A Review of “Why Men Hate Going to Church”

It is Sunday morning Jane has the children dressed and ready to go.  She also is ready to head out for morning worship, but where is John? He decided to take the day and go fishing, why? This is the premise of the most recent book that I have read, “Why Men Hate Going to Church” by David Murrow.  I will admit that when I first got this book I was hoping to find something that I could actually tear apart, and write a strong critique of a book that I didn’t really feel was worth reading.  Oh boy was I ever wrong!  Although I may not agree with all that the author writes about, this book was certainly worth reading.

            On this particular book there is a variety of reviews.   Some people rate it an average book because the author was able to string two sentences together, mind you if that was all a book had I would give it a 1.  Others rise up and praise this book as the newest and best thing to hit men.  I’m probably somewhere in the middle.  So let me tell you why.

            Having been raised in the Church I have noticed that a lot of what David Murrow talks about is true.  There are so many ministries in many local bodies of Christ, but who runs those ministries? Quite frankly, it is the women.  Now I want it known that I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but I do have to ask, “Where are the men?”  This is probably a better understanding of this book then some have given it credit.

            As I said, when I first saw this book listed as a book I could review I immediately looked at a group of reviews, and the formulated my opinion of the book off of that.   Now here I am a week later, and I was at Church watching some of the behaviors of the men in the congregation.  Some have said this book doesn’t present the gospel, which is true, but again that was not the purpose of this book.  The purpose of this book was to find out why Christian men aren’t being the fishers of men that God called them to be. 

            David takes the time to address what he calls a vicious circle that has been impacting the Church since the pre-Victorian era.  By and large Churches will start with a decent percentage of men as well as women, and then slowly the men begin to drift away.  What happens is a Church begins meeting, and then building a building, but then the work left to do is leading a ministry like Children’s Church, or Sunday school, or Bible Study.  As these ministries begin to get established in the Church the women begin to rise up and volunteer to lead this ministry or to lead that ministry.  As more and more women rise to the leadership positions the priorities change as women are more emotional based (again not a bad thing) then men are, and so more and more women are attracted to get their spiritual high, and men are left wondering what has happened.  This is part of the cycle that Mr. Murrow speaks about in this book.

            Now David is not beating up any of these ministries.  His focus is instead on how men and women interact differently, and therefore these ministries which have their purpose lose their priority and men are shut off, and begin to leave the ministry work to the women, only exacerbating the situation that had lead to them being shut off.  In fact David spends the last eleven chapters speaking about how Churches can reengage their men.

            From a personal stand point, this book has made me begin to watch and observe.  Right now our Church is the middle of a building campaign, and so there is a lot for the men to be involved with and participants in at this time.  In fact just last week the men were asked to help get some of the wall trimming placed around the gym/sanctuary floor.  This was a great opportunity for some of us to rise up and help our body of believers.  However, will the men stay engaged?

            Over the past year at least the men’s ministry of our Church has taken off in a way which I couldn’t believe.  As I said earlier, I was raised in Church since the age of 8 and this is the first Men’s ministry that I’ve seen so strong in the Church.  In fact I often brag about how our Men’s Ministry is closer knit, than I’ve witnessed through my wife, than the Women’s Ministry of the Church.  This book has made me ask, “Will it last?”  In this book I think David Murrow does a great job showing how men relate shoulder to shoulder.  I think this book is a tool that every Pastor, Elder Board, Servant Leader, and layman would benefit from.  I think this book is a book that every wife will benefit from as she sees how dragging her husband to church will not make him the spiritual leader that she needs.

            Now that I have offered praise of this book, there is a least one thought that did still bugs me about it; I think some of the comments that David makes are just plain wrong.  I am a man who enjoys dressing up for Church on Sunday morning.  Very seldom will I attend church in anything less than slacks, a nice dress shirt, and a tie.  I find it frustrating that David Murrow seems to imply that the only men truly satisfied with Church are the more feminine.  I was an athlete in high school, and in fact I’m still very competitive, almost to a fault.  I think this concept that a man cannot be both an athlete and an academic is disrespectful and untrue. 

