Live courageously from your heart!
Just when you thought the brutality of ISIS couldn’t get any worse, I came across a story in the New York Post, “Woman stoned to death by ISIS militants and her own father” in my social media news feed. We have witnessed the untold horrors of innocent people being beheaded by ISIS militants and now we read about a woman being stoned to death for accusations of adultery. Whats worse is her father is one of the executioners.
Here is a excerpt from that story.
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.
I love Luke’s telling of the story of the meet up with Jesus and Peter. As we step into the scene down by the Sea of Galilee, we find Jesus preaching in a boat and a band of fishermen tending to their nets. After a long night of fishing these guys’ were cleaning, stretching, drying, rolling up and storing their nets to get ready for another go round. While they were tending to their nets, removing the seaweed and other goodies dredged up from the water, they were listening to what Jesus had to say.
Standing in the boat belonging to Simon (Peter), Jesus asks him to put out a little from the land. Jesus continues teaching.
Peter is working and listening, working and listening.
When Jesus stops speaking, He said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus basically says, “Hey Peter, let’s go fishing!”
How do you respond to a question like that?
Our lives are so busy and fast-paced that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. Is your life crazy busy? Is your schedule jam packed?
I recently listened to a series by Andy Stanley called “Breathing Room” and wow could I relate. Not having breathing room in my life almost cost me everything.
I was addicted to a high paced lifestyle. I always looked for my value, my self-worth, and my identity with position and success — selling my soul to my work.
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I had the honor of being a guest on Purposeful Pathways Radio with Caroline Gavin; Christian business coach, speaker, author and radio host. Join our conversation as we walk through places in my book Heartstone: A Journey Out of the Midnight of My Soul and some things I learned from life’s struggles.
Join me as I share my journey in Jesus…and how to live courageously from the heart!
