Scott L. Moore's Blog, page 19

Yearning

“And closely akin to the visions… was the call still sounding in the depths of the forest. It filled him with a great unrest and strange desires. It caused him to feel a vague, sweet gladness, and he was aware of wild yearnings and stirrings for he knew not what.”   – Jack London, The Call of the Wild

When was the last time you felt the call? Do you remember? Are you like a lot of men who can remember something like this in boyhood, when adventure seemed to lurk around every tree in the woods? Like the Pevensies in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, longing for the magical land where they are kings and queens, do you sometimes feel “aware of wild yearnings and stirrings,” even if you don’t know what for?

I feel this perhaps most strongly when I am at the sea. I recently returned from a vacation at the beach. I always feel like I’m at my home away from home when I’m at the ocean. When I have to leave, I feel a small sense of loss. I long to go back and yet, when I’m there, the call doesn’t dissipate. If anything, it grows stronger. I’m forced to wonder if this desire points to something larger, and far more important, than vacation or adventure.

“If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Could it be that this call or yearning, or whatever we shall label it, is evidence of a home we have not yet seen? Our true home where we are children of the King and where we are kings and queens ourselves? If that’s the case, then what happens when we lose the ability to feel this yearning or to hear the call? Some people spend lots of energy trying to silence the call. Some spend lots of money attempting to numb the yearnings. Don’t give in to that. We need to feel this longing for home. It is our destiny. We need to remember that we were made for more than this life has to offer and that we will receive it if we will follow the one who leads us home.

Dad, Guardian of the Heart

“My dad always said if I want to lose 30 pounds of ugly fat, I should cut off my head.”

Yes, I heard a woman say this today. She followed it with something about how you have to know her dad to understand the humor. She is obese. I don’t know all the details, but it doesn’t take a trained therapist to know there is a world of hurt buried beneath that jovial outer shell. I simply can’t imagine a scenario in which any daughter would receive that kind of comment from her father in a good way. Our children are resilient, but they know our hearts toward them, more than we think. God said, about His child,

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:17

Our children need to hear, feel, and know that we feel the same way about them. Our daughters need to know they are cherished and loved as our princesses, beautiful and lovely. Our sons need to know that they are loved and prized, and that they have what it takes to become great men. Our children need us to protect their hearts, too.

“Above all else, GUARD YOUR HEART, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23 (emphasis added)

As a father, as the protector of my family, it is not enough to guard my own heart and life. If I do not guard my heart, I will fail as a man. But, if I do not protect my child’s heart, I fail as a dad.

 

Five Ways YOU Can Save the World

Beware of those who promise a chance to save the world.

They may just be selling something.

In less than half a second, a Google search for “save the world” returns 2.5 billion hits. Apparently, a lot of people want to save the world. Even more simply want to change it (a search for “change the world” yields 3.3 billion hits). You’ve heard them. “Recycle! Kill the terrorists! Reduce your carbon footprint! Walk to cure _______!” The list is endless. Now, I’m not saying these causes are all bad. I support some of them myself. I’m simply suggesting that we evaluate our causes with care and not fall for the sales pitch that if we do _______ we’re saving the world. Not that it doesn’t need saving. It does. We do. But consider for a moment, how many people offering you a cause to support are worthy of your trust? More importantly, how many are worthy of the title “Savior”? And what should the criteria for a savior be? I suggest at least five items:

Walk on water.
Raise the dead.
Die for the sins of the world.
Come back to life.
Ascend into heaven.

Sorry, but if you cannot do those things, you don’t get to be my savior.

You still want me to support your cause? OK, what are you selling? Or, what’s your agenda? You want my money, my vote, my love, my allegiance, my worship?

You, my friend, may be wondering about my agenda. Do I have one? Sure. Yes, I’d like to make some money at this eventually (I’m not yet, in case you’re wondering). But, ultimately, I want you to, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27)

Who knows? Together, we might just save the world.

I Want To Believe

It is inherent in mankind to believe in something. People believe in all manner of things – God, gods, goddesses, animals, trees, UFOs, aliens, cows, insects, golden idols, etc. It’s almost as if we were created with a sense of belief – or an instinct. Questions, however, are a necessary part of belief. Good questions, such as:

Is what I believe true?
What do I believe that isn’t true?
How can I get a better understanding of truth?