            Every person who professes faith in Jesus Christ should engage in regular time of worship both corporately as well as personally.  I think every believer should have regular times where they dig into the WORD of God, and learn and grow from the author and finisher of our faith Jesus Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit.  I also believe that just because the Church has been feminized is no excuse for a man to not attend.  He is called to be the spiritual leader of his family, not the Church, and even if there are problems, a man still needs to be regularly engaged in the Scriptures.  All this being said I still give this book 4 out of 5.  I believe every believer, male and female, can benefit from this book.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Booksneeze as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Tool of Offense and Defense “The Deity of Christ” A Book Review

In 1 Peter the Apostle Peter gives us all a very important command; “but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts.  Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15, Holman Christian Standard Bible, HCSB)” Unfortunately for the Church today fewer and fewer people are willing to stand up for the hope that is in them as born-again believers.  Over the past several years we have seen many well founded denominations chose to move away from the doctrines from which they were founded, and chose to blaze for themselves a new path of “tolerance and love” while turning away from the only source of true love, Jesus Christ.

            Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ are often challenged by those who do not to defend the faith.  Many do not have the knowledge, experience, or tools to do this.  This is where “Theology in Community” comes into play.  This is a series of books that began with “Suffering and the Goodness of God” in 2008, then “The Glory of God” in 2010.  This year they released their third addition “The Deity of Christ” which is what this review will be on today.

            “The Deity of Christ” is edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson with contributions from 7 others.  In this book they address 10 common topics of challenge to the deity of Christ; as it is viewed today, in the Old Testament, Synoptic Gospels, John’s Gospel, Church History, World Religions, Missions, and others.  Having come from a background as a Pastor’s son, I did not spend too much time on the Biblical aspects of Christ’s Deity because that is something I feel like I am well grounded in.  However, some of the other chapters were very informative.

            I have had this book now for probably three months, which is longer than the publisher likes normally without a review, but this book was so in depth that I could not just read it once.  This is a book I had to read and mull over numerous times.  I believe every follower of Christ should invest in a book like this and use it for the tool that it is.  Although this tool is very in depth, and written by scholars, there is no doubt that these men took time to make this a book every believer could read.  For a volume that only has 255 pages actually in the chapters, the amount of information contained in this book is remarkable.

            Chapter 7, which is “The Deity of Christ in Church History” by Dr. Gerald Bray was one of the chapters I spent a lot of time in.  I am not as knowledgeable as others on the founding fathers, so reading this chapter was actually of great interest and great value to me.  One point I found interesting was the fact that many so-called scholars instead of looking at the facts presented from the actual Word of God dismiss them as evidence because the Gospels show Christ as 100% God and 100% Man.  Another excellent point made by Dr. Bray was the fact that although there are some miracles in each of the Gospel accounts, that is not the full focus of any of the Gospels, showing that so convinced were the authors of Christ’s deity that they did not feel the need to build up any of the miracles to a point of sole focus.

            Although Pastor Appreciation Month is over, this is a book I would recommend as a gift to any pastor, or any other serious student of the WORD of God.  With all the technical writing, and the re-reads I still rate this book a 5 out of 5.  There is no doubt that we are in a time where we will have to continue to defend our faith in Jesus Christ and the Trinity, and this tool of offense or defense is worth having.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Commitment Regardless of Circumstances

This past Sunday our pastor, Scot Wall, preached on Judges 13:1 – 14:2 and entitled his sermon “Being Committed Could Get You Committed.”  I at first thought that it was an interesting title for this particular passage as this passage focus on the announcement of the Angel of the LORD to Samson’s parents, and Samson’s birth.  However, as he got to verse 2 of Judges 14 I could see how it actually fit together. 

            For those of you who are not overly familiar with this passage I’m simply going to summarize most the passage, and then quote Judges 14:1-2.  In Chapter 13 the Angel of the LORD comes to Samson’s mother, who has been barren to let her know that she was going to give birth to Samson.  Her instructions where very strict because Samson was suppose to be a participant of the Nazirite vow found in Number 6 from his birth to his death, which meant there were certain things his mother also had to avoid as well; touching anything that was unclean, eating or drinking anything related to grapes, and so forth.  For the complete Vow of the Nazirites please read Numbers 6 as this is not the focus of this particular blog post.

