Mighty Men Of God

Another weekend at KD Ranch. I love that place. More memories were created. Lots of laughter, a few tears, and a couple extra pounds added. We had great discussions. We talked about our past, our present and the possibilities and dreams of our futures. We sympathized with some who shared their pains, celebrated with others who shared some victories. We searched for God's voice in His word, in His creation, in prayer, in worship, in Holy Communion, and in the fellowship with one another. Eleven men went and I believe God spoke in eleven different ways. I believe we all walked away with something. For many of us it wasn't necessarily what we came looking for, but maybe we weren't looking for the right thing. I know I learned a thing or two over the weekend. When men gather together to seek God they find him. Not usually in the way they plan on finding him, but in the way God chooses to reveal himself to them. (Read Ethan's story here. It's awesome!)

Every man in this picture is a gift given to me by God. Every man has spoken words of encouragement to me at some point...usually when I needed it the most. They have spoken words of wisdom that I have needed to hear. They have shown me the love of Christ by their generosity, their unconditional love, their grace, mercy and forgiveness. Their testimonies have strengthened my own faith walk. Their passion and love for the Lord has strengthened me in my times of weakness and doubt. I need them, I value them, I admire them, I respect them, I love them, but above all else I thank God for them.

Bittersweet

Tuesdays are always bittersweet. Bitter due to the fact that I will not see my wife all day and night because of work and her Bible study. Sweet because I will be hanging out with a bunch of friends one week or hanging with just one friend the next. This Tuesday the bitter and the sweet seemed stronger than ever but for different reasons.

When I arrived at work on Tuesday morning I was informed that a man whom I deliver packages to regularly had taken his own life. I was totally shocked and saddened. A man who seemed to be so happy and by the worlds standards had it all, suddenly decided to end it all. But why? I heard what was believed to be the primary reason but who could know for certain all that he was battling. My mind flashed back to six months ago, when another man I knew personally chose the same ending. What pushed them to make that choice? This made Tuesday morning a little more bitter than the norm.

The day went on and by afternoon my thoughts began to focus on the friends/brothers that were going to be gathering in my basement that night. By about 6:45 they start pulling in the drive. One car after the other. That is when the SWEET part starts. We chat, pray and within minutes one of the new guys shares his testimony of a restored marriage, freedom from addictions and a radically changed life. So powerful and so encouraging. Great discussions follow and then another man shares some of his deepest, darkest, humiliating, lifelong struggles. Things that he has shared with VERY few others. What courage to share and to be transparent. He made himself to be totally vulnerable to another 12 men, two whom he had never met before the evening began. That takes guts. That takes a man. By sharing his battle with us, another brother shares that he has also struggled with this burden and has carried it and hid it within him his whole life. Suddenly two men realize that they are not alone. Not only that, they realize there are other men who love and accept them regardless of their weaknesses, struggles, sins, or burdens.

Then another brother shares how he had confessed his sins months earlier at our group and how God has been faithful to His word in lifting that heavy burden off his shoulders. He expressed how healing had begun and stated that as hard as he tried on his own, he never experienced the freedom that he now has. All of this made Tuesday night a little sweeter than the norm!

We need to bring these burdens, sins, struggles and weaknesses into the light, not hide them in the dark recesses of our lives. When we confess our sins to one another and when we share those struggles and burdens with one another satan looses any stronghold he might have. The enemy lies to us and tells us we won't be accepted and tells us that we are all alone in our battles. That is such a lie! Satan is a punk and he is a liar!

We all have something in the dark recesses of our lives. The most difficult thing is finding a place where we feel safe to share these things. I am thankful I have a place and even more thankful for the men who share my safe place and use it!

All day today my mind couldn't escape these questions. Did the men that took their lives have a safe place to share their struggles, their burdens, their sins, or their weaknesses? And if they didn't could their lives have been different if they did have that place?

My Wednesday was equally bittersweet.

