MEN’S CONFUSION THAT BREEDS DISCONNECTION
WHY DO MEN SEEM TO BE MORE CONFUSED THAN EVER ON WAYS TO EXPRESS THEIR MASCULINITY?
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY FOR A MAN TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF WEAK MEN IN THEIR FAMILY IF THEY HAD NO ROLE MODEL?
HOW OR WHY HAVE WE LOST THE ABILITY TO SUFFER AND SACRIFICE WELL?
CAUSE FOR DISCONNECTION FROM THE CHURCH INSTITUTION?
FEMININE FOCUS?LISTENING TO THE CALL OF ADVENTURE
WITHOUT VIRTUOUS MEN AND MENTORS WE ARE ROBBED OF ADVENTURE
ADVENTURE QUOTE:“Life is supposed to be about adventure, about following God into the unknown and trusting Him. Then we turned all that into some safe, textbook religious experiences.
From healing and evangelism to preaching and prophecy, we attempt to build guardrails around people through our own fears, and we then call it theology or ministry. It's no longer adventure; it's duty. It's another veiled attempt to please a father who is absent, in the hope that I will perform well enough to get his attention, and in turn he will give me the affection I so desperately desire.”
TEMPERING AGRESSION THRU INITIATION
GANG INITIATION: BEATEN UNTIL BLOODY
YOU CALL IT “A SACRED WOUND”
HOW DO WE MANUFACTURE THAT AS FATHERS?
MEN MISTAKENLY VIEW RIGHT OF PASSAGE OR CEREMONIAL INITIATION INTO MANHOOD AS A SYMBOLIC SENSATIONAL EVENT OR RITUAL
COULD IT BE JUST AS EFFECTIVE OVER A SEASON WHERE BEHAVIOR IS MODELED AND EXPECTATIONS ARE CLEARLY DEFINED?
UNCAGING THE WILD MAN | RELEASED FROM OPPRESSION
PROVING MASCULINITY BY PARTNERING WITH OUR AGGRESSIVE PRIMAL INSTINCTS VS FLOWING FREELY IN CONFIDENT HUMILITY AND MEEKNESS?QUOTE FROM INITIATION CHAPTER:
“The saddest part of all this is that the men struggling the most are some of the best servants in the Church.
The men caught in the most oppressive cycles of porn, the deepest bouts of depression, and the most aggressive behavior are the guys leading and serving on a Sunday.
Then those same men, in order to minimize the sting of their transgression, serve more and develop a high degree of Christian moralism put on full display for all to see.
We develop moral superiority toward others as a defense mechanism to protect our secrets, while forcing out love and any form of accountability.
Some men will even double down on religious fanaticism as a substitute for true encounter, because they can't bear the thought that they might be exposed.
To be exposed is the first step toward vulnerability, which is the first step toward authen-ticity, which is the first step toward true and lasting authority.
But the cost for most men is too high. They refuse to yield to the process, to face the giant, take responsibility for their own lives and their own actions and then see what happens when they step inside the fiery furnace and stand against the crowd.”
WHY DOES THIS TEXT FIT THE COMFORT ZONE SECTION OF THE INITIATION CHAPTER?
DISCOVERING TRUE STRENGTH BY EMBRACING FAILURE & ENGAGING IN THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF GRIEF
HOW ARE WE STRONGER BY EMBRACING FAILURE?
HOW MIGHT FAILURE & GRIEF BE CORRELATED?
MOST HEALTHY WAY OF GRIEVING THE DEATH OF OLD FAILING SELF?
QUOTE:
“If you believe failure is fatal and the mistakes of your past (even your recent past) define you, then you will allow shame and guilt to tell your story instead of grace and mercy. You limit your potential for growth if you have already predetermined that you will fail and that any attempt to change is fruitless.”