            Samson’s parents were told that he would deliver them from the oppression of the Philistines.  However, upon becoming of age, we will look at Judges 14:1-2 and see what happened, “Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.  So he came back and told his father and mother, I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore, get her for me as a wife. (New American Standard Bible, NASB)” As our pastor mentioned, this was probably a blow to his parents who had expected Samson to deliver the children of Israel from the oppression of the Philistines, not to find pleasure amongst this wicked culture.  If ever you desire to read the account of Samson you can read about him in the book of Judges Chapters 13-16.  Again Samson is not the focus on this blog either.

            In his sermon Pastor Scot started off using some sport analogies.  He was a football player in college, and has coached from the age group of 4-5 yr olds on up to high school.  He spoke about how often times when you look at pro football; it is hard to see the sport as a team sport because everyone wants to be the individual who is the best on the team.  He made the point that if you are playing right tackle, which isn’t a highly known position, you need to be the best right tackle there is.  It was this that initially grabbed my attention, and then he made at least seven application points which got my attention as well.

            So here we are finally looking at the actual focus of this blog, one of the application points that my pastor gave in that sermon and the one that caught my attention the most.  If you are not my friend on Facebook, then you have been missing a very major event that is going on in my life at this point.  As of this last week I was removed from the Nursing program at my community college which I had worked so hard to get into.  I was removed due to missing one too many clinicals due to some personal things that have been going on in my life.  This has been a huge blow to my family and I as we have sacrificed so much for me to get as far as I have, and in fact get into this program.

            When we first moved back to Texas I was working for a company that actually paid me a pretty decent salary.  The biggest issue with the job was the fact that I was gone from 7:00am and often would not get home until 10 or 11 at night.  Add to this that in order to maintain this job I was also working at least one Saturday a month, if not more.  This kept me away from my family, which was not a good thing in any way.  I left this job believing that the LORD had a better plan for me, and so I entered college and began pursuing the prerequisite classes to get into the Associate Degree of Nursing program at Lone Star College Tomball. 

            Many good hearted people, and I am mainly talking about believers, love the passage Romans 8:28.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (NASB)” In fact I had a person in the Nursing program as well as fellow officers from Phi Theta Kappa quote this verse to me over this past week.  Our pastor used this verse today, but instead of focusing on the first part of the verse, about God working everything for good, he focused on the ending.  “…those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

            In my most recent post I let you all see a glimpse of what I’ve been going through as of late.  This has lead me to examine myself as the Apostle Paul admonishes in II Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail the test. (NASB)” As I examine myself I do believe that indeed I’m a born again child of Jesus Christ.  Since I am a child of God this life is not therefore about me, my desires, or my wants, but instead this life is suppose to be about me bringing glory to my LORD who loved me while I was an enemy (Romans 5:8). 

            Pastor Scot made this application in his sermon, “Commitment is fulfilling the role I have been assigned.” In a lot of ways this application points leads to one of the old age questions of all believers, “What is God’s will for my life?”  In order to answer this point one must examine the roles that they have been assigned.  Currently the roles I have are as follow.  1) I am a child of God.  2) I’m a husband.  3) I’m a father. 4) I’m a student at College.  5) I am an employee for Lone Star College. And 6) I am an employee for Lifeway Christian Stores. 

            Each of these roles is a part of who I am.  As I look at these roles I have to ask myself, am I fulfilling the role I was assigned.  I know that in some of these things I’m growing in day to day, especially in the area of being a husband and a father.  However, I also have to be willing to critique myself, and so am I bringing glory to God in these roles He has placed me in?  Often times I look at these questions and wonder if I can answer them, since I’m so close to the situation.  Then there are times when I know I can answer these questions, and I know the answer is too often, No! I’m not bringing glory to God. 

            So am I writing all of this to beat myself or to have you beat yourself up over the answer?  The answer to that is No! as well. Although, I also do not think that we should not ask these questions of ourselves.  These questions are very important, and need an answer.   Each and every one of us has at least one role that the LORD has assigned to use.  Ephesians 2:8-10 is a section of verses that I share often, and am going to share again.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.  For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (NASB)”

            I have been asking myself a lot over the past week or two what is God’s reason for first letting me into the Nursing program, and then allowing me to be removed? I shared this with my mother this week, but I also told her there is this other part of me that knows that I don’t have to know what God’s plan is because He is God, and can do what He wills.  My responsibility is to trust Him and believe in Him without knowing everything He is going to do in my life or the life of my family.