This Tuesday Night's Twelve

This is what you call "Man Church". Because MAN did we have some CHURCH!! Yea, there are 12 of us. Reggie forgot to open his eyes & smile and as a result he blended in well with the neck of the deer. : ) I know I have been talking about this alot lately but I am consistently amazed by what happens in the basement of our home when men gather and the Holy Spirit comes. This is AWESOME stuff and there is NOTHING like men who love Jesus gathered together and pouring their hearts out to God and one another. Powerful, transforming, energizing, encouraging and amazing. If you are a man... you need something like this!! TRUST ME. Find it and get in it! Can't find it? Start it! Community, accountability, transparency, vulnerability, acceptance, edification, and encouragement. You will find all that here...at the Man Church in the Man Cave. Stop reading about it and do it!!

My Emmaus Road

WOW! I really am speechless. Another mountaintop Emmaus weekend. God showed up to break chains, tear down walls, transform hearts and to add one more to the kingdom. Heaven was celebrating Saturday night after Hagg's talk. Christian action was the talk and some good friends were in the story that God used to reach one more. I was slightly JACKED UP!!! There are too many stories to tell. Many friendships and relationships were created and strengthened. God answered my prayer of adding a few more men to Tuesday night meetings. Some of these new guys are willing to drive over an hour to fellowship with other godly men. Amazing! Thank you Jesus.

As I have reflected back on what the Walk To Emmaus has meant to me over the past 4 years, I am overwhelmed. Three walks in four years. (2006, 2008, 2009) Every walk was experienced in a different house. There is so much symbolism in that fact. (This does make me slightly hesitant to be a part of another walk. I do not like to move!)

The first walk and the first house were new and exciting. I found Jesus when I was living in that house and I experienced Jesus in a whole new way on that first walk. It was new, fresh and exciting. I couldn't wait to see what was next and how God was going to lead and bless.

The second walk and the second house were much different. I still had great excitement for God and His work but I was in a different place spiritually and physically. I wasn't a table leader and I wasn't a pilgrim. I was in between. I wasn't in the home God gave me originally and I wasn't in the one He was preparing for me. I was in a place where God was molding and shaping me. He was placing a desire to lead in my heart but I had to wait until it was my time and my turn. He placed desires in my heart for a house and for ministry but again He calls me to wait on Him. I had to wait for God's timing, for God's plan. It was a time of testing in so many ways but primarily a testing of my faith. A testing of how deep my roots really were. A season of testing...not leading, not following- not settled, but not moving. Transforming. It was a very bittersweet season. It was difficult but I knew that something would be birthed from that time of difficulty, that time of testing and...waiting.

The third walk- the third house. It's different this time. I was a table leader and I am the spiritual leader of my home. God has taken me from the place I thought I loved to a place that I love more. I have been discipled and I have discipled others. God is calling and moving me into a new season. God is asking for more because He has given me more. I have trained to be proven faithful and true in the smaller things. Bigger things are on the horizon.

I have done my best to follow the model of Jesus and the twelve disciples. First Jesus called them to drop their nets and to follow Him. When He said come follow me I left it all and followed Him immediately. Secondly Jesus taught them, tested them and put them through trials. During my times of teaching, testing and trials I struggled but I have endured. I know and understand there are more of these times to come but the ones I have experienced have prepared me for the ones in the future. Finally He sent the disciples out to do ministry. It was their time to continue His work. He wants me to participate in His work. I am being sent out to minister to others, to share the gospel, and to grow others in Christ. I am a disciple of Christ. Not for what I have done but for what He has done in me.

As I listen for His continued call I know I can't do it in my own strength or with my own abilities. If I step outside His power I will fail. I love being in these situations. I now must continue moving forward, listening for that still small voice. It is His voice I long to hear. It is His affirmation I long to hear. It is His confirming words I long to hear. My own desires mislead me. Others opinions should not concern me. It is His voice I want to hear and obey. It is His direction I want to follow. Speak to me Lord. Amplify your voice. When I hear your voice I will run to you knowing that is exactly where I am to be and exactly what I am to be doing. Use me Lord.

