This is the Truth Network. The heart of every man craves a great adventure, but life doesn't usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gates and wide roads, but the masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns.
So how do we keep from losing heart while trying to find the good way when life feels more like a losing battle than something worth dying for? Grab your gear and come on a quest with your band of brothers who will serve as the guides in what we call the masculine journey. The masculine journey starts here now. Welcome to Masculine Journey. We're glad to have you with us this week.
And we are in the middle, well, we're at the beginning of being in the middle.
Well we're we're at the very beginning, but it'll be a long series, maybe, of our foundation series. And Andy, tell us what this foundation series is, because you are the architect. You're the one that thought this up. Yeah, I'm trying to give you a big word. Jim's not here.
I'm trying to throw things out. That's as big as I can get. The foundation does need an architect.
Well, in theory. At least needs a good builder. We were just talking. We went on the new. area.
radio station area in in Greenville and Spartanburg, and we just felt like we had kind of jumped in. We had we had welcomed the audience and those out there listening. We hope you're enjoying what you're hearing. But We have kind of a ministry that's built on wild at heart, and there's just certain things that are foundational to what we believe God has led to Led us into in this ministry. And we just wanted to kind of, and it's not just.
The Wild Art book, which is a big part of it, but there's other things that we've learned along the way. And there's just a. There is a foundation to the ministry, and there's a foundation to the gospel, and we just want to communicate that. And Just kind of clarify where we're coming from. And it's, we're just, we don't want to just be another men's ministry out there.
We want to clarify what our purpose and our mission is. Yeah, if you're not sure what we're doing here, this is the foundations of which we build everything on. Right. Right. Now, that being said, we do come from those foundations all the time, but most of the time, we're just talking about what's going on in our life.
That's true, too. You know, but God's constantly working on these foundational things in our life. Yeah. How does our life intersect those foundations and vice versa or whatever? If we didn't have those foundations, we don't need to be on here talking.
It's how they're interacting in our life for sure. Right. And so we started with the core desires, Robby. And so you most often do this talk at boot camp. And so we've gone through two of the core desires.
You want to kind of remind people what those are and then what we're talking about today? Right. And I it it's amazing to me When I started coming to boot camp, I heard this quote, and then I watched John give the talk himself. And each time he would say something along the lines of, you know, one of the most important verses in the Bible, one that you really need to understand that has made the most impact in my life, is Genesis 1:27. And The first couple times I heard that, I'm trying to realize how is that?
That that would be the particular verse would be so significant, which reads, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female, he created them. And The more I've walked with God in the 20 years since the first time I heard that. Like Well, obviously I heard it when I read the Bible long before that, but I mean, really, in the context of this is number one, like, oh my gosh. I am supposed to be in his image, right? That I'm his image-bearer, and specifically in a masculine way.
Because you got male and female in that. And so, what does exactly that look like to be a man? And how do I get an image of what that man may be? And what does that have to do with God? And what does it have to do with my heart?
The things that I appear to have desires to do, and those kind of things. And so this talk. drew me in tremendously, still draws me in tremendously to realize that Oh my goodness, the reason why I played Army when I was a little kid. And every chance I got, you know, that I was throwing the snowball or, you know, dunking people in the swimming pool and all those things is because I was built with this idea of a battle to fight. And that the warrior, the warrior is his name, is in the scripture several times, is in there.
It's like, I always say, like, Prego's Paghetti Sauce, it's in there. We do know that Skipper Wagner will never be the same as a result of you being a warrior, Robby. You'll have to go back and listen to past shows to know what that reference is. Or come to a boot camp. Or come to a boot camp.
Yeah. So you got, yeah. A battle to fight, and then last week we did an adventure to live. And again, you don't have to be around many little boys to watch them. piling up whatever to make a jump on a bicycle to see that they're going to make an adventure out of anything.
