As biblical Christians we are being told that we have lost the “cultural war.”  This will continue to be debated for some time. One certainty, however, is that we will see more “wounded warriors” in the days to come. As good soldiers, following Jesus, we will suffer.  “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a solider gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer” (II Tim.2:3-4).  What will this suffering look like?  How will we respond to adversity?  How are we to “fight the good fight of the faith?” (I Tim.6:12)  We are told to take our stand. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand” (Eph. 6:13). Since the days are becoming more evil, what will our stand imply.  Here are some are a few considerations on being wounded.

First, establish your calling as a warrior.  Paul reminded young Timothy of his calling. “The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this.  All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself.  After all, this is a fight we’re in” (I Tim 1:18 – Message).  I believe many men reading this blog will receive a prophetic call to be a warrior.  Your time has come. You are being called to stand.  The call will be different for every man.  My exhortation is to be obedient to this call.  You have been prepared to stand in your present life circumstance.  God will lead you to other warriors.  They will be unmistakable in their resolve to be faithful to their “commanding officer.”

Secondly expect to take some arrows.  “Look, the wicked bend their bows, they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart” (Ps. 11:2).  The warfare will be deceptive but intense.  Be ready for the arrows.  “Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers.  They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear” (Ps 64:2-4).  I call this being “broad-sided.”  Elsewhere the Psalmist said he will not fear, “the arrow that flies by day” (Ps 91: 5). Are you ready to  take the arrows?  Jesus said we are blessed when the arrows come. “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Matt. 5:22).

Thirdly, prepare yourself for having a wounded heart.  I am not talking about physical wounds, although that might be true for some  warriors in the days to come.  Rather, I am referring to the pain of betrayal, disappointment, slander, and rejection that will come from some who are close to you.  Jesus warned of this. “You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put you some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:16-17).

Fourthly, find healing for your heart, by doing your inner soul work.  Be honest, open and transparent about your inner wounds.  Ps 51 helps us greatly in this process.  David was honest, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight'” (Ps 51:4).  Find another brother to pray about your healing, and then go an help another “wounded warrior.”  There will be many needing your help.

On Pope Francis’ recent trip to South America he made a visit to Bolivia. While there he used a Burger King as a sacristy and a location to store the chair he sat on during the mass, along with other items used during the Mass.  His attendants asked for Burger King’s help because  it was an appropriate place near the site of the open door Mass and it had closed for the event.   Afterwords, Burger King put out a facebook post which read, “Welcome Pope Francis, thank you for choosing the restaurant BK Cristo as your sacristy.  Burger King receives you with open arms.”  Another post had a picture of the Pope beneath the Burger King logo with these words, “There are visits that don’t just bring joy to your spirit but also feed it”

I see this story of the Burger King as a parable to help “church people” think outside our “church box.”   Pope Francis has gained many admirers in the Protestant church,while he has confounded members of his own church.  But one thing is unmistakable; he has brought media attention to his views and agenda.  It should not be surprising that the Pope broke “out of the box” and was found using the BK before his Mass.  So here are three learnings from the Pope’s use of the BK

First, the BK was used as his Sacristy.  A Sacristy in special room set aside for the priest to prepare for Mass. The Pope saw the BK as a sacristy for his use before his outdoor Mass.  He  acted outside “the religious box.” The more comfortable you are in your walk with Jesus the more seamless it will become, enabling you to be outside the religious box of performance and posturing.   Paul said of himself, “Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized – whoever.  I didn’t take on their way of life.  I kept my bearing in Christ” (I Cor 9:19-22 – Message)

Secondly, the Pope being photographed under the logo of a BK, was for  some religious folks almost sacrilegious.  But not for the Pope.  He was free enough in his spirit to be seen dressed in his liturgical  robes under the familiar sign of a BK.  Are we free to let our light shine wherever we are.  Or do we restrict our witness in public.   Jesus tells us, “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God colors in the world.  God is not a secret to be kept.  We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.  If I make you a light-bearer, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you?  I’m putting you on a light stand.  Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! (Matt 5:14-15 – Message)

Thirdly, can a BK freely feed the spirit.  Of course not!  This is an example of wishful thinking, hoping that some of the Pope’s spiritual influence can be used to promote business at BK.  A visit to BK might bring joy, but it will not likely feed our spirit.  But the point is – the Pope’s visit got folks at the BK and other pilgrims to think in religious terms about the condition of their soul. “Be gracious in your speech.  The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out” (Col 4:6 – Message).

