Category: Brother Al (Page 36 of 68)

Spiritual writer Louis Evely makes this observation about the spiritual life. “Genuine sincerity consists, not in concluding that we’re bad, but in affirming that we’re a blend of good and bad and aren’t happy about it.” Earlier in my walk with the Lord, I would not have understood this statement.  Now it feels liberating.  What brought about the change?

I slowly learned my spiritual life consisted of what John Sandford called “performance orientation.”  It is defined as, “The constant tendency of the born anew is to fall back into striving by human effort.  Our minds and spirits know the free gift of salvation, but our hearts retain their habit to earn love by performing.  We live unaware that motives other than God’s love have begun to corrupt our serving through striving, tension and fear.” I was striving with the “ingrained habits of sin” in my life.  My mind know the right theology, but it had not reached my heart.

Jesus observation of the Pharisees spiritual condition could have been applied to me. “You’re like whitewashed graves, which look very fine on the outside, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and uncleanness of every kind.”  I sure didn’t want to expose this condition to anyone.  I first of all had to come to terms and admit to myself that I was like a whitewashed grave.  Heini Arnold described my condition, observing, “As long as we think we can save ourselves by our own will power, we will only make the evil in us stronger than ever.”

At this stage of the journey I can honestly  acknowledge that I am “a beloved sinner.” I don’t necessarily agree with spiritual guides who encourage us to disavow being of sinner. I rejoice that I am a new man in Christ, affirmed in knowing the love of the Father. I identify with Paul when he declares, “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made.  But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously, reached out for me.  (Phil 3:12 – Message).

Here are some principles that have brought me some “genuine sincerity” about my spiritual journey.

1) Lordship of Jesus – First and foremost, I have always wanted Jesus to be Lord in my life.  In my early days the image from the Campus Crusade tract with the two thrones was helpful for me.  While there were times when I crawled down off  the throne, my heart’s desire was for Jesus to be on the throne.  That meant a life of continual  confession, repentance and surrender

2) Light of the Word – The authority of Scripture in all matters of faith and practice was fundamental to my worldview.  This meant that exposure to the God’s word through study and mediation was not optional.

3) The work of the Holy Spirit –  In the early 60’s Judy and I got involved in the Charismatic movement.  We welcomed the Holy Spirit into our lives.

4) The indwelling presence of God – In the 80’s I finally coming to the awareness that God’s presence was within me. It was life changing

5)  The double knowledge –  I learned this from Dr. James Houston.  Augustine summed it up – “Let me know thee, O God and let me know myself.  That is all.”

6)  Finally, being God’s beloved.  I learned to rejoice in having a Father in heaven who delights in me.  This has become my passion – to help men know that they are loved by God in the midst of all their shame, guilt and vulnerability.  I was liberated to be myself.  I want to share this truth with men.

The  Advent season has prepared us for Jesus’ arrival at Christmas.  We need the reminder of Advent to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus anew, since  so much of  the meaning of Christmas has been erased from our national consciousness.  Fleming Rutledge reminds us, however, that we are not awaiting a helpless baby Jesus, but a powerful and righteous judge.  John the Baptist,  one of the central figures of the advent season, uses apocalyptic language in the call to repent and fleeing from “the wrath to come.”

She reminds us that Advent, “in spite of its reputation as a season of preparation for Christmas, is that its emphasis really does not fall on the coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem, but rather on the coming Jesus as the Judge of all things at the end of time.” The watchword of Advent is “Maranatha” which means “come, Lord Jesus.”  Rutledge astutely points out, “It is certainly not a prayer for Jesus to come again as a helpless baby; it is the longing cry of God’s people for him to return in power and glory.”

John the Baptist prophetic message creates a clash  between the world’s resistance to kingdom of God in our midst, and the irresistible force of the One who is  about to come.  John’s voice is being heard today through the witness of Scripture. “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?…Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.  Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 3:7,10).

John doesn’t seem to fit into the softer, more gentle image of the baby Jesus in a manger.  John the Baptist was in the grip of what Rutledge called an “apocalyptic transvision,” – “that vision given to the church that sees through the appearances of this world to the blazing power and holiness of the coming of the Lord.” Jesus warned us of what will happen. “This is war, and there is no neutral ground.  If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse” (Matt. 12:30 – Message).

