"A young man needs something epic. So much of the thrill-seeking we see in young men is a search for a deeper experience, one that is spiritual in nature, though they don't know how to put words to it. Notice that as a boy grows older, his longing for adventure typically grows more extreme...The heart of a young man hungers to be part of something epic."
I know my heart does. Right now I feel like I'm just existing. There are no real battles, no adventures, no real work, and my heart is so restless. I am so restless for something bigger and more exciting and challenging. Something epic. But is crucial to remember that the masculine journey is bigger than just the physical existence and experience. Life is deeply spiritual because it is from God. This journey, above all else, is a spiritual quest of initiation by God. A big part of the Cowboy stage is helping a boy begin to form his own faith, and build a strong, personal relationship with God.
He is searching for something epic and, "We need to help him find it in Christianity. We need to find it with God ourselves. So many times we miss this yearning in a young man's life by telling him to 'calm down,' when what we should be doing is hooking that yearning up to God. Now, 'going to church' does not meet this need. It can help to convey an epic story, if that is the Christianity being offered there, but in and of itself going to church is not the Epic Story, nor does it alone suffice to communicate that Story. The Spiritualty we offer a young man must be epic, or we'll lose him."
Ever paid attention to the audience of a church service? It's mostly made up of women. Wild at Heart talked about this, and how today's church doesn't speak to the hearts of men, or present Christianity in a way that relates to men. For me, church was never something epic or exciting, never something that spoke to my heart as a man, but I learned to see God as He is, and who He is captures my heart, and calls it into the epic story that is taking place. Church has largely missed the point, and that's why men are lacking. So what do we do to help our sons fall in love with God?
"It begins by first taking a look at the Christianity you are living. Is it epic? Or is it just good morals and a few prayers? Remember that in the Scriptures, whenever God gets hold of a man he takes him into an epic story, one full of danger and drama and meaning. Abraham, Joseph, David, Jesus' disciples, Saul. The stories we read there are not meant to simply impress us with another man's life. They are examples of what can happen when we abandon ourselves to God - which for any man means, among other things, that we stop hedging our best, playing it safe. Second, when it comes to raising young men, it is crucial that his father's life (and Christianity) be epic at heart... Sit down!? Take it slow!? That is the last thing the young man needs to hear, especially from his father. A father's spirituality will either capture or repulse the boy."
As the Beloved Son, a boy sees glimpses of the heart of God in the love and strength of his father. Now as a Cowboy, the young man begins to form his own relationship with God, learning who He is and beginning to see the calling God has placed on his life. And his father will shape much of that. Is the father living an active and authentic relationship with God that is transforming the world, or is it one of obligatory church attendance? Remember, the stories contained in the Bible are of ordinary men who trusted and followed God in extraordinary lives. What happened then can, and needs to, happen now. We were made to lives like the men of Scripture, and it is what the heart of the young man yearns for. To see God do amazing things, and to encounter Him personally.
"I believe you can tie that yearning for something epic to a young man's spirituality through adventure, especially when adventure is set into a spiritual context. Remembering that our context is masculine initiation under the Father's guidance will help a great deal."
This journey is about us becoming the men God created us to be, and it is crucial that every stage is focused on Him and what He is working to accomplish. And above all it must be focused on glorifying Him. Adventure is a man living to the fullest, no matter what it is, and as St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." And so as we adventure, as we live life, let us point to the epic work God is doing to mold us into His men.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
The Way of the Wild Heart, Chapter 6: Raising the Cowboy, part 1
"The young Cowboy Ranger needs a chance to test himself, to explore beyond mom and dad's reach." The boy is beginning to grow up, and it is crucial that mom and dad let him. He isn't ready to be fully on his own, there are still things he must learn from them, but it is time for the world to begin to get a little bigger. As we set out to raise sons through the Cowboy stage of the journey, it is crucial that we loosen our grip on them and let them begin to go.
Again think of The Patriot, a father tries to keep his sons from going out and growing up, one rebels and becomes a solider, another ends up being shot and killed. A boy doesn't become a man by being kept safe, his heart longs for more and he'll fight to get there. But without the guidance of a father, he ends up in the wrong place. And so we must allow our sons to grow up, and guide them as they grow.
"You have a strength, and it is needed. When a man feels that to be true, he rises up and engages like a man. As a boy begins to become a young man, there are some key issues at stake. He needs to know he possesses a genuine strength, and he needs to know that strength is ultimately for others. There is bravery that must be cultivated in him, for it will be called upon in every other stage of his life. Adventure comes into play to develop the masculine soul, because adventure calls us out, requires us to be something we want to be but aren't sure we are. Adventure nourishes and strengthens a man's heart in ways that cannot be fully articulated, must be experienced."
This stage is about a boy learning his strength, but more importantly how to use it correctly. Strength is best learned in adventure. I fell asleep watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last night, but in the part I saw Gandalf and the dwarves are sitting around Bilbo's table debating if the hobbit is suited for the task that Gandalf says he is. And as they dwarves argue, Gandalf's voice thunders to get their attention, and then calms back down to tell them, "There’s a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he’s got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself." As the story progresses, and the adventures continue, we see Bilbo's confidence grow as he learns his strength. But it isn't discovered sitting comfortably in the Shire, it is only found on the road. The Cowboy needs adventure if he is ever to become a man.
"Now, the scale and nature of the adventure need to fit the boy, and the man, fit his stage of the journey. Ride in the canoe; paddle in the bow; pilot one yourself. There is a progression. Take the boy into adventure, and give him an increasing measure of freedom and responsibility there... But make sure the test or trial fits the young man's heart... The adventures and work that we choose must fit the soul of the boy. One young man's adventure would be terrifying to another."
On overwhelming task sets a boy up for failure, and a failure like this wounds rather than affirms. And a boy isn't ready to take control of a situation on his first outing, he has to learn, and as he gains confidence he is ready for more responsibility and risk. And above all, we must remember that all of us are different. We have different passions, different yearnings. Some guys want to surf, others want to climb mountains. Some join the military, others teach in the inner city. Know the heart of the boy you are guiding, and speak to him in ways that his heart yearns for. Invite him into adventures that are fitting, not the ones you want him to have.
"Now, I need to clarify something. The place of adventure in a man's journey is very, very important. Unfortunately, we live at a time when adventure has become big business. Magazines are filled with photo essays of the latest gear, the coolest places, the most extreme adventures... Much of this adventure is not initiation at all; it tends to be merely exotic play, nothing more than adolescent indulgence. Without a context, adventure is for the most part... just adventure... there are levels of adventure, from casual to crucial to critical. Casual adventures are mostly what fill the pages of those magazines... they can be a key part of initiation if they have a context, and if they are intended to be a first step toward more important adventures."
We must be careful not to indulge in adventure simply for adventure's sake. There are lessons to be learned. My first backpacking trip ended up being a simple two day hike with an over night camp out. But on this trip there was learning. I figured out what I could leave behind on the next trip, realized what clothing would be best, and got to see how to properly pack food and what kind of stuff to bring. Yes, it was a great trip, but it wasn't just a trip, it was a stepping stone of initiation. Adventure simply for the sake of adventure, risk for the sake of risk, is just foolish. There has to be a point.
"Adventure comes to us in many forms - a flat tire two hundred miles from nowhere, an invitation to join our friends in the woods, a yearning to completely change our careers. As men, we need to seek adventure, and embrace it when it comes unlooked for. Not to live a selfish life, not to squander our lives fishing and golfing, not the Peter Pan syndrome, but because there are things that need to be strengthened and called out in our souls as men, and that happens out there in adventure."
It is in adventure that we learn essential skills, we learn about our strength and what we are capable of. The Cowboy needs adventure to build the confidence that is essential to the future. Without it he faces the world with uncertainty. Adventure with a purpose.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Again think of The Patriot, a father tries to keep his sons from going out and growing up, one rebels and becomes a solider, another ends up being shot and killed. A boy doesn't become a man by being kept safe, his heart longs for more and he'll fight to get there. But without the guidance of a father, he ends up in the wrong place. And so we must allow our sons to grow up, and guide them as they grow.
"You have a strength, and it is needed. When a man feels that to be true, he rises up and engages like a man. As a boy begins to become a young man, there are some key issues at stake. He needs to know he possesses a genuine strength, and he needs to know that strength is ultimately for others. There is bravery that must be cultivated in him, for it will be called upon in every other stage of his life. Adventure comes into play to develop the masculine soul, because adventure calls us out, requires us to be something we want to be but aren't sure we are. Adventure nourishes and strengthens a man's heart in ways that cannot be fully articulated, must be experienced."
This stage is about a boy learning his strength, but more importantly how to use it correctly. Strength is best learned in adventure. I fell asleep watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last night, but in the part I saw Gandalf and the dwarves are sitting around Bilbo's table debating if the hobbit is suited for the task that Gandalf says he is. And as they dwarves argue, Gandalf's voice thunders to get their attention, and then calms back down to tell them, "There’s a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he’s got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself." As the story progresses, and the adventures continue, we see Bilbo's confidence grow as he learns his strength. But it isn't discovered sitting comfortably in the Shire, it is only found on the road. The Cowboy needs adventure if he is ever to become a man.
"Now, the scale and nature of the adventure need to fit the boy, and the man, fit his stage of the journey. Ride in the canoe; paddle in the bow; pilot one yourself. There is a progression. Take the boy into adventure, and give him an increasing measure of freedom and responsibility there... But make sure the test or trial fits the young man's heart... The adventures and work that we choose must fit the soul of the boy. One young man's adventure would be terrifying to another."
