Wild at Heart - second time around...it is still about freedom
I have just returned from 5 days in Colorado attending my second Wild at Heart boot camp. 10 men from Columbus went and it was a very powerful time for our group. Let me be clear, John Eldredge isn't "It". Wild at Heart isn't "the" solution. Jesus is "it". He is "the" solution. John Eldredge doesn't lead some cult of men. He isn't out to get men away from the church. He hasn't invented a better solution. No, John just does a great job of capturing the essence of what scripture is saying to men.
To me, the underlying take away of Ransomed Heart ministries is freedom. Christ came to give man freedom. It is pretty simple and yet the Church has moved men away from freedom into a life of duty. As a result, men are bound up in duty, rules and "I shouldn't". Psalm 119 says "I run in the path of your commands because you have set my heart free". Luke 19:10 says "The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." Not "the lost" but the "what was" lost. What was lost? Our hearts. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."
"set my heart free"..."save what was lost"..."Live and life to the full"...
Freedom. A full life. No boundaries. Fullness. Richness.
And yet, that isn't what we hear from the church. It surely isn't what we hear from society. We hear conform. Don't rock the boat. Play fair. Be political. Hedge yourself. Have a back up plan. Don't drink. Don't smoke. Don't look at another woman. Don't watch an "R" rated movie. Never cuss.
Works. The path of Christianity of many is a path of perfection. Like the Lexus commercial, "The relentless pursuit of perfection". That I am most like Christ when I have so purged myself of all that is any way sinful... Works. Duty.
Is it any wonder that so many of us are bound up? We are so rigid because we are so afraid of what others in society (or even worse in Christianity) think of us. Christ came that we may have freedom. Freedom. That doesn't mean free to sin, free to booze it up -- no, true freedom means the relentless pursuit of Him. So in love, so passionate about my faith that I am free to pursue Him wherever he takes me.
I'm not doing a good job of articulating this but let me try it this way. On my trip, I was with a man that went to medical school and is now running a community health clinic in downtown Augusta. Charitable work. His dad is a very successful businessman. His uncle retired as a world-class investment manager. His other uncle is a highly paid surgeon. All three, very wealthy. But this guy has taken his medical degree and is giving it away to the poor in Augusta, Georgia. Someone was talking to him one day and said, "sounds great but you are going to be poor". His reply? "Yep, poor for the next 40 years." Wow. That puts it in its proper place. Yes, he will be poor by the world's standards but his eyes are on eternity. He'll be earthly poor for 40 more years but he'll be heavenly rich for eternity. Freedom. He has found freedom.
More to come. In the meanwhile, please -- Soar!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Bill
He won't let it rest. I've read the posts on his blog and he has a local who is also from Boston and she is affirming him in this assault on the South. Bill says my ramblings are just sour grapes over us losing the war. I've fired back and said, "If y'all are so proud of winning the war, why are folks from the north moving to the South by the hundreds of thousands?" Makes you wonder doesn't it?
And I left this tune on his blog ...
She grew up in the city in a little subdivision,
Her daddy wore a tie, Momma never fried a chicken,
Ballet, Straight A’s, Most likely to succeed
They bought her a car after graduation
Sent her down south for some higher education
Put her on the fast track to a law degree
Now she’s comin home to visit
holdin the hand
Of a wild-eyed boy
with a farmer’s tan
And shes ridin in the middle of his pickup truck
Blarin Charlie Daniels yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
Yeah, you know momma’s and daddy’s want better for their daughters
Hope they’ll settle down with a doctor or a lawyer
In their uptown, ball gown, hand-me-down royalty
They never understand
why their princess falls
For some camouflage britches
and a southern boy drawl
Or why she’s ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Hank Jr. yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
You can train ‘em
You can try to teach ‘em right from wrong
But it’s still gonna turn ‘em on
When they go ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Lynyrd Skynyrd yellin, “Turn it up!”
You can raise her up a lady
but there’s one thing you jus can’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
They love us country boys
Soar!
He won't let it rest. I've read the posts on his blog and he has a local who is also from Boston and she is affirming him in this assault on the South. Bill says my ramblings are just sour grapes over us losing the war. I've fired back and said, "If y'all are so proud of winning the war, why are folks from the north moving to the South by the hundreds of thousands?" Makes you wonder doesn't it?
And I left this tune on his blog ...
She grew up in the city in a little subdivision,
Her daddy wore a tie, Momma never fried a chicken,
Ballet, Straight A’s, Most likely to succeed
They bought her a car after graduation
Sent her down south for some higher education
Put her on the fast track to a law degree
Now she’s comin home to visit
holdin the hand
Of a wild-eyed boy
with a farmer’s tan
And shes ridin in the middle of his pickup truck
Blarin Charlie Daniels yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
Yeah, you know momma’s and daddy’s want better for their daughters
Hope they’ll settle down with a doctor or a lawyer
In their uptown, ball gown, hand-me-down royalty
They never understand
why their princess falls
For some camouflage britches
and a southern boy drawl
Or why she’s ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Hank Jr. yellin, “Turn it up!”
