This is the Truth Network. Coming to you from an entrenched barricade deep in the heart of central North Carolina, Masculine Journey After Hours, a time to go deeper and be more transparent on the topic covered on this week's broadcast.
So sit back and join us on this adventure. The Masculine Journey After Hours starts here. No. Welcome to Masculine Journey After Hours. This is Andy.
I'm sitting in from Sam and He was missing in action, but he's joined us now via satellite. Right, Sam? Absolutely, via satellite, via internet, something, via somewhere. Via remote.
Well, it's not easy to get down to an entrenched monker. Yeah, that's right. That's right. You're exposed out there on the top side. He is, man.
I hate that for you. You know, broadcasting on top of that, where they can zero in on you, Sam. Definitely on the grid, and I hate that for you. That's right. Yep.
You know You're the one that's... decided not to enjoy uh join us in the entrenched bunker, so Yeah, I'll just take my shot out here, I guess.
So, what we're talking about this week is Opening our eyes to the Father. Sam started this with opening our eyes just of. of open up to God in general. Uh the scripture from Ephesians 1, 17 through 18 that uh Robby Redd on the first show, but It really speaks. I got it I read it again this week.
I I was reading a book. Actually it was like Christian finances, actually. But in part of it, this guy had a lot of hodgepodge of ideas, and one of the chapters. He just talked about the illumination of God and used that scripture. And, you know, usually I'm pretty attentive.
Sam's been talking about that. We've done a couple shows on opening our eyes to different aspects of God. And here it was there again, and I reread it. And everybody knows I'm a fan of the idea of sonship. Of allowing God to be our Father.
And I saw it deeper in that scripture. You know, how sometimes things just come off the page. I was like, oh, that's a great idea for a show this week. And so that's what we're talking about. And So, Sam, we got to talking.
I don't know if it's a pillar or whatever, but we're sure into a series on this idea. I don't know if you're planning on keeping it going next week or somebody else is.
Well, to your point, Andy, if you look at the end of verse 18. Yeah. It says That he's going to illuminate you to the hope of his calling, which is the riches of his glory as an inheritance. Of the saints.
Well, in order to have an inheritance, you got to be a son. That's right. And that inheritance is actually the revelation That he's talking about like Okay. It gives you the idea of what makes life worth living. Yeah, yeah, you've got that.
And then it talks about that hope of his calling.
Well, we're called to be sons, but we're called to end the mission with him as well. All that stuff. kind of combines together to what we call the masculine journey. Right. And so we're just digging into that a little bit more.
And we have exhausted, I wouldn't say exhausted, you can never talk about it enough, but we've talked about sonship quite a bit. It's a key theme. It really is. I think a lot of times people find you get saved, but it's almost like you get and please don't get me wrong for being a heretic or whatever, but you get saved, but then whenever you realize who you are as a son, it's almost like getting saved a second time. That's how Morgan Snyder from the the Wild at Heart team or he's he's moved on, but he wo he's he's been a part of that team for some time.
That's what he ar always articulated when he was talking about sonship. And I believe that to be true because it's changed my life. It was like it's just a. deeper A deeper understanding of what our inheritance is. in in our Christian uh journey so Okay.
Sam? I want to make a point here real quick on that. You know, in reality If you're walking this journey with God He's your father, there's never a time to not talk about sonship. He's fathering you in your finances. He's fathering you in your relationships.
He's fathering you. in your business, whatever it may be. It it's the key relationship, father to son. He's hanging out with. Yeah, and so you can exhaust it.
I know you didn't mean that, but you can't because it's a core. It's the core of the relationship all along the way. It's the point, really. You know, when you. Yeah, when you guys were talking about um last show, You know, that you know, we see Jesus in one way and God in another a lot of times.
But you know, Jesus says it pretty clearly. If you've seen the Father, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. That's right. Right, there's nothing that Jesus demonstrated on earth that he didn't get from his Father. He wasn't a contradiction, he was validation or.
Um an example. Um but Yeah. All right, you want to talk about your clip? Yeah, this clip is from uh a movie called The Martian Child. Uh yeah, I was really stupid when I watched it, and I didn't realize that this little kid's wearing.
Sunscreen, I just thought he had a really bad makeup job.
