Personal Diversion

I'm breaking off with my Characteristics of Biblical Heroes series to express a thought that still fits our topic. Bear with me as I take a personal diversion.

(David says to Goliath) “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”  1 Samuel 17:46

Big words from a little shepherd boy! God uniquely designed us men with a strong desire to achieve. It is in our DNA to do more, to do greater, and to accomplish something far more spectacular. Over time we experience setbacks, disappointments, failures, and shattered plans and dreams that can stifle this natural propensity for success. Right before David said this bold declaration to a 9 foot, 6 inch giant, his big brother condescendingly questioned why he was even there (v. 28). David looked past the insult and saw the true prize – to take away this reproach from Israel (and the king’s bounty wasn’t bad, either!).

I realized about three years ago that my body had become a bit lethargic, slothful, and soft. I had not really pressed myself to do anything athletic throughout my entire 40’s and it had taken its toll physically. My son-in-law, a former PT (physical trainer) for the Air Force, “provoked” me to do something about it. He recommended a workout video that he had been using and I agreed that I would do it. For the first three weeks I really did think I was going to die. No, I mean it! I could not think of one nice thing to say about my son-in-law. I couldn’t walk right, sit right, nor could I get up naturally from a prone position! I felt sick to my stomach every time I worked out. There were times when I really felt I was near certain death if I didn’t stop, and I actually would have welcomed it! I regretted having asked him to help me. I thought of every excuse to quit, to not thoroughly dread another workout, to stop the madness!

 

Gutting it out did eventually pay off.  I remember starting to count my push-ups. When I first began I was proud to get to 27. Months later I was doing 50, then 70, then 100. Though improvement was ever so gradual, noticing that I was getting fit was quite an adrenaline rush, a male source of personal accomplishment and progress. It also helped that my wife took notice and expressed her approval. It was taking all of 35 – 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week of gruelingly painful exercise to reach these goals, though the 45 minutes seemed much longer! I had an experiential revelation during this era of “self-flagellation;” men were made for challenges and we are at our best when we have and pursue goals that are against-all-odds, a “David vs. Goliath” scenario. The discipline in my physical life has bled into my spiritual disciplines making everything else have greater perspective and clarity.

My diversion this week is to encourage all men to see that they have been specifically programmed to be more than the sum of their parts. We have mind-numbing lostness in our current culture and in all of our neighborhoods. This Goliath is real. It is big, smelly, and wants you to just shut up and go away. Go find the stones that fit your sling and take his head off! We were made for such a time as this.

Big, Bad Benjaminites! Part 2

The passage of Scripture that we are studying in this continued look at “Characteristics of Biblical Heroes” is 1 Chronicles 12:1-2 (it is in the previous blog in italics). The Benjaminites were unusual in that they possessed the ability to fight and fire weapons with both hands. We looked at this importance of this characteristic in the last blog, but there is still much we can learn from these big, bad boys. We each are equipped with skills, abilities, talents, and natural tendencies that are unique and specialized and we have these qualities through the combined “blessings” of giftedness, aptitude, experience, and upbringing. That is what makes each one of us so different. The “Weapons of our Warfare,” is still the Sword of the Spirit, the infallible, inerrant, living words of Holy Writ. How we utilize, wield, and display our own personal technique of “Sword play” is as unique as each one of us, allowing those individual “blessings” to create our own style of methodology in Weaponry. What we must do is learn the Sword and then allow that knowledge to permeate our own talents, thinking, and skillset. Such a person is indeed formidable!

Studying these Benjaminites also reveals that they were the first group to respond to David’s leadership. This quality of immediate response to a calling or need is attractive and shows initiative and commitment. Chronicles also describes them as blood kin to the present king, “Saul’s brethren,” making the current affairs of state quite personal being directly related to the sitting leadership. They confronted the reality of Saul’s lack of obedience, irrational use of military resources, and poor decision making skills. Notice how they looked past the “blood is thicker than water” tendency and saw that David would provide the type of godly direction Israel needed. Application? Heroes do not give family or acquaintances a pass just because they are personally close. Equally as important they take the initiative in creating the environment for change. These two attributes together illustrate a critical attitude in the heart of a hero.

 

The take away this week is the fact that we could all do a better job increasing our skill in using the Weapons of our Warfare, the Scriptures. We you consider that Jesus used this very weapon when tempted by the devil (Matt. 4, Mark 1, Luke 4), who are we to think that we could somehow do a better job with some other tool?! There is not a better exercise program we can engage in than to the one that extends our reach, builds our strength, and widens our target by the acquisition of God's Holy Word in our hearts and minds. In essence, Biblical strength training and conditioning IS the breakfast of Spiritual Champions!

