The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

Having just arrived back home from the Middle East, Stephen gives a first-hand account of the situation facing Kurdistan today. This is the final episode of a two-part series. Part 1 [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']Image courtesy of NBC News[/custom_font]

Having just arrived back home from the Middle East, Stephen gives a first-hand account of the situation facing Kurdistan today. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']Image courtesy of Nyaz Levi on WallpapersWide[/custom_font]

As of the release of this episode, Stephen is in Kurdistan meeting with Kurdish leaders and encouraging Kurdish troops and youth. In this episode, he explains why he has risked this trip and what he believes our “Kurdish moment” means to our generation. Adding to his descriptions of the Kurds in his book The Miracle of the Kurds, Stephen explains why the battle against ISIS should be of concern to all Americans and why the Kurds are to critical to it.

In 2008, Stephen Mansfield wrote The Faith of Barack Obama. It was an international bestseller, which followed his previous worldwide hit The Faith of George W. Bush. In his groundbreaking book, Stephen argued that Obama was a Christian, but was liberal theologically and politically. In an era when nearly 30% of Americans thought Obama was a Muslim, this was controversial. Was Stephen right? Find out what he says in this week's podcast. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']CC image courtesy of Ash Carter on Flickr[/custom_font]

The role of mothers throughout history is often decisive and unrecognized. In this tender podcast, Stephen celebrates mothers in history and describes the profound role they can play in the lives of their children. This podcast is perfect preparation for Mother’s Day but it is also an important reminder about mothers and mothering for the whole year round. After you hear this, you’ll want to share it widely. Feel free. We provide all the social media tools you’ll need on this podcast page. CC image courtesy of Leo Reynolds on Flickr

We all have habits we wish we could break. Some of our habits may even have led us into addiction. We know what we ought to do yet find doing it nearly impossible. Drawing some helpful truths from the field of brain science, Stephen offers a new way to look at our habits. The insight he gives us can help us break bad habits and establish new and healthier ones. This podcast really could be a life changer! [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']CC image courtesy of _DJ_ on Flickr[/custom_font]

The news that reaches us about ISIS and its atrocities would lead us to conclude that this viscous terrorist force is winning its battle for control of the Middle East. The truth is that ISIS wins only headlines and only because it targets the helpless and unsuspecting. The beheading of kidnapped Christians and slaughter of Izidi children gets media attention but it means nothing about gains on the ground. Instead, the Kurds and their allies are defeating ISIS in nearly every engagement. This is a story far less reported in the western press. In this encouraging podcast, Stephen reports that the battle against ISIS is not what we have been told, and that victory could turn on the passage of a bill just recently proposed in the U.S. Congress. Learn more about H.R.1654 [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']CC image courtesy of DVIDSHUB on Flickr[/custom_font]

Everyone creates a culture around themselves. A culture is merely the result of what we encourage to grow. Some people create cultures of anger and bitterness. Some of sarcasm and insult. Others create cultures that encourage and inspire. Stephen believes that every man should be working to create a culture of righteous manhood in his life. By what he says, how he acts, what he surrounds himself with and what he encourages in the lives of others, he should be constantly creating a culture of manhood that is inviting, ennobling and transforming. In this podcast, Stephen talks about how this is done. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']CC image courtesy of Hernán Piñera on Flickr[/custom_font]

The troubling fact is that true manhood—noble, righteous, great manhood—is not something a man can achieve on his own. He needs a band of brothers who join him in this all-important project of striving for genuine manhood. Yet surveys reveal that most men today live nearly friendless and so have nothing in their lives approaching a meaningful band of brothers. In this podcast, Stephen describes how to build a band of brothers. It is a topic dear to him. He believes that men must be intentional about these “strategic friendships” and that crafting them is one of the great skills of genuine manhood. Stephen also believes that these relationships can be among the great treasures of a man’s life—and a whole lot of fun! [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']Photo from a "GreatMan Event" courtesy of Idintify Media[/custom_font]

From the moment Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men was released, a new type of men’s event came into being. It is not the stadium event we know from recent men’s movements. Instead, it is smaller, more intimate and certainly harder hitting. Stephen calls these events “GreatMan” events. In this podcast, Stephen describes this new type of high-impact event. He explains the elements of a GreatMan weekend and even recalls what he has seen take place in the lives of men who attend. [custom_font font_family='Open Sans' font_size='11' line_height='26' font_style='none' text_align='left' font_weight='300' color='' background_color='' text_decoration='none' text_shadow='no' padding='0px' margin='0px']Image courtesy of Idintify Media on Flickr[/custom_font]