Category: Brother Al (Page 1 of 68)

The prophecy of Ezekiel contains strange visions, images, and messages that seem very remote from our every day life in America.  Ezekiel prophecy was delivered during the difficult days of Judah’s exile in Babylon (605-538 bc).  He was writing to people who would not accept that God was at work in the midst of their national disaster.  But the prophet saw in “wild and unforgettable images, elaborated in exuberant detail” (Peterson), of how God was working in the midst judgement.  

The people could not bring themselves to see what God was doing in their day.  It wasn’t only a response of denial, there were others who lived in despair.  In the devastation they lost everything.  But Ezekiel was determined to show the people that God would using the devastation for their good.  He showed them God was present, working in the wreckage and rubble, sovereignly using the disaster to create a new people of God.  There was hope beyond denial or despair.

God warned Ezekiel that the people of Judah would prefer to have life go on as usual, not caring to face the collapse of society all around them.  Ezekiel 33:30-32 paints a picture of how the people perceived the ministry of Ezekiel.  “As for you, son of man, you’ve become quite the talk of the town.  Your people meet on street corners and in front of their houses and say, ‘Let’s go hear the latest news from God.’  They show up, as people tend to do, and sit in your company.  They listen to you speak, but don’t do a thing you say.  They flatter you with compliments, but all they care about is making money and getting ahead.  To them you’re merely entertainment – a country singer of sad love songs, playing a guitar.  They love to hear you talk, but nothing comes of it.” (Message)  

When God called Ezekiel, he told the prophet, “But when all this happens – and it is going to happen! – they’ll realize that a prophet was among them” (Ezk. 33:33).  God had, however, warned Ezekiel earlier, “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen – for they are rebellious.  But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you.  Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” (Ezk. 2:8).

I picture the prophet chewing day after day on what God was saying to him.  I’m sure it didn’t fit the cultural or religious narrative of the day.  God warned Ezekiel that he lived among people who were spiritually blind and deaf. “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people.  They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. (Ezk. 12:2)

Today the dominant narrative has conditioned people to have “itching ears.”  II Tim 4:3-4 warns of us a culture not wanting to hear the truth. “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 

Could it be that we prefer “a cowboy singer of sad love songs, playing a guitar.”  It seems to me that our culture has been conditioned by all the “influencers” to produce many who have “itching ears” listening to countless voices, reassuring them of peace rather than a collapse  of our way of life.  Jesus warn us, “Watch out that no one deceive you” (Mk. 13:5).

Recently I read an article entitled, “The solution to the ‘Emotional Labor’ problem.” It convicted me as a husband, married to the same woman for 60 years to be more “tenderhearted.”  Paul gives this exhortation in Eph 4:32, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32 NLT).  I’m also reminds in Col 3:12 of being clothed “with tenderhearted mercy.” The Message makes clear my need to be dressed in the proper wardrobe relationally with my wife. “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline” (Col. 3:12 MSG).  I wonder how many of married men need to work on their emotional wardrobe at home.  I am challenged to do so, most every day.

The article quotes a little known British singer-songwriter, Paris Paloma’s song “labor” which skyrocketed in popularity in the UK.   The lyrics include: “All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid/ Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant/ Just an appendage, live to attend him/ So that he never lifts a finger/ 24/7 baby machine/ So he can live out his picket-fence dreams/ It’s not an act of love if you make her/ You make me do too much labor.”  One review observed, “the song’s explosive, furious lyrics struck a chord with millions of young women at the end of their tether who have used the track to share their own experiences of misogyny, and the need for an avenue to direct the fury that’s been smoldering inside them.”    

It sure made me wonder if I was guilty of causing my wife to carry an “emotional load.”  Social scientist Katie Jgln is quoted, “It’s not just the amount of domestic labor that women in relationships with men have to do that exhausts us – it’s all the emotional and cognitive labor too.”  She describes the burdens of maintaining relationships with men, usually includes, “regularly checking on their day and feelings, being mindful of their changing moods and regulating your emotions accordingly, or even helping them out in their relationships with other people.”  

The assumption is that men cannot be trusted to manage their own emotions.  Men are viewed as failing to adequately process their emotions – so that women must pick up the slack.  There is a fine line when women are taught to accept as their duty from an early age – keeping the peace while not upsetting their partner.  But this “emotional monitoring” can be a tiresome effort to keep the peace in a relationship.   

