We seem to be coming across some great media on the web that is related to men. Noel (frequent commentator and friend) is going to be highlighting some video he’s found and I discovered gem in my email today from a long time Men’s Ministry advocate.

I have deleted this text twice thinking that I shouldn’t get into this mix but after reading the full article and considering what I’ve read of this man I knew I had to feature this post:

David Murrow is the Director of Church for Men.com. He has written 2 books on the subject of why men are uninterested/leaving church and has a ton of great resources on his site. I hope to attend his seminar one day.

Today in his newsletter he made a claim I didn’t believe at first but read with amazement. He is a friend of

Sarah Palin and David Murrow at a book signing for Why Men Hate Going to Church, April 9, 2005

Sarah Palin, yes, the Vice Presidential Candidate. Here is the full article on the brand new “Church for Men” blog: Who is Sarah Palin? A friend of mine…

No matter what you think of Palin, please support David and his books and ministry at ChurchforMen.com

I haven’t fully fleshed this out into a complete essay (I don’t know that it warrents one) but the thought occured to me the other day that I’ve been looking at Purpose through my experience. I’ve always started at the point at which my memory started. Even though the verse says he “knew me before I was born,” I hadn’t adjusted for that in my brain.

So, God planned for me, assigned me a role, and as part of that assigned me a gender, as well as skill set, a heart with specific passions, and a mind with a specific point of view, and all the tools that I would need to  carry out the purpose for which I was built. What good would have come of my life if my purpose and tools didn’t match? How would God get anything done had he built all of us the same?

Sexually speaking (by that I mean gender) this point of view changes everything. You weren’t given a penis and then a purpose, your purpose was planned and then you were given the tools to fulfill that plan.

Reprinted from the Ransomed Heart Daily email. If you aren’t on this mailing list I would highly encourage it.  To subscribe to this daily email, create a profile at www.ransomedheart.com/myprofile

Metaphors
07/19/2008

The Bible uses a number of metaphors to describe our relationship to God at various stages. If you’ll notice, they ascend in a stunning way:

Potter and clay. At this level we are merely aware that our lives are shaped—even broken—by a powerful hand. There isn’t much communication, just the sovereignty of God at work.

Shepherd and sheep. At this stage we feel provided for, watched over, cared about. But beyond that, a sheep has little by way of true intimacy with the Shepherd. They are altogether different creatures.

Master and servant. Many, many believers are stuck in this stage, where they are committed to obey, but the relationship is mostly about receiving orders and instructions and carrying them out.

Father and child. This is certainly more intimate than being a servant; children get the run of the house, they get to climb on Daddy’s lap. These fortunate souls understand God’s fatherly love and care for them. They feel “at home” with God.

Friends. This stage actually opens up a deeper level of intimacy as we walk together with God, companions in a shared mission. We know what’s on his heart; he knows what’s on ours. There is a maturity and intimacy to the relationship.

Bridegroom and bride (lovers). Here, the words of the Song of Songs could also describe our spiritual intimacy, our union and oneness with God. Madame Guyon wrote, “I love God far more than the most affectionate lover among men loves his earthly attachment.”

Where would you put your relationship with God? Why did you choose that “level”? Has it always been that way?

(The Journey of Desire Journal & Guidebook , p150)

A friend of the blog, Jimmy Paravane, is down, his wife is having a hard time.

As Kurt Russell said in “Soldier,”
“Soldiers deserve soldiers, Sir”

Father, hold Jimmy and his wife in the safety and calm of your hand. Holy Spirit overwhelm them with your peace. Jesus, send the love of the cross directly to the hurt. Heal and renew, in the name of Christ Jesus, Let it be.

June 30th Update: She’s Home.

Sorry about the lack of posts but I caught a cold this week and haven’t felt like doing much of anything. I could be macho and bang something out but it would be half hearted and weak. So, I guess I’ll go back to the couch to get some rest.  There are big changes in the works, if I can get what’s in my head onto the screen, so stay tuned.

For Freedom
bert

If you were going to host a class in Leadership what curriculum would you use?

–Reprinted from the Ransomed Heart Daily Email– slightly edited

Embracing the Glory
04/20/2008

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, and talented?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us . . . And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (Marianne Williamson)

When I first read this quote, I thought, No, that’s not true. We don’t fear our glory. We fear we are not glorious at all. We fear that at bottom, we are going to be revealed as . . . disappointments. Mandela is just trying to make a nice speech, like a sermon, to buoy us up for a day or two. But as I thought about it more, I realized we do fear our glory. We fear even heading this direction because, for one thing, it seems prideful. Now pride is a bad thing, to be sure, but it’s not prideful to embrace the truth that you bear the image of God. Paul says it brings glory to God. We walk in humility because we know it is a glory bestowed. It reflects something of the Lord’s glory.

(Waking the Dead , 87)

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:15-17

The purpose of this blog is two fold:

1. To organize the service opportunities that come out of a ministry specifically to men. and
2. To post articles that point to a life of freedom that is found in the example of Christ.

I believe that we are only “Sinners saved by grace” for the split second that we believe. When we believe we are given a new spirit. We are now (spiritually speaking) alive, free to live above doctrine, duty, and the law that Christ replaced.

Our biggest problem is that we still have the same old physical brain. Our mind still needs to be transformed or renewed. It still operates under the impression that God is far away, and can’t be known. We have to transform our thoughts to align them with what God thinks of us. Repeat after me:

I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2, Romans 8:31-34)
I cannot be separated from God’s love (Romans 8:35-39)
God will not stop working on me (Philippians 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven with all the rights and protections it affords (Philippians 3:20)
I have been given a spirit of power, love, and a SOUND MIND (2 Timothy 1:7)
God helps when I need it (Hebrews 4:16)
I am a saint, a holy one (Ephesians 1:1)
I have been adopted as God’s child (Ephesians 1:5)
The whole list
–from The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson (pp. 248-9)

We really should start acting like it. More to come as I need to be reminded.

For Freedom
b

I’m realizing that I don’t post often enough. The problem is that I don’t want to be putting something up for the sake of posting. I have several drafts in the wings and a couple of ideas for material that will flow a bit more freely. I saw yesterday that there are 10 subscribers to the feed. After taking mine out and my wife’s, I’m happy to see that there are at least 8 more of you out there.

Three requests:

1. Don’t give up. Check the feed at least once a week, I’ll take this opportunity to commit to at least one substantial post a week.

2. If you are a part of a men’s group or know someone who is, let me know about it. I want this site to be a resource for men and grow into a forum or support system.

and ,

3. Include me and this endeavor in your prayers.

For Freedom,
bert