No.9 ///// An IronMen Moment ///// (For passing along to those men and young men in your life.) Book recommendation. In a recent conversation with a buddy of mine, I was reminded of this excellent book from years ago. Tim Hansel's *Holy Sweat.* It can be purchased for cheap at places like Thrift Books or Amazon. Hansel advanced the idea that the doing of various activities, particularly those that *challenge us to perform at a higher level,* to give more than what we're used to, when done as part of our living life for God, are sanctified, are rendered holy, and are transforming. Holy Sweat is an oxymoron, he would say, the joining of two seeming opposites to form a new idea. At the time he published it, Holy Sweat caught people in the church off guard. His critique was that we had become overly influenced by a non-Biblical idea that our bodies are (1) anti-spiritual, and (2) incapable of use as tools of worship. He built a strong case that just the opposite is true. Our bodies are *part of* our responsibility and resource for worship of God. Not anti-spiritual, but entirely part of our wholeness, and therefore our holiness. Further, our bodies ARE capable instruments of worship, and as we use them to serve, press ourselves toward higher levels of performance, we then demonstrate a holiness in them. Quite literally, then, our sweat becomes sanctified. Holy sweat. Thus, his title. His book was on my shelf for years; must have read it three or four times; it was all marked-up with notations. (Loaned it out, and never saw it again, sadly. But that's another story!) Tim Hansel was the founder and director of Summit Expedition, a Christian outdoor adventure program in California. It served people for some time, and developed a variety of off-shoot programs for different ages and abilities. I recall that there were programs designed to include people in wheelchairs -- imagine: wheelchairs in the wilderness. Pretty cool. I think Summit Expedition still runs, but was taken over by others. Anyhow, the book is worth the read, and it reads easily. Brought to by IronMen.
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22Jan22, No.8 ///// An IronMen Moment ///// (Please pass this along to those men and young men in your life...and encourage them to visit IronMen at their upcoming informational meetings! See the HiSawyer site!) The art of focus. They tell us that the fox (*vulpes necator* and its relatives in *vulpes vulpes*) has an interesting and unique ability, when it comes to hunting its prey. It can "hear" through its feet! Imagine that! The nerve endings in its feet allow the Fox to sense vibrations and movement under the ground. Including those made by mice, rabbits, and other burrowing prey. It's one of the reasons that foxes are photographed jumping into the air, sometimes above a snow mound, and aiming their bodies like an arrow to pounce on their prey. They go in nose-first. The jump is quite a commitment, when you think about it. Does God ever call His followers to that sort of face-first commitment? Hmmm. Makes you wonder. Ancient samurai warriors had a saying, "Take arrows in your forehead, never your back." The idea was that a samurai went into battle with a focus on proceeding through the fray until victory was accomplished. Or, die while serving. The term "samurai" literally means "one who serves," and giving their lives on the battlefield was an equally honorable outcome for them. This goes to the rationale for the construction of their armor. It was light, flexible, easy to carry, and offered little protection from behind. Wearing light armor was similar to Christ's direction to His disciples to bring very little with them when He sent them out on their first evangelism trip across the country (Matthew 10:10). But there is something even more explicit in Jesus' teachings. Christ had already turned to the crowds following Him and explained how much MORE they must be devoted to Him as compared with other loves in their life. The love for Him will seem so strong as to make other devotions pale by comparison. Almost seem like hate when compared to their commitment to Him. At another time, Jesus did this same kind of calling out of disciples from the crowd, and many of those flocking to Him ended up turning around -- they went back home. It was a pretty serious call to followership. Luke records this call in chapter 14 of his Gospel: 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. "Cannot be" His disciples. Wow. He was asking for commitment. Almost as if He wants us to see our target and dive right in for it. Almost like we're being asked to wear light armor...grasp our swords...and serve well. To be of service. The core of Christianity is the connection to Christ. That's something to remember. It isn't about church attendance. It's not about going through the motions of religious duties. It's not about showing off our zeal to look right, talk right, be right. The core of Christianity is the connection to Christ. THAT relation to Jesus is the Abiding connection. Beginning with your personal commitment to follow Him. Much like breathing is the most fundamental ability to an athlete or a warrior, the abiding connection to the