Tim Young's Blog, page 4

Why Mentorship Is A Solution To A Fatherless Generation

I believe one of the most valuable tools a man can possess in walking out this adventure called life is a mentor.

Have you sought out a mentor to help you navigate your personal and professional spheres? Maybe you found your mentor at church, in a professional setting, during your first job search or perhaps it was when you transitioned careers. Either way — your mentor was that valuable compass that most likely provided much needed guidance helping you overcome challenges and life’s obstacles. And if you’re fortunate to link up with a solid mentor, they inspired you along the way.

I’ve been blessed to have had a handful of mentors that took the time to walk with me on my journey. Not seeing the value of a mentor early on in life, I wish I better understood that having someone older and wiser than me speaking into my life would have saved me from many pitfalls. Definitely would have helped me navigate the road of life better too.

I can count my life mentors on one hand and my most recent mentor helped me through some of the toughest trials of my life. He helped me walk out of some really tough circumstances, he helped me get my book out there and is always available to walk with me as a life coach if needed. Entering into a place of accountability with someone who you trust, who can share life experiences with and provide the much needed wisdom to navigate it — is invaluable.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
—William Arthur Ward

Pause for a moment and consider your own need for a mentor at this place in your life. Many people I talk to, convince themselves that they can navigate life in their own strength and it’s sad to watch them stumble and fall. I’m not saying that a mentor will prevent all stumbling in your life, but they will definitely help you avoid some landmines along the way if you listen to them. I recommend mentors for men and women, but I’m speaking to the guys here because many boys have had fathers who were not involved or just absent. A boy without a compass is like an explorer without a map!

Consider the following story.

When elephants overcrowded South Africa’s Kruger National Park, the government authorized the killing of adult elephants and relocating their children to other parks. As the orphaned male elephants reached the age of their teenager years, they had no point of reference about what “normal” behavior looked like. Entering this phase of life their testosterone levels spiked and these misguided males became extremely aggressive. In one park alone they savagely killed rhinos for no apparent reason.

A park ranger watched as one elephant knocked over a rhino, trampled it, then drove a tusk through its chest. The situation quickly became out of control! Scrambling to figure out a solution to this issue, the rangers decided to see what would happen if they introduced adult bull elephants into one of the parks. In a short period of time something amazing happened; the influence of the bull elephants started to kick in and they began to mentor the younger bulls in what normal behavior looked like. Since the introduction of the bull elephants no more rhinos have been killed.

Yeah I know elephants play the lead role in this example, but you don’t have to look too far to make the connection of what happens when boys/men don’t get mentored in this growing fatherless generation. The “new normal” seems to be boys-becoming-men is a process that is completely void of any guidance from a father or father figure and it’s out of control. A significant number of fatherless children, especially boys, look to gangs or follow other peer cultures that contradict traditional family values. Unfortunately, the violence among this demographic is off the charts.

Without the presence of a mentor, young men will instinctively search for guidance from someone who represents a perceived “strong leadership” role. The sad narrative here is that too frequently, these young men will find the guidance they desperately need in street gangs. The violent culture of gangs builds its membership by feeding off of young fatherless victims. Without the guiding compass of a father or father figure a young man can’t become what they can’t see modeled out.

The U.S. is becoming an increasingly fatherless society. A generation ago, an American child could reasonably expect to grow up with his or her father. Today an American child can reasonably expect not to. Fatherlessness is now approaching a rough parity with fatherhood as a defining feature of American childhood.
—David Blankenhorn

Too many young men today are growing up trying to figure out how to become an authentic (and Godly) man and failing miserably. Who will take responsibility for these men, to mentor them in the ways of manhood? Moms play a big part, but moms can only go so far with this. It takes a man to teach a man how to become a man. The way that we respond to our woodshed moments in life will not only define our leadership, but in many ways it will define the culture, and effectiveness, of our family and others that we lead.

Throughout the course of my leadership journey, I have learned that one of the most important gifts that I have been given is a tight tribe of trusted people who will push me when I need to be pushed…even when I don’t like it. This means when I say something stupid, do something unwise, avoid making decisions, or in a funk, they gracefully press me on it.

Here are some nuggets I’ve picked up from mentors who’ve come alongside me through the years:

The truth about who God is, to fear Him and know His character.

The best measure of what a man can do is what a man has done (legacy).

