The Best of Masculine Journey

The heart of every man is a great adventure. But why does it usually feel that way.

Jesus speaks of narrow gates wide roads masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns. So how do we keep from losing heart trying to find a good way when life feels more like a losing battle and something worth dying for, grab your gear, request your band of brothers will serve as the guides and what we call masculine journey masculine journey starts here now left and after Perry, the producer for the masculine journey team is unable to make it into the studio this week to require any lap said so instead we pick out some of our personal favorite segments from previous episodes free to listen to you today.

Please enjoy the best of the masculine journey would in your mind. Hope be a pillar in the masculine journey and why is that one we need to have in order to really go on this journey in a way that we need to as Christian men walking go back to our intro there was just listening to Ernie do that intro and he's talking about. You know how to we had a we fight this battle when it seems like it's a losing battle.

At times, how do we walk through this life.

Well, if we don't have hope to be tough to do that in God's word that you know we see example after example, that life is not easy having faith in God doesn't mean that you have an easy path. So were you work were you go with that if you don't have some hope you you land in despair you land in depression.

You have all these things it can happen so it's kind of that light to me of this is how I can walk through this day, with the hope of with the hope of eternity with the hope that Christ is always with me on all this with the hope of my brothers with me so that's kind of what I hear and think you really do. Having a lot of things were you, I have faith God to come through and this is God's is gonna work out the way you know God's gonna win in the end I read the end of the book but man I don't know about my own situation and so you know that's not very attractive when you look at somebody that's not got hope for something that they want to work through which kind of good set up for hitch. It is so I knew his yell in a little something up just a second unit for me. I would say the reason I know that hope has to be a pillar is because it's something that's most often attack from the enemy becomes after my hope and if it's that important for him to take it much more important doesn't do I need to have it and so that's for nothing else my life. I look at what's attack. The most in its hope in one form or another notes pick up her friend and hitch really want to set this scene up a little bit got to the movie where essentially he's the date doctor and he's coming across the King of Queens with them… Kevin Kevin James Kevin JS with Smith and he is trying to date a girl that's way way way out of his league and the interesting thing about it is for him. It's something really worth hoping for but it's so attacked like you talked about that he himself doesn't even believe it can happen and he keeps trying to walk away from hitch who points out that wow you know you you really have something worth hanging onto breakups for Sammy yet. No, I mean just got out of a really Problem because it is a little fertilizer had a lot of bad experiences once a lot of bad ones in desperate not in general going to stand for anybody but men are will see my company finances so one of you interested live.

I went there my pen was Allegra Allegra. You know, I realize that I'm not her usual tight last boyfriend sweetener some guy was about.

He didn't seem like a very nice to me you swing for the friends talking myself that this thing I know this is no okay I just maybe help you what is waste your time will like getting up every morning hopeless love your life is waking up with the wrong man the same time, she still finds happiness to be with you flat out out of your mind.

You might Michelangelo, Robby, you pick that clip into what about Albert situation really spoke to you and how we view that verse in first Peter three the work that you says always be ready to give the reason for the hope it's within you. Albert's hope is really attractive and and that's why we that's why will Smith is want to take it on because you can see that he is swinging for the fence. I mean, he's really hoping for something that is real love. That's real intimacy member in and it's very attractive course you can see completely how it's under attack and how we would love to walk away from it because he doesn't want to get hurt again.

He doesn't like it.

But it's really cool for me to see somebody with that kind of hope and you know words that come from.

It's obviously been laid on his heart so much that he can't walk away from you when it when it would make sense walk away potentially from where he was this what about that clip was in this book you well other than the music got very helpful.

They're talking about Michelangelo you know it's interesting about that is that when I kept looking at the definition of hope and was talking to some other people that we kept coming back to this word expect her expectation that with hope there's an expectation of something happening or someone coming into your life. Not doesn't sound like he was quite there. What were the hits character was taking him was that maybe he was at a place where he could expect something good to happen and that hopeful expectation really something I don't know that we see it that way all the time when it really is yours. There's room we expect for healing. You reinspect an eternity for us, with God together. You know that that's something that's taking it entirely different place. I think than what people would normally think of is hope exactly hope is one of those words that's kinda in her language like love you I love potato chips, which is different than your loving my kids but hope I hope that I get this for Christmas. I hope that I catch that light up there.