Captain-of-our-salvation is the most fundamental, most basic level of discipleship. The abiding connection starts with our commitment to Him. It's a call to discipleship. Many turned away. Only a few...willing to stay. They followed and served. That is the path before us. This is the path of the IronMen. It reminds me of a poem by John Oxenham, entitled The Way. The Way To every man there openeth A way, and ways, and a Way, And the high soul climbs the high way, And the low soul gropes the low, And in between, on the misty flats, The rest drift to and fro. But to every man there openeth A high way, and a low. And every man decideth The way his soul shall go. (By John Oxenham: pen name for the English poet, William Dunkerley, 1852-1941) God said something similar to the prophet Jeremiah: "This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls'..." (Jeremiah 6:16, niv). Brought to you by IronMen. No.7 ///// An IronMen Moment ///// Paddling vs Sailing...the ancient debate. Which is better, do you think? Corrie Ten Boom wrote, "Let go, let God." And, "Don't wrestle, nestle." I love those statements. They are such simple, yet powerful reminders...to re-enter the trust relation to God. To abide in Him. My nautical version of that is "Oars in, sails up." Its about the Abiding connection to God. We live in such an independent, self-driven culture that we somehow think we've made a mistake if we discover we are limited in our ability to do something. Have you ever offered up one of those petitions to God where you are nearly embarrassed by your admission that you CAN'T do something that you know He wants of you? I'm learning to view those as opportunities. Opportunities to pull my oars in, cease the self-effort...and then pull the sails up. Pulling your sails up is a conscious effort to put things in His hands. To NOT trust in our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5,6). "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (niv) It occurs to me that God intentionally leads us to places where we come to the end of ourselves. And why? So that we will look to Him. He WANTS us to. He wants us to trust in Him. But if we're in a high-octane, constant need to control our world, it becomes difficult to pull in our oars. Much less to put up our sails. Brought to you by IronMen. No.6 //////// An IronMen Moment //////// A Tracking Question for you!! What *kind* of canine track is this? (Hint: Use the chart below, in the comments.) === Following Jesus' tracks === Someone came to Jesus and made a great claim: "I will follow you wherever you go" (in Matthew 8:19,20). Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (v.20, niv) In a way, Christ was saying, "I'm going nowhere, as you imagine, I have no address here." Was this response meant to *discourage* that person from following? The man was identified as a "teacher of the law," the Scripture says. Perhaps that is our clue. After all, weren't such teachers rightly called vipers by His cousin, John the Baptist? Christ had some pretty heated discussions with them, calling them hypocrites, so bad that they were like white-washed tombs, filled with dead man's bones. But, think of it. Remember the teacher of the law, the Pharisee named Nicodemus? Given Nicodemus' genuine interest in Jesus (John 3), that's a difficult conclusion to reach, that He intended to *discourage* him. Perhaps He loved them, too, those teachers of the law. He brought the good news to tax collectors, after all. So, what did Jesus have in mind, if it wasn't to *discourage* him? /////// Jesus' call to discipleship /////// Perhaps it was to *encourage* the man to put his sights higher, where Christ's were placed. Rather than on the earth. The earth is where foxes create dens and birds build nests. He instructed everyone, "Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." (Luke 12:33 niv) Hmm...treasure in heaven. Paul continued that theme, "In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:19 niv) Followers of Jesus were encouraged to focus *not* on the temporary, but on what comes after. On what is eternal. This is a central tenet (or teaching) of discipleship for the Christian. It's foundational to followership. A cornerstone to our creed. It was so incredibly important that this reminder was among the last things He taught: "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2,3. niv) So, if we are following the tracks left by Jesus, and we intend to stick to that trail, then it pays to remember WHERE those tracks are leading us. Right? To eternity. To the Father's house. To a future free of the harms, losses, sins, and darkness of this temporal world. It's a grand future. And there is work to do on way! Great purpose as we follow His tracks. Brought to you by IronMen. No.5 /////// An IronMen Moment ////// Articles for those IronMen in your family. Feel free to pass these along! ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Today's topic: Foundlings. Many are familiar with the Star Wars spin-off called The Mandalorian, a character developed by John Favareau (the series is entering its 3rd season). At first sight, the Mandalorian appears to be merely a bounty-hunter, on a constant pay-per-body search for those who have run afoul of the law. But something happens inside of him when he encounters a child who is being hunted, traded for money, and used for "science" experiments. He breaks the social code of local bounty-hunting agencies; instead, he rescues the child. That child, a mini-Yoda like creature, has since become a fan favorite, known as Gro-Gu. The impact on the audience has exalted the common efforts of a powerful hunter to near cult status because he risks his own safety to save a lost child. A "foundling," as the Mandalorian creed calls them. The social IRONY has been that this storyline became one of the most popular in the entertainment world in the middle of a climate where United States Senate representatives advocated the extinguishing of young lives before they draw their first breath. A few of them are even known to want to kill newborn children after they exit the womb. My point is that something deeper is at work in this society -- even among those leaders lacking the moral courage to stand up for the unborn -- that KNOWS...that a child is worth saving. Life is inherently valuable. And why? Because God *gave* that life. God created every human *to live,* have the *right to live,* and be cared for and protected by those who will do so. That right to life does not come from a Constitution. It came from the Bible and ended up in the US Constitution -- a document so well-constructed that nations around the globe have used it as a model for their own for over 240 years. Here's another take-away from this entertainment icon: we are ALL foundlings. Meaning, we were *all* lost... *all* do deeply in-debt with the Judge that our only recourse was to die. Condemned. Yet, here are two of the most exciting words in all of Scripture: "But God." "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 niv) "But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us..." (2 Corinthians 7:6 niv) "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27 niv) Life is SO valuable that the Father was willing to see His only Son take the penalty that was due to us! Here's a final take-away, especially for us dads: Favareau wrote the script that the foundling-saving Mandalorian was a foundling himself. When the Mandalorian saw the little green child being taken by the government, and for experimentation, he decided on a higher value, a higher calling...much like Moses' mother did when she refused the state order to kill Moses because he was a boy. IronMen is an opportunity to put on the "robes" of Mando, as it were, and care for the foundlings. It's what we do. It is the way. Caring for foundlings is more than a film script metaphor. That has been the role of fathers for hundreds of centuries. "We love because he first loved us." I John 4:19 niv. In the fictional story itself there is historical evidence of generational caring. Jango Fett, a generation earlier, was also a foundling. Consider the "Jango Fetts" who have had an impact on your life. Or, on your father's life, whose dedication to caring for the young may be the reason why you are reading this now. I lost my father when I was 13. But God managed to put in my life nearly a dozen other men...some of whom were "Madalorians." By His grace, I ended up learning from even the negative cases. Just like we do from the long list of bad kings in the track-record of Israeli monarchs. So, we end this IronMen article with this question: What heritage of a "Mandalore" do you want to leave with the next generation? Food for thought. Brought to you by IronMen. No.4 ////// An IronMen Moment ////// IronMen...thinking about wise sayings of sailors. It is said that "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." The hardships -- and *rough seas* -- of life do seem to have a way of training us to be more skilled at living it. Well, we sure hope so. But there's part of the rub for us. Some learn by experience, while others don't. Experience can be a very tough teacher: the quip goes that Professor Experience will give you the test first -- which you may or may not pass -- and then give you the lesson later. If you survive the test, then you get to benefit from the lesson. The book of Proverbs (in Scripture, written by Solomon, and others), seem to call out this one theme above so many others, like shouting a key question from a rooftop: ===== + ===== "Who among you is wise enough to learn from another person's mistakes?" ===== + ===== The first seven chapters of the book are focused upon what can be taught the naive learner by watching what poor decisions the Fool makes, who walks as if stumbling blindly through life, never seeking God... as if expecting better results. The great Teacher in Proverbs seems anxious for the reader to LEARN AT A LOW COST to themselves.... lessons that have cost many fools a great deal. For some Fools, the cost was their entire chance at life. Meaning, they died trying. Professor Experience gave them the test and they failed. Other Fools were like those whom Paul described as having "shipwrecked their faith" (I Timothy 1:19). "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." Perhaps not, since we need the hardship of training to cement-in the lessons we have opportunity to learn. But a