The Unfortunate Success of Training Lions to be Lambs

The Unfortunate Success of Training Lions to be Lambs

YOU GOTTA OPEN THIS LINK!

GELDING THE LION

Ride Em' Cowboy!

THE GELDING OF THE CHRISTIAN MAN
 by Kevin on May 4, 2011

     A popular website says “Gelding a male horse allows it to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday working animal.” Walk into a lot (not all) of traditional churches and this is exactly what they are doing to the men.
If you go talk to a man that doesn’t know Christ and ask him what he thinks a man that follows Christ acts like and looks like and you’ll probably get the definition of a sissy instead of a Christian. This is probably what he’d say:

I ain’t gonna be part of a group of men that all they do is sit around in their fancy shoes and sing Kum-Ba-Ya while holding hands. That church stuff teaches that if somebody punches you in the nose that you can’t do nothin’ but let ‘em hit you again–and love ‘em for hittin’ you.
I watch these “Christian Men” eating at the cafe after they get done with their sing alongs, and I’m tellin’ you they look gelded to me. There is no fire in their eyes. There’s a weakness about them in the way they carry themselves. All this hugging and loving stuff these churches are teaching ain’t doing nothing but gelding good men.

     How are we supposed to reach the lost when they think like this? How are we supposed to convince these outlaws and mavericks that Christ is the only way when it seems like the first thing the church does is take away their manhood.
     The first guys Jesus went and got were twelve MEN. We know for sure that five of them were fishermen and one of them was a mobster (they called ‘em tax collectors back then). Jesus picked these types of guys because he knew he needed strong, courageous, and honest men to learn from him and carry out his message.
     We forget sometimes that Peter would kick the crap out of you where the good Lord put a crack in you. He was constantly getting in trouble and cutting people’s ears off. Pete was quick tempered, opinionated, and absolutely loved by Jesus.
And let’s not forget James and John…the Sons of Thunder. Messengers were sent into a Samaritan village to announce that Jesus would be arriving there and the village didn’t welcome him. The Sons of Thunder wanted to call down fire from heaven and burn up every man, woman, and child in the village. Jesus didn’t let them, but I’m sure he loved their gusto in sticking up for him.
     You may think that I’m being sarcastic, but I have felt gelded ever since I became a preacher–but those days are over now.

• I still love you in every way, but if you are rude to me, I will try to walk away and forget. But if you continue to get in my face, I’m gonna love you enough not to let you do that.
• Your family isn’t perfect either. No longer will I sit here and let you tell me how bad my kids are or the fact that you don’t think what my wife is wearing is appropriate attire for a preacher’s wife.
• If you start causing problems and dissension in the church and you call yourself a Christian, I’m going to go to you in love and try to help you. If you continue, I’m going to throw you out on your head just like the Apostle Paul said to do.
• If you have the audacity to say it to me, then you’ll need the gumption to hear my response.

     God doesn’t want gelded men that are “calmer and better-behaved, making them quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday working animal.”
     He wants fierce warriors that are willing to follow him into battle against the gates of hell. He wants people that will be brave enough to make themselves a living sacrifice and ride through the rattlesnakes and coyotes to reach that lost sheep in the back corner of the pasture.
     Jesus is looking for people that want to call down fire from heaven for taking prayer out of school. He wants the attitude (not the deed) of Peter when people try to take him out of our society.
T     he Bible Studies are fantastic for strategic planning–but get off your butts and into the battle. Singing five hundred stanzas of a song is fantastic–but use that as a rally call for when you rush into the fight.
     We’ve got a bunch of good bible students and philosophers. What we need are more warriors. We need those cowboys and cowgirls that will ride with Jesus when he comes back and it not be their first battle.

