Category: Wildman Journey (Page 14 of 85)

Author Rollo Tomassi recently discussed with Dr. Phil how an entire generation of “lost boys” (young men) are neglected and demonized for being males. Dr. Phil asked Tomassi, “What do you mean when you say media celebrates masculinity as equally acting feminine?”  Tomassi responded, “…The only time that the mainstream media will ever celebrate masculinity is when you see The Rock in a tutu… Whenever you see men behaving conventionally feminine, that’s when the media decides to celebrate them… yet when a guy is acting in a conventionally masculine way, we do not celebrate that. They find some way to demonize that.” 

Tomassi went on, saying, “We have a generation of what we call “lost boys” right now. They don’t have a father figure; they don’t have any guidance – whether it’s masculinity or much else for that matter.”  Men seem to be “sedated” by society via escapism through alcohol, pornography, and video games because their lives are miserable.  Men have a hard time asserting their identities in a society that often seems to demonize masculinity itself.”  

“Deaths of despair” are more common because “society has so few mechanisms or institutions that are looking out for the welfare of men as a distinct group.”  Tomassi adds, “We constantly harp on the fact that men… don’t have close friends, don’t have the same network that women do… and then we put the blame for their mental health back on them by saying ‘its toxic masculinity.’”  

Tomassi had an insightful observation that any male who watches football could appreciate: “If women were killing themselves at four times the rate that men are, you would have a dedicated month and the NFL would change their uniforms to pink or something else so that we would have some sort of female suicide prevention month. But we don’t see that right now, because we blame it on toxic masculinity.” 

As a male who is past 80, having worked on the integration of his masculine soul for over forty years, and who is now living as a male in a terribly confused culture, I happen to enjoy watching both pro and college football. It’s a form of relaxation. And yes, I confess that it helps me escape the real world.  Some men take football too seriously, and it almost borders on idolatry. But I try to monitor myself so it remains a pastime and doesn’t become an obsession. 

I wonder if there aren’t men who quietly resent an intrusive influence of the feminine into what has traditionally been a man’s world. The phrase “C’mon man” expresses the commitment to brotherhood.  Men (like women) love competition and teamwork within their gender.  Men (like women) work and sweat to finish strong and come out victorious. But the phrase “I love ya, man,” says even more. NFL Films shared a clip on how often that phrase is shared among pro football players. The feminine voice seems a little alien, however, adding nuances that don’t necessarily understand the masculine soul.  Masculinity may not always be wholesome, but it is not “toxic.”  Don’t demonize their brotherhood.  

Men learn to be a man from other men. What we need desperately in our culture are “male mothers”  – men who have integrated their masculine souls (Richard Rohr). They have a healthy sense of their own masculine but have also integrated the feminine. They are not threatened by strong women but confidently express a healthy masculine presence that is both tough and tender. These men know the value of Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

I was gripped by a recent article in The Daily Citizen titled The Cross as a Crisis of Fatherhood.  We have just observed Holy Week. Never in my memory has our nation been so confused and conflicted about gender.  The struggle of gender identity has been transformed from preferences to the sudden rise of “trans” violence, bringing a whole new level of savagery to our nation. Then I read this insightful article about Jesus experiencing abandonment by his Father.  

The article ends with this: “We should remember this: Fatherhood is of deep spiritual consequence and Satan hates it.  No wonder it is under such attack, not just in the Cross on Good Friday, but in our culture and families today as well.”

On Good Friday, we observe a crisis in Fatherhood: “How do you wound a father more than killing his only, dearly beloved son?” In Matthew and Mark, Jesus’ last words were “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Just before Jesus breathed his last, Luke tells us, He “called out in a loud voice…’Father into your hands I commit my spirit.’” John simply writes, “It is finished.” 

In Matthew and Mark, Jesus does not use the intimate term “Father” but rather a more impersonal term “My God.” Why? “The Son, utterly forsaken by even His Father, declares it is finished and the world turns dark. A profound, mysterious crisis of Fatherhood. For the first time – and the last – in all eternity, the perfect intimacy between… Father and Son was severed in some profound way.”

Richard John Neuhaus explains, “Here is the cry of dereliction, the cry of abandonment, from the derelict, the abandoned one.”  He adds, “The Greek word used suggests that [Jesus] screamed with a loud cry, ‘My God, my God, for what reason have you forsaken me?'”  Dereliction describes the desperation of Jesus.  The Daily Citizen observes, “There is real relational pathos going on here on the cross.”

