Christian Man: Courage

From the 2011 movie, Courageous.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

In the above clip, the importance of strong Christian fathers is emphasized.  Of course, there are strong Christian men...firefighters, police officers, teachers, and businessmen..who are not biological dads, but they are fathers.  

Jesus himself was not the Father, but millions of people have seen the Father's love reflected in Him. This is also what it means to be a Christian man; to show the love of the Father to others.  After all, we know through Jesus, the love of a God who would die for us.  It is on the Cross that Jesus not only revealed the Love of the Father, but the courage required to follow Him.  

Somebody once said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to face it. Because sometimes we are afraid. We are afraid to make that presentation at work or lead worship at church. We are afraid we might fail at a new job or in caring for a loved one who is sick. We are afraid that we might not be able to finish our degree or be strong enough to ask for forgiveness and a new start.

But we face our fears, because the Lord is with us wherever we go.

In addition to facing our fears, being a Christian man means that we have the courage to invest in something other then our careers and our hobbies...which aren't bad, by the way. A beautiful lawn; a shiny car; a job promotion; a perfectly grilled steak, all are good things, but eventually we realize that these things are never enough.  There is always something more to have or more to experience. And if these things are everything, then we always seem to be lacking something. The world is a tempter that eventually requires that we sacrifice the very things that God has called us to sacrifice for.  

So we must stop. 

We must stop pursuing things and start becoming present in our homes and start being faithful in our marriages. We must stop giving into fear and start taking responsibility for spiritual leadership among friends and coworkers and family members and start getting involved in ministry to people even if we don't know them that well or seem to have that much in common.  

And these things take courage.

And they certainly aren't what the culture, especially other men, expect.  Many men don't think it is something that they even want. But it's time for Christian men to have the courage to live differently and for different reasons; to have the courage to answer to God first, even if it is scary; and to remember the commandment to be strong and courageous.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.

The Christian Man: Humility

A chess movement is afoot in Franklin, Mississippi.
"Father, glorify Thy name." (Jesus)

John 12:28

It is a rare quality among men these days; humility.  But even so, we know it when we see it.

Take the example of Franklin, Mississippi. Some of you may have seen the recent special on 60 Minutes.  It is a small, rural town and, up to a year and a half ago, many of the children had never seen a chess board. Most had never played a game of chess before in their lives.  Then, Jeff Burlington from Memphis showed up. He taught chess to the school children. They loved it. They were very good at it. Now, Franklin, Mississippi has a state champion chess trophy for their trophy case and a new confidence in what they can accomplish in life.

It is an amazing transformation to witness, but there's even more going on that can't be seen.

Behind the scenes, we are told, there is an "anonymous benefector" that has hired Dr. Burlington to teach chess to these rural kids.  I wonder about that individual...seeing all this happen...hearing the reports...rejoicing in the success and celebrating the excitement.  And no one knows who it is! At least, no one who watches 60 Minutes. 

Maybe this mysterious benefactor is so fascinating because it is a such a rare quality these days among Christian  men; humility.  We see lots of hubris.  We strut for attention. We hoard our toys and hide our treasure.  And instead of celebrating the success of others, there is a desire to be more successful than they are.

But Jesus was different. He didn't pursue the accolades of His admirers. His miracles were never about Him.  And, in the end,  He desired that His greatest glory be given to His heavenly Father.

Therefore, the question for us, as Christian men, is not how many people notice us, or work for us, or recognize our work...but, how much of what we do can be a gift to others?  To begin, maybe we should just stop; stop striving to impress our neighbors and start celebrating with them; stop seeking the applause of strangers and start glorifying the Father.

It couldn't hurt. Who knows, we too might change lives; maybe it's the lives of our spouses or our children. Maybe it's our very own Franklin.    Maybe it's the world.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being