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11-16 NIV)

     When I get to heaven, I hope that I’m dirty, bloody, nasty, and beat to hell from the work I’ve been doing for God.
     The verse above says that God will clean me up with some clean clothes and I will ride back into battle one last time following the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Will you be riding with me?

http://campfirecowboyministries.com/2011/05/the-gelding-of-the-christian-man/

Touching Strangers: A Creepily Wonderful Concept

 

Touching Strangers: A Creepily

 

Wonderful Concept

 

TouchingStrangers 34-490x620 by Richard Renaldi
(Click for viewing the full set)

“Richard Renaldi  gets two or more strangers on the street and asks them to pose for a photograph while touching each other. It’s fascinating to see how some people are visibly uncomfortable, while others look completely at ease – like old friends, or lovers. Check out his photos…” by Brad Horn NPR

"Jesus Came And Touched Them..."

He touched them for many different reasons, but the gospels are clear that Jesus' example includes touching other people, and not just our fellow disciples. Then he commanded us "to do as I have done."  A command Peter again presents to Christians again in one of his epistles.

The American adverse response to touching, especially by men, is unprecedented in the rest of the world.  According to scripture it is disobedience to your saviour.  Remember American culture never trumps Christ.  Christ always trumps cultural.

Brad Horn In His Article About Renaldi and "Touching Strangers" States:

 For the complete article click here.

Holding the hand of a stranger is a creepy kind of wonderful. And asking strangers to touch each other might only seem creepy — but it has produced an awkwardly wonderful series by fine art photographer Richard Renaldi. "Touching Strangers," as he calls it, explores the physical buffer we use to feel comfortable around people we don't know — or in this case, the lack of a buffer.

"Generally when you ask two people to touch, they're going to do one of two things," the New York City-based artist explains. "They're either going to hold hands or put their arms around each other. But I think there can be much more interesting ways to touch each other."

So Renaldi traipses around New York or wherever he finds himself — Texas, Illinois, California, Florida — with his 8x10 view camera (a monster of an object — think Ansel Adams under a black cloth), looking for people who will put their hands on one another. How that happens, exactly, is different each time...

But this series isn't rooted in an art-school fascination with the obtuse — it's rooted in Renaldi's lamentation over one specific thing: our separation.

"Touching Strangers" drew inspiration from another project — a book called "Dear Friends, American Photographs Of Men Together From 1840-1918." He noticed not only how affectionate the men seemed, but also how they appeared completely relaxed about it.

"And when you look at those pictures you realize, 'Oh my goodness — This isn't what men do now,' " he says. "If you go to another country, you see men holding hands. I think they used to do that in America until something changed here..."

"Something I get a lot of, is people [wondering], 'What would I have done if I was asked? Would I have touched that person?' And I think that's really kind of cool."

Since his dedication to the project seems matched only by his wanderlust, you may want to come up with an answer to that question yourself. Indeed, Renaldi may soon be approaching a stranger near you. The result will be ... touching.

Try This Drug! If You're Man Enough!

No!  I am not advocating opiates!  I am advocating responsible religion!

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Religion does not have to be the opium of the people;

it can be the poetry of the people.

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[Samir Selmanovic: Religion Needs Atheism]

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People like drugs - especially opiate based drugs - for the same reason Carl Marx called religion the opiate of the people. 

The following excerpt from Chocolate to Morphine: Understanding Mind Active Drugs [by
Andrew Weil, MD and Winifred Rosen] provides amazing insights:

