Hi,
this is Andrew Reinke here again, and here is a little update from me about our men's time
over project! Hope you enjoy!
This
Wednesday was full of wilderness, swamps, alligators, and manly activities.
This week our project day was just devoted to Men's and Women's time, so we
headed out to a state park and camping area to have our men's time learning
about what it takes to be a MAN!
For
men (especially me), competition can really bring to the surface exactly what
is in our heart at that time, so whether or not the staff put us in these
situations completely purposefully, it was something that I really noticed in
myself and hit me hard. While we were competing during men's time, I was
getting frustrated a little bit, and it was more with my attitude than
anything, but I'm sure that it came out towards others. I've been a little
frustrated with some things that were just really bothering me, and I had been
trying to work through them, but this realization was probably the biggest help
for me to go along with my desire to have the attitude of Christ in all things.
Now
to actually talk about what the staff had more intended for us to learn from
our men's time...
We
have been covering what it means to really be a man and a man of God with the
acronym RACE. We have been covering a different letter each week and we
finished up since the staff will be leaving us soon.
R- Reject Passivity
A- Accept Responsibility
C- Courageously Lead
E- Expect God's Greater Rewards
Each
one of these areas in our lives really impacts the way we treat our friends,
family, loved ones, coworkers, and everyone we meet. Fact of life: men are
different than women! ...Oh, good one there Andrew! Thank you for pointing that
one out for me... But really, this is important to recognize, that there are
roles that each one needs to fill and step up to the task because we were
designed this way. Men today have in a lot of ways gotten away from what we
were designed to do. Being a man is definitely not about age, physical
abilities, a deep voice, or chest hair... It is easy for a guy to just sit
back, be lazy, and just do what he wants. Rejecting Passivity is the first part
to what we need to do to become a man. A man's role is to be a leader for others,
and being passive towards what needs to be done is definitely a no-no. This
kind of ties in with the next part of Accepting Responsibility. In life there
are responsibilities that will need to be fulfilled and we as men need to step
up to the challenge set before us. What man doesn't like a good challenge? I
would say that a real man, one following after God, should always be up to
battle the challenges of life set before us. As a man, I want challenges,
adventures, battles, and struggles. I've got some other news: the Christian
life doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be boring! It should be filled with fun,
adventure, facing fears, trusting God, and leading through the unknown. We as
men were also designed to Courageously Lead. Now this does not mean that there
should be a dictatorship or lording over others, but as a servant willing to
help others and follow our commander, Christ! Christ's love for us is great and
all, but for men, we want someone great who we can follow after. This is
something that gets overlooked by many people in the church today, and I agree
with the staff on project, that in some ways this alienates men. It is all
about Jesus' love for us, but that does not have as great of an appeal as a
great commander who leads by sacrifice and serving to do what is best for us.
1
Timothy 1:12 "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not
ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to
guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."
Now
since we know that we were designed as men to do these things, what's next?
Well, Expecting God's Greater Rewards, of course! If we come to realize that in
all things that we do, when we are living for things with eternal significance,
the rewards are greater. God will bless us far beyond what we can ever obtain
here on earth, and that in itself should be motivation to live for God. We all
strive and seek for others approval, so why not seek for the one who approval
really matters? Live for Christ, not out of obligation of some religious
activities, but because you love God and want to follow Him as your leader, and
expect Him to reward you for following him well! These are just a summary of
what we learned, my thoughts on it, and what I hope that I can follow through with
in my own life, living to be a real man of God.
During
our men's time day, we complete athletically in different races throughout our
day, and then compared the similarities to these races and how we are to live
the race of life seeking after God. We were challenged in areas that most men
have struggles in and were told flat out how it affects you: spiritually,
psychologically, and literal changing in our brains. Great instruction and
accountability passed down from men seeking after God, to us college guys
seeking to become men of God. We of course had food, because it cannot be a
men's time if there is no food, and we really challenged to make sure that we
understood what it looks like to be a man of God and if we wanted to commit to
being a man. I am extremely grateful to all the staff men for the challenges
that they have given us and the instruction, so that we can go hard after God.
2
Timothy 4:6-8
“For
I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my
departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only
to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