            Circumstances may be very good in your life, or there may be some of you who read this who are in circumstances that you also do not understand.  The title I gave to this blog is “Commitment Regardless of Circumstances”.  I want to tell you not that it is not our responsibility to know what all God is going to use in our lives, or how He is going to use it.  It is simply our responsibility to take up the roles we have been assigned in order to bring Him glory.  Today do not focus on the first part of Romans 8:28 about God working everything out to good, but instead I encourage you all, and myself as well, to focus on the end of that remarkable verse “…to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” God has a purpose with where you are, bring glory to Him today.

History in the Making or Interesting Fiction? A Book Review of “The Tehran Initiative”

Iran has finally done it without the intervention of the West; they have possession of a nuclear weapon!  Who are they going to target, Israel or America? The CIA has seen this coming, and has an agent there in Iran trying to get a nuclear scientist out of Iran while maintaining his cover.  The twelfth Imam seems to have arrived as prophesied in the Holy Qur’an, but is he the Messiah, or the Devil Incarnate?  Is Israel ready to go it alone; and launch a preemptive strike against the nuclear sites of Iran, even knowing that in doing so it will only add to the tension that is now present in the relationship with her only ally? Is the United States willing to step up to the plate, or only further discredit her status as a true superpower?

            These are the questions and intrigue that will greet you in the newest novel from Joel Rosenberg, “The Tehran Initiative”.  In this volume you will take a journey through the life of C.I.A. agent David Shirazi, a native Iranian who was brought into the United States just prior to the fall of the Shaw. Agent Shirazi now serves his country by being heavily undercover through a mock business supplying merchandise to the new leader of Iran, and the bringer of a Muslim alliance. 

            “The Tehran Initiative” is my first exposure to the writing of Joel Rosenberg who has made quite a name for himself since September 11, 2001.  My father was a huge fan of Mr. Rosenberg’s work, and so when I was given the opportunity to read this newest volume, I wanted to see what he was all about.  All I can say is I was not disappointed.  With his knowledge of current events, Joel Rosenberg spins a tale so engrossing, that in one evening I was able to finish this work of 459 pages.  There was not one single moment in this book where I wondered what the purpose of that particular section or sentence was about.  So intricate was each detail that I was immediately brought into the story in such a way that I could see and hear all that was going on. 

            One of the biggest questions I had about Joel Rosenberg was how bold was he really going to be in his faith? I’ve seen him on a few interviews, but had never really seen him give a very clear and concise gospel message.  That was something that I really wanted to see how it would be portrayed in his novel.  All I can say is I was very impressed.  With very clear and concise gospel presentation Joel Rosenberg has the gospel clearly explained to his main character.  With a very true glimpse of how many former Muslims are coming to saving faith in the one true God, Jesus Christ, so does Mr. Rosenberg have Christ manifested to David Shirazi.

            I definitely rate this book a 5 out of 5 in all areas.  The story will carry you easily through the pages.  Christ is clearly manifested as the only way to heaven.  And we again see a true presentation of Iran, and the belief in the Twelfth Imam that compels and drives Iran’s current leader.   If you have a chance to pick up this book, you will not be disappointed.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Joel Rosenberg Interview from Tyndale House Publishers

An interview with Joel C. Rosenberg
author of The Tehran Initiative

1) This is the second book with CIA operative David Shirazi. Where does the story pick up from your previous bestseller The Twelfth Imam?

A: The Tehran Initiative begins about sixty seconds after The Twelfth Imam leaves off. I’ve tried to create a near seamless connection between the two. And there’s another book coming, The Damascus Countdown.

2) You started writing The Tehran Initiative when the Arab Spring began earlier this year. Did events impact your writing or the storyline?

A: Actually, I was well into writing The Tehran Initiative when the “Arab Spring” began and it was a little eerie because the novel opens with the assassination of the President Egypt and Egypt descending into chaos after the leader’s fall. Fortunately, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wasn’t killed, but he certainly fell quickly and somewhat unexpectedly and Egypt is still reeling from the aftermath. The novel really focuses a great deal on the intense desire amongst many Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa to build a global Islamic empire, or a “caliphate.” And that’s certainly a growing theme among the Islamists in the region this year.

