Marriage and Men

The sermon, "Marriage and Men," by Mark Driscoll, should be required listening for any Man who wants to be a follower of Christ, or is a follower of Christ!

OK, maybe "required" is a bit much, but not by far. If you haven't heard it yet, you must. If your a husband, or have a husband, if your a son, or have a son, if your a man, or want to be a man (whatever that means), you need to listen to this sermon.

Ladies, who read my wife's blog, listen to this sermon and then make your husband listen to it. You won't regret it!

Click here for the link to the sermon!

Are American Christians Committed to the Church?

In my last post, "Growing On Your Own," my good friend, Kevin, raised an interesting point with this comment:

"Statistically, many Americans already believe they don't need the church in order to be spiritually growing people. And that's the problem. The church doesn't fit into the growth plan of most people who want to be spiritual."

I'd like to know what you think about this. Do you want to be spiritual? And if so, does the church fit into this desire?

Do you think "most" people who want to be spiritual think they can accomplish this without the church? And a bigger question is, "Can this be accomplished without the church?"

Look forward to hearing what you think about this issue! And gentlemen, (or ladies), don't hold back!

And for those who live outside the US, I'm curious about how committed you see the Christians in your country are toward the church?

Growing On Your Own

If you left your church, for whatever reason, would you keep growing in your walk with Christ?

If your church shut-down, split, went belly up, etc., would you keep growing in your walk with Christ?

If you moved, got transferred, enlisted in the service, or found yourself alone in life, would you keep growing in your walk with Christ?

If your "fellowship" ended on your last day at your old church, would you keep growing in your walk with Christ?

Sometimes the walk of a Christian calls us to keep growing on our own. You may not always find yourself surrounded by other Christian Men, but the biblical injunction to keep growing still applies.

The Martyrs of near and distant lands often went to their deaths alone, with not a sole to comfort them, except for their Christ. He is sufficient. He is all we need. He is the gospel, and the gospel is what we stand in, are saved by, and propels us forward in the face of adversity. The battle for the kingdom summons you to bear arms, you must continue to fight for the heart of your King even if you look around and it's just you on the battlefield. Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing what is right in the face of adversity. Are you courageous-- are you a warrior your Christ can count on-- or do you shrivel and cower when the arrows of life and your enemy start flying?

As I write this, I'm listening to "Beautiful Day" by U2, and it's helping me think about the fact that everyday is a beautiful day that is walked with the precious Lord Jesus Christ. He gave all in the face of opposition. He shed His blood when His orders called Him to. He is our great God and King and is calling all His mighty Men to do battle in the arena of life. Can you hear the trumpet? Can you hear the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah? Will you show up for battle?

I hate hearing of Men who once walked with Christ, but now, because they're not "in church" anymore, have lost their way and turned their backs on Christ. What was the church to them? A nursery? A playground? Or was it what it's suppose to be, a training center, equipping Men to go into battle ready to deal the enemy a death blow every chance he got. Equipping Men to keep growing in their walks with Christ when they're on their own. Ready to lead his family with courage, to disciple his children with diligence, and to love his wife with unwavering devotion!

I'm a church guy. I believe Christ shed His blood for her. I believe whenever possible, Men should be servants in a local assembly, contributing to the prosperity of that church, helping her reach her community. If you're in a healthy, missional, gospel centered local assembly consider yourself blessed. Unfortunately, not all are. Not all have found what the scriptures call churches to be, and my point isn't to blame churches, but to call Men. To call Men to keep growing when everything in you is beckoning you to stop walking with Christ.

If you have stopped walking with the Lord because your "on your own," imagine where we'd be if Christ had done the same...

When Rockers Repent...

Read an article the other day about how Reginald Arvizu, better known as 'Fieldy' from the band Korn, had found God and repented of his past behavior and sins to his fellow band members. Fieldy is the second member of Korn to become a Christian. The first was Brian 'Head' Welch. You can read about his conversion here.

If Fieldy's repentance is real, and from what I've read it seems to be, I say Amen! Imagine the impact someone with his connections could have on the music industry. Think of the witnessing opportunities he could have within the crowd he runs with.

In the article cited, he said his Dad, a born-again Christian, had only one with on his death bed, and that was for his son to find God. And according to the facts, he was born-again the night his father passed away.

I'm sure you could point to things in his life, or Welch's, that may provoke some thought of "That isn't right." But be careful, because they might do the same to you. These guys coming to Christ from the industry they're in reminds me of the passage in Mark 2 when Jesus was having lunch with the "sinners and tax collectors," and told the Pharisee's, who hated to see him with such dregs of society, that he came not to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners. And according to scripture, these guys are 'sinners,' and me too!

Other notables who've gotten saved, according to their testimony and not my opinion, are: Deion Sanders, MC Hammer, RUN (of RUN DMC), Bono, and I'm sure you can name some.

My hope is that we see and hear about more stories of repentance and faith in Chirst as the years go on within the music industry, sports industry, hollywood, etc. These industries may be hard to conquer, but the gospel is powerful. Jesus said; "I will build my kingdom, and not even the gates of hell will prevail." If they're called, they'll get saved. Glory to God!

¹⁵ Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) ¹⁶ But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” - Mark 2: 15-17

Contemplative Quote...

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God.
It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness,
Nourishment of mind by His truth,
Purifying of imagination by His beauty,
Opening of the heart to His love,
And submission of will to his purpose.
And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable.” - William Temple