Heart of a Warrior - Greg Bourgond

Declaration of Dependence

My good friend, Jerry Jones, wrote this article he will read to his church Sunday about the Kingdom of God as we celebrate our independence on July 4th.  I felt it was important to remind us of our true allegience as followers of Christ.

This week we will rejoice in the fact that we are independent of the demands, ties, and expectations of other ‘earthly governments’.  We will watch fireworks to remind us of ‘the rockets red glare’ and, refuse to visit our usual work places (thankfully, both are ‘legal’).  But I would like to suggest that we take a moment to remember we are not independent but dependent.  We belong – first and foremost – to a Monarchy and not to a Democracy.  Our Monarch is a King who demands of us our lives on a daily basis.   Our allegiance is to that King, not to a President, nor a Congress, nor even an Ideal of Democracy.  In this Monarchy, there are no rights, no privileges, no guarantee of Happiness.

To make matters worse, this King demands that we follow Him in the way that He walked.  He demands that we carry our cross – the very instrument of torture and ultimate sacrifice.  He even tells us that, if we want to save our life, we must first lose it.  He also tells us that being a subject of His Kingdom will require self-sacrifice, self-denial, and perhaps even martyrdom. 

Thankfully, there is another side to this Monarchy because this King is a Benevolent Monarch.  He has promised us Superabundant Life here on the face of this earth. He has guaranteed that these great and precious gifts will be given to us:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.  He has promised that we will ‘Shine as the Sun.  Of course, the process of this Shining may not always be the most pleasant.

He has also promised a ‘Place prepared for us”.  This place has also been called ‘the City with foundations whose builder and maker is God”. It is a place so magnificent that ‘eye has not seen nor has ear heard’.  It is our Home and to make it our home requires that we consider everywhere else, including the good ole’ US of A – a country where we exist as strangers and foreigners. 

But perhaps the most important element of this Monarchy is that it EXISTS.  Here, today, right now, right this instant.  And that this King exists, and that he is – whether we like it or not – the King of King and Lords of Lords.  His Kingdom – our Kingdom – will exist long after the United States of America has gone the way of other great human governments.

So, this week, as you celebrate our historic separation from England and our continued efforts at maintaining a level of freedom throughout the globe, remember that you belong to a King – a King Who loves you more deeply that you can imagine; a King who demands of you complete allegiance and total loyalty.  Long Live the King!

The Power of Discipline - Part 3

Bill Kinney concludes his latest series with The Power of Discipline - Part 3.

…train yourself to be godly.  1 Tim 4:7b (NIV)

In his 2002 bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren starts out by saying, “It’s not about you.”  For a long time, even though I knew what he meant and basically agreed with it, the statement brought me up short and caused me to set the book aside.  I have still not read it straight-through. 

You see, as I view it, God’s purpose in the world is all about you.  You are not a pawn in some cosmic game.  You are unique.  In the history of the world – there has never been another just like you.  God designed you, just as you are, to be where you are, and to be who you are.  He sent Jesus to redeem you from the clutches of sin.  He gave His very earthly life for you.  You are the pinnacle of His creation.  And, for some reason that we cannot fathom, His purposes in heaven and on earth involve a relationship with you – your true identity is found only in Him.

The problem is that, having come to faith in Christ, many men don’t know what to do next.  This uncertainty can go on for years, or decades.  And so, guys get active and begin a process of involvement in many wonderful activities because somehow, in the backs of their minds, it is about doing things in order to please God, or to please others.  For a few, it is about putting on a mask to disguise who they really are.  Eventually, many find that they cannot keep it up, the steel band of discipline that has been wrapped around their behavior snaps, ugly realities tumble out, the mask falls, and they stand alone and vulnerable.

As John Lynch puts it, in his book, TrueFaced, we all come to a fork in our faith pathway where we must choose between the route labeled Pleasing God, and the route labeled Trusting God.  The first path offers the Room of Good Intentions where all seek to become close to God by their performance.  The second path offers the Room of Grace where all are close to God because of who He is, and who they are in Him.

