Category: Wildman Journey (Page 67 of 85)

As some of you know, I have been a Lutheran Pastor for over forty years.  As Lutherans, we pay attention to the liturgical year.  The 28th of December is designated as “The Holy Innocents, Martyrs” day.  On this day we remember how wicked King Herod went on a rampage and killed innocent baby boys after the birth of Jesus, due to his fear of a king being born.  We read in Matt 2: 16 that Herod “gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.”  As Max Lucado prayed, “Joseph took you (Jesus) into Egypt.  You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene”.  Imagine the fear, confusion and uncertainty for young Joseph and Mary as they hastily flee to Egypt.  They escaped the slaughter of the innocent because God came to Joseph in a dream, saying, “get up take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.  Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 

Men, we have just experienced the slaughtering of the innocent in Newtown, Conn.  The words from a sermon by the prophet Jeremiah, quoted in Matthew to describe the emotional response of  the slaughter of little boys under the age of two in Bethlehem become a cry of our hearts today. “A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament.  Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried.” (Matt 2:18 – The Message).  (Ramah was a village near Bethlehem, the place of Rachel’s birth).  We can join in the lament of the good folks in Ramah.  Why this slaughter?  Imagine the questions that Joseph had when he came back with Mary and Jesus.  Why this slaughter?  How does this relate to the coming of the “Savior.”  Would Joseph feel some responsibility for this slaughter?  Scripture never answers our questions.  We are left with the slaughter of the innocence by a wicked King.

So today, we have no good answers for the slaughter of the innocence in Newtown, except to say that we know that there is evil in our world.  There are times when we are confronted with its stark reality.  Make no mistake, men, our post-modern culture can gloss over the idea that wickedness is not caught in the  human heart.  But Newtown proves otherwise.  I like very much what Mark Galli from Christianity Today had to say about the innocence of Jesus. It helps me live with the reality of the loss of so many innocent lives

“Like the one whose innocence was like no other’s.  One innocent and holy and precious to the Father, so special it is said that they were one, like no other Father and Son are one.  One in essence….You would have thought that the Power and the Glory would have stepped in with thunderbolts when the world conspired to kill his Innocent One.  But this God did not do anything then either.  And the Son did not rage at the cruel injustice and the waste of a good life at the hands of evil men.  All he could seem to say was a prayer that his murderers, who he said did not know what they were doing, be forgiven….Such an odd and strange pair, this Father and Son.  The one giving up innocence into the hands of evil.  The other forgiving evil as if – well, as if love really is the ultimate reality in the universe.”

Men, as always we need to turn our hearts and minds unto the Lord Jesus.  Remember, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).  Cry out to God in lament.  Shout if you have to do so; pound the walls.  But get it out – the anger, the fear, the sorrow, the pain and the confusion.  Jesus bore it all as the innocent one for you.  With him you can move on in new hope and strength, with so many unanswered questions 

I close with another part of Max Lucado’s prayer. “Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day.  Won’t you enter ours?  We are weary of bloodshed.  We, like the wise men, are looking for a star.  We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.  This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.”

Thomas Merton was one the great spiritual voices of the 20th century.  He died in 1968 by accidently electrocuted himself in Bangkok, Thailand.  He rarely traveled.  But he had received permission to speak at a religious conference in Bangkok.  He gave this parting advice to those in attendance. “If you forget everything else that has been said, I would suggest you remember for the future: ‘From now on, everybody stands on his own feet.'”  Many, including myself, consider Merton a prophetic voice, who saw through spiritual eyes much of what needed improvement in America.  It is interesting that this was his last spiritual advice.  It seemed to be said with some urgency and seriousness. 

So let me take a shot at saying something about his advice.  I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation to us in Ephesians, as he describes the spiritual battle in which we are engaged.  “Be prepared.  You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own.  Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet” (Eph 6:13 – The Message).  Let me share three short take-aways from the advice of Merton and Paul.

First the sense that there is an intensification in the spiritual battle we are facing.  Merton says “From now on.”  In other words, be alert and aware of the days to come.  Paul says “Be prepared.”   Jesus said, “All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Mat 24:8).  The prophetic voices in our culture and scripture seem to be clear regarding the future.  The battle will intensify.  So men, don’t be surprise .  The apostle John warned us, “Children, time is just about up.  You heard that Antichrist is coming.  Well, they’re all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look.  That’s how we know that we’re close to the end” (I John 2:18).  So don’t be surprised and caught off guard regarding the decline of morality, the loss of a Christian consensus and spiritual vitality in our culture.  It has happened all through church history.  Why should the good, old USA be exempted if we leave God out of the public square.

