Training Ground

Take Out The Males

2012-02-12T19:56:00.001-08:00

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”
-Exodus 1

I know there are so many voices out there talking about how men in general are under assault. Men being passive on and on. I don’t want to sound like another one of those voices. But this passage caught my attention. No other passage has caught my attention like this; about the flagrant assault to completely take out a race. And to take out a race you take out the males, not the females. It made me think on a larger scale, on a higher level. How are we as men being taken out before we even get a chance to “become” men? And what race would the enemy be taking out now?

Being Misunderstood

2012-02-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

What if you went most of your life being misunderstood? You’d say one thing, people would think something different. You would perform an act for a certain purpose and people would interpret in a totally different manner. I feel that way sometime. I take a young man out fishing and people think its about the fishing, heck or that its even about catching a fish yet it is not. Fishing or catching fish is just a context not the end goal.

I can almost guarantee that Jesus felt this way 99% of the time. Misunderstood by the teachers, his disciples, and his people. Jesus says he has to go to the cross, Peter is there to tell him no way. People think he is the messiah that will come and squash the Roman Empire and restore Israel, he goes to the cross. It makes me sad to think how much I do this to him. How much is he trying to show me one thing and I see it incorrectly? And yet the misunderstood is misunderstanding. Father, have mercy on me as I don’t get it and help me have mercy on those that don’t get me.

My Sorrow

2009-05-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Matt 5 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

I was driving home from the TG lodge tonight. It is late and I am driving by myself. Most of the time I listen to music when I’m driving back into the Springs. Reflecting on the day. Trying to feel. Trying to slow down. And as I was slowing down I felt this.

What if I am trying to out run my sorrow? And no matter how far or how fast I run it is always at my heels. Waiting for me to reach exhaustion and give up. What if God chases after us with our sorrow because he knows we must wrestle with that first before He can give us joy? What if it is Gods kindness when He is pursuing us with sorrow? Almost like He wants sorrow for us first so he can trust us with His joy?

I am so afraid of my sorrow. Afraid of the reminder of my own brokenness, the places I hurt and have been hurt, and the places I am longing for healing and redemption. I am afraid of its consumption. I am afraid of how it makes me feel out of control. Sorrow makes me feel powerless, like a powerful river. It takes you where it desires, not where you desire.

What if the depths of my own sorrow is equal to the depth of my joys? Is it possible that those that those that know deep sorrow also feel deep joy? Like our hearts need to break down that far from sorrow so the joys of life and love have a place to go.

I have a lot to learn from my sorrow.

Everyone is Broken

2009-05-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

I forget this. Everyone has their stuff. Their fears and insecurities. Most of this comes up as I a spend more time with those closest to me. I start to feel them annoying me, maybe being selfish, maybe not seeing me as an individual. I'm feeling myself get angry. And that anger may be justifed. Yet when I stop and think. I pause for a moment. I begin to see how they are maybe as afraid as or more afraid than I am in that moment. The fears just manifest themselves differently and my interpretation of that expression of fear is being seen through my own flawed brokenness.

And at that moment I have the capacity to love, to empathize. It is a moment of maturity when I can not only see myself but see others as well. Not dishonoring myself but also not dishonoring my companion.

My challenge is to hold both perspectives in tension. The fear and insecurity I own and the brokenness of my friend. Is this love?

I think of Jesus. When he was tired and needed rest and the crowds came. Wanting and Needing. And in the midst of his need for rest, saw the need of the people and offered healing and himself.

2009-05-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

My baby daughter Sage (18 weeks) does this funny thing every morning when she wakes up. At about 630 every morning for wakes up and tries to talk out load….to apparently no one. She is not crying, she is trying to talk. Making awkward sounds that sound like attempts to communicate. Sometimes I wake up and just listen to her. It sounds so simple and conversational. I like to think she is talking to Jesus.

And it encourages me that my walk with Christ should look very similar. Simple and conversational. It makes me look forward to rising early to spend time with Jesus.

Blue Collar Father?

2009-01-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

Blue Collar Father

It is amazing how young I feel writing about white and blue collar stuff. Even as I go back and read some of my material I cringe slightly, knowing that this info is now available to the public. I feel a bit exposed. And at the same time, freedom comes as well with every word. So I’m going to keep going after it.