foolish sailor never gained skill, either. So, it seems we need *both* the trouble God allows us ("each day has enough trouble," He said, in Matthew 6:34, and "In this world you will have trouble," John 16:33) ... AND... we need the wisdom to navigate through that trouble, learn from it, learn from other's experience, and listen faithfully to what God teaches us *in advance* of the trouble. As sailors on our personal stormy seas, He won't keep us *out* of the storm, but He *will* teach us and train us to navigate them. Isn't it amazingly kind in God to not abandon us to our own failures, but to provide us with second chances, and wise teachers, and kind fathers and mothers, and an entire library (66 books, 70 if you count the 5 books of Psalms!) full of strategic know-how? God is good. All the time. Brought to you by IronMen. No.3 /////// An IronMen Moment /////// The I-Beam The steel I-beam is among the most utilized and most basic structures used in the engineering of large buildings. The top and bottom parts are called the Flange. The middle, connecting section is known as the Web or the Stem. This is fascinating for participants of IronMen. For a few reasons. First, a fundamental idea in this program is one generation of men (the fathering "Flange") connecting with a younger generation (the young men's "Flange"). Together, they form a generational and spiritual tie, a connection...a kind of "Web" of influence, one to another. For the influence between them is not one-way, mentor to mentee, father to son -- but both directions as well. The "Stem" or "Web" between them is what combines to make the entire beam strong. That Web consists of shared experiences, family values, a common faith in the Lord Jesus, training passed from one to the other, Biblical teachings about life shared from heart to heart. The strength and resilience of the I-beam is a huge discovery in construction engineering. Think of the buildings and bridges designed -- made possible-- because of this one style of beam. The IronMen beam. The converse relationship may also occur. When the Stem or Web between the two Flanges is overly thin, or disproportionately sized as compared to the two Flanges, it can experience cracking, or structural failure. Some have used the metaphor of generational "passing of a torch" to describe this connection --or, a disconnect -- between fathers and their children. Much like structural engineers must be highly intentional and deliberate about the quality of the products they use for building, we too must rise to that same challenge. Paul used a similar analogy when talking to the Corinthian believers about how they built on the foundation of salvation by grace (I Corinthians 3:10-15). "(12) If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, (13) their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work." (niv) "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). We could extend that analogy by saying Iron also strengthens iron. Two Flanges connected by a Web/Stem. Food for thought! Brought to you by the IronMen. No.2 //////// An IronMen Moment /////// Book Recommendation. Anyone familiar with Robert Lewis' book? Dads out there? It is worth the read, if you haven't yet. It's largely from the father's perspective, but he does include feedback and responses from his sons over the years. Lewis joined forces with other fathers near him, who were also believers, and who shared his commitment to raising mature, well-prepared, servant-leading young men. One of the hallmarks of Christian homeschoolers over the decades has been that they're most interested in rearing children to be adults, not "kid-ults", as some youth are described today. Lewis had that goal pegged back when he wrote this book. Again, it's worth the read, if you're interested. It's a 1997 Tyndale publication. 163 pages long, and not dense. I'm sure we will be drawing from parts of it during the IronMen program. No.1 ////// An IronMen Moment /////// Did you know that this now-famous quote by John Muir was written to his sister on Sept 3rd, 1873, from Yosemite Valley, California? It was a brief letter to her, telling of his work in the Yosemite area. A thought to ponder: if you know your way around the mountains and wilderness, but lack the ability to communicate well with those whom you love, are you headed in the right direction? Want to know more? Want to maximize your skills as a gentleman AS WELL AS a mountaineer? Come check out IronMen. See the HiSawyer schedule for classes and registration. An Invitation to IronMen Do you know how to find North *without* a compass? During the day? How about at night? Do you know how to create a compass with only a needle? Do you know that without a directional device -- something to tell you where North is -- your stronger leg might carry you off to the opposite direction while you're hiking... possibly leading you in a circle? Here's the kicker question: Do you have true North principles to live by in your life? If you are interested in any of these questions, then consider joining the IronMen youth program. It's an adventure just waiting to happen, built just for you! |
IronMen rangers,
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