Possibly our greatest challenge is getting on the same page regarding the problem plaguing men. Men are casualties of an ancient and relentless masculine identity crisis. They suffer from a lostness that regenerates itself generation after generation.
I have a hope for men, a vision that fuels me…
I hope to one day see the hearts of men so foundationally settled, so well-trained, so well-equipped, and so well-engaged that when evil dares raise its head, Beloved Sons/Warrior men will know what to do, and will do it well.
In order for this to happen, a man needs to recover his true heart—the good heart filled with the life of Christ and stamped with his character that the Father gives his sons at rebirth. And he needs to experience that he is indeed the Beloved Son of a good Father. Then, and only then, can that man be shown and trained up into his Warrior Heart.
A Beloved Son is one who experiences the unconditional love of his Father in a way that deeply impacts him and leaves him with:
Nothing to Hide,
Nothing to Prove,
Nothing to Fear.
A Warrior is a Beloved Son with a settled heart who is then trained and equipped to engage in the life-and-death battles that are continually going on in him and all around him.
Being a Warrior involves more than force. It goes deeper: there is a deftness to it, an intuitiveness, and a gracefulness.
Warriors are dangerous characters in any story and they can be lured into roles and causes that run counter to what a Warrior is made and trained to be. We see it every day in the headlines: men taking shortcuts, making compromises, stepping across blurry lines, hiding or striving. It is killing us. This confusion has resulted in what I call disorientation and is a forecast of what will continue unless an ancient way is recovered—because disoriented men produce more disoriented men, and the legacy of failure will pass from one generation to the next.
I hope to persuade men to remove whatever things block them from receiving the love God offers them: the love of a Father for his Beloved Sons. Then, with their ability to receive the Father’s love recovered, I hope to instill in men an awareness (over multiple encounters) of the ongoing training required to see disoriented men become oriented.
What does it mean to be oriented? An “oriented man” grounds his life and actions on three things: his identity, his environment, and his mission. He knows:
Who he is. In Christ, he is a Beloved Son of the Father.
Where he is. An oriented man has “eyes to see and ears to hear” what is going on around him. He is alert to the spiritual forces at work behind physical circumstances.
The Good that God is up to in his Life. An oriented man seeks to partner with his Father’s redemptive purposes. He looks for the good God is doing in and through his life, and he views his circumstances and relationships with an awakened and engaged heart.
Over time, the oriented way of life leads to a more settled heart—a deeper stability that comes from ongoing experience. A settled heart (a man who has nothing to hide, prove, or fear) doesn’t come overnight. Through deep renovation of the heart, you and I can become true men.
Make no mistake: training in the oriented life isn’t easy but it is good and it is always in progress.
In your time alone with God, ask Him:
Father God, what is in the way of me seeing myself as your beloved son?
Jesus, in which areas of my life do I need orientation? What is causing my disorientation?