So, if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about. Um, but it's about this kid. Who's um is adopted by uh a guy, John Kuzak, and he's come to his home And this boy is really afraid of the world, and so he's. trying to complete his mission. in hopes that his parents would come back, I think is what it was.
But um He he is really afraid of being abandoned again. And you're going to hear it in this clip. And what you hear in this interchange Between Who's going to be his father, his adopt uh the father that's adopted him or adopting him? in his relationship you'll start to hear the core of what it means to be a spone. And what happens is this scene right before as we pick it up.
The little boy's in there taking a picture, which is part of his mission. And it it he knocks off something off of his father's table and it breaks. And so we pick up the scene there. Tennis. Was I bad?
No, you weren't bad, and you gotta stop saying that, alright? I don't want you to cut your feet. And daddy's I'm in here working. We gotta put this camera away for a little while, okay? But I haven't finished my mission.
Well, you have for today. What the heck? I haven't finished my mission. Give me my camera back. I need it.
You gotta calm down. I have to go to work or you can go to your room. You're gonna send me away? Aren't you? Dennis, why would I send you away?
Is you're mad at me. Because I broke your stuff. Uh Dennis, I don't care about any of that stuff. This is stuff. There's nothing you can do that would ever change the way I feel.
Do you understand? I'm not gonna ever send you away. Good. This just stopped. Come on, break it like you mean it.
One more button.
So, what you yeah, what you heard in that clip was key for me. in that little scene. Because he he tells him there's nothing you can do. That will have me turn you away. I'm always wanting to be in your presence.
Right. And and I grew up it with the belief that God was a disciplinarian in the sky. And you know if I did something wrong I'm gonna get whacked. You know? And there's truth that you have to live out your consequences of it.
But it's not God punishing you. It's the consequences of your choices or consequences of somebody else's choices that impact you is what you feel. But when I realized that there was nothing I could do That would make God not want to see me, it would not want to be with me, that the Father. always wants to be with me that even as screwed up as I am or can be, He loves me unconditionally. That's a game changer because you realize I truly am a love of his life.
He loves me deeply, deeper than I'll ever understand. Right, and so that was just a key point of how I started to see God differently, and as a result, I started to see myself differently. in the identity that he gives me. No doubt. No doubt.
Um we get stuck there a lot, um particularly with how we see our earthly fathers, but then there there are You know, there's there's places in the Bible where God deals with sin and that kind of thing and I think we a lot of times project the wrong things on God. That's really what we're talking about here. You know, God's more than just a nice buddy. kind of that we can just You know treat, however. I mean, he still is a holy Awesome mighty God But it was his idea To be approachable for us.
That's why he sent Jesus. He wanted to reconcile us to him, not to hold us at arm's length, but draw us into his. to his arms and be held by him. And uh And in those weak places to be strong for us and to actually Show us truly what um a good father looks like. The closer you you walk with him.
The the closer you walk with him, the closer you want to walk with him. Right, you know, there was a time that I held back a lot from God. Guys, you can father me in these areas, but these are mine. These other ones are mine. I'm holding on to them.
And as you build that relationship, as you see him Yeah. helping you, teaching you, loving you through woundedness through challenges, through obstacles, uh celebrating the joys with you in your life. When you feel that Man, you just want to include him in all the other things. No doubt. No doubt.
And you define yourself exactly to your point, but to make it a little bit more, it's. It's that you don't, where is the orphan spirit or whatever? You had that independence where you had to do everything yourself. You have a go-to there where you're like, I don't want to get, why would I want the creator of the universe who has a good father's heart to me? Why would I want to hold him back?
Why do I feel like I have to do? everything on my own or do You know, like you said, some things. Yeah, he can handle, but other things are just off limits. Why would I do that to myself? Yeah, I think there's also something to be said.
You can go. way too far the other way. and be waiting for a sign from God that That yeah. He's probably giving you, and you're not seeing it. I remember some people I love dearly.
who just said they couldn't make a decision because they said hey You know, I don't know what God wants me to do in this situation. Right. I don't know if he wants me to do this or do this. And as we talked about on the show, Maybe God doesn't care which one you do as long as you do it with him. Right.