I was sitting with a friend yesterday at a coffee shop talking about this journey I’m on and I came to one realization. These thoughts, fears, desires, all reflect on how I see God s my Father. A father that provides, protects, guides, and cares.

As I read over my thoughts it really feels God-less.

In respect to provision, do I believe God gives and takes away? Do I believe God loves to bless His children? Do I really believe His heart is good for me? In Matthew 25 there is a quick story about a Master trusting his servants with “talents”. Most of you know the story. The verse that strikes me the most is verse 25.

24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

This sounds like me. I am the servant who believes that God is a hard man. I doubt His heart for me. I doubt He will provide. That it will be all up to me to make my way. My own gifts to network, find the right relationships, be clever in trying to make money easier than digging ditches every day. Doing all I can to avoid hardship. I am left on my own to figure it out on my own and in competition with every other man out there. It is more about my hard work then His power to provide how He wishes.

And so I wonder how this transfers to how White Collar men and Blue Collar men think about their Heavenly Father and how that Heavenly Father thinks of them. I would think that the writing above speaks a bit more to the blue collar point of view.

But as I have looked closer into my white collar friends I have found the same struggles but different reactions. Some healthy and some unhealthy.

I know we think entitlement is a bad word in most Christian circles. Yet, I wonder if there is some truth to the attitude of entitlement when it comes to our spiritual walks. Now of course it should be walked out with humility but as Children of God shouldn’t we feel a bit entitled? Considering the heart of the Father we find in scripture.

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

As children shouldn’t we expect certain things from a good Father? It is like a son of a King. Shouldn’t things come with the title? With our position as children of God? In Jeremiah is says:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And David writes in the Psalms

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

And so in my blue collar mind set I have been deceived. I have believed the assumption that I am on my own. Every material thing I will have to work for, and that my God is a hard man. With a heart that withholds first and blesses second. It really is a poverty mentality.

Yet these scriptures paint a different picture. They communicate a Father that is engaged, anticipating, protecting, and providing.

I am fully aware that my white collar brothers ask similar questions and take them to different assumptions but one thing I admire is their attitude of entitlement. Yes, it may be broken and unhealthy at times but they understand that they deserve something because of who they are and who they belong to.

One final thought. I continue to be convinced more and more of how we desperately need one another. I need my white collar brothers to challenge my blue collar assumptions and my white collar friends need groundedness and focus on the present. May we continue to see that need and respond by confessing it and striving to challenge each other unhealthy assumptions.

As some of you read this I would love to hear some feedback from some white collar guys out there about what they would want to learn from their blue collar brothers. So please email me and let me know your thoughts.

My Stupid Romantic Heart

2009-01-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

I really need to stop listening to Internet radio.

My wife often says “no wonder everyone was making out in the 80’s….do you hear all the music that was played back then?” And she’s right, that’s what I grew up in. The hair band ballads, tight spandex pants and everyone trying to do the moonwalk. With songs titled “I just died in your arms tonight” ,“Love in an elevator” ,“Everybody wants some” I’m sure some of you right now are starting to recall the lyrics to those songs and memories of growing up.

Who could really grow up in that time and not be a hopeless romantic. And that’s what I was, through and through. Looking for the perfect love and being willing to sacrifice a lot to get it. Thinking every song written by Chicago was written just for me. I remember my senior prom. I spent two days almost completely restoring this 57 Chevrolet for my date. Polished all the chrome. Repainted the emblem. Redid some of the upholstery on the interior. Lots of sweat and passion. And for what? A girls smile, affection? Maybe some lip cookie. And yet that was my world. I knew to take the right woman out I needed the right goods. You don’t even want to know what it was like when that girl broke up with me. A story for another time.

So today I’m sitting down to do some work on my laptop and I turn on my Internet radio. Minding my own business. Trying to get some of my music organized and respond to some emails, and out of nowhere….Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram jump me. They ambush me with their song “Somewhere out there”. Yes, the song from the animated movie The American Tale, about that cheesy mouse that gets lost. And at that, in an instant my heart is two decades in the past.

