Category: Wildman Journey (Page 50 of 87)

This is a personal blog, written after my wife and I  experienced a devastating wind storm that took down dozens of trees on our lake property.  It happened about 2 in the morning.  With the light of dawn we viewed the devastation all around us.  Thankfully our home was spared, but not the silver cabin down by the lake.  We have spent many days cleaning up.  Job 38:1 and 40:6 became a reality for me, “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.”  Here is some of what I have learned through this frightening and disconcerting storm.

First, how dependent I am on the Lord.  I have continually cried out for mercy. “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.  I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed” (Ps 57:1).  For me the disaster has not yet passed, but I will stay in the shadow of his wings.  I am not what you would  call “a fix it guy.”  I can do physical work fairly well for a guy who will be 75 in August.  But mechanics is at the bottom of my talent pool.  One night when I could not sleep, I sat in the chair, calling out to the Lord.  Men, this is how you get through a storm – lean upon the Lord like a dependent child.  “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother” (Ps 131:2)

In my dependence I recalled the words, “man up.”  I have used that phrase often in working with men, mainly in our need to rightly order our relationships.  But in my present circumstance I am  learning to “man up” by facing the storm damage one step at a time with God’s help.  With God’s grace I desire to “man up.”  Psalms 107:13 tells us, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved then from their trouble.”  I have a choice each day – look to the Lord for help  or focus on the physical needs all around me.  The storm exposed  my natural deficiencies as a man.  I can say with Paul, “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Cor. 12:10).

It has been a blessing to see God’s hand in our recovery.  At just the right time there would be someone available to help with a project that seemed to big for me.  Just one example.  A man I had recently met here on the lake was working along side the road gathering some fallen pine with his bobcat.  I said I would help him with some of myfallen pines, if he would just take them away.  The job was done in two hours.  For me it was almost like an angelic visit.  The point men is this – When we “man up” and trust him, especially in our weakness we will see the hand of God.  I am giving testimony to this reality.    

Secondly, I have had to taste once again my vulnerability as a man .  Dealing with the physicality of caring for a place in the woods and on the lake is difficult for me.  Other men love it and rise to the occasion.  For myself, my calling is that of  a “monk” at our small retreat house on the lake.  It is very humbling to admit my fear and insecurity as I face each day’s challenges.  But I can honestly say there has been a new freedom in being honest regarding my incapacities. Remember men, you can’t be and do everything. We need to give our incapacities to the Lord.

Recently I came across in interview with James Houston, former teacher of Regent College.  His books and tapes have been very instrumental in my spiritual journey.  He was asked to list the top three needs of the church today.  Since I admire him so much, I want to comment on the three needs he mentioned.

The first need, “is for the church to stop being ‘institutionalized as church and to recover the amateur status of being ‘lovers of God.'”  The presence of “professional trappings” in the church can a stumbling block for men.  I often joked during my 40 years of active, full time ministry as a Lutheran pastor, that I was paid to be good, while other were good for nothing.  In our culture we have put too much emphasis on degrees and titles.  As men we tend to believe position dictates influence.  But position has nothing to do with being a lover of God.  Men celebrate your status as an “amateur.”

In my early 50’s I gave up what I called “The Big Deal,” that is, wanting to be important and recognized in the church.  I have spend to last 25 years wanting to be an ordinary Christian, living an ordinary life as a lover of God.  That has brought me new freedom, allowing me to spend time integrating my inner life, so that I might be more authentic.  I have heard Dr. Houston often say in recorded teachings, “I want to be an honest Christian.”  This implies being a person of  integrity.  He frequently  asked his audience, “Can you be trusted as a Christian?”

The second need, “is for ‘being Christian,’ rather than interpreting our Christian identity in activist terms and programs. For the nature of the triune God is communication, and from this the nature of the Church takes its identity also.”  This is difficult for men.  We are motivated to be doers – to take the initiative, while our wives are the responders.

One of my greatest discoveries over the last 25 years has been to realization that God, the Father through His Son, by the presence of Holy Spirit invites me into the community  of the Trinity.  The essence of the Christian life is relationship – relationship with God, myself and others.  Men, what matters most is not want we accomplish, but how we relate.  As men we each have our unique way of relating.  There is nothing that keep me more humble, then my failure to consistently relate like Jesus in my relationships.