On overwhelming task sets a boy up for failure, and a failure like this wounds rather than affirms. And a boy isn't ready to take control of a situation on his first outing, he has to learn, and as he gains confidence he is ready for more responsibility and risk. And above all, we must remember that all of us are different. We have different passions, different yearnings. Some guys want to surf, others want to climb mountains. Some join the military, others teach in the inner city. Know the heart of the boy you are guiding, and speak to him in ways that his heart yearns for. Invite him into adventures that are fitting, not the ones you want him to have.
"Now, I need to clarify something. The place of adventure in a man's journey is very, very important. Unfortunately, we live at a time when adventure has become big business. Magazines are filled with photo essays of the latest gear, the coolest places, the most extreme adventures... Much of this adventure is not initiation at all; it tends to be merely exotic play, nothing more than adolescent indulgence. Without a context, adventure is for the most part... just adventure... there are levels of adventure, from casual to crucial to critical. Casual adventures are mostly what fill the pages of those magazines... they can be a key part of initiation if they have a context, and if they are intended to be a first step toward more important adventures."
We must be careful not to indulge in adventure simply for adventure's sake. There are lessons to be learned. My first backpacking trip ended up being a simple two day hike with an over night camp out. But on this trip there was learning. I figured out what I could leave behind on the next trip, realized what clothing would be best, and got to see how to properly pack food and what kind of stuff to bring. Yes, it was a great trip, but it wasn't just a trip, it was a stepping stone of initiation. Adventure simply for the sake of adventure, risk for the sake of risk, is just foolish. There has to be a point.
"Adventure comes to us in many forms - a flat tire two hundred miles from nowhere, an invitation to join our friends in the woods, a yearning to completely change our careers. As men, we need to seek adventure, and embrace it when it comes unlooked for. Not to live a selfish life, not to squander our lives fishing and golfing, not the Peter Pan syndrome, but because there are things that need to be strengthened and called out in our souls as men, and that happens out there in adventure."
It is in adventure that we learn essential skills, we learn about our strength and what we are capable of. The Cowboy needs adventure to build the confidence that is essential to the future. Without it he faces the world with uncertainty. Adventure with a purpose.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Way of the Wild Heart, Chapter 5: Cowboy, part 4
Adventure and work go hand in hand. Too much or too little of either one is a bad thing that hinders the progress of a boy on his journey into manhood. And a father plays a crucial role in both. The absence of a father, or father figure, sets a boy up for failure and wounding.
"A young man's heart is wounded when he has no one to take him into the adventures his soul craves, no one to show him how to shoot a free throw or jump his bike or rock climb or use a power tool. This is how most young men experience fatherlessness - there is no man around who cares and who is strong enough to lead him into anything. His father might be physically present, but unavailable in every way, hiding behind a newspaper or spending hours at the computer while the young man waits for the father how never comes. Much of the anger we see in young men comes from this experience, because he is ready and fired up but has no outlet, no place to go. So it comes out in anger."
Reading that reminds me of another scene from The Patriot. The oldest son, Gabriel, has been a solider in the Continental Army for two years. His younger brother, Thomas, a fifteen year old, is anxious and ready to fight. Their father, Benjamin, played by Mel Gibson, is haunted by his past as a solider and is doing everything he can to shelter his family from war. Benjamin finds Thomas in his room wearing his old uniform and holding a tomahawk. As he takes it off of his son he says, "Not yet Thomas." When asked when, Benjamin says "17?" Thomas isn't happy because its two years away, and he desires to move on now, but his father refuses, and he refuses to tell his sons about his past, even though they repeatedly ask him.
Later that night, Gabriel comes to the house, wounded and looking for help. As Benjamin begins to tend to his wounds there is the sound of battle from outside the house. As he moves to look he sees soldiers being shot in the field. In the morning Benjamin and Thomas search the battle field for survivors and begin tending them at the house, and as they do British soldiers arrive to claim their comrades. As they are preparing to leave some of the British cavalry ride up, including the main villain. He is handed some dispatches that Gabriel was entrusted with, and then has him arrested and orders him to be taken to the fort and hanged.
Thomas pleads with his father to do something, but Benjamin simply orders him to be quite and begins to make sure his younger children are safe. Then then young Cowboy does something drastic. He charges the soldiers trying to free his brother, and ends up being shot and killed. The father refused to act, refused to let his sons grow up, and it results in death. Fathers wound or heal, give life or take it away. A Cowboy needs his father to take him into the adventure, to expose him to things that are challenging, but not damaging. When this doesn't take place the boy is deeply wounded.
"And a young man's heart is wounded when he repeatedly fails. Of course, failure is a part of learning and every cowboy gets thrown from his horse, But there needs to be someone at his side to interpret the failures and setbacks, to urge him to get back on the horse. If you weren't the Beloved Son, the testing that comes with this stage can feel unkind, cruel, a sort of rejection - especially if you are on your own."
I've felt this a lot with my career. All three churches I've worked at I feel like I've failed. My first assignment was as a youth pastor, while I was a full time college student. The pastor wanted me to do miracles with no money, no help, and no resources. When I couldn't he asked me to resign. My second assignment was as a youth and young adult pastor, and the church didn't have the money to hire me when they did. I moved out of state and went to work, and saw some good fruit growing. There were some differences of opinion with senior leadership, but he was my boss and I did what he said, but then the budget caught up with them. I resigned again, and was told that I had character flaws (I'm leaving out a lot of the story). Through both of these experiences I had someone to fall back on, someone to help me through them. It still hurt, but there were men I could turn to.
And then we come to the most recent experience. I was 24, and assigned to be the lead pastor of a church of about 40 people. There was one couple about my parent's age, and then pretty much everyone was either my grandparents, or in some cases great-grandparent's age. But I was young and passionate, and believed I could change the world. I got involved in the community, tried to build relationships and meet people, all with very little help from anyone in the church. Basically it was my wife and I doing everything. We were worn out, no one would help, and no one seemed to care. I remember going and talking to my district leaders and I was told, "Someone is going to have to push through this." No help just left on my own to try and work miracles. Here again, money was tight, and I ended up resigning again due to a lack of finances.
I was told I would be used to fill in speaking at other churches, that happened twice in the past year. No one did anything to help us find another assignment. Afterwards a few people talked with me just to tell me the things that I had done wrong and needed to do differently the next time, and I've only had one person from the denomination contact me just to see how I'm doing consistently over the past year. I've walked through a lot of this time very much alone and wondering why. No one came along side and asked how I was feeling and what I was thinking. No one fathered me through this. Part of me can't believe I just wrote that out, but I feel that it's time.
"The Masculine soul needs the trials and adventures and experiences that bring a young man to the settled confidence David showed before Goliath - the lion and the bear experiences. All of these experience of the Cowboy stage are driving at one basic goal: to answer his Question. The boy-becoming-a-young-man has a Question, and the Question is, 'Do I have what it takes?' It is a father's job to help him get an answer, a resounding Yes! that the boy himself believes because it has come through experience. The father provides initiation by arranging for moments - through hard work and adventure - when the Question is on the line... The father is to speak into his son's heart deep affirmation. Yes, you do. You have what it takes. He needs a hundred experiences that will help him get there, and he is wounded and emasculated when he is kept from those experiences, or left on his own to interpret them, or when no one is there to help him in his journey toward initiation."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
"A young man's heart is wounded when he has no one to take him into the adventures his soul craves, no one to show him how to shoot a free throw or jump his bike or rock climb or use a power tool. This is how most young men experience fatherlessness - there is no man around who cares and who is strong enough to lead him into anything. His father might be physically present, but unavailable in every way, hiding behind a newspaper or spending hours at the computer while the young man waits for the father how never comes. Much of the anger we see in young men comes from this experience, because he is ready and fired up but has no outlet, no place to go. So it comes out in anger."
Reading that reminds me of another scene from The Patriot. The oldest son, Gabriel, has been a solider in the Continental Army for two years. His younger brother, Thomas, a fifteen year old, is anxious and ready to fight. Their father, Benjamin, played by Mel Gibson, is haunted by his past as a solider and is doing everything he can to shelter his family from war. Benjamin finds Thomas in his room wearing his old uniform and holding a tomahawk. As he takes it off of his son he says, "Not yet Thomas." When asked when, Benjamin says "17?" Thomas isn't happy because its two years away, and he desires to move on now, but his father refuses, and he refuses to tell his sons about his past, even though they repeatedly ask him.
Later that night, Gabriel comes to the house, wounded and looking for help. As Benjamin begins to tend to his wounds there is the sound of battle from outside the house. As he moves to look he sees soldiers being shot in the field. In the morning Benjamin and Thomas search the battle field for survivors and begin tending them at the house, and as they do British soldiers arrive to claim their comrades. As they are preparing to leave some of the British cavalry ride up, including the main villain. He is handed some dispatches that Gabriel was entrusted with, and then has him arrested and orders him to be taken to the fort and hanged.
Thomas pleads with his father to do something, but Benjamin simply orders him to be quite and begins to make sure his younger children are safe. Then then young Cowboy does something drastic. He charges the soldiers trying to free his brother, and ends up being shot and killed. The father refused to act, refused to let his sons grow up, and it results in death. Fathers wound or heal, give life or take it away. A Cowboy needs his father to take him into the adventure, to expose him to things that are challenging, but not damaging. When this doesn't take place the boy is deeply wounded.
"And a young man's heart is wounded when he repeatedly fails. Of course, failure is a part of learning and every cowboy gets thrown from his horse, But there needs to be someone at his side to interpret the failures and setbacks, to urge him to get back on the horse. If you weren't the Beloved Son, the testing that comes with this stage can feel unkind, cruel, a sort of rejection - especially if you are on your own."