I am proudly wearing my Twins Cap again.  Our beloved Twins, after some bad years, at the writing of this blog have the third best record in the AL.  The new manager Paul Molitor has something to do with our resurgence.  A Twin Cities sport writer recently wrote, “Paul Molitor is a baseball Hall of Famer whose managerial style is defined by ‘humility'”.  Molitor says of himself, “I’ve made many mistakes along the way that I hope, with the things I’ve gone through, I can communicate those to people to help them just become better.”  He sees leadership as trying to help his players with  their skills and become better persons.  He seems to have everyone believing in themselves and each other.  That’s a definition of a team.

Molitor is an example of what humility can accomplish in relationships, even among “pampered” young millionaires.   Every man is a manger or coach to some degree because of his relationships.  Humility is a vital ingredient in these relationships.  In the moral ecology of our day, humility among leaders is in short supply.  “Over the past several decades we have built a moral ecology around the Big Me” (David Brooks).  Genuine humility is more “other” centered then “self” centered.  “In humility values others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interest of the others” (Phil 2:3-4).  Others become more important than ourselves.

Men, those around you – your family, co-workers and friends know when you are interest in wanting the very best for them.  You can’t do it without humility. So what can we learn from Paul Molitor.  I see three ingredients in his comments that can be helpful for us as we “manage” our relationships.  First of all, the manager saw himself as a “flawed” man.  Having an accurate assessment of yourself makes a man secure in the presence of others.  Knowing and acknowledging your “flaws” makes you believable.   You can be open, vulnerable and present to others when you are not protecting  your secret “flaws.” Especially,teach your children,  out of your vulnerability.

Secondly, Molitor wants to pass on what he has learned through his mistakes.  Not only should we acknowledge our flaws, but also use them as visuals in telling your story.  Each of us has a story, that can breath life into others.  Don’t hide your story from others.  It is out of your weakness that your real strength is displayed before others.  Learn to boast of your weaknesses not your strengths.   Paul said, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (II Cor 11:30).  He believed his weaknesses showed God’s power. “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (II Cor 12:9). Men, vulnerability makes you believable

Thirdly,  the manager of the Twins sees his leadership not only as  helping players with their skills but also in wanted to make them better persons. Those around you, and especially those who you are responsible for, need you support and encouragement.  I assume most of the men who read this blog, are middle-aged.  You are at the point in your careers when it is time to give back.  You have climbed the tower and had some success.  But your achievements are not only about you.  Who are the persons, with whom you are to pass on what has been imparted to you.   Who has God put in your life to invest in, so that they might become a better persons.

In a recent online survey conducted by Hart Research Associates and covered in the Wall Street Journal, 44 percent of American men said they are finding it “harder to be a man today compared with their father’s generation.”  The most common explanation pointed to the rise of women: “Women attaining a stronger position in the workplace, a stronger position financially, and greater gender equity.”  Nearly a third conceded that as women take greater responsibility outside the home the confidence of American men is eroding.  “While the old mold in male-female relationships has been broken” observes Jeff Horwitt, “it’s clear that the new shape has yet to be set.”

Many of the advances of women has been necessary and favorable in complementing the genders.   The extreme feminist movement is another issue. My concern, however, is how Christian men respond to the new reality.  What will the “new shape” be like? My generation  lived comfortably, with minimal challenges to a patriarchy which privileged men, assuming male authority over women. while expecting their submission.  But not today.  For better or worse, Christian men are being forced to grapple with  their gender identity.  It no longer can be just assumed. It will be a continuing issue when, for example, Facebook provides more than 50 choices for gender identification.  This will only make it more confusing and contentious.