The third need, “is harmonious creative union between men and women in the life and service of the Church, not as rivals, nor as being alienated in ‘politically correct’ behaviors.”  This refers to the  matters of “gender integrity” within the Church.  I call it “rightly ordering spiritual authority.”  In my humble opinion, the only institution in our culture that can model and rescue our nation from the chaos we are experiencing in relating as male and female is the Church.  We have the blue print in Scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide us.  I John 2:27 reminds us, “Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie” (Message).

So my challenge to the wild men of this blog is this: First, celebrate you status as an “amateur” Christian. by simply being a lover of God  Secondly, always remember that relating rightly is far more important than doing.  And thirdly, love your wife and children.  I met Dr. Houston once.  I asked for one piece of advice.  He said to me, “cherish your wife.”  I never forgot those words.

In my recent reading I came across a new word for my spiritual vocabulary – “Flourishing.”  Andy Crouch in his new book, “Strong and weak” refers to flourishing as being fully alive, “…..not just to survive, but to thrive; not just to exist, but to explore and expand.”  The men who read this blog desire to break out of the conventional, cultural male mindset, into a spiritual space where they are fully alive and fully human.  To be fully alive to the glory of  God is to  flourish. But how do we learn to flourish?

Crouch suggests that flourishing comes from being both strong and weak.  To help us grasp to the nature of this paradox, he introduces a 2×2 chart formed by two axes – authority and vulnerability.  The vertical axis is authority, which Crouch defines as the capacity for meaningful action.  It’s  the difference we make in our particular sphere of influence.  The horizontal axis is vulnerability,  our exposure to meaningful risk.  “The vulnerability that leads to flourishing,” Crouch says,  “requires risk, which is the  possibility of loss – the chance that when we act, we will lose something we value.” The balance of authority and vulnerability lead to flourishing. that is, an “abundant life” (John 10:10), the “life that really is life” (It Tim 6:19).

Crouch can be helpful in our journey as “wild men.”  “We are meant to experience more and more of the full authority intended for human beings, which can never be separated from  vulnerability – the ultimate meaningful risk – of entrusting ourselves to one another and to our Creator.”   Greater authority and greater vulnerability will take us on two challenging  journeys.  The first is the journey of “hidden vulnerability,” the willingness to bear burdens and expose ourselves to risks that no one else can fully see or understand.  The second is sacrifice, “descending to the dead,” the choice to  visit the broken corners of the world and our own heart.

Jesus, of course,was able to hold this elusive paradox in tandem – full authority and full vulnerability – for the sake of those he loved.  Jesus’ authority was evident to everyone, while his vulnerability was more difficult to grasp.  It is Jesus who helps us to flourish.  “We will not restore the world to its intended flourishing by impressive feats of self-improvement.  Instead the restoration of the world flows from the singular human being, Jesus….It is only Jesus, and the Spirit he has sent to empower his people for their redemptive mission in creation, who truly sets us free from the mire of poverty, apathy and tyranny.”

I have spent quite a  bit of time with Crouch’s book in this blog for a reason.  It is a great help with the “tough” and “tender” paradox that I often refer to in these blogs. Men, if we are to flourish, that is, have an abundant life, the paradox of authority (tough) and vulnerability (tender)  will be operative in our lives.  Simply think of your role as husband and father (your domain).  We can make a difference by  embracing servanthood authority, or choose to descend into passivity or the need to  control.  We can learn to  balance  authority, by a hidden vulnerability that will expose us to risk and even failure.  Men are challenged with the question, especially in relationship, “do I have what it takes.”

Remember Jesus came to liberate  us from the dilemma of this paradox.  “That is what the Son of Man has done.  He came to serve, not to be served – and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage” (Mark 10:45 – Message).

Thank you, Mike Huckabee, for giving men this slogan  Thank you for standing up publicly for us.   Huckabee was citing The Washington Post’s findings that of the 990 people shot by police in 2015, 948 were male, 494 were white and 258 were black.  “The pure facts,” observed Huckabee, “…reveal that 94% of those killed by police are men, so by proportional standards… the real movement in America should be ‘Male Lives Matter.'”  Men in our culture are under assault simply for being male. This spells real trouble for our society.