I've felt this a lot with my career. All three churches I've worked at I feel like I've failed. My first assignment was as a youth pastor, while I was a full time college student. The pastor wanted me to do miracles with no money, no help, and no resources. When I couldn't he asked me to resign. My second assignment was as a youth and young adult pastor, and the church didn't have the money to hire me when they did. I moved out of state and went to work, and saw some good fruit growing. There were some differences of opinion with senior leadership, but he was my boss and I did what he said, but then the budget caught up with them. I resigned again, and was told that I had character flaws (I'm leaving out a lot of the story). Through both of these experiences I had someone to fall back on, someone to help me through them. It still hurt, but there were men I could turn to.
And then we come to the most recent experience. I was 24, and assigned to be the lead pastor of a church of about 40 people. There was one couple about my parent's age, and then pretty much everyone was either my grandparents, or in some cases great-grandparent's age. But I was young and passionate, and believed I could change the world. I got involved in the community, tried to build relationships and meet people, all with very little help from anyone in the church. Basically it was my wife and I doing everything. We were worn out, no one would help, and no one seemed to care. I remember going and talking to my district leaders and I was told, "Someone is going to have to push through this." No help just left on my own to try and work miracles. Here again, money was tight, and I ended up resigning again due to a lack of finances.
I was told I would be used to fill in speaking at other churches, that happened twice in the past year. No one did anything to help us find another assignment. Afterwards a few people talked with me just to tell me the things that I had done wrong and needed to do differently the next time, and I've only had one person from the denomination contact me just to see how I'm doing consistently over the past year. I've walked through a lot of this time very much alone and wondering why. No one came along side and asked how I was feeling and what I was thinking. No one fathered me through this. Part of me can't believe I just wrote that out, but I feel that it's time.
"The Masculine soul needs the trials and adventures and experiences that bring a young man to the settled confidence David showed before Goliath - the lion and the bear experiences. All of these experience of the Cowboy stage are driving at one basic goal: to answer his Question. The boy-becoming-a-young-man has a Question, and the Question is, 'Do I have what it takes?' It is a father's job to help him get an answer, a resounding Yes! that the boy himself believes because it has come through experience. The father provides initiation by arranging for moments - through hard work and adventure - when the Question is on the line... The father is to speak into his son's heart deep affirmation. Yes, you do. You have what it takes. He needs a hundred experiences that will help him get there, and he is wounded and emasculated when he is kept from those experiences, or left on his own to interpret them, or when no one is there to help him in his journey toward initiation."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Way of the Wild Heart, Chapter 5: Cowboy, part 3
"The Cowboy heart is wounded - or at least, undeveloped, but more often wounded - in a young man if he is never allowed to have adventure, and it is wounded if he has no one to take him there. It is wounded if he has no confidence-building experiences with work. And on both counts, it is wounded if the adventure or the work is overwhelming, unfit to the heart of the boy, and if he repeatedly fails there."
Again we find ourselves looking at an area of woundedness; it's the reality we live in. No matter how old or how strong we are, wounds happen. The enemy wants to take us out, and he never stops trying to. As a boy begins to step into the larger world, the attacks begin to come, and they work to emasculate him. Adventures come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes as small as riding a roller coaster as John mentions early in this section, but sometimes a parent is so overprotective they won't even allow that.
"That is emasculation, and it applies to those parents who never let their boys ride bikes on a dirt path, forbid them to climb a tree or jump on a trampoline, keep them indoors most of the time. They might say they are only acting out of love and concern for the boy, but the message is, 'You'll get hurt. You can't handle it. You don't have what it takes.'" The central question of a boy's heart is answered with a repeated "NO!" When a boy is never allowed to adventure because of the risks, he never really gets to test himself and learn his strength. Growing up I climbed trees, and road my bike where I wanted, but one thing I was never allowed to do was jump on a trampoline. Whenever we would be at someone's house that had one I was always told, without even asking, that I couldn't play on it.
It's one of those things that just kind of sticks with you, and to this day there are still some risks I won't take. Part of it is that I know I could get hurt with things, and to me the risk isn't worth taking, but I think other things come from this experience of not being allowed to try. This past January I was in Jordan at Petra. My wife and I had walked through the valley and climbed the 900 plus stairs to get to the Monastery. As we looked at the massive structure cut out of the mountain face I noticed that on the top left corner of the structure was a person. Part of me really wanted to climb up there, and our security guard said I could go, my wife even gave me permission, but I didn't. I looked at it, and talked myself out of it. I made the excuse that if I had a little more rock climbing experience I would have gone. I'm not saying that had I been allowed to jump on a trampoline I would have climbed up there, I still weigh risk and don't do things I'm not equipped to handle, but part of me wishes I would have.
Emasculation happens not only when parents don't allow their boys to adventure outside, but also when they refuse to make them. "For that matter, a boy is wounded when his parents simply let him live in front of the TV, or the computer, or the video games young men love. I have nothing against computers or video games per se... but I am very concerned when they take the substitute of a real adventure." There is no risk in video games. If you die, you just respawn. There is no testing of strength to get to level ten and beat the final boss. Growing up I wasn't allowed to have a Nintendo, honestly it was a good thing. It forced me outside where I had a fort that I defended with my bow and arrow and BB gun.
"It is emasculating to shelter a young man from everything dangerous. Yes, there are risks involved, and as the young man moves into his mid- to late teens, those bodily risks increase dramatically... There is wisdom in parenting, but we must accept the fact that there is risk also... 'It's better to break a man's leg than it is to break his heart.'" Physical injuries heal a lot faster than emotional ones. I've never had a broken bone, but my heart has been wounded, and at almost 27, it still isn't fully healed.
Adventure is key to the Cowboy stage because it allows a young man to test his strength against things that are beyond his control. But the same is true of work, something that to some extent is in his control. Work is part of life, and a boy must learn how to do it. "When it comes to work, the principles are the same. Too little is a wound, as is too much." John talks about the use of power tools, and how there are some dads who never let their sons use them. I remember a lot of times like that with my dad.
One thing that sticks out to me the most though is from sometime in elementary school. I don't remember exactly how old I was, probably between second and third grade. There was a men's work day at church on a Saturday, and my dad took me along. On this particular day they were clearing some cut trees from the lot next to the church by using a chipper. We pulled into the parking lot, and my dad told me I couldn't put anything into the chipper. I understand the risk of these things. I've heard a story about a grown man getting sucked into one, but what I wish he would have done was helped me do it, stood by me and made sure I was safe as I put a couple of branches into the machine, "let a young man take risks even in his work."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Again we find ourselves looking at an area of woundedness; it's the reality we live in. No matter how old or how strong we are, wounds happen. The enemy wants to take us out, and he never stops trying to. As a boy begins to step into the larger world, the attacks begin to come, and they work to emasculate him. Adventures come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes as small as riding a roller coaster as John mentions early in this section, but sometimes a parent is so overprotective they won't even allow that.
"That is emasculation, and it applies to those parents who never let their boys ride bikes on a dirt path, forbid them to climb a tree or jump on a trampoline, keep them indoors most of the time. They might say they are only acting out of love and concern for the boy, but the message is, 'You'll get hurt. You can't handle it. You don't have what it takes.'" The central question of a boy's heart is answered with a repeated "NO!" When a boy is never allowed to adventure because of the risks, he never really gets to test himself and learn his strength. Growing up I climbed trees, and road my bike where I wanted, but one thing I was never allowed to do was jump on a trampoline. Whenever we would be at someone's house that had one I was always told, without even asking, that I couldn't play on it.
It's one of those things that just kind of sticks with you, and to this day there are still some risks I won't take. Part of it is that I know I could get hurt with things, and to me the risk isn't worth taking, but I think other things come from this experience of not being allowed to try. This past January I was in Jordan at Petra. My wife and I had walked through the valley and climbed the 900 plus stairs to get to the Monastery. As we looked at the massive structure cut out of the mountain face I noticed that on the top left corner of the structure was a person. Part of me really wanted to climb up there, and our security guard said I could go, my wife even gave me permission, but I didn't. I looked at it, and talked myself out of it. I made the excuse that if I had a little more rock climbing experience I would have gone. I'm not saying that had I been allowed to jump on a trampoline I would have climbed up there, I still weigh risk and don't do things I'm not equipped to handle, but part of me wishes I would have.
Emasculation happens not only when parents don't allow their boys to adventure outside, but also when they refuse to make them. "For that matter, a boy is wounded when his parents simply let him live in front of the TV, or the computer, or the video games young men love. I have nothing against computers or video games per se... but I am very concerned when they take the substitute of a real adventure." There is no risk in video games. If you die, you just respawn. There is no testing of strength to get to level ten and beat the final boss. Growing up I wasn't allowed to have a Nintendo, honestly it was a good thing. It forced me outside where I had a fort that I defended with my bow and arrow and BB gun.
"It is emasculating to shelter a young man from everything dangerous. Yes, there are risks involved, and as the young man moves into his mid- to late teens, those bodily risks increase dramatically... There is wisdom in parenting, but we must accept the fact that there is risk also... 'It's better to break a man's leg than it is to break his heart.'" Physical injuries heal a lot faster than emotional ones. I've never had a broken bone, but my heart has been wounded, and at almost 27, it still isn't fully healed.
Adventure is key to the Cowboy stage because it allows a young man to test his strength against things that are beyond his control. But the same is true of work, something that to some extent is in his control. Work is part of life, and a boy must learn how to do it. "When it comes to work, the principles are the same. Too little is a wound, as is too much." John talks about the use of power tools, and how there are some dads who never let their sons use them. I remember a lot of times like that with my dad.
