Tag: Mens

With Every Fiber

Reflecting on his Navy SEAL training with his CO:

The training is brutal and unjust.

It has to be that way.

It is the only way we can find out if a man just likes the ideal of being a SEAL [Husband, Father, or a true Son of God] or if it is in his heart and every fiber of his being to be a SEAL [Husband, Father, or a true Son of God].

One other ideal struck me:

If a man ever entertains the ideal of quiting… He is done for. What we do externally to the candidate exposes what he thinks internally. Waiver for a moment and the pain will make the call for you.

The places in bold are the areas that God is working on me.

Posted on Mike Paschall’s Blog Site

All in God’s Timing

On 4/19/2009 we (Ari and I) received a prophetic word about our next house along with that came a word that by this time next year my ministry would be in full swing.

A little over one year later we received a call that the bank had accepted our offer, on a house and that just happened to be the same weekend I was leading our Men’s group on a camping trip.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be entering into a new stage in life, as homeowners and in ministry. At the time we didn’t think much of it, we were so excited about the prospect of moving into our new home, thats really all we focused on. When the move didn’t happen according to when we thought it should we were a disappointed, but it’s great looking back and knowing that God had a plan all along. That realization gives me hope for the future and a renewed trust in God and his Word.

The Manly Campout

This past weekend, the men of Living Waters had a great time camping outside like the mighty (modern) woodsmen that God created us to be (thanks to Pastor Joe for your constant support and for the awesome tents).

We had the best Bar-B-Q ribs (thanks to our chef Angel) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ok I might have exaderated a bit, but they were darn good ribs.

Our fire was roaring (thanks to Ron) and there might have even been a bit of jumping over the fire to prove once and for all just how manly we were.

Our conversations had depth (thanks to Pastor Jay) and plenty of laughs (thanks to a single night of camping six years ago).

We had the pleasure of introducing one of our brothers to the wonders of camping plenty (thanks to David’s new wife for allowing him to come).

Our day was filled with time on the water, floating down a lazy river, for some much need rest and relaxation  (thanks to Jeff for always being ready to get wet).

Even in the midst of the fun and the food, we were challenged (thanks to Scotty) to seek God through quiet time or long walks through the tick infested woods. And he spoke to us….

He called us out, telling us that we are calling ourselves kings without actually acting like them.

He raised the bar, telling us to throw off the dunce caps the world had given us, and put on the crowns that he was giving us.

Then he crowned us with new crowns, not crowns of our own making or some old crown we just picked up off the ground, but a new crown that God created.

From here on out, the world will be different because there will be ten Godly men ruling and reigning the way God intended them to.

Thank you, Lord, for the great out doors that you created for us to explore, and for the beauty and power therein that draws us closer to you.  Thank you, Lord, for keeping us safe (even from ourselves). Thank you, Lord, for speaking to us.

Thank you, Lord, for loving and understanding wives and families.

Thank your, Lord, for good friends and strong brothers.

More Pics here…

Book Review: Fathered By God

Books seem to have the most profound impact on my life. Especially when it comes to changing my mindset or the way I view the world around me. In recent years books like Driven by Eternity by John Bevere and Wild at Heart by John Eldredge have taken me from the brink of despair to a land full of hope and life. It’s hard not to understate how big of an impact these two books in particular have impacted me. Driven By Eternity helped me through a difficult time after my father’s death. And Wild at Heart helped me navigate the tricky time when a new love was blossoming by helping me to grow as a man, secure that I had what it takes to be a lover and a good husband. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not the books themselves or even the authors that change my life, but the Holy Spirit working through the book to reveal the truth.

I say all that so that when I say that this book rates right up there with these other life changing books, you’ll have a real sense of what that statement means to me. But it wasn’t just the book that had such a big impact it was the mighty men of God that took this journey with me. Every week we would gather to watch the DVD session for that week, and then sit around for a few hours discussing it. It was from these discussions that what we had just learned about became real. It wasn’t just theory anymore it was actively being applied to our daily lives, and that made it powerful.

The book is broken up into 3 parts, the first two chapters establish a foundation for why this type of book is so neeeded today in this mordern world. The next 8 chapters take us through the various stages of masculinity starting with boyhood to the cowboy to the warrior and lover next the king and finally the sage. Along the way each stage gets broken down in how God is trying to father us and then how the masculine heart can be wound. The last chapter is really a challenge, calling men out and given them the driver through which they will take this journey and that is by being intentional.

The book starts off describing itself as a map. A map of the masculine journey and in a world where what it means to be a man and where good fathers are so rare this book couldn’t be more important.

To read more about this book and others by John check out Ransomed Heart ministries.