How fast can it go? What can I blow up? In other words, and and that's because they're testing their strength and they're risking Because God is one of the riskiest, and that was one of another understandings that I got out of this. It just blows my mind. How risky.
is God. Like he gave Darren free will. Think about it. Amen. Amen.
Preach it, brother. Scary. If you know Darren, you don't understand. Robby, free will. Anything like that.
It's just scary stuff. But he is. And so you learn. Faith. By testing and seeing if you have what it takes within that idea of an adventure to live.
So that was the second one. And the third one, which we're going to talk about tonight, is a beauty to rescue. From the time you were a little kid. People are picking on your sister. Watch that little boy come from nowhere that you didn't think had much of anything if he sees his sister being picked on or or You know, some situation where he needs to rise up and rescue the beauty.
And the reason for that is illustrated so beautifully in this clip. It's from the movie Shrek, and he has just rescued Fiona, which, unbeknownst to the viewer at this point in the movie, she is an ogre.
So Shrek's an ogre. And she is an ogre, but she turns into this beautiful queen or princess during the day, but at night, ogre.
Now she knows she's an ogre. And so, you know, we'll play the clip and then, you know, you can't miss it. That, that, If you think about Shrek, from a standpoint of being the rescuer and her being the bride of Christ. You did it! You rescued me!
You're amazing! You're... you're wonderful! You're a little unorthodox, I'll admit, but... Thy deed is great.
And thine heart is pure. I am eternally in your debt. And where would a brave knight be without his noble steed? All right, I hope you heard that. She called me a noble steed.
Does she think I'm a steed? The battle is won. You may remove your helmet, good sir knight. Ah, no. Why not?
I... I have helmet hair. Please, I would look upon the face of my rescuer. Oh, no, you wouldn't. Dust.
But How will you kiss me? What? That wasn't in the job description. Maybe it's a perk! No, it's destiny!
Oh, you must know how it goes. A princess locked in a tower and beset by a dragon is rescued by a brave knight. And then they share. True love's first kiss. Mm-hmm.
With Shrick? You think, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait a second. You think the Shrek is your true love?
Well Yes. You think it's just your laugh. What is so funny?
Well let's just say I'm not your type, okay? Of course you are. You're my rescuer. No.
Now remove your helmet. I'm not going to. Take it off. No!
Now!
Okay. Easy. You you're a An ogre. Oh, you were expecting Prince Charming?
Well, yes, actually. You're not supposed to be an ogre. But I have to be rescued by my true love. Not by some ogre and his and his and his pet.
Well, so much for noble steed. Look, princess, you're not making my job any easier. Yeah, and I I That's a tremendous clip, but it it illustrates so many The fundamentals of the masculine journey in in that we all wear a helmet. or a mask. Right.
And Underneath that, we're broken without Christ, and we are an ogre. But unfortunately, you know, quite often when we rest a beauty and she gets her helmet off, she finds out. Guess what? And And at some point in time, you know, when you don't put the toilet seat down or whatever it may be, you're going to discover that off comes her mask, ogre. Yeah.
And it takes Christ in the middle, but the point of the whole thing is: is To some extent, to see what a real man looks like, is if you can get a good look at Jesus. which clearly he died. Right, to rescue his beauty. And, you know. The idea of sharing true love's first kiss from being beset by a dragon i is is the object of the whole thing.
And the fact that we get to do that. Right, in his image, it's truly an honor at the same time understanding our responsibility to be in Christ to keep as much of our ogre down as possible. Yeah, and if you don't like being referred to as an ogre, that's Robby at masculinejourny.org. Just reach right out to him and share your thoughts on that whole topic. No, you're you're exactly right, Robby.
And I love saying that to you especially, that you're exactly right, because I've heard that somewhere from you. That you know, we don't realize even in this clip, you Shrek's got an agreement. I'm not your type. You know, I mean, he's put himself in this little hole. Right, it takes this whole process for them to pull each other out of their agreements.
