Stahl is calling all Christian men to 40 days of devotions in their comfort zones and has detailed how in his first book, 40 Days in the Man Cave.
“All guys want a challenge and that is a certain challenge that guys can definitely attain and build on,” he said. “Find a place where you can take 10 to 15 minutes a day to read the devotions (in the book), talk to God and just build on your relationship with the Lord.”
As the title suggests, the intention is for readers to find their own cave, a comfortable setting which helps one to disconnect from the daily grind, where the devotions can be performed.
“Wherever it is, whether it is in your backyard, a room in your house, outside somewhere, just find a place to be alone,” he said. “Jesus needed time to get away from people sometimes. He was a busy guy and many times in the Scriptures it talks about Jesus needing to absolutely get away to get some solitude, some peace, so He could pray.
“So if He needed that time then it has got to be good for us too.”
Stahl insists that making it routine is key.
“I just say the value is having consistency,” he said, adding the goal is for that routine to continue after completing the challenge. “Hopefully after 40 days of reading the book and doing the challenge devotions have become something that you look forward to doing.”
Not only should the location be the same each day, so too should the time when the challenge is tackled. For Stahl, an illustrator and firefighter in Leamington, Ont., mornings worked best.
“Starting my day that way helped me,” he said. “It was where I began my thoughts and then my thoughts would end up going a lot more positive.”
And while setting the routine is up to the reader, the daily devotion is already laid out in the book.
“They are actually very random but they are very much what every guy, every man young or old, is going through in his own life,” he said. “They aren’t long devotions either, they’re really short, because guys don’t want to have three or four pages to read. So they’re just one page with a few of what I call cave time (Scripture) readings.”
Each chapter ends with a question, such as “are you tailgating or recklessly trying to push past God?” The devotions take basic Christian principles, such as the importance of staying in touch with God, and likens them to “guy stuff” such as boats, brotherhood and cowboys.
Topics covered include raising children, managing finances and marriage — all things which Stahl struggled with while going through a divorce prior to penning the book.
“The whole idea came about because I went through a lot of difficulty in my own life over the past years and it basically started at 40 years of age,” he said. “Making daily devotions a habit, I know for a fact that is what got me through that time in my life. Guys are bombarded a lot during the day with umpteen different things and it is a relief for us to be able to find a place where you can just get quiet and refuel.
“It helps a lot ... to just take a look at yourself and your relationship with God.”
To sign up for the challenge visit takethe40daychallenge.com.