And if I’m honest with myself, something really young stirs in my heart. Almost asking the question, “Do you remember yourself back then?” And I do. Middle school, figuring out my desires and wants. Knowing girls were well on the radar by now. Full of insecurities but a big believer in fate. Knowing my life would end just as every movie and song had told me. I believed in love and that there were powers at work that were greater than me.

And now at 34 I feel in need of that young romantic heart again. That part of me back then needs to live in me now. That it may be my greatest asset. The heart that was sensitive to feel every circumstance. To really be all in the moment. I think I really want that from myself. We are about to have a baby, and I really want to experience all of it. All the tears, joy, smiles, and laughter.

I also want to experience that in my relationships. Especially with my wife and God. To freely offer and receive the emotions of the moment. There was probably a time in my life where emotions alone did not cut it. It was the “suck it up” and make stuff happen. A time of responsibility and duty. Where the pressures of this world come crashing in. A mortgage, a wife, a family, debt, etc, etc. Which has its place in a man’s journey. Yet, what does it look like to hold this young, necessary part of my heart with the demands of this world?

As I’m writing this I’m thinking to myself ”All this from one lame 80’s movie song?” Wow I need to go here more often. Man it sure does feel good to feel this part of my heart.

Assumptions Part 1

2008-12-22T16:06:00.000-08:00

The assumption of power vs. the assumption of powerlessness

I have wondered for years how the white collar demographics is different than the blue collar. Even in my own life, and looking back on my own story feeling the overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Like doing the best with what you have. Wondering if my dad’s 40 years with government was out of fear or commitment. It is where in my life I can get stuck in thinking that I will have to follow in my father’s footsteps. Working hard and just getting by. Not really getting ahead. Not really taking things to the next level. Probably working harder not smarter. Spending most of my time wondering why I’m working so hard, for little reward, and being utterly exhausted most of the time.

And yet we have struggled with this for centuries. Poor and the Rich. The poor with the assumption of powerlessness. Little hope for advancement. And the rich with the assumption of power and security.

It gives me hope in the gospel. Last is first. I know in my own life I know I’m not striving for the last. Jesus turns the tables. Just when you think you have this world pegged He pulls out your belief system. The things you counted on don’t matter.

The mystery of it all for me is what does it look like to carry both? What does it look like to live n honest life, earn an honest wage, and say that that is enough? So much bitterness has built up between the white collar and blue collar crowds. What does it look like for both classes to look at each other and say we need what the other is offering? To walk in humility and love? To be for each other instead of standing at a distance judging and criticizing.

We are so driven by our lust for power. It takes us to two different places. Drivenness or resignation. And it seems most of the drivenness has fallen on the white collar and the resignation has fallen on the blue collar.

My mom’s dad was very good man. Served in the Pacific in WWII. Came home and married my grandmother. Worked odd jobs, painted houses, and ended up delivering mail and eventually becoming a post master in MD. After his retirement he built himself and my grandmother a house in southwestern VA. Learning to live on very little. In his retirement years he started traveling a bit. He planted a church in Hungary. I often admire him for his tenacity and kind heart. I find myself walking in some of the same footsteps he has. Was he content? I think so. He had a great impact on the kingdom but I can remember that he never had a great amount of money. Was he successful?

I have a great gift with relationships. And yet I wonder if it comes more from my brokenness than my glory. Very much like my grandfather, I have relationships that I know I will have for a lifetime. But is that enough? Great relationships don’t pay the bills. I want to die leaving something for my family. Before I die I want to own a beach house. Is that bad?

I want my life to have power. I want my life to matter. I want my life to change other lives….for years to come. I look for approval far too often. Trying to find that affirmation, the words of praise that my life does have weight and makes a difference.

Blue Collar Spirituality Part 2

2008-12-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

I remember a summer job I got in high school. I was hired by this rich older man to valet park for his special party. He even made me wear this outfit while I was doing it. I remember parking the Mercedes and Range Rovers and thinking to myself that I was forever disqualified from owning such a piece of machinery. Now that I looked back I thought nothing of it at the time but how I was really making some unhealthy agreements with myself. I look back and feel ashamed about that time. I had no one else to tell me otherwise.

Most of that time has so much to do with Luke 15. The story of the prodigal son. The younger son is rebelous, squanders his daddys money is let back into family. The message for me. Go get crazy and it will be ok. No consequesnces. And that’s what I saw from my rich white collar friends. They’d go out and party, get crazy, enjoy themselves, and still have the silver spoon in their mouths. Theyd still win.