Making bad decisions helps you learn to make good decisions.

How to handle adversity and suffering.

Once the facts are clear, usually the right decision jumps out at you.

Communication is not what is said but what is heard.

The danger of pride, arrogance, a self-focused heart, and the importance of maintaining a teachable heart.

Every man needs margin in his calendar for the unexpected at work and at home.

No amount of success at work will compensate for failure at home.

Life skills — such as dealing with debt, schedule, priorities, ethics at work, and other issues.

Lifelong male friendships are challenging, but every man needs a friend who can speak truth into his life.

A man needs to be accountable to another man (iron sharpens iron).

Men need to have a clearly defined purpose.

Praying with his wife is the most powerful thing a husband can do every day.

How to spiritually lead your family.

Every man is leaving a legacy, so why not be intentional about the legacy you leave.

A life lived without God, the Scriptures, and complete daily surrender to Jesus Christ is a wasted life.

Today’s culture is giving us a false picture of what authentic manhood looks like, so here’s the deal men. There are all kinds of younger guys journeying on this trail of life trying to figure out what it takes to be a man. Unfortunately they’re tuning into social media, TV, movies and going on the internet to find out what that looks like to be a man…some of the worst places to learn this.

What these younger men need is an older man who’s got skin in the game, who is speaking the truth, living the truth, sharing life from his failures, his successes, and being authentic and honest with him and just growing with him through life.

Oh and remember you to have a heart for people because mentoring requires relationship. Anyone can teach principles, but only a mentor is willing to make an investment in peoples’ lives.

Are you ready to change someone’s life?

Base image credit: Adventure – Pixaby. Free for commercial use.

                  

My Thoughts On Our Divided Nation

Post Presidential election, America is still a very divided nation where people — not happy — with the results of the election have resorted to violent protests. The lives of people living in these areas have been turned upside down, police officers are being threatened, protestors have been shot, many others have been arrested and property is being   

America Has Spoken, Now Let The Healing Begin!

America has spoken by choosing a new direction and different leadership…so hopefully we can set aside our differences and pray for President-Elect Donald Trump. I also pray that the Lord will give him the wisdom and courage to do what is truly right for America.

This election has been long, tough, very divisive and it’s time to put all that behind us. The tough reality, as a deeply divided nation, no matter who won there was going to be disappointment and anger. Hopefully we can shake off the dust, beat our partisan swords into peacemaking plowshares, shape our verbal spears into loving pruning hooks…and come together as Americans.

Some takeaways I wanted to highlight:

Washington and the media are completely out of touch with the pulse of many Americans.
“Hope and change” does not mean the same thing for all Americans.
We are still a deeply divided country and hope healing can happen.
Polls are completely bogus!
God allowed this to happen for His purposes.
So glad the political mailers will stop filling up my mailbox!



Pit race against race, religion against religion, prejudice against prejudice. Divide and conquer! We must not let that happen here.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Remember what Psalms 131:3 tells us: Put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore!

Interesting times ahead and may God Bless and help America!

                  

Worship In The Midst Of A Secular Culture

Worship In The Midst Of A Secular Culture

Matt Redman singing his worship song “10,000 Reasons” live in Times Square, New York. The advertisements in the background are flashing, promoting different products and services, while the crowd sings praises to God.

During a time of such global turmoil in a growing secular culture…it’s just awesome that worship to the one true living God can happen in such a place? as Times Square!

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14

                  

Where Is The Courage Of Patrick Henry Today?

America is at a crossroads and I love to review history to get inspired from brave men and women who helped shape that history.

Recently I came across that famous speech from Patrick Henry which I’m sure you’ve heard, at least in title, called “Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death”.

Lets cover a bit of background first. The Second Virginia Convention convened in Richmond, Virginia – in what is now called St. John’s Church – instead of the Capitol in Williamsburg. Delegate Patrick Henry presented resolutions to raise a militia, and to put Virginia in a posture of defense. Henry’s speech was a call to arms but it also just shouts a spirit of courage. His words remind us that a just freedom can be held securely only by those who are willing to risk everything to preserve it. He urged his fellow Virginians to rise up uttering the timeless words: “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Courage is the virtue that faces death for a good cause!
—Aristotle

I’m not sharing these thoughts as a “call to arms”, but as a call to rise up against tyranny and evil! There is a passion for freedom and a deep conviction found in the words of Patrick Henry, which is not found in many people today. Today, in this post modern culture, freedoms are being eroded from every front and his message is an important reminder for us shake this apathetic generation. We need courage and faith to resist evil wherever it is and rise up against it!