Gadite Gridiron - Part 1

Ok, we’ve looked at some of the ways the modern church has hindered the proper development of manly heroes, now let’s look at some of the characteristics of biblical heroes found throughout the pages of Scripture. The purpose here is to stimulate men to introduce the specific characteristics necessary and then envision themselves being that type of man, a man called for such a time as this. Here is the first group of heroes called, “the Gadites.”

 “Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains… These were the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred and the greatest was over a thousand. These were the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.”  (1 Chronicles 12:8, 14-15)

Our first illustration is found in the book of 1 Chronicles, a group of eleven men from Gad that were quite impressive. The initial paragraph above (in italics) lists their accolades. Verses 9-13 gave the names and families of each of these 11 men, but the verses quoted above describe six key elements of what made these men Biblical Heroes. Here is that list:

        “mighty men of valor”
  “men trained for battle, could handle both shield and spear”
     “faces like the faces of lions”
        “swift as gazelles on the mountains”
     “captains – of hundreds – of thousands”
      “crossed the Jordan…when it overflowed all its banks”

 These were some really tough hombres! Notice some of the phrases used – mighty men of valor, trained for battle, faces like lions, swift as gazelles, my gracious, these guys would bring home the Lombardi Trophy every time! Did you catch how they crossed the Jordan during the monsoon season!? These guys were beasts! When you consider it would take a very strong, healthy man to cross the Jordan on a normal day, imagine the stamina required to cross it when it was overflowing its banks! There is only one way these men could accomplish such feats of wonder and that was selfless discipline. They were in it ALL the way! Men, this is your first characteristic to grab – selfless discipline.

Think about it. Ezer (the first Gadite listed in v. 9) did not wake up one morning and say, “Hey, I’m going to cross the Jordan today while it’s overflowing its banks, just to see if I can do it.” Hey, this is like trying to survive a flood! The amount of training involved, muscle development, increased respiratory and cardio function, along with the sheer determination to accomplish such a superhuman feat required a significant amount of personal discipline that can only be measured in time. Ezer had to have trained for months, crossing the Jordan at normal levels first, adding to his strength and stamina, working out steadily with increasingly more resistance and challenges until he was at his peak. Put more succinctly, it didn’t just happen! Discipline is an everyday kind of thing that requires TIME! It’s not the singular event that makes a hero, but the preparedness and commitment to do what is right consistently because it is right. This is the first lesson to being a hero – selfless discipline.

 Part 2 of Gadite Gridiron to follow.

Black Coffee vs. Half-Calff, Peppermint Macchiato with Low-fat Whip Cream

 

I’m a man. Not a metro-sexual, hyper-sensitive, skinny-jean, manicured nails, poster boy. Don’t confuse me, I realize that we are all different, having unique personalities, gifts, tastes, and proclivities that create a cacophony of humanity. I also realize that I have a tendency to glamourize the true Renaissance man, the guy that can speak fluently using just the right words at the right time, play a musical instrument, be a crack-shot with a gun or bow and arrow, and have a physical demeanor that would make an enemy second-guess messing with him. You know, a well-rounded man, just the right amount of brute strength and cultural poise. The reason I am drawn to such is because they usually produce the greatest number of world-changing champions. However, these guys are not typically drawn to our current church environments. Why? Here is issue number 2.

The second characteristic that is has become mainstream in the current church model and that is oblivious to its leadership is the overemphasis on emotions. Although real men have emotions and know exactly how to use them and control them, they are NOT the lead! In most of our modern Worship Services emotions are the pinnacle of the Sunday experience. We strive for more and more emotive responses from start to finish! Let me explain my thesis.

The most important part of our Sunday Service is … what? Well, it’s NOT the reading of the Scriptures, the explanation of the text, the application of the message, or the giving of the tithe. We certainly don’t stand up and get excited about that part of the service! In my frequent travels I observe most congregants are very disconnected with the aforementioned elements of the typical service. See for yourself, the most important part of the Sunday morning experience is the song service. We all stand up for that part. Interestingly the only time the congregation of Israel ever stood up was during the reading of the Law (Nehemiah 8:5), not the song service! You see we are placing a higher value on music than God ever intended! We should be standing when God’s Word is read, displaying physical agreement to those precious holy words that are infallible, inerrant, and God-breathed. Today we worship music, which is why we now call music, “Worship!” The shift was subtle, but effective – men are less inclined to be involved in something that is mostly “emotive” and less substantive. Music is emotional. An emotional response only lasts a brief moment, and though it is important to include emotions in our service, it should NOT be the pinnacle, the apex, or the linchpin since it does not last. A changed heart, a changed mind will always outlast an emotional high. God’s Word is the tool that changes hearts and minds, not well performed, emotionally charged music.

