"I know. I almost want to apologize. Dear Lord- do we really need another book for men? Nope. We need something else. We need Permission. Permission to live from the heart and not from the list of 'should' and 'ought to' that has left so many of us tired and bored."
It is with these words that this book, and our journey begin. Many of us have seen the books that try to fix us, but never quite do the job. Some don't even come close. They offer a band-aid when serious stitches are needed. And as this book states, we don't need a book, but permission. We need, and long for, permission to be the men we were created to be. We need permission, not to set responsibility aside, but to take risks, to live with passion, to be men who live, not simply exist.
As a boy my favorite movie was Disney's "Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier." I had the coon skin cap (made out of actual raccoon fur back then), a powder horn, toy rifle, and my mom even made me an outfit out of actual deer skin that my dad had gotten over several hunting trips. It was awesome. I remember making a tent in my room, cutting down trees (my sister is still amazed that my parents let an 8 year old boy have an ax), shooting a bow and arrow and BB gun, and just having a great time as a kid.
My dad hunted, one of his few hobbies, and eventually I started going on those with him, but one thing I always wanted to do was camp. I'd had tents set up in the living room and the kitchen, but it wasn't real camping. My dad was never into that, and I actually didn't go camping for real until I was in my early 20's. And so it was something I set aside and sort of forgot about, until I was in college.
Sometime during my junior year I met someone who would become one of closest friends, one of my sons will be named after him. Jeremy was an Eagle Scout, and loved the outdoors like I did. During the last semester of my senior year we got to be roommates, and honestly it was one of best times of my life. During this time Jeremy introduced me to something that would become almost an addiction, and bind our friendship even closer (and he ended up costing me a couple thousand dollars in equipment because of it, but I just add that for fun). Jeremy introduced me to backpacking.
If you aren't familiar with the idea its a combination of hiking and camping. You load everything into the biggest backpack you've ever seen in your life, and then walk through the woods carrying food, water, tent, clothes, sleeping and cooking gear in this pack. You get off the beaten path and forge a new trail, just you, your brother, and God.
This moment in my life is huge because it was me getting permission. Responsibility and work have been driven into me by my parents, and there is nothing wrong with that. Those are important things that men need to understand and take care of. But Jeremy gave me permission to enjoy life, to have a hobby that allows me to escape from the world to rest and reflect. Occasionally I've still had people try to talk me out of stuff like backpacking and whitewater rafting, canoeing and camping. It's almost as if they say "Grow up and do your duty." But that isn't the way we are created to live. Life wan't made to waste working 80+ hours a week, rest is part of that, and adventure helps to provide that. Jeremy gave me permission to enjoy something that I never would have done because it wasn't the responsible thing to do.
Today, we almost need to be given permission to be men. But to be men we need to understand what a man is, and what a man desires and longs for. We need to understand why we are the way we are, why we long for adventure and battle and beauty. God made us this way and these desires aren't bad.
John Eldredge saw that need and did something about it. He says this also in the introduction, "So I offer this book, not as the seven steps to being a better Christian, but as a safari of the heart to recover a life of freedom, passion and adventure."
The word that caught my eye in that statement was "safari". A safari isn't a casual day at the zoo where the lions and elephants are subdued and contained in cages where they can be viewed safely. A safari takes place out in the jungles of Africa. Out there with just a few companions against wild beasts who are also hunters. There is risk and danger in it, but also great reward. To recover our hearts, as we'll see soon is the point of this whole thing, will necessitate risk taking and danger. It involves going into unknown places that we might be afraid to go. But at the end of it is waiting the greatest reward we could hope for, the life we've always longed for.
Some will oppose this journey. They will call it foolish or a waste of time. Some will say that it is too dangerous and uncertain. But this is the voice of the enemy trying to keep you from being the Man of God you were created to be. And in response to this attack we will strike first with a quote found at the end of the introduction.
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly... who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -Teddy Roosevelt
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Monday, February 25, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wild at Heart
At the end of my junior year of college one of my best friends and I decided to lead a freshman guys small group during out senior year. As we talked we decided that we wanted to walk through the book Wild at Heart with them. That summer I read a book that would have a huge impact on my life for the first time. We never did go through the book with them, it turned into down time and relationship building, but we had a great year.
Since that first time I've read the book twice more, and am now reading it for the fourth time. Each time something different has hit me and I've been challenged in new ways. Plain and simple, this is a book about men, for men, by a man.
The subtitle for the book is, "Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul." All of us have drives and passions. We all have a desire for strength and honor. We all need a Battle to fight, a Beauty to rescue, and an Adventure to live. All of us have been wounded, but not all of us have healed. All of us are called to be men, all of us were made to be men, but not all of us are, yet.
Beginning next week I'm going to start working through the book on this blog. I'm using the Revised and Expanded, tenth anniversary edition. I have read both this one and the original, and the differences aren't so extreme that you'll be lost if you haven't read the new edition.
