Behold the Man -- a men's conference

On January 28 I enjoyed the fellowship of 900-plus Christian men gathered for a one-day conference at Calvary Fellowship in Mountlake Terrace. In addition to wonderful worship and prayer, the day featured four speakers: Ben Courson, Brian Holman, Mike MacIntosh and rap artist This'l.

From Courson, my notes included a challenge to "do the thing that scares you the most." Satan, he suggested, "often speaks to us through a well-meaning friend." He urged those in his audience to "do that which, without God, is doomed to fail."

From MacIntosh: "A godly man has a heart for Christ; stop at the cross, and give Him your heart;" and "Take it seriously that God is calling you, and has a precise mission for you."

From This'l: Culture tells us that a man is judged to be "successful" based on things like material possessions and sexual prowess. A godly man models his life after Jesus Christ, and is willing to fight for his family, church, community. He wore a shirt bearing the words of one of his songs: "I signed up to die," referencing the decision to "die to self" and live for Jesus.

From Holman, a former professional baseball pitcher: "Never quit. Trust in God. Never give up;" and "Failure is inevitable, but it cannot derail God's plan for your life. It can only test your resolve. Use failure as a fuel. Fear is what stands between a man and an extraordinary life."

To hear each speaker's entire presentation, go to the following:
http://calvaryfellowship.org/audio/tag/Events%7CSeries/NW%20Mens%20Conference%202012#

Mission ministry doesn't require passport

“The mission field is wherever you are called to be. I believe our days are numbered, so it doesn’t matter what country I’m in.”

Those are the words of 24-year-old friend David Grove, who came home recently for a brief visit in the U.S. before returning to missionary work in Kampala, Uganda.

I recall the days of my youth, when I thought all "serious" Christians must serve as full-time ministers or missionaries. Today I understand how childish and restricting that idea was. When we are surrendered fully to God, when we grasp the magnitude of His grace in our own lives, we have a desire to share the good news with everyone. Our "mission field" then becomes wherever God has placed us: family home, school, workplace.

I pray that I will be recognized as a child of God, set apart from those who do not yet know Him, and that I will be willing, even eager, to "introduce" Him when God presents opportunity. In the meantime, I give thanks for Christian missionaries who respond to the great commission, leaving familiar, comfortable surroundings to bring the gospel to all corners of the world.

Isaiah 61:1
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners."

Fight for your family

At prayer service the other night our fellowship entered into prayer in defense of marriages. I recalled vulnerable times in my own marriage, times when I was preoccupied, focused on career but passive about my critical role as spiritual leader of my family. This song by Sanctus Real captures beautifully the heart cry of a wife and children seeking love and leadership from husband and father:

"Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent, but on the inside

Oh, I can hear them saying

Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?"

Lyrics by Matthew Hammitt, Jason Ingram, Christopher Jame Rohman

I give thanks for God's perfect plan of love; for the gifts of marriage and family. I give Him thanks for giving me "new eyes" to see my wife and children as He sees them, and for a passion to be responsible for leadership in our home.