Category Archives: Discipleship

Chase the Lion, Discipleship, Ministry, Worship, Wrestling With Scripture

Chase the Lion Week 2 Notes

October 29, 2009 mjfelker1980

This week, our Chase the Lion series challenged us to Face our Fears. If you have not read In the Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day I highly recommend that you pick up a copy today. I hope that I am doing the material justice and I hope that you will find these notes encouraging as you stare down the lions in your life. Remember, we serve a God that is greater than any 500lbs Lion of a problem. God is bigger than your biggest failure and stronger than your strongest habit. Freedom from fear and discouragement is found in His mighty arms. Face your fears with the courage of Almighty God!

Chase the Lion: Facing Fears
Fear is a real and powerful emotion. There is no getting around this fact. The problem is that Satan knows this and uses fear and discouragement take away our spiritual trust and faith is our Almighty Father. Satan want to neutralize us spiritually.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 TNIV)

When we live in fear we basically press pause on the DVR of our lives. We live in a way that keeps us from moving forward and we get stuck in bad attitudes, poor mistakes, and debilitating sin.

I’d be willing to bet that our man Benaiah was not fearless. When you are staring down the barrel of a spear or up against 2 warriors or facing a 500lb lion fear is definitely part of the equation.

I think too often we look at our Biblical heroes and ascribe to them an aura of fearlessness and otherworldliness. We mistakenly believe that we could never live lives as rich and full as Moses or Elijah or Peter or the Apostles. They were strong. They stood their ground. They were fearless. Really?

– We forget that Moses stuttered.
– We forget that Elijah, immediately after defeating the 400 prophets of Baal, fled like a little school girl because Jezebel threatened him.
– We forget that Peter sank in the sea of Galilee.
– We forget the apostles scattered after Jesus was arrested.

Unfortunately, we cannot fully live God-honoring lives if we are paralyzed by fear.

The good news is that we serve a big God! Our God is bigger than anything that threatens you or frightens you. The key to living a full life isn’t in becoming fearless but in putting your trust in a God that is bigger than your biggest fear.

Did you know that we are only born with two innate fears? The only fears that we are born with are the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That means that every other fear- from the fear of going to school (didaskaleinophobia) to the fear of puppets (pupaphobia)- is learned or picked up somewhere along the way.

But if fears and be learned than they can be unlearned. This is great news!

Scripture gives us some some lessons about unlearning fear.

“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:15–18 TNIV)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1 TNIV)

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you” (Colossians 3:15–16 TNIV)

“I write to you, young people, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:14 TNIV)

Lion chasers aren’t fearless. Lion chasers have just let God help them unlearn fears that were keeping their lives stagnant and captive. Don’t let mental lions keep you from experiencing everything God has to offer. The fear of uncertainty, the fear of embarrassment, the fear of failure, the fear of the past- these all loose their power because they are exposed by the Light.

When we put of faith and hope and trust in God fear is overtaken by courage. Courage is doing what is right regardless of circumstances and consequences.

Despite fear, Jesus had the courage to face the cross. He was able to do what is right regardless of circumstances or consequences because he trusted the Father to carry him through. Fear had no power over Jesus because fear has no power over our God.

Have you given fear too much reign over your life? Are you afraid of your past? Be strong and very courageous! Are you afraid of your mistakes? Be strong and very courageous! Are you afraid of the unknown future? Be strong and very courageous!

Don’t let fear separate your from the life that God has in store for you. Be strong and very courageous! Put your hope in God!

Discipleship, Ethos, Jesus, Ministry, Remarkable

Making Jesus Famous

October 22, 2009 mjfelker1980

If you have not read The Tipping Point, Blink, or Outliers than you are probably unfamiliar with one of the greatest storytellers and one of the most brilliant writers around- the great Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell’s latest, What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures, is a collection of his favorite articles written for The New Yorker. Gladwell has the uncanny knack of drawing you into something that is at first mundane and somewhat uninteresting. However, you quickly begin to find a hidden nugget of wisdom or truth right smack dab in the middle of a story about Hush Puppies or airline disasters.

That’s why it came as no surprise to me that as I was reading his article about Ron Popeil last night I was reminded of the most important truth for authentic God-honoring ministry- the key is making Jesus famous.

