Category: Wildman Journey (Page 39 of 85)

Recently, as part of Starbuck’s efforts to start “renewing Starbucks as a place where all people feel welcome,” the chain closed down 8,000 stores “for a conversation and learning session on racial bias” with 175,000 of is employees.  A  new “Third Place Policy” promotes becoming “Color Brave,” as  an  alternative to color-blind, wherein a person’s racial identity is not ignored, but rather seen and respected for what it is.  “We want to uplift others, we exist to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time” was the stated mission in Starbuck guidebook.

I affirm Starbucks desire to make customers feel “seen,” “respected,” and “uplifted.” But promoting a “Third Place Policy” which would allow anyone to hang out or use the restrooms, regardless of whether they purchase anything seems to me to be rather utopian in its vision.  On what basis does Starbucks hope to build an emphasis on being “color brave?”

How do we define a person?  “The person is a theological category” maintains James Houston.  “The ontology for the person has the awareness of being in the presence of the other.”  This takes us back to the garden where a loving, creator God created  man in his image.  “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.

The Christian faith celebrates each person as created uniquely yet different by a personal  God who live in perfect. loving relationship as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are not simply isolated individual. We are never more a person and more real then when we live in relationship with the  three-in-one God.  The dilemma that Starbucks rightly wants to address is the tragedy of “dis-relationship.”  We live separated from ourselves, others and God.   A biblical view of reality affirms that only the triune God of grace can provide a metaphysics  for relationality of persons.

I rejoice with the Psalmist, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it” (Ps 139:17).  But I also must  affirm the Psalmist when he acknowledges, “For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Ps 51:5).  It is my sin that cause me to be a “self-referencing” man, turned in on myself, threatened by the presence of “the other.”  But God has come to my rescue. “But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus.  When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good – not only ours, but the whole world’s” ( I John 2:2 –  Message).

The Spirit of Christ will give me courage to be “color brave.”  Being secure in my identity in Christ, helps me to accept the uniqueness of the other.  Experiencing the love of God motivates me  to be “color brave.”  I will fail in my attempts, but I know I can improve with the help of God’s spirit.  I desire to not ignore differences but see and respect the other. But I will watch that this does not become another of my spiritual improvement projects, in which I can congratulate myself on being “color brave.”  Rather I cry out to God for mercy to lovingly embrace others.

As soulful men we should welcome the Starbucks challenge to be color brave, “wherein a person’s racial identity is not ignored, but rather seen and respected for what it is..”  We will be simply following Jesus’ command. “Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this men will know that you are my disciples, if you love another” ( John 13:34-35).

Ed Stetzer, the executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College has articulated a helpful concept for living in post-Christendom – “Convictional Minority.”  Christendom assumes that a Christian worldview is the accepted view of culture.  This is no longer true. Peter addressed his first letter to “Strangers in the world” (I Peter 1:1), calling them “aliens and strangers in the world” ( I Peter 2:11).  Being a stranger today takes on a whole new meaning for me in comparison to my coming of age spiritual during the Jesus movement of the early 70’s.  “Let’s put this into the facts that we know about our population,” Stetzer suggests. “If the percentage of people who are nominally Christian is shrinking and nominal Christians become Nones, then we are dwelling in an increasingly secular land.”

Being part of a  conviction minority means we will be missionaries in a neo-pagan culture.  This can be a new and radical perspective for some men reading this blog.  The word “pagan” suggests we are living in occupied territory, where the essence of the gospel is unknown.  Knowing that we will be hate, Jesus prays that we will be protected from the evil one. “And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but the keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:14-15)

Stetzer exhorts us to develop “gospel clarity.”  “Being labeled Christian,” notes Stetzer, “no longer means a ‘social Christian’, but instead it is someone who’s been changed by the power of the gospel.”  We are to live as soulful men rescued by grace and being conformed in the image of Christ .  “I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.  Conduct yourselves honorably among the pagans, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits” ( I Peter 2:11-12).  A soulful man will respond with love.  “What matters is something for more interior: faith expressed in love” (Gal. 5:6 – Phillips).

We live says Stetzer, “in an age of outrage.” Jesus warned of this outrage. “A brother is going to betray his own brother to death, and a father his own child.  Children will stand up against their parents and condemn them to death.  There will come a time when the whole world will hate you because you are known as my followers. Yet the man who holds out in the end will be saved” (Mark 13:1213). Outrage is a normal response among pagans.