So here is some advise from someone who has struggled with his gender identity as a man.  I have had to repent and change many of my attitudes and behavior towards women. This began in my early 30’s and continues to this day.  Just ask my wife. First and foremost, settle in your heart that your identity as a man is found in God, not how others see you or how you see yourself.  Your personhood is not your creation but a gift granted to you by your heavenly father.  “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).  Let Jesus be the key to your true identity as a man.  Give him all of your broken heart.  “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Ps. 147:3). Secure maleness begins with a healed heart.

Secondly, work out your lifestyle in relation to the contemporary gender roles. Richard Rohr give this warning. “Men’s liberation is….more difficult than women’s liberation.  Women know that they are oppressed and that in itself is the beginning of liberation.” But men have neglect to see their need for liberation from old patterns and habits.  Learn to  celebrate and rejoice in your identity as a man, while being accepting and affirming of women.  There is a complimentary, balanced way of relating to the feminine for each of us.

Thirdly, be intentional about learning the shape of your masculine soul.  For example  I am not as practical and rational. I am more feeling and intuitive then a lot of guys.  I have felt like a “misfit” in the male culture.  But over the years I have come to peace with who I am as man.  I celebrate my strengths, and have worked hard on  my “inferiors.”  “Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us” (Rom 12:3).

One final thought.  Often these blogs are too short to explain what is on my heart.  My three points might not give much clarity.  But if you keep reading or look back at previous blogs, you will sense my passion for helping men to live out of their true masculine soul, while  discovering and embracing the feminine which bring balance to our masculinity.  The masculine out of balance has been the source of much pain in relationships for many years.

In the beginning of his book entitled “Coming Home” (1993), Richard Foster wrote, “Today the heart of God is an open wound of love.  He aches over our distance and preoccupation.  He mourns that we do not draw near to him.  He grieves that we have forgotten him.  He weeps over our obsession with muchness and manyness.  He longs for our presence.  And he is inviting you – and me – to come home, to come home to where we belong, to come home to that for which we were created.”

Men, in the “encroaching darkness” descending on our nation, Jesus is calling us home.  “At that time I will bring you home” (Zeph. 3:20). Our  journey home will be one of walking in the light as we keep our gaze on Jesus. Isaiah exhorts us to “walk in the light of the Lord” (Is 2:5).  Take comfort in God’s promise as we walk in the darkness.  “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth”  (Is. 42:16).  God will not fail us. “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” (Ps 18:28).  From experience, David could  declare, “even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Ps 139:12).  God is in control of both the light and the darkness. “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things” (Is. 45:7).

We all can get caught in the encroaching darkness. “We long for light but sink into darkness, long for brightness, but stumble through the night.  Like the blind, we inch along a wall, groping eyeless in the dark.  We shuffle our way in broad daylight, like the dead, but somehow walking” (Is. 59:9-10).  But gazing upon Jesus helps us focus on the “inner light”, since the light shines in our hearts. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (II Cor. 4:6).

So men, I encourage you in the spiritual posture of always coming home, by keeping your gaze on Jesus, the light. “You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer.  You’re out in the open now.  The bright light of Christ makes your way plain.  So no more stumbling around.  Get on with it!  The good, the right, the true – these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours.  Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it” (Eph. 5: 8-10).  Jesus reminds us that he is the light of the world.  “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Here are a few simple suggestions about coming home to the light.  First, don’t fear the darkness, no matter what.  The light of Jesus is greater.  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5). Secondly, enhance the light by meditating on Scripture.  “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Ps. 119:105)  Thirdly, spend time in quiet gazing upon Jesus, the light. “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (Ps 105:4).  Fourthly, make confession of the darkness in your life. “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (I John 1:8).