Where me on the other hand, would try to do everything right. Try to walk the straight line. Try to keep my nose clean. And what did I get for that? More hard work, and less recognition. Less fun.

I grew up in a small Baptist church in a town of about 500. It was a startchy spirituality filled with fear and rules. And with my pleasing brokenness was a perfect fit. If I could get it all right, be everyones hero, I might just have a chance at being recognized. It was definitely a very strong community. Loyalty would be the one word I could use to describe it. Our town was so small everyone knew each other. We never locked our doors growing up. Which was good when you needed help but you also had a lot of eyes on you, watching your actions, good and bad.

I often wonder what they really thought of us blue collar people.

With my upbringing also came with a certain sprit of poverty. Often a life of resignation. “this is my lot”. And some of that was good. It made me resourceful with what I had. If you didn’t have something you built it with what you had, you didn’t go out and just buy it. You looked around to see what you had and that was your starting point. It has made me somewhat of a pack rat though. It makes you keep everything. You never know when it will come in handy. I think about my dads garage. Full of stuff. You never know when you’ll need that extra bed frame?! My wife hates it. You buy things used not new. Self care really isn’t an option. You work your ass off. You eat a lot of food that’s probably not the best for you. I can remember breakfasts at my grandparents’ house. Delicious but filled with so much fat and grease. Great for the body. You rest little. You might smoke or chew or dip, or maybe all three. Oh, and you drink a lot of beer. Times of reflection or tending to your own heart and emotions are nonexistent.

You can see why this attitude prevails. If you exist with a theology that revolves around how you are a sinner first and Gods child second, wouldn’t you always think you deserve very little?

I just got finished watching a DVD called “the everlasting stream”. It is taken from a book written by Walt Harrington, a journalist from Washington DC. It is his journey from the big city to the farms of in-laws in Kentucky rabbit hunting. He is ambushed by what he calls “blue collar nobility”. It is an amazing story of self discovery. His book manly focuses on four main characters. Four old black men. They have known each other for decades, some since they were kids. Walt is amazed by their since of loyalty and camaraderie.

Blue Collar folk are faithful and committed. Sometimes to their own fault. Most of the relationships you find in the country have been around for ages. Along with that is their connection to family. In Loudoun if people don’t know me they know my father. It means something to introduce myself as Earl’s boy. It carries some weight. My dad’s faithfulness is expected of me.

Blue Collar Spirituality Part 1

2008-12-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

Some of the best memories I have of my childhood revolve around this old 69 Chevy pick up my dad had. It was pea green with a white top. V8 of course. Bench seat with a cheap seat cover. The ignition was on on the actual dash. It came fully equipped am radio and 8 track radio under the seat. We took it everywhere. It was an amazing place for a young boy to grow up. It was strong and reliable. Especially with how my dad drove it. He drove that thing like a stock car.

I remember days we’d fill that thing with almost a full cord of locust firewood. Listen to John Denver on the 8 track. I’d have my big league chew and he’d have his Levi Garrett.

As I look back BMW, Range Rover, and Porsche, never entered my mind. All that mattered was that I was with my dad and his truck.

My dad grew up the son of a poor dairy farmer for the Navy. My dad, Sonny they called him, and his brother (woody), grew up working on the farm. Taking care of cattle in Maryland in the 50’s. Working with their hands. Neither went to college, Im not even sure it was on the radar for them. My dad went into the air force and later worked his whole life for the government. He just retired a few years ago after about 40 years of service.

I have thought long and heard about the lines of white collar and blue collar. What made my dad work so hard in his life? What made him work so hard and still in his 60’s working on getting rid of his mortgage?

I grew up in Loudoun County VA. In Loudoun the actual county when I was growing up was mostly split into two demographics. It was almost like an invisible line was split down the middle. Everything to the west was mostly farmers, mostly good old boys, with their pick up trucks and cows. Now everyone to the east was a little different. With Washington DC so close there was a little more money and development. More paved roads, more shops, more people. There was also a lot of old money. Horse plantations in the 1800’s left a lot of families with money.