You don’t know who Ron Popeil is? I’m certain that you know about his greatest product to date: The Ronco Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ. The tag line is unforgettable: (Say it with me) Just Set it & Forget it!!! The Showtime has sold millions of units and made a billion dollars all because of a twenty eight minute and thirty second informercial filmed and financed and starring Ron Popeil. According to Gladwell, Popeil “didn’t use a single focus group. He had no market researchers, R&D teams, public relations advisers, Madison Avenue advertising companies, or business consultants. He dreamed up something new in his kitchen and went out and pitched it himself.”

Gladwell makes it perfectly clear that in the informercial- in any of his infomercials- Ron Popeil is decidedly not the star. The product is the star! Ron built a product that is designed well- designed in such a way that the user can see “the magic happen” and Ron simply shows the thing off. He lets the machine sell itself!

So what does that have to do with making Jesus famous? I am NOT comparing Jesus to a stupid rotisserie or even saying that ministry is about selling Jesus as a cheap product. Repeat: I am NOT comparing Jesus to a stupid rotisserie or even saying that ministry is about selling Jesus as a cheap product. Heaven forbid that I reduce the King of Kings to a thing like that! However, I have learned a valuable lesson from Mr. Popeil.

As a minister of Jesus Christ the greatest way for me to make Jesus famous is to allow people to see more of Jesus than they see of me.

Jesus said that when He is lifted up, then He will draw everyone unto himself. (John 12:32) That is a powerful promise! The power of love was made evident when Jesus was lifted up on the cross. The power of new life was made known when Jesus was raised from the dead. As Jesus ascended into heaven the power of mission was given to us. The power of Jesus is still best understood and radically experienced when we lift Him up to a dying and broken world.

If we would lift Jesus up higher than our churches, higher than our ministries, higher than ourselves… If we would make it our goal to make the name and person of Jesus Christ more famous than ourselves… can you imagine what would happen?

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others? Do you want to see marriages healed and families strengthened? Do you want to see people released from lives marked by fear, greed, pain, and sorrow?

Than get out of the way and lift high the One who can really change broken lives.

Lift up Jesus Christ- put Him at the center of your ministry and life- and let him be the star.

Bible Study, Discipleship, Ethos, Life, Prayer, Small Groups

A Prayer for Small Groups

October 21, 2009 mjfelker1980

One of my go-to ministry resource sites is Simply Youth Ministry. Their stuff is so great and highly customizable that I find myself going back to them time and time again. In my inbox this morning I saw their weekly training email and I found a wonderful blessing: A Prayer for Small Groups. I wanted to share this with everyone because I think it is a wonderful prayer and reminder that discipleship happens when a small group of believers gather together to “do life together” in the presence of Almighty God. In these small groups, God is glorified, faith is fostered, people are cared for, and the Church marches on!

A Prayer for Small Groups
by Kevin Mahaffy, Jr.

Father, today as our small group meets
I pray that each person will feel your heartbeat
May they know they are special, they’re cared for, they’re loved
Your kingdom come, on earth as above

Our time together, though not long only short
May it seed true communion with You in our hearts
Help us see Your image inside of each other
Teach us what it means to truly love one another

Away from the big, the loud, the flash
Just a few of us here to share and to laugh
To discuss Your Word, to share and go deeper
To talk real life and be our brother’s keeper

Praying for one another as we journey through life
May we encourage each other to reflect Your light
Let us always be inclusive, welcoming, warm
A safe place for all in the midst of life’s storms

Lord we all come from a myriad of places
Give us wisdom and kindness and grace and patience
Thank you for unity in the midst of diversity
Make us one in Christ, true Christian community

Bless those abundantly who have opened their home
Upon their house, God we pray Your Shalom
May it be filled with laughter, with joy, and with vision
In return for their giving, God we pray Your provision

And let us, O Lord, never ever forget
That there’s someone else out there who has yet to connect
Your eyes and your mouth to see and invite
That not one, O Lord, would be alone in the fight

It’s a mystery to me why they seem to be Your preference
But amazingly in the end small groups make a great big difference
Life on life, Jesus you modeled it back then
So I’ll do the same, in Jesus name, Amen.

Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry, Resources, Wrestling With Scripture

Chase the Lion Week 1 Notes

October 19, 2009 mjfelker1980

This past Friday, I had the honor of helping to kick off a new men’s Bible study at our church. I am teaching through one of my favorite books, In the Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Week one is the introduction to the study and I wanted to post my notes here on the blog as well. My thanks to Mark Batterson for his material and for his passion to see God’s people become fully engaged disciples. My hope is that these notes will encourage you to draw closer to Jesus in the midst of your challenges and struggles.