I agree with the following comments regarding the recent decision of the Supreme Court to declare same-sex as a constitutional right. ” [It]will have wide-ranging and perilous consequences for the stability of families and for freedom of religion” (Russell Moore).  We are being asked to “walk away from millennia of history and the reality of human nature” (Tony Perkins).  Scripture warns us about losing touch with realiity.  “And so I insist – and God backs me up on this – that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd.  They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore.  Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion” (Eph. 4:17-19).  This is what is happening in America!

So what can a man do?  Let me suggest the prayers of lament or complaint. As I to grapple with the rapidly changing moral climate in culture, I need a means to deal with my frustration that can boil over into anger. The Psalms give me the language of lament.  More then half of the psalms are laments.  “The lament psalms teach us to pray our inner conflicts and contradictions….they give us permission to shake our fist at God one moment and break into doxology  the next” (Foster). One of my favorites is Ps. 13.  It begins with, “How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?”  It ends with. “I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me”. (Other favorites – Ps. 5, 25, 35, 41, 56,  141 and 143)

Here are four way these Psalms can help you.  First, they help you handle your emotion baggage.  God know better then you, what is going on in your soul. So get it up and out.  Don’t let negative emotions take away your peace and confidence during the coming darkness.  The Spirit helps with our inner struggles.  “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Rom 8:26).   Men, God can handle your frustrations, anger, and disappointment.  Get it out through lament.

Secondly, getting your emotions out by means of the Psalms of lament, enables you to sort out those emotions with language borrowed from the Psalmist.   I want to warn you that in the days to come  men will face a very a strong headwind of  anti-Christian bias, that will test our endurance and character.  Jesus warned us, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:12-13).  You will be tested not only mentally but also emotionally.

Thirdly, having identified your emotions in the psalms,  you can pray the Psalm back to God as a prayer.  For example, you can rest in the Lord, knowing that he will content for me. “Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.  Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid” (Ps 35:1-2).  What relief –  God will fight on your behalf against all odds.

Fourthly, and most importantly, you can close on a positive note rather then complaint.  “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life” (Ps.56:13).  I don’t know about you, but I need this promise.  In the midst of the encroaching darkness, I am able to walk in “light of life.”

Dads recently celebrated Father’s Day.  Father’s Day,however,  has lost some of its punch because culture is unsure about “manliness.”  It’s tough being a dad when our manhood is under attack.   Jonathan Last in an article about fatherhood, observed, “….fatherhood is the wellspring of a quality critically important to our culture: manliness”.   One characteristic that unifies the various expressions of manliness is “chivalry,” seen as an act of sacrifice against one’s interest, even risking life itself.  Last suggests, “that manliness is chivalry, and chivalry is the impulse to seek honor by protecting the weak and the innocent.  What you have described is the essence of fatherhood. …Fatherhood isn’t just manliness.  It’s the purest form of the good side of manliness.” I agree!

Fatherhood has suffered because of the poor modeling of manliness in our culture.  Dads living chivalrously can help restore a positive image of manliness.  Dad, you can be a hero. When I was raising three children I thought of my role as being committed and responsible before the Lord, not necessarily chivalrous. The words  of Malachi 4:5-6 were always motivation for me.  “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn to hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”  Turning our hearts to our children, giving them our full attention is chivalrous.  Here’s some suggestions in living out chivalry with your kids.

First, Dad is a servant to his family.  Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:44).  This means that our interest, desires and preferences are secondary to our wife and children.  It was difficult for me at times to surrender my ego needs for the sake of my family.  Manly chivalry is displayed when we sacrifice for our family.

Secondly, Dad is the leader of the family.  He leads his family by example; he initiates.  He is not silent or passive.  Our wives and children appreciate a consistent, faithful walk with the Lord, through the good and bad times.  Dad is practicing chivalry when he is willing to stand up for what is right and points the way consistently by his example.   He sets the spiritual tone for the family by his presence.  When I was not always consistent or present,  I would have to humble myself before my family, admitting that I was being a poor example.

Thirdly, Dad is the protector of his family.  We hear little about spiritually protecting our children.  Men, I can’t tell you how important your heart-felt prayer for your family are in the spiritual realm.  Your family is under attack.  Your prayers are vital for building the walls of spiritual protection for your family.  Picture ministering angels fighting for your family.   Don’t give up crying out to God.  Ask for discernment on how to fight spiritually for your family.

