Into the Wild

The Devolution of Man…

 

Men are meant to be men.  We are meant to honor, love and protect women.  Not so we oppress them, but so women can be free.  This requires something from men, an honor and strength unique to man.

This is controversial I know…But I’m on a trip with my brothers this weekend.  We go every year with my nephews as well.  There will be 15 men from 60 years old down to the youngest being 4 our weekend adventure.

As look around, I want for my son more than what these quotes outline about our culture:

This morning, the Washington Post highlighted a study showing that the grip strength of a sample of college men had declined significantly between 1985 and 2016. Indeed, the grip strength of the sample of college men had declined so much — from 117 pounds of force to 98 — that it now matched that of older Millennial women. In other words, the average college male had no more hand strength than a 30-year-old mom.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439040/male-physical-decline-masculinity-threatened

Boys and girls are different, after all. But spend time with teen boys today and you’ll find that their common experience revolves more around Call of Duty than around work or even sports. As kids get older (and even during their teenage years), the male gaming experience is supplemented with copious amounts of porn.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439040/male-physical-decline-masculinity-threatened

Now, for parents of the privileged, raising a boy to be a young man has to be an intentional act. You have to ignore the voices who are telling you to indulge your child’s inclinations — no matter what they are — and train them to be not just morally courageous but also physically strong.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/439040/male-physical-decline-masculinity-threatened

Pray for me and my brothers, as a fathers. May I introduce my son to being strong, not to conquer anything but his own mind, body and soul to harness that strength for the betterment of his future wife, his family, his community and first & foremost his own morality.

Trust, I will be praying for you.

 

Moses, David & Paul…

There was an episode of “Cheers” where Cliff Clavin was on Jeopardy and his answer to final jeopardy was “who are three men who’ve never been in my kitchen?” Needless to say, he was not correct!

Moses, David and Paul have never been in my kitchen…that is certainly true.  However, they also share some other more memorable things in common.  Each of them were great leaders of their time.  Moses led the Jews out of Egypt.  David defeated Goliath and was the greatest king of all kings of the Jewish people.  Paul, a great Jewish scholar, led the effort to spread the gospel of the fulfillment of the old testament prophecies in Jesus Christ.

Each of them also shared an active dialogue with the Lord, sharing regular visions or conversations with God.  Three great men they were.

Moses, David and Paul also shared a skeleton in their closet.  Murder…

Moses murdered the Egyptian man. David sent Uriah to the front line and his death to cover up his affair with Bathsheba. Paul oversaw the death of Stephen and killed many other early followers of Christ.

These men were great men of God.  But they also had a very checkered past.  They were murderers.  The images in their mind of having murdered men haunted them as my past has haunted me.  Yet God believed in them and made them unique in the image of God.

Whenever you feel your past dragging you down, remember that Jesus came to cover our past.  Picture yourself in an Art Museum full a photos and paintings on the walls.  Those images are of your past.  Moments in life, some of which are proud, honorable times.  Others are times which you do not wish to remember – like Moses, David and Paul & their murder.  You are in that museum of your past with Jesus.

Jesus looks at you and shares that his blood covers your past.  He picks up a silver, shiny aluminum bucket and stares you in the eyes asking…”May I?”

And with that he throws the contents of the bucket against the wall and blood splatters all over the wall, covering those photos in thick crimson red.  His blood covers the wall of your past.

Your past is your past.  Do not let it stop you from pursuing your future.  Permit Jesus into your museum.  He covers your past.

In Luke 9:62, it states:

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” ESV

Do not look back. With eyes on the horizon, seek a new future.  With Jesus as your guide.