The voice of John echoes in today’s spiritual wilderness, challenges us to be open to the movement of His Spirit in our lives.  “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life.  The real action comes next: The main character is this drama – compared to him I’m a mere stagehand – will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house – make a clean sweep of your lives.  He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God, everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned” (Matt. 3:11-12 – Message).

Many years ago, I remember singing a praise song based on Ps 108:13.  “With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.”  When the Israelites were trapped at the Red Sea, fearful of being over taken by the Egyptians, God said to them through Moses. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today…The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex. 14:13).  Men, God will fight for us.  Jeremiah was reassured of God presence when he said, ‘But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail” (Jer. 20:11).  During Advent welcome Jesus as a warrior who will fight for us.

During this Advent season I have been reminded of an older Michael Card song (1991) entitled “Joseph’s Song.”  The chorus goes like this: “Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours/How can a man be father to the Son of God/Lord for all my life I’ve been a simple carpenter/How can I raise a king, How can I raise a King/He looks so small, His face and hands so fair/And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear/But when he laughs it shines again/How could it be”

I often cry when I listen to Michael sing this song.  I am not quite sure why.  I think it has to do with the humble obedience of a simple carpenter. Joseph was the most unlikely man to be the earthly father of Jesus.  He could have been overwhelmed by the prospects of being the human father of our Lord.  Instead, he accepted the responsibility.  He willingly provided a “spiritual covering” for his very young family.  Imagine what lay ahead for Joseph as he cared for  Mary and the baby she was now carrying.

Men, how willing are we to take spiritual responsibility for our families. Your wife and children need you to provide them protection. They are vulnerable to spiritual attack.  Joseph was young and inexperienced in family life, yet he was obedient. God spoke to Joseph in dreams. Joseph’s  heart was open to the leading of the Spirit of God. In three of the four accounts “an angel of the Lord” appearing to him in a dream.

The first reassured Joseph to go ahead with his wedding plans.  Imagine hearing these words from an angel, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:20).  Joseph needed to hear “do not be afraid.” He could still get married.  Remarkably, Joseph obeyed.  “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matt. 1:24). God will give you the strength to follow through.

The second dream came when there was real danger.  The angel said, “Get up take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him” (Matt 2:13).  Men, I want to both warn and reassure as you provide covering for our family.  Satan will attack your family.  God will provide the way of escape as you are obedient to the Spirit.  Don’t lose the covering.

The third dream 0ccured after wicked Herod died, freeing his young family from danger.  “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead” (Matt 2:20). Like Joseph, God asks us to act – “Get up.” It was hard traveling with a baby.  Joseph, “took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel'” (Matt. 2:21).  Ask yourself – “What is God asking me to do in order to protect my family.”

The fourth dream came when Joseph was fearful about going back to Judea because of Archelaus, who had succeeded Herod as king.  “Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth” (Matt. 2:22).   Don’t be surprised if God asks you to do something you would not otherwise do to protect your family.

Remember no one came take your place as the head of your family!!!  God will hear as you cry out to him for mercy.

Our nation recently mourned the death of George H. W. Bush, our 41st president.  My favorite memory will be the presidential train traveling from Houston to College Station.  I remember the four years of President Bush and especially how he handling of first Iraq war.  He advocated for a more “gentle and compassionate world” with his emphasis on the 1,000 lights of hope.  During his time in office the press would refer to the “wimp factor” in his character, claiming that he was “too niece” in his role as leader of the free world.

David French, in a column, noted, “It’s a sign of our fallen world that all too many people misinterpret the presence of manners as a lack of manliness.  It’s destructive to our culture and body politic that all too many people interpret kindness as a lack of conviction.”  In response to the charge of being too niece, President Bush said the following:

“I equate toughness with moral fiber, with character, with principle, with demonstrated leadership in tough jobs where you emerge not bullying somebody, but with the respect of the people you led.  That’s toughness.  That’s fiber.  That’s character.  I have got it.  And if I happen to be decent in the process, that should not be a liability.”