Neuhaus continues, “Like a derelict boat cast upon the shore, like a dog carcass lying by the roadside, here is something no longer of any account; it is forsaken, abandoned, thrown aside. Roadkill.”  When Jesus was in agony in the garden, sweating drops of blood, The Daily Citizen suggests, “At its heart, Christ’s profound agony and anxiety were likely rooted in a more intense pain: His impending separation from the Father.”

Satan believed he had achieved victory.  By “dividing the eternally loving Father and Son… the Evil One attacked fatherhood at its core.  And Jesus felt it viscerally.  It is contained in the Savior’s desperate last words.”  But we know the rest of the story: “A glorious union happened in the Resurrection and the Ascension.  Satan was not ultimately victorious.”  

Men, picture Jesus dying for you.  “…It was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down… He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins” (Is. 53:4-5 NLT). Today you might feel “forsaken, abandoned, thrown aside.”  In these nasty “gender wars” you might feel like “roadkill.”  Remember the enemy wants you to feel abandoned like Jesus. He wants to destroy your sense of manhood, especially if you are a father. 

Jesus endured relational pathos and forsakenness for you.  Satan gave it his best shot, thinking he had gotten rid of Jesus. But he never envisioned resurrection energy flowing through our bodies. Men, you are not abandoned.  Don’t believe the lie being perpetuated in our culture.  You have a loving Father in heaven, who came and rescued you from your loneliness, allowing resurrection power to reside in you. Claim it!   

Ezekiel prophesied to God’s people in exile.  In Ezekiel 20 we find the elders of Israel asking Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord on their behalf.  The Lord rejected the inquiry because of their idolatry.  The elders apparently thought they could receive a word from the Lord, even while persisting in their idolatrous practices. 

In a lengthy response the Lord recalls how often the Israelites failed to keep their covenant with Him. Quite provocatively, God says to the elders, “What you’re secretly thinking is never going to happen. You’re thinking, ‘We’re going to be like everybody else, just like the other nations.  We’re going to worship gods we can make and control” (Ezekiel 20:32 – MSG). What a description of our own culture.  We think we know better as we seek to control our own destiny.  Our idolatry puts science, materialism, and narcissism first.

Then God states in verse 33, “I will reign over you.” God was resolved to bring his people under his rule with his “mighty hand” and “outstretched arm” (v. 33-34).  The words, “I will purge you” (v. 38), show the Lord’s intention to purify his people. Through the entire experience of judgment, purging, restoration and acceptance, Israel “will know that I am the Lord” (v. 42, 44). 

This is Good News for us. “There is great hope for the world in this, for if it were dependent for its salvation on the spiritual and moral purity of God’s people and their evangelistic obedience, rather than on the indefatigable persistence of God’s longing for the world’s redemption, it would be doomed to disappointment” (Bible Speaks Today).

People were in denial regarding Ezekiel’s message.  In the final verse of Chapter 20, Ezekiel complains to the Lord: “And I said, ‘O God, everyone is saying to me, ‘he just makes up stories'” – MSG (v. 49). The NET says, “They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?'” In their denial, the elders ridicule the prophet’s message: “Ezekiel’s prophetic words are merely stories and not prophecies…” In so doing, “they deny the impact of the prophetic word from the Lord [as] they still want to inquire of the Lord” (Grace and Truth Bible).

What is the lesson for us?  First, we need to realize we are already in exile. This is a post-Christian culture, existing only as a shadow of a Christian past.  It is sheer arrogance to assume that we can hear from God when we are caught up in the idolatries of our day.  

Second, consider that God may very well be using our present-day cultural exile to purify his church.  Peter told the church in exile, “For if it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God” (I Peter 4:17). 

Third, be wary of those who ridicule the word of God, while still giving the impression that they are speaking truth. Jesus warned that “many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” (Matt. 24:11). Then he adds, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:12).

Men, God is gathering his remnant and purifying his church. Don’t listen to those who speak arrogantly of the future. Rather listen to those who wait expectantly for and rejoice in the coming of the Lord, even while we humbly endure his purging.  We need to cry out for mercy and grace in these days. 

Cambridge Dictionary has added a new definition for the word “woman,” indicating that the word refers to “an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”  Merriam-Webster also changed the definition of female to include anyone who has “a gender identity that is the opposite of male.”  In other words, biological males are now females if they think they are.  