In his book Kingdom Man, Tony Evans notes that 70% of all prisoners come from fatherless homes, as do approximately 80% of all rapists.  71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes, and 63% of all teen suicides occur in homes where fathers were either abusive or absent.  This points to a pandemic.  In an article entitled The End of Men, Hanna Rosin suggests that “man has been the dominant sex since, well, the dawn of mankind.  But for the first time in history , that is changing – and with shocking speed.”  Feminist Camille Paglia has warned, “Masculinity is just becoming something that is imitated from the movies.  There’s nothing left.  There’s no room for anything manly right now.”

The phrase Male Lives Matter speaks to the heart and soul of this blog site.  I am a voice in the wilderness (northern Minnesota) crying out, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight path for him” (Luke 3:4).  I speak as one who has struggled with his own maleness.  I try to stay abreast of the gender wars both within and outside of the church, and have a strong conviction that the church as well as society is becoming feminized. I am disturbed by the many Christian leaders who do not see this clearly.  “Feminization,” states Stephen Clark, “is a worldview, in which a man sees things more from a womanly perspective.”  A feminized man focuses more on how he feels, while trying to be more gentle, handling situations in a “soft” way.  He is more concerned about the approval of others, having a tendency to fear women’s emotions.

I believe many men are living unconsciously in a feminized bubble that needs to be broken.  From my own experience, I can visualize some of the following restraints men experience living in this bubble. 

First and foremost, men, young and old, begin questioning the nature of their own masculine soul.  It is vital for a man to flourish in life, knowing his unique capacity as a man. God took the man, not the woman, “and put him in the Garden of Eden to work  it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).  Later, God gave him a partner. 

Second, men are being intimidated.  Paliga has said,” This PC gender politics thing… is a very anti-male way, it’s all about neutralization of maleness.”  In the process, men become intimidated, and more reluctant to tell the truth to women regarding their own experiences.

Third, men are questioning their God-given role as husbands and fathers.  This would include such roles as provider, protector, leader and spiritual shepherd.  As a Fatherhood.gov ad says, “There’s no type of love like a dad’s love.” One pastor put it well,  “The true substance of masculine strength is about fighting with the heart, not the fists.  It’s about integrity, sexual fidelity, and promise keeping.” 

Fourth, many men are wondering, “Am I the only man feeling beaten down and devalued for simply being a man?”  I say with all my heart and soul, “NO!”  This blog seeks to help men find their voice and recover their unique story as men.

Recently, Michelle Obama hosted a “United State of Women” summit at the White House.  The schedule featured an interview with the First Lady conducted by Oprah Winfrey.  At one point, Winfrey asked  Mrs. Obama if she has any advice for men.  “Be better” the First Lady replied, and then she reiterated, “Be better at everything.”  She elaborated a bit: “Be better fathers.  Just being good fathers who love your daughters and are providing a solid example of what it means to be a good man in the world.  Showing them what it feels like to be loved.”  I have no problem with this exhortation.  But how do dads do this?  Who will encourage, support and mentor dads?

How does this energize you as a dad?  I must tell you men, the statement “be better”  leaves me as a man feeling like I have been put in my place.  I am told to do better, which I interpret to mean, I have not been doing a very good job.  I am left on my own to figure out how to be a better man.  I get the sense that important female figures, such as the First Lady, are watching to see if I measure up to a their standard.  There is little empathy for “the male struggle” of discerning what does it mean to be a man and father in 2016. Most importantly I feel a spirit of disgust and condescension towards men in general (based on the video clip).  So here is how I would  respond to the First Lady and Oprah.

Speaking for men in our culture, I admit that we need to change.  The feminist movement has made that all to apparent. As a man who wants to be a committed follower of Jesus I feel I am a marked man. I do not fall into lock step with the feminist agenda.  In humility I do not defend how men have behaved in the past. I admit my own failings.  But I sense that the argument has become one sided. The initiative for change is directed towards helping women and girls more then for men and boys.   Women and their daughters seem to be  finding their stride, while boys are falling behind.

As a man I don’t need to be scolded. The First Lady missed a golden opportunity to encourage men.  I need help to be a better man.  Condescension will only drive men further away from the culture debate about men and women.  Women must understand that men may comply in their minds, but in the depths of their soul they will grieve and sink often into a kind of passivity that will not compliment women.  Strong women will wonder where have the strong men gone?

I want vocal, strong women to know that they will not be able to create the new men they are hoping for in the days to come.  Do they really know what is best for  a man?  Be careful, ladies that you don’t insist on men being created in your own image.  Once we lose the equally important role of the male in culture, we are lost.  Have we already come to that tipping  point, where men have surrendered to what is politically correct, going against their God given basic instincts as men?  .

