Spiritual Wrestling

November 13th, 2008

Spiritual Growth is an interesting process of building and breaking. God is the potter and we are the clay. the funny thing about this is that often our lives take a shape in one stage then without explanation or warning God removes or reshapes us. Some times on such a level that we are crumpled back into a lump of unformed clay. The attributes we have learned are like color or textures that are still in the lump but our form is changed so that our purpose is more fully realized.

Because of our sinful human nature we feel this process like a wrestling match between God and ourselves. Obviously he would win. but he allows us to struggle against Him to strengthen our understanding of who he is. There is another kind of wrestling that occurs in our souls and minds. This is the struggle that the bible talks about in Philippians 2:12. Working out your faith is not an easy process it requires asking hard questions in the realm of theoretical and practical. It means coming to an answer about the problem of pain.(Read C.S. Lewis "The Problem of Pain") It means having an answer to someone asking you, "so my grandfather lived in india and never heard of Christ, are you telling me he is in hell?" These are hard questions that few people think about enough.

I challenge you my family of believers. Work out your faith with fear and trembling. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks. But above all live out your faith, DO NOT SHAME THE NAME OF CHRIST BY YOUR ACTIONS.

The Fall of Democracy

"So this is how democracy ends... With thunderous applause."

The first black man in American history has won the white house. While there maybe a certain amount of pride that we can take in this accomplishment there are many concerns. Not at all because he is black. But rather because of what his world view is. Socialism. It is a great idea but only in a perfect world. Anyone who has lived longer than a minute could attest that the world is not perfect. In a imperfect world the examples of socialism are all disastrous. I know I will be thought of as a conspiracy theorist. Democracy is standing on the edge of a knife. There are only a few things that would need to happen that would lead to a dictatorship. For example an attack on America by Russia or another power. With legislation in effect that allows the president to assume a military state under FEMA. With him as the supreme commander. Then it is a rather quick decay into tyranny. Read Plato's Republic. It contains an insightful look into the decay of government into tyranny. I hope that we don't see that in our country.

The New Phase

So this is the first entry in a new phase of my blog. Many of you are my friends and we it is hard to find time to call everyone so this is my attempt to continually update you on my life. God is working some amazing things into and through my life. Enjoy reading and praise God.

October 30, 2008

Thursday, I am almost done with a long weekend and week. I just started a new job at Salt Grass Steak house and the train ran all weekend long. Followed by a serious mid term in greek on Tuesday and a paper for baptist history class on Wednesday. I trained more that night and now it seems like it will slow down a little. My life is always busy. Someone once told me I was the busiest person who does nothing. While the nothing part isn't true I am extremely busy. I am leading a small group of men that are in their twenties. This week a new guy came. I am extremely excited about this group, God is going to work in some amazing ways as we explore what it means to be a Godly man.

November 13, 2008

Thursday again, and here I am waiting for my greek class to start. The job at Salt Grass is going well. Registration for classes in the spring is about to start so i will be planning the next few months soon. I hosted a "Dinners for Six" last week. That is a dinner with five strangers from church with the purpose of building new relationships. It went really well. I met some new people and we had some great conversations about mens and womens roles (which is what our church has been studying). Soul care for kids is also going really well. This is a divorce recovery class for kids that are between 1st and 6th grade. These kids are so amazing and so very hurt by the selfishness of their parents. Please pray that God heals their hearts.

Why Are Men So Angry?

There is a disturbing truth out there in the world, that is that men are angry. There are thousands of surface reasons. Some jerk cuts us off in traffic, some jerk at work took the last of the coffee, our wives are not happy with us, we are constantly pressed to meet deadlines, we work harder and harder but we never seem to get ahead, etc... All of these reasons seem to me to be surface reasons rather than the deep issue.

Pride. Pride is at the heart of the issue. there is a story about the creation of the world in the bible in which God creates everything and man. A series of events and the man sins against God. He puts himself on the throne of worship rather than God so God curses the man and woman. The man will forever have to work for his life. It will never be easy. The world will forever fight him. There will be pressure, there will be expectations, there will be pain all for very little reward. This sounds like the world we are currently in.

