Anvil Ministries Podcast: Empowering men to find their strength through discovery, and restoration.

Podcast E14 The Matrix – The One – Part 2

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

The Matrix Series Sponsor: Olive-Branch.org

Intro song: (Modified) “Spy Break” by The Propellerheads

Podcast E14 The Matrix – The One part 2

Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E14! We are countinuing our series on The Matrix looking at the biblical lessons within and how to apply them to our lives. Specifically continuing our topic from last week about The One.

So this is Part 2. If you have not already heard Part 1- Check it out as this episode continues where that one left off. Also if you missed any other in the M series they do all build one each other so best to start at the begining.

Thanks for listening. Find Value- We love your feedback, and do use it to make this podcast as good as it can be. Content wise we ask that our Listeners are 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This current series on The Matrix series is sponsored by Olive Branch Community Church in Corona CA.

This weeks episode we are going to continue where we left off in part 1 where we were going through the story of “The One”

Obviously if you have not seen The Matrix this series will ruin it for you. Also the M came out a long time ago, so if its been awhile since you’ve seen it, try and check it out. It will help the things we are going to talk about here. Making things a little more clear, and likely you’ll get more out of the series.

Men- In this series the challenge I have going on for you continues. So keep on doing your best to honestly consider what kind of man you are.

What kind of a man you think you are, what kind of man others think you are, and what kind of man God thinks you are.

For those of you that have been doing that, I know that God has been showing you some good insight that you did not have before. Keep it up. There is more that God has to show you. For those of you that haven’t done that or put in much effort – there are huge blessings waiting for you if you do. Do what you need to so that you don’t forget, or put it off.

With that lets get into it…

Topic- The One.

Here is a quick re-cap to get you back to where we left off last episode-

The first part of the series we talked about the Red Pill and the Blue Pill, and our power of choice as Christians.

Part 2 we talked about “how there is no spoon.” Which is really about faith, and how biblical faith is not a blind faith.

Part 3 We looked at Cypher. How he represents our flesh, and how to fight against our flesh.

The Last Episide we began the story of The One. How The One, is the bulk of the M is about. And how the question of Neo being “the one” or not creates most of the tension in the story.

There are some that believe, and some that don’t, but the story of Neo is really about him disovering who he truly is – as a man.

He starts off as Thomas Anderson. As the story unfolds he discovers that he is The One. Something that at the begining of the story he did not even know existed. He did not even know what the M is, or anything about a prophecy, or The One. That is CRITICAL to what we are be talking about today.

We looked at a couple of people in Neo’s life. Morpheus, Cypher, Trinity, and Mouse, and how they all relate to him being The One. And we also looked at Neo himself, How he starts out in disbelief, then starts to think he may be, then the Oracle tells him that he has “the gift”, but that he is waiting for something, but doesn’t know what.

Podcast E13 The Matrix – The One – part 1

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

The Matrix Series Sponsor: Olive-Branch.org

Intro song: (Modified) “Spy Break” by The Propellerheads

Podcast E13 The Matrix – The One part 1

Welcome- Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E13! We are countinuing our series on The Matrix looking at the biblical lessons within and how to apply them to our lives.

If you havnt already – Check out any episodes you missed in this series. There’s some good stuff you’ve missed in the series thus far.

Thanks for listening. Find Value- If you don’t let me know so we can make this show as good as it can possibly be. Content wise we ask that our Listeners are 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

Our Matrix series is proudly sponsored by Olive Branch Community Church in Corona CA.

This weeks episode we are going to be talking about “The One”

Obviously if you have not seen The Matrix this series will ruin it for you. Also the M came out about 20yrs ago, so if its been awhile since you’ve seen it, try and check it out. It will help the things we are going to talk about here. Making things a little more clear, and likely you’ll get more out of the series.

Men- In this series I have a challenge going on for you. I’d like you to start really truly considering who you are as a man. Start by taking some small steps today, and then everyday this week to start really taking an honest look at what kind of a man you are.