Perhaps what struck me most curious since the publication of The Twelfth Imam and while I was researching and writing The Tehran Initiative is that the so-called Supreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has began speaking more publicly about the coming of the Twelfth Imam. He used to be silent, or nearly so, on this subject. He let President Ahmadinejad do all the public talking about Shia End Times theology. But Khamenei has become more bold over the past year or so. He has told people that he has met personally with the Twelfth Imam, though we don’t know what he meant. Did he meet with a flesh and blood person? Did he see a dream? Or a vision? We don’t know. But Khamenei has also asserted that he is the personal representative on earth of the Twelfth Imam, as well as the so-called Prophet Muhammad. These developments – along with his support for Iran’s aggressive nuclear development program – suggest Khamenei senses the time is very short before some claiming to be the Twelfth Imam emerges publicly. In part, that’s why the Iranian government released the pseudo-documentary film in early 2011 called, “The Coming Is Near,” about all the geopolitical signs that they believe are indicators that the Mahdi’s arrival is increasingly close at hand. Whether it will really happen or not remains to be seen. But the Iranian leadership is certainly convinced. Most of them, anyway. And, of course, the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter twenty-four to expect false prophets and false messiahs in the last days. So we can’t rule out the possibility that we’ll actually as false messiah emerge from the Shia world.

3) You’ve earned a reputation of writing stories that seemed ripped from tomorrow’s headlines. What is going on in The Tehran Initiative that we can see unfolding in the news?

A: I think the biggest parallel between The Tehran Initiative and current events is the growing sense amongst Shia Muslim leaders – particularly in Iran – that the Twelfth Imam is coming any moment, coupled with Iran’s feverish efforts to build nuclear weapons, and the Israelis’ growing isolation in the world and feeling that they may have to hit Iran all by themselves.

Did you see Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic address at the U.N. in September, or read the full text? You should. It’s instructive. Ahmadinejad is not a world leader worthy of the world stage. He is the evil leader of an Iranian death cult. A recent U.N. report indicates he is making progress in building nuclear weapons. He is calling for the arrival of the Twelfth Imam and wiping Israel “off the map.” He aspires to be a mass murderer beyond the scale of Adolf Hitler. He deserves to be in prison, or an insane asylum. His U.N. speech was further proof, if more was needed.

Like Hitler’s speeches in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, Ahmadinejad isn’t hiding what he believes. He’s pretty clear. He denied the Holocaust. He blasted the U.S. for bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice. He blamed the terrorist attacks 9/11 on the U.S. government. He insisted that his so-called messiah known as “Imam al-Mahdi” or the Twelfth Imam is coming soon. He insisted Jesus Christ will come with the Mahdi to take over the world. He called for a one-world government when he called for “the shared and collective management of the world.”

Consider these excerpts: “This movement is certainly on its rightful path of creation, ensuring a promising future for humanity. A future that will be built when humanity initiates to trend the path of the divine prophets and the righteous under the leadership of Imam al-Mahdi, the Ultimate Savior of mankind and the inheritor to all divine messengers and leaders and to the pure generation of our great Prophet. The creation of a supreme and ideal society with the arrival of a perfect human being who is a true and sincere lover of all human beings, is the guaranteed promise of Allah. He will come alongside with Jesus Christ to lead the freedom and justice lovers to eradicate tyranny and discrimination, and promote knowledge, peace, justice freedom and love across the world. He will present to every single individual all the beauties of the world and all good things which bring happiness for humankind.”

Though most world leaders do not appear to understand what Ahmadinejad is really saying, students of Shia Islamic eschatology or End Times theology do. The Iranian leader believes the end of the world as we have known it is increasingly close at hand. He believes the time for establishing an Islamic caliphate or global government ruled by the Mahdi is rapidly approaching. What’s more, he believes that the way to hasten the coming of the Twelfth Imam is to acquire nuclear weapons and use them to annihilate the United States, which he calls the “Great Satan” and Israel, which he calls the “Little Satan.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands what Ahmadinejad means. So do some of his top military advisors. That’s why they believe Iran is in the eye of a gathering storm in the Middle East, and that the chance of a major war is growing.

“Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program. The opposite is true; it continues full steam ahead,” warned Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command Chief Major General Eyal Eisenberg in a speech earlier this month. Also noting recent uprisings in the Arab world and growing tensions with Turkey, Eisenberg said, “This leads us to the conclusion that…the likelihood of an all-out war is increasingly growing.”

To me, all this feels ripped from the pages of The Tehran Initiative. Unfortunately, it’s all true.

4) Readers seem to get very attached to your characters. What goes into creating the characters in your novels?

A: It’s the Colonel’s secret recipe of seven herbs and spices. I could tell you, but then I’d have to….well, never mind….no comment to that one.

5) What experiences in your real life do you draw from to piece together these novels that incorporate geo-politics, espionage, romance, and Bible prophecy?

A: Someone once told me, “Write where you live in your head.” For some reason, that advice resonated with me and stuck. I’m fascinated with politics, prophecy and the Middle East. Living in Washington, D.C. and working in and around the political world for the past two decades has certainly helped provide context for me to write political thrillers. I think traveling extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa has been helpful, too. Somehow, it’s all worked together in a way some people find as interesting as I do.

6) You often incorporate Old Testament prophecy in your books. What scriptures do you draw from for this book and why?

A: There’s no question that I am absolutely intrigued by Bible prophecy, and I like to start with an End Times prophecy – or a group of last days prophecies – and ask, “What if these were to happen in my lifetime? What would it look like? What would it feel like? How might such prophecies realistically be set into motion, and what might be the implications of their fulfillment?” That’s how I approach writing these books. But I don’t think of it like writing a fantasy novel or science fiction. I’m genuinely trying to imagine how it could really play out? I’m not saying these prophecies will necessarily come to pass the way I envision them, but they are interest to war game and see what happens. And given what’s happening in the real world today, I think readers are as curious as I am, and somehow my plots don’t feel that far-fetched.

7) You’ve been successful with your non-fiction books Epicenter and Inside the Revolution and you have a large following reading your analysis of Middle East events on your blog and e-newsletter “Flash Traffic.” Why do you continue to choose writing novels about the Middle East?

A: What could be more interesting? Presidents and presidential candidates constantly focus on the Middle East. Prime Ministers do. Kings do. Generals do. The media does. The economists do. The fact is, the eyes of the nations are riveted on Israel and her neighbors, the epicenter of the momentous events that are shaking our world and shaping our future. The stakes are very high. There is lots of uncertainty. It’s mysterious and dangerous and complex – it has all the elements of riveting political thrillers. And the Bible says the Middle East will become even more dramatic until the very return of Jesus Christ. Why write about anything else?

The Run of my Life

“It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

            This last weekend, Oct. 14-16, was the Men’s Retreat for Magnolia Bible Church.  It was a great time of fun and fellowship with my fellow brothers in Christ.  We had two men profess faith in Christ on Saturday night, which is always a cause for celebration.  We had a speaker who spoke about men rising up and being the leaders we need to be for our families, our neighborhood, our Church, and our community.  He actually worded it that we need to be the Pastors of our streets. 

            Originally, I was going to be spending the weekend up at University of Texas Dallas for the Texas Leadership Conference for Phi Theta Kappa, the two year college International Honor Society.  Upon finding out that our men’s retreat was going to be on the same weekend, I almost decided to forgo the men’s retreat.  This was not God’s plan for me, and almost as immediately as I contemplated not going to the retreat, I was convicted and decided to instead forgo the Leadership conference.

            The truth of the matter is that there has been a whole lot of sin and junk going on in my life over the past month or two.  Although there were many days in which I was still able to kind of demonstrate a good Christian walk, there were many days when I was not even faking it well.  In fact about three to four weeks ago I chose to again satisfy my love for sin instead of my love for my Savior.  This has lead to a lot of tension, of course, between my wife, children, and I.  In fact it was enough to have the Elders of our Church decide that indeed it was for my best interest that for the time being I not partake in any roles that resemble leadership in the Church. 

            On Saturday night I was talking to the head of our men’s ministry, just letting him know how much I appreciate his heart and willingness in leading the men of our Church.  I was not intending to speak to him for any length of time, but he felt the need to talk with me.  This is something I greatly appreciate about Rickey.