Enter the character of God. He is good, loving, JUST, merciful, powerful, etc... This creates a certain conflict in the minds of most men. We feel in some way wronged that we are held accountable for the sin of our fore father. Truth be told we are just as guilty and choose to sin just as Adam did. But our pride doesn't let us believe that we are guilty. So we find ourselves in conflict and as a result angry. We feel wronged that life is hard. That we never catch a break. Or that we can't get ahead. Furthermore God might slight us in this regard but we need not accept it from others of our own race. So some one cutting us off on the road is unacceptable and somebody in our office being a jerk is enough to push us over the edge. We are seriously close to the abyss of rage.

There is very little besides submission and obedience to the will of God that is capable of quelling our anger. In other words dying to self is the only way that we can square with the truth of our situation. Dying to self is impossible without the grace of God which again is a seeming consequence. You might ask yourself why would i submit to a God who does these things to me? And this is where faith comes in. Do you believe he is God? If you do then he is allowed to do whatever brings glory to himself. This is what is consistent with His Character.

This is something that must be wrestled through. It will define what a man thinks of himself and the world around
him. So men think about it and wrestle through it. God is waiting for you to come to Him with these thoughts, with the anger, with the hurt, with everything you are. when you come to Him you will find yourself being transformed. Into the man you will want to be. I look forward to seeing what you become.

The Phoenix

There is an amazing phenomenon that occurs in most every mythology and fairy tale from cultures past and present. That phenomenon is the idea of regeneration or rebirth. My favorite example of this concept is the phoenix. Unlike most of the other legends or myths that are reborn only the phoenix goes out in a brilliant burst of fire and spark. And then is reborn from the ashes of its former self. That is a concept that i love in mythology and in Christianity. The idea that we die with Christ and then are reborn from the ashes of our old self with a new life in Christ. Our old life, strengths character traits and such are retained but they are remade in Christ's image. It is a magic straight out of ancient thought.

Its amazing how God has woven threads of His story through history. Christian and secular.

Why Have We Forgotten Magic

Civilizations from the dawn of time have believed in magic. Some thought that weather was magical others thought the abilities of some men to move people to action was a form of magic. Modern man, that is the people of today by and large don't believe that there is any magic in this world. Science has explained away so much of what used to hold as magical. There are still magics left in this world. I know that when i say that people will assume that i am a mystic. That is not the case. Unless you allow that the things that are beyond our ability to understand and our ability to control could be called magical. Things that defy the laws of physics. Or rather the author of those laws chooses to suspend them for a moment.

The author of Proverbs talks about the things that are amazing or beyond explanation one of them is the way of a man with a woman. Truly there is magic in this. There is no accounting for tastes or attractions. There is also a magic in the idea and the anticipation of the first kiss. There is magic in the look of a lover. There is magic in the lengths your heart will go to love and care for someone. In this respect there are some that are more magical than others. You have probably known someone like this. Who loved you maybe not romantically but you knew when they were around that they cared. These people are attractive and they make the best leaders.

There is also magic in the acts of God. I do not mean the miraculous though that is undeniably magical. But rather the way he loves his children and moves the world to protect and provide for them.

The thing about magic is it leaves us in awe. And today we are uncomfortable with that idea. It makes us briefly realize that we are not in control and yet we need not fear. or maybe we should. This is the magic that should not be forgotten and should not be lost to us as we turn everything into a science experiment. Don't lose the awe of life and God

Helen of Troy

Many will remember the tale of the great city of Troy. Whose down fall was brought about by a series of events that revolved around a beautiful woman. Helen. A woman who fiercely wanted to be loved, so much so that she left he life and her husband (the failure of a man that he was) to follow a young man who pursued her.

This fierce desire to be loved combined with the lazy, scared, impotent condition of todays men has led to a phenomenon that is nothing short of destructive. The phenomenon that i am refering to is the way women have begun pursuing men. You can see it in the bars, clubs and even the churches across the country. Because men have forgotten how to use their strength and initiate women, the women are now stepping into a role that they were never meant for. And what makes it so destructive is that it works. At least short term.