What kind of a man you think you are, what kind of man others think you are, and what kind of man God thinks you are.

For those of you that have been doing that, I pray that God has been revealing some good things to you, and bringing some clarity, and new perspective that you did not have before. Keep it up. There is more that God has to show you.

With that lets get into it…

Topic- The One.

The first part of the series we talked about the Red Pill and the Blue Pill, and our power of choice as Christians. How Neo makes a choice and how we do the same. We accept, and aknowledge that Christ is Lord – or we don’t.

E2 we talked about “how there is no spoon.” Which is really about faith. What is faith, and what it isn’t. How biblical faith is not a blind faith.

E3 We looked at a specific character in the M – Cypher. How he is a good representation of our flesh, and how to be aggressive in our fight against our flesh.

This week we are going to talk about “The One”. There is SO MUCH to unpack here this is going to be a 2 part episode.

In case it has been awhile since you have seen The Matrix, and you may not recall exactly what I am talking about – lets go through the story of The One.

The One, is the bulk of the M is about. We are teased right up until the end of the movie – is Neo the one or not?

There are some that believe, some that are on the fence, and some that don’t believe he is the one at all. The story of Neo is really about him disovering who he really is – as a man.

You see in the begining we see him as Thomas Anderson. As the film progresses he discovers that he is The One. Something that at the begining of the story he did not even know existed. He did not even know what the M is, much less anything about a prophecy, or The One. That is CRITICAL to what we are going to be talking about here.

Let’s take a quick look at the people in Neo’s life. Because it’s going to be helpful in how we are going to learn from,

Podcast E12 The Matrix – Cypher

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

The Matrix Series Sponsor: Olive-Branch.org

Intro song: (Modified) “Spy Break” by The Propellerheads

Podcast E12 The Matrix – Cypher

Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E12! We are countinuing our series on The Matrix looking at the biblical lessons within and how to apply them to our lives.

If you havnt already – Check out any episodes you missed in this series.

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This series is sponsored by Olive Branch Community Church in Corona CA.

This weeks episode we are going to be talking about one of the characters in the M – Cypher.

Obviously if you have not seen The Matrix this series will ruin it for you. Also the M came out in ’99, so if its been awhile since you’ve seen it, try and check it out. It will help the things we are going to talk about be a little more clear, and likely you’ll get more out of it.

In this series I have a challenge going on. I’d like you to start really truly considering who you are as a man. Start by taking some small steps today, and then everyday to start really taking an honest look at what kind of a man you are.

What kind of a man you think you are, what kind of man others think you are, and what kind of man God thinks you are.

For those of you that have been doing that, I pray that God has been revealing some good things to you, and bringing some clarity, and new perspective that you did not have before. Keep it up. There is more to discover.

With that lets get into it…

Topic- Cypher.

The first part of the series we talked about the Red Pill and the Blue Pill, and the power of choice we have as disciples of Christ. How Neo has to make a choice. One way or the other – he chooses. We do the same, initially to accept, and aknowledge that Christ is Lord – or not and we believe whatever we want to believe.

Last week we talked about the concept of “how there is no spoon.” Which is really about faith. So we looked at faith, what it is, and what it isn’t. How we need to have a biblical faith that includes wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Not a blind faith.

This episode we are taking a look at a specific character in the M – Cypher. He is not one of the main characters, but he is a important one.

In case it has been awhile since you have seen The Matrix, and you may have no idea who I am talking about – let me catch you up.

Cypher is essentially the Judas of the M. We don’t find out much about him until about halfway through the movie. This is before Neo goes to see the Oracle, and after his training. He can’t sleep and meandering around the ship he runs into Cypher.

They talk briefly about looking at the M in code, and how Morphious told Neo that he is the One. C is kinda dumbstruck with the whole idea of “The One”. They have a drink, and C gives Neo advice to not fight against the sentient program agents.