            Rickey is a great man of God, and also nice and blunt, which is something I both appreciate and need.  As we were talking Rickey again challenged me with some things to think about.  Being raised by a Pastor, as I was, I am very knowledgeable in things of the Scriptures.  In each of the sessions of study I took notes, and in the last three sessions our speaker had us break up into groups to debrief from the previous one.  Since I had notes I ended up leading the small group I participated in, in the sense of refreshing from our previous session.  Rickey told me that every time he sees me sharing the knowledge I have been blessed with he just thinks, “What a waste”.  I have all of this head knowledge and it hasn’t made any difference in my spiritual walk.  He again challenged me that I have to be credible if I’m going to be of any benefit to the Men’s Ministry, and he reiterated that the men’s ministry needs people like me.  He told me, “Paul, you are going to be heartbroken if you are sitting on the sidelines as you see this ministry take off, I know that.” You know what? He is right.

            Rickey is an older man, and in great physical shape.  He regularly works out, and in fact was going running with a couple of the other men the next morning.  I use to enjoy running, although I haven’t been in quite some time, really probably since my junior year of High School.  I decided to go running with these men the next morning. 

            The title of this post is the Run of my life, so now let me tell you why I chose this title.  As I joined the men that Sunday morning I started off on a pretty nice, steady pace, and was in fact ahead of two of the men whom I was running with, and maintaining an even distance with the third.  However, this lasted for only about four to five hundred meters, and all of a sudden I’m breathing heavily, and need to, in fact, just slow to a walk for a brief period of time to catch my breath.  I was then able to run for probably another three to four hundred meters before I again had to slow to a walk, and then another two hundred meters before I finished off…walking. 

            During one of the times of running I also hit a pothole in the asphalt, and almost got tripped up, however I was able to maintain my balance, but it did cause a little pain in my ankle that I rolled.  Throughout the run and definitely in that moment, I almost fell, I had a revelation.  This run was a picture of my Spiritual walk.

            Like many people who profess faith, I started off with a fire and a passion that could not be quenched.  This was a race I was running with all the energy and strength I could muster.  As the days and weeks rolled by and now years, life happened.  This of course has often lead me to a point of either walking in my spiritual life, or quite frankly, standing still.  I remember shortly after my wife and I got married we again were returning to a point of passion and fire, again running the race set before us.  This led me to create Biblically Born Again Ministries, and work alongside my dear brother, Dave Jenkins, and help with Servants of Grace, and participate with Lynn Davenport in Alpha and Omega. 

            Then life happened.  Sin crept into my life, or I simply chose to quit running, and then I saw these things I was so passionate about, for a time, simply fade away and disappear.  In 2008 it got to a point where I even denied my faith.  Why would I do such a foolish thing? The answer is quite simple.  I again loved my sin more then I loved my Savior.  I thought I wanted what I wanted regardless of how bad it was for me and my family.  This of course also led me to step down from working alongside Dave Jenkins.

            In the middle to end of 2008 I again returned to a passion and began my study of 1 John.  Although there have still been sin struggles throughout my study of 1 John, for the most part I was again running the race.  My relationship with my Savior was the focus of my drive and my family has benefitted from that.  It even got to the point where I again could serve in the capacity of teaching the two and three year olds at Church.

            Well, now I slowed back down to a walk, but by the grace of God, He has placed people in my life who are not going to let me get away with falling out of the race.  What is also equally important is I’m not going to let myself be satisfied with that which I know brings no joy or happiness to life.  Yes, I chose my sin over my Savior, over my family, and over myself, but I am not going to be satisfied walking in this race.  The LORD has done so many great things in my life, and the goal of my life should be to glorify Him! 

            
           As I think of the quote I began this blog with I see something I never thought about.  I have not looked at each step as a goal to glorify my Savior.  I have looked at each step of my spiritual run as a step that benefits me, and that is not what this race is about.  Today, I’m sharing with you all the run of my life in the hope that you will see that your life is a run as well.  Are you going to run the race for Christ so you can hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant”? Or are you running the race for yourself? I tell you now that if you aren’t trying to glorify Christ, you may feel happy for a time, but the run you are on will only lead to destruction and heartache.  Believe me, I know!