Going through the midst of ending up rescuing each other, which we'll talk more about on the topic today. We're not going to be able to get to another clip, but I did want to talk through the boot camp that's coming up in November. It's November 20th through 23rd. And where's it at, Andy? Royston, Georgia.
Royston, Georgia. Camp Littleite. And so how far is that, Robby, from Spartanburg or from Greenville? Probably forty-five minutes.
So pretty close, right?
So if what about if you're in the Charlotte area, how far is it from them? Hour and twenty, man. Hour and twenty, still very an easy drive. If you're in Atlanta, very short drive. Oh, a lot of guys come from Atlanta.
Yeah, we have a lot of people.
So it's a beautiful place, beautiful cube. We've had Tennessee. We've come down from the city. Absolutely. We've had people from Florida.
We've had them from all over. We even had a guy come from Colorado, believe it or not. Yeah, we did, Doctor. Yeah, absolutely. We had them come from lots of different places.
And so, yeah, if you're reaching you and it's reaching your heart a little bit, God's saying, It's for you. I've got something there in store for you. And it's not us. He's got something in store for you. We're just part of being a part of the process.
And that's the whole cool thing about boot camp when we go to him: you know, God works in our hearts as we prepare the talks that we're going to be doing. You know, and we get a lot of food from him. You know, we get fed throughout that whole time. And then we come to camp, we get to see what he does with his words, you know, that he puts on our hearts, you know, that we lay out there that God has something in store for every single person that comes. And I don't know what that is.
I don't know what it's going to be for me. I don't know what it's going to be for Andy or Darren or Danny or any of us. But God does. And that's what's so cool is everybody walks away with something special for them. Right?
Even if it's your here, God, for the first time ever. Right, and how cool would that be if that's your story? Or you learn God to a different intimacy? That's amazing as well. Right, all those things.
Andy, you want to add to that?
Well, I was just saying, talking about rescue, it's a When you come to a boot camp, You get to hear this message that we're talking about, but really what you... A big part of what you hear is how God rescued us. And it's really about Him and just talking about Him. And it's fun to do, and it's fun to hear other people's stories. And if he's going to rescue a knucklehead like us, he's definitely going to rescue you.
We'll talk to you after the break. What we have at our boot camp is something that makes you stronger and gives you the strength to go on your regular walk with God. It's something that will make you be bigger than you were when you got there. I think sometimes as men, we feel like we're on our own and we've got to do everything ourselves, and the weight of the world is on our shoulders, and it's our job to fix everything and make everything right and have all the answers. And I think when you come here, you just get really honed back in and reminded that God really is for us.
That a good father helps you, and a good father makes sure you have all the tools you need, and a good father comes through for you when you need him and you just feel less alone. Register today at masculinejourney.org. I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night. He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light. He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon and he's gotta be large and large. Welcome back to Masculine Journey. Robby, that's our bump.
And so you picked that bump this week.
Well you know Everybody wants that, right? You you want to be strong, you want to be fresh from the fight, you you know you Do you want that? The beauty wants that and so it's a match made in heaven, so to speak. Um Although You know, I love what John Eldridge's son said one time. You know, the problem with rescuing the beauty is she doesn't stay rescued.
That's right. Absolutely. Yeah. And whether we're included in that, absolutely. We don't stay rescued either, right?
Yeah, it's Jesus rescuing us. You know, think about how many times he's had to rescue us again.
So, yeah. Yeah, that was Bonnie Tyler from 1981. Is that what you said, Andy? It was 80. Oh, I thought you said 81.
Well, we'll just say it was 81. It was while Robby was in his early 50s. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, Harold had just retired. Mm-hmm.
Yeah. 80s skating rank. Yeah, well, it definitely had the 80s sound tape, you could tell, but that was Bonnie Tyler holding out for a hero. We're. Gonna kinda play well.