Just after their encounter you see C at a nice restaurant with one of the sentient programs – Agent Smith. You then learn C plan to betray Morphious, and the human race. All this in exchange for being able to forget it all, and have a “rich”, and “important” life lived in the M.

As Morphious’ crew enters the M to take Neo to see the Oracle we see C drop a cell phone in a near by trash can so the agents can trace its location. Which upon the return of the crew, we see the betrayal,

Podcast E11 The Matrix – There Is No Spoon

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

The Matrix Series Sponsor: Olive-Branch.org

Intro song: (Modified) “Spy Break” by The Propellerheads

Podcast E11 The Matrix – There is no spoon

Welcome- Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E11! We are countinuing our series on The Matrix looking at the biblical lessons within and how to apply them to our lives.

If you havnt already – Check out some of our episodes you missed.

Pre roll-

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This FC series is sponsored by Olive Branch Community Church in Corona CA.

This weeks episode we are going to be talking about the meaning behind the concept that “there is no spoon”.

Obviously if you have not seen The Matrix this will ruin it for you. Also the M came out in ’99, so if its been awhile since you’ve seen it, try and check it out. It will help the things we are going to talk about be a little more clear.

In this series I have a challenge for you. I’d like you to start really considering who you are. Start taking small steps today, and hopefully a little everyday to start really taking an honest look at what kind of a man you are.

What kind of a man you think you are, what kind of man others think you are, and what kind of man God thinks you are.

With that lets get into it…

Topic- There is no spoon.

Last week we talked about the Red Pill and the Blue Pill, and the power of choice we have as disciples of Christ. How Neo has to make a choice. One way or the other – he chooses. We do the same, initially to accept, and aknowledge that Christ is Lord – or not and we believe whatever we want to believe.

Now, the gift that God has given us to choose does not end there. In fact that is where it begins. The choice to submit our will to Christ’s will is a daily, and sometimes a moment by moment choice.

And also like Neo, these choices don’t just effect us, but many others that in one way or another our lives influence. Easily this is our friends, our families, our Wives and children. It extends much farther then that though. Every person we have direct, or indirect contact with can influence them in some way.

This is why Christ wants us to “consider others better then our selves”. That person you cut off while driving, or that person you let in while driving impacts them in one way or another. When you interact with a cashier, you impact them. When you interact with your coworkers, you impact them. When you simply smile at someone, and acknowledge their presence you impact them.

Men let me tell you something you probably don’t realize – you have an incredible ability to influence others. For better or worse the choice is yours. It is ours, and what kind of way we choose to live as Disciples of Christ. So choose wisely.

It is the little choices we make that shape our lives closer to what God wants for us, or closer to what we want for us. The choice I want to talk to you about today is this concept that “There is no spoon”

In case it has been awhile since you have seen The Matrix, and you may have no idea what I am talking about – let me set the stage for you.

At roughly the half way point in the movie the main character Thomas Anderson aka Neo has just learned what the M is, and has received some basic training to exist and interact with the M. What he is introduced to is that the M is nothing more then an elaborate computer program,

Podcast E10 The Matrix – The Red Pill or the Blue Pill

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

The Matrix Series Sponsor: Olive-Branch.org

Intro song: (Modified) “Spy Break” by The Propellerheads

Podcast E10 The Matrix – The Red Pill or the Blue Pill

Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E10! Today we are starting a brand new series continuing with our movie theme. In this series we are going to talk about lessons we can learn from The Matrix, and how to apply them to our lives.

If you havnt already – Check out some of our episodes you missed. Or last series was on FC, and was pretty cool.

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This FC series is sponsored by Olive Branch Church in Corona CA.

This weeks episode as we introduce our new series on The Matrix we are going to be talking about The Red Pill, and the Blue Pill.