They raised her up a lady
but there’s one thing they couldn’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
You can train ‘em
You can try to teach ‘em right from wrong
But it’s still gonna turn ‘em on
When they go ridin in the middle of a pickup truck
Blarin Lynyrd Skynyrd yellin, “Turn it up!”
You can raise her up a lady
but there’s one thing you jus can’t avoid
Ladies love country boys
They love us country boys
Soar!
Throw of the hindrances
"Throw off the hindrances and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1
First of all, the race is set out before us. Life is a race. There is a start and there is a finish. We can crawl, walk, skip, jog or sprint but it is a race. Not a race against mankind but rather a race toward the grand finish. God built us, created us and breathed life into us for a reason. It isn't 9-5, pay your taxes, raise your kids, do a few good works, retire and die. No, there is so much more. He calls us to a race. Race implies so much here - endurance, training, excellence, reaching for more than we thought we could possibly achieve - all for a life that is fully lived.
The message is pretty simple and pretty direct - there is a race to be run and we must throw off the hindrances that entangle us and prevent us from the full life. Throw off the hindrances.
What hinders you?
As I type this, I am watching the Super Bowl. That is entertainment and many of us are addicted to being entertained. Some advertisements tonight will cost $2 million. Can you imagine spending $2 million for 30 seconds of air time? Think what good $2 million would do for 50 families living in poverty. Think how many kids this money could send to college. Think of those with living under the bridges of the Chattahoochee and how this money could help them. But no, we Americans are addicted to entertainment and pleasure and corporate America knows it. They'll spend what it takes to make you and I act. And act we will.
We have come to worship entertainment. It robs us of life and pulls us away from interaction with others. 4-5 hours a day in front of the TV or internet and kids in front of electronic games. These things rob us of life. Go spend one hour in the woods totally alone. Take a chair and sit down with nothing to do. See how it challenges you. Does the silence bother you? Are you addicted to noise and activity? Recreation is OK - we need it but too much recreation can be a problem. Excess recreation leads to addiction which leads to gluttony.
We all know of people who have taken this addiction to the next step of gluttony. New cars every year, flat screens in every room, every latest gadget, fine wines and foods, every possible comfort -- all seeking that one last final thing that completes them. We know people like that and we know we are like this. We know in many ways that our addiction for comfort and things is a hinderance to our walk with God.
Hebrews is telling us how to handle whatever it is that hinders us from running the race as efficiently as we should - we should throw them off. If our love of things possesses us, we need to stop. Simply put...just stop. Stop the rapid acquisition of everything we can get our hands on. Be the opposite of what drives us - start giving things away rather than buying more new things. Think counter-intuitively. The world tells you (yells at you) more, more, more it is all about more stuff. That is the wrong kind of more.
The more we need is more of the Lord. More quiet time. Less hindrances and more of Him. It is pretty simple but it is hard to do but remember, we are running a race. We are born to run. Born to be free.
Soar!
"Throw off the hindrances and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1
First of all, the race is set out before us. Life is a race. There is a start and there is a finish. We can crawl, walk, skip, jog or sprint but it is a race. Not a race against mankind but rather a race toward the grand finish. God built us, created us and breathed life into us for a reason. It isn't 9-5, pay your taxes, raise your kids, do a few good works, retire and die. No, there is so much more. He calls us to a race. Race implies so much here - endurance, training, excellence, reaching for more than we thought we could possibly achieve - all for a life that is fully lived.
The message is pretty simple and pretty direct - there is a race to be run and we must throw off the hindrances that entangle us and prevent us from the full life. Throw off the hindrances.
What hinders you?
As I type this, I am watching the Super Bowl. That is entertainment and many of us are addicted to being entertained. Some advertisements tonight will cost $2 million. Can you imagine spending $2 million for 30 seconds of air time? Think what good $2 million would do for 50 families living in poverty. Think how many kids this money could send to college. Think of those with living under the bridges of the Chattahoochee and how this money could help them. But no, we Americans are addicted to entertainment and pleasure and corporate America knows it. They'll spend what it takes to make you and I act. And act we will.
We have come to worship entertainment. It robs us of life and pulls us away from interaction with others. 4-5 hours a day in front of the TV or internet and kids in front of electronic games. These things rob us of life. Go spend one hour in the woods totally alone. Take a chair and sit down with nothing to do. See how it challenges you. Does the silence bother you? Are you addicted to noise and activity? Recreation is OK - we need it but too much recreation can be a problem. Excess recreation leads to addiction which leads to gluttony.
We all know of people who have taken this addiction to the next step of gluttony. New cars every year, flat screens in every room, every latest gadget, fine wines and foods, every possible comfort -- all seeking that one last final thing that completes them. We know people like that and we know we are like this. We know in many ways that our addiction for comfort and things is a hinderance to our walk with God.
Hebrews is telling us how to handle whatever it is that hinders us from running the race as efficiently as we should - we should throw them off. If our love of things possesses us, we need to stop. Simply put...just stop. Stop the rapid acquisition of everything we can get our hands on. Be the opposite of what drives us - start giving things away rather than buying more new things. Think counter-intuitively. The world tells you (yells at you) more, more, more it is all about more stuff. That is the wrong kind of more.
