It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? We want to be something we’re not, but we don’t want to change to become it, do we? We want to be more like Christ, we want to be successful, we want to be loving husbands and fathers, but we don’t want to change.

Here’s a great question for you, guys, “How do you supposed we become more like Christ in our homes, relationships, workplace, communities, and church if we don’t change our hearts and mindsets?” To be honest, I don’t have a clue.

Change – the last frontier of our lives, yet the constant in all of life. Change brings life. Change brings new and with new comes life. Your body is constantly changing – some of you would definitely agree with me – but, it’s that change that rejuvenates life. A lack of change and rejuvenation ushers in stagnation and with stagnation death – death of the heart, our passions, and the mind.

God has been changing me lately – my mind and my heart. My life got to the point that it seemed that my anger was raising it’s ugly head all the time. I haven’t had to deal with my anger and its sinful outbursts in a long time. My outbursts scare Cindy. She reminded me that every time I get angry it costs me something – money to replace or fix something, my relationship with her and others, even my relationship with God. Something needed to change and change quickly!

Through some great counsel (thanks Scott) I’ve begun to read through a book that’s been around a while, but is having a dramatic impact in and on my life. It is T.W. Hunt’s The Mind of Christ. Did you know that you can have the mind of Christ? Do you realize that to have the mind of Christ is to be in complete harmony with God and God’s desires? I want that. I want to be so in tune with God that I’m free from the bondage of sin and sinful thinking.

Did you know that to have the mind of Jesus requires change? YEP!! Make no mistake about it, this is a process. It doesn’t happen over night, though there are some biblical principles that will make an immediate impact (change) if you begin applying them to your life and your relationships. I’m working through the process now, asking God to change my heart, my relationships, my loyalties, my prejudices, my thought process and I’m seeing God in a whole new light.

I’ve also asked some men, a band of brothers – fellow warriors who knows about struggle and life change – to pray for me and hold me accountable for my anger. They are. In fact one fellow warrior asked me about it this past Sunday morning. Thanks Terry. Keep it up.

Life, the life in Christ we can all have is about change. Life changes. . .we change, but do you want change for God?

As God teaches me I will share with you.

I would ask that you pray for me and pray for Cindy. Pray that God will give me opportunities to share what He is teaching me with other men who struggle as well.

Mike

Fortunately for me, God knew my needs and began to provide some incredible resources.  First was Promise Keepers.  They were just getting started and their speakers, events, and resources helped me understand the principles of how a godly man and husband is to act.  Second, God began placing godly men in my life.  Men who were in the corporate world and struggled with some of the same day-to-day issues I did.  They showed me how to live out the principles Promise Keepers was teaching me.  I dont’ think any of them know the depth of their impact on my life and future ministry.

As God moved me from the corporate world into ministry, he placed me under the wings of Gene Wilkes.  Gene has been an encourager, fellow runner-cyclist-triathlete, as well as a mentor when it comes to ministry and marriage.  God has also provided me several friends in ministry who continue to have an impact on my life.  Guys like Stacey, Steve, and Scott.  Seems like you have to have a name that begins with an “S” doesn’t it?  During different seasons in my life God has placed men like Grant, Billy,  Randy, Vince,  and Ed to see me through those seasons.

I am who I am because of the influence of Godly men God placed in my life.  But, besides the personal effects these godly men have made on my life and my desire to paint a picture for today’s men, statistics bear out the need for active ministry to men.

According to Focus on the Family’s Promise Keepers at Work . . .

• When a child is the first person in the family home to come to faith, the rest of the family will follow 3.5% of the time.
• When a mother/woman is the first person to come to faith, the rest of the family will follow 17% of the time.
• When a father/man is the first person to come to faith, the rest of the family will follow 93% of the time.

Now that’s a difference worth striving for.

Patrick Morely states that for for every ten men in the church. . .

• 9 will have kids who leave the church.
• 8 will not find their jobs satisfying.
• 6 will pay the monthly minimum on their credit card balances.
• 5 have a major problem with pornography.
• 4 will get divorced, affecting 1,000,000 children per year.
• Only 1 will have a biblical world view.
• All 10 will struggle to balance work and family.