Secondly, we are exhorted to “stand.”  Men, that means not to sit (give up), run (being fearful) or cower (surrender).  NO.  We are to stand. Merton said “stand on your own feet.”  You are going to need other brothers to protect your back, encourage you and motivate you.  But we each have to ask for grace and strength from  the Lord to stand.  This means at least three things. First, be clear about your convictions, secondly,take responsibility for your actions, and thirdly, make a clear identification with Jesus and his kingdom.  Many men will have to reexamine their priorities and commitments. We can’t sit on the sidelines.

Thirdly, you are not going to be able to stand alone.  I am convinced that in the days to come, groups of men will be forming for the purpose of being ” faithful, loving warriors” in their communities, at work and in the Church. These men will be a challenge to other men by their combination of love , humilityand conviction.  They will gather because they know they will not be able to stand alone.  In their own sphere of influence they are going to gather so as a group they will be able “to take back the land.”  What is the land?  Their spiritual heritage and influence.  Men, our christian heritage is being taken from us.  We need to reclaim it one by one as we fight with the weapons of “love and humility.”  We can be an influence starting in our families and then move out into church, community and work.  Remember what will win the day is a Christlike character.  This will be vital in a “Post-Christian” America, where the majority are suspicious of “church people.”  We are not church people, but rather humble, loving followers of Jesus who are on a “subversive” mission to take back the land. Never forget we know we have won the battle as we follow the “alpha and Omega.”  In the meantime, there are skirmishes to be fought not just for our sake, but for our families and community.

From my post as “a watchmen” on the wall (Is. 62:6) here at Canaan’s rest, I sense along with a lot of other biblically orientated folks that the recent presidential election revealed a major shift in American culture that we might not have seen coming.  But the evidence is in.   As Jim Daly, Focus on The Family president, observed, “Not only did the majority of Americans vote to reelect a president whose policies have reflected a disregard for the fundamental issues of life, marriage and religious liberty.  At least two states voted to redefine the family in a way past generations would have found unthinkable.”  So what does this mean for men who are committed followers of Jesus.

Well, in my opinion, committed men need to turn their spiritual eyes away from the world and themselves and get a new focus on Jesus.  Along with Peter we confess anew, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” John 6:68-9). Jesus did not say the journey would be easy (read Luke 21, Mark 13, and Matt. 24). He tells us in Luke 21:28, “When all this starts to happen, up on your feet.  Stand tall with your heads high.  Help is on the way.”  Yes help is on the way.  But our posture needs to be that of being alert (on your feet) and attentive (your head high).  Above, all men need to be standing tall.  Our hope is in the Lordship of Jesus and his kingdom, not the systems and structure of our culture.  

I personally identify with the phrase “joyful exile.”  I am an exile in this culture, but I also want to be a joyful exile.  I want to be a positive witness in a time of great uncertainty, cultural tension and spiritual lukewarmness.  With all my heart I say to you men, this is a day to be a JOYFUL exile. The phrase “joyful exile” comes from a book with the same title, by James Houston, my mentor in so many ways.  He says, “This book is for ‘exiles’ those who need the moral courage to move away from the familiar and the conventional and into the dangerously exposed places, to prophetically critique our cultural norms and institutional attitudes.”  Men, it is time for men to “stand tall with our heads high” not pulling back in fear and going back into the familiar.  No, it is a time to move out in boldness, willing as humble, loving followers of Jesus to bring constructive critique to our culture.

Let me close with an extended quote from Dr Houston. “Faithfulness to biblical convictions always calls us to live ‘dangerously on the edge’ of our culture.  This is not a call to individualism and independence of spirit.  It is an invitation to experience more deeply what it means to become a faithful witness of Christ.  This process requires that we have the moral courage and selflessness to confront cultural challenges, resisting the insidious pressure to depend on techniques instead of the love and Spirit of God.  It requires that we foster spiritual friendship and allow community to grow spiritually rather than be organized artificially.  It demands that we be more personally available to others in sharing the joy of God’s salvation.” 