We should be engaging the culture observes Stetzer less with “you owe me” and more with “How can I engage the culture we are in via the mission we are on?”  We should expect to be tested in our faith. “I beg you not to be unduly alarmed,” Peter tells us, “at the fiery ordeals which comes to test your faith, as though this were so abnormal experience.  You should be glad, because it means that you are sharing in Christ’s suffering” ( I Peter 4:12 – Phil).  Don’t expect to be warmly accepted among the unbelieving majority..

Russell Moore’s view is that America has not become so much “post-Christian” but rather a society in a “post-pretend-Christian” state.  Today we have the opportunity to view ourselves as missionaries on a mission field that is “pre-Christian.”  “It may be,” says Russell, “that this land is filled with people who, though often Christ-haunted, have never known the power of the gospel yet.”  A soulful man has confidence in the power of the gospel to change lives.

Recently I was asked to preach in my church on rather short notice.  It was Saturday morning and Sunday is coming real soon.  I  pondered on what I should preach.  I settled on the Transfiguration of our Lord, partly because of the notes I had from past preaching on the text.  I choose to focus on Luke’s account in chapter 9.  I was still not sure about the direction of my preparation.

But when I woke up on Sunday morning, I had the key concept for the sermon.  It evolved around my remembrance of the title of a book widely read during the days of the Jesus Movement in the early 70’s.  The tile was “Good Old Plastic Jesus.”  I had the burden for the church to deal with the concept of appearance vs. reality.  If our faith practice is only having more helpful knowledge of Jesus, or doing more good for him, we can easily miss the heart connection with him.  Jesus can then become an idol in our mind, appearing as  “Good Old Plastic Jesus” rather then the real person, with whom we enjoy deep rationality.  We need to be careful not to put Jesus into our religious box.

Eight days after telling the disciples that he would die in Jerusalem and then rise again, Jesus took his inner circle, Peter, James and John, “onto a mountain to pray.” As Jesus was praying, “the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes become as bright as a flash of lightening” ( Luke 9:29).  Matthew tells us, “His face shone like the sun” (Matt. 17:3).  Jesus was transfigured. The glory of his divine nature shone through his human nature. Moses and Elijah appeared in “glorious splendor” taking about Jesus departure after his death. This was truly a glorious event.

Did Jesus know this would happen to him?  Knowing his disciples were perplexed concerning  his impending death in Jerusalem and his call for them to lose their life, in order to find it, Jesus was drawn to be with his Father.  The three disciples were deeply impacted by their experience on the mountain.  Later Peter wrote, “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased'” II Peter 1:18).

At the time of the Transfiguration, Peter took charge.  “‘Master, this is a great moment!  Let’s build three memorials, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’  He blurted this out without thinking” Luke 9:33 – Message).  What was Peter doing?  He was, in a sense, building a box for Jesus.  The disciples didn’t want Jesus to die.  They weren’t sure what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

“While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them.  As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they become deeply aware of God.  Then there was a voice out of the cloud: ‘This is my Son, he Chosen! Listen to him” (Luke 9:35).  When the sound of the voice died away, the disciples saw Jesus there alone.

The implication for us as men is this – beware of  your spiritual improvement projects when we use Jesus, rather then let him be Lord.  The voice is saying to us, listen to Jesus.  He is my Son.  Out of love for you, God will place you in “The Cloud of Unknowing” for your own good.  Stay there and listen.  Don’t act on your own understanding.  It could be another religious box.

Back in 1996 Robert Bly wrote a book entitled “The Sibling Society” in which he portrayed our culture as  being obsessed by youth, suspicious of  authority, intent on wanting to destroy “vertical” culture, especially any sense of patriarchy. Their desire was to  replace it with a  “horizontal” culture expressed by pop music, movies, TV, student-style politics and in our day, the social media.  For better or worse, the watershed moment was 1968.

“The sibling society stands  in contrast to what preceded it,” observed John Waters, “the father-oriented society in which authority was unafraid to speak or to be despised by the young for so doing.”  He defines authority as “the capacity to endure unpopularity in the interests of the good.” Authority expressed in fatherhood invited resentment and rebellion.  “The father” notes Waters, “was the guarantor and custodian of civilization, and even malcontented youth looked to him for guidance, free to remonstrate in the knowledge that affection would not be withdrawn.”  But today the father figure is mostly absent or suspect, leaving a hole in the souls of young men, now being invaded by the demons of a anti-Christian culture.