Obviously if you have not seen The Matrix *spoiler alert* this will ruin it for you. Also the M came out in ’99, so if its been awhile since you’ve seen it, try and check it out. It will help the things we are going to talk about be a little more clear.

For this series there I have a new challenge for you. I’d like you to start really considering who you are. Start taking small steps today, and hopefully a little everyday to start taking an honest look at what kind of a man you are.

What kind of a man you think you are, what kind of man others think you are, and what kind of man God thinks you are.

With that lets get into it…

So the Red Pill or the Blue Pill.

There are so many themes, and lessons in the M. It is full of all kinds of philosophical, and religious ideas, and concepts. To me it is the best secular Christian movie out there. The entirety of the movie is the best secular depiction of the Gospel that I have seen.

Also for clarity I am going to focus on the M, not the trilogy. It was never supposed to be a trilogy, and well I’d rather just pass on the 2nd and 3rd movies from the trilogy.

There is a lot to the M, and the concepts inside and behind them, but the first one I’d like to talk about is the Red Pill or the Blue Pill.

The most significant part of this is really the choice. Neo has a choice to make that will forever change, and shape not only his life, but the lives of others.

Let’s back up for a second though in case it’s been awhile since you’ve seen the movie. The main character Thomas Anderson aka Neo starts off litterally asleep (which is important and significant, but we will get into that later) in his search for a man named Morphious to really try and find out what the M is. He has some sort of illegal computer hacking hobby on the side, and a good stable job at a reputable software company.

In his search for Morphious, it is Morphious that actually finds him. Just before Neo meets Morphious, Trinity advises him to “Be honest. He knows more then you can imagine.”

Before we get too much further, there are so many parallels that can be drawn here, I’d like you to know where my head is at before continuing on.

Most people see Neo as the savior, very similar to Jesus. Some see Morphious as John the Babtist, and the list continues. Most would agree that he is the “One” to bring an end to the war, and to the M. If you look at the trilogy as a whole, that is all fairly clear, but I’d like to offer a different perspective.

Because Neo is saved by others that kills the parallel to Christ, or a Savior in that sense.

Anvil Ministries E9: Fight Club Series- The Interview

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Fight Club Series Sponsor: Anthology.Church

Intro song: (Modified) “Corporate World” by The Dust Brothers

Podcast E9 Fight Club – Interview with Frank Shelter.

Welcome- Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E9!

We have wrapped up our series on Fight Club, but today we are going to add a little something extra to it – An interview with the Lead Pastor of Anthology Church.

If you havnt already – Check out the episodes you missed.

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This FC series is sponsored by Anthology Church.

Intro to Ep- This weeks episode we are going to be talking with Frank Shelter about some of the themes of this series…

So in case you missed some of the last episodes (go back and listen) the lessons we went over from the movie Fight Club were: Memento Mori, the dangers of safe sanitized living, Keeping up with the Joneses, and The Man.

For this series there has been a challenge I have been asking you to do. That is to focus on one thing for the whole series. Or about 4 weeks depending on when you came into the PC.

One thing that you would like to change. One thing that is holding you back from living the life that God wants for you.

I hope you have been focusing on that, and have seen some good fruit come from it. Sometimes if we just really give one thing our focus it can help in actually changing it.

With that lets get into it…

The Interview with Frank Shelter

Today’s show is going to be a little different then our usual ones as we have a guest. Frank Shelter from Anthology Church is with us today.

How you doing Frank?

***

Good man. So we’ve been going through this FC series, and we’ve covered a lot. I’d love to know your thoughts on as much of it as we have time for, but before we get to that will you tell us a little about yourself?

***

Now Frank and I have been friends for a little while now. How long’s it been? Like 25years now? Since 4th grade, we’re in our mid 30’s so yeah about 25 years as friends, best friends really. We’ve done a lot over the years man.

***

Tell folks about our latest adventure…(planting a church)

***

Good times. God’s doing great things. One of the things I wanted to ask you is what did you think of the movie FC?