Metaphors aside, how do you come to know God, and to experience His closeness and His power in your life?  I suggest that it is only by entering into the Room of Grace where the disciplines you practice arise, not out of your own personal effort to please Him, but rather, out of whom you are in Christ.  Does that seem hard to figure out?

You come to trust Him, to know Him, and to serve Him out of a spontaneous desire, launched from somewhere in the core of your being.  You are not primarily motivated by trying to please Him, but He is pleased when you seek Him from your heart because you desire Him. He has promised to be found.^[1]

It is in this sense of learning and knowing God out of who you already are in Christ, that discipline of the spiritual kind gives power for the noble life.  Dallas Willard offers thoughtful insight into what are sometimes called the Spiritual Disciplines.  He divides them into two categories, those of abstinence, and those of engagement.  In the first are such things as solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, and sacrifice.  In the second he proposes the disciplines of study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission.^[2]

Perhaps this seems a bit unmanly, but I hope not.  There are a number of voices out there that would have Christian men become more vulgar, more assertive, more testosterone-driven.  Comedian Brad Stine has a group he calls GodMen, whose credo is a version of Paul Coughlin’s book, No More Christian Nice Guy.  Speaking of this phenomenon in a recent blog article, Albert Mohler^[3] has said, “Are these guys serious? A real man honors women -- especially his wife. Real manhood is shown in chivalry and the code of the gentleman, not in crude ‘rules for real men’ that should be an embarrassment to all concerned.”^[4]  Dr. Mohler has it right.  What real men seek, real Christian men, is to know God, and to be with Him and for Him.  This is at the heart of the noble warrior’s pathway.

Such proposals as Willard makes could be overwhelming if you were to think of doing them all at once, or even of doing any one of them.  God is not looking for you to please Him, but to trust Him.  A part of that is to allow Him to lead you into those disciplines that are most suitable for you, and then to practice them, not out of obligation, or of duty, but because you cannot, not. 

Is your spirit unsettled? Is God speaking to you?  Practice listening.  You may or may not be an athlete, a great sportsman, or a high-powered business executive; those things don’t impress Him.  Whoever you are, if you are seeking the greater wisdom and knowledge of God, then consider submitting yourself to a discipline routine of the kind joyfully engaged, from a heart empowered by the Holy Spirit to desire God.  Here is what Dr. Greg Bourgond has said.

Living for Christ, living the abundant life is an inside out journey of faith and obedience.  The road to congruence begins on the inside (Proverbs 4:23).  Character matters.  Behavior reflects what’s in the heart.  Oh, it can stimulate what’s there, it can galvanize what’s there, it can empower what’s there, it can embellish what’s there but it can’t produce what is not already there.^[5]

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[1] Jeremiah 29:11-13; Acts 17:24-28.

[2] Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, pg. 158.

[3] Albert Mohler is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, KY.

[4] R. Albert Mohler, Thank God for Testosterone? Confusion About Christian Manhood, Internet, Albert Mohler Blog, December 11, 2006. Retrieved December 12, 2006 from http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php   

[5] Gregory W. Bourgond, Deadly Lie #4: Spiritual growth requires behavior modification, Internet, Heart of a Warrior Blog http://heartofawarrior.typepad.com/heart_of_a_warrior_greg_b/, retrieved December 27, 2006.

The Power of Discipline - Part 2

Bill Kinney continues his essay with The Power of Discipline Part 2

…train yourself to be godly. 1 Tim 4:7b (NIV)

It was 1896 in Greece, at the first gathering of what has been called the Modern Olympics, when American James Connolly became the first man in 1,500 years to win a medal in an Olympic Game.  He won it for the triple-jump, which was then called the hop, skip, and jump.  It was silver, because gold medals were not awarded until the 1908 Olympics, in London.

Another American won fame in the Olympics about a half-century later, not only for his pole vault gold medals in 1952 and 1956, but for his appearance as an advertising gimmick.  Bob Richards was the first athlete to be pictured on a Wheaties cereal box.  Sometimes called the “Vaulting Vicar,” the Rev. Richards was also a Christian, an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, and a professor of theology in California.