One thing that sticks out to me the most though is from sometime in elementary school. I don't remember exactly how old I was, probably between second and third grade. There was a men's work day at church on a Saturday, and my dad took me along. On this particular day they were clearing some cut trees from the lot next to the church by using a chipper. We pulled into the parking lot, and my dad told me I couldn't put anything into the chipper. I understand the risk of these things. I've heard a story about a grown man getting sucked into one, but what I wish he would have done was helped me do it, stood by me and made sure I was safe as I put a couple of branches into the machine, "let a young man take risks even in his work."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Monday, September 9, 2013
The Way of the Wild Heart, Chapter 5: Cowboy, part 1
"I would set the beginning of the Cowboy (or Ranger) stage in early adolescence - around age twelve or thirteen - and suggest it carries into the midtwenties. Though I would be quick to remind you that the stages overlap. What little tike doesn't want adventure, as he races his down a hill or learns to climb a tree? What man of fifty doesn't need time away, in the outdoors? But a notable shift begins to take place in the boy's soul as he approaches his teens, a yearning for real adventure. Something inside tells him that he needs to prove himself, needs to be tested. He wants to learn how to do things... And now the Question of a man's soul begins to present itself in nearly everything the boy-becoming-a-young-man does: do I have what it takes? In the Cowboy stage the answer comes party through adventure, and partly through hard work."
The time spent as the Beloved Son is about affirmation and correction, about love and discipline. It is at the beginning that we are to learn who we are and how to live, and in that knowledge we are able to move on into the next stage. We take the identity we receive from the Father, and begin to test ourselves with adventures. We take the discipline we received and apply that to hard work. The stages build and we can't skip them. The lessons learned in the previous one are used in the present, and the ones learned presently prepare us for what is to come.
Stage two, the Cowboy, or ranger, depending on your preference, is a time where adventure should be a large focus. It is in this time when there is real freedom to be able to adventure. Though reality begins to set it, there shouldn't be the full weight of responsibility yet. The boy is a young man, not yet a man, and is not ready for a man's responsibility. And so this should be a time of great adventures.
"'Taking to the road' often plays a big part of the Cowboy (or Ranger) stage, as you see with the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, and with Balin in Kingdom of Heaven... They take to the trail together on a high - and dangerous - adventure that calls forth daring and courage, and requires hard work and determination - things a boy-becoming-a-young-man needs to learn in order to face life head-on."
A Beloved Son lives in a safe little world made that way by his father's strength. But for the Beloved Son, the world is just that, little. As he grows and becomes a Cowboy, the world begins to get a little bit bigger. He begins to step out from his father's strength, and discover his own. And this is the way life is meant to be lived. He is not ready to step out fully on his own yet, but after all, this is preparation for that time, and he must be given the freedom, and permission, to do so.
"Men, and boys, learn by doing, we learn through experience... It's one thing to be told you have what it takes. It's another thing altogether to discover that you do, through some trial brought up in an adventure, or through some test that hard work demands. The experience is both a revelation and a kind of authoring, in that it reveals to you what you are made of and writes the lesson on your heart. For masculine initiation is not a spectator sport. It is something that must be entered into. It is one part instruction and nine parts experience."
As I've been writing I've been thinking about myself in this stage. Growing up I was shy and hesitant, (more on this later) and there were certain things I just wouldn't attempt. But a big change began to take place during my junior year of college (that was a huge year in my life). I had to take a class in Washington D.C. that required us to be "homeless" for a day. First off, I'm really not a fan of cities. There is too much noise, and too much going on, to fully be aware of your surroundings. I always feel on edge when I have to be in one. But something began to change. The first night we were in the city a group wanted to go explore, so I went along for something to do. We had gotten off the metro and as we were walking down the sidewalk I looked around and realized it was me and one other guy with about eight girls, and at that moment this hit me, "I'm the biggest guy in this group. If something happens it's up to me to protect everyone."
Something happened in that moment that changed me, gave me a new confidence. I'm still not a fan of being in the city, but I was different. The next year I would get on a plane (something else I wasn't a fan of), and travel to Israel and Egypt. Two years later I'd travel to Turkey and Greece. And two years after that I'd return to Israel and this time see Jordan, with my wife. I really doubt the me from before that DC trip would have done any of those things.
It is in this stage, through adventures, and we'll see next, hard work, that a boy learns that he does have what it takes. He learns that he does have strength and is a powerful and dangerous force. "There is a settled confidence in the boy - he knows he has what it takes. But it is not an arrogance - he knows that God has been with him. He will charge Goliath, and take his best shot, trusting God will do the rest. That 'knowing' is what we are after in the Cowboy Ranger phase, and it only comes through experience... experiences... physical in nature, they were dangerous, and they required courage."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
The time spent as the Beloved Son is about affirmation and correction, about love and discipline. It is at the beginning that we are to learn who we are and how to live, and in that knowledge we are able to move on into the next stage. We take the identity we receive from the Father, and begin to test ourselves with adventures. We take the discipline we received and apply that to hard work. The stages build and we can't skip them. The lessons learned in the previous one are used in the present, and the ones learned presently prepare us for what is to come.
Stage two, the Cowboy, or ranger, depending on your preference, is a time where adventure should be a large focus. It is in this time when there is real freedom to be able to adventure. Though reality begins to set it, there shouldn't be the full weight of responsibility yet. The boy is a young man, not yet a man, and is not ready for a man's responsibility. And so this should be a time of great adventures.
"'Taking to the road' often plays a big part of the Cowboy (or Ranger) stage, as you see with the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, and with Balin in Kingdom of Heaven... They take to the trail together on a high - and dangerous - adventure that calls forth daring and courage, and requires hard work and determination - things a boy-becoming-a-young-man needs to learn in order to face life head-on."
A Beloved Son lives in a safe little world made that way by his father's strength. But for the Beloved Son, the world is just that, little. As he grows and becomes a Cowboy, the world begins to get a little bit bigger. He begins to step out from his father's strength, and discover his own. And this is the way life is meant to be lived. He is not ready to step out fully on his own yet, but after all, this is preparation for that time, and he must be given the freedom, and permission, to do so.
"Men, and boys, learn by doing, we learn through experience... It's one thing to be told you have what it takes. It's another thing altogether to discover that you do, through some trial brought up in an adventure, or through some test that hard work demands. The experience is both a revelation and a kind of authoring, in that it reveals to you what you are made of and writes the lesson on your heart. For masculine initiation is not a spectator sport. It is something that must be entered into. It is one part instruction and nine parts experience."
As I've been writing I've been thinking about myself in this stage. Growing up I was shy and hesitant, (more on this later) and there were certain things I just wouldn't attempt. But a big change began to take place during my junior year of college (that was a huge year in my life). I had to take a class in Washington D.C. that required us to be "homeless" for a day. First off, I'm really not a fan of cities. There is too much noise, and too much going on, to fully be aware of your surroundings. I always feel on edge when I have to be in one. But something began to change. The first night we were in the city a group wanted to go explore, so I went along for something to do. We had gotten off the metro and as we were walking down the sidewalk I looked around and realized it was me and one other guy with about eight girls, and at that moment this hit me, "I'm the biggest guy in this group. If something happens it's up to me to protect everyone."
Something happened in that moment that changed me, gave me a new confidence. I'm still not a fan of being in the city, but I was different. The next year I would get on a plane (something else I wasn't a fan of), and travel to Israel and Egypt. Two years later I'd travel to Turkey and Greece. And two years after that I'd return to Israel and this time see Jordan, with my wife. I really doubt the me from before that DC trip would have done any of those things.
It is in this stage, through adventures, and we'll see next, hard work, that a boy learns that he does have what it takes. He learns that he does have strength and is a powerful and dangerous force. "There is a settled confidence in the boy - he knows he has what it takes. But it is not an arrogance - he knows that God has been with him. He will charge Goliath, and take his best shot, trusting God will do the rest. That 'knowing' is what we are after in the Cowboy Ranger phase, and it only comes through experience... experiences... physical in nature, they were dangerous, and they required courage."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Monday, June 10, 2013
Wild at Heart, Chapter 11: An Adventure to Live, part 5
Initially I was only going to do four posts on this chapter, but as I got to the end of yesterday's this just didn't seem to fit. I'm about to share a bit of my heart, something that those closest to me know about. But here is perhaps the deepest desire on my heart that will never be fulfilled.
I want to be a Navy SEAL. Everything I've ever done in life my goal has been to be the best, and the SEALs are the most elite commandos in the world. When I was younger I was terrified of joining the military because I didn't like pain and the idea of death scared me. It's not that either of those has changed, but I'm a lot tougher now than I was then, and I'm motivated now by something greater than self-preservation. But at this point in my life I'm too old, and too out of shape to attempt anything like that.
It's been difficult these last few years hearing about the different things they have accomplished, knowing that if I had gone for it and made it, I could have been on those missions. It isn't about the attention or the glory. It isn't about having some great stories to tell the grandkids, SEALs don't tell war stories. It's about being the best, doing something that very few can do, because you can. It's about serving others, and doing whatever is necessary so that others can be free and safe.
On May 25, 2013 I had an incredible moment; I met a SEAL, and not just a SEAL, but one of the original SEALs. I was at work and he was walking towards me with a Navy hat on. I thanked him for serving and asked if I could help him. He said he was fine, but as he walked past me I noticed something on his chest, a pin of the triton and eagle, the symbol of the SEALs. I stopped turned and asked him, and he then talked to me for about fifteen minutes. And as he talked I was glad that God had spared me from that life. Don't get me wrong, part of me still wishes I had tried; part of me still wishes I could do it, but I am so grateful that I have never had to experience war.
"We have desires in our hearts that are core to who and what we are; they are almost mythic in their meaning, waking in us something transcendent and eternal. But we can be mistaken about how those desires will be lived out. The way in which God fulfills a desire may be different from what first awakened it."
