Week 2 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Book-And...






It's week 2 in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Book-And.  This week's giveaway, which I believe you're really gonna like, involves introducing you to a man I know.  His name is Xan Hood; he's a husband (wife, Jayne), author, ministry leader, entrepreneur, and also a good friend of mine.  Several years ago, Xan and a friend of his, Cory Smith, birthed a ministry they call Training Ground. In a nutshell, it's a twelve week discipleship experience for young men aged 18-25.  There is much talk these days of initiating boys into manhood; unfortunately, much of it is talk. Training Ground is an attempt to shut up and do something. Their mission is to "grow men of character and heart who will impact their community, their family, and the next generation to come."  Pretty heavy, huh?  The twelve weeks are full of work (often grunt-barely-minimum-wage work), wilderness (everything from learning to fly fish to backpacking trips), and worship (learning to pay attention to God).  The experience is also filled (and I love this) with the presence of older men who have agreed to walk alongside the younger men, offering something rare these days - wisdom.    


John: Xan, you've been leading Training Ground groups for 3 years now.  I'm sure the young men have grown in the experience; how have you grown?
XanWell, it seems that often we create or find ourselves in the places we need the most. We are selfish people, probably filling in our own empty places. I have always served in a place I needed as much as those I was around. I think by being able to watch the Lord really grow and mature young men, I have been able to see where I need that as well. I’m only a few years ahead of some of these guys, but it seems to be the beautiful tension. I am like them, but I also know what they need because of the few years ahead. Their courage to risk invites me.

John: The latest adventure for you is launching a clothing line - BuffaloandCompany.  Your tagline is 'honor your wild' - what's that about?
Xan: I never inspired to design clothes, but there seemed this opportunity to wed two worlds I am still trying to reconcile, ministry and business. They seem at times like two opposing forces. We talk a lot at Training Ground about initiation, and it seems that for most young men in college, that context comes through the world of business. I have wondered what it would mean to start a business that is about growing young men in that setting.

The 'honor your wild' came out of this loss of a masculine identity for so many young men today. We have so much fashion - Hair gel; Skinny Jeans; Pre-frayed clothes; the preppy looks. While I believe that is one side of a man, I feel as if the balance is way off. Too much luxurious symbols of class like Ralph Lauren Polo, Nautica, Brooks Brothers. Young men wear these shirts to identify with these brands but have no real connection to them. For many men, from Teddy Roosevelt to me, we had to head west, into wilderness and testing to find this side of ourselves not offered in classrooms and in cultured city life. Buffalo and Company is a symbol of hope - finding something that's been lost.

John: And there is yet another adventure not too far out on the horizon, right?  Fatherhood? You ready for that?
Xan: My friend, Krue, said this about creating his own family: “Most people don’t want to have many kids because it takes them away from being around people. But we wanted to make little people who we would like to be around.” I thought, wow, that is what I would love to do with Jayne - make people. We are in the honeymoon of that, soon expecting our first child, a little lady. I do look forward to what it will make of me. I thought 9 months would be enough time to prepare me, but I tell you, I can’t even get my taxes done in that time span, let alone prepare for a child. Is there an H & R Block that also gives parenting advice?

John: And remind the folks of the web addresses for TG and Buffalo - 


So now you've met Xan.  Please check out the website for Training Ground. You may know of a young man who would greatly benefit from such an experience; trust me, there are not many offerings like this out there.  And last but not least, check out the bufffaloandcompany site; do so to see what Xan is up to but also to see the shirts and caps they currently offer...because I'm giving away a shirt and cap to this week's winner.  Ladies, this is a chance to win something for thy man.  Men, who can't use a good shirt and cap? Leave a comment telling me the Christmas gift you most remember.  And, as always, I'll pray for you and yours as I read the comments. The drawing is first thing Friday morning.  

22 comments:

  1. Wow, John. Getting up mighty early to write these posts. Thanks for the introduction to Xan. I recall you mentioning Training Ground some time ago... Didn't you and Will go on a Training Ground weekend?

    Love Xan's new website and have several folk in mind to give a shirt and cap... Also would like to find a way to advertise and get him some campus reps at OBU.

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  2. Ok... now for my favorite Christmas memory/gift. One year shortly after my brother in law becames part of our family, he suggested giving to others instead of one another. Each person was to choose what was on their heart and gifts were to go to that organization. To long ago to recall what my choice was... Probably International Students Inc or Samaritan's purse. We got to know one another better by knowing what was on their heart.

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  3. This is an easy one for me. I was in college, and my whole family had spent hours working together to strip and stain a piece of furniture that my grandmother had given to my mother when she got married. I was so shocked by the thoughtfulness and time put into the gift that it remains my favorite. Plus, every time I walk by it, dust it, etc. I get to be thankful all over again!

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  4. Favorite memory? Prolly singing "Lord, Let Your Light Shine On Us" while lighting candles together in our Christmas Eve service. Not sure if that's the title, but I looked on iTunes and there's eleventy million variations of that title, and I couldn't find the tune. Very pretty. I like it because the candlelight from person to person, filling the whole sanctuary, gives me hope. It's also a service when everyone in the family attends. Favorite gift? Tough. Certainly a favorite was the Peter Rabbit toy that Big gave me when we were expecting David. Lurve Beatrix Potter, and the baby's room was going to be Peter Rabbit, whether pink or blue.

