Prior to this weekend I had never been to a Men's Conference. To be honest, I never had much interest. I figured if I wanted a bunch of strange men that I have no relationship with to hug me in an awkward way and make painfully dry small talk, I would just show up at the next family reunion. But for some reason the Lord was telling me that I needed to attend Alpha Summit. Alpha Summit is the Men's Conference at Gateway Church in Southlake. I love Gateway. My wife, my kids, we all love Gateway and have been members there for about six years. But during that time I have never really connected with the men of Gateway. I have been to a few men's groups but for one reason or another I never stuck with it. Alpha Summit was a chance to change that.
It would not be easy. The conference had been marketed toward "guy's guys", I do not consider myself a "guy's guy." I don't hunt or fish. I hate to work on cars, I hate to mow the yard. I don't get excited about motorcycles or bows and arrows or even golf clubs for that matter. Maybe living in a house with three women has made me soft, I don't know. The point is I was not sure how or where I was going to fit in.
Thursday night I made absolutely no new friends. In fact I did not even talk to anybody. I did however discover at least one thing that I have in common with manly men...we like meat. Thursday night was a tailgate party in the parking lot. I have never seen such a wondrous display of carnivorous delights. Brisket, ribs, fajitas, and my favorite, the jalapeno bratwurst. All washed down with a choice of soda. I had a warm feeling in my chest, either it was the hint of kinship with my fellow men, or heartburn, I could not tell.
Friday was the day that changed everything. I started the day by volunteering as a greeter at one of the entrances. During the course of shaking about 175 hands I made a new friend, a guy named Ian who was greeting alongside me. As it would turn out my wife knows his wife and they are actually friends. This does not come as a shock since my wife knows everyone at church and seems to be friends with all of them. A tremendous lineup of speakers taught throughout the day. Bill Hybels on the importance of male friendships, a "band of brothers" if you will. Tim Ross on the life of David, how he shaped generations to come and how we have the power to do the same. Perry Noble on being passionate for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our savior Jesus Christ. Awesome stuff. Now I was starting to rethink my previous objections. Perhaps I had misjudged this whole Men's Conference thing. God was doing some amazing things in the room that night and I was glad to be a part of it.
Even the male bonding exercise of building a catapault was enjoyable. Although our catapault self-destructed after two practice launches and my only contribution was coming up with sportsy nicknames for my teamates ( like our captian Michael "Coupe" Deville) I still had a great time.
Saturday ended the conference on a high. Perry Noble spoke again. If you have not heard him you owe it to yourself to check him out. He pastors a church in South Carolina and speaks the Truth in a way only a southern born, southern bred believer can. When it was all said and done, I came away grateful that I went. Grateful for the friends I have, and the friends to come. I may not like some of the same things that "manly men" like, but I am a warrior for Christ. I am also the leader of my house, the protector of my family, and the one who is responsible for how my children grow up. Bring it on...
"I can do all things through him that gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A Question of Trust
Trusting God sounds simple enough. After all, what do we know about God? We know He created the universe. That He created us to love Him and love each other. That He is all knowing, all seeing and that above all He is good! He loves us, cares for us, and does not desire to harm us. This is all in the book.
If anyone has earned our trust, it is God. So why do I find it so hard sometimes to fully put my trust in Him? Two weeks ago I was having major trust issues. My finances were not lining up the way I wanted them to. My job was not going the way I wanted it to. My marriage was not flowing the way I wanted it to. All of these things that were not going my way were causing me to turn my frustration toward God. I was angry because I felt like I had been a good boy, done and said the right things, I had been faithful in giving and going to church and not cussing (at least not much) and so I had held up my end of the bargain. Why then was God not holding up his?
Then I started noticing a pattern, every lesson I studied in quiet time, every sermon I heard on the radio, even the subject of study at my men's group were all hitting on the same theme, courage. The men's group was studying Ephesians Ch. 6 where Paul tells the church at Ephesus to "put on the full armor of God". The breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, most importantly the shield of faith. You don't put on armor unless you are going into battle and if you are going into battle you better have courage and courage covered by faith. Two different radio ministries were discussing the story of Paul's shipwreck on his way to Rome which is told in Acts Ch. 27. It is Paul, the prisoner, who stands up bravely and tells his shipmates that not a one shall perish even though the ship is to be run aground. Courage covered by Faith. Our family night movie was "Courageous." Police officers who overcome tragedy and challenge themselves to be the best fathers they can be, to do what is right no matter the cost. Courage covered by Faith.