I ask this question of God, from time to time, as I pray: “God, what am I believing that isn’t true?” King David, one of the greatest leaders in history, similarly implored God:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24

Asking the questions isn’t particularly difficult to do. Listening and honestly assessing my beliefs is the challenging part. What about you? Are you believing anything that, now that you think of it, may not be true? Do you have any questions you regularly ask to keep you on track?

The Call To Pray

This is some of President Franklin Roosevelt’s address the morning of D-Day. He decided, rather than giving a speech, to pray. (Thanks to my friend, Wade Thomas, for posting this on Facebook.)

By Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent [Public domain

“Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness to their faith. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest until victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and by flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, thy heroic servants, into thy kingdom.

Oh Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled.

With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances.

Thy will be done almighty God. Amen.”

True leadership involves humility. Without humility, one cannot pray. To pray, one must recognize there are limits to his abilities. Prayer to almighty God is essential to lead.

 

How to Wow You?

I’m trying something different today, friends. I’m working my way through Michael Hyatt’s new book, Platform, in the interest of improving my message and content I provide. So, in that spirit, I’d like to ask for your input. If you would be so kind as to spend a moment or two considering this, please let me know how I could wow you. In other words, what expectations do you have from “The Call Of Men” that would compel  you to action or inspire you to be better? If y0u were building this community, what would you do differently?

It is my goal and my hope to provide inspiring and helpful content here at TheCallOfMen.com. Thank you for your help and your friendship. You mean more than you know.

The Re-Bourne Identity

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Yes, I know it’s cheesy (Hey, at least I didn’t use “The Bourne Again Identity”). But, it works. It’s funny how I’m drawn to stories like The Bourne Identity and its sequels. As I think about it, many of my favorite movies and other stories have as a central theme the quest for identity. Whether the main characters are trying to discover their true identity as in the Bourne series or in Good Will Hunting, Harry Potter, Forrest Gump, and many others, or they are grounded in their identity and simply trying to live it out by achieving a great destiny – Gladiator, Patton, Apollo 13, Chariots of Fire, etc., identity is central to the story of man. It is the central question in the heart of a man – “Who am I?”

Many men go on existential safaris to find their identity. A great example is Tristan in Legends of the Fall. He has the heart of any woman that comes near, it seems, but he cannot be content until he literally travels the world – hunting, loving, eating, drinking, experiencing as much as he can. He is the Prodigal Son seeking adventure beyond every horizon (without quite the same measure of wisdom, perhaps, at the end of his quest). Sadly, many men end their quest as tragically as Tristan (not to mention the rest of the family in his story). So many fail to come to the place of the Prodigal Son, of whom it is said,

“…he came to his senses…” – Luke 15:17

So many refuse to surrender to their true identity, having been made in the image of God (Genesis 1) and chosen by Him to be adopted as his sons (Ephesians 1) to experience his kingdom (Matthew 13) and life in all its fullness (John 10:10).

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” – Ephesians 1:7

Instead, they choose to find their identity in work, religious activity, politics, other people,… the list goes on and on. Look, I get it. It’s a quest built into the heart of every man. God has “set eternity in the hearts of men,” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Make your quest, just don’t waste it.

Where do you find your identity?

Are You A Linchpin?

Photo by Thamizhpparithi Maari

“You can either fit in or stand out. Not both.” – Seth Godin

There are a couple jobs that I’ve done in which I gave it my all. I did what I was hired to do, I did the extra stuff my boss asked, and I even went beyond that to look for ways to improve the company. To use Seth Godin’s term, I did “Linchpin” work. What’s a “Linchpin”?

“The indispensable employee brings humanity and connection and art to her organization. She is the key player, the one who’s difficult to live without, the person you can build something around. The indispensable employee-I call her/him a linchpin-is a person who’s worth finding and keeping.” – Seth Godin

Now, I say that I did “Linchpin” work because, frankly, I haven’t been with an organization long enough to truly be a Linchpin – to be so remarkable that I became literally indispensable to the organization. I tried, more or less. Now, to be fair, some of the companies I’ve worked for are better suited for remarkable employees than others. Some business managers or owners truly don’t want remarkable employees. They want cogs they can insert into their machine, robots who don’t think for themselves. I’ve worked there, too.

It’s really hard to admit this, but it’s true. I simply haven’t cared enough in most of my jobs to try to create great work. However, it is my desire to be the kind of person that, if the company has to make cuts and someone suggests cutting my position, someone else will jump up and say, “No way! You can’t cut him! I don’t care what we have to do. We are not letting him go!”