In a culture that has lost its spiritual mooring, where the name of Jesus is blasphemed, and where a biblical lifestyle is mocked, it is time for the men of God to awake up.  This is now our time.  We are called to live on the dangerous edge of culture.  It calls for moral courage and selflessness.  As Dr Houston points out, we are to express to love of Christ and be dependent on the Spirit of God.  His challenge to foster spiritual friendship, along with spiritual community, does not come naturally to men.  But men, it is time for us to band together in small committed groups, to encourage one another to go out with the weapons of love and humility and to practice a “subversive spirituality” in territory that has now being occupied by what Charles Colson once called “the new barbarians.”

I have found in men’s work that men like the truth straight, rather then having it sugar-coated.  Every man I have ever known has had to face failure, disappointment and woundedness.  So instead of lamenting the fact that life is hard, we should embrace trails, because they teach us humility and honesty.  So let face it – life is hard and we are not in control.  Every man needs to come to the realization as Richard Rohr observes that, “the way up is the way down”.  In this regard our “wounds” especially those that are like arrows that pierce our souls, can become our “sacred wounds,” wounds that shape our Christlike character.   How does this happen?  Let me share three insights, by focusing on the pain stored in our souls due to our wounds.

First enter your pain.  The arrows that pierce your soul cause deep pain and woundedness.  The reality is that pain is stored and buried “alive” in our souls.  Unless it is acknowledged, faced and tasted it will only fester and morph into anger and resentment.  When you have a tooth ache you go to the dentist.  Why do men resist facing their inner pain?  I would suggest two factors: first male pride and second our lack of modeling regarding the handling the male emotional life.  So men, ask for grace and mercy to face your pain.  You might need some one else to help you access the pain.  But embrace the pain 

Secondly, when you have cleared the space by acknowledging and owning your pain, invite Jesus into the pain.  I can not tell you how important this practice can be in healing the pain.  Remember men, it is only the Holy Spirit who has access to the deepest parts of your soul, where in those dark corners the pain in buried in stinking piles.  Jesus announced early in his ministry that the Father had, “sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, ‘This is God’s year to act.'” (Luke 4:18-19 – The Message).  Trust me – Jesus will bring the healing need, if you give him the pain.  He is able to create a space within that manifest light rather then a fearful darkness.

Thirdly, your heavenly Father, will gracious help you rewrite the script regarding  the pain that has been stored in your soul.  There is a freedom, light and peace that comes into that formerly dark, stinky space.  The focus is no longer you and the nursing of your pain, but rather the healing that Jesus can bring.  You become a living witness to the transforming, resurrection power of Jesus.  You will be able to journey with other men in their pain, helping them to excavate all the puss from their painful wounds.  You will become what Henri Nouwen referred to as a “wounded healer.”  There is no greater ministry among men in our day then that of being a healer of the broken hearts of men.  Your wounds become “sacred wounds” that God uses in the lives of other wounded warriors.

Matthew West in his song “The Healing Has Begun” put it well. “There is a world full of people dying from broken hearts, holing unto their guilt, thinking htey feel too far.  So don’t be afraid to show them your beautiful scares.  They’re the proof, you’re are the proof.”

One our my favorite images of Jesus is in the book of Revelation, chapter 18:11-16. Let me share with you, the vision from The Message.  Bear with me; I have my reason for giving the whole vision.  “Then I saw Heaven open wide – and oh!  a white horse and its Rider.  The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns.  He has a Name inscribed that’s known only to himself.  He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as ‘Word of God.’  The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him.  A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron.  He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong.  On his robe and thigh is written, KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS.”

This vision is given just before Jesus and his army go into battle and defeat, “the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.”  Men, we know the end of the story – We Win.  I feel deeply energized to write about our victory in the blog.  There may be faithful, godly men who many be have questions about the future of our nation after our national elections.  But be assured that the kingdom  Jesus has established on this earth, that is, his presence and activity will last forever.  We are part of this kingdom.  He has final authority and power over all. “God lifted him (Jesus) high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth – even those long ago dead and buried – will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father” ( Phil 2:9-11 – The Message)

We now live in a culture in which the Christian view of God has been erased from the public square and is questioned in public discourse.  This past election, in my humble opinion, has been a wake up call for the godly men of America to rise up.  It is time for us to band together as men all over this nation, in small bands here and there, to prepare for battle.  Like Habakkuk we are to climb the lookout tower and scan the horizon for an answer to our cry to God. Listen to what God told Habakkuk.  “Write what you see.  Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.  This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming.  It aches fo the coming – it can hardly wait!  And it doesn’t lie.  If it seems slow in coming, wait.  It’s on its way.  It will come right on time” (Hab. 2:2-3 – The Message).  Men, help is on the way