I invite you to read it with me, I'm not sure how the structure of these posts will be yet. I'm going to be doing something with it that I've been meaning to do for a few years now, and I am glad to share this journey with you. So join me my brothers as we dive into our souls to see who we are, what we are made of, and who we are created to be.
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Since that first time I've read the book twice more, and am now reading it for the fourth time. Each time something different has hit me and I've been challenged in new ways. Plain and simple, this is a book about men, for men, by a man.
The subtitle for the book is, "Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul." All of us have drives and passions. We all have a desire for strength and honor. We all need a Battle to fight, a Beauty to rescue, and an Adventure to live. All of us have been wounded, but not all of us have healed. All of us are called to be men, all of us were made to be men, but not all of us are, yet.
Beginning next week I'm going to start working through the book on this blog. I'm using the Revised and Expanded, tenth anniversary edition. I have read both this one and the original, and the differences aren't so extreme that you'll be lost if you haven't read the new edition.
I invite you to read it with me, I'm not sure how the structure of these posts will be yet. I'm going to be doing something with it that I've been meaning to do for a few years now, and I am glad to share this journey with you. So join me my brothers as we dive into our souls to see who we are, what we are made of, and who we are created to be.
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Honor
The second thing that all men want. All men want to be respected and admired, at least to an extent. All men want to be thought of as men of honor, even if its just a front to hide what they are doing behind the scenes. Honor is something men will spend their lives for, but it's something we cannot keep, nor are we worthy to receive.
Let's look at the example of Jesus in Philippians 2.9-11, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus is exalted and it is for the purpose of glorifying God the Father. After everything Jesus endured He is exalted to the place of honor and glory, and He immediately returns the honor and glory given to Him to the Father. Jesus Himself gives glory to God the Father. And we are to become like Christ.
Honor comes from living for something greater than yourself. A solider receives honor for serving his country. As a man of God our honor comes from serving the King. God must be honored and glorified. He must be worshiped. His holiness demands worship, not in as a dictator demands loyalty, but simply because of how great His holiness is, He must be worship. 1 Chronicles 29.11-13 declares, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name."
Philippians 2 tells us that one day every tongue will give praise to God one day. Every knee will bow in respect and worship to Him. But the Bible tells of the honor God gives to those who choose to worship Him now. 2 Timothy 4.7-8, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." God bestows on the faithful a crown of honor. In Romans 8 we are told that we will be glorified with Christ.
But Proverbs 15.33 tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility." To receive real honor that no one can tarnish or take away, we must first humble ourselves before God in worship to Him. And as we worship the King we receive life, and with life comes honor and glory. And with these comes the privilege to be able to serve and honor God for all eternity. Honor comes in living for something, in serving something greater than yourself.
Honor is not found in success or the praise of man, but in the humble worship offered to the Father.
Psalm 62.5-8, "My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."
Philippians 4.8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Let's look at the example of Jesus in Philippians 2.9-11, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus is exalted and it is for the purpose of glorifying God the Father. After everything Jesus endured He is exalted to the place of honor and glory, and He immediately returns the honor and glory given to Him to the Father. Jesus Himself gives glory to God the Father. And we are to become like Christ.
Honor comes from living for something greater than yourself. A solider receives honor for serving his country. As a man of God our honor comes from serving the King. God must be honored and glorified. He must be worshiped. His holiness demands worship, not in as a dictator demands loyalty, but simply because of how great His holiness is, He must be worship. 1 Chronicles 29.11-13 declares, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name."
Philippians 2 tells us that one day every tongue will give praise to God one day. Every knee will bow in respect and worship to Him. But the Bible tells of the honor God gives to those who choose to worship Him now. 2 Timothy 4.7-8, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." God bestows on the faithful a crown of honor. In Romans 8 we are told that we will be glorified with Christ.
But Proverbs 15.33 tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility." To receive real honor that no one can tarnish or take away, we must first humble ourselves before God in worship to Him. And as we worship the King we receive life, and with life comes honor and glory. And with these comes the privilege to be able to serve and honor God for all eternity. Honor comes in living for something, in serving something greater than yourself.
Honor is not found in success or the praise of man, but in the humble worship offered to the Father.
Psalm 62.5-8, "My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."
Philippians 4.8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Strength
Strength, something all men want. Not all will admit it, but it's part of who we are as men. All of us want to be seen as strong. Some put up a front that's all for show, hoping that no one will see through the act. But those with real strength don't don't need to flaunt it, it isn't something they boisterously announce to the world, but something that comes from trial and identity.
One of, if not thee, greatest movie quotes ever comes from Gladiator. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
If you've seen the movie you know the context. The Emperor of Rome is killed by his jealous, insecure, power hungry, son after he is told that Maximus, a loved and respected General, will be given power to return Rome to a republic. To cover it up he orders Maximus to be executed, but the warrior escapes. After he finds his wife and son murdered he is captured by slave traders and sold as a gladiator.
