Need for Men

This weekend we had a Men's Retreat with a gathering of men from UNO. The more time I spend with college men, it becomes more apparent that there is a passiveness that defines men more often than not. We communicate to these men the need for and reason we do things like a "Men's Retreat". More so than just getting together to rally and talk about what we "should" and "shouldn't" be doing as men, but emphasizing and defining the fight that we're in and the need for men to step up and lead in the way we're called to lead. Our fight is for sound doctrine, sexual purity, for our families, and churches.

Paul address Timothy in the New Testament and warns him against getting caught up in civilian pursuits. We addressed this idea of "civilian pursuits" and what those things are that we often get caught up in. Some of the dangers that sidetrack young men so often include pride, love of pleasure, thoughtlessness, contempt of religion, and fear of man's opinion. But our pursuit and our mantra must be that of Jesus Christ.

Mark Driscoll says, "The issue of the proclamation of the message of the person and finished work of Jesus is what it is all about. It is the one things that keeps the man straight, the one thing that will attract the other men to the mission, and the one thing that will allow the mission to have forward progress."

One of the specific highlights for me was a time of digging into each other's lives and sharing our stories with each other. We addressed questions such as,

"In what ways was your father successful in preparing you for manhood?"

"How have women, media, peers, or feminism influenced your view and practice of manhood growing up?"

"What are three of your most life defining moments?"

"Who have been some of the most influential men in your life?"

"What are the dreams you have in life?"

I believe that when we gather as men to do this kind of "soul-to-soul" sharing it causes us to 1.) think deeply about our life and 2.) it brings our baggage and sin to the surface - those things that weigh on us so heavily because we often carry them in secret. It is such a significant thing as men begin to open up in deep ways and fight to lead as men together.