Chase the Lion Week 1: Defying Odds
Your view of God- how big or how small He is to you- will determine your spiritual future. Ask yourself: How big is your God? As A.W. Tozar said, “A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems.”

The story of Benaiah is found in 2Samuel 23:20-23. Benaiah was not the odds on favorite in any of these situations. Out maned and out speared, not to mention the specs of the King of the jungle- Full grown lions weigh 500lbs and run 35 mph. These were crazy scenarios that would make many of us turn tail and run! But not Benaiah. “You have to admit: these victories look pretty good on your resume for the head of security for the king of Israel.”

What seemed like the worst experiences for Benaiah ended up being his big break. God used the most difficult situations in Benaiah’s life to mold him, prepare him, and lead him through to greater things.

Trusting in God to deal with and carry us through our most difficult challenges, experiences, opportunities, and failures requires us to have the proper perspective of our Heavenly Father. He is the creator and sustainer, he is the victor, he is God above all. He is bigger than an 500lb lion of a problem.

“Chasing lions is not about some foolish act of dumb courage, it is about defying odds because we believe in a God who is bigger than what we can comprehend or control.” – Mark Batterson

I want to challenge you to a paradigm shift. Maybe, right now, God is using your toughest challenge to teach you something, to take you to the next level, to reveal himself more fully to you. Are you going to have the courage to go after what God has called you to? He has called you to:

– Have an intimate and deep relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ.
– Fully rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you
– Build strong, healthy families that honor God
– Determine, with His help, to have a rock solid, fire proof marriage
– Leave a legacy of faith that passes down through generations

“There are some parts of being a dad that I can’t outsource if i want to raise Godly kids. There are elements of my marriage that may seem insignificant. But in reality, they’ll determine whether my marriage is won or lost.” – Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church

Everyday, we are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. The world wants to see us fail- if we fail then they believe that our God fails. Fear not! Christ has overcome the world! (John 16:33; 1Cor 1:18; 2Cor 4:1-18)

The Courage to Defy Odds begins with the proper perspective of who God is and what he is capable of. The proper perspective than drives us to humility before God because we know that while we cannot handle these obstacles on our own, God is fully capable of delivering us through any situation we might face. Even though this runs counterintuitive to the way we want to operate, we must submit to God because his thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Questions for this week:
Is God bigger than your biggest problem?
Is God bigger than your greatest fear?
Is God bigger than your worst failure?

Discipleship, Ethos, Jesus, Worship, Wrestling With Scripture

14 Jesus Did Not Say

September 30, 2009 mjfelker1980

Perry Noble is a great young minister in South Carolina. He is the pastor of NewSpring Church and he maintains a great blog. I find myself there several times a week reading his thoughts on ministry, parenthood, and leadership. Yesterday he wrote about 14 things that Jesus did not say but, for what ever reason, our culture often believes he said them. Often times we give weight and credence to these lies because our actions live them out.

Let’s avoid these mistruths and perversions of the message of Jesus and boldly proclaim- in word and deed- the powerful truth of the Son of God.

We get things messed up from time to time…especially the words of Jesus…here is what He did NOT say…
#1 – “They will know you are my disciples by your theology, and the arrogance that accompanies it.” (John 13:35)

#2 – “Dream really small dreams and make sure you never ask for anything big!” (John 14:12-14, Psalm 2:8)

#3 – “If someone doesn’t believe just like you believe…make sure to do all you can to attack, criticize and beat them down as much as possible.” (Mark 9:38-41)

#4 – “Be tolerant of everyone…I am one of the many ways to God.” (John 14:6)

#5 – “Make sure you make the church about you…that you are served well…please, don’t do anything that might cause you any type of inconvenience. My goal is for you to be happy!” (Matthew 20:28, Luke 9:23-24)

#6 – “Please, whatever you do, DO NOT tell people the good news…keep it to yourself! The reason I died on the cross is so that you could get into really small groups of people and talk about ‘deep things’ that aren’t going to help anyone when it comes to eternity.” (Matthew 28:20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14, Romans 10:17)

#7 – “Don’t EVER try anything new…don’t ever take a risk…don’t ever take a step of faith. Be AVERAGE!” (Isaiah 43:18-19, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6)