Let me explain it another way. Instead of feelings-based activities, sound doctrine boldly proclaimed and connected to applicable, relevant opportunities should be the center of our Worship experience. Each worshipper should find as the highest part of the service the Word of God being connected directly to the daily applications in their lives giving them answers and mental pictures of how they can fulfill God’s will for their life. They should be given a vision, a calling, and a purpose for their special abilities, insights, and gifts. Men tend to find little opportunity for the exercise of their unique wiring. Few programs are offered that allows manly men to be given a challenge. For the modern Renaissance man, the disappointment is the watering down of the godly mandates of Scripture. We are so afraid to offend that we actually offend the very nature of the typical, practical-driven man. Real men want genuine facts, clearly and boldly proclaimed, and applications for their lives. In other words, these guys want their coffee black but we’re serving them some fancy party drink and wondering why they’re not happy.

More to follow.

Are You Running Off Potential Heroes?

If this is your first visit to this blog it might be best to read the short edition right below this one to get some perspective. The topic at hand is how we are unwittingly driving away or emasculating our true male heroes from the modern church. To start with I want to clearly point out that this is not an attack or even a hint of disrespect leveled at our “women folk.” They have historically been the ones to carry the weight of actual church ministry and have always outnumbered their bearded counterparts. They were the only ones to show up at the most important grave side gathering! We are indebted to them and this is not an attack on their contributions or their value to the church. The person of the Lord Jesus was unique in that He perfectly represented the natural strengths found in both sexes. My point here is that He demonstrated a complete picture, both necessary elements for a healthy church – (1) the caring, accepting, forgiving Nurturer, and (2) a confident, strong, disciplining, masculine Leader.

Today, we only have half of that combination in most of our churches. Church life has become very emotive, feeling, and nurturing with strong emphasis on deeds over creeds.  Yes, we all know Jesus was “meek and mild, gentle and kind,” but He also cleared the Temple, making a whip out of cords and driving out the money changers, overturning tables, and notice, no one stood up to Him! He called one of his best friends “the devil,” and don’t forget the 30 years of grueling carpentry work! He did NOT look like those Renaissance pictures of some girlie-man with long hair, frail and effeminate. That image is not the Son of God that was beaten and bloodied, whipped and crucified on a rugged tree, hanging for three long hours. When you compare those classic paintings with the description of Him in Revelation 19:11-16 you just have to scratch your head.

Have you noticed the current move in our society to render real men impotent? Owning guns is now considered a Neanderthal practice, hunting is viewed even worse, and contact sports is doing all it can to lower the aggressiveness so to eradicate any possible injury although the very nature of the activity is to crash wildly into each other in an effort to win. The word I’m looking for here is RISK! The most content men alive are those that have been given a larger-than-life challenge and the opportunity to achieve that impossibility (a definition of risk). However, when men are not challenged at home, at work, or at church they can easily slide into taking other “secret” risks. These can develop into aberrant behavior and suck the very “hero-style” life out of them leaving them disillusioned and in their wake destroyed sons, daughters, and families.

A key ingredient in the development of a hero is a nebulous “something”- it’s this larger than life quality that he is willing to die for as well as live for, and it requires a large dose of risk before it clicks. This, of course, is melded with godly fear.  Without it, men go back on the shelf, living out their “manliness” vicariously through some fictional TV character or worse, some professional sports icon. The bottom line is without this hero mentality they DO nothing. You may have unknowingly shelved heroes, not to mention overlooked the supermen that are in your community, men that will never darken the door of your church because they believe “stallions go to bars and geldings go to church,” and you give them no reason to think otherwise!

Here is my first observation that points the finger at how the church has contributed to the “emasculated men syndrome.” Some of you are NOT going to like this! Just try to critically observe the “worship” music that has become very popular in many of our contemporary settings. This is NOT a rant on contemporary music; however some of the lyrics are extremely feminine, speaking of love affairs with Jesus in words that no real man would ever consider using with another man. Just stop and read some of those lines. You need to realize that men visualize Christ as our Commander and Chief, our King, our Lord, and believe it or not ladies, this is a type of male intimacy. But when almost every song is touchy, touchy, feely, feely we are unable to sing those words with any self-respect. To us, those words come out as forced, disingenuous, and it’s like an affront to how He created us as men. There are plenty of contemporary songs that appeal to men (i.e., the “Promise Keepers” litany of albums) but they are rarely used, opting for the more “emotionally charged” songs. I’m just asking for some consideration, a balance, more songs on His character, nature, holiness and less on how we feel about Him.