Here are Patrick Henry’s powerful words spoken March 23, 1775 at St. John’s Henrico Parish Church in Richmond…be inspired!

MR. PRESIDENT: No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves, and the House? Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask, gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free² if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending²if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Speech source: Source: Wirt, William. Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry . (Philadelphia) 1836, as reproduced in The World’s Great Speeches, Lewis Copeland and Lawrence W. Lamm, eds., (New York) 1973.

Image credit: “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Patrick Henry delivering his great speech on the rights of the colonies, before the Virginia Assembly, convened at Richmond, March 23rd 1775, concluding with the above sentiment, which became the war cry of the revolution. via Wikepedia. Labeled For Reuse.

                  

How A Stump Can Man You Up

Life is a journey. At times everything can be going great and life’s good, but often there are times when life gives you a solid throat punch! In tough times we can often feel alone and without any sort of compass to guide us. The boy in the legend below is symbolic of you, of me, and what he discovers is an important reminder for all of us on our road to manhood.

There is rite-of-passage into adulthood story for a Cherokee Indian boy where his father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him, and leaves him alone. To pass the test, the boy is required to sit on a stump (or log) all night and not remove the blindfold until the morning sun shines through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone. If he survives the night, he is a man. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each youngster must come into manhood on his own.

Obviously, the boy is terrified. Being in the dark and blindfolded, his mind plays tricks on him. As the wind blows the grass and trees, he hears all kinds of noises. He thinks wild animals must surely be all around him. But he must sit still, no matter what, and never remove the blindfold. This is the only way he can become a man.

Finally, after a fearful night, the sun appears and he can remove his blindfold. Then…he discovers his father sitting next to him. Without the boy knowing, his father has been there the entire night, protecting him from anything that might cause harm.

An acorn is not an oak tree when it is sprouted. It must go through long summers and fierce winters, and endure all that frost, and snow, and thunder, and storms, and side-striking winds can bring, before it is a full grown oak. So a man is not a man when he is created; he is only begun. His manhood must come with years. He who goes through life prosperous, and comes to his grave without a wrinkle, is not half a man. Difficulties are God’s errands and trainers, and only through them can one come to fullness of manhood.
-Henry Ward Beecher

Whether it’s true or not, or perhaps urban legend…it’s still a cool story and it has a very good lesson for all of us. Even though the Cherokee youth couldn’t see his father sitting next to him, his father was indeed there, ready to fight for his son. We, too, have our heavenly Father with us all the time. When we step into the adventure of following Jesus Christ we have to always remember that we are never truly alone!

Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed: for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9 (WEB)

…He (God) Himself has said, “I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. (I will) not…in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let (you) down (relax My hold on you). Assuredly not!” -Hebrews 13:5b (AMP)

We too, are never alone, not matter how frightening our circumstances appear to be. Even when it doesn’t feel like it…God is watching over us, always protecting us and sitting on the stump right there beside us. When we’re afraid and feel alone, all we have to do is reach out to Him. He may not always give us the answer we want, but He is always present!

Men, we have to be intentional when it comes to stepping into our authentic manhood in Jesus Christ. There’s way too much life turbulence out there to just get by. We will fail or under deliver — as a husband or a dad if we don’t have a compass or some guideposts. If your life is to have purpose, then you must live it courageously from your heart men!

As Henry Ward Beecher so eloquently captures – difficulties are God’s errands and trainers, and only through them can one come to fullness of manhood. Are you ready to walk into the turbulence of life, face the night on that stump and trust that God will bring you through it all?

Base image credit: Stump – Pixaby. Free for commercial use.

                  

All Hands On Deck…Man Overboard!

The war on masculinity continues…

CoverGirl just hired its first cover boy, James Charles, a 17-year-old who just became the brand’s first “male” ambassador. The announcement was tweeted over social media introducing James as a “makeup artist, boundary breaker, and the newest CoverGirl with hashtag #COVERGIRLJames.

