a wild beast, and to bring it home as a prize for his family.  The family celebrated his victory by cooking and feasting on his conquest.  At dinner, he was served first, because he was “The Man!”

Even though we still leave the house to enter the field of contest and return with provisions, something seems lost in translation when all we bring home is a paycheck.  The family doesn’t celebrate dad’s victories anymore.  Celebration has become expectation.  The family feels cheated if the money isn’t there when they want the latest cultural phenomenon.  The husband/father no longer receives honor for being the provider.  The dignity of vocation no longer commands respect.

“Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness,
is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man.”

—John Eldredge

The adventurous spirit slowly dies when a man has to live his whole life refined in designer clothes.  Sometimes a man needs to get back out into the dirt and play as he did when he was a child.

So how about it, men? What do you do to get your “fingers in the dirt” and reclaim the adventurous spirit?

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This article is an excerpt from the book Fivestarman—The Five Passions of Authentic Manhood by Neil Kennedy.  To learn more about Fivestarman or to order your copy of Fivestarman—The Five Passions of Authentic Manhood please visit www.fivestarman.com.

You are free and welcome to re-publish, re-post, and in general share this article with any and all, so long as you keep all credits and links intact. For reprint rights, please contact us at info@fivestarman.com.

Washington (CNN) – Trevor Bayne may have won the Daytona 500 on Sunday, but a small charity he name-dropped will share in the spoils of victory.

The 20-year-old NASCAR driver was racing in just his second Sprint Cup competition and is now etched in the record books as the youngest driver to win the sports’ biggest race.

“I never thought in a million years we were gonna win our first one,” Bayne told CNN Monday morning. “It’s incredible.”

During his post-race news conference, Bayne was asked how he would spend some of the $1,463,813 purse he won from the race.

“I don’t know if I will splurge. I am definitely not putting it up for retirement yet, I am going to stay around for awhile,” Bayne said.

“Hopefully this money will help us get some more races, and there are a lot of foundations and ministries that need support. Back2Back ministries in Mexico is one, and there are a lot of good organizations that need some help, and we will help them out as much as we can.”

In a sport that has ads plastered over nearly every inch of the drivers and their cars, it was a big deal for Bayne to namedrop the Christian charity.

Trevor Bayne visits with an orphan on a trip to Mexico in November.

Back2Back is an independent Christian charity working with orphans and the needy in Mexico, Nigeria and India. Bayne was introduced to the charity by Lonnie Clouse, a former chaplain for NASCAR with Motor Racing Outreach, who is now on staff with Back2Back.

“I assure you it was nothing short of miraculous.  Trever called me yesterday from the media center after the win with tears in his eyes and we prayed together over the phone,” Clouse said by phone from Monterrey, Mexico.

“This was part of God’s script and God’s plan for him.  He’s using his platform to talk about those with no voice and [about] orphan awareness.”

Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) provides weekend church services and Bible studies for NASCAR drivers and their teams who can’t get away from the track on race weekends. Clouse was MRO’s traveling chaplain for the NASCAR Nationwide series.

“Bayne was a faithful attendee at all our Nationwide Bible studies.  He would sit in the front row.  He would get up and read scripture or open in prayer, whatever we needed,” Clouse said.

Bayne traveled to Mexico to work with Clouse in November. “He was down here in Mexico staying with us and serving along side us helping with orphans,” Clouse said.

“We went and visited orphanages. He made quite an impression here. He was out playing soccer with the orphans.  We huddled them all around, and Trevor got to talk to them about what he did.  They were asking him how fast he went.  Most of them had no clue who he was and what he did,” Clouse said.

Bayne visits with an orphan on a trip to Mexico in November.

After the race Clouse gathered the orphans together and filled them in on Bayne’s big win. “It was exciting for them to hear how well he did.”

Clouse was ordained in a non-denominational church. MRO pulls chaplains from many different denominations. Clouse said Bayne is member of a church near his home but gets most of his spiritual nourishment on the road from MRO.

For the former chaplain, all those Bible studies at the race track paid off when Bayne was in the winners circle.

“He summed up the two greatest commandments, ‘Love the lord your God with all your heart’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  He got up on that stage and he was able to articulate those things beautifully.  It was a very very proud moment for me and for MRO.”

Brian Jennings shares his passion of living for Jesus on and off the waves. http://www.ransom.tv

You’ve most likely seen these guys on one of the numerous TV shows that have featured their amazing and real trick basketball shots. But did you know that they are also using their newfound fame as a platform to help others?

According to their site, DudePerfect.com, Dude Perfect began as a group of six college buddies simply trying trick shots. After a few more-than-impressive shots were captured, they threw the videos up on YouTube and became a viral sensation.

Yes, the shots are all real, and yes, most of the shots took many takes, but the point they make is this: just because something looks hard that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. That’s a determined strategy that would serve us all quite well.

Ultimately, Dude Perfect is a group of college guys that follow Jesus.

“We as the Dude Perfect Team, have decided to try to use that interest that has come from our videos for a cause greater than ourselves… that is, reaching out to help others in need. Don’t get us wrong, as you can tell we love to entertain and are quite happy that people enjoy watching our videos, maybe almost as much as we enjoy creating them. But, we also understand that it’s not all about us, and we want to try and help those less fortunate.”

