What exactly is a tekton?
What does it mean to be a tekton?
Why should it matter?
I first heard the term “tekton” during a presentation by Jason Evert, a Catholic author and speaker. Here’s a paraphrased version:
The Church calls Joseph the “Terror of Demons” and the “Guardian of the Virgin.”
What a cool title! The Terror of Demons!
All those pictures you’ve seen of Joseph as an elderly man? Forget them.
Think this through. Do you know how long the walk is from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth? 600 miles. That’s like walking from Memphis to Chicago.
Are you going to put a 70-year-old man in charge of guarding a teenage virgin and a newborn baby for a 600-mile hike across three states?
I think not.
You know who you put in a charge? A tekton.
“Tekton” is the Greek word for “carpenter.” But it didn’t simply mean someone who sanded out tables. A tekton was a construction worker, lumberjack, and carpenter rolled into one.
They knocked down trees with their hands, using only an axe, and carried them through the streets. They made the yokes for ox plows and carried them through the streets.
Joseph carried those wooden beams, built houses with his hands, and worked with masonry and stone. He was a man’s man.
What image does that conjure up in your mind? What do you suppose that kind of man would look like?
Now, contrast that with the description of a modern office worker, as told by Nikil Saval in his book, “Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace:”
They had sharp penmanship and bad eyes, extravagant clothes but shrunken, unused bodies, back cramped from poor posture, fingers callused by constant writing. When they were not thin, angular and swallow; their paunches sagged onto their thighs.
Charmed, I’m sure.
It’s time to say “no” to man boobs, hunched backs, tight hips, beer bellies, and pipe-cleaner arms. It’s time to build the proper levels of:
- Mobility, so we can lift, spin, and dip our wives without throwing out our backs
- Strength, so we can lift our kids overhead without pulling every muscle in our necks and shoulders
- Flexibility, so we can go about our daily work without muscle relaxers and pain pills
It’s time not just to live, but to thrive.
It’s time to become a role model, a provider, a protector, a man among men. To fight back against the emasculation of men.
This world needs men to return. Our children need men to look up to, men who are worthy of emulation, men who love to play with them, but aren’t afraid to discipline them appropriately.
Our wives and girlfriends need strong men who aren’t afraid to love and lead. Men who can make the tough decisions and walk the straight-and-narrow, even when doing so is unpopular.
Our families need men who are engaged, not lost in their smartphones. They need men who can protect them from the dangerous criminals who prowl around the world. They need men who deter physical attacks simply with their presence.
This world needs men who are strong physically, mentally, and emotionally.
That’s why I call my approach “Tekton Body.” With my clients and friends, I focus on strength first, because strong bodies build strong minds and strong hearts. Not only that, but strength:
- Speeds fat loss
- Reduces risk factors for diabetes
- Prevents the muscle loss that begins in our 40s
- Improves energy
- Helps control depression
- Improves sleep
- Decreases stress
My goal with this “side hustle” is to help as many men as possible lose fat, get stronger, and build muscle. I want to inspire a new generation of tektons. A generation of men ready, willing, and able to lead.
Comment below if you’d like to learn more.