Instead of society hitting the pause button and shouting out, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!!!”…it’s applauding the cosmetics giant CoverGirl for hiring makeup artist James Charles as its new “cover boy”. Our “progressive modern” culture shouts out through a megaphone that men are barbaric dumb oppressors of women. This culture is also empowering women to be independent in the workplace and at home without the need for men at all. Because men are becoming more passive to their God given roles and giving into societal narratives, it’s having devastating effects on boys — men are left searching for their place in society and boys don’t know where to turn.

I don’t see this as “boundary breaking” at all. There are so many thoughts swirling around in my head right now, but I want unpack some of them as I feel they are very important in the conversation of today’s culture.

One has to wonder, are we still making men?

Well, according to our daily dose from the main stream media, TV/movies, colleges and talking heads such as New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd…who quipped “men are so last century” during the – doesn’t seem like it.

Growing up in the 80’s, people generally understood what “being a man” was supposed to be and society expected boys to become one. I (and many others) take a more traditional perspective on what a man is: someone who takes responsibility for others; such as his family, his community and his country and himself. A man stands for ideals and values higher than himself and conducts himself with integrity. Oh, and doesn’t wear makeup and dresses.

Do I get angry when I see a boy on the cover of CoverGirl? I do, but it makes me more sad than anything. I don’t know why we are so confused about this when God puts solid ground beneath our feet on the matter. For example, Mark 10:6 states “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female!” Society as a whole seems to have lost the idea that boys are supposed to grow up to become men.

Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, shares this: “The spirit of the age tells us that gender is nothing more than a social construct — a set of behavioral patterns and tendencies that we absorb from our culture and upbringing. In this way of thinking, gender norms are arbitrary and fluid. Thus to raise a little boy to be a little boy can be cruel and abusive if that little boy wishes to behave like a girl. Gender is a choose-your-own-adventure story, and the parent’s job is to get out of the way and let it happen….In the biblical view, every single person is created in the image of God. God did not make us into undifferentiated genderless automatons.”

Here are some of my thoughts.

1) There is a serious vacancy of adult males raising boys than ever before. Too many boys these days are not raised by their father and don’t have a solid male role model to teach them how to become a man. There is a fatherlessness epidemic.

2) Masculinity and femininity, as intended from God’s original design, have been put on the endangered list. Because of the rise of feminism, feminist teach that male and female are essentially the same and an untold number of boys are being raised as if they are no different than girls. Don’t take my word on the matter…just Google it. Society is banning masculine toys such as trucks, play guns and toy soldiers, and male forms of play like good ole roughhousing. Most schools won’t even let boys play dodge ball during gym for risk of being hurt. Not suggesting that playing with trucks, toy guns/soldiers defines you as a boy…just examples of the war on masculinity.

3) The “distinctive roles” of men is quickly fading into the sunset and going the way of the dodo bird. Men thrive in an environment where they are relied upon and they feel most needed when they do something uniquely different from women. We see this playing out in the military, sports and in schools were masculine pronouns are becoming neutered.

4) The new “cultural norm” of society is oriented more on a “rights” centered perspective versus a “responsibility” centered perspective. Mixed in with society’s constant emphasis on material possessions and self…this “rights” centered” perspective cripples a boy on his journey into manhood. Responsibility is at the core of men! John Eldredge points this out so eloquently, “A man must have a battle to fight, a great mission to his life that involves and yet transcends even home and family. He must have a cause to which he is devoted even unto death, for this is written into the fabric of his being.”

I could keep going, but you get the idea.

During the last few decades our culture has redefined the meaning and responsibilities of men and women in society and in the home. Many men have become emasculated, confused and insecure. With this new narrative taking a firm grip on society, men don’t know how to step up and lead the home anymore. Growing up, most men lacked a good role model for leadership at home and don’t have a clue of what it means to lead a family.

I’m sure this article is starting to bother some and I am ready to be called everything under sun, but let me be clear that this world is searching for authentic men and I refuse to let anyone take my man card or trample on authentic manhood!

So, how do we respond to this?

As I shared in a my article on Bruce Jenner…if the love of God is not for these confused boys, it is for no one. As followers of Jesus Christ, making fun of, mocking or insulting them does not make room for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. These responses are not characteristic of Jesus Christ and shouldn’t be characteristic of those who follow Him! Remember, we don’t have to fully understand or condone someone’s choice to love them.