So how does God fulfill this desire to be the most elite commando in the world in my life? It's only possible when I see life as the war it really is. As a Christ follower I've enlisted in God's military, all of us have. Each of us plays a different role, we all have different callings and roles, and all of them are essential. It's not that pastors are any more holy, righteous, or important than any other Christian, we are just people who are striving to become more like Christ, but we have the added responsibility of leading and instructing people in spiritual matters. The Bible says in James 3.1, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." Pastors are held to a higher standard according to the Bible.
In the first letter to Timothy, Paul warns that Church leaders are not to be put in place quickly and without prayer and careful consideration (1 Timothy 3). This is not a calling for everyone; it is not a life for everyone. Aside from the higher standard of God, we are also targeted by the enemy, and sadly, by people. When a pastor falls into sin everything he has worked for is undone, and so the enemy works hard to make him fall. People work to take down pastors when they do things that they don't like, even if it is Biblically sound and working to build the Kingdom.
Pastors deal with a lot, things that most Christians don't. We dedicate our lives to the ministry of the Gospel; our livelihood is dependent upon it. And while it brings incredible blessings, it is not in any way without its hardships. And in some ways, I feel like God's SEAL. He has placed a high calling on my life; I've been through training and battle, and have scars to show for it. But there is still work to do, there are still people that need to become like Christ, there are future leaders that need to be mentored and trained. No matter how hard the battle gets I can't quit. I must rely on my source of strength and the training He has provided me. And on top of that, there are the other members of SEAL Team Pastor. We have to stand together, along with all of God's military. We are at war, and all of us play a crucial role in the battle. Will you play yours?
We all have desires, and they may not be fulfilled in the way we first thought. I will never be a sailor in the US Navy, and without that I can never be a Navy SEAL, but God has called me to serve Him in a great capacity. What is your heart’s desire? How is God fulfilling it? How is your life the great adventure that your heart longs for?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
I want to be a Navy SEAL. Everything I've ever done in life my goal has been to be the best, and the SEALs are the most elite commandos in the world. When I was younger I was terrified of joining the military because I didn't like pain and the idea of death scared me. It's not that either of those has changed, but I'm a lot tougher now than I was then, and I'm motivated now by something greater than self-preservation. But at this point in my life I'm too old, and too out of shape to attempt anything like that.
It's been difficult these last few years hearing about the different things they have accomplished, knowing that if I had gone for it and made it, I could have been on those missions. It isn't about the attention or the glory. It isn't about having some great stories to tell the grandkids, SEALs don't tell war stories. It's about being the best, doing something that very few can do, because you can. It's about serving others, and doing whatever is necessary so that others can be free and safe.
On May 25, 2013 I had an incredible moment; I met a SEAL, and not just a SEAL, but one of the original SEALs. I was at work and he was walking towards me with a Navy hat on. I thanked him for serving and asked if I could help him. He said he was fine, but as he walked past me I noticed something on his chest, a pin of the triton and eagle, the symbol of the SEALs. I stopped turned and asked him, and he then talked to me for about fifteen minutes. And as he talked I was glad that God had spared me from that life. Don't get me wrong, part of me still wishes I had tried; part of me still wishes I could do it, but I am so grateful that I have never had to experience war.
"We have desires in our hearts that are core to who and what we are; they are almost mythic in their meaning, waking in us something transcendent and eternal. But we can be mistaken about how those desires will be lived out. The way in which God fulfills a desire may be different from what first awakened it."
So how does God fulfill this desire to be the most elite commando in the world in my life? It's only possible when I see life as the war it really is. As a Christ follower I've enlisted in God's military, all of us have. Each of us plays a different role, we all have different callings and roles, and all of them are essential. It's not that pastors are any more holy, righteous, or important than any other Christian, we are just people who are striving to become more like Christ, but we have the added responsibility of leading and instructing people in spiritual matters. The Bible says in James 3.1, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." Pastors are held to a higher standard according to the Bible.
In the first letter to Timothy, Paul warns that Church leaders are not to be put in place quickly and without prayer and careful consideration (1 Timothy 3). This is not a calling for everyone; it is not a life for everyone. Aside from the higher standard of God, we are also targeted by the enemy, and sadly, by people. When a pastor falls into sin everything he has worked for is undone, and so the enemy works hard to make him fall. People work to take down pastors when they do things that they don't like, even if it is Biblically sound and working to build the Kingdom.
Pastors deal with a lot, things that most Christians don't. We dedicate our lives to the ministry of the Gospel; our livelihood is dependent upon it. And while it brings incredible blessings, it is not in any way without its hardships. And in some ways, I feel like God's SEAL. He has placed a high calling on my life; I've been through training and battle, and have scars to show for it. But there is still work to do, there are still people that need to become like Christ, there are future leaders that need to be mentored and trained. No matter how hard the battle gets I can't quit. I must rely on my source of strength and the training He has provided me. And on top of that, there are the other members of SEAL Team Pastor. We have to stand together, along with all of God's military. We are at war, and all of us play a crucial role in the battle. Will you play yours?
We all have desires, and they may not be fulfilled in the way we first thought. I will never be a sailor in the US Navy, and without that I can never be a Navy SEAL, but God has called me to serve Him in a great capacity. What is your heart’s desire? How is God fulfilling it? How is your life the great adventure that your heart longs for?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Wild at Heart, Chapter 11: An Adventure to Live, part 4
"I'm not suggesting that the Christian life is chaotic or that a real man is flagrantly irresponsible. The poser who squanders his paycheck at the racetrack or the slot machines is not a man; he's a fool. The sluggard who quits his job and makes his wife go to work so he can stay home to practice his golf sing, thinking he'll make the pro tour, is 'worse than an unbeliever' (1 Tim. 5:8). What I am saying is that our false self demands a formula before he'll engage; he wants a guarantee of success, and mister, you aren't going to get one. So there comes a time in a man's life when he's got to break away from all that and head off into the unknown with God. This is a vital part of our journey and if we balk here, the journey ends."
Adventure is not an excuse for irresponsibility. Saying you're on the journey to become the man you were created to be does not permit you to abandon the responsibilities of providing for the family God has given you. But what it does mean is that we must step out in faith and trust God. If we are to become men it is only by His grace and guidance, and so we must step out blindly in faith, not irresponsibility, and let God take us where He is leading.
This doesn't mean I dig myself into a hole and then ask God to pull me out of it. It means I am going to work as hard as I can; I'm going to give everything I have, and trust God to fulfill where I fall short. It means I'm not going to worry about my daily needs, but trust God to provide for them. It means I'm going to take a shot, my best shot, and watch what He does with it. But this is adventure, and it will require effort from me. It will require me to do my part.
And if this is something we refuse to do, the journey cannot continue. God cannot lead men who refuse to follow Him. God cannot show Himself to be trust worthy to men who refuse to trust Him. God cannot fulfill the short comings of a man who refuses to try at all. God cannot make a man out of a boy who refuses to act like one. We are called to and were made for adventure, and everything that entails, but we must be willing to take the first step and follow God down the road less traveled by.
"The only way to live in this adventure - with all its danger and unpredictability and immensely high stakes - is in an ongoing, intimate relationship with God. The control we so desperately crave is an illusion. Far better to give it up in exchange for God's offer of companionship, set aside stale formulas so that we might enter into an informal friendship."
Think back to the Great Commission. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28.19-20). Jesus says "Go and do this... in this way..." and that's all the instructions He gives. He leaves so much open, but the last recorded words we have Him saying before returning to Heaven are, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." There isn't the promise of answers or formula; there is certainly no control, simply the promise of His presence.
I think of what Paul said in Philippians 4.11-13, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Verse 13 is one of, if not thee, most misquoted verse in the Bible. What it means is that I can endure anything life throws at me, because no matter what, I have Christ.
"God calls you his friend. He wants to talk to you - personally, frequently." Think about that, God calls you His friend. There was a song we used to sing in chapel when I was in high school, "Friend of God". The lady who led the singing that year had us sing it pretty much every week, and like most things that aren't understood, people didn't see the significance of it, and in typical high schooler fashion, made fun of it. Until just a few minutes ago I didn't grasp what I think she was trying to do. I think she was trying to help us all understand that God, who created the universe, who spoke everything into existence, He calls me His friend.
God knows my name. God knows everything about me. And God wants to talk to me. He wants to speak to me in ways I will understand and relate to. He wants to talk to me all the time. God wants to spend every minute of the day with me, just by my side. I think there is a reason that "dog", is God spelled backwards; dogs mirror the relationship God wants with us, and offers to us. Right now my dog, Rosie, is laying at my side. If I get up she will follow me out of the room. If someone were to run into the room and try to hurt me, she would at the very least start barking. If I talk to her, she listens intently. The dog is man's best friend. And that is what God wants with us; He already calls us, and treats us like we are, His. It's time we returned it.
"Our whole journey into authentic masculinity centers around those cool-of-the-day talks with God. Simple questions change hassles to adventures; the events of our lives become opportunities for initiation." Do you see now how impossible it is to become a man without God? Do you see how dependent our masculinity is upon Him? Without deep and constant intimacy with God, we will never be the men we were created to be.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Adventure is not an excuse for irresponsibility. Saying you're on the journey to become the man you were created to be does not permit you to abandon the responsibilities of providing for the family God has given you. But what it does mean is that we must step out in faith and trust God. If we are to become men it is only by His grace and guidance, and so we must step out blindly in faith, not irresponsibility, and let God take us where He is leading.