While his name is little remembered today, Richards’s influence on young athletes was immense, in his time.  “One of the great lessons I've learned in athletics,” he is quoted as saying, “is that you've got to discipline your life.  No matter how good you may be, you've got to be willing to cut out of your life those things that keep you from going to the top.” ^[i]

Perhaps that simple truth has resonance with you.  In an earlier article, I suggested that three of God’s greatest words are: come, wait, and go.  You have come to Jesus, and now you find yourself waiting.  You have been waiting for something or someone to arrive in your life, some opportunity, some break, some chance that never appears.  So, you wait.  You hang out with the guys, you do Bible studies, you sing in the choir, you usher, you teach Sunday School, and all are good things.  But still, you feel like something is missing.  You wonder if who you are now is who you will always be, struggling with obstacles to the things you secretly dream about.

It may be that the primary thing you wonder about is some version of the question of God’s will for your life.  You pray, but seem to get no answer.  You plead with God, but no response comes.  You worship together with your friends, but when you leave the gathering you lose the sense of praise and wonder.  Why doesn’t God just talk to me?  Give me a sign?  Show up in a way that I can see?  Open a door?

And so, fearful of doing the wrong thing, or fearful of not doing a thing well, or fearful of rejection and the critical judgment of others, you wait passively for that indefinable something to happen to you.  You go through the motions and do what is expected of you, but you cannot escape the sense that life is passing, and that the Coach is not going to put you into the game. 

These kinds of obstacles are very real for me, and for many of the men that I meet.  God uses events and circumstances to get our attention, like an axe-handle between the eyes.  In my case, after many successful years in business, and despite all my effort and my prayers, my company tanked and I found myself screaming at God in fear and anger.  It was only then that I began to understand the kind of discipline that comes from God.  At first it was unwelcome but, forced to listen, I heard God whisper that He was going to change or remove everything in my life that was not a part of His plan for me.  Discipline of any kind is hard.

God works on some men early in life and, because each person is different, other men must go through longer trials.  All must go through adversity, and discipline.  Bob Bardwell and Bob Richards are alike in their dedication to discipline.  These men did not just arrive, hang out, soak it up, and then compete.  They were led by a Godly dream, a vision of what could be, and they trained rigorously.  They prepared for the day when they would compete for the ultimate prize.  As young men, they built on those things that they knew how to do.  They sought the challenge and were not thwarted by the opposition.  They had a God-ordained vision, they had obstacles, and they most surely had fear.  But they disciplined their minds and bodies and, when they were older, when they were ready, then the Coach called them to go.

The noble life and God’s hand of direction and blessing is not obtained through spiritual osmosis.  The time of waiting is a time of training, of learning, and of discipline of the joyful kind.  How will you hear His voice calling you to your place, if you don’t know how to wait, to prepare, and to listen?  As has been said, sometimes God does incredible things just to get our attention, and to prepare us for what is to come.

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[i] Bob Richards, as quoted at http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/bob_richards/ retrieved November 23, 2006.

The Power of Discipline - Part 1

Once again we have the privilege of hearing from a guest author, my friend Bill Kinney.  He continues his series - The Noble Man Essays.

He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  Psalm 18:34 (NIV)

Bob Bardwell is an athlete who has run over 100 marathons, all around the world.  He has also been wheelchair-bound since July 1973, when a construction accident took away the use of his lower limbs.  As he tells it, in his book, The Marathons of Life, “A marathon is 26.2 grueling, lung-sapping miles averaging approximately 4000 arm strokes in a wheelchair.”   

Bob’s life had been one of physical discipline as a freestyle wrestler and Olympic aspirant, until a Caterpillar scraper dumped 20 tons of dirt on him.  Following his recovery, he again found competing in athletic events to be the passion of his life as he took on a disciplined routine to bring his body back into shape.  As a follower of Jesus, he had previously completed two Master’s Degrees with ministry in mind.  He soon discovered that his wheelchair enhanced his opportunity to have an impact on kids and their families, for Christ.

The Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch, located on the River in Southeastern Minnesota, was founded by Bob in 1976.  Over 20,000 people are served at the Ranch each year, where they host the National Wheelchair Sports & Recreation Camp, and the “Wheels of Fire” competition.  In spite of (or because of) the physical inabilities caused by paraplegia, Bob’s discipline of faith has been an example of Christian strength and honor in the world.

Discipline – the word has a menacing tone to it, conjuring up childhood images of pain and punishment.  We might not think of this kind of discipline, the kind administered by others, as being a positive thing until we look back to see how it helped us on our way (we’ll leave the topic of abusive discipline for others to discuss).

There is another positive kind of discipline.  It is the kind illustrated by the life of Bob Bardwell; not that discipline which is imposed from the outside, but that which is adopted willingly, even joyfully.  Our route toward realizing a dream is found in discipline of the kind voluntarily engaged.  Events can change the vision.  Would Bob want the use of his legs back?  I can only guess that he would, but not at the sacrifice of God’s greater glory through his wheelchair.

I hope you will stay with me here – many men who are Believers in Jesus Christ, men who would be noble warriors, seem to think little about discipline in a spiritual sense, or they have an incomplete view of what it is.  Having entered into the arena of faith, some expect to play in the contest without exercise, training, or preparation.  More than that, they expect to be placed on the Spiritual Life A-team because of a supposed natural talent, or because of a more direct connection with the Coach.  But, most commonly it has been my observation that many men are satisfied to occupy the bleachers, to stand on the sidelines enjoying the atmosphere but never participating in the battle.

Speaker, author, and professor Dallas Willard says, “The spiritual life is a life of interaction with a personal God, and it is pure delusion to suppose that it can be carried on sloppily.”   This echoes the Apostle Paul, who said, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 

We have been talking about becoming the Noble Man, without really saying who he is or how to do that.  There is a theme that has been hinted at, but now must be proclaimed – the Noble Man is, first of all, a man of spiritual discipline, well-trained to do the work that God has ordained for him.  His greatest obstacle is fear, arising out of unwillingness or inability to fully trust Jesus.

Guys, this is not as much about what you do, as it is about who you are in Christ.  Dr. Greg Bourgond uses the metaphor of the steel-band of discipline to talk about the trap that many of us fall prey to, as we try to take control of our lives.  It is the external effort to make ourselves conform to some image or standard, and arises from the strength of our will, not the strength of our being.  We need discipline, just as an athlete like Bob Bardwell does, but not of the kind that causes this steel band of well-doing-for-the-sake-of-image to snap.

[1] Bob Richards, as quoted at http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/bob_richards/ retrieved November 23, 2006.

Risk is a part of life …

Neil Anderson, author of Victory Over Darkness and Bondage Breaker, speaks on the important subject of risk.  In his online devotional, Daily In Christ, he talks about the importance of taking risks for Christians.  As you recall we have suggested that men have been created for three important responsibilities—the absence of which diminishes his manhood. 

These responsibilities include a cause to die for, a challenge to embrace, and loved ones to protect.  The later responsibility is extended to protecting the underserved, the underprivileged, the underrepresented, and the under appreciated.

Taking risks is a part of life.  Taking risks is a part of every man’s DNA.  What have you risked for the sake of another lately?  What have you risked for the sake of God’s kingdom lately?

Neil Anderson talks about living on the edge in his online devotional Daily In Christ- …

The Noble Man: Missing Pieces (Part 12)

I am very grateful to Bill Kinney for his series on the Noble Man.  This is the final submission in the series.

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"  Matthew 24:32

Three Questions - Concluded

The Power of Vision

You may have heard the story about the young Easterner who went West to find his fortune in the California gold fields of 1849.  He outfitted himself with everything he could think of and more, and then anxiously began throwing it all onto the back of a mule.  When he thought the gear was secure, he grabbed the halter rope to lead the over-loaded animal out of town, thinking only of the gold that was just lying on the ground, ready for the picking.

If you know about mules, then you will understand what happened next.  The mule wouldn’t move.  The harder the young man pulled, the more the mule resisted.  He stomped around, kicked dirt, cursed, and swatted the rear end of the stubborn animal, only to have it sit down on its haunches in the middle of the street.