We need to stand for God’s good and original design as Jesus makes clear in Mark 10:6, “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.” Our lives are part of God’s creative act, not some self-willed post modern cultural labels of society.

We need to step up and become men (of course this is a call for men), because the world is craving for authentic men and our families desperately need leadership in the home. Men, they are looking for you to step up and man up! …and just to be clear, this is not a call to be macho or a lunk head. It’s a call for men to be strengthened in their inner core, in their souls, in their character, in their integrity and in their fidelity to the truth of the Living God.

When boys don’t become men, women take on their roles…and the ones I talk to are not happy doing this. This societal vacuum is creating a vicious cycle — men stop being men; women become “man-like”; men retreat further from their role as a man; and women get more disenfranchised. The hard truth is…women make lousy men and men make lousy women. The sooner everyone figures this out, the better off society will be.

Image credit: Helicopter Coast Guard- Pixaby. Free for commercial use.

                  

Why God Uses Symbols To Communicate To Us

When we begin to explore God’s word, it doesn’t take too long to discover that God uses tangible symbols as a way of communicating to us. Often God’s people are instructed to make use of symbols to help them understand or remember what God is teaching them. Some examples of symbols include

the rainbow as the sign of God’s covenant to us that He will never again destroy the earth by a flood (Genesis 9:13),
the placement of the twelve stones in the River Jordan to remind the Israelites of the crossing God had provided for them “as a sign” and “memorial” (Joshua 4:3-7),
the star of Bethlehem to signify the birth of Christ (Matthew 2:2),
the dove to signify the Spirit’s presence at Jesus’ baptism (John 1:32),
water to signify one’s commitment to Christ at baptism (Romans 6:4),
bread and wine to signify Jesus’ body and blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-26),
the symbol of a lamb to represent Jesus Christ (John 1:29), and
my heartstone (Joshua 24:27 NLT).

Also, we still use symbols today to communicate important moments of significance such as wedding rings, birthday cakes, birth stones, and red roses. They are used today as a natural way of communicating significant meaning. There are also many references to the symbolism of stones in the bible, but here are some that I have collected that have significance for me.

Stones were widely used as building materials to build walls:

The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. It had taken fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work.—Nehemiah 6:15, 16 (MSG)

Jesus Christ is our “Cornerstone”:

Jesus said, “Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles: The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone. This is God’s work; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it! “This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed. —Matthew 21:42-44 (MSG)

Stones were used as weapons for protection.

…

My heart of hardened stone finally fractured along its four chambers because of an overexposure to the “truth” and an under response to the Truth. With tears running down my face, I would hold out the four fractured pieces of stone in the darkness of my hand up into the cold air of that desolate mountaintop as an offering to the Lord—the symbolic pieces of my broken heart.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. —Psalms 51:17 (KJV)

“Lord, help me with all these regrets I am carrying! Take these pieces of stone, the scattered pieces of who I am, as the sacrifice of my broken heart and make me whole! I want to get well!”

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh. —Ezekiel 11:19 (KJV)

Heaven collided with Earth as the fabric of time unstitched itself and stood still as He gently blanketed me with a covering of peace. Burdened with all the garbage I collected and carried with me over the years, such as rejection, betrayal, and shame, I couldn’t grasp how He could love me so much and why He came to me, but I am so glad He did. I allowed the Lord to break through and invade my life as I soaked in the stillness of His awesome presence on the mountaintop. This was the place where my sorrow collided with the joy of His grace! It was awesome being here with Him, and I wanted to stay longer, but He revealed in my heart that the necessary growth could only take place in the valleys of life and not here on the mountaintop. With a renewed strength, I walked down from the mountaintop with the Lord into the valleys. This is where I would spend more time shedding tears and getting to know myself, and most importantly, getting to know God.