A woman who pursues men will most likely be in a relationship more frequently than women who allow men to pursue them. However the relationship will most likely be riddle with disappointments for her and frustrations for him. The reason for these disappointments is that if the man was not able to initiate and take the lead in the initial stages of their relationship, he likely will not pick up that trait in the future. So when she needs him to pull through for her, fight for her, support her he likely wont.

There are several reasons a woman should not pursue.

Women are made with a desire to be delighted in, all to often life leaves them with the question, "Am I lovely?" This question is often, through life, left unanswered or answered with a resounding and painful "NO." This being the case a woman who pursues sets herself up for a painful confirmation of this lie. Her pursuit puts her in a position of vulnerability unnecessarily. On the contrary if a man pursues her she is put in a position of compliment and she is positioned to test the mans metal. A good man can withstand such a test. She will know he is a good man by his actions and the tests. Every woman will test differently so men there is no formula you simply must be men as God intended. Rise up and be men!

In addition a woman who pursues sets a precedent for the relationship. Human nature is to take the course of least resistance and pain. A man who is not compelled to lead will not. He will refuse to make decisions because he knows they will be made for him. Furthermore he will solidify his position with the thought that if he doesn't make the decision then he is not responsible for any failure. This mindset insulates him from failure and rejection. In a relationship that saddest thing to observe is a man who doesn't know how to be a man. Unfortunately this leads to the downfall of many marriages.

The final reason is one that i know will be controversial so i saved it for last. That reason is the biblical roles of men and women. God chose to place the man in a position of authority for the protection of women. unfortunately men have failed so dismally since the dawn of time that women rightly don't trust men to be the leader. This natural desire to protect themselves from bad leaders is in direct conflict with the biblical idea that: "the Lord is my shepherd" and " the lord is my protector." I know saying this is going to elicit a knee jerk response to protect ourselves but this is ultimately fruitless. We have no more power to save ourselves that to change the weather. Trusting god to this degree is an exercise of faith on a very deep level, but i encourage you who are reading this dive deeper into that relationship. There will be pain, but there will also be great growth and satisfaction. He longs for you that way. He is delighted in when we desire to grow closer to him.

Men I implore you, don't force women into these positions by your failure to act. Remember the godlike strength he has given us. Men rush in and save those in need, men sacrifice themselves for others, men defend the defenseless, and protect the weak. We are brothers carved from a noble rock. Rise up and be MEN!

Women you are glorious and captivating. I implore you, do not give in to the lies of this world and the shallow husks of men that are out there. You are worth pursuit. Your strength is in you grace. You are daughters of the King. Do not act as common women nor serving girls with your heads down cast. Hold your heads up in gracious dignity. Be lovely, be women!

Experiences Grow Wisdom

Experiences are the stones used as a foundation for wisdom. Each of us has a cart full of stones that we drag behind us, until at some point we stop and decide to use the stones to build our house. Everyday new stones are added to the cart, and decisions must be made. All of us have met a person who seems to be dragging a massive load of rocks and cannot seem to use them for growth; rather they are bound by them and continually weighted down. Each of us, as we go through life decide which stones to carry and which to use to build and grow. I encourage any who read these words to choose to use your experiences to grow.

I have had a very full life for one so young. When i say a full life i simply mean large rocks. For some the term 'rock' is unfit, rather a boulder cut from the mount of heaven that has fallen on my back. But these are the greatest stones. They are stable and strong when used to build the house that is my life.

There is a nursery school song that contains profound wisdom. It tells of two men who are building houses one chooses the sand as a foundation the other chooses a rock. The storms blew in and washed the house on the sand away. however the house on the rock stands fast. Now the question is in your minds eye what kind of rock did he build on? Pebbles? Stones? Boulders? or perhaps the mountain itself?
Which are the most stable? With this in mind choose carefully what you build your house on. Small emotional stones rarely serve as a good foundation. In the same way a life of logic and 'pure' thought is merely a stone thrown in a pond.

The stones that make the best foundations are those trials and pains that God ordains for our growth. Growing is not fun. Pain is inevitable if you desire to be shaped into a wiser more Christ-like person.