***

Anything about it speak to you? Anything specifically in your walk with God?

***

Now over the last 4 weeks we have talked about a lot. I’d Iike to get your perspective on a few of the things we talked about.

The first week we talked about Memento Mori, which is more about death. Not super encouraging at first, but we talked about how by focusing on the fact that our days are numbered, and we can die at any time can really help motivate us to use the time we have wisely to do the things that God has called us to do. Now, as a pastor, especially of a fresh church plant is one of the hardest jobs I know of. What modivates you to keep going? What encourages you to run this race with endurance?

***

Reply.

We also talked about the dangers of safe santized living. In FC Edward Norton’s character says he doesn’t want to die without a few scars. Meaning its a good thing to have some scars. It means you’ve lived, and have taken some risks in your life. As a reminder they can give us the opportunity to improve. So I wanted to ask you – What are some of the scars you have, and how have they helped you do be a better man?

***

Reply.

In week three of this series we talked about Keeping up wi...

Anvil Ministries E8: Fight Club Series- The Man

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Fight Club Series Sponsor: Anthology.Church

Intro song: (Modified) “Corporate World” by The Dust Brothers

Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E8!

We are near the end of our series on Fight Club. If you havnt already – Check out the episodes you missed.

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This FC series is sponsored by Anthology Church.

Intro to Ep- This weeks episode we are continuing…

Lessons from the cult classic movie Fight Club.

So far in this series we’ve talked about – Memento Mori, the dangers of safe sanitized living, and Keeping up with the Jones’s. This week we are going to talk about The Man.

Before we get into the topic for today there is a challenge I have been asking you to do. That is to focus on one thing for the rest of this series. Or about 4 weeks depending on when you came into the PC.

One thing that you would like to change. One thing that is holding you back from living the life that God wants for you. Just one. If you have no idea what that one thing is, go back and E4. That should bring some clarity.

I hope you have been focusing on that over these next few weeks. Praying about it daily. Talk about it with others in your life, etc. As always you will only get out, what you put in here.

With that lets get into it…

Topic-

The Man

You are who you want to be.

Today’s show is going to be a little different then our usual one. Today’s show is going to be a little more interactive. I am trying something a little new here, so let me know what you think. If you like it I’ll do more like these, if not, I’ll go back to more of what I have been doing.

Today’s topic is The Man. What I’d like to you do for a second is start thinking about the man you’d like to be. BE SPECIFIC. If you can write it down.

Physically-

What kind of man would you like to be physically? Stronger? Bigger arms? Shoulders? Chest? How much would you like to bench? Or maybe your more of a calisthenics guy? You want to do 100 pushups? Or be more agile? Maybe you don’t care that much, just loose a few pounds, and feel a little better physically? It doesn’t matter to much, just that it is physically where you’d like to be. What do you look like? What kind of clothes do you wear? Would your work be any easier? Would playing sports be any easier? Maybe you don’t play any right now, but would you if you were exactly how you’d like to be physically? For those that are married, what would your wife think? Would your time in the bedroom be any different then it is today?

Take a second to really get that in your mind. Hold that for a sec as we move on to the next area.

Mentally-

What kind of man would you like to be mentally? Are you a smart guy? What if you were smarter? How would you like to be when it comes to your mind? What could you do if you were really on top of it mentally? Not foggy headed, or numb. How would it effect your work? How about your home life? And the other relationships in your life? How would they be if you were as sharp as a tack? Would you change careers? How would the relationships in your life be different?

Emotionally-

How about emotionally? What kind of man would you like to be emotionally? How would you handle anger? How would you deal with depression, or anxiety? What about confidence, and self security? Or maybe your the kind of man that is emotionally numb. What would it be like to fully feel things like love, kindness, and compassion?

Anvil Ministries E7: Fight Club Series- Keeping up with the Joneses.

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Fight Club Series Sponsor: Anthology.Church

Intro song: (Modified) “Corporate World” by The Dust Brothers

Welcome- Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E7!