Trying to be a rescuer looks like most of the time. But it doesn't the way we're supposed to do it. This is a clip called It's Not About the Nail. You can find it on YouTube, and it's a very, very funny clip. And this is the way we think we're meant to rescue.
Right, and so what you have here is you have, I believe it's a husband and a wife, and what you can't see from listening to it is she talks for a little bit at the beginning and she sets it all up. and then it shows an image of her and she literally has a nail in her forehead. A big one. A big nail. Like a 16-penny, if you're a framer.
A 16-penny nail, a big one you'd put a house together with, that type of nail. And so it's sticking out of her head. And so that's the context that they're talking. And at the very end, when they're kind of in a good place, he leans in to kiss her, and then you hear an owl, and that's what happened. And so we're going to go ahead and play the clip, and then Harold's going to add to it when we come back.
It's just There's all this pressure, you know? And sometimes it feels like it's right up on me. And I can just feel it, like literally feel it in my head, and it's relentless. I don't know if it's gonna stop. I mean, that's the thing that scares me the most: I don't know if it's ever gonna stop.
Yeah. What? You do have Yeah. in your head It is not about the nail. Are you sure?
Because, I mean, I'll bet if we got that out of there, stop trying to fix it. No, I'm not trying to fix it. I'm just pointing out that maybe the nail is causing it. You always do this. You always try to fix things when what I really need is for you to just listen.
See, I don't think that is what you need. I think what you need is to get the nail. See, you're not even listening now.
Okay, fine. I will listen. Fine. It's just sometimes it's Like There's this achy I don't know what it is. And I'm not sleeping very well at all.
And all my sweaters are snagged. I mean all of them. Yeah, I don't that sounds. really hard. It is.
Thank you. How? Oh, come on. If you would just don't. Try to see things my way.
Well, there we go. It's not about the day. I would recommend that you go to YouTube and you watch the video. It is quite funny. And if you have been in a relationship very long, I'm sure you can relate to one side of that equation or the other.
But, Harold, that was a clip that you wanted to talk a little bit about, correct? Yes. And I've been in a relationship for 61 years. I've been married to my sweetheart. And uh we've had a few nails in the head.
Uh but I had not actually thought about that clip. But in thinking about the topic What I wanted to bring up was the fact that Like little boys, we think we've got to be the hero and that we're going to go and slay the dragon and so forth. Be rescuing the beauty may not involve that. It dawned on me that oftentimes what she really needs is just for us to Do what she wants. Don't get the nail.
Listen to me. And um Part of that came from thinking back over our relationship. Um my sweetheart used to ask me uh early on in our marriage didn't I want her to get a degree? And I said, no. You don't need a degree from me.
She actually needed a degree for herself, And this went on for quite some time. She eventually went to college. And then uh she treats me like I was her hero. because I was also in college working on a master's degree. I did her library research.
And since I had been a computer programmer and was key punching all the time, I had become a much better typist. than she was, even though she had worked as a secretary. before we got married. And so I did her research. I did it I typed her papers.
She tells people constantly that she could not have gone. To college. without me. Because she had been told when she was in high school that she couldn't go to college 'Cause she had ulcers in high school. and they said, You're the type they would have a nervous breakdown.
But because we worked together on it, she was able to get her degree. and she became an elementary school teacher for a while.
So don't look for the dragon to slay. It may be something simple. like doin' tasks that she wants or needs done. And so Do what the lady wants. Yeah, and I think the key of all that is knowing when is it a dragon issue, when is it just responding to the request, is to walk with God in the midst of it.
God, is this a time that I just need to sit back and listen and not take action in the same way my heart's pulling me towards? Or is this a time that I need to enter in and go in this direction? And it's key to walk with Him. When you look back at how David fought his battles, God constantly changed the way David was to do it, but he always sought God's advice on how to do it, and that's why he was successful. And it's often that we don't.