I will be writing more about the battle in the days to come.  But for now, my take away, from Habakkuk is that men are first of all to be waiting on the Lord.  Get your own heart and house in order.  In my mind, the most effective warefare in the days to come will be done by men who fight with the weapons of love and humility.  Now you may be surprised by my statement.  But I must warn you, we live in a culture that has rejected the Christian view of God.  Why! – because Christian have failed in their witness.  We need a new approach to gain any kind of foothold in our secular culture.  We need men with a strong heart, that has found healing in the presence of the Lord, so that they can aborb the arrows that will be coming.  Their strenght is in their character and conviction.  Men, are you ready?  Are you up to the challenge?  It will not be easy?  You will have to pay a price.  But if your heart is strong and your conviction is true and pure,  there will be joy and gratitude for being raised up for a time such as ours.

What kind of dance are you preforming in going about your daily routine?  Are you part of a sacred dance, or is your dance one of survival.  Giving thought to these two dances can bring clarity as to who and what motivates our life choices.  In the “Sacred dance” we accept the invitation of God to enter into the dance of the Trinity, which has gone on from all eternity.  The “survival dance,” on the other hand, is our attempt to make it through the daily routine on our own.   Instead of being lead by the grace of God, we are constantly evaluating how we can survive by our wits. I would like to draw out the contrast between these two dances for us as men

First the “Sacred Dance.”  C.S. Lewis called this “the Great Dance.”  It is what has been going on from all eternity between the Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  From all eternity they have existed in perfect harmony in a community of love.  The love of the Trinity by nature desires to reach out and to create.  So as human, we were created to enter into this fellowship.  We read in Genesis 1:26 we read, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”  It has helped me greatly to see the Trinity as a dance to enter into, that is, a loving relationship,  rather then just simply a doctrinal truth, discribing the mystery of God.  God invites – He desires – He longs for our participation.  For this we have been created.  It is built into our spiritual DNA.  The spiritual journey is paying heed to the invitation to the dance. 

What a contrast when we try to describe our “dance of survival.”  You can use your own words to describe what it is like.  We all know the dance.  It is so easy to get caught up in “making” life work, while we try to manage all the pieces.  We live a self-enclosed life, doing our best to control circumstances, trying to   understand with our limited perspective.  It feels like survival.  It reminds me of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death.”  This survival dance produces anxiety, guilt, loneliness and the great dread of wondering where is this dance is really headed

My strong encouragement to us men is to give up trying to dance on our own.  Reach out to the hand that invites you into the sacred dance.  I know for myself, my rhythm is off and on.  There are times when I am dancing to my own tune.  I need to stop long enough to pay attention to the voice of the Spirit within calling me to participate in the life of the Trinity.   I have to choice of either going on in the survival mode or reaching out for the hand that invites me into the dance.  That invitation is always present.  Remember Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).  So the question becomes, “Whose tune are you dancing to?”

“Spiritual Desertication” is a spiritual phrase that is new to me.  It comes from Pope Benedix XVI.  I am preparing a talk for an ecumenical group of believers, so I thought I would find a quote from the Pope.  He was lamenting the reality that in the West,  people think they can live without God.  The Pope is a realist, in accepting the loss of the Christian witness in the West.  “But,” reasons the Pope, “it is starting from the experience of this desert, from this void, that we can again discover the joy of believing;  its vital importance for us.”  I was struck by his insight and its importance for men, wanting to be godly.

First there is the awareness that we may be living in a “desert time”.  Like the prophet Habakkuk, you may be perplexed, asking God, “Why do you force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day?  Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place.  Law and order fall to pieces.  Justice is a joke.  The wicked have the righeous hamstrung and stand justice on its head” (Hab.1:3-4 – The Message).   The former Christian consensus that was prominent in our culture is lost and God seems to be more absent from the “public square.”  Jesus never promised that it would get better.  He warned, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginng of the world until now – and never to be equaled again” (Matt 24:21).  Men we can not expect our culture to do for us what we as believers have to do for ourselves.  Living in a “desert time” is the present reality.   Are you prepared spiritually for the “desert time?”