The author of the article, Emily Starr Kwilinski sees a better way of dealing with the issues of “emotional Labor.”  “Rather than accepting unhealthy relationship patterns, women can choose to let go of culturally conditioned distrust.  We can put down emotional burdens that aren’t ours to carry, stepping forward into the kind of self-respect that allows men and women to relate to one another more freely.”

I thought of Paul’s words in Eph 4:2-3, “Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”  

Lord, help us as men to graciously carry our emotional load in marriage and not expect our wives to “fix” what only God can heal in our broken male hearts.  Help us to be “grown men” who can face our relational faults, being humble enough to admit we fail to be “tenderhearted” because of our immature attitudes to our wives.  Paul reminds us, “He who loves his wife loves himself” (Eph 6:28) 

Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet.  He became known as “the weeping prophet” because his words of warning were never accepted.  He expresses his exasperation. “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.” (Jer. 9:1) He had a front row seat to the judgment of God upon his own people.

God gave him a  daunting assignment. “I have put my words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer. 1:9-10).  He was to  warn both nations and kingdoms of  coming judgment.  But, he was forewarned, “they did not listen or pay attention;  they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline” (Jer. 17:23).  He had to live with the consequences of a rejected message.  He cried, “Oh, my anguish, my anguish!  I writhe in pain.  Oh, the agony of my heart!  My heart pounds within me. I cannot keep silent.” (Jer. 4:19).  He know what was coming. “For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.” (v 21). 

He message only hardened their hearts. “But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.” (Jer. 5:23)  It was not easy for the prophet to say, “They are all hardened rebels, going about to slander. They are bronze and iron; they all act corruptly.” (Jer. 6:28) 

Imagine if what you had to speak as God’s messenger to people who were characterized as “bronze and iron.”  Jeremiah, however had to accept his mission as a “tester of metals.” (Jer 6:27)  This seems like a thankless job.  But He had God’s  assurance, “Today I  have made you a fortified city, and iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land…….They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you.” (Jer 1:18-19)

One phrase used by Jeremiah is the word “backsliding.”  The implication was the spiritual life of the people was going backward, not forward in the Lord.  They were not listening to the call of God to move forward in obedience.  Rather they had become enculturated in accommodating their belief and practice with the popular culture.  “Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you; Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me.” (Jer2:19). “‘You have rejected me,'” declares the Lord.  “‘You  keep on backsliding.  So I will lay hands on you and destroy you.  I can no longer show compassion.'” (Jer. 15:6). The Lord continued to call the people back. “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” (Jer. 3:22)

 One way Jeremiah visualized turning back, was for the people to break up their heartened hearts.  “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.  Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts” (Jer. 4:5)  Hosea painted a similar picture,  “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you” ( Hosea 10: 12).  The people were not paying attention to their hearts. 

I wonder with all the talk of a “new vibe” in our culture, if we don’t need  to go deeper, plowing up the hardness of our hearts?  How far have we backslidden, with hardened hearts.  The “new vibe” is only temporary.  

Parents.com and the New York Post have both reported,  “Young boys are reportedly feeling deprived of physical touch and affection, also know as “touch starvation.” It can  have a major impact on their emotional and social well-being. Experts like Drs Michael Thompson and Matt Engler-Carlson have noted, “American culture often discourages boys from experiencing nurturing touch, beginning in early childhood and reinforced by media and social norms.”  

The deep emotional, physical, and relational toll of affection deprivation has also been named as “skin hunger.”  The research of Dr. Kory Floyd has shown that “men who lack affectionate touch report higher rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and even immune system issues.”  There is a strong correlation between affection deprivation and mental and physical health problems.  “Boys who grow up without affectionate touch often internalize the belief that physical closeness is unmanly.  As they become fathers, these touch-deprived boys may struggle to express affection toward their own sons.  The  cycle repeats: men raised without touch become fathers who don’t hug

Boys who are physically affectionate with their fathers are less likely to struggle with substance abuse, have mental health struggles, criminal deviance, and are less likely to engage in sexual promiscuity.  Breaking this cycle will require intentional affirming that touch is compatible with masculinity.  Anthony Bradley noted, “By fostering emotionally safe spaces and challenging cultural taboos, we can help men reclaim a core part of their humanity and offer their sons what they themselves may have missed.” 

Parents should be encouraged to use positive touch intentionally and consistently as a way to foster emotional connection and security.   Creating a “family counter-narrative” regarding affection can be a buffer against many of the harmful cultural messages. “The truth is, much of America doesn’t really like boys – and in many cases, not even their own parents do.  This needs to change.”