President Bush was obviously not a “wimp.”  He enlisted in the Navy at age 18, becoming one of the youngest aviators, and was shot down over the Pacific.  He oversaw the Iraq war and saw the fall of the Soviet union. In public life he was a unassuming.  A favorite verse was Prov. 27:2: “Let another man praise you, and not your own lips.”

I bring up the “Wimp Factor” label given to our 41st president by the media to show how a “Tough and Tender” man can be misunderstood in our culture.  It is instructive to compare the public perception of president Bush to that of our current president.  President Trump’s aggressive nature is often viewed as the kind of “alpha” manliness we need in the public arena.  His course language in naming those who oppose him and his past behavior make him out to be  a tough guy.  I have been critical of this kind of behavior in past blogs.

While I agree that liberalism in general has  feminized much of our public discourse, causing young men to act out when their view of maleness is being questioned, we don’t have politicians in our day like President Bush leading by example. The comparison with President Trump is a good example of  the struggle in our society with what is the true masculine.  The above comment by President Bush equate toughness with moral fiber, character, decency and principle. These are qualities that can be demonstrated while respecting others and being a decent person.

David was  a “tough and tender” man.  He played the harp, wrote heart moving Psalms and was a warrior. He was willing to face the giant with his staff and five smooth stones, having learned to kill lions and bears with his sling. He told the king, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (I Sam. 17:36-37). Men,  first face your lions and bear courageous with your five smooth stones and God will make you a “giant slayer.”  President Bush learned first to kill lions and bears, before he took on his political opponents and the hostile press.

Back in 2018, Oxford Dictionaries chose “toxic” as its Word of the Year.  It was chosen from a shortlist that included politically inflected words like “gaslighting,” “incel,” and “techlash.” Originally, Oxford had considered “toxic masculinity” until it realized how widespread “toxic” had become.  So many different issues in our culture today seem to be tied together with the word.  The Word of the Year reflects “the ethos or preoccupations” of a particular year, and how it highlights changes in English as a language.  The Oxford folks believed “toxic masculinity” to be a preoccupation of our times.  Simply being a normal, healthy male can be viewed as “toxic.”

“Toxic” is derived from the Greek “toxikon pharmakon” or “poison for arrows.”  In its first few centuries, “toxic” referred to literal poisons.  But as concern about toxins increased over the years, so did the metaphorical uses of “toxic.”  “Toxic” began to be used more frequently in the 1980’s in many self-help books.  But more recently there has been an explosion in the use of the phrase toxic masculinity.  The only grouping that has occurred more frequently over the years in online news sources and blogs has been “toxic chemicals.”  Be warned, men, to be masculine may be considered poisonous by some.

Mona Charen in her indictment of modern feminism argues that Second Wavers “were determined to change what women wanted altogether… The worldview of second-wave feminists was completely wrong about women, history and human nature – and left a lot of wreckage in its wake.” Part of the fallout was “toxic masculinity.”  John Stonestreet has observed, “much of contemporary life, especially our public discourse, is, if not literally poisonous, then spiritually, culturally, and emotionally poisonous.” This includes toxic masculinity.

Considering this wreckage, Dennis Prager asks, “Is America still making men?”  Every society has to ask, “How do we make good men?”  Young men who are tutored early in life are taught how to channel their natural drive and aggression in a positive manner to make the world a better place.  But if maleness is already seen as “toxic,” how is a male Christ-follower to live in our present cultural climate?  Here are a few suggestions:

First: because we’ve inherited our sinful nature from Adam, we can admit that we’re “toxic”.  David declared, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). For me, this means that I must be vigilant in keeping my heart open to the Lord.  I can appear to be clean, but there is often toxicity within my heart.  Jesus said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean” (Mk. 7:20-22).

Second: don’t waste your time defending enculturated views of maleness.  Learn to walk humbly as a follower of Jesus.  Allow the Spirit of God to model godliness in your life.