Fox News commented on the added definition, tweeting, “1984 wasn’t supposed to be a how-to manual.”  This referred to George Orwell’s concept of “Newspeak” where “… government-created language redefines words to control the thoughts and speech of those under the totalitarian rule of Big Brother and The Party.”  Per Fox, the woke movement is seeking to control language, thoughts, and speech.  This is what is happening with the word woman.  

A spokesperson for Cambridge Press noted, “[they] carefully studied usage patterns of the word woman and concluded that this definition is one that learners of English should be aware of to support their understanding of how the language is used.”

In a discussion of the word “woman” in World magazine, Carl Trueman makes a distinction between prescriptive and descriptive meanings for words in dictionaries.  Prescriptive meanings help “to stabilize a word’s meaning by giving formal definitions.”  A descriptive meaning reflects “the way a word is used in various contexts.” Speaking descriptively, Trueman notes that one can describe “a woman trapped in the wrong body…[which] simply reflects the utter confusion about biological sex and gender.”

Beyond this, however, in giving a prescriptive meaning, the dictionary “not only describes conventional usage of the term.  It also prescribes such usage.”  In other words, the dictionary is changing the very meaning of the word “woman.”  Trueman warns: “Words are becoming means of maintaining the power… tools by which the powerful control interpretation.”

Our needed response, notes Trueman, “is to challenge the cultural power structures of which the dictionary is one manifestation.  It’s a power-grab, but neither pure nor simple… What is happening is not a merely semantic game or the demand that we deny reality.  It is the assertion of power.” These words should be a wake-up call, giving every God-fearing man a reason to simply stand confidently in his God-given maleness, while celebrating his opposite in a biological woman. Do this and you defy the power-grab.

I agree with Trueman when he advocates, “For it is in our speech, in our speaking, that the first line of resistance to this power-grab can be mounted.”  We resist this power-grab by simply living out who we were created to be since the beginning of creation.  Nothing has changed. “This is the history of the descendants of Adam.  When God created people, he made them in the likeness of God.  He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human” (Gen. 5:1 NLT).

As mature men in Christ, we can simply stand confidently in our masculinity and our manhood.  “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth” (Eph. 4:14 NLT).  We are not to live by the definitions of contemporary culture. “Live no longer as the Gentiles [ungodly] do, for they are hopelessly confused” (Eph. 4:17 NLT).  For “they don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways” (Eph. 4:19 NLT). 

Don’t forget!  We are in a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-12). 

Soon after the Babylonians took young King Jehoiachin and many of the leading citizens of Jerusalem into exile, God gave Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs. This exile had been smaller than the first exile of 605 BC.  This exile took place in 597 BC, nearly ten years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.  Those left behind believed they had been favored over those in Babylon. “They could not imagine that Babylon would be the place where the true faith would survive and thrive.  But what the people viewed as a disaster could work for good” (Grace and Truth Bible). 

In the vision Jeremiah saw, “one basket had very good figs” while “the other basket had very bad figs” (Jer. 24:2).  God provided a prophetic meaning to the visual metaphor. “The message turns popular assumptions upside down; if the people thought that those who were carried off to exile were the ones who were headed for extinction like rotten fruit, while those who remained were in for a happier future, they were completely wrong” (Bible Speaks Today). 

The Lord gives this surprising interpretation to the vision: “Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians” (Jer. 24:5).  “The Lord was announcing a remarkable theological concept.  His evaluations are not based on people’s goodness but on his sovereign grace” (Jeremiah – Huey). Those left behind believed they would be blessed by remaining in the land.  But God intended blessing and refinement for those in captivity.

God promised protection and prosperity for those in exile.  He would bring them back after 70 years in captivity. “My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them” (Jer. 24:6).

Even more than prospering, God would give them a heart to know him: “And I’ll give them a heart to know me, God.  They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll have returned to me with all their hearts” (Jer. 24:7 – Message). The people would choose God, while God remained in sovereign control.  “God requires his people to turn but they can no longer turn; but what they can no longer do he will do for them by giving them a new heart which can turn.  His sovereign grace will create a new reality that breaks out of the prison of human failure and inability” (Bible Speaks Today). 