#8 – “You can follow me and it will not impact your money at all!” (Matthew 6:19-24)

#9 – “Pray a prayer to get out of hell…and then live however you want.” (John 14:15, John 14:21)

#10 – “You can do it without me!” (John 15:5)

#11 – “I don’t expect you OR your church to be fruitful in any way.” (John 15:4)

#12 – “Isolate yourself from the world!” (John 17:15)

#13 – “Make sure there is a time when you question my word because it will one day be no longer relevant.” (Luke 21:33)

#14 – “Stop crying out to me in desperation…can’t you see I’m busy.” (Mark 10:46-52)

Link

Bible Study, Discipleship, Ministry, Mission, Wrestling With Scripture

Matt Chandler’s Philippians Top 10

August 27, 2009 mjfelker1980

In this blog post from The Resurgance Matt Chandler writes the top 10 reasons he wanted to teach on the book of Philippians. Gotta love this list.

1) How the church began. Acts 16: Lydia is a wealthy Asian (Thyatira); the slave girl is an oppressed Greek, and the jailer was a middle class Roman. All were transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the diversity of that cast.

2) The book teaches that the gospel advances regardless of circumstance (Phil. 1:12-18). In an age where it is not uncommon to hear that you can put God into your debt by behaving, I thought this was extremely important.

3) Paul’s cry “To live is Christ and die is gain!” How could he not say that! Lydia was wealthy, religious, and empty; the slave girl was bitter, oppressed, and angry; and the Roman jailer was indifferent and cruel. All were lost in their lives. What else would you live for?

4) The book clearly teaches humility in the life of a believer. We can’t hear that topic enough (Philippians 2).

5) Paul ferociously outlines the reasons to pursue Christ (Phil. 3:1-11).

6) Then, he follows it up by teaching how to pursue Christ (Phil. 3:12-21).

7) Chapter 4 talks about what the heart and mind of a man of God look like. This is invaluable information as there seems to be some confusion on this matter.

8) Contentment is a gift more precious than jewels (Phil. 4:10-19).

9) It gave me a chance to remind everyone that Philippians 4:13 isn’t about playing sports, making the team, or being successful in business.

10) Because if I can help us be “the lights of this world holding fast to the word of life” I would humbly and gladly spend my life doing so.

link

Awesomenessness, Discipleship, Mission, Prayer, Summer, Youth Ministry

Mission Trip 09 Part 2

August 17, 2009 mjfelker1980

So I had just found out that the homeless shelter that we had planned to serve while on our mission trip was broke and on the brink of closing. We would no longer have a place to serve. That’s it. End of story. This was creating a giant black hole right in the middle of our mission trip.

When I was scheduling places for us to serve, a food bank in Atlanta had given me a list of non-profits that could host our group. I called the first one on the list: Project Open Hand.

Within 20 minutes we had scheduled time to deliver meals on Friday and Saturday and to pack meals on Monday for the clients of Open Hand.

Remember when I had prayed to God to step in a save our trip? He was about to deliver… big time.

On Friday & Saturday we delivered meals all over the city of Atlanta. We were welcomed into apartments and homes and we were able to pray with many of the families. It was an eye opening experience for all of us. We saw men and women of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and classes. We met disabled people and we met the terminally ill. It seemed that no matter what the circumstance, these people were thankful for the little bit that they had. Some even offered to pray for us! It was such a blessing. Of course, we met difficult people and some simply reached a hand out the door, snatched the bags of food, and were gone. These were few and far between though.

We overwhelmingly had an incredible few days at Open Hand. On that Monday, I think we pack closed to 3000 meals. That is not a typo – Three thousand meals for people in Atlanta. Only by the grace of God!

The whole focus of our trip had started out to be aimed directly at ministering and serving the homeless of Atlanta. We were still scheduled to do this on Saturday night and Sunday morning. However by Saturday afternoon I had begun to wonder whether or not we would still be able to do this in a meaningful way. Again, I guess I underestimated how God would answer our prayers.

To Be Concluded in part 3

Discipleship, Ethos, Resources

The 3 Angles

June 25, 2009 mjfelker1980

I’ve been reading through Eugene Peterson’s Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity this summer. What drew me to this book was that it wasn’t about ministering to others but that it was more about soul care for individuals/ministers. For Peterson, the shape that Pastoral Integrity takes is that of a triangle. A triangle is made up of 3 lines and 3 angles. As you can see by the title, the angles are what Peterson is most concerned with.