This phenomena in music is completely unintentional, but with men making up less than 34 % of the average church membership, and even less of them actively involved, it’s time for us to start contemplating what is keeping away those “mighty men of David.” We desperately need strong, biblically-seasoned, male heroes. This is observation number one, and there are several more to follow. Stay tuned!

Where Are Our Heroes?

Heroes. The Bible is full of them! Some are globally popular, like David, the giant killer. But there are others, like Benaiah who killed a lion in the pit on a snowy day, who are basically unknown and stay in relative obscurity. The stories of burning passion mixed with super-human strength are actually quite common across the pages of God’s Word but they seem to lie unread, untapped, and thus left in oblivion. It seems that in every age there are these tough hombres that saw themselves as capable men, able to make a difference by defending Israel and the Kingdom and fighting against immeasurable odds. I read about them, study them, and then stop and ponder – where are these guys today? Is the only location for these “gladiator” style super-heroes on our sports channels? Oh, please, NO!

Let me whet your appetite by giving you some examples of such biblical heroes. There is a man called “Adino” that was challenged by 800 Philistines and he routed them all by himself (2 Samuel 23:8). Man, I want THAT guy on my team! There are the Gadites that crossed the Jordan during the monsoon season, when the river was overflowing its banks (1 Chronicles 12:15). Hey, it’s hard enough to cross the Jordon in normal conditions, and these guys did it when the flood warnings had been issued. I’d take any of them to be on my defensive line and pity any quarterback or fullback that gets the ball. These men are beasts! Or how about Eleazar that stood up and attacked the Philistines until his hand was so weary it literally stuck to his sword until the battle was over (2 Samuel 23:9). You talk about a committed warrior, a true man of principle, yet this guy’s name is virtually unknown.

I spoke of David and his famous battle, but did you know that he fought 4 other giants later in his reign as King? Check out 2 Samuel 21:15-22 and see how he obviously needed all of those “5 smooth stones!” I mentioned a man named Benaiah that fought the worst of enemies (a lion), in the worst of places (a pit), in the worst of conditions (on a snowy day). He also fought two lion-like heroes of Moab and a spectacular Egyptian to become one of the mighty men of David. He is briefly mentioned in Scripture but what a great role model. He was brave (willing to fight the most deadly of enemies), creative (he wrested the spear from the Egyptian and used it against him), and showed initiative (he went after the lion, not waiting on the lion to come to him). What father would not want to model and teach these attributes to his sons! But I must ask the question again - Where are these guys today? Where are the Davids, Adinos, and Eleazars?

I believe these guys are here today! I believe in the hearts of many of our young men (and matured men) is a longing to be more. To be the lion killers, the nation-savers, the ones that will answer the call to fight against all odds. I believe our culture has been slowly and meticulously emasculating our men removing all the tools and environments that create these heroes. Unfortunately, I also believe our churches have unwittingly done the same thing. In the weeks to come I will address some of the current trends that I believe are rendering impotent the seeds of heroism in our men. These are dreadfully desperate days and we need heroes, fully devoted risk-takers to stand in the gap, face the impossible odds, and allow their hands to grow weary while slinging the Sword, never giving up. Unless there are some significant changes in our “training fields” this battle will never even begin. Bear with me.

Shift from Entertainment to Accountability Fellowships

In my earlier blog, I described the noticeable shift from a non-Christian culture to a more aggressive, anti-Christian culture. I would like to discuss a possible trend that could be an outcome of such a seismic change. When considering the enormous abandonment of young people toward evangelical Christianity, those few that do embrace the faith will …

Shift from Consumer-Entertainment to Practical-Accountability Fellowships

With our current climate less than hospitable toward believers, it is not mental gymnastics to conclude that “genuine” young Christians are going to be more diligent in finding an environment that will provide spiritual enrichment, encouragement, and ammunition for the fight they currently are experiencing. No longer will the large, loud, impersonal “youth gatherings” with high sensory stimulation and big-name entertainment be the draw, but rather a deep, meaningful, like-minded fellowship will become the mainstay in order to provide needed accountability and structured encouragement as well as ministry outlets. I can see a move from the mega-church phenomena to a more mid-size or even the small church venue in order to meet the needs of having personal, practical relationships (this is already starting to happen on several fronts).