There once was a woman named Tabitha who, “was always doing good and serving the poor,” (Acts 9:36). When she died, the people she had spent her life serving stood around her, crying and praying for her resurrection. They even sent for Peter, the apostle, who also came and prayed for her to live again. At the risk of understating her impact, that is a Linchpin! Actually, two Linchpins, come to think of it. Tabitha was clearly indispensable to her community, but so was Peter. After all, it was Peter who successfully prayed for her resurrection.

Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. – Acts 9:40-41

In addition, Jesus did say of Peter, “…on this rock I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18).

That is the kind of work I’m trying to do now – Linchpin work. I want to create great stuff. I want to be indispensable.

How about you? Do you work to be remarkable? Are you in an organization that fosters Linchpin behavior? If not, what will you do?

Choose Your Leaders

In The Magic of Thinking Big, author David J. Schwartz says that “…subordinates tend to become carbon copies of their chief.” It’s not a new concept. Leaders throughout history have trained their followers in their own likeness. Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

My question is this: If you are an employee, who is your leader? What is he/she like? If you aren’t careful, you will become like your boss. If he or she is not the type of person you would want influencing your children, why would you allow him/her to influence you? Now, the reason I said, “If you aren’t careful…” is that you do have a choice in who your leaders are. And, even though you may not think so, you have a choice in who your boss is, as well. What am I talking about?

It’s easiest to demonstrate by thinking in terms of self-employment. For instance, if you own your own business, you can choose your leaders by choosing the right books and articles to read and by listening to inspiring podcasts and radio shows. You simply choose the people who are going to influence your thinking by what you allow into your mind. Even if you are employed in a traditional job, you still have a choice in leadership. When you interview for a job, you need to be interviewing the company to see if it is a good fit for you as much as they (the company) are interviewing you to see if you are a good fit with them. Ask yourself if the leadership is worthy of influencing you, and if the company culture is something you would choose to uphold and encourage? Or, is it the type of situation in which you will be fighting the leaders and the culture (or your own soul) from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave? If it’s the latter, get out now!

Who are your leaders? Are they worthy of leading you?

Embracing Mystery

“Nothing is yet in its true form.” – C.S. Lewis

We had better get used to living with some amount of mystery. There are questions that just aren’t going to get answered in this life. If we cannot accept the mystery, we will destroy our own souls. Indeed, we must embrace the mystery. We need to have an eternal perspective. Death is not the end, though it may feel like it, even for a very long time. Though it may feel like God has given up on you, he has not. The complexities and mysteries of his creation are far beyond our ability to comprehend. Yet, his goodness is so simple a child can grasp it.

When I read the Bible, I see a God who wants to bring healing. Why doesn’t he heal everyone who asks? I don’t know.  I have a hunch it has something to do with his perspective. He holds eternity in the palm of his hand. I can only manage to maintain an eternal perspective for a couple minutes, maybe a few hours, at a time. In all of eternity, HE IS. And he is patient.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9

He is patient with us. As I struggle this week, alternately praying and crying with my wife as she reads the updates from an old friend whose wife is dying of cancer, I know that without a miracle from God, there are two children who will grow up without Mommy. I know many people have been praying, asking God to heal her. He hasn’t yet and she has been moved to hospice. The doctors say she hasn’t much time.

Last week, a similar scene played out in my family. My cousin’s husband died of cancer, leaving two teenage children. Again, honest, sincere, and humble prayers for healing were offered. How does one deal with that? With an eternal perspective, I can see that God truly is omnipotent and that nothing can touch us until we have accomplished what we were sent here to do. There is a larger story than our own. Either God is in charge or he is not. It makes no sense to say he’s “sort of” in charge, like he started out caring for his children but he got tired or bored or distracted.

Yet, these words are probably little comfort to the grieving child or spouse. I pray now that they will not grieve without hope. I pray for God to make himself real to them, that they will feel his embrace – the perfect Daddy loving his children.

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” – Psalm 68:5

All else is hopelessness.

No. God is not tired. He is not bored or distracted. He is mysterious. And, as C.S. Lewis noted in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he is not safe (nor tame, as the movie version puts it), but he is good.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” – Romans 8:32

Yes, he is good. It just doesn’t always feel that way.