Secondly it is in this “desert time” that we can discover the joy of believing.  God informed Habakkuk that he was indeed active.  He was using the ruthless nation of Babylon to punish Judah.  This perplexed Habakkuk, yet God’s assurance that justice would be done and a vision of God’s glory brought the prophet to a sure faith.  “But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive” (2:4 – The Message).  During this  “desert time” of Judah, the prophet began to see the hand of God in his society.  He prays “God I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you, and I’m stopped in my tracks, down on my knees.  Do among us what you did among them. Work among us as you worked among them.  And as you do bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy” (3:1-2 –  The Message).

Here we find a key for living with a postive faith, finding joy in believing during a “desert time”.  In accepting that God was in the midst of his nation’s “desert time,”  he prays for God to be merciful.  Daniels prayed in a similar fashion.  “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.  Lord, listen!  Lord, forgive!  Lord, hear and act” (Daniel 9:1819).  A person who is crying for mercy, has no where else to turn but to God.  In a “desert time” such as ours, God hears the crys for mercy.  The Psalmist prayed “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (Ps 6:9).

Men I believe God is mightly at work in the midst of our “desert time” in America.  I take great comfort in the words of Paul to the Romans.  “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21).  Allow yourself to be honest with our fears and anxieties before the Lord.  Confess your unbelief, and cry out to him for mercy.  Allow him to fill you with his grace for this day.  Get with a group of other men, who believe the same way.  Support one another and cry out to God together for mercy.

I have been thinking about the “grieving mode” for men, since life circumstances have brought me into the grieving mode as of late.  There are times when you cannot do anything about relationships and circumstances in life.  You would like to change the situation or at least have some understanding of the dynamics.  But that is not always possible.  It is then that allowing yourself to grieve can be a practice that will give you loving resolve and grace what simply “is.”  You will grieve when you cannot change the circumstance or relationship.  

David faced intense opposition from even those who were close to him.  Some of his psalms were laments, which is another way of talking about grieving.  He express his grief from being betrayed by close friends in Ps 59:13. “But it was you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship…..”   But David had learned to bring his grief to God. “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught…” (verse 1). 

I am talking about my experience of  grieving for two reasons.  First to share my testimony of the help I have found in coming to a somewhat healthy practice of grieving and secondly to encourage men, reading this blog, to do their “grief work.”  Grieving is not easy for us men to process or experience.  Much of men’s anger is really unprocessed pain and grief.  Buried grief is unfinished hurt.  Many men don’t know they are sad, living with a well of  unfinished hurt.  So often men will mistake this unprocessed grief for anger.  Without some grieving process however, men will tend to be angry and want to control, especially in relationships.

In a nutshell this is what I am learning about grieving.  It is a normal part of being a follower of Jesus.  I have had to be honest about my real feelings, learning to express them to others who have loved me.  This helps me in the sorting process, to discern the difference between anger and hurt.  Anger is something that I have to repent of, while grief  is something that I need to learn to bear.  I will simply be in situations where I can only grieve.  When I know this I can find strength and grace to keep on keeping on.  But the key is opening my heart to the light and love of Jesus, so that my confused and frustrating emotions can be straightened out.  Space is created to respond with grace and love. I can testify to the wonderful grace that is given to grieve in life’s situations. 

Men when we neglect or skip the grieving mode tend to go into either the fixing mode or understanding mode.  Richard Rohr maintains that without grief work “the soul remains self-enclosed, rattling around inside its limited logic and basically disconnected.”  Yes it is true that the grieving mode will feel like dying.  But without the honesty in which we release our pain and hurt, men can easily suffer through the neurotic pain of aimless depression, desperation, addition and temptation.  The pain becomes too great to endure, so men will act out. 

This is why Richar Rohr in his men’s work has chosen the sign of Jonah for his work.  The only way, at times,  for God to get our attention is for us to go into the belly of the whale.  There we sit in darkness and silence and come to the realization that we are running from God and his help for us.  Rohr observes, “Much of early men’s work is teaching men how to trust their time in the belly of the whale, how to stay there without needing to fix, to control or even to fully understand it, and to wait until God spits you on a new shore.”

If today you are a man  absorbed with a kind of aimless pain of anger, sorrow and disappointment, allow yourself the freedom to be into the belly of whale.  That will entail facing your own darkness and let God sort it for you.  My strong advice is to find someone else to sit with you as you go through the sorting out of your anger and grief.  You will not be able to do it alone.  But I promise you, you will have a new inner strength to face the occasion when you will have to grieve.