Standing to one side, slapping his knee in laughter, a grizzled old prospector is taking it all in.  Hearing the loud guffaws, the young man, red in the face with sweat streaming off his chin, turns to the older man and says, “I ‘spose you could do this better?”

“Yup,” says the old sourdough.

“Here, then.  Give it a try,” the young man says, holding out the rope.

Taking a spare hickory axe handle out of his pack, the old guy comes over and walks straight up to the mule’s face and stares at him.  Then, reaching back over his head with the axe handle, he smacks the mule with it, directly between the eyes.

The mule’s front feet come off the ground and, without a whimper, the belligerent animal falls flat out on his side – the young man’s equipment flying every-which-way.

“You’ve kilt my mule!” shouts the young man.

“Nope.” says the old man, who then takes a hold on the halter rope and tugs it lightly.  The mule lifts his head, then his neck, and finally gets his feet underneath and stands, looking at the prospector, who proceeds to lead him around the young man.  Handing the rope over he says, “Son, ‘fer y’ kin git thet mule t’ move, y’ got t’ git his attention.”

You see, sometimes, God has to get our attention, and many of we men seem to need an axe handle between the eyes.  That is my personal experience.  Perhaps it is yours, too.  We go through life thinking that we are doing it all right, going many places, doing many things, focused in many directions, all of them good, looking for success formulas and pat-answers.  And then, something happens. Ventures fail, vision becomes blurred, and we wonder what God is up to.

When God moves in to get your attention, you will grapple with some version of these mysteries: Who am I?  Where am I going?  How will I get there?  These are visionary questions that cannot be fully answered here, or anywhere else outside of your own heart.  It was A. W. Tozer who said, “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.”[1]

The missing piece in many lives is the burning heart for God.  This is where vision comes from, and vision is found in the man, Jesus.  The almighty, holy, unapproachable, unknowable, majestic, God of the universe chose to become a man.  He chose to walk among other men – chose to bridge the gap between Himself and humankind.  It is not just about you walking with Him.  No.  You see, He longs to walk with you on your own personal road.  Will you let Him?  There is power for the noble life in the grand quest, the vision that He alone brings.  Therein lies real manhood for you, and for your sons – in the burning heart of a warrior.

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[1] A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Camp Hill PA: Christian Publications, Inc.), 15.

The Noble Man: Missing Pieces (Part 11)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Three Questions - Continued

The Noble Life

Words are powerful.  They inhabit our minds.  They influence our character.  They change the world.

In part three of his blog article, Wake up Call for Men: the blessing, Greg Bourgond says, “Words are important and the words we utter to our children and grandchildren are especially important.”[1]  Careless words are harmful wherever they are uttered, but thoughtful words plant hope in the most fallow ground.  It is not by happenstance or casual after-thought that Christ Jesus is referred to as the Word.[2]  It has been said that all the words of Scripture are summed up in Him.[3] 

The Bible is filled with important words.  Sometimes the simple ones are the greatest ones.  There are three plain Words of God that I would like to mention.  No short article can do more than that – books could be written about them.  They point to your calling, your training, and your noble quest.  They are the essence of what happens in the heart of a warrior, when Jesus calls.  Here they are: Come.  Wait.  Go.

These three words will give you clues to the noble life.  Your response to them will reflect upon the blessing you bestow, and the legacy you leave.  They will engage you with the primary motivating forces that call all men to a clear standard of Godly manliness – imagination, wonder, loyalty, passion and romance.  They will introduce you to the ennobling qualities of authenticity, followship, simplicity, resilience, and valor.  They are the substance of a vision for noble manhood by which a man may initiate his sons into the society of noble men.

Come, is the beckon-call of God to you, and it involves your body, your soul, and your mind (spirit).  It is the call to new life, to new vision, and to new hope.

Wait, is the position of the seeker and the learner.  It is the call to preparation for all that He has designed for you from before time began, and may involve difficult times and adversity.

Go, is the commission.  It is the call to courage, to action, and to destiny.  You see, your faith is not static.  While you will always be learning, you cannot remain the learner.  God has a wonderful plan for your life that involves engaging with your world in winsome and winning ways.