Additionally, most pastor I have spoken to over the my 10 years of ministry say their one of their greatest needs is more leaders – more male leaders – in their churches.  They have experienced a shift from men being the active leaders – as opposed to positional leaders – to the women of their church being the active leaders in areas of Bible study, outreach, and ongoing ministry.

The need is there and it is great.  Men, especially men in the church, need a picture of what a godly man looks like.  And we want to help.  Won’t you join us?

Mike

We rode in the Toys for Tots ride here in Mobile, along with some friends from church. It started as a pretty dreary day, but turned into a great day and a great experience for Cindy.

The ride began at the Marine Corp Reserve building.

What a site! Bikers of all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life.

Even Christian bikers.

The ride ended up at Hooters in Tillman’s Corner (it’s just southwest of downtown Mobile) at I-10. We got off the bikes to see what was happening and to get a free souvenir cup from Mobile Bay Harley Davidson and a Krsipy Kreme donut. And I never went in – just in case you were wondering.

The day ended with lunch at the Boiling Pot (great fish and lots of it) and a smooth ride home.

Later I found out that the cups we picked up changed color depending on the temperature of the liquid you pour into it. If you pour something cold into it turns red – the colder the more red it gets. Room temperature stuff is an orange color. I thought it was pretty cool. Never had anything like this before and it was from a Harley dealer. OK, so it doesn’t take much to impress me.

The other day I was drinking something from it at my desk when it hit me that our lives are much like these cups. They reflect what is inside of us. When we are walking with the Lord our lives reflect it. When we are walking away from the Lord our lives reflect it. Even Jesus said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” ( Mark 7:20-22). Paul wrote about what our lives look like when we are walking with the Lord in Galatians 5:22-23

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

He called these things the fruit of the Spirit or the result of God’s presence in you.

I would suspect that if our lives were like that cup that changes color depending on the temperature of what’s inside then I might be red if I were walking in the ways of God , as in red hot! If I am living for myself then I would turn a dark shade of cool blue. And I confess that there are times when my color changes with the situation or my circumstances. It shouldn’t, but it does.

I honestly believe our lives reflect the one we follow. Part of the process of becoming the man God designed and desires you to be is learning to have a red-hot passion for God and following Him, and Him alone. This means you and I have got to stop trying to be the man our society is telling us to be, or our parents think we should be, or our friends try to influence us to be and start being the man God desires us to be.

Here’s the funny thing about all of this, guys. We’re really good at putting a huggy around us to hide our true color. There are those of us who don’t want anyone to know that we are cold as ice for God. So we wrap our huggy around us and play the cordial game, the “every thing’s alright” game, the “I don’t want anybody to know the truth” game, or the “we’ve got it all together” game (similar to the “every thing’s alright” game). And believe it or not, this happens at church, of all places. At church! The one place you would think we could be honest. Why do we do that?!

Now you might fool me, you may fool your wife (I doubt that very seriously) and eventually you might even fool yourself into believing the lies, but God really knows your heart. And after all, that’s who truly matters.

Gentlemen, stop living the lies. Confess your true color to God, your wife, and even some guys who – hopefully – will come around you with their own honesty and encourage you and become your own Band of Brothers. And if your life is reflective of God’s presence within you, then God bless you and keep it up!

So what color are you?

Mike

As he shared, his heart came pouring out and tears flowed. Then I watched as three other men began helping this fellow warrior back to his spiritual and emotional feet. With questions, comments, words of encouragement, Scripture, and affirmation I watched this young man’s countenance change. Was he all right? Was everything back to normal – whatever that is? Nah, don’t think so. He was better. Did he know that there were three men that had his back? Definitely! Did he feel like he was fighting alone? Not by a long shot.

God, thanks for allowing me to see four men come together and become a band of brothers. It was amazing. You are amazing! Bring us together even closer.

What about you? Got a band of brothers you can run to or know has your back when you’re too tired and beat down to fight any longer? Why not? It takes time. It takes honesty. It takes trust. Most of all, it takes risk. If this man had not risked, he would still be carrying around this burden by himself and he would fighting alone – just like the enemy, isn’t it?
Get a group together. Start somewhere, but just START!!

Mike