Fourthly Dad is the priest of his family.  Men, let my say with great conviction – “no one can take your place as father”.  Your children have only one father – YOU.  “Fathers, don’t exasperate your children by coming down hard on them.  Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master” (Eph 6:4 – Message).  Your family is a “domestic” church.  You are ordained as priest.  What you model in word and deed has lasting impact on your kids.  Please take this to heart.  God will bless your “leaning” into this role.

Back in 2015, Judy and I attended a memorial service for “Skee” (Lloyd) Green.  Skee had been married to Judy’s cousin, Nancy.  In his early 70’s, he had gotten involved with the church I was pastoring in Remer, MN … even though he had not been active in a faith community up to that point.  Skee started attending every Sunday and came to know the Lord.  It was a joy to watch him grow in his relationship with Jesus.  He was soft-spoken but sincere, so I know that when he talked about his growing faith, it was real.  He was one of my biggest encouragements.

Skee was a fix-it guy.  People would bring him broken parts from mechanical devices of every sort. His specialty was welding and metalforming, although people thought he could fix almost anything.  But Skee would say the one thing he couldn’t fix was “a broken heart.”  When I heard that, I knew I had to write about the broken hearts of men.  A significant part of my journey has been healing my own broken heart – and because I watched my own father die of a broken heart, I feel called to be involved in the healing of men’s hearts, .

Men tend to be fixers. But when it comes to matters of the heart, we cannot find a fix.  Why?  Jeremiah helps us understand: “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out … [But God] gets to the heart of the human.  I get to the root of things.  I treat them as they really are, and not as they pretend to be” (Jer. 17:9-10 – Message).  Our failings and shortcomings separate us from God, others, and ourselves. This brings real pain.  We cannot mend the fragmentation. We pretend to be competent, while living with a broken heart.  We do a lot of pretending to dull the pain.

Only God can fix or heal a broken heart.  The Psalmist tells us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).  “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Ps. 147:3). What God looks for is the surrender (or the sacrifice) of a broken heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:17).  We sacrifice by giving God all the pieces of our broken hearts, trusting him to put them all back together.

Of course, before God can fix a broken heart, we need to first see the problem.  It’s painful, but we have to face reality.  The Psalmist talks of “groaning all day long.”  But then he could say, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 32:5).  He depended on God’s mercy: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy” (Ps. 130:1-2).

Open your heart to the Lord.  Like the Psalmist, be honest: “… I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Ps. 51:3).   He was open as well about his pain: “… My spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed” (Ps. 143:4).  I have found the Jesus Prayer (based on Mark 10:47) helpful as I walk with the Lord in my own process toward healing and wholeness: “Jesus, Son of God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  It is a daily prayer on my own journey of continual transformation (II Cor. 3:17-18; John 3:29-30).

David Brooks, the New York Times writer (yes, the Times), describes his spiritual journey in his new book, “The Road to Character.”  He wrote “to save my own soul,” realizing at midlife that he’d spent too much time cultivating what he called “the resume virtues”- impressive accomplishments – and too little on “the eulogy virtues”-  character strengths. He points out how careers leave many inarticulate in cultivating the inner life, leaving the deepest parts of ourselves unexplored and unstructured because we have lost our moral vocabulary.  It is easy for  us to slip into “a self-satisfied moral mediocrity.” Brooks talks about sin as the tendency to “get our loves out of order.”  He is really articulating aspects of the “wild man journey.”   To put it bluntly – we need to be “soulful men,”  living in a spiritual wasteland.

I profited much from  his discussion of “the Crooked Timber” tradition, which emphasizes our brokenness, with its awareness of and the confrontation with sin. “It was a tradition,” writes Brooks, “that demanded humility in the face of our own limitations….a tradition that held that each of us had the power to confront our own weaknesses, tackle our own sins, and that in the course of this confrontation with ourselves we build character.”  “No external conflict is as consequential,” observes Brooks, “as the inner campaign against our deficiencies.”  In other words, we are in a fight for our souls.