In my opinion, there is an important lesson for us as we navigate the spiritual bareness of our day.  We are in many ways a people going into exile. We will be like strangers in a foreign land.  That time is coming quickly.

There are two major takeaways from this vision, as we will need to faithfully endure what will be happening.  First, we need to believe that we will prosper in exile.  How God accomplishes that is up to Him.  I cling to this promise: “I’ll build them up, not tear them down: I’ll plant them, not uproot them” (Jer. 24:6 – Message). 

Further, and more incredibly, God will give us a heart to know God even better and return to Him with all our hearts.  In words that come close to the “new creation” language of II Cor. 5:17, God promises “a heart to know me.” 

Men: be a man (and seek men) with a heart for God – open and responsive to Him.  

In concluding a recent blog, Aaron Renn offered a quote from Richard Reeves’ new book, “Of Boys and Men.”  Below is the quote and some comments on it:

“Until around 2015, the phrase toxic masculinity warranted just a handful of mentions in a couple corners of academia.  According to sociologist Carol Harrington, the number of articles using the term prior to 2015 never exceeded twenty, and almost all mentions were in scholarly journals.  But with the rise of Donald Trump and the #MeToo movement, progressives brought it into everyday use.  By 2017, there were thousands of mentions, mostly in the mainstream media.  Harrington points out that the term is almost never defined, even by academics, and is instead used to simply “signal disapproval.”  Lacking any coherent or consistent definition, the phrase now refers to any male behavior that the user disapproves of, from the tragic to the trivial.  It has been blamed, among other things, for mass shootings, gang violence, rape, online trolling, climate change, the financial crisis, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, and an unwillingness to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

When I began writing this blog back in 2009, I envisioned writing on masculinity because of what I had learned from Leanne Payne.  She wrote in Crisis in Masculinity that “a culture will never become decadent in the face of healthy, balanced masculinity.  When a nation or an entire Western culture backslides, it is the masculine which is first to decline.” I will always be grateful for the healing I found (and continue to find) in her writings. I believe she is a forgotten voice in helping men find inner healing from a biblical perspective.  

In confronting toxic masculinity, I value Payne’s viewpoint: “To think on the transcendent nature of gender is awe-inspiring, for sexuality and gender are grounded in the Being of God and His creation. Masculinity and femininity have utterly transcendent dimensions.” 

Jesus reminds us of the transcendent nature of gender: “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Matt 19:4-5). I am created as a man.  I have spent a lifetime learning how to live out of the unique masculine soul given to me by my loving heavenly Father.  I am who God says I am, and He continues to form who I am as a man.  I am still under construction. 

So when the term “toxic masculinity” began to appear in our cultural consciousness, I knew I had to continue to be voice crying out to men in the modern wastelands of gender confusion.  I refuse to cave to the voices that want to shame me into denying my masculinity.  I will continue to cry out to others in the wilderness. As Payne notes, “Masculinity… is… not a thing to be learned, but rather a quality to be tasted or experienced.  The masculine within is called forth and blessed by the masculine without.” 

Be aware, men, that in our culture, the term toxic masculinity is used primarily as a “signal of disapproval.”  So my advice is threefold:  First, celebrate the transcendent nature of your masculinity. God made you to be a man for a reason.  Second, find another older male, a mentor or coach, who can affirm you in your masculinity.  Third, find a group of men who seek the Lord, hold each other accountable, pray for each other, and practice soul care with each other.  

“Goblin mode” was Oxford Dictionaries’ 2022 Word of the Year. Oxford offered this choice to English speakers for the first time in its history, saying that the “Word of the Year is a word or expression reflecting the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months, one that has potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.” More than 340,000 people cast their vote.

Goblin mode as a slang term is often used in the expressions “in goblin mode’ or ‘to go goblin mode.”  It refers to “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” First seen on Twitter in 2009, it went viral on social media in February of 2022, seeming to capture the prevailing mood of individuals who rejected the idea of returning to normal life.

Ben Zimmer, American linguist and lexicographer, said: “Goblin mode really does speak to the times and the zeitgeist, and it is certainly a 2022 expression.  People are looking at social norms in new ways.  It gives people the license to ditch social norms and embrace new ones.” 

Casper Grathwohl (President, Oxford Languages) said, “Given the year we’ve just experienced, ‘goblin mode’ resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point… People are embracing their inner goblin, and voters choosing ‘goblin mode’ as the Word of the Year tells us the concept is likely here to stay.”