Last week we started this new series on Fight Club. If you havnt already – Check out last weeks episode.

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This series is sponsored by Anthology Church.

This weeks episode we are continuing…

Lessons from the cult classic movie Fight Club.

So far in this series we’ve talked about – Memento Mori, and the dangers of safe sanitized living. This week we are going to talk about Keeping up with the Jones’s

Before we get into the topic for today there is a challenge for you. I want to you focus on one thing for the rest of this series. Or about 4 weeks depending on when you came into the PC.

One thing that you would like to change. One thing that is holding you back from living the life that God wants for you. Just one. If you have no idea what that one thing is, go back and E4. That should bring some clarity.

Focus on that over these next few weeks. Pray about it daily. Talk about it with others in your life. Just one thing. Don’t get distracted with more then one. Just pick one, and commit yourself to it.

With that lets get into it…

One of the first scenes in FC is Edward Norton’s character sitting on the toilet looking at an IKEA catalog like a playboy magazine. His existence, and his self value was wrapped up in stuff. In things he could control. Although this is an exaggeration, the simple truth is clear. As men we struggle with Keeping up with the Joneses.

Stuff. What’s interesting about stuff, is that it can be a stuff magnet. If we are not careful, it can begin to own us. Example- a car. Care, maintenance, gas, insurance, etc.

Ultimately, stuff carries a greater burden. A nicer car means more expensive repairs, a bigger home means more square feet to keep clean, more stuff means infinitely more clutter and stress. There are costs for everything — it’s not like quality of life automatically goes up as the number and quality of things you own increases.

As our narrator above notes, you get caught up in having the perfect tidy little life. It even starts with good intentions — you just want a nice sofa. But then you need the matching tables, and matching carpet, and expensive art prints to go with it all. And all of a sudden, as the narrator observes, your stuff ends up owning you versus the other way around.

Things or not, it can also be things to do, or achieve, or a person.

It becomes about control. We BS ourselves into this state of if I have these things, I control them, if I control them, I control part of my life. It is all an illusion.

God owns it all, and controls it all. Now He has given some of that control to us, but it is critical in how we use it.

Audio clip.

You see we live in a world that lies to us all. It tells us that if we have things of value, we have value. The obserdity of that is ridiculous, but most of us buy it – no pun intended.

You see God owns it all. He defines it all. Our value as people, as men can only be defined by Him. Because He is the standard in which all things are measured and defined.

Now if you’re not really sure what that means, or if you believe that – I’d invite you to check out our website to see a little bit more of what Anvil is all about.

Anvil Ministries E6: Fight Club Series- Living Safe

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Fight Club Series Sponsor: Anthology.Church

Intro song: (Modified) “Corporate World” by The Dust Brothers

Welcome- Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E6!

Last week we started this new series on Fight Club. If you havnt already – Check out last weeks episode.

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This series is sponsored by Anthology Church.

Intro to Ep- This weeks episode is about…

Lessons from the cult classic movie Fight Club.

Before we get into the topic for today and get into this new series I have a challenge for you. I want to you focus on one thing for the rest of this series. One thing that you would like to change. One thing that is holding you back from living the life that God wants for you. Just one. If you have no idea what that one thing is, go back and listen to EP5. That should bring some clarity there.

Focus on that over these next few weeks. Pray about it daily. Talk about it with others in your life. Just one thing. Don’t get distracted with more then one. Just pick one, and commit yourself to it.

With that lets get into it…

The dangers of safe sanitized living.

Your going to have to learn how to take a punch, and get dirty.

Last week we explored Memento Mori and looked at the fact that our days are numbered, and how can that encourage us to use our time here wisely, and do the things God has called us to do.