Peterson is challenging/calling those of us privileged enough to lead others into God’s presence to do so out of a life that is constantly connected to the Source. His premise is that we spend so much focus and effort on the lines of ministry- preaching, teaching, administration. To be honest these are the acts of ministry that we get grades for. They are the visible (most visible) aspects of our jobs. What Peterson says is that we should be more concerned with the angles of ministry because these angles feed, inform, develop, and connect our inner life with our “professional” life.

Here are a few choice excerpts:

Three pastoral acts are so basic, so critical, that they determine the shape of everything else. The acts are praying, reading Scripture, and giving spiritual direction. Besides being basic, these three acts are quiet. They do not call attention to themselves and so are often not attended to. In the clamorous world of pastoral work nobody yells at us to engage in these acts. It is possible to do pastoral work to the satisfaction of the people who judge our competence and pay our salaries without being either diligent or skilled in them. Since almost never does anyone notice whether we do these things or not, and only occasionally does someone ask that we do them, these three acts of ministry suffer widespread neglect.

The three areas constitute acts of attention: prayer is an act in which I bring myself to attention before God; reading Scripture is an act of attending to God in his speech and action across two millennia in Israel and Christ; spiritual direction is an act of giving attention to what God is doing in the person who happens to be before me at any given moment.

None of these acts is public, which means that no one knows for sure whether or not we are doing any of them. People hear us pray in worship, they listen to us preach and teach from the Scriptures, they notice when we are listening to them in a conversation, but they can never know if we are attending to God in any of this. It doesn’t take many years in this business to realize that we can conduct a fairly respectable pastoral ministry without giving much more than ceremonial attention to God. Since we can omit these acts of attention without anybody noticing, and because each of the acts involves a great deal of rigor, it is easy and common to slight them.

Wow. What a convicting premise! I couldn’t agree more with what Peterson has said. This summer it is my goal to make sure that I’m working the angles in a greater and more deliberate way. As the pressures of my life grow- new baby, summer expectations, fall planning, leading up-out-and-about- so must my reliance on my Father.

To paraphrase the words of that rock band from the Great White North, RUSH-

I’ll be working them ANGLES overtime! (That was for you Kratzer)

Discipleship, Preaching, Sermons, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

5 Ways to Avoid Graduating from Your Faith

June 1, 2009 mjfelker1980 1 Comment

We celebrated Senior Sunday yesterday as we honored and blessed the class of 2009. The point of my message was to challenge these teens to not graduate from their faith when they graduate from High School.

I based my message on 2 Timothy because it is probably the last letter Paul sent the young minister. Paul’s life was coming to an end and in this letter he lays out the “non-negotiable” for Timothy. Paul’s final words to his young friend highlight the things that will help Timothy grow his faith long after his mentor moves on. I think this letter has a lot to say to you and me and our young graduates.

1) Don’t Be ASHAMED of Your Faith

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self–discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,” (2Timothy 1:6-8 TNIV)

This culture- especially the culture found on many college campuses- wants you to be ashamed of your faith in Jesus Christ. You will feel the need to apologize for being different or for having a different morality than those around you. It was much the same for young Timothy. The minute you begin to apologize for what you believe or the minute you begin to be embarrassed by the gospel is the minute you begin living on your own understanding and move away from living in the power of God.

2) PURSUE Righteousness

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2Timothy 2:22-26 TNIV)

When you step foot on your college campus or when you start in the workforce you are going to see people in pursuit of many things in their lives.

People will be in pursuit of grades.
They will pursue power.
People pursue glory for themselves.
People will be pursuing what feels good.
They will pursue what’s easy or what they can get away with.

They will pursue all kinds of things but not necessarily what is Right or what honors/glorifies God.

3) ENDURE with God’s help and protection

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2Timothy 3:10-15 TNIV)

Keep on keeping on. Once you decide to not be ashamed of the gospel and set you heart/mind to pursue God’s ways with your whole being- ENDURE!

Find your pace and trust that God will carry you through.

4) Fall in Love with GOD’S WORD

“All Scripture is God–breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17 TNIV)

How do you know the power of the Gospel- the truth of Jesus? How do you know what is right and how to follow it? Where can you find encouragement to endure? You find these things in God’s Word.

