Welcome to the 1st chapter discussion. Please post any comment on the relevant chapter and question. Go ahead and blog as anonymous or if you like use your name. I want to generate questions that will create us men as MEN. Meetings are 6-26, 7-31, 8-28, 9-25
1)Did anything strike or move you from what was said?
2)What did you want to be when you grew up, what happend that made you stop?
3)Did you have a goal or dream that has been lost because it was not "nice" or what a "Good Christian" has as a dream?
4)Do you agree women want to come on the adventure?
5)How has Church played a roll in creating men... good or bad?
6)What would you do if you had a bottomless bank account?
questions to become better
my wife...
...what a girl
out look
lost in thought
relax
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About Me
3 comments:
There were several things that hit me as I went through the first chapter. The first is that the world around us, including the church has tried continuously to suppress the wild hearts that God have us. Yet no matter what “others” have done to tame men’s hearts, they have always remained wild, free and adventurous. Even married men’s hearts will desire freedom from “society” and will seek escape/ adventure in various fashions. The second thing that hit me was what he said about an elderly gentleman and his wild heart. It reminded me of the movie, “Second Hand Lions” where no matter how old the 2 men got, they always were doing crazy/ adventurous things.
When I was growing up I always wanted to be a cop or join the military. I wanted something that gave me action or excitement. Though I never became a cop, I did join the army and experience a little bit of adventure, challenge, and transformation. However since then, God has changed my heart and its desires for more adventurous things than I ever thought of.
I am not so certain that women should be on the adventure. Though this is my personal point of view, I feel; that men need to experience the adventure only with God in order to truly discover themselves and know who they are. I could see the women trying to change the man and attempting to mold his heart in a different direction that is not free/ wild/ challenged. I once heard a story of a missionary who went and witnessed to the gang members, the drug lords, and various other types of dangerous people. Yet when he got married, his wife no longer wanted him on this type of wild/ challenging adventure but rather wanted him to do missions work with people who were “safe”. Though this is only one example, I feel that women going on the journey along side men can hinder the inner Spirit. We need to be in the wild just as God created us.
In some respects the church has hindered the growth, freedom and potential of a man’s heart. They have to some extent suppressed the adventurous spirit that a man has so as not to be themselves and turn people off to Jesus. The church does not want men to appear aggressive of wild/ crazy so as not to frighten newcomers and have them leave the church. The church prefers mild mannered Christians who sit down, keep their mouths shut, listen to the sermon, and not release their wild Spirit. The church seems concerned about how the youth leaders behave around the youth so as to not excite them or encourage them to be true to their wild Spirits. However growing up, I did not have a Dad and so God brought different wild/ crazy guys from my church into my life to teach me and help me free my Spirit. They have allowed me to be myself and express my inner desires/ passions without being judgmental or suppressive.
If I had a bottomless bank account, I would travel the world and take on every challenge that I could find. I would try all sorts of food from different cultures and learn different languages. I would study all forms of martial arts and continually push myself to be the best. I would climb mountains, canoe down rapids, go hang gliding, try bungee jumping, and various other things that sound crazy.
I agree on most of what you said, and thank you for your comments. 2nd hand Lions is a movie that I would not have thought of, but yet it fits so well.
I do want to rephrase the women question. Have they been so conditioned (such as men has) to expect men to be safe? If so, would this mean that women need to be freed to do what they were directed to do from the beginning?
I have noticed that throughout my life, people have shaped me. They have brought both good and bad into my life. My grandpa is a man whom I respect with all that I have. Every word that is uttered from his mouth I listen to. Although parkinson's has slowed him down a lot these past several years, I will never forget how much I have taken in from him.
Parents and siblings are good too. but there is still one who has freed me the most; my wife. Although I realize this will not always be true for every man, she is an exception from the start (I'm also bias for my wife). Our love goes beyond a duty and nice relationship. Women in our lives want to feel like part of what is going on in our lives. That's how we keep them by our side. The most desirable thing a women could possibly want is to be a part of the action. Sure, sometimes they will hold us back temporarily. But be in tune with them, and they will learn and understand what God truely desires from us MEN. Look at all the action movies. There is a common theme among most of them... There is a women by their side.
Yeah it usually can slow them down, but it also gives a husband/man something to fight for in life.
Going back to the first question, one thing that remained consistant was how we all had something to think back to. Whether it was good or bad experience, never the less, we all had experiences. They often times looked very different for each of us. One thought that arose in my heart this past weekend was the thought of death. Yeah, we know it will happen, but how do we want to go down? What I mean is how many of us want to go down in a hospice bed, or go down swinging, fighting for something/someone worth dying for?
I never feel like I'm truely living unless I feel like I'm fighting for something. Let me explain. Life does not require us to be living on the verge of death our whole life. In fact, God said a restful life is the best life. What that means is being able to get restful nights' sleep. Being able to sleep knowing you gave it your all. I think of Matthew 16:25, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
What are we willing to do? Live safe in hopes of prolonging our lives? Or should we seek the heart of God and seek strength from Him in order to fight each and every day we wake up to learn more about who we truely are as men. We don't need some superficial versions of men that WE ARE at church and in our world. We WILL be different and we WILL live for a different cause them the rest of the world. But that is what draws US to the heart of GOD. When we truely experience the strength of God in our lives on a daily basis, we experience hardly even a taste of how great and powerful our God is.
I'm excited to come together and be followers of our Lord the Warrior.
"The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name." (Exodus 15:3)
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