My biggest concern is for men who feel that have been pushed into a corner, either afraid to respond or simply giving into what is political correct.  Women need to encourage men to do their own soul work.  This is best done by men helping other men.

I enjoy those Dove Soap ads that show clips of caring Dads.  The Dove+Care ads are intended to push its line of men’s grooming products and promote fatherhood.  A Father’s Day ad shows two dads kissing and rocking an infant to sleep. “As a brand, we’re focused on the evolution of masculinity and highlighting dads’ caring sides,” said Jennifer Bremmer, director of marketing.  “Definitions of heroism have traditionally been rooted in physical strength, but this Father’s Day, Dove Men+Care will celebrate how heroes gain strength from moments of care, elevating them to hero status in the eyes of others,” said Bremmer.  Are two dads kissing part of the evolution of masculinity?  Do heroes only have strength when they care?  What ever happened to the “tough” and “tender” man?

These ads want to portray the sensitive side of men.  But how do men actually become sensitive and more caring dads. In my opinion, the narrative is going to leave a lot of guys confused.  I thought of this quote: “To ask a man to become relationally aware, without being first of all secure in his maleness is to ask a man to be less than a man.  It is in some ways asking a man to act like a woman without first knowing what it is like to be a man.  A man must be sensitive from the heart of a truly secure man.”   If the ads implies that a man cannot be physical strong as well as caring, then we are talking about feminized men.  Is the ad implying that we celebrate a new kind of hero?  I worry about the emulation of the soft male.

I wonder if this ad is not going to cause some men to distance themselves from their natural instinct of embracing the strong, physical, protective role of men.  I humbly submit that if it were not for the heroics of men, we would not have become a great nation.  Camilla Paglia puts it bluntly,”If civilization had been left in female hands we would still be living in grass huts.”  We need a good dose of heroism in our culture.  Speaking of heroes, William Bennett observed, “there was a certain nobility, a largeness of soul, a hitching up of one’s own purposes, to larger purposes, to purposes beyond the self, to something that demanded endurance of sacrifice or courage or resolution or compassion, it was to nurture something because one had a sense of what deserved to be loved and preserved.”

Every man knows that he is meant to embrace both the “tough” and the “tender” aspect of his masculinity.  A man balanced in his relationships will express both the masculine and the feminine.  A  man can only be both tough and tender when he is secure in his masculine soul.  To emulate the soft side, without regard for the strong, protective side of a man, is asking a man to be feminized, that is, relating from his feminine side without regard for his true masculine soul.

Our model for the balanced tough and tender man is our Lord Jesus.  Philippians 2:5-8 expresses it well.  “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.  He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.  Not at all.  When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human……It was an incredibly humbling process…….he lived a selfless obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death” (Phil 2:5-6 – The Message).  Being secure in himself Jesus could give himself for us.

Jon Lovett was the White House speech writer who penned those infamous words, “If you like your insurance, you can keep it.”  In 2013 Lovett gave a graduation speech at Pitzer College, in which the 30-year-old sage seemed to be warning graduates about people like himself.  “One of the greatest threats we face, simply put, is bulls—.  We are drowning in it.  We are drowning in partisan rhetoric that is just true enough not to be a lie…it infects every facet of public life, corrupting our discourse, wrecking our trust in major institutions, lowering our standards for the truth, and making it harder to achieve anything… Know that being honest, both about what you do know, and what you don’t, can and will pay off.  Up until recently I would have said that the only proper response to our culture of B.S. is cynicism, that it would just get worse and worse.  But I don’t believe that anymore.”

Could this young man be wondering if speaking the truth is a better way?  How would he get out of the  deep deceptive fog he lives with, in order to walk in the truth.  Truth today is elusive and slippery, having become an object of wordplay. This young man is lacking in the ability to recognize truth when he sees and hears it.  I recommend young men like him and others caught in a web of lies to look to Jesus, who tells us: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).  Who else could possibly free us from our own deep deception?

When I read this quote I thought of Leanne Payne’s perspective on the crisis of masculinity in our culture and the relationship to the truth.  “The crisis of masculinity is a crisis of the unaffirmed masculine and the inability to initiate and stand for the truth.  For the power to honor and to stand for the truth is at the heart of the masculine.”  Men, we can believe something is true and still be wrong.  But truth itself is clear: truth has to do with whatever is real.  An affirmed man, speaking truth from a clear mind and heart cuts through a lot of lies and deception.