The Jordon Peterson phenomena comes to mind when there is talk of a “father figure.”  Peterson is speaking to the soul of  young men, who are looking for a strong, confident masculine voice to give them direction in a culture that has given the masculine little hope of finding a sense of being. There is much to disagree with, in regards to Peterson’s personal theology and spirituality, but I thank God that he is willing to confront the cultural narrative regarding young men.  I admire him for his courage and insight.

Many of those who are his sharpest critics, were themselves a product of the 60s culture of peace, love, dope and an anti-establishment mentality.  I agree with Waters when he says, “They are…..the worst kind of people to be running anything requiring even a modicum of authority, having themselves grown up thinking that youth values ought to trump experience, wisdom and tradition.”

Where are the elders who behave like grown ups in our culture.  It needs to  start with fathers and the right view of authority.  I remember well all the years  I taught confirmations classes to junior hi youth.  We would study the 10 commandments.  “Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you” was the fourth commandment.  What does this mean?  “We should fear and love God so that we do not show contempt for our parents and superiors, nor provoke them to anger, but honor, serve, obey, love and esteem them.”

I told those young teens that parenting was like putting a loving fence around the children.  As teen agers they would bump up against that fence and get frustrated, anger, etc.  This is normal for young people.  I reminded them that parents in their love for children would get bruised and battered from their behavior.  Then I asked, “What would it be like if there was no fence to confront.’  They usually said that they would be on their own.  Waters is right when he says the “snowflake” problem today “is the result of an absence not so much of adulthood as of grown-ups.”

“Today’s university students seek to apply the most natural and tired method of young people since the time of Cain and Abel, by pushing their elders until someone let a roar of ‘enough.'” (Waters).   Men stand in the gap.  Ask God for grace to say “enough.”  It is your place to do so.

Here is a quote from my favorite feminist, Camila Paglia, “….male identity is very tentative and sensitive – but feminist rhetoric doesn’t allow for it.  This is why women are having so much trouble dealing with men in the feminist era.  They don’t understand men, and they demonize men.  They accord to men far more power than men actually have in sex.  Women control the sexual world in ways that most feminists simply don’t understand.”

Camila is right in her observations.  Having been happily married for 52 years to the same woman, I have grown in my understanding of the feminine.   Nothing keeps me more humble then my soulmate relationship with WOMAN.  Relating to my wife and the feminine will always be a challenge.  Remember Paul said the two being one flesh is “a profound mystery.”  I feel sorrow for the rhetoric  expressed by the new generation of feminists. They disavow any sense of mystery when it comes to the masculine in relation to the feminine.

The most fruitful place to grow in the understanding of WOMAN is in  committed, faithful marriage.  I wonder how many angry feminists, who espouse “toxic masculinity” have a loving, committed marriage to a MAN.  Since the beginning man and woman were meant to be one flesh, not to be split apart.   Jesus warned us, “Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together’ (Matt. 19:3).

I agree –  male identity is very tentative and sensitive. Men have  frail egos. Genesis 2:20 tells us, “But for Adam no suitable helper was found” (Gen 2:20).  Adam was not complete alone.  He needed someone to stand with him, being his supporter and bringing encouragement in his dominion of the garden.  I would never had made it through my years as a pastor without my wife being my greatest support.  Every man needs  a ” help mate.” It is lonely without one.

Feminist rhetoric lacks understanding of the masculine.   This is due to the fall. After the fall Genesis tells us, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.  So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Gen 2:7).  Male and female fig leaves prevent us from truly knowing one another.

Because of the fig leaf, men are being demonized.  God made humans in his own image.  “In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27).  Both are equal before God.  You can’t demonize the image of God found in the masculine, without destroying the relationship.  After God created Eve out of the rib of Adam we read, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother, and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).  Today we are witnessing a war between the sexes.

Yes, women have power in sexual relationships. The first part of Proverbs warns against the  seductive power of a wayward women. “”So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery.  He followed her at once, like a ox going to the slaughter” ( Prov 7:21-22). Pornography can destroy a marriage, when a man fantasies with a wayward woman.

