Tommy Boy: From Beloved Son to Legendary King
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Tommy Boy isn't just comedy - it's about finding courage through being beloved. Paul and Paul explore identity, brotherhood, and risking it all.
The Quotes
The scars feel more real than the Father’s love.
Feelings are a terrible barometer of what is true.
Core masculinity: strength in the service of love. Heroic willingness to accept sacrificial responsibility.
When you're secure in your father's love, you're free to risk everything for others.
If we truly live in the mindset of the beloved son, there really is nothing to lose.
The only guarantee is that I am with you.
Themes
Role of the beloved son
Receive the love of the father
Beloved son is the foundation for our work
Use inheritance to invest in the Kingdom
Nothing to lose, lives from abundance
We have to leave the beloved son stage in order to grow the Kingdom
Barriers to being the beloved son
Feels wasteful
Cynicism
The scars feel more real than the Father’s love
Feels naïve
In a hurry to get out of it
We want a guarantee
Richard as the elder son
Fatherless
Scarcity
Control
Lies of manhood
We have to be something we’re not in order to get what we want
Grinding and striving is the way to success
Cynicism and scarcity mark the path
What’s in front of us feels more real than the deeper truth of what can’t be seen
It’s all up to me
Resources
“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” - Proverbs 14:4 (ESV)
God’s Glory in Men’s Real Stories
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@godsgloryinmensrealstories
Website: https://godsgloryinmensrealstories.com/
“You are safe and secure in the refuge of God. That is the major theme…The enemy is arrogant, and he loves to intimidate us by making the war seem like the major theme. It is not.” - from Experience Jesus. Really by John Eldredge
Questions
What feelings does the idea of “beloved son” bring up?
How were you a beloved son growing up?
How were you abandoned from that role of beloved son?
When have you found yourself more like Richard - working hard to earn approval - versus Tommy, who simply receives his father's delight?
What "scars" in your life feel more real than God's love for you, and how do they show up in your relationships or decision-making?
How have difficult seasons or "road trips from hell" actually strengthened your closest friendships?
What would change if you truly believed you had "nothing to lose" because your Father's love is guaranteed?
Where are you chasing guarantees and safety nets instead of trusting God's presence with you?
How do you use humor - to heal and connect, or to hide and deflect?
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Logo and episode templates by Ian Johnston
Audio quotes performed by Britt Mooney, Paul McDonald, and Tim Willard, taken from Epic (written by John Eldredge) and Song of Albion (written by Stephen Lawhead).
Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock.
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