My issue is not with trying to sound like a robot with no emotion. It is not in retreating to a cave where nothing can affect us. It is not that I think we should be fake or never stand for anything in order to not bother anybody. The need is not to become so tolerant that we never open our mouths, but that there are things that we should never be afraid or too timid to voice out. It is amazing how when people start talking about the need for change in church in order to reach an unchurched society, or returning to a biblical lifestyle that requires true repentance, then many times people get angry and offended. Living my whole life in the bible-belt, knowing how easy it is to play church and not care about God or his truth, I wonder why is it we can’t be open about our need for more of his holiness ,direction, & conviction. It is as if most Christians/people that attend church don’t want to admit we are in need of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and the return to true Christ-like living.

This is a rant about something  I cannot claim to have it all together or be in perfect in controlling myself. I just know that there is too much to be truly offended about in the world we live in. The last thing we should be afraid of is to bring Christ into our conversations with each other. There will always be differences in ways we choose to worship and in running our churches, but to allow ourselves to not be able to talk about the only thing that matters, Jesus Christ, is spiritual suicide. Whether I always understand or agree with brothers or sisters in Christ about the conversation we are having, it always reminds me that there is more to life than the routine, temporal, day-to-day matters. There is truly life and death in the words we speak and often times choose not to speak. Grace to all…………………..

There is a underlying thought that as men we should be able to make it on our own. The only excuse would be if we have to move, tear down an engine, or do some serious remodeling on our homes. Even then, the call for help is if we just cannot get it done by when the deadline gets close. Most times when guys get together it is for anything but help, maybe a superficial “yea, my wife and kids”, “the job and the boss”, more of a complaining statement than a true reaching out for some help.

Unfortunately, this attitude often gets carried over into our spiritual lives and that breeds sin, apathy, laziness, and indifference to all around us and in our own lives. I have found in my own life that when I refuse to open up in honest, real accountability, it is so easy to hide in my sin. It is like a sickness that if you don’t truly see it, then it must not be really hurting you. It is so easy to make excuses for  lack of admitting the need for help.  It  might be experiences in our past that  bring feelings of anger, self-pity, shame, bitterness, or a situation we might be in that we feel like we could be judged, ostracized, or condemned. Nevertheless to stay silent or believe that we can pull/”will” ourselves out of an addiction, struggle, or self-destructive cycle is exactly what our enemy desires for us. During various seasons of my life the times when it seemed to live Christ-like was actually possible was when I gave up on my own strength, good intentions, the lie that I could handle it. It takes swallowing my pride, confessing my sin, getting out of the darkness of isolation, finding other guys that are truly seeking to live Christ-like that are aware of their need for strength greater than their own. The times that I have gotten lazy in staying accountable or reaching out only brings me back to hiding in the shadows pretending that on one knows, enslaving myself to chains of whatever self-destructive addiction is owning me at that moment.

This last month I have been able to hang out with a few buddies that as husbands and fathers are seeking to be leaders, role-models, & examples  instilling  in their families Christ-like values. It has encouraged me to take my own relationship with Christ to a level where I would be open to godly counsel and accountability. It is not always easy to find other men that are striving for the same goals but they are out there. I think about Elijah, how he felt alone, abandoned, like he was the only one trying to stand for God in the face of persecution. Yet God revealed to him that there were many others who had compromised or sold out. We live in a modern age where there are so many avenues to stay in touch, community, and relationships with others. We as men know how to excuse ourselves out of what is inconvenient by often blaming lack of time on our job, family, or obligations. In the end though, all we do is take ourselves out of what we truly need. My prayer is that we would find those around us whether the same age, older or even younger to join them in honest, Christ-centered, grace-filled friendship in our journey.

II Timothy 2:3, Hebrews 10:24

One thing I keep  learning over and over  is that nothing ever stays the same. Nothing and no one is immune to change. How many times have we heard promises/guarantees be made from  political office, a pulpit, a family member only to see them be broken or never completed. Changes  may be anticipated or for most come in unexpected, leaving many feeling blindsided. Instability at times seems to be one of the things we can count on whether we like it or not.

In my own life I have gone from living in one place, working a “9-5″ job, being single to living in two places, traveling on a regular basis, entering into full-time ministry and the covenant of marriage. I have found that even my faith in Jesus Christ, has changed during different season in my  journey, and most likely won’t stop. Inside me there has  always been a desire for something that I can trust in no matter what happens to me or those around me. That something is Jesus Christ. He is not defined or changed one bit by my or anybody else’s belief in Him. His truth, grace, hope, love, righteousness will never change no matter what this world tries to convince us of otherwise.  He lived on this earth for  over 3 decades and anyone that has lived that long or even half of that time, knows how many changes life can bring, good and bad. Yet He never wavered from His purpose or desire to obey the Father even unto death. It has been a source of much comfort and encouragement in my failures and struggles to know that He will never decide to one day just abandon or give up on me. Not just anyone can make that promise and fulfill it. The world we live in will never stop trying to discredit, distort, disregard the one true absolute being Jesus Christ.

As a man who is striving to be like Christ in this life, it helps me to keep trusting in Him thru temptations that come, thru decisions that are made, thru the highs and lows of life. Nothing ever stays the same or can last forever. The minute our ultimate hope/trust lies in anything else but Jesus Christ, we set ourselves up for disappointment and failure. But if it is in Jesus Christ there will always be hope in the darkest moments, temptations, difficult seasons. And help us stay the course during the times when it would be easy to get lazy and complacent.  Grace to all…………….

Psalm 90:2,Psalm 103:17,Isaiah 41:4,James 1:17,Revelation 1:8