Third: learn to simply practice the presence of Jesus in all circumstances.  Let the light of his presence shine through your words and actions.  Strive to live an integrated and authentic life.  Live in repentance, praise, and gratitude.

Fourth: live as a servant of others, attempting to always put others first.  For me this has meant being truly interested in the stories of others.

Fifth: continually cry out to God to be merciful toward our nation. Pray that you might be an instrument of healing between men and women, especially in your extended family.

I was recently been convicted by the words of  the Prophet Amos, “Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times for the times are evil” (Amos 5:13).  A prudent man is one who ”acts with or shows care and thought for the future.”  The NLT reads, “So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.”  The Amplified brings out the thought of people not listening to the truth, nor having regard for a godly witness. “Therefore he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of godly character].”

The Message expresses the thought of being prudent in an emphatic manner.  “Justice is a lost cause.  Evil is epidemic.  Decent people throw up their hands.  Protest and rebuke are useless, a waste of breath.”  The ESV Study Bible has this note: “If someone were to speak out against the manifest injustice taking place, his own life might be in danger, while his objections would do no good because they could not stop the ongoing, entrenched evil.”  As I read these words, I desire to be a prudent man. My natural tendency is to speak the truth and “set people straight.” But there are times to keep quiet.

There is a cultural tsunami building on the horizon.  A tsunami begins with an earthquake far out at sea.  The shock wave travels through the water towards shore.   Its  intensity is realized once it reaches the shore as a wall of water with devastating force.  “The wall of water,” suggests Rod Dreher, “is coming at us.  There’s no holding it back.”  I agree.  Men, there is little use whining or complaining about our culture losing its Christian worldview and consensus.  That time has past.

Rest assured, God’s prophetic word is being heard in our day .  Amos reminds us, “The lion has roared – who will not fear?  The Sovereign Lord has spoken – who can but prophecy (Amos 3:8).  We need to exercise patience. God is sounding the trumpet.  Are we alert to the sound?  “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.  It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1).  God told Habakkuk, “This vision is for the future time.  It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.  It will not be delayed” (Hab. 2:3 NLT).

Christian men can easily fall into the trap of bemoaning  how “justice is a lost cause” and “evil is epidemic” in society today.  Our witness can turn negative and counterproductive to an authentic Christian witness. How are we going to practice his presence in the midst of the coming darkness?  We wait for the Lord: “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Is.30:18).

It is prudent not the enter into the highly-charged destructive rhetoric of today’s cultural narrative.  Rather we need to show love, forbearance and mercy to those who so strongly oppose Jesus and his Kingdom.  I readily admit to the men,  whom I  have been a witness, that I am reluctant to enter into a discussion or debate regarding political and cultural issues.  I say I am simply a follower of Jesus, now living in his kingdom reign in the earth.  In that sense I am quiet.

Recently I had a unexpected inspiration moment.  My wife, Judy and I have just moved to a  comfortable senior apartment complex in Brainerd, Mn.  We both felt the time was right for this move, even though it would mean down-sizing, making new friends, and finding a new church home.  After our decision to move, it so happened that our daughter, who was going to eventually move into our lake place with her family, lost their home during hurricane Michael in Florida.  We were glad to  welcome our daughter into our home, since they were now homeless.  We could see God’s hand in the move.

On the second night of occupying our new apartment, I was out walking at dusk and happened to be looking up at our apartment window.  I saw Judy sitting at her desk, busy writing on her computer.  It is hard to explain the sensation I had as I looked at her in the window. I was very thankful that the attractive women I saw in the second story window was my wife.  I was filled with gratitude for being married these past 53 years to such a wonderful helpmate. She is a crown in my life, helping make me a better man. “A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband” (Prov. 12:4).

