Forge

Same 365 days.
Which year will it be?

Another year of meaning to

  • Meant to pray more
  • Meant to get strong again
  • Meant to read more
  • Meant to call him back

Dec 31 Same man.

A forged year

  • Prayed before I picked up my phone
  • Lifted three times this week
  • Read 20 pages tonight
  • Called him back

Dec 31 Forged.

Start your year Look around a sample year first

Not by willpower. Not alone.

You don’t change to earn anything.

Christ has already done what you never could. Forge is how you answer it: on purpose, every day, for one year, with a few men who will ask how it’s going and mean it.

The aim is simple and it isn’t small: a man who glorifies God and leads well, at home first, then everywhere else.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

This is the whole daily habit.

Five fires and your campaign mission, most days of the week. On a full day that’s about an hour, and mission time counts toward its fire. On a hard day, the minimum is under half an hour. Light them here.

Today’s fires 0 of 6 lit

You won’t do it alone.

One to four brothers. One meeting a week, called the Anvil. Each man brings five honest answers, in this order, and nobody leaves without being prayed for.

  1. SparkWhat went right
  2. SlagWhere you fell short, said plainly
  3. HearthHow home, or your closest people, really are
  4. StrikeYour one commitment
  5. AskHow to pray for you

If a brother goes quiet, you go after him within 48 hours.

Miss a day? Never miss twice.

You will miss. Sick kids, a brutal week, a flight. It doesn’t end the year. The day after, the minimum counts.

  1. Mon
  2. Tue
  3. WedMissed
  4. ThuEmber
  5. Fri
  6. Sat
  7. Sun

The Ember Day

The minimum that still counts.

  • Soul5 quiet minutes with God
  • BodyA 10-minute walk
  • Mind10 pages
  • HeartOne honest sentence to someone you love
  • Craft2 minutes planning tomorrow

Ten weeks at a time.

The five fires stay lit all year. Every ten weeks, a campaign turns one of them up: you pick one mission and keep it for ten weeks, with one real challenge each week. Week 5 is a checkpoint. In week 10 you read your debrief to your crew.

Temper · Forgedweeks 51–52

Foundation · Soul fire, weeks 1–10

Build an inner life that holds when feelings don’t.

Pick one mission. Keep it ten weeks.

  • The Daily Watch30 minutes with God every morning — Scripture, then prayer.
  • Read the StoryRead the four Gospels and Acts in 9 weeks (about 2 chapters a day).
  • Hidden WordsMemorize one psalm or long passage. Rehearse daily; recite it at the debrief.
  • Three PausesStop for 5 minutes morning, noon and night to pray.
  • The Honest Page15 minutes of written prayer every morning — honest, unfiltered, to God.

Iron · Body fire, weeks 11–20

Build a body that is strong, durable, and ready to carry the people you love.

Pick one mission. Keep it ten weeks.

  • Foundation Strength3 full-body strength sessions a week: squat, hinge, push, pull, carry.
  • The Engine4 conditioning sessions a week — run, ride, row, swim — 30+ minutes.
  • Ruck Up3 rucks a week, adding distance or weight every week.
  • Clean FuelWhole-food eating and no alcohol, 6 days a week.
  • Sleep ResetSame bedtime and 7+ hours of sleep, 6 nights a week.

Edge · Mind fire, weeks 21–30

Sharpen a mind that can focus, learn, decide, and make useful things.

Pick one mission. Keep it ten weeks.

  • Deep ReadFinish 3 serious books — 30+ minutes of reading, 6 days a week.
  • Skill BuildLearn one concrete skill with deliberate practice, 5 days a week.
  • Build a ThingShip one real project. 60 minutes of deep work on it, 5 days a week.
  • Feed FastNo social media or news feeds, plus 30 minutes of reading, 6 days a week.
  • Daily PagesWrite 500 words a day — essays, ideas, a story — 5 days a week.

Hearth · Heart fire, weeks 31–40

Become emotionally honest and fully present with the people closest to you.

Pick one mission. Keep it ten weeks.

  • Daily Check-In10 undistracted minutes with your wife — or the person closest to you — 6 days a week, plus one intentional time together.
  • Father’s HourFor fathers: present, phone-free time with your kids 5 days a week, plus one-on-one with each.
  • Phone DownPhone parked from 6–8 pm, 6 days a week.
  • RepairJournal your emotions daily and reach out to one strained relationship each week.
  • Band of BrothersContact one friend a day, 5 days a week, and get together in person weekly.

Legacy · Craft fire, weeks 41–50

Steward your work, your money, and your influence — and pass the fire on.

Pick one mission. Keep it ten weeks.

  • Money ClarityTrack every dollar daily and hold a weekly money meeting with your wife, or a brother who’ll keep you honest.
  • Debt HammerNo new debt, a quick look each day at what you spent, and one extra payment every week.
  • Deep Work90 minutes a day on your most important work, 5 days a week.
  • Pour InInvest weekly in a younger man, and prepare for it 5 days a week.
  • Build MarginEnd work at a set time — write tomorrow’s plan, then close the laptop — and no work after 7 pm, 5 days a week.

Then Temper and Forged, weeks 51–52: you look back on the year and finish it together.

A year from now, you’ll be one of two men.

Start your year

On your phone. Start any Monday. Bring a brother.