We always have a vision of something before it actually becomes real to us. When we realize that the vision is real, but is not yet real in us, satan comes to us with his temptations, and we are inclined to say that there is no point in even trying to continue. Instead of the vision becoming real to us, we have entered into a valley of humiliation. God gives us a vision, and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of that vision. It is in the valley that so many of us give up and faint. Every God-given vision will become real if we will only have patience. Just think of the enormous amount of free time God has! He is never in a hurry. Yet we are always in such a frantic hurry. While still in the light of the glory of the vision, we go right out to do things, but the vision is not yet real in us. God has to take us into the valley and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the point where He can trust us with the reality of the vision. Ever since God gave us the vision, He has been at work. He is getting us into the shape of the goal He has for us, and yet over and over again we try to escape from the Sculptor’s hand in an effort to better ourselves into the shape of our own goal. The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it. —Oswald Chambers

These four stones would eventually become my “heap of stones” that I would place in the dry riverbed of my past as a signpost to always remember where I have been. To be blessed with a revelation of God that brings us to a place in our lives where we become completely reliant on the very character of Him becomes the source of our strength and the wellspring of our joy.

The only way we can step into the scene of the vision He has so majestically painted for us is to rest in His very nature, to trust Him, and to see Him for who He really and truly is. And that was just what He had planned for me.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
—Corrie Ten Boom

Somehow a bird’s-eye view simply clarifies for us the lay of the land, and sometimes you cannot get this any way other than through divine perspective on the mountaintop. You might come to the conclusion that my life would change instantly, that my sorrows would have been left on that mountain. The reality is that I had to walk through more stuff and it would take years to walk it out. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, God will be with me no matter what. I only fail when I stop trying. With this new perspective, I was ready to quiet my spirit so I could hear the soft, gentle voice of my Heavenly Father sing the dreams He had for me.

God began to heal my sin-sick soul.

Now it was time for Him to redeem it!

(Excerpt from Heartstone Copyright © 2009 by Tim Young. All rights reserved.)

What symbols has God used in your life?

                  

3 Reasons “The Magnificent Seven” Is Magnificent

I love a good Western! Some of my favorites include, “The Good The Bad and the Ugly”, “The Outlaw Josie Wales”, “Silverado”, “Open Range” and the new “The Magnificent Seven” is a worthy successor to its 1960 namesake.

The original Magnificent Seven is more your dad’s favorite film than a cinematic blockbuster, which was also a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese film “Seven Samurai”. Denzel Washington does a great job in leading a cast of acting talent with a heroic and watchable performance. If you’re looking for classic Western action, the movie does not disappoint in giving the audience spectacular gunfight scenes faithful to this genre of movie. Also notable, were the inventive set pieces accompanied by astonishing scenery and backdrops. I have not seen a Western this good in awhile.

*Spoiler Alert*

Bartholomew Bough (Peter Sarsgaard) is a ruthless gold miner who holds the small town of Rose Creek hostage under a tyrannical regime of cruelty and hard labor. After a particularly gut-wrenching killing spree from Bough and his goons, newly widowed Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) goes off to seek justice and revenge by hiring “duly sworn warrant officer” Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to find her a band of men who will fight to win back the freedom of Rose Creek. Along the way they pick up a diverse band of misfit band of brothers which includes the nimble-fingered gambler   

How God Trains His Soldiers

O tested soul, perhaps the Lord is sending you through this trial to develop your gifts. You have some gifts that would ever have been discovered if not for trials. Do you not know that your faith never appears as great in the warm summer weather as it does during cold winter? Your love is all too often like a firefly, showing very little light except when surrounded by darkness. And hope is like the stars, unseen in the sunshine of prosperity and only discovered during a night of adversity. Afflictions are often the dark settings God uses to mount the jewels of His children’s gifts, causing them to shine even brighter.

Wasn’t it just a short time ago that on your knees you prayed, “Lord, I seem to have no faith. Please show me that I do”? Wasn’t your prayer, even though you may not have realized it at the time, actually asking for trials? For how can you know if you have faith, until your faith is exercised? You can depend on the fact that God often sends trials so our gifts may be discovered and so we may be certain of their existence. And there is more than just discovering our gifts, we experience real growth in grace as another result of our trials being sanctified by Him.

God trains His soldiers not in tents of ease and luxury but by causing them to endure lengthy marches and difficult service. He makes them wade across streams, swim through rivers, climb mountains, and walk many tiring miles with heavy backpacks.

Dear Christian, could this not account for the troubles you are now experiencing? Could this not be the reason He is dealing with you?

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Being left alone by Satan is not evidence of being blessed.

Daily devotional from Streams in the Desert By – L.B. Cowman (1870 – 1960) September 30th. Copyright @ 1997 by Zondervan. All rights reserved

Base Image credit: Soldiers- Pixaby. Free for commercial use.