ABOUT

WHAT IS A VICEROY?

Viceroy is a brand of tobacco cigarettes, a smaller version of the North American monarch butterfly, and a luxury hotel chain. It's also the name of this group of contributing writers - men who have experience leading homes, businesses, church communities, and civic organizations because they care about one thing: establishing the King's order in the earth. Now, we could have called ourselves anything, but we landed on 'Viceroy' for this one reason - a viceroy is a ruler exercising authority in a colony on behalf of a sovereign. It means we don't manage our households and endeavors based solely on how we would prefer to handle things, or how our surrounding culture would want us to run our operations, or according to the latest research in x, y, or z. No. We are men under command.

The name assumes a few things: one, there is a King who has a few plans and purposes for the terrain you and I occupy, two - those plans are knowable (for those interested in the pursuit of this kind of knowledge), and three - it is a noble pursuit, costly as it may be. The terrain is difficult. There are hostile forces about. Our resources are limited. A great many people's well being depends on our ability to bring Kingly order - a cosmic order - under good governance. The natural tendency of most everything here on terra-firma is a steady descent into chaos. Maybe you've noticed - maybe you intend to do something about it.

OK, BUT IS THIS FOR ME?

It might be. You certainly can be a Viceroy - the invitation is extended to you. But, it does seem that most men are not interested in this sort of thing. Here are a few considerations that will help you figure out whether this mission is right for you. 

Viceroys walk lock-step with Christ the King - imperfectly of course. Our hearts are not in open rebellion to His rule and dominion. We have put knees into the dirt and consider every aspect of our lives as submitted to His name. We believe that our naturally deviant hearts will eventually succumb to the King. In the meantime, we practice submitting.

Ruling our own hearts is the first step in bringing anything else into order. Viceroys think about very, very long timelines. When friends ask, 'How's it going?' - we are apt to respond 'it's too early to tell.' Most of what we build, nurture, and steward won't produce for many years. We think in multi-generational decades. The decisions we make next Tuesday will ripple into the next century. Immediate turn-arounds, quick fruiting, and expedience are welcomed rarities in our long-vision approach to building the King's culture where we live. So rare, in fact, that they're met with shouts of surprise and high-fives by everyone in sight!

Viceroys build a King-centered culture wherever we apply our energy. The home isn't the 'wifely domain' or 'a man's castle.' We don't hit the default settings in our homes - we don't simply manage our household the way we saw our fathers do it, or a TV Dad that probably landed in some scandal somewhere, and we don't think 'gosh, I'm tired from work - I talk all day long - I deserve four or five hours to myself every night deep-diving into e-sports or scrolling on my phone - I've earned the right not to be bothered.' That's the easy route. That's the wider culture's way of managing a home.

We also know our King is not a tyrant - so we wouldn't represent the King's culture as iron-rod, short-tempered tantrums directed at cowering family members. Viceroys know that culture-building is time-consuming and exhausting and wonderful all at the same time. Any man who abdicates the management of his household to a frazzled, unsupported wife is not a Viceroy - he's some part jerk, some part sloth, and sadly - very typical.

Now, you may be thinking: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Sure, I'm a dad. But, I work really hard at a big job that takes all my energy. We put the kids in sports and Scouts. We take a trip every year - we go fishing. I try and keep the wife happy. But give me a break, man, I'm worn out and the Giants finally look like they're going to make a run at the title this year. You guys are asking a lot and talking a big game that seems super weird and kinda confusing. Have fun, but I'm good! No problem. It's cool. Just remember - you represent the King whether you do it well or not. The role is entrusted to you no matter how you feel about it or whether you deeply apply yourself.

Once you start a household, there are bigger responsibilities than keeping the groceries stocked and the grass mowed. When the King shows up at the end of the story, He will be asking questions about how you managed His estate. That is true regardless of how we feel about it.

the progression toward Viceroy living

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Think of this as a formal invitation into a group of guys like you - sorry we skimped on the embossed envelopes. We are men who run things. We're advocating a lifestyle that knee-slides across the grain of popular-culture with a Stratocaster guitar. It doesn't bother us to be misaligned with pop culture - in fact, we are advocating a complete reversal of the post-modern, hyper-individualistic, purposeless, self-absorbed and thus deeply unhappy moment. To be clear: people are going to look at you sideways if you really embark on this kind of Viceroy project with your life, budgets, lineage, and reputation. They are going to call you all the worst names without any backing for such accusations.

We look to Psalm 90 - a prayer of Moses (a most-excellent Viceroy). It centers around the plea to understand one's lifespan and to contextually discern what is of importance now versus then. Teach us to number our days, that we may serve Thee with a heart of wisdom is a Viceroy's kind of prayer. A man in his late twenties will consider his household differently than a man at 77, so we attempt to speak to the various life-stages of men as they constantly calibrate their projects, relationships, and trajectories on their march toward their eternal rewards. You can clearly see here that we are after larger, more ambitious stuff than a nice retirement package and a home on a golf course.

So, perhaps we are a little crazy. You're welcome to join us! There's plenty of room. We're going to push every good resource we can find to help you develop strategies, grab pertinent information, understand 'the why,' and link arms with other men commissioned with the same tasks. We know where to find great thinkers, writers, and exemplary models. We will try and feature as many of them as possible, so check back often and join the mailing list for updates. We also sell a few things to keep the lights on around here - we appreciate the support. Stay tuned to find full access to anything churn out in 2024. IF you read this far and aren't throwing things at your screen - GET IN HERE.