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  5. I definately have a man who honors his wild!
    My favorite Christmas gift memory is when My Mother in Law gave gifts to Samaritan's Purse in my 3 daughters names. She made them personal to each girl, one was a goat that gave milk because my youngest was having a hard time keeping food down. One was vegetable seeds for the outdoorsie one. And baby chicks for my oldest because she is such a mother hen.

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  6. Thanks for introducing Xan to everyone. A good friend of mine knows him and his blog is why I blog or why I feel ok blogging - same difference, I guess.

    My favorite Christmas gift was the XBox - don't judge just yet. My wife gave it to me for our first Christmas, 3 months after we got married. At first it just confirmed to me that my wife was cool. It took a while to see it for what it was - an invitation to continue playing. This will be our 7th married Christmas, and that gift may be part of the reason a stolen kiss under the mistletoe after the kido goes to bed is as fun as making out under the homecoming bleachers was some 11 years ago.

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  7. I can still see them now....Christmas 1981....my brother and I got matching Dukes of Hazzard "Big Wheels". Rode those bad boys until the wheels fell off!!!

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  8. the christmas gift i most remember from childhood was the bicycle. my sister and i both got one.

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  9. I think your friend's ministry is so needed, John. I would love to have my boys participate in it when they're old enough.

    Fave christmas present? My green "big girl" bike under the tree in 1977.

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  10. My favorite ever is a small carousel from my son that he bought with his own money. He was soooo proud to give it to me.

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  11. a baby doll I named Amy Jo. I still have her...many many years later.

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  12. It's hard to pick one, but the first one that popped to my mind was a box of paperback books my brother gave me when I was about 10. I thought I was in heaven.

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  13. My favorite present had to be the electric race car set - you remember, the kind with the track where if you ran your car too fast it would spin off the track and go flying across the room.

    Thanks for your blog, John.

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  14. My favorite Christmas gift was from Lauren. Last year she found a picture of the two of us taken when she was 1 year old. It was just a random snapshot taken by my mother-in-law's pool. She gave the picture to an artist friend (OBU student) and she painted an amazing impressionist portrait of the picture. Wonderful because she thought to have it done.... wonderful because it's a sweet reminder of our special bond. Love that girl!

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  15. Imagine 2 black-headed, brown-eyed Mayan/American beloved 4 year olds laughing their guts out sitting behind the plastic dash of a mini Red GT Mustang - convertible, of course (the pink one was parked in the garage momentarily so they could go on a "date")...if I only had a nickel for every minute they have spent cruisin' around
    in last year's Christmas presents! Such joy is PRICELESS! Who says money can't buy happiness? Thank you, WALMART!
    P.S. We would LOVE a copy of that book, John!

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  16. My favorite memory/gift of Christmas was my oldest son's first Christmas when he opened his presents on his daddy's lap. After suffering through infertility for over 5 years and not knowing if God had plans for us to be parents, it was just an amazing morning watching our son open his presents.

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  17. Hmmm, Christmas gift I most remember. Well, the most memorable gift I ever got was a firetruck when I was maybe 8 or 9. Why do I remember that one the most??? No idea.

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  18. Wow, this was tough. I have had so many favorites over the years but one from last year takes the prize. I have quite a nativity collection and last year my daughter Darby handmade me the most beautiful, precious nativity. She found the pattern online and it's made from LOTS of yarn and pipe cleaners and very intricate with all the traditional figures. It's even more special because as a graduate student her time is so valuable and she spend so much of it on something for me.

    Love you guys! Give Meredith and the kids a hug! Kim Hunter

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  19. The Christmas before my parents divorced our parents went all out- I received a birthstone ring and a dollhouse, my brothers, a train set and fire engine pedal rider. We all still have those gifts and it has been almost 20 years. Found your blog from your wife's blog that I found through Carrie and Monica's blog. God Bless.

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  20. Well after 6 years of getting house slippers for Christmas, I had to think back to childhood years for a more honest answer.
    Every year before opening any presents I'd go to my stocking in search of my yearly treat.
    Every year we'd get one of those books of LifeSavers.
    I'd grab the butterscotch role and trade the others tow for one with my brothers to get their butterscotch rolls.
    Cheap and simple maybe, but I always loved those butterscotch LifeSavers.
    Speaking of books, I'm sure anyone that receives the book "Touching Wonder" this year will always tell how it made the perfect Christmas gift. Available on www.amazon.com www.amazon.co.uk and all fine book dealers.
    (do I get any extra points for that last comment?)

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  21. I was led here by Mer, as I've been reading her blog for almost a year now.

    My Christmas gift I most remember is that of my own Xan. Christmas of 2004 was his first. We had been planning a big get-together for Christmas Eve and I'd already made and frozen some of the food, when on December 23rd there was an ice storm. It ended up knocking out the power for 4 days, resulting in my baby Xander spending his very first Christmas in the homes of others.

    At the time I was horribly sad. But looking back, I realize that maybe it happened for the simple fact that I needed to quit worrying about the perfectness of what I had planned, which is what I had to do because there was no other choice. I just enjoyed my little guy and the greatness that was the gift of his life. There is nothing better than sharing Christmas with an infant to make you remember what Christmas is all about.

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  22. Nice to meet you, Xan...

    One of my favorite Christmas gift memories was the year I'd been begging and begging my mother to let me shave my legs....to no avail and then for Christmas I got a tortoise shell Personal Touch razor that could hang on the shower wall....such a milestone!! I remember thinking, "this is it, I'm a woman!!" ha!

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