Seek His advice, and that's when we're not successful. It's hard enough being successful when God is giving you the advice that, you know, short-term, the enemy's in the middle of that and all that kind of stuff, and may look like it's not going to work out, but God will get you through it if you just keep walking with Him in the midst of it. And it's just key to know what He's asking you to do. And so I want to go to another clip. And Darren, I was going to go to your clip because this shows another side of a relationship, right?
I'll let you talk about your clip, but it sets up how you have to maybe change your approach a little bit, right? Yeah. And because I am the most feminine man here, I chose a clip from the notebook. And This, the theme of this clip is, and the theme of the movie is, literally, these two. Start out pretty rocky and they're pretty much constantly fighting.
They get separated. They're not married yet. And At that point, the male figure in the Sends 365 days' worth of letters to his beauty. Um she never gets them though. She doesn't know that he tried to send 365 letters in 365 days.
But we were going to pick up the clip. Several years after that, when they are having a conversation and they're literally in the midst of a fight. when he kind of has a Uh Clarity of mind to stop fighting with her and to start fighting for her. I see you got my letter. Finally.
What are you gonna do, Al? We're back to that. Are we back there? What about the past couple of days? They happen, you know?
I know that they happen and they were wonderful. Is that your plan? Keeping your promise, and it's not about following your heart. It's about security. What is that supposed to mean?
Money! What are you? He's got a lot of money. I guess not. I think I must have misread all of those saying.
I guess you did. You're bored! You're bored and you know it. You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something missing. Ariel.
Would you just stay with me? Stay with you. What for? Look at us, we're already fighting!
Well that's what we do! We fight! I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. They have like a two second rebound rate.
So, what?
So, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. And we're gonna have to work at this every day, but I wanna do that because I want you. I want all of you Forever. You and me every day.
Will you do something for me? Please. You just picture your life for me thirty years from now, forty years from now? What Oh, we cut off. That's okay.
It Ultimately, he begins to go after her. What do you want, right? He knows she's been living for everyone else, she's been living for him. She's been living for another man that she met after him. She's been living for her parents.
for almost anybody except for her. And so he stops fighting with her and he starts fighting for her by just saying, Hey, picture your life. Here, 30 years, 40 years down the road. And what he's doing is he's getting past the agreement that she's made that I am only as good as those that I please.
So my worth is in pleasing others. And he finally figures out, no, that that's exactly the lie that she's believing that's holding her back. And obviously he's got skin in the game and he and he does love her and he cares about her and he wants her to to come his way. But he even says in there, stop Thinking about what I want, stop thinking about what anybody else wants. What do you want?
And so the point there is. Fighting for the beauty, rescuing the beauty.
Sometimes fighting for the beauty comes in the midst of fighting with the beauty. The beauty. And my wife and I have found this out several times when we were really trying hard to work. towards each other's hearts and love each other well and and and you know, help each other get to The next level of our relationship with God and each other, and in the midst of that, get really frustrated with the other one. But we've always kind of tried to keep hold of that: that when we do finally get there, that we stop and go, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.
I'm reminded that there is an enemy that is also on the stage with us. It's not just she and I, it's not just she and I and God. It's she and I and God. An anatomy. And and that enemy takes on multiple way I mean, multiple forms, the world, our own sin sometimes, um and then obviously the influence of the devil himself.
And So trying to keep track of your mind that hey We're not the only ones on the stage and sometimes fighting with them. hopefully will lead to fighting four. them and them fighting for you. Good. What we want you to do this week is just to lean into this topic with God and say, God, what are the beauties that you have in my life?
Which ones are you wanting to have me fight for? And I don't mean multiple women necessarily. It could be your sister, your mom, could be someone your girlfriend, wife, something like that, not both. One of those two. Wow, Sam.
Yeah, I know. It could be another person. But lean into God and ask Him who He's wanting you to fight for and go do that. We'll talk with you next week. Join us in the after hours.
This is the Truth Network. Yeah.