He becomes a champion and ends up fighting before the new Emperor in the Coliseum. After winning a battle that they shouldn't have, the Emperor wants to meet the new champion. And when he comes face to face with the man he thought was dead we see strength tear down the front of the false Emperor. A man who knows who he is, who has fought and won battles that have given him the confidence that only comes form overcoming trials, states his name and stares down a cowardly impostor. His confidence, his strength, comes from his identity, and it is something that no one can take away from him.
For the man of God, the identity comes from the relationship we have with God in Christ. This identity gives us true strength that no one can take away. In Christ we know that we belong to God. No matter what we go through, nothing will separate us from God. Paul said in Philippians 4.13, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Paul knew that no matter what he faced in life, he had Christ with him. There was nothing he couldn't endure because everything he went through was with Christ. And everything Paul went through helped to mold him more into Christlikeness.
That is true strength, not confidence in our own abilities, but confidence in Christ. Our identity is not found in our career, marriage, or accomplishments, but in our identity in Christ. The man of God is strong because he is surrendered to God. His trust is fully in God. His identity is rooted in the fact that he is a son of God. That is strength.
"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him." Exodus 15.2
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him." Psalm 28.7
"But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble." Psalm 37.39
"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually." Psalm 105.4
"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation." Psalm 118.14
"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation." Isaiah 12.2
"Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40.31
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
One of, if not thee, greatest movie quotes ever comes from Gladiator. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
If you've seen the movie you know the context. The Emperor of Rome is killed by his jealous, insecure, power hungry, son after he is told that Maximus, a loved and respected General, will be given power to return Rome to a republic. To cover it up he orders Maximus to be executed, but the warrior escapes. After he finds his wife and son murdered he is captured by slave traders and sold as a gladiator.
He becomes a champion and ends up fighting before the new Emperor in the Coliseum. After winning a battle that they shouldn't have, the Emperor wants to meet the new champion. And when he comes face to face with the man he thought was dead we see strength tear down the front of the false Emperor. A man who knows who he is, who has fought and won battles that have given him the confidence that only comes form overcoming trials, states his name and stares down a cowardly impostor. His confidence, his strength, comes from his identity, and it is something that no one can take away from him.
For the man of God, the identity comes from the relationship we have with God in Christ. This identity gives us true strength that no one can take away. In Christ we know that we belong to God. No matter what we go through, nothing will separate us from God. Paul said in Philippians 4.13, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Paul knew that no matter what he faced in life, he had Christ with him. There was nothing he couldn't endure because everything he went through was with Christ. And everything Paul went through helped to mold him more into Christlikeness.
That is true strength, not confidence in our own abilities, but confidence in Christ. Our identity is not found in our career, marriage, or accomplishments, but in our identity in Christ. The man of God is strong because he is surrendered to God. His trust is fully in God. His identity is rooted in the fact that he is a son of God. That is strength.
"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him." Exodus 15.2
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him." Psalm 28.7
"But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble." Psalm 37.39
"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually." Psalm 105.4
"The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation." Psalm 118.14
"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation." Isaiah 12.2
"Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40.31
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Monday, February 18, 2013
Man of God
For a little over a year now this blog has been on my heart and mind. Early this morning in the moments between sleep and awake the title and address came to me so I feel its the time to start it. Part of my desire in life is to minister to boys and men, helping them see what God created a man to be, and how to become a man of God.
For this blog I'm going to focus on looking at what the Bible says to men. What does God say a man is? At some point, maybe first (we'll see how I'm being led), I'm going to walk through Wild at Heart and The Way of the Wild Heart, two books I've referenced frequently on my other blog, which focus on boys and men becoming men.
The phrase "Man of God" occurs 73 times in the Bible. The first is found in Deuteronomy 33.1 in reference to Moses. The last is found in 2 Timothy 3.17. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3 takes a statement, a title, that was given to Moses, and offers it to all men.
1 Timothy 6.11-13 tells us, "But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."
A man of God flees evil and purses righteousness and the things of God. He fights the good fight, standing for what is right. He has taken hold of the life that is available through Jesus Christ and lived it out before others. His life is lived to become like Christ and and to help others become like Christ to the glory of God.
That's what we are all to be. That is what God created the man to be. And so let us become Men of God.
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
For this blog I'm going to focus on looking at what the Bible says to men. What does God say a man is? At some point, maybe first (we'll see how I'm being led), I'm going to walk through Wild at Heart and The Way of the Wild Heart, two books I've referenced frequently on my other blog, which focus on boys and men becoming men.
The phrase "Man of God" occurs 73 times in the Bible. The first is found in Deuteronomy 33.1 in reference to Moses. The last is found in 2 Timothy 3.17. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3 takes a statement, a title, that was given to Moses, and offers it to all men.
1 Timothy 6.11-13 tells us, "But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."
A man of God flees evil and purses righteousness and the things of God. He fights the good fight, standing for what is right. He has taken hold of the life that is available through Jesus Christ and lived it out before others. His life is lived to become like Christ and and to help others become like Christ to the glory of God.
That's what we are all to be. That is what God created the man to be. And so let us become Men of God.
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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