The article listed the following strategies:  Overcoming personal discomfort with affection/ Using touch (like hugs) to soothe or connect/ Learning a child’s preferred form of physical closeness/ Normalizing touch through routines and modeling affectionate friendships/ Talking openly about healthy boundaries and cultural differences/ Negotiating age-appropriate forms of affection as boys grow older. 

Like many men, I grew up in a culture where men did not show physical affection.  My folks were  the second generation of Finnish immigrants.  They represented an ethic of responsibility and hard work.  They simply wanted to provide a healthy, safe environment for their families.  As the oldest in my family, I received little physical affection from my father.  I absorbed the message that grown men do not show outward affection.  It is interesting to note that many of my Italian buddies spoke openly about their affections and were very demonstrative in showing affection.

My personal struggle also involved being a “heart” relating man.  I learned to be shy and halting in sharing my affections in my family. When I read Bradley’s article, I certainly could identify with “touch starvation” and “skin hunger.”  I agree with the strategies listed above.  Over the years I learned to function in the male culture as a “feeling” guy.  It meant at times feeling out of place. But it also meant that I have helped men be comfortable with physical touch.

A word of caution on men and “touch starvation.”  Be genuine in sharing physical affection.  Knowing other men on a deeper level (heart) is helpful.  It is vital for men to develop deeper friendships.  My testimony –  genuine hugs can help a man release a great deal of his negative emotions.  There is something about hugging  each other that brings freedom.      

Anthony Bradley reflected on his experience being in college fraternities.  Bradley remembers the adventure of college of not knowing anyone.  It forced him to build relationships, confront discomfort, and develop resilience.  But for young men today, the sense of adventure seemed entirely absent. They are building their adult lives on one operating principle: “stay safe, stay familiar.” 

If a young man is to grow, he needs an “Abraham  experience.”  God told Abraham, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (Gen 12:1-3).  In other words, “leave everything you know and enter into something unknown – something filled of uncertainty, risk, and even danger.”

Bradley believes younger men are not being exposed to enough real risk, challenge, or responsibility to mature into capable men.  “We are engineering a culture that allows young men to extend the comforts of childhood indefinitely…. we insulate them from hardship with a steady diet of familiarity. safety, and predictability.”  He notes that throughout history, healthy societies require young men to separate….. break from the safety of childhood into the discomfort and danger of the unknown.” 

“Real adulthood,” observes Bradley, “does not emerge out of comfort – it is forged through separation and struggle.” In the Biblical narrative, God calls men out of comfort and into real risk.  It is demonstrated in the lives of Abraham, Elisha, Isaiah, Paul and Jesus.  “These individuals grew not because they avoided danger, but because they endured it.”  Manageable adversity builds “psychological immune system” and a form of “stress inoculation” By overcoming real challenges, young men can develop the resilience to face future adversities with greater confidence and stability. 

Observing  Abraham and Moses we find a biblical pattern of just not brief discomfort but rather a prolonged wilderness.  Character formation requires real exposure.  We are then forced to fall on our knees and cry out to God for help.  Bradley is very pointed when he says, “I struggle to trust any man who has never been driven to his knees in desperate need.”  He quotes Michael Meade: “If the fires that innately burn inside youths are not intentionally and lovingly added to the hearth of community, they will burn down the structures of culture, just to feel the warmth.” 

Bradley then observes, “We see this playing out everywhere: young men channeling their untapped need for danger and purpose into destructive outlets – addiction, escapism, ideological extremism, crime, sexually assaulting women, and perpetual adolescence.”   The journey to manhood has never change.  It involves, “separation, struggle, vulnerability, and return.”  Bradley gives this challenge, “If we want our sons to become the kind of men who can lead, love, and sacrifice, we must allow them to suffer.  We must send them into the wilderness – not to destroy them, but to make them.” 

I am so thankful that my parents let me go, when I went out to California in 1960 as a young man of 20.  I grew and matured as a man through the “hard knocks” of life.  I remember period of loneliness, despair and great insecurity as a young man.  I came to know Jesus out in California, found a wonderful future wife, and surrounded myself with fellow believers.  Mentors such as Maynard Force and Pastor Hax pointed the way for me.  

Those early years in California and then in college, forced me to grow up into manhood.  It was difficult because of all my insecurities.  I remember well the words of Eccl 12:1 “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.'” 