Guys, in this process Jesus is a friend and companion, and He is the ultimate model of the noble man.  To be like Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to be His yoke-fellow[4] along the way; this is the reward.  To what end?  He has called you to come and join Him. He has a place for you to be, to learn of Him. He has a work for you to do, that through you the world may know Him, and be changed forever.  Here is a quest worth pursuing.

When you get a glimpse of Jesus, a vision of His glory and His pleasure in you, then hope springs alive – it leaps from your inmost being!  With hope comes the power to live the victorious life of a noble man.  It is in this life of Godly nobility that you will find the strength to bestow upon your sons the blessing that they crave, from you alone.  We will talk about that in the next (final) installment.

(To be continued…)

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[1] Gregory W. Bourgond.  2006. Wake up call for men: The Blessing. http://heartofawarrior.typepad.com/heart_of_a_warrior_greg_b/wakeup_call_for_men/index.html

[2] John 1:1

[3] Steve Goold, Crystal Evangelical Free Church (Sermon, 2006).

[4] Matt 11:29-30, Phil 4:3.

The Noble Man: Missing Pieces (Part 10)

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

Three Questions - Continued

The Quest

Tim Brannagan would be uncomfortable if I were to hold him up as a model of anything other that the mercy, grace, strength, and honor of God.

As he crossed the service road at Roberts Field on that evening in June, the thing on Tim’s mind was finding a way to survive the night that was quickly descending.  He found the hotel to be empty and, when he got to the room, he did exactly as the strangers had said to do.  He locked himself in and barricaded the door with everything that would move.  Then he rested, and waited, soon falling into a fitful sleep.

In the middle of the night, the hallways of the hotel filled with the noise of running footfalls and loud voices, as soldiers searched the premises.  There was a hard pounding on his door but, remembering the admonition of his benefactors, and not knowing if the soldiers outside were government or rebel troopers, he did not respond.  Whoever it was, they lost interest and moved on. The night passed without further incident.

At dawn, he arose to find that, even with the noises of armies that had been all around throughout the night, the airport had not yet been taken.  So, he quickly retrieved his van and drove back to the Mission Station.  It took 45 minutes; no checkpoints or barriers.  Within a few hours of his leaving, everything at Roberts Field was bombed, rocketed, and destroyed.  Two weeks later Tim was on his way to California.

Such a story causes me to wonder about courage.  Clearly, it is one of those qualities that we recognize when we see it, but have a difficult time talking about.  Adversity comes to us all and may require a courageous response – we face the battle because we have no other choice.  But, that is a narrow view.

Greg Bourgond says that courage is about “leaning into your fears.”[1]  I like that a lot, and would only add that it somehow also involves advancing against your fears, moving out, taking offensive action, being the warrior and claiming territory.  God told Joshua to be “strong and courageous” as he called him to move the children of Israel from 40 years of wandering, to claim their promised land.[2]  While there probably was fear in the Israelite camp, the warriors were willing and they, also, called upon Joshua to “be strong and courageous!” in his leadership.[3]

In the movie, Gladiator, the fictional Roman General Maximus said, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” as he instructed his cavalry to follow him into battle in Germania.[4]  They did so courageously, some unto death, all unto victory and earthly reward.  The cause of Christ is greater than this. 

In the flush of deliverance by the hand of God at the Red Sea, Moses and Miriam sang, “The Lord is a Warrior,”[5] to the assembled people.  When this Warrior Lord sends out the call, a man of valor responds courageously because eternity is in the balance.  Whether at rest or in action, I believe that this kind of courage is a permanent and valorous condition of the manly soul that has been captivated by Jesus Christ.[6]

One of the strongest voices speaking to men today is coming from Robert Lewis, of Little Rock, Arkansas.  His book, Raising a Modern Day Knight, outlines a message to men that calls them to consider a model for manhood patterned after a knighthood metaphor.