I’m quoting Brooks a lot; but it is good stuff.  Here is more from Brooks. “You have to surrender to something outside yourself to gain strength within yourself.  You have to conquer your desire to get what you crave.  Success leads to the greater failure, which is pride.  Failure leads to the greater success, which is humility and learning.  In order to fulfill yourself, you have to forget yourself.  In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself.”  Brooks sounds like a spiritual director.

Now hear what  Jesus had to say  (Matt. 16:24-26  The Message).  “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.  You’re not in the driver’s seat, I am.  Don’t run from suffering; embrace it.  Follow me and I’ll show you how.  Self-help is no help at all.  Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to find yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose your self?  What could you ever trade our soul for?”  The key to Brooks’ advice is to get out of the driver’s seat and surrender to Jesus.

Men,  join me in the fellowship of “The Crooked Timber.”  Any expression of “a self-satisfied moral mediocrity” will not stand the anti-Christian headwinds that are coming. “Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made (Kant).”  In this fellowship we will fight for the souls of our brothers.   Paul said, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature…what a wretched man I am.  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Rom 7:18 & 24).  But then he could say, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:25).

Brooks touches a real nerve in many of us.  We need to daily face our flawed, broken lives.  Jesus tells us, “Do you want to stand out?  Then step down.  Be a servant.  If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked  out of you.  But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty” (Matt 23:11-12 – Message).  Men who are part of “the Crooked Timber” fellowship are like AA guys – in their brokenness they know they need God.

Russell Moore suggests that we consider America not in a “Post-Christian” era, but rather as having been a “Pre-Christian” nation all along.  That thought might surprise some of you men. He refers to Soren Kierkegaard’s observation  that a nominal, civil form of Christianity is the greatest apostasy, in which pagans live thinking they are Christian.  He called this cultural expression – “Christiandom.”  Kierkegaard argued that the illusion that we are Christians in a Christian nation can be so persistent that, “it looks indeed as if introducing Christianity amounts to taking Christianity away.”  But this is what must happen for the illusion to be debunked.

Ezekiel prophesied about whitewashed walls falling. “I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundations will be laid bare” (Ezk 13:14).  Could the whitewashed wall of “Christiandom” be falling?  Isaiah prophesied a sudden collapse of the walls. “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant” (Is.30:12).  Could it be that we will see a collapse of “Christiandom,” during which true Christianity will thrive under persecution. “The Book of Acts,” notes Moore, “like the Gospels before it, shows us that Christianity thrives when it is, as Kierkegaard put it, a sign of contradiction.”

I write today to warn men of the collapse of nominal civil religion (Christiandom). The latest Pew survey makes this clear. The days of easy believism are over. Yes, we are going to have to resist the cultural headwinds in the days to come.  But my concern for myself and men who are committed to Jesus is that we do not become rigid, unloving and inflexible in our disposition.  Peter writing to Christian exiles exhorting them to, “be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (I Peter 3:8).  Later he reminds them, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect” (I Peter 3:15).  It is how we resist that is vital.

Willpower, determination and effort alone will not help us confront the  Christ-denying, cultural headwinds that are coming.  Willfulness is a focus on how we are doing, not what God is doing through us.  It breeds a grasping, clutching spirit, making us rigid and intolerant.  We will be more against then for. There is little evidence of compassion and love.  Let me stress this point – what will be needed are hearts that have been softened by  surrendering to the love of God.  I pray that God will raise up a whole new generation of men, who have meet God in vulnerability and surrender, thus having hearts softened by the love of God.  These will be men who are both “tough and tender,” having strength to stand, but also  able to act with humility and compassion.

Jesus is our example.  He was both compassionate and yet strong in opposing, especially  the “religious spirit” of his day.  Open your heart to Jesus and keep your spiritual gaze on him.  Learn from Jesus how to live freely and lightly.  “Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” ( Matt 11:28-9 – Message)