Men Need Markers

Millions of men attended a local church service yesterday but how many made a decision that will serve as a benchmark for the weeks and months that follow?

Men need markers, measurables, benchmarks. The movie, Courageous, launches this Friday in over 1200 theaters around the nation and will provide men those markers.

The inspiration of the movie climaxes with adult men driving a stake in the ground and sharing before God and witnesses what they will do and what they will not do. Resolution is a powerful step for any man and serves as benchmark for decisions that need to be made and acted upon. There are a number of points of resolution throughout the movie in addition to the group resolution where the men agree together on a number of critical points of spiritual leadership.

The movie shows four of the men placing the Resolution Plaque on their wall at home. This would serve as a visible reminder of what they had each agreed to do. Their decision was in community and as agreed they were doubly accountable. Later they would stand in front of a wider community that would increase their accountability. These are all necessary components of an effective ministry to men in the local church.

Encouragement and accountability are the missing links in the lives of Christian men. This scripture calls this iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17). Some leaders are hesitant to add deadlines and expectations on men and would prefer to extend grace and unconditional acceptance. I say yes to grace and acceptance but men need deadlines and markers to know if they are moving forward and Courageous will give men several of these measurables.

Turning a Man's Heart

Many people reference the last verse of the Old Testament when they think about fathering. Malachi writes: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

We are now two weeks out from the launch of the movie, Courageous. Tens of thousands of men and women are praying that this movie would be part of the turning of the hearts of fathers to their children. Prayer is the right weapon as the movie itself will only serve as an inspiration. It is the work of Almighty God to turn a man's heart away from the clutter of work and responsibilities and community and church and a host of different things - good things.

Would you join me and many others and ask God to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children? Please pray specifically by name the men that are in your sphere of influence. The result will be nothing less than massive awakening in our home, in our churches and in our communities.

Community of Men

One feature I really appreciate in the movie, Courageous, is the idea of a community of men. This is not a formal church based group but rather men who come together because they have something in common which is the basis for their relationships. These relationships become important and soon become missional as one of the men goes through an extreme challenge and is willing to include his friends in his journey.

Men and women are designed for community but women seem to do it so much better in the American church. Leaders in local churches cannot attempt to gather men the same way they gather women - it just does not work. Short term groups that feature missional community work for men. They may gather again and again but clear exit points help men get started in the first place.

Consider inviting guys to join you in a small group. Don't give them any details - just invite them to join you. Once they indicate their interest then you can together decide when to meet, where to meet, how often to meet, the content of your meeting, etc. You will find that men will say yes because God has designed men for community.
 

Honor Begins at Home

The movie, Courageous, opens in theaters the end of this month. It is important to note that the subtitle of the movie is “Honor Begins at Home”. This is an important subtitle as the main characters in the movie are law enforcement officers who willingly put themselves at risk for the sake of others. They give their very best time and energy to a noble vocation and part of the story of this movie is that they learn that honor is not limited to the streets.

This learning curve is not limited to law enforcement officers. Every man is somewhere on this curve and each of us must continue to look for creative ways of making sure we do not try to live a balanced life but rather live a life with the priorities in line with God’s Intentions for us. This is where this movie excels as we witness different men making these similar discoveries.

I come face to face with this challenge nearly every day as my wife, Barb, and I look to disciple our own children. We have chosen to educate at home which allows much more time with them but which takes much more time as well. The idea of the home being the place where 'honor begins' and not the church or the ministry office or the workplace fuels our decision to stay this course.  

You do not need to wait to see the movie to make an adjustment in your life at home. Do it today! Honor Begins at Home!