This doesn't mean I dig myself into a hole and then ask God to pull me out of it. It means I am going to work as hard as I can; I'm going to give everything I have, and trust God to fulfill where I fall short. It means I'm not going to worry about my daily needs, but trust God to provide for them. It means I'm going to take a shot, my best shot, and watch what He does with it. But this is adventure, and it will require effort from me. It will require me to do my part.
And if this is something we refuse to do, the journey cannot continue. God cannot lead men who refuse to follow Him. God cannot show Himself to be trust worthy to men who refuse to trust Him. God cannot fulfill the short comings of a man who refuses to try at all. God cannot make a man out of a boy who refuses to act like one. We are called to and were made for adventure, and everything that entails, but we must be willing to take the first step and follow God down the road less traveled by.
"The only way to live in this adventure - with all its danger and unpredictability and immensely high stakes - is in an ongoing, intimate relationship with God. The control we so desperately crave is an illusion. Far better to give it up in exchange for God's offer of companionship, set aside stale formulas so that we might enter into an informal friendship."
Think back to the Great Commission. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28.19-20). Jesus says "Go and do this... in this way..." and that's all the instructions He gives. He leaves so much open, but the last recorded words we have Him saying before returning to Heaven are, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." There isn't the promise of answers or formula; there is certainly no control, simply the promise of His presence.
I think of what Paul said in Philippians 4.11-13, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Verse 13 is one of, if not thee, most misquoted verse in the Bible. What it means is that I can endure anything life throws at me, because no matter what, I have Christ.
"God calls you his friend. He wants to talk to you - personally, frequently." Think about that, God calls you His friend. There was a song we used to sing in chapel when I was in high school, "Friend of God". The lady who led the singing that year had us sing it pretty much every week, and like most things that aren't understood, people didn't see the significance of it, and in typical high schooler fashion, made fun of it. Until just a few minutes ago I didn't grasp what I think she was trying to do. I think she was trying to help us all understand that God, who created the universe, who spoke everything into existence, He calls me His friend.
God knows my name. God knows everything about me. And God wants to talk to me. He wants to speak to me in ways I will understand and relate to. He wants to talk to me all the time. God wants to spend every minute of the day with me, just by my side. I think there is a reason that "dog", is God spelled backwards; dogs mirror the relationship God wants with us, and offers to us. Right now my dog, Rosie, is laying at my side. If I get up she will follow me out of the room. If someone were to run into the room and try to hurt me, she would at the very least start barking. If I talk to her, she listens intently. The dog is man's best friend. And that is what God wants with us; He already calls us, and treats us like we are, His. It's time we returned it.
"Our whole journey into authentic masculinity centers around those cool-of-the-day talks with God. Simple questions change hassles to adventures; the events of our lives become opportunities for initiation." Do you see now how impossible it is to become a man without God? Do you see how dependent our masculinity is upon Him? Without deep and constant intimacy with God, we will never be the men we were created to be.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Wild at Heart, Chapter 11: An Adventure to Live, part 3
"The spiritual life cannot be made suburban. It is always frontier and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed." It's unknown and uncertain. We hear in the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey "Home is now behind you. The World is ahead." Bilbo says in the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." But such is the way of adventure. There in the mystery and uncertainty, and that is what our true hearts long for.
"The greatest obstacle to realizing our dreams is the false self's hatred of mystery. That's a problem, you see, because mystery is essential to adventure. More than that, mystery is the heart of the universe and the God who made it." Proverbs 25.2 says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." We'll see in The Way of the Wild Heart, that every one of us is to be a king, its part of the masculine journey. But if we are ever to get there we must embrace adventure. We must seek out the mysteries of God if we are to reclaim our real heart of strength.
And all of this is unique to each individual. "There are no formulas with God. Period. So there are no formulas for the man who follows him. God is a Person, not a doctrine." I think this is one of the biggest things the Church has missed, we have reduced God to a statement of beliefs and we hold more tightly to doctrine than faith. One Sunday I was speaking at a church on some passage out of Philippians. I think it was on the Savior or Lord form Philippians 1.27-2.11. Afterwards a lady came up to me and said, "That was really good. And it's Nazarene." I didn't say anything because it would have caused more headaches than it was worth, but I was thinking, "No it's the Bible. It's God, and it's the Person of Jesus."
We cannot reduce God a five step set of instructions, a "do this and everything will work out." "The problem with modern Christianity's obsession with principles is that it removes any real conversation with God. Find the principle, apply the principle - what do you need God for? So Oswald Chambers warns us, 'Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as he is with you."
I can tell you have God has spoken to me. I can tell you what I have done to connect with Him. I can share with you things He's shown me to be a better man and a more Christlike disciple. But I think it needs to be more a story of God's faithfulness and blessings instead of spiritual check list. Just because God has worked and spoken to me in some way doesn't mean He will do it in the same way with you. He is personal, and He has invited you into a relationship with Him that allows the two of you to be deeply personal. God wants you to share your heart with Him, and He wants to share His heart with you in a way that is unique to you.
"Originality and creativity are essential to personhood and to masculine strength. The adventure begins and our real strength is released when we no longer rely on formulas. God is an immensely creative Person and he wants his sons to live that way too." Last Sunday in Church I was a bit overwhelmed, not in a bad way, almost with excitement about future possibilities. I don't know how exactly to describe how I was feeling but I knew that I needed to get away with God. And so I headed back to The Ledges, a place in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park where I've gone before to try and escape. It isn't exactly wilderness, but it's about close as you can get in North East Ohio.
My plan was to sit and read Proverbs 3, it's been on my heart and mind a lot recently and I wanted to really sit an meditate on it. In the past during times like this God has spoken to me through Scripture. But that wasn't how God wanted to speak today. I had hiked about a mile and a half to get there, and as I sat in the shade on a rock ledge I pulled out my phone and pulled up a couple of worship songs on YouTube. There in the woods I worshiped and connected with God. My heart had peace about the decisions that had to be made; all thanks to time alone with God, hearing Him speak as He chose.
That decision is one that requires faith and trust. It's the sort of thing that if it's God's will I can only fulfill it with Him guiding me every step of the way. That's how adventure works, and this is just that, adventure. "When it comes to living and loving, what's required is a willingness to jump in with both feet and be creative as you go." There is only so much we can plan and prepare for; a lot of it ends up being reaction and a refusal to give up. And that's why adventure is so satisfying. It tests you and shows you who you are as a man.
"This is where we are now - in the midst of battle without the training we really need, and there are few men around to show us how to do it. We are going to have to figure a lot of this out for ourselves... We know how to be nice. But we don't really know how to fight, and we're going to have to learn as we go. That is where our strength will be crystallized, deepened, and revealed. A man is never more a man than when he embraces an adventure beyond his control, or when he walks into a battle he isn’t sure of winning." That type of life demands total reliance upon God, deeper faith in Him than we've ever known. And that is how we are called to live. Who’s ready for an adventure?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
"The greatest obstacle to realizing our dreams is the false self's hatred of mystery. That's a problem, you see, because mystery is essential to adventure. More than that, mystery is the heart of the universe and the God who made it." Proverbs 25.2 says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." We'll see in The Way of the Wild Heart, that every one of us is to be a king, its part of the masculine journey. But if we are ever to get there we must embrace adventure. We must seek out the mysteries of God if we are to reclaim our real heart of strength.
And all of this is unique to each individual. "There are no formulas with God. Period. So there are no formulas for the man who follows him. God is a Person, not a doctrine." I think this is one of the biggest things the Church has missed, we have reduced God to a statement of beliefs and we hold more tightly to doctrine than faith. One Sunday I was speaking at a church on some passage out of Philippians. I think it was on the Savior or Lord form Philippians 1.27-2.11. Afterwards a lady came up to me and said, "That was really good. And it's Nazarene." I didn't say anything because it would have caused more headaches than it was worth, but I was thinking, "No it's the Bible. It's God, and it's the Person of Jesus."
We cannot reduce God a five step set of instructions, a "do this and everything will work out." "The problem with modern Christianity's obsession with principles is that it removes any real conversation with God. Find the principle, apply the principle - what do you need God for? So Oswald Chambers warns us, 'Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as he is with you."
I can tell you have God has spoken to me. I can tell you what I have done to connect with Him. I can share with you things He's shown me to be a better man and a more Christlike disciple. But I think it needs to be more a story of God's faithfulness and blessings instead of spiritual check list. Just because God has worked and spoken to me in some way doesn't mean He will do it in the same way with you. He is personal, and He has invited you into a relationship with Him that allows the two of you to be deeply personal. God wants you to share your heart with Him, and He wants to share His heart with you in a way that is unique to you.
"Originality and creativity are essential to personhood and to masculine strength. The adventure begins and our real strength is released when we no longer rely on formulas. God is an immensely creative Person and he wants his sons to live that way too." Last Sunday in Church I was a bit overwhelmed, not in a bad way, almost with excitement about future possibilities. I don't know how exactly to describe how I was feeling but I knew that I needed to get away with God. And so I headed back to The Ledges, a place in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park where I've gone before to try and escape. It isn't exactly wilderness, but it's about close as you can get in North East Ohio.
My plan was to sit and read Proverbs 3, it's been on my heart and mind a lot recently and I wanted to really sit an meditate on it. In the past during times like this God has spoken to me through Scripture. But that wasn't how God wanted to speak today. I had hiked about a mile and a half to get there, and as I sat in the shade on a rock ledge I pulled out my phone and pulled up a couple of worship songs on YouTube. There in the woods I worshiped and connected with God. My heart had peace about the decisions that had to be made; all thanks to time alone with God, hearing Him speak as He chose.