In Proverbs 18:22 we read, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”  I can certainly testify to the way in which God has blessed me through my wife. I could never have made this move without Judy by my side.   Our decision to move off the lake to an apartment in town was a major step for both of us. We saw it, at our age, as probably our last great adventure together. We have felt that God had prepared us for this new journey. Through prayer and discernment we knew this was what we should be doing at this stage in our lives.  We leaned on each other through the whole process.  I am very grateful to have my bride by my side.  She is a wonderful help mate

Now that I have been out of parish life for almost nine years, my wife is flourishing in her spiritual gifts. I see my role as supporting and encouraging her ministry, after having her faithful support for 40 years.  Her daily devotions which are read by well over a 100 persons continues to bring daily encouragement and inspiration. I am truly amazed at how God speaks to her as she writes her daily blog.  It is a gift from God.   Judy is the greatest earthly treasure I have.  “An excellent woman  [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her?  Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls. The heart of her husband trusts in her [with secure confidence], and he will have no lack of gain” (Prov. 31:10-11 -Amplified).

When my wife published her first book of devotions, I wrote in the forward that my wife was the most consistent Christian I have known.  She has an inner beauty, “the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit [one that is calm and self-controlled, not overanxious, but serene and spiritually mature] which is very precious in the sight of God” (I Peter 3:4 – amplified).  This gives a description of the woman I saw in the window of our new home at “Northern Lakes Senior Living.”

Eugene Peterson, the translator of the Message Bible, recently passed away at the age of 85.  He was a very significant influence in shaping my understanding of  the calling to be a parish pastor.  I discovered Peterson in the mid–80’s when I was shaking off stereo types of being a Lutheran pastor as being primarily concerned with doctrine and practice, while forgetting soul care.  In those days soulfulness was thought of as being too narrow, emotionally charged and focused on navel-gazing.  I learned from Peterson that the role of pastor was simply “practicing the presence of Jesus” among the people.  That concept was liberating in my ministry.  I determined  from that time on to be a simple, loving follower of Jesus.

While  being aware of my own soul life, as a feeling, intuitive guy,  I had difficulty justifying my awareness in a tradition that put the priority on “head knowledge” verse the compliment of  “heart knowledge.”  In my first 10 years of ministry I felt misunderstood and not able to conform to the institutional norm for pastors.  Inner transformation and character formation were concepts that I had not heard of in my pastoral and theological training. Peterson was the first contemporary protestant pastor who gave me the framework and the words to see the pastor as a “spiritual director” and the ministry of “soul care” as the primarily concern of a pastor.

I can’t express how much I  owe  Peterson.  He showed me that the pastoral vocation was a call to be personal.  It meant being a good listener; having concern to the inner life of others.  Preaching was visualizing persons with hungry souls, not simply a listening audience.  It meant loving people and not using them.  The pastor was to be a person of prayer and devotion.  It was out of his own personal relationship with God that he was able to shepherd his flock.  Peterson maintained that our core identity, “comes out as persons-in-relationship.”  “‘Soul’ is our word for this,” observes Peterson. “It is the most personal term we have for who we are.  The term ‘soul’ is an assertion of wholeness, the totality of what it means to be a human being.”

I never forgot his response when asked why he enjoyed being a pastor of a local congregation.  He said, “I like to mess.”  This was liberating for me when times got difficult and when I felt spiritually dry.  He helped me to see that in the midst of brokenness of the people of God, the Spirit of Jesus was present bring forth life. Jesus was holding all things together.

Col 1:16-17 in the Message says this so well. “We look at his Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created.  For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels – everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.  He was there before any of it came into existence and hold it all together right up to this moment.”

For me at this moment in my journey, my wife and I happen to be looking for a new church home.  We left our lake home and are living in a senior apartment complex in Brainerd, Mn.  We are now seeking  a place where we sense God is present, doing his hidden work of bringing life to folks we desire to follow him.  We long to see God at work in “the mess.”  We know God will bring us to a  church in which we will see the hidden work of Jesus bringing all things together through the work of his Spirit.

When does sexual harassment take place?  “The past few months has ushered in a unprecedented level of awareness and shock at the pervasive experience of sexual harassment,’ notes Roxanne Stone, editor in chief of Barna Group.  Barna asked Americans to identify specific acts that they considered to be harassment.  “Nearly half of all American adults admit to experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment at some point in their lives.”  The nature of the behavior was either verbal (77%) or physical (67%).  “The answer differs based on gender, but Americans say that sexual harassment is most often about being touched or groped (women: 96%, men: 86%) or being forced to do something sexual (women: 91%, men:83%).