I thank God for my relationship with my “Proverbs 31  wife.”  “Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?  She is more precious than rubies” (Prov. 31:10).  Judy is God’s greatest gift to me.  “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Prov 12:4).  My wife is a crown in my life, not burden..  She is my “graceful dove.”  “She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.  Let her breasts satisfy you always.  May you always be captivated by her love” (Pro 5:19).  I call Judy “my bride.”

Did you know that GQ Magazine has named the Bible one of the most overrated books in history.  The Bible is ranked No. 12 on the magazine’s list of 21 books you don’t have to read before you die.  “Some are racist and some are sexist, but most are just really, really boring,” noted the editors.  “We’ve been told all our lives that we can only call ourselves well-read once we’ve read the Great Books.  We tired.”

The magazine goes on to say the Bible,  “is certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced.”  The Bible, they claim,  “is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned.”  The best they can say is there are “some good parts,” all the while mocking those, “who supposedly live by it.”  Instead of the Bible, GQ recommends reading Agota Kristof’s The Notebook, “a marvelous tale of tow brothers who have to get along when things get rough.

In fact the Bible narrates for us the greatest story ever told.  God loved the world so much, that he sent his only Son to die for a fallen human race.  It is the Good News the world needs to hear.  Todd Starnes gave this rebuttal to the editors of GQ.  “And it’s also the best-selling book of all times – more than 5 billion copies sold, according to Guinness World Records, which also reports that the whole Bible has been translated into 349 languages and says at least one book of the Bible has been translated into 2, 123 languages.  Statistics Brain estimates even more Bibles has been printed – just over 6 million.”

Whether GQ realizes it or not, they are only confirming how Scriptures is viewed in our day.  “For the time is coming when men will not tolerate  wholesome teaching.  They will want someone to tickle their own fancies, and they will collect teachers who will speak what they want to hear.  They will no longer listen to the truth, but will wander off after man-made myths” (II Tim 4:3-4).  When the editors, out of sheer ignorance, say the bible is boring and they tired of reading it, they are only confirming the books listed “tickle their fancy” leading them into man-made myths, rather than knowing the truth that could set them free.

When I read of GQ’s attitude toward Scripture, I thought of the words of Isaiah 66:4, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”  When the people of Israel gathered at Mt. Sinai, we are told they all trembled. “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightening, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.  Everyone in the camp trembled” (Ex. 19:16).  When the exiles returned to the promised land, they heard scripture being read to them.  We read of their response “Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me [Ezra] because of this outrage committed by the returning exiles” (Ezra 9:4 )

Men, remember that the Bile has authority because the authority of the triune God is exercised through its words. That is why we believers  tremble at God’s Word, rather then mock it authority.   N. T. Wright observes, “Scripture itself points – authoritatively, if it does indeed possess authority! – away from itself and to the fact that final true authority belongs to God,  now delegated to Jesus Christ.”  In a great line, Wright writes, “When John declares that “in the beginning was the Word.” he does not reach a climax with “and the word was written down” but “and the word became flesh.”

During this year’s Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey gave an acceptance speech stirring the audience regarding the #MeToo movement.  “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”  Later, she added, “For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men.  But their time is up.”   Why is there a phrasing between “your truth” and “the truth.”  Your truth is a convenient way of “undermining the possibility of agreed-upon facts in favor of privatized, separate versions of reality.”

From the biblical perspective, there is no room for a privatized, individual, subjective notion of truth.  At Jesus’ trial, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).   The Christian faith points to Jesus as the truth and that truth is found in relationship with Jesus, who declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).  Archbishop Charles Chaput reminds us, “Truth exists, whether we like it or not.  We don’t create truth; we find it, and we have no power to change it to our tastes.”  “The essential feature and necessity of life,” observes Malcolm Muggeridge, “is to know reality which means knowing God.”  Truth is found in a person and is supremely relational.

Jesus tells us, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:38).  Men, I cannot stress  how vital it is to commit to putting your lifestyle and worldview under the  authority of Scripture, “For the Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than a two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it examines the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart” (Heb. 4 :2 – Phillips).  We desperately need to know the truth about ourselves, even when it is painful.

The Word of God is a dynamic force that reveals the truth not only of outward reality, but also of our inner life.  Men pride themselves in being objective.  But let’s not kid ourselves.  When it comes to our inner life we live with uncertainty and confusion.  What we don’t understand, we tend to ignore, attempting to repress any impulse of the Holy Spirit that would bring awareness to the ignoble parts of our inner life.  David  declares, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me” (Ps. 139:1).