DRUGS ARE FASCINATING because they can change our awareness. The basic reason people take drugs is to vary their conscious experience. Of course there are many other ways to alter consciousness, such as listening to music, making music, dancing, fasting, chanting, exercising, surfing, meditating, falling in love, hiking in the wilderness (if you live in a city), visiting a city (if you live in the wilderness), having sex, daydreaming, watching fireworks, going to a movie or play, jumping into cold water after taking a hot sauna, participating in religious rituals ... changing consciousness is something people like to do. Human beings, it seems, are born with a need for periodic variations in consciousness. The behavior of young children supports this idea. Infants rock themselves into blissful states; many children discover that whirling, or spinning, is a powerful technique to change awareness; some also experiment with hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing) followed by mutual chest-squeezing or choking, and tickling to produce paralyzing laughter. Even though these practices may produce some uncomfortable results, such as dizziness or nausea, the whole experience is so reinforcing that children do it again and again ...  Since children all over the world engage in these activities, the desire to change consciousness does not seem to be a product of a particular culture but rather to arise from something basically human. As children grow older they find that certain available substances put them in similar states. The attractiveness of drugs is that they provide an easy, quick route to ... states of consciousness marked by feelings of euphoria, lightness, self transcendence, concentration, and energy. People who never take drugs also seek out highs. In fact, having high experiences from time to time may be necessary to our physical and mental health, just as dreaming at night seems to be vital to our well being. Perhaps that is why a desire to alter normal consciousness exists in everyone and why people pursue the experiences even though there are sometimes uncomfortable side effects.

Feelings of well being.  Pain relief. altered awareness. Self transcendence.  Relief from anxiety, depression, boredom, lethargy, even insomnia.  These sound like a list of things the practice of religion often brings.  In fact, think about it, in Christ, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we Christians experience most of these altered states of being.  You can also find biblical examples of, or calls to pursue, these changes in our condition or perceptions.  Many are listed as fruits of a genuine relationship with God and/or spiritual transformation.  Fascinating!

Seems religion has a chance to be a lot less destructive opiate than any drugs we use!

So Why Not!

Why not claim, exclaim, and share with others our God given "altered states of consciousness," altered state of being?

Why not study these "opiates" of religion and discover how God has provided them to take care of basic human needs?  Needs that are part of our created being?  Needs created by the fall?

Why not encourage one another to embrace and experience these biblical, divine gifts of our faith?

Why get so offended by Karl Marx, and those who quote him? 

 After all Marx got it right!  And religion, true religion, is a lot less destructive than most of the other ways we humans pursue these same goals, these same altered states of being.

Are You Bright Enough To Act On This One?

It's Time . . .

To Enter The Twilight Zone!

FIRST, Men, You Need To Get A Grip On Reality

Prayer of the Modern Woman

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Before I lay me down to sleep,

I pray for a man, who's not a creep,

One who's handsome, smart and strong,

One who loves to listen long,

One who thinks before he speaks,

One who'll call, not wait for weeks.

I pray he's gainfully employed,

When I spend his cash, won't be annoyed.

Pulls out my chair and opens my door,

Massages my back and begs to do more.

Oh! Send me a man who'll make love to my mind,

Knows what to answer to "How big is my behind?"

I pray this man will love me to no end,

And always be my very best friend.

Author Unknown

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- -

Prayer of the Modern Man

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I pray for a deaf-mute nymphomaniac with huge boobs

Who is a good cook and owns a bass boat.

This doesn't rhyme, and I don't give a flip.

Author Unknown

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Are You Man Enough:

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Man, created in the image of God,

Has been created to chose to nourish and fulfill woman.

[Look it up.  It's there!]

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The prayers above are a bit silly and, by the man, overstated.

[well maybe not!]

From the prayer by the woman, men, there's a lot you can learn.

A lot to remember!

But if you fulfill her prayer - Be careful!

God just might fulfill yours too!

Or surprise you with

more, better,

than you

expect.

- -

No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance. No one stays in love by chance, it is by work.

 And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by choice.

[Author Unknown ]

The Damage Of An Unresponsive Foundation

The Foundation For Life

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http://www.consistent-parenting-advice.com/

Emotionally unresponsive parents

are often much more concerned

about obedience from the child

than the needs or wishes

of the child.

[How People Grow, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend]

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A man may realize his parents have been emotionally unresponsive to him all his life. He may see how this unresponsiveness has made his relational life difficult, as he has not been connected enough to his inner self to connect with others. As he understands this, he may them become obsessed with trying to get his parents to see what they did to him, or to get them to apologize, or even to get them to re-parent him and provide for him what they did not when he was a boy. In this way they put their hearts under the power of the very ones who injured him.