And so in my high school parking lot it was not uncommon to see a tractor parked next to BMW . Its just the way it was. And for the most part the poor did not mingle with the rich. Or at least that’s how it felt.

At 34, I wonder if there was more assumption then I was aware of at the time. I think about what the blue collars assumed about the white collar and I also wonder about what the white collar assumed of the blue collar. I also think of the rift that it has created in the church. How maybe we haven’t risked crossing over these lines for the sake of the Kingdom.

From a blue collar perspective I can think of the assumptions I had of my white collar colleagues. They were rich, no problems, they wore all the clothes I wanted to. They had college paid for. They worked hard very little. They were prideful; they thought a lot of themselves. Unspiritual and uncommitted. And they only hung out with their kind. Their relationships were based on being connected to powerful (other rich) people. They were only concerned about two things: money and power. And they mostly came hand in hand.

And what they thought of us Blue Collar “folk”. Probably that we were uneducated, slow. Probably wondering when we would come over and mow their grass or shovel their driveway. They’d . Somehow they could never figure us out.

Learning

2008-07-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things I am learning now is how I have grown up and how that effects my future. I grew up blue collar. Some of you know that I was from the western part of Loudoun County. We had guys drive tractors to high school. And so as we grow this ministry I am forced to pursue men in the white collar world. It really is an amazing experience for me.

It is not easy. I have to leave behind all the fears and assumptions I have of men in those circles and risk to relate to them as equal men. Men with brokenness, emotion, compassion, and stories of their own.

It is a challenge I really hate and love in the same breath. Asking those men for what I need as a young man and waiting for them to respond. Yet, whether they know it or not they have good things to offer, different perspectives on life, family, and faith. Some days I feel like an alen in a new land but I am sure that it is my own Training Ground.

The Well Runs Deeper

2008-07-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

The more I spend ime with the guys in Training Ground, the more I see about how Christ comes for us. He is always wanting His healing to go deeper into our lives and hearts. Just when you think you have arrived at some substancial place of healing He is wanting to take you further.

I see it in these young mens lives. They come to this amazing place of revelation and two days later God is taking them on another road in themselves. He is never really finished with us. And isnt that an amazing thing about Christ. He loves us that much that His pursuit of our hearts is never over.

These young men are amazing. They have such thirsty hearts to learn and grow. With six weeks left, I am really looking forward to what God has in store.

So Fragile

2008-06-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Last summer as we were getting the cabin ready I sliced my finger pretty bad. I actually got 6 stitches. And as the doc was cleaning out the wound she scrubbed it like day old eggs on a plate. I was amazed how rough you can be with the human body and its power to rebound. I actually said this to the doctor and her response was " yes it can be resilient one moment but its amazing to see how at times it is extremely fragile". How true is this.

I got an email from a dear friend here in the Springs telling me that one of his dear friends, our age, back east, tragically died Tuesday morning. How does that happen? He left behind his young wife. How do people get taken away? Here today, gone tomorrow. And in their place all is left is sorrow, pain, and the memory of this friend. IT feels like a dep injustice.

So tonight I think about my friend. I think of how his hurt, pain, grief. His questions. And I am left to wrestle with how temporary this life is. It is here today and gone tomorrow. I want to enjoy today more.

A Journey For All

2008-06-09T11:23:00.001-07:00

So we are 3 weeks into our summer session. We have amazing guys and they are learning so much. Yet As I continue to walk with these young men I continue to see how it is not just a journey for the young men. It is also a journey for me.

As I help these young men unpack their lives and help them walk with God, the Heavenly Father is still after my life. He is after my redemption and healing. Just as we pursue these young men, God is after the unsurrendered parts of our lives as well.

I am so grateful for this.Yes, difficult and scary at times but still beautiful. Gods pursuit of our lives is never over, it continues even when we are unaware of it. It feels like a place in my heart that I dont have to hold up on my own. There is someone else after my whole heart, and He is good.

Hard On Myself

2008-05-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

You know I am the person that is most hard on myself. Today, I am spying this really nice backpack on the web. The past couple weeks I have been selling stuff on eBay to have the money for this pack. I’ve done the work, sold the items, have the cash yet, every time I go to the website to purchase the pack I back out. I even went all the way through the check out process to the page that it says click this button to place your order and canceled out of the page.

