No Lace On the Underwear.11/5/13

Good Morning,

Sitting Down this morning to a hot cup of Door County Maple Coffee.

Last weekend I spent three days in the Mountains of Pennsylvania at a men's retreat. I was asked to be the speaker for the weekend. ( I did not say that these guys were the most polished spuds in the tater sack, when it comes to picking speakers.) So before they changed their minds I accepted and grabbed a plane ticket before they drank their coffee and woke up.

What they did not know was that I really was probably the one who needed the retreat and time with God.  Let me tell you a little bit about these men. There's no lace on their underwear. No we did not walk around in our undies. What I am telling you is this. They hunt hard, fish hard, they play football, coach teams, hike, sink kayaks, ( that one was for Todd)  raise and love their families, work for a living, play instruments, and sing. But most of all they love our Lord Jesus Christ and have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus and are empowered by the Holy Spirit. They are compassionate, prayerful men, willing to be held accountable, teachable, and will stand in the gap when needed for a brother. These are Godly men, manly men. It's funny I seem to hang around with guys like this wherever I go. And that is just fine with me.

One passage we shared is from the book of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 I call this the "Job Description for a Man".
⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Any guy working to fill this job description has "manned up". But readers, male and female alike, pray for the men in your family. Pray for the other guys, your friends, your pastors. Too often pride gets to every man and they try to fill this job description of duties alone. Make sure they get time alone with God. He is the Author of the job description and understands it best. Make sure they have an accountability partner to also hold and help them to the job description. It is God and God alone that will help the most in carrying out the job duties. How do I know that? He told me.

Joshua 1:7-9
⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

God bless,
Marty