Dec. 15, 2025

Starting Again: Fall, Rise, Forget, Press-On

Starting Again

Most men don’t fall apart all at once.
They fall out of rhythm.

Life gets busy. Pressure builds. Schedules blow up. Energy runs dry. One missed workout turns into a month. One skipped quiet time turns into silence. And before you realize it, you’re not where you want to be anymore.

That’s why this episode is called Starting Again — because every man needs to know what to do after the fall.

Fall: It Happens to Every Man

Here’s the truth we hit hard in this episode:

Every man falls.

Not because he doesn’t care — but because life is heavy. Stress, exhaustion, responsibility, and distraction knock men off rhythm all the time. Falling isn’t the failure. Pretending it didn’t happen or refusing to get back up is.

If you’ve fallen behind spiritually, physically, or relationally — you’re not alone.

Rise: Getting Back Up Is the Discipline

This is where discipline actually begins.

Discipline isn’t perfection.
Discipline is rising.

It’s deciding to stand back up when it would be easier to stay down. It’s choosing movement over motivation. It’s taking the next right step — even if it’s small.

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life.
You just need to rise.

Forget: Stop Living in the Past

This is the hardest part for most men.

We remember:

  • the streak we broke

  • the habit we lost

  • the progress we wasted

Paul’s words in Philippians 3:13–14 are clear:

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on…”

Forgetting doesn’t mean pretending the past didn’t happen.
It means refusing to let it define your next step.

Shame keeps men stuck.
Forgetting frees them to move.

Press On: Direction Matters More Than Perfection

God is not asking for flawless consistency.

He’s asking for pursuit.

Pressing on means choosing direction over perfection. It means showing up again — even if yesterday was a mess. Growth doesn’t come from never falling; it comes from refusing to quit.

The men who grow are not the men who never fall.
They’re the men who keep pressing forward.

What Stops Men From Starting Again

Most men don’t stay down because they can’t get up — they stay down because of:

  • shame

  • all-or-nothing thinking

  • fear of failing again

Those voices feel convincing, but they lie. None of them move you forward.

How to Start Again (Without Overcomplicating It)

Here’s the simple path forward:

  • Start small — consistency beats intensity.

  • Start today — not when life slows down.

  • Start together — brotherhood makes restart possible.

You were never meant to do this alone.

The Bottom Line

If you’re off track, behind, or frustrated with yourself, remember this:

Fall. It happens.
Rise. Get back up.
Forget. Leave the past where it belongs.
Press on. Move forward in faith.

That’s discipline.
Not perfection — but getting back up again.

If this resonated with you, listen to the full episode of Starting Again on the Tough Men of Faith podcast and share it with a brother who needs to hear it.