What is it? Why can I not give myself the permission to enjoy. Its almost like I’m telling myself that I don’t deserve it. That I haven’t worked hard enough for it. That I still have work to do to “earn” it. I am a decent gift giver but a lousy gift receiver.

Im sure this has to do how I see my Father in heaven. Have I done enough to receive His favor, His love, His acceptance of me? Im sure there are more hoops to jump through somewhere. And yet, how more wrong could I be of His love? He loves to offer me mercy, love, grace, and tenderness.

My prayer is that I would enjoy today more, not looking for hoops to jump through, enjoying my time with my Father.

Authenticity

2008-05-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today Christine and I were clothes shopping and we decided to go into Hollester. We were trying to grab her a pair of jeans yet every pair of jeans she picked up had the “distressed “look to them. Holes in the legs, frays at the pockets (man, I sound like my parents).Heck I can remember in college when we would get a new baseball hat it felt as though before we could wear it we had to do open heart surgery to it before we could wear it. We’d cut the webbing out the front, wear it in the shower, put it in the dishwasher. Anything to make it look worn and experienced. I never dipped in school but some of my boys did, and all they cared about in their jeans is if you could see the ring impression in their back pocket.

Doesn’t that feel a lot like our hearts and lives now. We want the evidence of experience and time yet we are not willing to wait on it. It’s like we want to buy the jeans already broken in, the hat already tore up. One of the greatest things today that is being stolen from us is the value of the process, the importance of actual experience.

There are specific ways God grows a man. And the most important ingredient is time. Do we have the patience it takes to let God make us into His men? And not become impatient? Frustrated and give up?

reentry

2007-07-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Three weeks left and the guys are feeling the pressure of entering back into their worlds. And even as a proud parent, kind of, it will be hard to see them go. Yet isnt that what being a parent is all about? Training someone to become independent? They have expressed some fear in going back which may be good for them to feel. These are good men and I am excited to see them start to walk on their own. I believe and know they can make it. They are strong and not afraid of conflict.

Thats part of the ironic part of thing as well. You train someone up to never really experience the fruit first hand. Pray for us as we finish well with these guys in the summer session.

Well Rounded

2007-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a very good friend, Brian Vickery, come by the cabin and spend some time with the guys. He has spent most of his time in the real estate world. He knows how to put deals together and execute them. Yet is also a man who is very aware of what God is doing in his life and very aware of the Fathers heart over him.

And as he left at about 1030, I started to feel the fullness of what we are offering to these young men. They are receiving from all sorts of older men. And with Brian there, he filled yet another area that needed to be addressed.

"It takes a village to raise a child" and for us "it takes a fellowship of men to raise a boy".

Deep Waters

2007-05-31T22:28:00.000-07:00

Part of the three months with the young men, we have older men stepping in to offer different things. Tonight was our first night with our fly fishing guides. Two older, seasoned men that have spent many years on the water.

As one of our guys said through tears after they left "this just feels different" I know something was happening that not many of us get to see or experience ourselves. I said to Xan, "its amazing to see the symbiotic relationships between our guides and our young men. They both love their roles. The guides love to offer their wisdom and experience. They love being around the young men. And the young men love soaking in the wisdom, tips, and techniques.

It helps to have guides that share their story as well. Sharing how fishing has shaped their lives. Through their fathers, grandfathers and older men that have shown them the way. Older men pouring into younger men......what a novel idea.

Its beautiful when we start doing things the way they were created to be done. The gifts, joys and experiences that come from them are some of the most rich things we will remember. I am looking forward to these times ahead.

2007-05-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

And so now we have a house full of young men. Some days I can take it in and some days it feels just too large for my brain. These young men are amazing. Spending a week in the wilderness takes a man to places he can not reach in everyday life. I wish all of you could meet them.

So the last 3 days they have been working. I really believe God has something for a man in his work. It almost feels as much a mystery as a woman does to a man. I love to hear their stories of them "feeling" the weight of work and experiencing a mans world.

Tonight we have a nun coming to teach about contemplative prayer. It feels so different in what they have been walking through in work. Yet it does feel like what is required to stay a healthy man. The balance between drivenness and peace.

For me personally, this is a blast. Seeing these young men's hearts is such a privilege.