Dud Perfect has teamed up with Compassion International to fight against malaria (www.compassion.com/dudeperfectmalaria) and have helped in Compassion’s effort to bring clean water to children around the world (www.compassion.com/dudeperfectwater).

Way to go guys! Talk about using your passion and creativity to further a cause and leave a legacy. A Fivestar shout out to Dude Perfect!

Saved By The Bell

Keith Reed imparts important messages to the at-risk youths who work out in his gym.

She was falling. Fast. Smoking weed, drinking and hanging out with the wrong people. Cheyenne McKinney went from someone who was doing a lot at Booker T. Washington High School to someone who no one thought would graduate.

She had lost her motivation, her inspiration to do anything.

She lost her Pops. He died in April 2008 and she didn’t know what to do.

Then she took a second look at Orlando Hawkins. He had been a friend at Booker T., but had gotten in trouble and was arrested. But he found a way to stop falling out of a good life. He became a boxer.

Cheyenne McKinney takes a break between rounds at The Reed Foundation boxing gym in north Tulsa. “As soon as I met Coach Reed, it’s like, that’s the turning point in my life,” she says.

She wasn’t sure if it was going to work for her. Her mother certainly didn’t think so when she drove her daughter up to Keith Reed’s boxing gym near Apache Street and Cincinnati Avenue.

“I’m not letting you get out in this ghetto neighborhood,” McKinney recalls her mother saying. “Go ask that man who the boxing coach is.”

Soon they met the man inside the building. A thick-framed man, 6 feet tall, 275 pounds, with a gold-tooth speckled smile. He wasn’t like her Pops, a man she called “her heart.” But Cheyenne quickly found out Reed would serve a different role. She would eventually call him her savior.

“As soon as I met Coach Reed, it’s like, that’s the turning point in my life,” McKinney said.

Back then, almost two years ago, the Reed Foundation boxing gym in north Tulsa was rough.

“We just had a real raggedy building, you know, you could see the sky, the rain, it was terrible,” Reed said.

That wasn’t the way Reed remembered it. The building had been a boys club when Reed was a kid. In the early ’70s, it was thriving with athletic programs, and would eventually lead Reed to find himself and his passion.

“Without boxing, I could have been real hot-headed. Boxing cooled the head down because once you get into boxing, you realize you’re not the toughest person in the world,” Reed said. “There’s always somebody who’s tougher than you are.”

Boxing took Reed around the world as a teenager. He’s a Golden Glove winner who won third place in nationals when he was 17 years old. He has fought big names such as Sugar Ray Leonard.

Those experiences taught him to love his fellow man, he said. Now he spends four hours every night re-giving the gift that the boys club gave him.

Today, the Reed Foundation gym features two boxing rings, pro equipment, treadmills and about 60 members, including Cheyenne, someone who graduated her senior year with A’s and B’s and has her sights set on the Olympics in 2012.

It’s here that Reed takes at-risk youths and teaches them self-confidence and discipline through the sport of boxing.

“I just stick by him, and they call me ‘Little Reed,’ ” McKinney said.

“I asked my mom, like, ‘did you ever think boxing would be my turning point?’ ” McKinney said. “This could be my future. I never thought about it like that.”

Read more from this Tulsa World article at www.tulsaworld.com.

Wiley Petersen, from Fort Hall, Idaho, dreamed of being a Professional Bull Rider since he was ten years old. He became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ when he was eighteen and now uses the platform he has as a Pro Bull Rider to share his faith with everyone he meets.

“Since the day that I committed my life to Christ, my eyes have been opened to so many amazing things that God is doing. My life now has purpose. Everyday I fall more in love with my Savior and best friend.

I know that God is calling me into some sort of ministry (as He does everyone who surrenders to Him), and I just take life one day at a time. I know that I must keep my eyes on Him and my ears open to His voice.

Since I was ten years old, I have dreamed of being a Professional Bull Rider and now with God, I have seen that dream come true. I know that the same can be true for everyone. All we have to do is put God first in our lives and be willing to do what He wants us to do. Everything falls into place when we let God do the work.” -Wiley Peteresen

Learn more about Wiley at www.wileypetersen.com

Nascar Driver Blake Koch is bringing the message of hope to the fast tracks of Nascar thanks to his sponsors GodSpeaks.com and Daystar Television Network.

Blake has been racing cars for the past three years. In 2009 Blake finished 8th in the final point standings in the NASCAR Camping World West Series, runner up for the Sunoco Rookie of the year award, and made two NASCAR Nationwide Series starts finishing 17th on the lead lap on his first Nationwide race. Prior to this type of racing, Blake raced motocross for 8 years with numerous accomplishments and made a very good name for himself and for his sponsors.

Blake was considered one of the top racers in Florida and one of the top 20 racers in the Nation. With a noticeable natural talent and passion for racing, Blake will do what it takes to succeed in his new racing career.

“My goal is to win races this year, give God all of the glory and I will do what ever it takes to make it happen!”

Learn more about Blake and his racing schedule at http://www.blakekoch.com.