That decision is one that requires faith and trust. It's the sort of thing that if it's God's will I can only fulfill it with Him guiding me every step of the way. That's how adventure works, and this is just that, adventure. "When it comes to living and loving, what's required is a willingness to jump in with both feet and be creative as you go." There is only so much we can plan and prepare for; a lot of it ends up being reaction and a refusal to give up. And that's why adventure is so satisfying. It tests you and shows you who you are as a man.
"This is where we are now - in the midst of battle without the training we really need, and there are few men around to show us how to do it. We are going to have to figure a lot of this out for ourselves... We know how to be nice. But we don't really know how to fight, and we're going to have to learn as we go. That is where our strength will be crystallized, deepened, and revealed. A man is never more a man than when he embraces an adventure beyond his control, or when he walks into a battle he isn’t sure of winning." That type of life demands total reliance upon God, deeper faith in Him than we've ever known. And that is how we are called to live. Who’s ready for an adventure?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Friday, June 7, 2013
Wild at Heart, Chapter 11: An Adventure to Live, part 2
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
I've heard that line from Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken so many times, but until now I don't know that it ever really made sense to me. The road that is well traveled is safe, and easy to follow. At one point or another all of us have taken that path, and while life does not allow us to go back, it does constantly present us with forks in the road. But the longer we choose the easy path, the harder it gets to leave it. But leave it we must for the road less traveled by, and that will make all the difference.
Something that just came to my mind is from my first backpacking trip with Jeremy. Our initial plans had been scrapped, and so we were sort of making up our own route as we went. We were hiking along the shore of Lake Michigan so there really wasn't any way to get lost, but we simply had a map and were figuring it out as we went. We had just gotten to a small town on the shore, one of those summer retreat places that rich people have, and we had taken off our packs to rest. We pulled out the map and were planning our route back to the truck and we started a conversation with one of the locals. He looked at our map and told us about another path, one that would be a bit of challenge, but was a more direct route to where we needed to get.
I'm not even sure if it was really a hiking path. It wasn't on our map at all. But we decided to follow his directions and go for it. It took us about an hour to hike to the "secret" path, and when we did there was a truck pulling off of it. He stopped and we asked if it lead to where we were going. His reply, "Yeah. You've got a [heck] of a hill to climb." He wasn't kidding. We were passed by two or three other vehicles, one of them was a park ranger who was amazed we were hiking this path with 40 pound packs, but no other hikers. This was definitely the road less traveled by. The regular path followed the shore line and was pretty level, and we passed a ton of people on the beach. But this one really tested us, and there is still a sense of satisfaction I have today because we took that path.
In life our way is similar. While the travelers of this path are few, we are in good company. We walk in the footsteps of the heroes of the faith. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Paul, Jesus, they have blazed this trail, we must choose to follow, and because they have gone ahead of us, we are able to.
"Where would we be if Jesus was not fierce and wild and romantic to the core? Come to think of it, we wouldn't be at all if God hadn't taken that enormous risk of creating us in the first place. Most men spend the energy of their lives trying to eliminate risk, or squeezing it down to a more manageable size... If it works, if a man succeeds in securing his life against all risk, he'll wind up in a cocoon of self-protection and wonder all the while why he's suffocating. If it doesn't work, he curses God and redoubles his efforts and his blood pressure. When you look at the structure of the false self men tend to create, it always revolves around two themes: seizing upon some sort of competence and rejecting anything that cannot be controlled."
Where would we be if Jesus was not fierce, wild and romantic? Stuck as slaves to sin, trying desperately, and failing miserably, to fulfill the law. If God hadn't created us we simply wouldn’t be. If He hadn't taken the risk of love and therefore free will, we wouldn't have any choice in what we did or what our lives looked like. We are made in the image of God who risks everything for us, and so we are made for risk.
But many spend their lives working to reduce it. They sacrifice their strength for security and end up miserable and bored. The more we try to control life the more life we lose. "You literally sacrifice your soul and your true power when you insist on controlling things." What excitement is there when everything is under control and predictable?
Yesterday as I was writing there was some commercial on that had something to do with some tropical beach vacation. I think this is a perfect example of all of this. Most people that I've heard talk about their ideal dream vacation involves something like that, but I have to ask why? What excitement is there sitting on a beach or a boat? Why do people enjoy going somewhere to sit in hotel? I'd be bored to death in that setting. "How do you beat boredom... Adventure?"
Take the beach, give me the mountains with my backpack. Give me a river with my canoe and some camping gear. Let me explore the wild with just my knife, fire starter, and some essential equipment. Put me somewhere that things aren't planned out and controlled. Let me be somewhere where anything can happen. As Jeremy and I hiked that first day we kept looking at the sky behind us, it was getting dark and looked like it might storm. As we got our campsite for the night, one of the rangers warned us of a bear that was occasionally seen in the area. I was sad we only had two days up there.
Life does happen. There are things we can't avoid and have to take care of. But let me ask you a question, "If you had permission to do what you really want to do, what would you do?" Anything at all what would it be? "Don't ask how; that will cut your desire off at the knees. How is never the fight question; how is a faithless question... How is God's department. His is asking you what. What is written in your heart? What makes you come alive?... You see, a man's calling is written on his true heart, and he discovers it when he enters the frontier of his deep desires."
John points out that this is not permission to engage in sin. This is not permission to leave your wife or abandon your kids. "There is a design God has woven into the fabric of this world, and if we violate it we cannot hope to find life." Permission is not given to us to engage in sin, God does not give us sinful desires of our heart. Galatians 5.1 says, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." That same chapter contains the Fruit of the Spirit. We recover our hearts of strength in order to live righteous lives serving God. And at that point our desire is for God and His will, and our hearts are free to receive all of His blessings. But this cannot be done when we insist on being in control. Adventure is not controlled.
"To recover his heart's desire a man need to get away from the noise and distraction of his daily life for time with his own soul. He needs to head into the wilderness, to silence and solitude. Alone with himself, he allows whatever is there to come to the surface. Sometimes it is grief for so much lost time. There, beneath the grief, are desires long forsaken." And there we find out calling, we find the will of God that will challenge us, but also satisfy us in a way nothing else ever could.
Strength demands risk. Two roads diverged in a wood, which one are you taking?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
I've heard that line from Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken so many times, but until now I don't know that it ever really made sense to me. The road that is well traveled is safe, and easy to follow. At one point or another all of us have taken that path, and while life does not allow us to go back, it does constantly present us with forks in the road. But the longer we choose the easy path, the harder it gets to leave it. But leave it we must for the road less traveled by, and that will make all the difference.
Something that just came to my mind is from my first backpacking trip with Jeremy. Our initial plans had been scrapped, and so we were sort of making up our own route as we went. We were hiking along the shore of Lake Michigan so there really wasn't any way to get lost, but we simply had a map and were figuring it out as we went. We had just gotten to a small town on the shore, one of those summer retreat places that rich people have, and we had taken off our packs to rest. We pulled out the map and were planning our route back to the truck and we started a conversation with one of the locals. He looked at our map and told us about another path, one that would be a bit of challenge, but was a more direct route to where we needed to get.
I'm not even sure if it was really a hiking path. It wasn't on our map at all. But we decided to follow his directions and go for it. It took us about an hour to hike to the "secret" path, and when we did there was a truck pulling off of it. He stopped and we asked if it lead to where we were going. His reply, "Yeah. You've got a [heck] of a hill to climb." He wasn't kidding. We were passed by two or three other vehicles, one of them was a park ranger who was amazed we were hiking this path with 40 pound packs, but no other hikers. This was definitely the road less traveled by. The regular path followed the shore line and was pretty level, and we passed a ton of people on the beach. But this one really tested us, and there is still a sense of satisfaction I have today because we took that path.
In life our way is similar. While the travelers of this path are few, we are in good company. We walk in the footsteps of the heroes of the faith. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Paul, Jesus, they have blazed this trail, we must choose to follow, and because they have gone ahead of us, we are able to.
"Where would we be if Jesus was not fierce and wild and romantic to the core? Come to think of it, we wouldn't be at all if God hadn't taken that enormous risk of creating us in the first place. Most men spend the energy of their lives trying to eliminate risk, or squeezing it down to a more manageable size... If it works, if a man succeeds in securing his life against all risk, he'll wind up in a cocoon of self-protection and wonder all the while why he's suffocating. If it doesn't work, he curses God and redoubles his efforts and his blood pressure. When you look at the structure of the false self men tend to create, it always revolves around two themes: seizing upon some sort of competence and rejecting anything that cannot be controlled."
Where would we be if Jesus was not fierce, wild and romantic? Stuck as slaves to sin, trying desperately, and failing miserably, to fulfill the law. If God hadn't created us we simply wouldn’t be. If He hadn't taken the risk of love and therefore free will, we wouldn't have any choice in what we did or what our lives looked like. We are made in the image of God who risks everything for us, and so we are made for risk.
But many spend their lives working to reduce it. They sacrifice their strength for security and end up miserable and bored. The more we try to control life the more life we lose. "You literally sacrifice your soul and your true power when you insist on controlling things." What excitement is there when everything is under control and predictable?
Yesterday as I was writing there was some commercial on that had something to do with some tropical beach vacation. I think this is a perfect example of all of this. Most people that I've heard talk about their ideal dream vacation involves something like that, but I have to ask why? What excitement is there sitting on a beach or a boat? Why do people enjoy going somewhere to sit in hotel? I'd be bored to death in that setting. "How do you beat boredom... Adventure?"
Take the beach, give me the mountains with my backpack. Give me a river with my canoe and some camping gear. Let me explore the wild with just my knife, fire starter, and some essential equipment. Put me somewhere that things aren't planned out and controlled. Let me be somewhere where anything can happen. As Jeremy and I hiked that first day we kept looking at the sky behind us, it was getting dark and looked like it might storm. As we got our campsite for the night, one of the rangers warned us of a bear that was occasionally seen in the area. I was sad we only had two days up there.