When I read recently about the Democratic Party being informed by SAM, code-name for “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan.” I know I had to do a blog on an effort to influence men.  Again, my focus in life is threefold: Scripture, Jesus and the Kingdom reign of Jesus (incarnational reality).  This focus cuts across political parties and cultural issues.  There will be times when I will view a subject through this threefold Prizm that will be critical of one of the political parties.  In this case, it is the democratic party.

It was revealed that this prospectus, costing $20 million, was being studied in order to find ways, “to reverse the erosion of Democratic support among young men, especially online.”  The plan was to “study the syntax, language and content that gain attention and virality in these spaces.”   As former Democratic staffer, Rotimi Adeoye noted, “Democratic donors treating men like an endangered species on a remote island. The need to study probably won’t rebuild trust.”  He added, “People don’t want to be decoded, they want to be understood and met where they are.” Another strategist said frankly, “We need authenticity, and you can’t manufacture it in a lab, a war room or a donor meeting.  We can’t figure this out in a week or two. It has to be part of an ongoing conversation, and we’ve just not there yet.”  

I contrast this report to a recent essay by catholic sociologist, Mary Eberstadt, entitled “Beyond Jeremiads: Signs of Cultural Revival, Circa 2025.”  She wrote, “Perhaps the time has come to set aside jeremiads.  Perhaps the time for recitation is over, and the time for joyous defiance has begun………Christianity today is being rejected in large part because it is more demanding than people weakened by the sexual revolution’s indiscipline want it to be.”

She goes on to point out that living in opposition to religion is not liberating people.  It is rather making people miserable and lonely.  “Today’s troubled voices do not rage in vain. …..They amount to primal screams for a world more ordered than many of today’s people now know – a world ordered to some of Christianity’s essential principles, like mercy, community, and redemption.” She quotes Pope Benedict, “when the trial of this shifting is past, a great power will flow from a more spiritualized and simplified Church.”

Ms. Eberstadt wrote back in 2020 on the “The fury of the Fatherless.” She sees a wide spread of social disorder as a “crisis of filial attachment that has beset the Western world for more than a half a century.  Deprived of father, Father, and patria, a critical mass of humanity has become socially dysfunctional on a scale not seen before.” She goes on the say, “father, Father, and filial piety toward country …….[are] the sinkhole into which all three have collapsed is now a public hazard.  The threefold crisis of paternity is depriving many young people – especially young men – of reasons to live as rational and productive citizens.”  America’s youth have been “left alone in a cosmos with nothing to guide them, not even a firm grasp of what constitutes their basic humanity, and no means of finding the way home”  

Young men are not an “endangered species.”  They are looking for authenticity.  It could be, that in our day, we are witnessing the defiance of young men. The “primal screams” and “the fury of the fatherless” is being heard.  Through all the voices of our cultural wars, the voice of the heavenly Father is calling men home.  Men are not left alone in the cosmos.   Jesus is saying, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:6).

Have you ever seen one of those “old guys rule” shirts or hats.  I am an old guys rule fan.  I have several shirts.  Often when I have been wearing a shirt, other guys will greet me, wearing their attire.  I realize, wearing such a t-shirt makes me very suspect with the younger generation, especially young women.  I accept the challenge, because as an “old guy” myself, I want to be counter-cultural.

I went to the Old Guys Rule site to learned a little more about the brand.  It was started by a surfer in California, by the name of Don Craig.  “Old Guys Rule was created to embrace a new breed of guys who have incredible energy, a passion for life, wisdom gained from years of experience and the time to spend doing the activities they enjoy.  Old Guys Rule should be worn as a badge of honor for a life well-spent, but not nearly over.”  Shortly after Don started his brand in early 2003, he realized the “Old Guys Rule” motto extended beyond the surfing community to men from all walks of life who saw age as a “Badge of Honor,” not an impediment.

The phrase, “Old Guys Rule” cries loudly in behalf of  patriarchy.  Culturally, patriarchy is seen as “a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded.”  Patriarchy is “a system of oppression that affects women’s live negatively, highlighting the need to challenge and dismantle it.”  Ouch!!  Wearing my shirt, puts me in the cross-hairs of the feminists in our culture.  Yet I insist on wearing my shirt as a “badge of honor” now that I am 84 and happily married for 60 years.  Besides, my wife approves. 

As a follower of Jesus, I have a different view of patriarchy.  In the story of the Bible, we find God choosing Abraham as the first patriarch.  God told him, “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:3).  Matthew’s lineage of Jesus begins with these words, “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendent of King David and of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1).  Since I have been adopted by Jesus into God’s family, I can trace my spiritual heritage back to father Abraham, and since I was born a man and am married with three adult children, I belong to the biblical patriarchy.  This is the reality I accept.

