"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have been heavily influenced by the writings of John Eldredge. His book "Wild At Heart" is a game changer for men who are struggling in life (I also need to give a shout-out to two other books that I like even better- "Walking With God" and "Waking the Dead").
Ralph Waldo Emerson hit the nail on the head. Most men I know are not thriving. They are dying. Beneath the facade of the nice car and the nice house in the suburbs and the thorough knowledge of whatever sports team they happen to like, most men I know are quietly despairing.
The more men I talk with as a pastor, the more I see how many men are not only despairing, but also very angry. They are angry at ex's, angry at clients, angry at bosses- or just simply angry at life. There doesn't seem to be an answer for what is galling them. After a while, that anger simply turns to resignation. Defeatism. Disconnection from life.
In February, I went on a pretty hardcore mission trip to Nepal and India. I was gone for 18 days, teaching church planting to pastors, preaching, baptizing, and holding open-air gospel meetings. Both of these countries are hostile to the gospel, Nepal in particular, which carries a three-year jail sentence for anyone who converts to Christianity. We did ministry in the interior parts of Nepal, where there was very little electricity- we ate meals over an open fire, froze at nighttime, and were disconnected from the outside world for most of the time. We had to hike about 5 km to a Himalayan mountain stream to baptize the 23 converts from Hinduism that had accepted Christ that weekend. And I had never, never felt so alive.
People ask me why I am a Christian. The main reason I am a Christian is because I have personally experienced Jesus and He inspires me like no other. I have to admit, however, that part of the reason, a big part of the reason, that I am a Christian is that it is the challenge above all challenges, the risk above all risks, and the adrenalin rush bigger than anything I've ever experienced.
In John Eldredge's book, "Wild at Heart," he states that all men need three things. The first is that we all need a battle to fight. We were made for battle. We were made to take on challenges and conquer them. The second thing is that we all need an adventure to live. That's true. The third thing we need is a beauty to rescue.
I have found that only the Gospel of Jesus fulfills those three needs within me. I think one of the reasons why men lead lives of quiet desperation is that we are fighting the wrong battle. We're fighting for a bigger piece of the pie here in this world when we should be fighting for our families, our children, our wives, and our communities. We are living the wrong adventure- living vicariously through professional athletes on tv when the world, uncared for medically, unevangelized, unloved, goes from bad to worse. Orphans being sold into sexual slavery, children dying because of unclean water- Jesus is calling all the bored men out there to live the real adventure. Embrace it! Feel the aliveness! Instead, we get a bigger tv and a nicer surround-sound stereo so we can experience adventure from the safety of our couches. No wonder men are leading lives of quiet desperation.
In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." I have found that to be true. The gospel of Jesus is the only solution to Emerson's observation. I say we embrace it.
I have been heavily influenced by the writings of John Eldredge. His book "Wild At Heart" is a game changer for men who are struggling in life (I also need to give a shout-out to two other books that I like even better- "Walking With God" and "Waking the Dead").
Ralph Waldo Emerson hit the nail on the head. Most men I know are not thriving. They are dying. Beneath the facade of the nice car and the nice house in the suburbs and the thorough knowledge of whatever sports team they happen to like, most men I know are quietly despairing.
The more men I talk with as a pastor, the more I see how many men are not only despairing, but also very angry. They are angry at ex's, angry at clients, angry at bosses- or just simply angry at life. There doesn't seem to be an answer for what is galling them. After a while, that anger simply turns to resignation. Defeatism. Disconnection from life.
In February, I went on a pretty hardcore mission trip to Nepal and India. I was gone for 18 days, teaching church planting to pastors, preaching, baptizing, and holding open-air gospel meetings. Both of these countries are hostile to the gospel, Nepal in particular, which carries a three-year jail sentence for anyone who converts to Christianity. We did ministry in the interior parts of Nepal, where there was very little electricity- we ate meals over an open fire, froze at nighttime, and were disconnected from the outside world for most of the time. We had to hike about 5 km to a Himalayan mountain stream to baptize the 23 converts from Hinduism that had accepted Christ that weekend. And I had never, never felt so alive.
People ask me why I am a Christian. The main reason I am a Christian is because I have personally experienced Jesus and He inspires me like no other. I have to admit, however, that part of the reason, a big part of the reason, that I am a Christian is that it is the challenge above all challenges, the risk above all risks, and the adrenalin rush bigger than anything I've ever experienced.
In John Eldredge's book, "Wild at Heart," he states that all men need three things. The first is that we all need a battle to fight. We were made for battle. We were made to take on challenges and conquer them. The second thing is that we all need an adventure to live. That's true. The third thing we need is a beauty to rescue.
I have found that only the Gospel of Jesus fulfills those three needs within me. I think one of the reasons why men lead lives of quiet desperation is that we are fighting the wrong battle. We're fighting for a bigger piece of the pie here in this world when we should be fighting for our families, our children, our wives, and our communities. We are living the wrong adventure- living vicariously through professional athletes on tv when the world, uncared for medically, unevangelized, unloved, goes from bad to worse. Orphans being sold into sexual slavery, children dying because of unclean water- Jesus is calling all the bored men out there to live the real adventure. Embrace it! Feel the aliveness! Instead, we get a bigger tv and a nicer surround-sound stereo so we can experience adventure from the safety of our couches. No wonder men are leading lives of quiet desperation.
In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." I have found that to be true. The gospel of Jesus is the only solution to Emerson's observation. I say we embrace it.
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