Before  his crucifixion, standing before Pilate, Jesus was asked, “So you are a king?”  Jesus responded, “You say I am a king.  Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth.  All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true” (John 18:37).  Pilate’s replied to Jesus, “What is truth?”  Like a typical politician, Pilate was cynical regarding truth.  Truth for Pilate was whatever the majority of people agreed with or whatever helped advance his  own personal power and political goals.  When there is no standard or acknowledgement of truth, there is no basis for moral right and wrong.  Truth becomes  whatever we want it to be.  Pilate was not able to face reality, when confronted with the truth.

Standing before Pilate that day  was the ultimate expression of truth embodied in a person.  Jesus came from the father to reveal the truth to us.  Jesus and His kingdom are the expression of ultimate reality.  “I am the way, the truth and the life,” Jesus proclaimed, “no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).  Ultimately truth is a matter of relationship. I assure you men, a committed, whole hearted relationship with Jesus will bring you face to face with the truth about yourself, others and the world.  But remember: Jesus is full of grace and truth.  Grace helps us live in and with the truth.

I have not commented on the travesty of our national policy regarding transgender bathrooms.  But a blog by David Murrow over at “Church for Men” got me to thinking about men and our instinct to provide for and to protect women and children. Husbands and fathers are frustrated because the wives and daughters they love could be victimized in the bathroom.  We know that men can be real perverts.  We worry about what goes on in the bathrooms. “Biologically defined men are now allowed to disrobe in front of women,” observes Murrow.  “Most men would see this as a threat to the wives and daughters they are expected to protect.  Furthermore, they are powerless to shield their loved ones because the threat occurs in a place they themselves cannot be.”

This new bathroom policy angers men “because it strips them of their ancient protector role.” This is a deep invasion of the government into a sacred, instinctual duty of men: protection of family.   Even worse, “any man who expresses concern for his daughter’s privacy is labeled a bigot.  Men can’t shield their loved ones – and they’re publicly shamed if they try.”  Just writing this get me upset.  If the prospective I am presenting doesn’t get  you mad as a Dad, then you have capitulated to an imposing “nanny” state mentality.  We live in a culture of female empowerment.  Murrow wonders, “Maybe women don’t need men to protect the any more.  One wonders what society will be like when men finally realize they are no longer needed as protectors and providers.”

Men, you need to understand that husbands and fathers will continue to be stripped of their ability to provide and protect because of the combination of the intrusion power of a “nanny state” which believes it has the right to  supplement the traditional role of husband and father, and the empowerment of women who no longer see the value of the traditional roles of husbands and fathers as necessary.  So, we need to wake up.  We need to be a  part of a Christian culture that will form a culture of resistance to what is happening in our society.

Let me make four suggestions for men who want to be – and who feel called to be – providers and protectors:  

First, get yourself under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Allow Jesus to have lordship of your life. Declare in our family the Lordship of Jesus.  You will need his protection as you stand for your family. 

Second, thank God for the gift and stewardship he has given you as a husband and father of a family.  Unless you have the gift of celibacy, this is why God made you a man.  You have a role to fulfill that no one else can.  You are irreplaceable.  Your family is not a burden but a treasure to fight for.

Third, don’t play the role of the martyred father or defeated soldier.  This is warfare.  The enemy want to destroy your  family by taking you out. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the rapid social changes taking place in our culture, know that there are many other warriors going through the same conflict. 

Finally, as I say often in this blog, cry out to God for mercy and wisdom.  Realize you are desperate and need help.  “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (Matt. 6:6 – Message).

I do not intend this blog to be political, but I could not resist writing about the “Pajama Boy.” During the showdown over Obamacare, a PAC put out an ad now known as “Pajama Boy.”  “It showcased a young fellow in thick retro-rimmed glasses, wearing black-and-red plaid children’s pajamas, and sipping from a mug, with a sort of all-knowing expression on his face.  The text urged: ‘Wear pajamas.  Drink hot chocolate.  Talk about getting health insurance. #GetTalking.'”  I think the hash tag should have read GetWorking,  young man, instead of GetTalking, which strikes me as adolescent.