Three in ten adults (29%) report that they have been sexually harassed.  Women are nearly three times more likely than men to report experiencing sexual harassment.  The reported noted women (73%) were more likely than men (57%) to say the sexual harassment they experienced or witnessed was physical.  Women also give accounts of verbal sexual harassment just as much as physical (74% verbal and 73% physical).  Men feel or recognize harassment more often as verbal (men: 81%, women: 73%).

The data from Barna seems to reinforce what I have observed in my years as a pastor.  Men are more likely to be the ones doing the harassing rather than women.  The harassment is mainly verbal with men in the church.  It is interesting that such things as staring (19%:women, 18%:men ), winking (18%:women, 12%:men) and light-hearted flirting (women:12%, men:12%) were far down the list.  I mention these three items because for Christian men who desire to live in moral purity and sexual integrity, these items matter.

Men, my testimony is that light-hearted flirting matters.  Our attitude toward women speaks louder then our words.  We are held to a higher standard.  Moral purity which is the foundation of sexual integrity begins in the heart of a man.  Remember Jesus’ words, “But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already commited adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27).  Proverbs 6:23 warns men, “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes” (Prov 6:25).  Job said of himself, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl” (Job 31:1)

If Christian men are going to be trusted, worthy exemplars of moral purity in relation to women, it will have to be demonstrated in our more hidden responses to women.  For example, I have tried hard to never send the wrong message to women.  I have purposed to “countinence” the face of a young woman and not her body.  As the old saying goes, “You can look at the menu, but don’t order.”  For men “staring” and “winking” are off limits.  They send a mixed message.  When it comes to “making sexual comments about looks/body,”  experienced by 86% of the women in the Barna report, the man of God should know better.

The Barna report ends by noting, “We are now beginning to grapple with the intensely sexual ideas that have been allowed to define gender relationships, not to mention the extremely complex power dynamics at play in society where men still hold the majority of top-level positions…..Pastors and spiritual leaders….must be ready to talk with their members……Churches have an opportunity to be leaders in this disorienting conversion.”

I agree totally.  As men of God, we can lead the way through the present day wasteland of sexual dysfunction between men and women.  But we need to head the words of Proverbs 4:23, “Guard you heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

Are you an Overcomer in the spiritual battle raging between  evil and the kingdom of God or are you being overcome?  Men, we need to be reminded that the lack of civility and the hateful rhetoric of our day is due to the father of lies – Satan.  Jesus identifies him as, “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his  native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).  When truth and integrity are missing in our public discourse, brought about by the murderer, the result is character assassination on a broad scale.

When discerning  the cause of the discord, hatred and anger in our nation, we need to see it as a  battle between the forces of Satan and the reign of Jesus’ kingdom.  Paul  gives the right  perspective, “For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual.  We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil” (Eph 6:12 – Phillips).  Are you ready to face hate, bigotry, and irrational reactions.

As a follower of Jesus, you can be expected to be hated, whether you like it or not.   Jesus warned us that we would be hated.  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates us” (John 15:18-9).  “All men will hate you because of me,” Jesus tells us, ” but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mk 13:13). The distain for the followers of Jesus is evident in the cultural wars.  This hatred can be irrational. “They hated me without reason” ( John 15:25).  “Do not be surprised,” John reminds us, “if the world hates you” (I John 3:13)

It is hard to be an Overcomer if we respond with  hated in your heart. Remember the hatred will  only  intensify in the days to come.  Don’t allow yourself to be over come with anger or resentment.  In Jesus you can be an Overecomer.  “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Revelation gives us a glimpse into the intensity of the present day hatred.  We  read of a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down” (Rev. 12:10).  Then we are warned, “But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Rev 12:12).

Men keep  your heart open to the awareness of Jesus presence at the center, in your soul.  John give us this wonderful promise. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you greater than the one who is in the world” (I John 4:4).  We can learn to think like Jesus. “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him.  Think of your suffering as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way” (I Pet. 4:1-2 – Message)