I also wonder if the current bizarre popularity of social media will start to wane as people that have either grown up with, or that have become enamored with this “cyber-relationship tool” will realize it is a weak substitute for having a commitment-centered, small accountability group in the development of their Christian disciplines. It may stay active as an outlet for expression of faith, but the realization of having a more organic, face to face encounter with fellow believers for true development will replace the frequency of “having to stay connected.” (I have seen several Facebook posts about young people "fasting" from their cell phones for several days each week!)

Two of the unfortunate consequences of the mega-youth models are (1) that so few members are given any opportunity for leadership and (2) so many uncommitted can “hide” in the anonymity of the masses. Problem 2 is simply “too many wolves with the sheep” and this analogy needs no explanation. This first problem however deserves some clarification. Without personal opportunities for leadership, in other words the chance to actually make decisions and be strategically involved, there is no developed loyalty, no “bye-in.” The results of this “lack of an outlet for ministry development” has already been documented in countless books, and most of us can recite the mantra – “by the time active churched youth leave for college, more than 82% will never darken the doors of a church again!” Although we’ve read this, heard this, and lamented its reality we are not currently attacking the problem at its core – connecting our youth with actual leadership opportunities within the church, giving them true ownership! Hence the forced solution of involvement with smaller, more opportunistic fellowships that provides higher accountability.
 

If larger churches address this issue by offering more opportunities for hands-on ministry it will curb the future departure, but the “song and dance,” performance-based student ministry model will not provide the necessary elements of true disciple-making. The line in the sand is becoming more noticeable and our young people are on the front lines of this battle. Although those of us that are older can see it, they are sweating it out firsthand. For the faithful few that will remain we must provide genuine centers of spiritual development and experience. Babysitting and entertaining them is over.

Shift from Non-Christian to Anti-Christian Culture

Check out this very short description of some superheroes that served under King David! "...the sons of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chron. 12:32)"  Man, that's pretty much all it says about them, but they were so necessary. What they had can be summed up in one word - VISION!

I don’t consider myself a “son of Issachar,” nor am I a “prophet, or the son of a prophet,” and my prognostication skills have never been my strong suit, but I would like to look at an important trend facing the future church.

The Shift from “non-Christian” to “Anti-Christian” Culture

Most people living today in America do not remember Bible reading done in their public schools. They may have  heard about it but have no personal experience of a thoroughly Judeo-Christian ethic being the norm of all of society. It dictated how the family lived, how the “village” operated, and it was all directly connected to the church. Our society was a moral haven, not that everyone was a Christian, but the acceptable bar of behavior centered on the precepts of Scripture and especially the Big Ten. That is why the French historian, Alexis de Tocqueville made the famous phrase in 1840, “America is great because Americans are good.” Well, Lexi, times have certainly changed!
 

For the last half century our common struggle has been the world’s encroachment on our children, the humanistic philosophies stealing the hearts and minds of our future. We have watched a non-Christian world slowly bleed out our sons and daughters spiritually, leaving them morally incompetent and inept. Although you may still see yourself in this fight, the times have changed yet again. No longer are we living in a non-Christian culture, we have changed the address to an “Anti-Christian” culture. Today we are considered wrong, nay I say, evil, for having Judeo-Christian principles that guide our lives. We are boldly and loudly called names like intolerant, homophobes, Neanderthals, flat-earthers, and “hate-criminals” if we hold to the basic ethical doctrines of God’s Word. Any moral challenge we give to an aberrant behavior from a Biblical perspective is met with vicious outrage, even borderline violence, which is considered a just reward. Our Christian students are not only fighting the immoral onslaught of secular hedonism and rampant sensuality, they are fighting for their lives. One reason most are very timid about sharing their faith is not the embarrassment, it’s because of the popular opinion that Christians are the new Nazis. We are no longer at odds, we are at war, and the culture is the one waging it! What used to be a line drawn in the sand has become a rampart with bludgeoning repercussions. It’s no longer the 90’s!  

If a man makes a poorly produced “YouTube” video that portrays Mohammad in a bad light he will spend over 3 months in jail. Would he have been given the same treatment if he had done the exact same thing defaming the person of Jesus Christ? Think about it. On April 7, 2009 in an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report, “right-wing extremist” were considered a major homegrown threat to national security. It goes on to clarify groups such as Christians, returning US Soldiers, supporters of far-right candidates, homeschoolers, and NRA members should be assessed as a high level of threat. The outcry was deafening and because of that they have since pulled this report, but the fact is our government sees us, Judeo-Christian ethic, Bible believers, as a national security threat! Because we stand for something holy we are now guilty of hate-crimes! How long before they issue another such declaration and there is no outcry? The new culture is Anti-Christian!