How many men do you know, who sit around in their pajamas, drinking hot chocolate, while contemplating their health care? I see the image of a man who is no longer outer directed, taking the initiative to be responsible. The pajamas cry out, “Help me in my fragile condition.” This is the classic picture of a “feminized man.”  He is hoping someone will take care of him so he can live a sheltered life.  He is  the “soft male” that Robert Bly described: “The male in the past twenty years has become more thoughtful, more gentle….He’s a nice boy who now not only pleases his mother but also the young woman he is living with….You often see these men with strong women who positively radiate energy….yet he himself has no energy to offer.”

It bothers me that a government ad would portray such a dependent, weak man, sitting around with “an all-knowing expression”  hoping to  be taken care of by someone else.  He needs to get working.  Work is what God gave Adam to do in the garden. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). However with the fall, work was cursed (Gen. 3:17) and became toil, carried out “by the sweat of [man’s[ brow” (Gen. 3:19).  But the curse of sin did not eliminate work as a God-ordained and vital part of life.  God still commands people to work: “Six days you shall labor and do all our work” (Ex 20:9).

God himself is portrayed in scripture as a ceaseless worker.  His first great work was the work of creation (Gen. 1).  As one observer said, “The God of the Bible is preeminently a worker.”  The concept of work found in Genesis I is that it is purposeful, creative and above all “good.”  But it will also involve sweat, labor, often being unproductive and laden with a curse (Gen. 3:17). Each man reading this blog knows what it means to toil under the curse of the fall.   But by the grace of God we work as good stewards, bringing glory our heavenly Father.  We want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt 25:21).

Jesus saw himself as a worker.  He saw his public ministry as his assigned work.  His food was “to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34).  He said of himself, “”My Father is working still, and I am working” (John 5:17). On another occasion he said to his followers, “We must work the words of him who sent me” (John 9:4).  Following Jesus, we get up and work.

Jesus warns us, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life” (John 6:27).  Then he tells us, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29).  In other words, the ultimate focus of our productivity has an eternal focus, with the intent of bringing  glory to the Lord Jesus.  We “do it” for Jesus.

In the 1967 war, Israel wrestled control of the West Bank known as Qasr al-Yahud from Jordon. It was thought to be the traditional site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. But Israel mined the entire site on the banks of the Jordon River to ward off attacks from across the border.  In 1994 Israel signed a peace treaty with Jordan and their border has been relatively quiet for more than 20 years.  Israel cleared part of the site in 2011, making the site a popular attraction for Christian pilgrims.  Now Israel and the Palestinians are clearing the rest of the site – about 135 acres littered with more than 3,000 antipersonnel and antitank mines and an unknown number of improvised explosive devices.  Present day pilgrims, “must pass through a ghost town of churches fenced off by menacing signs that read ‘Danger! Mines!”

I thought about the minefields in the call of John, the Baptist to submit to a baptism of repentance, which for the Christian implies death to self and  resurrection life in Jesus.   John was a prophet warning folks coming to be baptized about their insincere intentions.  “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.  Don’t just say to each other, ‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’  That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.  Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees.  Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:8-9).

One of the common minefields in the contemporary church is the practice of  half-hearted repentance, involving incremental, self inducted attempts at change.  The fruit is not life producing.  There could be a sign outside churches saying, “Danger! Mines!”   It is easy for men to fall into the trap of “performance orientation” where we work hard at change, but never getting to the root of our sin nature.  We try the latest spiritual program or learn more biblical truths, but never get to the roots.

I spend years practicing “shallow” repentance.  It was a matter of admitting  I was wrong and then trying to be better.  I was into my  spiritual self improvement  mode.  I finally had to come to the point of “tasting” my sinful nature.  I could not change myself.  I had to repent even of my trying to change.  I continue to have to come to the end of myself, and let the Spirit of God change me.  Death to myself is not easy.  But it is the only way to resurrection life.

It is very dangerous, that is, it is a minefield to say “we’re safe” because we are following Jesus.  “Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees.”  Could it be that God is calling the followers of Jesus to deeper repentance in our day.  Men, in the days to come we will be tested regarding our walk with Jesus.  It will bring out of each of us, things that we have buried not wanting to bring to  repentance.  But when the ax comes to the roots,  don’t take it to mean you are unfit to be his witness.  Rather, see it as the grace of God calling you to deal with those things that go deep into your soul life.