Had the honor of being invited to be the keynote guest of the 2014 Great Men’s Adventure Weekend founded by Russell Shiebler. Russ is a brother in Christ with a passion for missions and equipping men to discover what it means to be a Christian man in this generation.
Our journey began with a majestic ride to northern New Hampshire, deep off the beaten path where technology simply doesn’t work. Yes, a place where cell phone coverage and Internet access have yet to invade.
The purpose for the weekend was to provide a place where men can come together in a non-threatening environment to discover their true nature and the way God created them as uniquely masculine beings. A place to discover their authentic manhood in Jesus Christ. The weekend included man food, shooting events, horseshoe tournaments, fishing, whacking some golf balls, movie night, fellowship and a deepening bond of brotherhood. As Russ shared, “Come prepared for life changing stuff. Come with an open heart and prepare to do some surgery.”
The men, young and old, were just awesome and yes…I did get to share some Hearstone Journey thoughts with the men individually and for fellowship on Sunday morning.
I want to share a bit more about the movie choice for the event. Saturday night we setup a huge outdoor movie screen that was hung between two trees and our band of brothers watched Lone Survivor. This screen would rival most theaters…it was awesome!
In Lone Survivor, Mark Wahlberg plays the role of real life Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell. The mission is for his team to capture or kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. The turning point of the movie is when Marcus and his team makes the difficult and ethical choice of letting an old man and two younger men go, knowing that this decision may lead to heavy sacrifices. Sacrifices that end up telling the story of one of the most valiant efforts of modern warfare many have seen.
The movie is marked by an array of virtues that should humble any viewer, however for me, the theme of brotherhood jumped off of the screen.
Here are some thoughts that I took away from the weekend with this band of brothers.
Lone Survivor opens with a glimpse of the intense training needed to join this elite team of men. What tugged on my heart was most men don’t exhibit anything close to the endurance and perseverance these men face and overcome. Where is the passion for our families, our dreams, and the Great Commission?
Jesus Christ, our Commander-In-Chief is calling us into the Great Commission. It’s a battle that must be waged to the very end. A battle to be fought with our band of brothers at our side, because we can’t do it alone!
Can you imagine what this world would look like today if we had a fraction of the resolve these men had on the battlefields of life, of family or fill in the blank _______? A core piece of brotherhood which has been eroded and laughed at in today’s culture is the deep relationships of these men. We see it with Samwise and Frodo, with William Wallace’s inner circle, with King David and Jonathan – with Jesus and His disciples. I’m not talking about emasculating men, I am referring to men who truly care about one another and are willing to invest and risk their lives for one another for the greater good. We need brotherhood and we need men to come alive! John Eldredge captures this when he shares, don’t ask yourself[men] what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is men who have come alive.
For me, Lone Survivor is a call to brotherhood and a reminder of the virtues we’re called to “live out” as authentic men of Jesus Christ. Outside of a Christ world view these virtues are not considered noble or practical, but are what’s needed in this world today. Jesus is inviting us to hold on tight to these virtues and to place them above our own self-preservation and Lone Survivor stunningly models out that life is about far more than mere survival. It’s about never letting life knock you down, it’s about not letting the enemy take you out, it’s about staying in the fight with your brothers until the very end.
Despite the changing tide of this messed up worldly culture today, have you noticed that men are curious and are asking what it really takes to follow Jesus Christ?
The call of Christ is in our God given DNA, but we need authentic men of God to model it out in daily life! God is looking for “sold out” courageous men who will join His cause and be instruments of advancing His Kingdom. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we read, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
It takes courage to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It takes courage to be an authentic man of God. People will harass you and make fun of you. You may even be physically harmed. Some have lost their lives because they believed in Jesus. In our culture today, it takes courage to make your stand for Christ, for your families and for being an authentic man of God.
I encourage you not to concern yourself with what others think about taking a stand for Christ, because they rarely concern themselves about what you think. If you are cowardly and won’t stand up for Jesus, or lead your families or step into your authentic manhood given to you in Christ Jesus then you compromise your value system. You won’t have any absolutes.
I leave you with this call from William Gurnall and the creed of The Great Men’s Adventure:
“As part of Christ’s army, you march in the ranks of gallant spirits. Every one of your fellow soldiers is the child of a King. Some, like you, are in the midst of the battle, besieged on every side by affliction and temptation. Others, after many assaults, repulses, and rallyings of their faith, are already standing upon the wall of heaven as conquerors. From there they look down and urge you, their comrades on earth, to march up the hill after them. This is their cry: “Fight to the death and the city is your own, as now it is ours! For the waging of a few days’ conflict, you will be rewarded with heaven’s glory. One moment of this celestial joy will dry up all your tears, heal all your wounds, and erase the sharpness of the fight with the joy of your permanent victory.”
Will you answer the call of Jesus Christ?
Will you step into brotherhood with men?
Will you become a valiant and courageous soldier?
Strength and honor!