I hope each man reading this blog rejects “goblin mode” as part of his lifestyle. Jesus tells us the exact opposite as we come to the end of the age.  In Mark 13, for example, Jesus tells us, “Watch out that no one deceives you” (v. 5).  In verse 9 we are told, “You must be on your guard.”  Later he warns us, “Be on guard! Be alert!” (v. 33).  Then he says, “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back” (v. 35).

As followers of Jesus we certainly need to reject many of our contemporary social norms and expectations. We need to be on guard and alert to not become “self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy.”   Peter gives us good advice when he tells us, “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted.  Stay wide-awake in prayer.  Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.  Love makes up for practically anything” (I Peter 4:7-8 – Message).

In Chapter 5, Peter warns about Satan:  “Be careful!  Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (v. 8).  Could it be that God is raising up an army of men, who reject “goblin mode” as they hear the trumpet of God? They are warning people of the difficult days ahead. These men are gathering into small groups all over our nation, knowing in their hearts that the time is short.

Men, do you hear the call?  It is a call to action, to warn others being carried away and diluted by the influence of the dominant narrative. Revelation 13 describes in symbolic fashion how Satan gives power and authority to the beast: “This first beast represents governmental tyranny throughout history working against Christ and his church,” notes Nancy Guthrie. “It is political and governmental powers demanding the loyalty that belongs to Christ alone.” 

Men: expose and stand against the forces of darkness that have captured much of the popular narrative in our culture.    

By now you may have heard about the movement of God’s Spirit which began on Wednesday, Feb. 8th during a chapel service at Asbury University and ended on Feb. 25th, attracting close to 15,000 people from across the country each day.  As a firm believer in revival, I want to share my testimony as it relates to awakenings and revival movements.  

• I am a product of a revival movement in the Lutheran Church.  By God’s abundant grace and mercy, I found Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the California Lutheran Bible School. There I met students and instructors who had a personal relationship with Jesus. From that day in March of 1960, I have been a follower of Jesus, still highly motivated to see God move among Lutherans.   
• I attended Fuller Seminary (1962-66), where I was deeply impacted by Dr. J. Edwin Orr, who had studied revival movements most of his career.  “An Evangelical Awakening,” notes Dr. Orr, “is a movement of the Holy Spirit bringing about a revival of New Testament Christianity in the church of Christ and in its related community.  Such an awakening may change in a significant way an individual, or it may affect a larger group of believers.” I came away from Dr. Orr’s lectures convinced of revival being a sovereign movement of God’s Spirit.   
• I experienced a local revival as a youth pastor during the early 1970’s.  Our youth group embraced the “Jesus movement” as an indirect result of the Asbury Revival of 1970.  I simply made myself available as a clay vessel for the Lord’s use.  It is truly amazing the work God did in the hearts of teenagers in those days.  Programs and attractions did not convert hearts. It was the love of Jesus breaking into the lives of affluent young people.
• I was part of a spiritual awakening during the late 1970’s and 80’s, when the Holy Spirit was being poured out on many church denominations.  Just last week, Judy and I spent an evening with six couples we had not been with for over 30 years. We all marveled and praised God for all we learned during those days at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Des Moines, IA.  I am eternally grateful for those folks and all that we learned together as we allowed the Holy Spirit to teach and lead us in new ways within the Lutheran tradition.  

So, I am sold on revival. A key verse for me is Habakkuk 3:2: “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Oh, God repeat your mighty works in our day.  When I watch what happened at Asbury, I think of Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”  The word refreshing “implies relief from difficult, distressful or burdensome circumstances” (NET).  God in his mercy is rescuing a whole generation of young people from a decadent and destructive culture. 

I am now at least 30 years removed from the last awakening I experienced.  I hope I am more mature and a little wiser.  When I see young college students bowing in repentance before the Lord, crying out to him for mercy, and wanting to be free from sinful habits, I say, “Amen.”  My task, at my age, is to pray and cry out to the Lord from afar, that these young people might be guided and molded to change our nation. 