Finally through prayer and listening, I started to catch on. My God, who meets every need, who guards me like a lioness, who loves me with boundless love I cannot comprehend, had not abandoned me. He had not even left my side for a second. He just wanted me to trust Him. Did you see a pattern to the problems I mentioned earlier? I was upset because things were not going MY way. My circumstances were not working out the way I wanted them to. Guess what? Things don't have to go my way, they only need to go God's way because God is enough! So it was up to me to trust God and let him work out the details. Now what does this have to do with courage? That, my friend, is where I had my revelation. See, it takes a courageous man to fully and utterly surrender to God. If there is one thing guys hate, it is giving up control. We want to be behind the wheel, we want to choose the restaurant, and we want our hands on the remote! But God wants, and deserves, our trust. Once I began to relate courage to surrender and bravery to trust, my mind was put right. My heart softened. I was back in my Fathers arms, such an awesome place to be.
Needless to say, things started getting better. I had peace, my relationships improved, my finances were blessed. Most importantly I grew closer to God, hearing Him in a stronger way. Connecting with Him with a freshness in my spirit. I can't wait to see what happens next.
My bottom line: Until you surrender to God, you are not ready for the fight. Put on his armor, and hold on tight.
"I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but take heart, I have overcome the world." -John 16:33
If anyone has earned our trust, it is God. So why do I find it so hard sometimes to fully put my trust in Him? Two weeks ago I was having major trust issues. My finances were not lining up the way I wanted them to. My job was not going the way I wanted it to. My marriage was not flowing the way I wanted it to. All of these things that were not going my way were causing me to turn my frustration toward God. I was angry because I felt like I had been a good boy, done and said the right things, I had been faithful in giving and going to church and not cussing (at least not much) and so I had held up my end of the bargain. Why then was God not holding up his?
Then I started noticing a pattern, every lesson I studied in quiet time, every sermon I heard on the radio, even the subject of study at my men's group were all hitting on the same theme, courage. The men's group was studying Ephesians Ch. 6 where Paul tells the church at Ephesus to "put on the full armor of God". The breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, most importantly the shield of faith. You don't put on armor unless you are going into battle and if you are going into battle you better have courage and courage covered by faith. Two different radio ministries were discussing the story of Paul's shipwreck on his way to Rome which is told in Acts Ch. 27. It is Paul, the prisoner, who stands up bravely and tells his shipmates that not a one shall perish even though the ship is to be run aground. Courage covered by Faith. Our family night movie was "Courageous." Police officers who overcome tragedy and challenge themselves to be the best fathers they can be, to do what is right no matter the cost. Courage covered by Faith.
Finally through prayer and listening, I started to catch on. My God, who meets every need, who guards me like a lioness, who loves me with boundless love I cannot comprehend, had not abandoned me. He had not even left my side for a second. He just wanted me to trust Him. Did you see a pattern to the problems I mentioned earlier? I was upset because things were not going MY way. My circumstances were not working out the way I wanted them to. Guess what? Things don't have to go my way, they only need to go God's way because God is enough! So it was up to me to trust God and let him work out the details. Now what does this have to do with courage? That, my friend, is where I had my revelation. See, it takes a courageous man to fully and utterly surrender to God. If there is one thing guys hate, it is giving up control. We want to be behind the wheel, we want to choose the restaurant, and we want our hands on the remote! But God wants, and deserves, our trust. Once I began to relate courage to surrender and bravery to trust, my mind was put right. My heart softened. I was back in my Fathers arms, such an awesome place to be.
Needless to say, things started getting better. I had peace, my relationships improved, my finances were blessed. Most importantly I grew closer to God, hearing Him in a stronger way. Connecting with Him with a freshness in my spirit. I can't wait to see what happens next.
My bottom line: Until you surrender to God, you are not ready for the fight. Put on his armor, and hold on tight.
"I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but take heart, I have overcome the world." -John 16:33
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