As a follower of Jesus, I embrace the term “Old Guys Rule” as a badge of honor.  It has not been an easy road to travel as a patriarch.  In my early marriage to Judy, I choose and she accepted my being the head of our family.  This summer, my three grown children and their spouses, gathered to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary.  I shared as the patriarch of my family.  I acknowledge, accept and lean into that role.  By God’s mercy and his abundant grace extended to me as a fallen man, I  have humbly journeyed all these years as a patriarch.  There have been bumps on the trail and wrong turns for which I ask forgiveness.

But with all my heart I have wanted to set the spiritual tone for my family.  I have sought to be both “tough and tender.”  My life verse in this role has been Ps 71:18.  “Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.  Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.”   I wear my “Old Guys Rule” t-shirt as a “badge of honor” as I journey through the 4th quarter of my life.    

In my opinion, Anthony B. Bradley, is a very keen observer and advocate for the growing crisis of fatherlessness in our nation.  One of his conclusions is “presence matters.” He writes, “boys need consistent, caring male presence not just for guidance, but for their emotional regulation, identity formation, and even biological resilience.”  Boys don’t thrive on lectures or discipline alone.  Boys will grow up when men show up, build something with them, spend time listening and calling them into maturity.  The role of men in nurturing and resilience-building is vital. The science is clear: presence matters.” 

He challenges the church.  “If the church wants to respond seriously to the crisis of fatherlessness, the boy crisis, and the breakdown of male development, it begins here: support the fathers and embed the boys in intergenerational relationships in the life of the church.  Create a culture where men see the spiritual formation of the next generation as an ordinary, expected part of Christian maturity.  And when you baptize a child, mean it.  There must be a clear rite of passage into the adult community – long before high school graduation.” 

We usually see parenting in terms of love, guidance and support.  But in recent research, “the influence of fatherhood may go even deeper – into the very wiring of a child’s stress response system.”  Cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, plays a central role in the regulation of mood, immunity, and long-term health.  This effect is specific to fathers.  Bradley observes, “maternal engagement, though crucial in other domains, did not predict changes in cortisol levels….The benefits of engaged fathering cut across lines of ethnicity, gender, and family structure…….fathers have a biologically measurable impact simply by showing up – in small, consistent ways.” 

Shared activity is more than just pleasant memories.  They are physiological investments.  “They tell a developing nervous system something critical,” observes Bradley. “You are not alone.”  Repeating this message by a father will shape a young man as he meets the world with steadiness, confidence, and calm under pressure. “If father presence is a public health concern,” Bradley observes,  then “the father can make a difference.”  His advice, “Engage. Invite. Share life. The body remembers.” 

Bradley is blunt in his challenge to the church.  The programming in most churches is not built for the current crisis of boys and men.  “It wasn’t built for boys having to navigate a world saturated in social media messaging.  It wasn’t built for the kind of spiritual formation your sons actually need.”   

I began learning in the early 80’s about male presence, from Leanne Payne.  She taught me that masculinity is more caught then taught.  She spoke about “father hunger” in the lives of young men.  I never know the longing in my soul was really a “father hunger.”  I was in my early 40’s, finding myself being drawn to godly men, who I respected,  wanting to simply absorb their spiritual presence.  It was more about who they were and not what they had to say.  It was my hunger for a Godly father figure.

At this stage in my life, as an old timer, I can only affirm what Bradley is vouching for among men, “Engage, Invite. Share life.  The body remembers.”   These are relational words.  Filling the needs of father hunger, will take on going relational interaction.   Bradley’s words, “the body remembers” is of significance.  Young men need to be with older saints on a regular basis, so they can absorb what God has formed in the life of an older man.  In our day we call it “spiritual formation.”  It simply happens when older men take a vital interest in young men. 

I have an admission to make as I write this blog.  I look forward to watching the pro football hall of fame enshrinement ceremony each year.  This year my favorite team, the Minnesota Vikings, had Jared Allen, who played defensive end, go into the hall of fame.  My wife knows when I am been watching the ceremony.  I usually am crying like a baby.  It is inspiring to observe a completive, no-nonse guy stand before the mike with the sports world listening intently to his prepared speech speak from the heart.   