God’s Word is like a  mirror helping us see ourselves as we really are. It helps reveal the  truth about ourselves – not simply “our truth.”   “The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his natural face in a mirror.  He see himself, it is true, but he goes off without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who hears and forgets.  He puts the law into practice and he wins true happiness” (James 1:23-25 – Phillips). In walking away we choose to live with our illusions, creating our version of the truth.

The soul can only flourish in reality.  When we prefer illusion (our truth), the soul does not receive the light and energy necessary to sustain the spiritual life.  Men, don’t live on the crumbs of your truth.  Embrace truth even when it hurts. “The Spirit can make life,” Jesus declared. “Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen.  Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making” (John 6:63 – Message).

Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio), a catholic college, explained recently on its website that it had posted a series of ads to promote its MA Theology and MA Catechetics and Evangelization programs, including one image featuring the San Damiano Cross with a crucified Jesus.  The administrator of the page received a notification from Facebook explaining  the image was banned: “Your image, video thumbnail or video can’t contain shocking, sensational or excessively violent content.”

The college acknowledged that the crucifixion described a man “executed God.”  It added, “It was shocking, yes: God designed to take on flesh and was obedient unto death, even death on a cross’ (Phil. 2:8). Obviously Facebook has little regard for a central tenant of historic Christianity.  Rather Facebook would see the cross as foolishness,  choosing to reject the symbol of a crucified Jesus.  Paul warned us, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! (I Cor. 1:18)  But he adds, “We who are being saved know it is the very power of God” (I Cor. 1:18).

Paul insisted that he would  “preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…. for the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (I Cor. 1:23 & 25).  Writing to the Corinthians he vowed, “I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified” ( I Cor. 2:2).  Corinth was a very cosmopolitan city with all the notoriety of a port city, widely known for prostitution and other vices.  There was even a verb in Greek, “to act like a Corinthian” that referred to sexual immorality.

In this milieu, much like life in  contemporary America, Paul proclaimed Christ crucified.  It  was the “Good News” they needed to hear.  For Paul was convinced that, “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” ( I Cor. 1:23).  The evidence was found in Jesus’ death on the cross.  “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength” ( I Cor. 1:25).

Men, Facebook’s rejection of the cross is clear evidence of how much our culture has lost awareness of the “Good News.”  The bad news is observed daily on Facebook, especially in the portrayal of broken relationships.  There can be no Good News without a violent crucifixion.  Without the substitutionary death of Jesus on the Cross, there would be no hope for the human condition.  But God, by entering fully into the human condition in Jesus, took upon himself  the awful burden of sin, providing us salvation.  “And he personally bore our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might be dead to sin and be alive to all that is good.  It was the suffering that he bore which has healed you” (I Peter 2: 24 – Phillips).

This incident with Facebook should actually be an encouragement to followers of Jesus.  Our culture is longing for some good news.  Is there a  solution to  our human predicament that seems only to be getting worse?  Like the Moravians, we are followers of the lamb who was slain.  God sacrificed his only Son, so that we might have good news to share.  “The whole outlook changes – sin used to be the master of men and in the end handed them over to death; now grace is the ruling factor, with its purpose making men right with God and its end the bringing of them to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” ( Rom. 5:21 – Phillips).

My wife and I recently went to see the movie, “I can only imagine.”  The film is based on the true story of how the lead singer for MercyMe, Bart Millard was lead to write the song after his father’s death from cancer.  The song has become the most played Christian radio single ever.  Since its release  on March 16th the movie has already grossed $60 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful Christian movies to date.  I strongly encourage the readers of this blog to see the movie.  I wish every young dad could see this moving  story of reconciliation between father and son

I have been a fan of MercyMe for many years. They are  real and authentic. The lyrics speak to the real life of men and their struggles.  It has a certain masculine tone compared to the “fluff” of much Christian music.  The fluff reaches  mostly the mind and emotions but not the soul, due to the absence of spiritual substance.  While driving on long trips I spend time being ministered to by groups such as MercyMe.  Recently “Even If” has ministered to my soul.