The more we need is more of the Lord. More quiet time. Less hindrances and more of Him. It is pretty simple but it is hard to do but remember, we are running a race. We are born to run. Born to be free.
Soar!
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Bill Shorey .... get a life
Bill Shorey is a wonderful friend. I read an article on Bill a few years ago in the Columbus paper and knew immediately he was a kindred spirit, a rebel and a passionate follower of Christ. The very next week, I ran into him at Panera Bread with Cary Jones, introduced myself and invited him to lunch. Our friendship took off at that point. We've shared some great times over the past few years, have spent time in Colorado and now worship together.
Bill has a blog that is excellent. It was totally the inspiration for my blog and I even copied the theme of his site - enjoying the adventure - for mine "chasing the adventure". his is www.enjoyingtheadventure.blogspot.com. Read it. Bill's writing is God inspired. He is a poet. His writing is incredibly talented.
But...
Bill has a problem. As you'll read on his blog from today, he is challenging me. Bill is from Maine. He is a yankee through and through. He carries a thick new england accent. I love him for it. But he is waaaay too attached to his beloved Boston Red Sox. Last fall he was crowing about the Sox and how they were a team of destiny. Yeh, yeh, yeh, blah, blah, blah. Dumb me, I decided to rile him with a challenge that the Colorado Rockies would beat the Sox. This set him off like a roman candle. Needless to say, he won the bet and he has never let me forget it -- in fact, he addresses this on his blog today. Now, with his (all of a sudden?) beloved Boston Patriots at 17-0 and a day away from the super bowl, my man Bill is crowing again. As if I care! My wife just asked me who I wanted to win the Super Bowl and I said, "I really don't care but now, I want the Giants to win just to aggravate Bill".
Now he is already moving on past football to basketball and his "beloved" Celtics have the best record in the NBA and he is challenging me on the basketball. I don't know about you but I could give a rat's ___ about the NBA. Thug vs. Thug. Whoever wins the thing is still a Thug.
Christ came as the Great Liberator to set the captives free. Bill, by God's great Grace, you have been set free. You live in the South now my friend ... God's country. You've been set free of the land of your icy captivity. No more Soda Pop, no more "Yous guys", no more Kennedy-liberal NE politics ... no Bill, you have been liberated. God picked you out of that icy, bleak world and has dropped you into the land of lush lawns, tall pines, sweet tea, Auburn football, "yes ma'am", "y'all", fried chicken, country music and the Augusta azaleas of the Masters. You are free Bill. Embrace the South. Put a big AU sticker on the back of the Explorer and a Braves hat on your head and bow down and thank God that you are free.
Free at last! Long live the South.
p.s. Go giants!
Soar!
Bill Shorey is a wonderful friend. I read an article on Bill a few years ago in the Columbus paper and knew immediately he was a kindred spirit, a rebel and a passionate follower of Christ. The very next week, I ran into him at Panera Bread with Cary Jones, introduced myself and invited him to lunch. Our friendship took off at that point. We've shared some great times over the past few years, have spent time in Colorado and now worship together.
Bill has a blog that is excellent. It was totally the inspiration for my blog and I even copied the theme of his site - enjoying the adventure - for mine "chasing the adventure". his is www.enjoyingtheadventure.blogspot.com. Read it. Bill's writing is God inspired. He is a poet. His writing is incredibly talented.
But...
Bill has a problem. As you'll read on his blog from today, he is challenging me. Bill is from Maine. He is a yankee through and through. He carries a thick new england accent. I love him for it. But he is waaaay too attached to his beloved Boston Red Sox. Last fall he was crowing about the Sox and how they were a team of destiny. Yeh, yeh, yeh, blah, blah, blah. Dumb me, I decided to rile him with a challenge that the Colorado Rockies would beat the Sox. This set him off like a roman candle. Needless to say, he won the bet and he has never let me forget it -- in fact, he addresses this on his blog today. Now, with his (all of a sudden?) beloved Boston Patriots at 17-0 and a day away from the super bowl, my man Bill is crowing again. As if I care! My wife just asked me who I wanted to win the Super Bowl and I said, "I really don't care but now, I want the Giants to win just to aggravate Bill".
Now he is already moving on past football to basketball and his "beloved" Celtics have the best record in the NBA and he is challenging me on the basketball. I don't know about you but I could give a rat's ___ about the NBA. Thug vs. Thug. Whoever wins the thing is still a Thug.
Christ came as the Great Liberator to set the captives free. Bill, by God's great Grace, you have been set free. You live in the South now my friend ... God's country. You've been set free of the land of your icy captivity. No more Soda Pop, no more "Yous guys", no more Kennedy-liberal NE politics ... no Bill, you have been liberated. God picked you out of that icy, bleak world and has dropped you into the land of lush lawns, tall pines, sweet tea, Auburn football, "yes ma'am", "y'all", fried chicken, country music and the Augusta azaleas of the Masters. You are free Bill. Embrace the South. Put a big AU sticker on the back of the Explorer and a Braves hat on your head and bow down and thank God that you are free.
Free at last! Long live the South.
p.s. Go giants!
Soar!
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