I'm So Thankful For A Few Good Men

Read your Bible, pray and serve. It is great advice and I think it is necessary to grow in faith. I have heard this taught and have had it drilled into my head since the beginning of my christian walk. As important as I know those things are, I think fellowship is even more important. Yea that's right...I said it! Hanging out with other christian men is more important to me than reading my Bible, praying, or serving. (I can feel the tension)

Think about how Jesus started his ministry. He didn't teach the crowds how to study the scriptures or pray. Instead, he chose 12 men and forced them to hang out together. In fact, the disciples had to ask Jesus, "Teach us to pray." Then he gave them the a brief model to follow. Soon he was back to team building.

When Christ sent 72 men out to minister (Luke 10) he paired them up. Jesus never sent anyone out alone. Similarly, the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys were taken in the company of other men.

Looking back at my spiritual life, I'm most like Jesus when I'm in close proximity to other godly men. My deepest failures have come when I am alone.

I'm really going to climb out on a limb here: I think a Christian life consisting of individual Bible reading, prayer and church attendance is little threat to the kingdom of darkness. But when two or three or twelve gather to pray, the evil one trembles.

I am blessed to experience this with a few good men in my home on Tuesday nights. That is the place where I feel God's hand molding and shaping me the most. I am convicted, encouraged, inspired , and challenged every week we meet. Both by God and these men. I am so thankful God has put other Godly men in my life. I need them in ways that I can never put into words. The funny thing is that when we gather we open up The Scriptures, we pray, and we serve one another. hmmm...?

Now I am preparing to spend 72 hours straight with God and 60 other men. There is supernatural power in that believe me. At the end of those 72 hours I pray God will add a few more good men to my life and to our Tuesday night meetings. Now I'm gonna go study God's word, pray and serve my wife a cup o'joe!

The Feel Good Gospel

I believe Mark expresses his point clearly.

Hot Chicks, Bald Guys, and Cheesecake

On Friday night I was blessed with the opportunity to experience something that I had never experienced before. As a matter of fact, I had never even heard of this being done before. Nine of the eleven men who went on our men's retreat in January reunited to treat our wives to a special evening. We had a meal catered, (thanks to Norval), we had special musical guests, (thanks to Hagg), we had a short chick flick, (thanks to Rob Bell and Jeff Selph), and we wrapped up the evening by professing our love for our wives (thanks to God). One by one, each man stood up in front of the group and expressed his love for his wife in their own special way. Powerful stuff.

Our meal was wonderful. Our dessert was amazing. Go here for the best cheesecake ever! I promise you!

Our musical guests included Jeremy Sharp, who led worship at our retreat, and Amy Banbury, who made the yummy cheesecake. Both are blessed with God given talent and both understand what it means to worship through music and song.

Here is a picture of Jeremy in worship mode and blessing us with one of my favorites "You Said". It is such a blessing to see and hear a young man use his gifts to glorify God and bless others. He is also gifted intellectually as he is a mechanical engineering student at Ohio State. He also brought a special guest of his own. His girlfriend Shelby.

Amy made us all tear up when she sang Hillsong's "Healer". It is so powerful to hear her sing it because she has lived it. She knows it and she believes it. What a special moment for me personally. I don't understand why God chooses to heal some and not all but I believe He uses both the lives saved and the lives lost to draw us to himself. Amy is also gifted in many areas. Did I mention her cheesecake? or lemonbars? Sorry for the horrible picture but a tear might have gotten on the lens.

The video spoke on the female qualities of God that are often ignored or overlooked. It was Rob Bell as Rob Bell. Short, profound and deep if you want to go there. I didn't want to go there because I was already deep in thought about what was to come next.

I love these guys in the top picture. They are real, transparent, vulnerable. They are not afraid to share their weaknesses or failures. Any pride is always left behind when we gather. We share laughs, tears, hugs, and words like I love you. We are secure in our own masculinity even though we know we are broken and weak. God shines through our brokeness and our weaknesses.