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Good relationships do involve confronting, forgiving, and reconciling. However, ... not (when using these is) letting the other person control them.

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An authoritarian parenting style tends to equate obedience with love, requiring strict adherence to structures and rules as a way of showing that love. Often this type of parenting style is associated with more rigid forms of religious belief, where strict parenting regimes can be supported by scriptural references . . .

http://www.consistent-parenting-advice.com/

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web master

Inside and outside the church I have been a friend to too many young men and boys just like those the Consistent Parenting Advice site and Drs. Cloud and Townsend describe. The way they act out whether Christian or not mirrors one another. It is heart breaking to those of us to whom they look for friendship and understanding. And yet, time and time again they go back to seek the approve or empathy of the very persons whose unemotional responses created the quick sand into which their lives are sinking. More of the same will never fill the void - no matter how many Bible verses they quote or "Christian" standards they appeal to. Until these young men find secure, gracefilled relationships, they will never be able to live in obedience to God or scripture. Until they can accept that they can not get from "home" the wholeness they need and crave and learn that that is alright, all parents have flaws, and learn to find the missing pieces in their relationship with God and grace filled Christians, their life, in one way or another continue to churn.

It is time for God's men to adopt these emotionally "fatherless" children and lead them to the rich soil of growth by grace.

Sexual Tension: What's Good Enough For Me ?

Puberescent Boys - Handle With Care

< # >

When Christ, Culture, Physical Body, And Social Pressure Collide !

It Takes MORE Than Rules To Survive Pure Or Even Want To Be Obedient

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                                                       We Used To Sing A Little Song:

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God said it

And I believe it

And that's good enough for me.

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But When We Hit Puberty It Suddenly Becomes:

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                                                                       God said it.

                                                    But that's not good enough for me!

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God's Plan, God's Good Enough,

Is Not Good Enough For Us Men - What ??

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We must not be doing

                                                                     something right.

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Our God is not good enough ??

Not strong enough ??

Not helpful enough ??

Where does that reality come from ??

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Scripture indicates that when we fall

We need Discipline - i.e., training.

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Training is God's answer to sin.

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(We are assuming here that there is in place a genuine personal love toward God.)

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An athlete does not become good enough without training.

A corporate officer does not become good enough without training.

A doctor does not become good enough without training.

A skilled trades worker does not become good enough without training.

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No worker becomes good enough without training.

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God does not become good enough without training - uh, WHAT ?

! ! !

          God is good enough or he is not God !!!

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   Men cannot become good enough

without training !!

Boys cannot be prepared to     

     handle puberty without a lot of

multi-disciplinary training !!

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TRAIN Up A Boy!

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Training Usually Majors On The Process Required To

Be Strong Enough To Win.

Training Usually Minors On Rules And Never Isolates The Do's And

Don'ts From The Preparation And Conditioning Need For Those Rules To Become Nearly Instinctual.

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TRAIN Up A Boy!

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The Words of Our Heavenly Father:

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Bind them upon your heart forever;

fasten them around your neck.

When you walk, they will guide you;

when you sleep, they will watch over you;

when you awake, they will speak to you.

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For these commands are a lamp,

this teaching is a light,

and the corrections of discipline

                                 are the way to life,

keeping you from the immoral woman,

from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife.

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Do not lust in your heart after her beauty

or let her captivate you with her eyes,

for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread,

and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

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Can a man scoop fire into his lap

without his clothes being burned?

Can a man walk on hot coals

without his feet being scorched?

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So is he who sleeps with another man's wife;

no one who touches her will go

                                        unpunished.

                                                                                             -

TRAIN UP A MAN !!

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ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH TO TRAIN UP A MAN ?

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What Is Good Enough For You?

For the Boys God Puts In Your Life To Train !