You know I get to go through it is not the type of hope are really talking about. It's a steeper open and I don't not have the words to describe what that is or think you did a good job talking about that, but it's open something deep and great and and something God has to be involved. Picture I read about this morning. I've never heard this, but like manner, Michelangelo was it written pain of the last supper, he that horrible argument with some what you other artist and apparently it was just so bitter and so that he was starting the picture of the Last Supper and so he just said to ship revenge of his guide for eternity. Was he painted Jesus, Judas with this guys face debated this phrase on Judas and everybody sees anything faintly painted Jesus's face before he painted anybody else's face and what he done. But then he went to pay Jesus face and he couldn't paint and he couldn't paint and he couldn't paint until finally he had to get with God and and get forgiveness. He scratched out what you had on Judas's face painting blanket off and then he was able to paint Jesus because when you're holding onto that Bitterroot there's no way you can also be seeing the face of Jesus you know a lot of people see God is this big mighty's motor and there's no doubt that this is a place for reference and don't get me wrong, but there's also a place for play and and what is that look like in our lives as we actually become friends with God and sometimes he begins to play with you and you and you find yourself essentially the bottom one is Joan's yeah you know but it's it's not a painful one that's that's a good thing is not typically painful when it's a teaching moment or do something that just makes it out now laugh growing up, and I'm not quite as old as some you guys growing up.

The first movie that I remember that had God in it was actually the movie were to play a clip from which is all God with George Burns and so that was the first time I remember God having a character in the movie other than the burning bush yeah yeah type things. Robby will set up a bit on this clip it's it's an interesting thing guidance transitions in Hollywood over the last three decades, at most the time now. You'll find him. This is pretty funny character in this picture case is George Burns. He is visiting John Denver not Bobby Gilligan's John Denver Rocky Mount yeah and and is visiting him on an AM radio inside of a 1976 pacer now that I know about people know that and it's amazing to me that God would show up in a picture like you guys, but in order to enjoy the clip completely. You might note that there's a motorcycle and you can hear that in the background. At the end of the clip. This kind of motorcycle was looking over at Bob Denver like you're losing your mind and John and the good news is, God bails him out in a funny way he does all God, that's just expression that watches me spread what were you want me to tell people God is God just particles, gas not gas so you actually expect to believe that you just know Moses was Moses on page 1 motion just a mess. My God, Jerry Gray your names if you ever ridden a piece of fruit (that's running like that little fishbowl was doing YouTube and you go on Google and Google and you laugh. It was a very fun car back in his day. Robby, you pick that clip and so what was it about that clip really kinda spoke to you on this concept of playing is is and anybody that knows me knows I love to laugh and the sense of God playing like that and realizing that sometimes he shows up in really strange times and places, and has a strange request and it's and it's like that and you can find yourself just laughing at wow how did I get here. This happened right. Jimmy talked about a point about God having a sense of humor went before the show and what was your your point you're making. I got have a sense of humor. Well, when I was young I had God is a fairly small box. God is love, and was trying to date a Southern Baptist girl very conservative church and the only places I could later work at school or church I went to church with her. And I heard the pastor doing the hellfire and damnation.

He was telling what I considered little kids almost 16, 10 or 11 or 12. Now you may be going to hell your parents may be going to hell your brother and sister, maybe going to help, but you have to decide right now you're not and I got serious walked out of the church and I literally swore to God. I would never step foot in the leather Southern Baptist Church about 35 years after that I was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, don't tell God what you're not going to do God's will figure out a way in a fun way make it happen. As I talked about ways you can help support Lily smile that was on that Facebook.com where we can get PO Box 555. Some masculine journey can advance freedom advanced healing Jesus more masculine dirty boot camp for ransom camp then you this is unlike aquatics guide flying on water is 17 through 1900 and.org and register today. I still get chills during that song and that song came out guys in 1970. I can remember the 45 is the flip single.

The flipside for Simon and Garfunkel was a phone call keep the customer satisfied to show you that I actually had that 45 and listen to it, but I remember Jim you were talking about a church out Charlotte. I think were someone sang that song in church and how it related to weekly use of modern music was actually owes part of that is in high school. Yeah, we had a very progressive minister music and wanted to get contemporary we were singing that couple others in I want to say that follows earlier in the late 60s early 70s in church and I had a Presbyterian Church yeah and I was at Main St., Baptist in Kernersville here in the triad back a few years ago and my buddy Pastor Mike Willard using the sermon series.

He asked me to sing that song. I said you know I love that song I've never sung in church actually did it, what got message got game to start a settlement you close your eyes and listen to this song and imagine God singing this song to you in the feelings that we get in Wayne the work. The word didn't come of of intimacy necessarily, but it was it was someone that came up to me. Actually, we have another Pastor Mike G that's been part of our boot camps before his dad came up to me and his dad was in the Vietnam War.

Back in the late 60s and he came up to me and he said you know I heard that song over and over and over, but I never heard it in that way before. I never heard it is a song God is saying to me, I will lay me down for you. You know I will love you and take care of you and Wayne.

That's really really part and parcel that whole intimate relationship with God.

Yeah, we were talking about earlier. One of the things he's recently told me since this word was this upper room intimacy.

Every look at Jesus going to the upper room with the disciples.