Sometimes, it seems like the football player is emulating himself and his accomplishments.  But most of the time, when a man stands before the world, giving his acceptance speech, his words are deep, heartfelt and sincere.  He remembers the hard work, the guys he played with, along with those who have supported him.  Often the man standing at the podium will give a clear witness of strength found in the Lord. When I sense the sincere gratitude, often filled with heartfelt emotions, it brings me to tears.  Here are men, admired by the sports world, for being a tough and determined football player, yet when the spotlight is on them, they give gratitude and thanksgiving to others, and often filled with emotion.  “Wow.”

Jared Allen, in the last minutes of his speech, gave a bold and clear testimony regarding the place of Jesus in his life.  He began by remembering the premarital advice given to him and his wife.  He referred to the two most important decisions a man will make.  First, the decision to follow Jesus and who will he marry.  He also recalled the advice of knowing there are two different people in life. First, those who are like a boat anchor, who drag you down and second, those who elevate you.  He then gives high praise for his wife, calling her, “a true game elevator.”

Then Allen speaks directly to his two lovely daughters before sports world.   He calls them, “his greatest accomplishment” and his “legacy.” He makes this remarkable statement, one in which I lost my composure.  “When I get called home to heaven one day, if all they talk about is my gold jacket, then I’ve failed miserably, failing as a father, husband and friend.”  He then gives this advice, which is very bold indeed.   “Always put Christ first and find your ‘why.’  Dream big dreams and always purse greatness in whatever you do.”

It is amazing how the light of the gospel shines through at unique times in our culture, as the message of “Good News” is told to millions of sports fans.  May Jared Allen’s words, speak to the hearts and souls of men.

To hear the name of “Jesus” mentioned on the stage of the pro football hall of fame, is powerful.  Phil 2:10-11 declares, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  I agree wholehearted that our two most important decisions in life are accepting Jesus as Lord and who a man will marry.  Allen’s advice to his daughters, in putting Christ first is life is wise fatherly counsel.

Listen to his advice, men.  Your most important decision will be about the “Lordship of Jesus” and your choice of a life partner.  It seems to me; Allen was pleading with his daughters to put Jesus first.  May all the young men, who are football fans not forget this wise and heartfelt advice from pro hall of famer, Jared Allen. Skol

My wife and I, watched in amazement and joy as we sensed  the presence of the Lord this past Sunday, during the five-hour memorial for Charlie Kirk, held in Phoenix’s State Farm Stadium.  Both of us have spent the last couple of weeks, trying to discern what will be the impact of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.  Beyond a doubt Kirk is a martyr because of his example, spirit and courage.  He has captured the hearts of young men.  The movement is growing.

Two passages of Scripture help describe what participants experienced as a spiritual revival as well as a political rallying cry. Seldom in such a large gathering have such opposite expressions so blended together.  Political power and spiritual energy was produced by the testimonies to the life of Charlie Kirk and his belief in Jesus, as Lord and Savior.  It produced a momentum that will begin to capture our nation with the “Good News” that Jesus and His Kingdom is the ultimate answer to the brokenness felt in our nation.

The first passage is from Malachi 4:2-3, “But you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.  And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.”  As the TV cameras panned crowd of almost 100,000 in the stadium, you could see the energy as the crowd, freely  expressing their joy in the Lord.  They were like calves that had felt penned up.  They experienced  the healing presence of the Lord.

The second passage is from Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”  The fourth verse goes on to say, “For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.  You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.”  Many people once again saw that the darkness can not overcome the “light of Jesus” presence.  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:5).  The yoke of slavery to the voices of darkness was broken and the heavy burden of confusion, despair and uncertainty was lifted from the shoulders of many well meaning folks, who were previous blinded by the enemy of our souls.

This is what I take away from this spiritual revival meeting held in the desert of Arizona, watched by millions around the world.  First, Jesus is Lord.  This was the rock solid belief of Charlie Kirk.  Jesus declared,  “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13).  Jesus is “the Arc of History.”  Don’t try to bend it in any other direction, then his Kingdom Presence.

Secondly, the necessity and beauty of Charlie’s wife Erika confessing, “I forgive you” to her husband’s killer.  Her example is the model for our broken and divided nation at this moment in time.  Jesus taught us to pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those trespass against us.”

On a personal note – two challenges for me.  Charlie Kirk has challenged me to be a man of courage. He was not afraid of the opposition.  The second challenge was his on going comment to his wife, “What can I do today for you as my wife?” 

This revival in the desert will stick in the hearts and minds of Americans for long time.  May we all have the courage to choose the way of Jesus, as we face the opposition from those who have been  blinded to the truth of King Jesus.