The resonance of Lewis’ message has been so strong that literally thousands of men are being challenged to learn more about what it means to be a man, and how to lead their sons into manhood.[7]  According to Lewis, a vision for manhood involves four cornerstone principles. “A real man is one who: rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects the greater reward – God’s reward.”[8] 

The pathway to nobility is paved with the courage that takes a man into harm’s way, for no other reason than the joy of serving God.  It is a grand quest that begins in the courageous heart of a warrior, and in his sons and his daughters, to whom he brings the blessings of his Sovereign Lord.  The greater reward is nothing less than the eternal companionship of God, Himself.

(To be continued…)

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[1] Gregory W. Bourgond (personal communication, 2005).

[2] Joshua 1:6-9.

[3] Joshua 1:18.

[4] Gladiator. Produced by David Franzoni, Branko Lustig and David Wick, and directed by Ridley Scott.  155 min. Dreamworks/Universal Studios. 2000. DVD

[5] Exodus 15:3a.

[6] Our focus here is on men, but it should be clarified that women of courage also rise to valor in this way.

[7] Men’s Fraternity, http://www.mensfraternity.com/mfhome.asp

[8] Robert Lewis, Raising a Modern Day Knight (

Wheaton

,

IL

: Tyndale House Publishers), 60.

The Noble Man: Missing Pieces (Part 9)

Bill picks up his series with his 9th submission on Missing Pieces.

…for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I …will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Three Questions - Continued

The Quest

You may have seen the motion picture, End of the Spear, which tells the story of five American Missionaries who died while trying to contact the remote Waodani tribe.[1]  I was a young teen in 1956 and vividly remember the news reports coming out of the jungles of Ecuador.

I became terrified as other missionaries came to our church to tell similar stories of modern martyrdom in the cause of Christ.  Their soundless 8 mm home movies flickered and danced in darkened rooms, as they told their own stories of struggle and opposition in bringing the gospel to isolated areas of the world – Alaska, Indonesia, South America, Africa.

No God, I secretly pleaded, don’t send me to Africa.

He never did. But, to this day, stories of Africa grab my attention in a mixture of fear and wonder.  As Tim Brannagan shares his story with me over a cup of coffee at a Caribou Coffee shop where his daughter, Wendy, works, I again sense emotions that have been stored somewhere in the recesses of my brain for all of these years.  For him, it is 16 years since the events he describes, but I can tell that time has telescoped in his mind, and I am captivated.

The call from the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia Liberia, had come to the Mission Station about 10 o’clock in the morning.  The problem was explained to Tim, and with the nighttime Rebel Army incident still fresh in his mind, he agreed to make the trip so that three American women could find safe passage out of the country before the airport was overrun by hostile forces.

Aware of the peril and the possibility that he might not return, Tim spent the next few hours in prayer, going through family photo albums, saying goodbye.  He does not regard his decision as remarkable for anything other than the hand of God giving him the peace of His presence.  The thought occurred to Tim that the safest place he could ever be was where God led him to be.  He was comforted by the realization that his life, as always, was in God’s hands and could not be taken from him until God’s purposes for him in this world had been fulfilled.

It was not a long trip to Roberts Field, the international airport – 45 minutes under normal conditions.  By 4:00 that afternoon, bags loaded, the appreciative women joined him in his van and the journey began.  It took an hour and a half, through barriers and checkpoints, being questioned by soldiers and then passed-through, to reach the small jetport.

He pulled up into the packed-dirt parking lot, and stopped at the single large terminal building.  The tarmac and runway were empty and they waited until, about a half-hour later, the aircraft arrived and his passengers were able to board. 

At that point, feeling alone and disoriented, he looked around wondering what to do next.  The Army of President Samuel Doe’s Liberian government was there, preparing for defense against the Rebel Army of Charles Taylor.  A massive assemblage of troops, vehicles, rocket launchers and other military supplies was everywhere.  The conflict seemed about to erupt and if the prior night’s mayhem was any guide, it was likely to be sharp and brutal.

At that very moment, as he was wandering through the parking lot searching for a possible hiding place, two people walked purposefully and directly up to him.  They sounded British, a man and a woman, and they asked if he was leaving on the last plane out.  He replied that he was not, that he could not.