This week we will be looking at the traps of safe, sanitized living. Roosevelt’s quote-

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Men- we live in a day and time where we go to great lengths to be safe, and sanitary, and protect ourselves. There is nothing wrong with that per-say. When it becomes wrong is when we begin to worship it. Much of our culture worships safety, and is quick to coverup things that are dirty, flawed, imperfect, dented, and otherwise blemished.

Too often we let fear prevent us from moving forward into the things God has called us to. Many times that fear is of things that may actually hurt us, and sometimes they do. What’s important is that we don’t let that stop us, we need to learn from them, expect them, and stop avoiding them.

We’ll talk more about that in a bit.

Moving to CO and Back. When I was a kid I used to go on these family trips to KY for family reunions. When we would drive out from CA we would pass through CO. Thats when I fell in love. From that first time I saw the Rockies I was hooked, and it was my dream to live there. Once I got married, we talked about where we wanted to move to raise kids, and we both loved CO. In the summer of 2011 we had a opportunity to make the move, so we did. Now the economy in 2011 was horrific, we were almost homeless, when looking for work wasn’t an option I...

Anvil Ministries E5: Intro to Fight Club Series- Memento Mori

Below are the show notes, and should have the info you may want or missed when listening. I’d love your feedback on the show as I am still playing around with the format, music, overall length, etc. Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Intro song: (Modified) “Medula Oblongata” by The Dust Brothers

Hello, and Welcome to the Anvil Podcast E5!

Last week we finished our series on Blacksmithing Idiums. If you havnt already – Check it out.

This week we are starting a new series based on the movie Fight Club.

Thanks for listening. Find Value. Listeners 15+

Learn more AnvilMinistries.com or follow us on FB or T @AnvilMen

This weeks episode is sponsored by Anthology Church.

Intro- Lessons from the cult classic movie Fight Club.

Before we get into the topic for today and get into this new series I have a challenge for you. This is something we do in Anvil from time to time. I want to you focus on one thing for these next four weeks. One thing that you would like to change. One thing that is holding you back from living the life that God wants for you. Just one. If you have no idea what that one thing is, you should by the end of this show.

Focus on that over these next few weeks. Pray about it daily. Talk about it with others in your life. Just one thing. Don’t get distracted with more then one. Just pick one, and commit yourself to it.

With that lets get into it…

Topic-

Memento Mori

Live like you will die. Because you will.

Death is not something that is pleasent. It is not something that we usually think about, at least not in a healthy way. Fight Club takes a great stance on death, and our own mortality, and thats what we’ll be talking about today.

Before that-

If you have not seen FC-

1. Go see it or read it. 2. This series will ruin the movie/book for you. Like Darth is Luke’s father ruin it. Like Bruce Willis is dead in the 6th sense ruin it. Sorry if I ruined those for ya.

Anyhow, It is a very interesting movie, and book. Much of its content speaks to the core of masculinity(worldly), and contains critical parts of the masculine journey.

With that said it is rated R. It is by no means a Christian movie. If that bothers you, don’t see it or read it. One of my favorite things to do is take things from the world, things that have nothing to do with God, and use them for His glory. So that is what I’m doing here for those that are offended that I am praising/using a movie that is full of sin.

So, the part of FC that we are going to talk about today is something called “Memento Mori” and how to live like you will die.

Memento mori is Latin for “Remember death.” The phrase is believed to originate from an ancient Roman tradition in which a servant would be tasked with standing behind a victorious general as he paraded though town. As the general basked in the glory of the cheering crowds, the servant would whisper in the general’s ear: “Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento! Memento mori!” = “Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man! Remember that you will die!”

“Memento Mori” is a reflection of something that we all know, but rarely dwell on, or process in a healthy way. If used correctly, it can really help us move into the things that God wants us too. It can help us get off our butt and start doing knowing that our days are numbered.

This is a critical part of our story as men, in God’s much larger story. You see it was never God’s intention for us to die. One of the greatest gifts He gave us is the gift to choose. And we choose poorly. That is our reality now. From the dust we were taken,