I was captivated by the story line.  It tells the story of  Bart’s struggle with being able to be reconciled with his Dad before his death.  Early on the movie portrays the physical and emotional abuse Bart experienced from his father.  He leaves home a bitter and angry young man.  He find himself as the lead singer in a traveling band.  However he is challenged by his manger, Scott Brickell to become more real, performing from his heart.  Brickell asked Bart, “What are you running from.”  Bart realizes it was the abuse he experienced from his father.  He is told that he must face his pain.

Bart eventually is reconciled with his father and goes on to have a  successful career as lead singer for MercyMe.  The story took me back to my early days as a pastor, when I was in my early thirties.  I had to forgive my father for not being there during my formative years,  when he was struggling with alcohol.  I had a hole and ache in my soul that no one could fill, not even my wonderful wife.  Through forgiveness, I learned to let my father go.  I came to love him for being my dad.  I never did receive the affirmation I craved from my Dad.  But through inner healing I came to an inner awareness  that I had a Father in heaven, “who was very fond of me.”

Because of my personal experience the themes of masculine affirmation and healing in the masculine soul have been  vital in my story.  At my age, visible position in ministry and energy to do ministry has faded.  But within I still have the  spiritual drive to reach the younger generation of men, with the healing message of Jesus and his kingdom.  Leanne Payne’s teaching on the masculine soul has been instrumental  in my healing and restoration.  In her last book “Heaven Calling” she wrote, what I consider prophetic words, “There is no greater need today than for knowledgeable and noble men in authority everywhere, capable of courageously speaking the truth both in the church in the public square.”

I take my  directive from the Lord in Ps 78:5-6, “For he issued his laws to Jacob, he gave his instructions to Israel.  He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them – even the children not yet born – and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.”

Leanne Payne in her  book “The Crisis of Masculinity,” quotes Thomas Wolfe:  “[T]he deepest search in life, it seemed to me, the thing that in one way or another was central to all living was man’s search to find a father, not merely the father of his flesh, not merely the lost father of his youth, but the image of a strength and wisdom external to his need and superior to his hunger, to which the belief and power of his own life could be united.”  Many men are without a father spiritually, even though Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven.”

Donald Miller writes about growing up fatherless.  He confessed in his book “To Own a Dragon,” “I need to allow God to father me.  I needed to acknowledge him as Father and submit…..this meant admitting I wanted autonomy from God, admitting I wanted my own way and asking Him to change my heart.”  Have you allowed God to father you?

Men, you have a loving, gracious Father waiting to affirm you, wanting you to hear his words of affirmation, “I am very fond of you.”  In other words, through thick or thin, your heavenly Father is for you, waiting to guide you on a journey through life, planned from the foundations of the world.  “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love….” (Eph. 1:4 – Message)  Have you forgotten your heavenly Father on our journey?

I wonder if there are men reading this blog who feel fatherless, with a sense of being all alone, drifting without meaningful purpose in life.  Last week I wrote about the two son in Luke 15:15-32  The parable also give a wonderful description of  our heavenly Father.  Here are some characteristics.  Allow them to speak to your confused, searching and longing soul.  May it allow you to come home to the father.

First, the father understood the heart of his son.  The Father probably had known for some time that his son was unhappy under his roof.  He could not change his heart. The son had to come to his senses  the hard way.

Secondly, the father is gracious.  It was difficult to allow the son to leave with his inheritance. But the son left with no strings attached, thinking he knew better.  The father must have felt great sorrow for his son, knowing he would waste his inheritance in the far country.   But he had to let him find out for himself

Thirdly, the father waited.  The text tell us the father saw him, “while he was still a long way off.” (Luke 15:20).  The implication is that he looked every day, waiting and praying that his wayward son would turn towards home.  From a broken heart,  he grieved daily for his son

Fourthly, he had compassion for his son. “His father saw him and was filled with compassion for him” (Luke 15:21). There was no condemnation, shaming or lecturing.

Fifthly, the father was demonstrative toward his son.  “He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:2o). The son must have been overwhelmed by his father affection.

Sixthly, the father  welcomes his young son home.  The son can’t even finish his rationale for coming home. He was received with open arms.

Seventhly, the father was affirming of his son.  “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24). He was still his son.

Finally, the father had a  celebration. “Let’s have a feast and celebrate” (Luke 15:24).  He dresses his young son in the finest attire,  removing any shame and humiliation.