It's a place where he brings us into the most intimate of conversations you see John leaning on his bosom so close so so full of love one another, even even going into the betrayal he goes into telling them about the betrayal and he goes into telling them all these things are happening in telling them what they need to do and then showing them example of what it looks like to serve one another to love one another.

There so much in there if you draw close to him.

That is when it restores your heart without a doubt, he is the restoration person but he also gives us the I don't I don't how you want to say it just the, the honor, the privilege, the adventure to walk with him sometimes and being involved with that this was someone else got also puts people in our lives that helps us along the path of restoration you put someone in our life for season maybe a moment and said it's a change or may not be for your whole lifetime changer, but it's a moment change or start you down a path that leads to that big change in God's going to do and so they were and talk little bit about when God brings other people into your life to help you restore your heart you know that initially were sitting on the talk about it is like well you think about it the more we talk the more stories can came alive.

I mean when I really look back and I have to be brutally honest with myself to say bye Robby was extremely arrogant. Now here I was a Christian radio host and I was working I thought I was under the teaching of David Jeremiah and Charles Stanley and all these things.

And here comes Darren and Sam and I know they invite me to a boot camp I got was, like, yeah, I want to take apart your event but I didn't really expect to have any expectation that it was so radically change my walk with Christ a radically bring the healing that it's brought into my life so radically bring life and bring my heart back but knowing and and Sam and Darren and Vinnie and Andy are sitting across, you know, everybody's had a role in the stories because as you watch other people begin to get freedom you know when you hear their story of this is how it happened for me. You relate to pieces of that and you begin to go.

Not only do you want that you begin to see how God could come for you and that and and how to ask him to walk absolutely isn't. Just as you're pointing out sometimes. It's an unlikely source like oldies things that come up in your life.

As Robby says he got a build of mantle and you gotta get on top of it and write it right it to where he wants to take you and for me, please take a mellow home way I'm in the committee for life but I got to complain about Sandra's audit control issues there, which I think you yeah yeah for me and we can talk talk biblically which was when reference back to the Bible that that is a book of examples in those things are mirrored in movies is mirrored in our lives. And that's what draws us to the movies. Is there something true in some of not all it's her some truth in the draws us to for me and I was married for a lot of years to really good woman. We had some issues that we really couldn't move around. I began to believe. Along the way that the answer to. It was for me to love her better than I did need a lever better. When I initially felt that way and got you to love her better but then it became if I love her better I can fix all these issues, I can fix her issues. I can fix my issues in along the way.

I just began to feel like okay if I don't do it. It won't get done. I didn't walk with God closely through like I should have. As a matter fact he told me to do some things that I trouble doing Internet marriages opportunities to forgive each other for things you know and he was calling on me to forgive and I just really struggled on it and I and had I probably listen to him.

It may have been a different outcome. You know it what it what happened was I didn't walk with you through it and I had all this control and to think I can handle it and on the backside of it. This really cool thing that I found was just some real freedom of the pressure that I'd internally put on myself and I lived with this feeling that I could control of it and if I could be better I could do better actors work harder and everything to be okay and when it wasn't as relieved of that.

Wow this piece freedom on the backside of that of something I built you no one else did that mean the enemy influenced it, but I built that got snow. I got it dismantled that in you. It's not healthy. Robby kinda had some of the pieces well as you went through some things didn't know man when I lost the dealership. The second part of the story in Everett was horrific for my family and watching all these things happen, no money, and all the things that went with that. But it didn't take me long to realize I was having a recurring nightmare that I had to sell more cars. I had to sell more cars.

I had to sell more cars and I had to meet this cold and I had, you know, get Chrysler happy and I had to and I would wake up in these horrible sweats, but there was no dealership anymore, but the pressure was still there and it became obvious to me. The idols that I'd built in the in the things that I had thought were tremendously important that were just illusions listed in the point of freedom is at least I woke up just you know I was not and still have the nightmares actually to this day everyone is well. Sam but at least I can wake up and say I'm not in that anymore, and I even want to think how that would shorten my life or shorten my joy or shortened what I had in life based on the pressures that I put on myself, you know, I'm sure there's people that are in the car business are completely adapter that but it was just not it was and who I was and got in the really cool thing is when you walk with him. The disruptions can happen if you've lived your life this far, you haven't had disruption. I want to talk to you as Jim said, I don't know anybody that's not been the case if you haven't lived through dismantling.

If you haven't, it's common. I'm telling you this, but you know you felt that, but the key is to walk with God through because on the backside Robby find freedom I find. Please define passion find a life know was there.

I know that's been the story for me for Jim preventing Robby everybody is walking through with God through because it is a good thing because the life because it can make good from it. If you just walk through it with no matter where you are today turned to him and say God I know disruptions coming dismantling coming. I know it's in the midst of it.

If I can't see it but I trust you to let you lead me through it and ask Internet radio.org has podcasts to register next week