A view about manhood

       Western culture has radically changed in the past twenty to thirty years. The number of people that believe in absolutes has dwindled. The battle between good and evil continues on, but if you listen to society the good side is on its way to defeat. This has an effect on how we see the culture. Television news is a business and newscasts are rewarded monetarily by higher ratings. Bad news brings higher ratings. We sometimes forget about the good things in our culture.      We must also remember that our personal opinions do not always represent good. There are some types of music that I don’t prefer. That doesn’t necessarily mean that God and I have the same preferences. When we sing hymns at church I always look at the bottom of the page to look at the date it was written. I have a tendency to think these hymns have been around forever. I sometimes think that these hymns are more pleasing to God than some other current music. By looking at the ...

       A few years ago I had an idea of different things I wanted to accomplish in my life. I saw myself moving forward in what I did in my local church. I saw myself moving away from my responsibilities at my "day" job. I made a comment to my pastor that if I was 5 years older I could be in a position to retire and would have more time to devote in working at the church. I have asked God for direction in this matter. I have asked God to give me something I could manage. I have always been a person that struggles with patience. During this time I have struggled with discouragement. I thought I had a clear path of what God wanted my to do and a direction He wanted me to move in preparation for what lied ahead of me.       The first step would be freeing up time in my job to transfer the time spent to working at the church. I passively started looking for a job that would allow me to work toward this goal. The jobs I saw available would cause a loca...

       1 Corinthians 16:13 has been on my radar for many years now.       I try to pay attention to the people around me. I try to be aware of their needs or any dangers around them. Then do what I can to help the situation. Many times I don't know what to do and sometimes it may be best not to do anything- or to put off doing something until later.       Next is to stand firm in my faith and not let any worldly influences alter what I'm doing- this is easier said than done. Many times I'm motivated by what "man wants" and not doing what God would want me to do. Standing firm in the faith requires me to do exactly what God wants me to do or react exactly as God would have me do- this is usually more difficult because of the worldly influence around me. And the worldly influence is not only outside the church.       When you pull out the next words-act like men and be strong- without having any context to bas...

       Have you ever thought about how much your wife is worth to you? The value of a wife is hard to measure. There is so much about a wife that goes beyond any monetary measure, beyond any measure of time. I don't comprehend the value of such a woman to a man as myself. I would not want to think about where I would be without my wife. She does so much for me. We have been married a little over 28 years and knew each other less than 2 years before that. A question comes to mind, how long would I be willing to wait for such a women knowing what I know now? And a second question, how long as a younger man without the wisdom of the years lived?      In the Bible, Genesis chapter 29 there is a story of a man that understands the value of a good wife. Jacob first met Rachel and wanted her to be his wife so much that he volunteered to work for her father for 7 years in order to take her as his wife. He understood this value. One problem that came up was she...

       Every person has a belief of what happens when we quit breathing and leave this world. Some believe that this is all there is. Most believe there is something beyond this life and look at it from three basic views. The first is that there is more and everything (everyone) will be okay. The second is there is more and I'll be okay because I've done enough "good" in my life. The third view is that I'm not okay and I'm in great need of help.      I try to live my life with the end in mind. Through my life I've lived with each of the four views. I've lived my life that everyone would be okay. I've lived as though I had to "do" good to be able to spend eternity as I wanted. I've lived as though this was all there was without regard to anyone else and to get all I could.            After many years of struggling with life and it's purpose, I've discovered that I do truly need help and spent many years trying to find ...

       I've been looking at how a man relates to his work and also how he relates at home. One question that is asked of men (usually), when meeting another man is " What do you do?"      I usually ask this question but the greater question could be why do you do what you do. The following verses focus on the reason for working. It doesn't matter if you're a CEO of a large corporation surrounded by many people, a cook in a restaurant working with other cooks, a truck driver spending much of your time on the road, or a person out looking for a job.      What we "do" also is what we do in our spare time. I've found that hobbies can be hard work as well. I really enjoy camping. There is much preparation and work that go into camping. If you don't plan a camping trip well, it can take away from the ultimate enjoyment latter.       Another thing we do is "live" with our family and sometimes that is work as well. Whether it...

       Conflict is something that every relationship will experience. How we respond to this difference of opinion can have an effect on our future. We all have natural instincts that govern how we react to certain situations.       For one it might be to avoid, or run away from conflict. Another may be inclined to fight- and fight to win at any expense. Both reactions can lead to further problems. First instead of fleeing, face the conflict. Next instead of fighting to win, use the conflict to come to a resolution- fight for what is right. Talk through the situation to solve the problem. Working toward a resolution will require compromise, forgiveness, and an understanding from the other parties viewpoint.       Going into a conflict situation with our natural tendencies will only cause a wider divide between both sides. My wife and I are alike in some ways we handle conflict and totally different in other ways. We are in agre...