They immediately handed him a set of keys and pointed to the Roberts Field Hotel, across a service road.  They instructed him to go into the room, to lock himself in and to not come out until morning.  He was to stay in the room the entire time.  If anyone knocked, he was not to answer the door.  Then, as quickly as they had appeared they were gone, and he stood to watch as the jetliner taxied out, and took off.  Tim made his way across the road to the hotel.

(To be continued…)

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[1] End of the Spear. 2006.  Produced by Bill Ewing, Bart Gavigan and Mart Green, and directed by Jim Hanon. 108 min. Every Tribe Entertainment.

The Noble Man: Missing Pieces (Part 8)

Bill Kinney submits his eigth posting in his series entitled, "The Noble Man:  Finding a Vision for Manhood."

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:16

Three Questions - Continued

The Quest

Late in 1989, a bloody civil war arose in Liberia West Africa>, instigated by warlord Charles Taylor.  Christian missionaries, Tim Brannagan and his wife, Nancy, were living at a Mission Station in Paynesville, a town located south of the capitol city of Monrovia. This was about a one-hour drive from the Firestone Rubber Plantation, located in the town of Harrbel, where much of the fighting was taking place.

Tim’s role, in this politically unstable region, was to seek ways to improve the theological education of rural pastors.  Nothing in his own education, two Master’s Degrees, and a PhD., from Biola University and Talbot Seminary, or in his service to this Mission over the prior four years, could possibly have prepared him for the events that were about to take place.[1]

For reasons of safety, Nancy left with the children to return home, to California. Tim stayed, to continue training and helping church planters throughout the country. Liberia is a mountainous land of heavy tropical jungle, with heat and humidity always in the 90’s.  Access to remote areas was by rutted, dirt roads, over which Tim regularly drove his Toyota van to deliver supplies and friendship.  He lived with a sense that life was always in danger at every turn, and stress was his companion at every checkpoint, where he would be stopped by rebel bands, or by government soldiers, who often were drunk and disorderly.

By July, 1990, fighting on and around the rubber plantation had resulted in a flood of refugees – over 20,000 had walked in to the Mission Station.  In fact, both sides in the conflict stayed there.  They were able to hide their clothes, sleep, and then walk out in the morning to get their guns, and to fight again.  The Mission Station became a refugee village.

One night, the army broke into the United Nations compound, not far from the United States Embassy in Central Monrovia. The refugees, who had gathered there, thinking that they would be safe, were thrown into trucks that were then driven fifteen miles south of the city, to a beach area that happened to be nearby the Mission Station.  This was a commonly used killing ground for the rebels, and it was here that they murdered all of the refugees.

Afterward, some of the rebels followed the blood-tracks of an injured man who had crawled away.  They wanted to keep him from telling the story of the slaughter.  This led them to the Mission Station, where they called the missionaries out and told them that, because they had given aid, they were going to come back with the army later that night and do to them as they had done to the U.N. compound the night before – kill them all.  Then, they left.

After a time of fervent prayer everyone retired to bed.  During the night a severe rainstorm developed, blanketing the entire area, and when the Mission came to life in the morning they rejoiced together that God had protected them.  The waterlogged rebel army had never come.

Fighting continued all around and a few days later, under extreme pressure, the U.S. Embassy wanted to evacuate the last of its personnel.  Three people needed to get to the airport, in order to get out of the country, but their driver had malaria. The Embassy contacted the Mission and asked if they had someone who could drive the Americans out to the airport, Roberts Field, thirty miles south of Paynesville.

The Mission asked Tim if he would be willing to take these people across rebel-held territory, to place them on the last plane out.  They could not guarantee his safety.  The rebels were closing in on the airport and it was likely that he would not be able to get out.  It would be night by that time, which increased the possibility that he might be caught in a crossfire or rocket attack.  He would have to find some way to hide at the airport overnight, and then take his chances that he would be able to drive back to Monrovia the next day.  The risk was that the Rebels would have control of the airport by then and, if so, he would surely be captured and killed.

Tim agreed to go.

(To be continued…)

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[1] Tim Brannagan.  (Personal interview, 2005).  Used with permission.