Many of you probably know about the YouVersion Bible app. Operated by Craig Groeschel’s Life.Church, the app was designed to encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout the day.  It offers a free Bible experience in more than 1,900 languages and has been installed on more than 545 million unique devices. YouVersion named Isaiah 41:10 as its most referenced verse of 2022: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

“The popularity of this verse speaks to our desire to be reminded that even when we feel like we’re alone in our struggles, we’re not,” said Bobby Gruenwald, founder and CEO of YouVersion. “As this verse says, ‘God is our strength and He’s always with us.”‘

This year, Cuba stands out as the country with the greatest increase in Bible engagement – 76% higher than 2021.  Meanwhile, the fastest regional growth for Bible engagement is in Europe and Africa.  The app also saw Ukrainian-language Bible engagement hit an all-time high with increases in Poland (241%) and Germany (733%) compared to 2021.  Overall, Bible engagement in Ukraine rose by 55%.

At the beginning of the war, YouVersion searches in the Ukrainian language nearly doubled compared to the previous month.  Initially, trending search terms were words like “war,” “fear,” and “anxiety.”  As time passed and the war progressed, the top search term in Ukrainian became “love.” “These families are going through something most of us can’t imagine.  In the middle of what’s likely the most difficult time of their lives, they’re turning to the Bible for comfort, peace, and hope.”

I imagine myself living in a war-torn nation like Ukraine.  It very well may be that our days of relative peace and prosperity are coming to an end.  If so, I hope I will ever increasingly turn to scripture for inner strength.  It would be a time when I am humbled before the Lord, knowing how much I need him.  May I remember the words of Deut. 8:3: “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

I pray that I can draw strength from Isaiah 40:11 as the believers in Ukraine. Here is the Message translation: “Don’t panic.  I’m with you.  There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength.  I’ll help you.  I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” What strikes me is not panicking, but knowing God has a firm grip on my life. 

In the meantime I need to heed the instructions of Jesus as I anticipate the coming days.  “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). 

Jesus warns us to watch and pray: “Be always on the watch and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).  I can’t take anything for granted.  I Peter 4:7 instructs me to be vigilant: “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted.  Stay wide-awake in prayer.” 

Lord, give me the grace to stand for you when the time comes.  I will look to the Lord for my strength. 

This headline caught my attention: “NH Man Searches Through 20 Tons of Trash to Find Wife’s Wedding Ring: ‘I Would Do it a Thousand Times.'” Here is what happened: Kevin Butler lost the rings after his wife cleansed and then wrapped her wedding rings in a napkin to dry. He tossed the napkin in the trash and took the bag to the trash transfer station. When he realized what had happened, he rushed back to the transfer station, where the employees agreed to help him hunt for the rings among 20 tons of trash.

Using an excavator they soon found a clue. Knowing that the ring was in a bag with celery stalks, they found a stalk sticking out the side of a bag. At first, they did not see the rings. But by chance, they found the napkin with the rings inside at the bottom of the bag. Butler remarked, “Wouldn’t recommend anyone else do it. But you know, to get the rings back, I would do it a thousand times over.” Butler bought the staff pizza for their help. The foreman at the transfer station shared that the exact same situation had happened before, and that they were able to find the ring wrapped in a napkin in the midst of the trash.

I have made it a habit to look for the wedding ring on a man’s left hand, especially if we are just being introduced to one another. It tells me a lot. Of course, it lets me know that a man is married. If he does not have his ring on his finger and he says he is married, I begin to wonder about his commitment to his wife.

As a Pastor I have had the joy of officiating in almost 300 weddings. Many of those I united as husband and wife have had long and blessed marriages. Sadly, others have not endured the trials of their relationship together. Every one of the couples I have married exchanged rings. The ring is symbolic of the covenant made before God and others. It should not be taken lightly. I declared to each of those I married, “Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.”

After a couple declared their intention to be faithful to each other as long as they live, I then had them exchange rings. The ring was put on the finger of each one as a sign of their commitment to the other. They said publicly before God and all gathered, “I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.”

Men, that wedding ring is important. It tells the world that you are committed to your wife for a lifetime. You are declaring that you are truly “a one-woman man.” Unless it is for health reasons, you need to display your wedding ring on your left hand. Mine has been on my hand for 57 years. I have never removed it, except during one marriage ceremony, when I had to loan my ring to the groom in order to complete the ceremony.

That ring is also a reminder of your commitment to God. You are committed to be faithful to your wedding vows in all the circumstances of your life. For a man to take off his wedding ring can be seen as a lack of fidelity. Remember the words of Proverbs 5:15 and 18: “Drink water from your own well – share your love only with your wife.” “Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.”