One by one we poured our hearts out to our wives. Every man in his own way. Every man with his own style. God was displaying His creativity. No two men used the same words or ideas. I loved it. I believe the way every man expressed himself is the way every wife wanted to hear it. Straight from the heart. Some used songs that rang so true. Some gave flowers. Some got down on their knees. Some shed tears, some made us all laugh. Some even brought their business socks expecting their profession might have it's rewards. Some had a scroll that reached the floor and others only had a few words. Many made promises and I do believe all expressed thankfulness. Some asked for forgiveness, some gave it. Some said they were fearful but expressed themselves powerfully. Some shared about the mountains that were moved and the mountains that had to be climbed. We were all different but yet the same. We all love God and we all love our wives. We all fail miserably at showing and expressing it to them at times. But Friday night I pray we made God and all our brides smile by being the man they both want us to be.

I believe there is 186 years of marriage represented in this picture. Amazing. Take note. Not much hair in the back row but there sure is a bunch of beauty in the front. Click on it for a closer look.

(We put the self-proclaimed eye candy to the far left in the dark to make sure she didn't steal all the attention)

Are You A "Real Man"?

What is a "real man"?
According to American society, modern men are not to be vulnerable in any way. It is considered weak to say, "I don't know" or "I'm sorry" or "I'm afraid" or "I need help" or "I was wrong". Don't even think of shedding a tear. We have to be strong and tough. Never show a sign of vulnerability or you're masculinity will be questioned. "Real men" are to pursue power and money. When men gain power and money all other traits of the "real man" follow. Materialism (the finest crib in the finest neighborhood, the sweet ride, the fine threads) Image is everything. Strong, in control, without a weakness. Proud, secure and of course admired by multitudes of beautiful women. That is how I see a "real man" portrayed in the world I live in. I'm bombarded with it everywhere I look. (billboards, magazines, TV, internet)

Jesus seemed to have a different opinion.
In Luke 7:28 Jesus says, "I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John" There are many traits that I think classify John as a real man.
1) His humility. John 1:27 "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." John considered himself unworthy of even being a slave for Jesus although he had a great following and was chosen to prepare the way for him. John understood who he was and who Christ is.
2) His simplicity. Mark 1:6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Won't find that on the cover of GQ. I haven't ran across THAT entree ever!
3) His leadership and ministry. Mark 1:4-5 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. He is obviously a great leader because he had many followers. I know of no greater ministry than teaching and preaching salvation through Jesus Christ.
4) His courage. Matthew 3:7-10 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Clearly outnumbered he laid it on the line to two very powerful and influentual groups.
5) His vulnerability. John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less. Here I think John shows his vulnerability in his honesty and humility. It all comes full circle. Others were following him and now Jesus had come and John's job was nearing completion. Honestly and publicly he says it is through Jesus you have eternal life. John was to start, Jesus was to finish.

Quite a contrast.
Where do you find yourself?

Either way I feel I fall miserably short of a "real man".

I say, "I don't know", "I'm sorry", "I'm afraid", "I need help"and "I was wrong" more often than many men I know. I've been known to shed a tear. I like to think I'm strong and tough.(Just don't show me the needle.) I don't pursue power or money unless we're playing Risk or Monopoly. I have a nice house in a safe neighborhood. I drive a '97 Acura Integra with 212,000 miles and I own 1 off the rack suit. I have my weaknesses. I still have too much pride but I still have my insecurities. I have 1 beautiful woman who likes to hang with me. Not quite the "real man" by the world's standards. I'm okay with all that. (not the pride)
I like to think I live a simple life.(Just the basics in about every area of my life) I'm getting better at being vulnerable. (you have to be if you want to give and recieve love) Never was the meek type so the courage thing isn't much of a struggle. (If God is for me who can be against me) God knows my desire to be a leader and to be doing his ministry. God continues to humble me although I do a great job of it myself. I'm a work in progress. God is sure to finish the work he started.(Phil. 1:6) I don't quite meet the standards of John the Baptist but I am pursuing the One who came after him. For now I will consider myself in all humility, a "God's man"............. A "real God's man".