Life does happen. There are things we can't avoid and have to take care of. But let me ask you a question, "If you had permission to do what you really want to do, what would you do?" Anything at all what would it be? "Don't ask how; that will cut your desire off at the knees. How is never the fight question; how is a faithless question... How is God's department. His is asking you what. What is written in your heart? What makes you come alive?... You see, a man's calling is written on his true heart, and he discovers it when he enters the frontier of his deep desires."
John points out that this is not permission to engage in sin. This is not permission to leave your wife or abandon your kids. "There is a design God has woven into the fabric of this world, and if we violate it we cannot hope to find life." Permission is not given to us to engage in sin, God does not give us sinful desires of our heart. Galatians 5.1 says, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." That same chapter contains the Fruit of the Spirit. We recover our hearts of strength in order to live righteous lives serving God. And at that point our desire is for God and His will, and our hearts are free to receive all of His blessings. But this cannot be done when we insist on being in control. Adventure is not controlled.
"To recover his heart's desire a man need to get away from the noise and distraction of his daily life for time with his own soul. He needs to head into the wilderness, to silence and solitude. Alone with himself, he allows whatever is there to come to the surface. Sometimes it is grief for so much lost time. There, beneath the grief, are desires long forsaken." And there we find out calling, we find the will of God that will challenge us, but also satisfy us in a way nothing else ever could.
Strength demands risk. Two roads diverged in a wood, which one are you taking?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wild at Heart, Chapter 11: An Adventure to Live, part 1
As I begin the work with this chapter so much of it is speaking to me. I'm at a point where the words written on these pages are the ones my heart needs to hear right now.
Adventure is written onto the heart of every man. It is a desire that God has given us, and because of that it is ok to live them out. Adventure, the thing your heart craves, is part of your calling from God. "The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." As I read that my mind went to Psalm 37.4-5, "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it."
These verses tell us something incredible, each of us is individually created. Each one of us have different passions, different desires, and different callings. God wants us to live out our passions. "Life is not a problem to be solved; it is an adventure to be lived." We were created to live fully delighting in and trusting God. "He [God] rigged the world in such a way that it only works when we embrace risk as the theme of our lives, which is to say, only when we live by faith. A man just won't be happy until he's got adventure in his work, in his love, and in his spiritual life."
We each have deisres that are written into our hearts. God want's us to live them out because as St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." God is glorified when we we live out the deisres He has given us. We live in a world where this is only possible if we take risks. None of our true desries can ever be acheived without risk. We can't play it safe and live adventurously.
"God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts." Each of our hearts are unique, each of our life callings is individual. The desires you have on your heart are things God wants to give you. He wants to do the things you yern to do. But they can only be accomplished by trusting and delighting in Him. He is glorified when we live our the desires He has given us because when we do that we are doing what He created us to do.
This book contains a quote I heard years ago, and it fits pefrectly in this chapter. "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." The world needs men who are men. Men who live from their strong hearts. Men who delight in and trust God. When we are alive we take risks and even if we fail we know that we attempted something that challenged us.
As John writes he tells part of the story of how he got where he is. Here are his words, "God was thickening the plot, testing my resolve. Down one road was my dream and desire, which I had no means to pay for, and an absolutely uncertain future after that; down the other was a comfortable step up the ladder of success, a very obvious next career move and the total loss of my soul."
Right now this is where I find myself. At work they offered me a full time position if I moved from garden to electrical. I had a heads up that something like this was coming, and it's something I was not looking forward to. I got this job for something temporary to help out financially until the right ministry position opens up. It worked out that I was able to get something where I could learn about an area that I was interested in. But now I've come to a difficult position, move into something with security, and better pay, or trust what God has been leading me to.
It's one of those situations where the human side of you says "You're nuts if you don't take this", but your heart is saying, "You know this will suck the life out of you if you do this". Before writing this I told two people about this offer, my wife, and one of my brothers. If my parents found out I'd never hear the end of it. They don't really understand the whole living from your heart and going for your dream, they are responsible people. But like I said, this position would suck the life out of me. And just as John said, God is thickening the plot.
Almost two weeks ago I got an email from churchstaffing.com that had a posting for my dream job. A young adult pastor position at a church that is the Church. The staff is a team that works together and is building the Kingdom all around the world. I read the job description and at first I was overwhelmed and scared. At first glance I was like "I haven't done most of this before, and it doesn't matter because I don't have the large church experiance they are looking for." But then I read it agian, and then again, and then again.
I started to work on my resume, updating it and making it more attractive. And as I did that I realized how much of what this church is looking for that I have actually done. Yes this would be a larger scale than before, but I have done it to some extent. As I read the job description over and over I noticed something, the aspects of the job that I didn't have the most confidence with are stated as being done with others. It isn't something that I'd be thrown out there on my own to figure out, but I'd be working as part of a team.
Over about a week and a half I worked on my resume, cover letter, and short account of my spiritual journey. Through the whole time I heard everything I've been told over the years, "You won't make it in ministry." "The age of the professional minister is over." "You come highly reccommended but we really want someone with experiance." "Thanks for applying, but unfortunatley we have decided to pursue other candidates."
But then I had this thought, "Maybe every door has closed so I'd be available for this moment." I thought about Ephesians 3.20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." This job would be just that, far more abundantly beyond all that I could ask or think.
Yesterday I sent in everything to the church. It's a risk, but it's one that is well worth it. If this is God's plan then I'll be in an envirionment where I will be able to help build the Kingdom in ways I never thought I would. Yes it will stretch me and challenge me. It will pull me out of my comfort zone but it will cause me to grow. It will be adventure that I have craved.
"Two roades diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Adventure is written onto the heart of every man. It is a desire that God has given us, and because of that it is ok to live them out. Adventure, the thing your heart craves, is part of your calling from God. "The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." As I read that my mind went to Psalm 37.4-5, "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it."
These verses tell us something incredible, each of us is individually created. Each one of us have different passions, different desires, and different callings. God wants us to live out our passions. "Life is not a problem to be solved; it is an adventure to be lived." We were created to live fully delighting in and trusting God. "He [God] rigged the world in such a way that it only works when we embrace risk as the theme of our lives, which is to say, only when we live by faith. A man just won't be happy until he's got adventure in his work, in his love, and in his spiritual life."
We each have deisres that are written into our hearts. God want's us to live them out because as St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." God is glorified when we we live out the deisres He has given us. We live in a world where this is only possible if we take risks. None of our true desries can ever be acheived without risk. We can't play it safe and live adventurously.
"God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts." Each of our hearts are unique, each of our life callings is individual. The desires you have on your heart are things God wants to give you. He wants to do the things you yern to do. But they can only be accomplished by trusting and delighting in Him. He is glorified when we live our the desires He has given us because when we do that we are doing what He created us to do.
This book contains a quote I heard years ago, and it fits pefrectly in this chapter. "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." The world needs men who are men. Men who live from their strong hearts. Men who delight in and trust God. When we are alive we take risks and even if we fail we know that we attempted something that challenged us.
As John writes he tells part of the story of how he got where he is. Here are his words, "God was thickening the plot, testing my resolve. Down one road was my dream and desire, which I had no means to pay for, and an absolutely uncertain future after that; down the other was a comfortable step up the ladder of success, a very obvious next career move and the total loss of my soul."
Right now this is where I find myself. At work they offered me a full time position if I moved from garden to electrical. I had a heads up that something like this was coming, and it's something I was not looking forward to. I got this job for something temporary to help out financially until the right ministry position opens up. It worked out that I was able to get something where I could learn about an area that I was interested in. But now I've come to a difficult position, move into something with security, and better pay, or trust what God has been leading me to.
It's one of those situations where the human side of you says "You're nuts if you don't take this", but your heart is saying, "You know this will suck the life out of you if you do this". Before writing this I told two people about this offer, my wife, and one of my brothers. If my parents found out I'd never hear the end of it. They don't really understand the whole living from your heart and going for your dream, they are responsible people. But like I said, this position would suck the life out of me. And just as John said, God is thickening the plot.
Almost two weeks ago I got an email from churchstaffing.com that had a posting for my dream job. A young adult pastor position at a church that is the Church. The staff is a team that works together and is building the Kingdom all around the world. I read the job description and at first I was overwhelmed and scared. At first glance I was like "I haven't done most of this before, and it doesn't matter because I don't have the large church experiance they are looking for." But then I read it agian, and then again, and then again.
I started to work on my resume, updating it and making it more attractive. And as I did that I realized how much of what this church is looking for that I have actually done. Yes this would be a larger scale than before, but I have done it to some extent. As I read the job description over and over I noticed something, the aspects of the job that I didn't have the most confidence with are stated as being done with others. It isn't something that I'd be thrown out there on my own to figure out, but I'd be working as part of a team.
Over about a week and a half I worked on my resume, cover letter, and short account of my spiritual journey. Through the whole time I heard everything I've been told over the years, "You won't make it in ministry." "The age of the professional minister is over." "You come highly reccommended but we really want someone with experiance." "Thanks for applying, but unfortunatley we have decided to pursue other candidates."
But then I had this thought, "Maybe every door has closed so I'd be available for this moment." I thought about Ephesians 3.20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." This job would be just that, far more abundantly beyond all that I could ask or think.
Yesterday I sent in everything to the church. It's a risk, but it's one that is well worth it. If this is God's plan then I'll be in an envirionment where I will be able to help build the Kingdom in ways I never thought I would. Yes it will stretch me and challenge me. It will pull me out of my comfort zone but it will cause me to grow. It will be adventure that I have craved.
"Two roades diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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