5) Intentionally RECOMMIT- Everyday/Every way

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Timothy 4:1-8 TNIV)

Everyday and in every way you have to recommit in your heart to follow Jesus Christ. Living out and believing in the Gospel takes recommitment everyday.

Every one of us is just one day away from graduating from our faith. Each day brings its own troubles, challenges, & changes that jockey for 1st position in our hearts.

These graduates aren’t the only once susceptible to the world around them. Each one of us in here must pledge allegiance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ every single minute of every single hour of every single day.

Book Review, Discipleship, Ministry, Resources, Review

Book Review: Hero

May 27, 2009 mjfelker1980 1 Comment

Every man’s battle is not so much a fight for your purity as it is a fight for your manhood, a fight for who you are and who you intend to be. Sexual sin, then, is not your ticket into manhood after all- it’s your ticket out.

Fred Stroeker has co-authored some of the most well-received and challenging books on the market today. Along with Stephen Arterburn, the Every Man’s Battle series has been a game-changer and life saver for many men struggling for sexual purity in their relationships. Stroeker’s latest, Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires continues this challenge by focusing on single men and helping them take a stand for truth and purity in a world that makes it easy to compromise.

“You’re a greater man than I ever dreamed of being, Son.”
Hero is co-authored by Fred’s son, Jasen Stroeker. The opening chapters make it clear that Fred Stroeker is proud of his son – not because of anything Jasen has accomplished but because of the man he is. Jasen took a stand for his purity early in life and by the grace of God held on to it for dear life. How? Fred explains that the “secret” to living the pure life is that the true make of manhood is a “complete willingness to embrace social pain for a higher cause.”

Make no mistake this isn’t a call to martyrdom. This is the challenge for every aspect of being a disciple of Jesus Christ in every arena of life. We are to be different- no matter the cost, no matter the setting, no matter the issue. “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his god pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

It’s Never Too Late To Demolish Your Strongholds
The Sroekers believe that there are a set of myths that the culture wants men to believe that lures them into sexual sin. These myths excuse behaviors and mindsets that lead to and trap men in sexual sin. They call them “Stronghold Myths” and the book features 9 of them. Some of these myths lead to chapters that seem right out of I Kissed Dating Goodbye. Others though are powerful and transformative. The strength of these myth-busting chapters lay in the fact that they are written from different perspectives. The chapter entitled “Her Desires” is co-written with the help of Jasen’s wife, Rose. Rather than have some dudes talk about women’s desires we get the perspective direct from a female source. I liked this aspect. The chapter “Sparks” finds Jasen and Rose listing ideas to help couples build chemistry together. Again, having chapters written from different perspectives was a nice touch that give the book a very personal feel.

Rethink What We’re Capable Of
So, who would benefit from reading Hero?

I think this would be a great book for a Father and Son reading. The back-and-forth between Fred and Jasen is a great feature of this book. I can see where Fred’s honesty about past mistakes could open a door of honesty between fathers and sons and Fred’s words of encouragement and admiration for his son could lead to that level of intimacy between fathers and sons. Fathers of teenage sons would definitely benefit from reading this with their boys.

Another group that could benefit from Hero would definitely be college age students. Whether a dorm room Bible study or a Sunday morning church group or a week night get together there is a ton of material to discuss and work through.

Hero is a great book and I would recommend it to any brother who wants to do the right thing- the heroic thing- and own his sexual purity for the glory of God.

Summary (from the publisher)
You already know it’s not easy being a single man in this culture today. But it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel helpless and hopeless about living by God’s high standards for singles. It’s easy to cave in to the pressures of this sex-soaked world and accept defeat—blaming the media, the culture, even girlfriends who don’t know how tough it can be.

But many men have read books like Every Young Man’s Battle and Tactics and have committed themselves to stand strong and pure in the power of God, and to go on the offensive against the onslaught of negative stereotypes. Some have suffered. Some have fallen. But many have experienced victory—and you can be among them.

What makes those committed men so desirable to women? Be Her Hero is their motto. From best-selling author Fred Stoeker, along with his son Jasen, come the straightforward insight and real-life examples you’re looking for to help you take personal purity to its logical conclusion. Here’s straight truth with irrefutable evidence of what makes an ultimate hero to women who long for men of faith—men who stand by their convictions and make their world a safer and better place.

Are you ready to accept the challenge?

Buy HERO by Fred & Jasen Stoeker HERE

MichealFelker.com