Yep. Okay. Yeah, that's uh that's the whole faith walk. If you have to know the answer or what's right before you ever take an action, that's you know, that's we know that he wants us to walk in faith, so But he wants us to ask too, so You know, I th I think there's examples of doing both. In the bottom.
Oh, the neat thing about the Martian boy clip that I I took note of was that you know, when he first breaks whatever it is that he breaks the stuff, you can hear the glass break, right? And then he points out He says, No, I don't want you to hurt your feet. And that It reminds me of one of my favorite stories from our old buddy Harold. and how a father might love his son. Yeah, that goes back a long way.
Um My son Brad was probably four or five years old at the time. We were down in southern part of Florida. in the summer time. The sand down there gets really, really hot. It burns you.
Your feet terribly.
So we were leaving the beach to go back home. And uh We had to walk on this little trail. Barefooted. on the hot sand.
So Brad, at that age, he just couldn't handle it. and I remember picking him up and setting him on my shoulders, And it it wasn't fun, I remember that. But I I walked across the the hot sand barefooted.
so that uh I could carry him and he didn't burn his feet. And I hadn't thought about it until one of one of you mentioned it earlier this evening about. the uh thing of the Footprints on the beach. Where there's not two but one. And I hadn't actually thought of that, but uh I love it thinking about it now.
Yeah, for sure. That was definitely what I was saying th is that You know, a good father If even if he doesn't have 50 cents to his name if his son, who he dearly loves, is begging him for a milkshake, to what extent will you will you go whatever length to try to get and and then the delight of giving that boy that milkshake, even when you couldn't afford it, is beyond cool. And that's when Harold brought up the the story of The idea of carrying his son on his shoulders, and the fact that, in a way, It left an impression he's never forgotten that he had a chance to meet his son's need. at his own expense. But when you think about God the Father, Right.
He let Jesus Yeah. Or he suffered him. To stay on that cross, dying of thirst. He wouldn't even give him water, but vinegar, I mean, or allowed, however, it worked, there it was. And the fact That as you say, that he Loved you so much, Andy, that's it.
He was willing to allow for his own son to do that, but the idea of Having that many more sons. Yeah. in order to fellowship with is absolutely beautiful, but we get it An experience with their own sons or with their own father of the special love that's there in what you experience right here. Yeah. Yeah, that's so.
It's It's really wonderful when you have the opportunity to do things with your grandson or grand we don't have any granddaughters. other than the the one that lives in Nashville. We seldom get to see her, but So we didn't do as many girly things. But uh especially with Brad and with Caleb, my grandson. We uh we got a lot of great memories going to ball games and and this, that, and the other.
Unfortunately for me, I didn't know either of my grandfathers. They had both passed. by the time I was two years old, so I have no memory of either of my grandfathers. And now Don't know what? You know, I may have missed.
No, we know. No, I didn't have that much time with my grandfathers, but Boy, I mean My mother's father. Grandpa Bacon. His name was actually Harry Bacon, if you need a little laugh. Yeah.
But he loved to fish. And he took us, as you said, Florida. He took us out on a pier one night. In Florida, all night we fished with Grandpa. And It's one of the most precious memories.
I can remember it like it was yesterday and will always cherish it. Because as you might imagine, he was a great fisherman and he showed us all the ropes. It was... He fathered us, right? For sure, yeah.
Yep. That's another aspect of this whole idea of fathering, and it'll be talked about at this boot camp that you need to come to. I'll just throw that out there again. But the idea that not only does God bother you Um As a Invisible but very Tangible presence in your life that we've been talking about. But he'll put men in your lives.
He'll orchestrate it. for men in your life to help you Those things, maybe you didn't, you know, maybe you were interested in fishing and you didn't, your father didn't do that for you. He'll bring people like that in your life. And. Morgan just does a really good job of going in the sonship talk of walking through that and each one of us.
do as we as we do the Sonship talk, but You know, again, seeing God in everything. Seeing his presence and how he uses men on this earth to father. And I want more of an opportunity as I get older to be able to. Father. you know, young men and and that kind of thing.
But I think it's just it it's just um It's just so core to who we are as men of wanting to pass that on to receive it and to give it.
So I think a fisherman named Bill Natch used to end his program, all of his programs, he would end them by saying, Take a kid fishing. Yeah. Didn't he? Do y'all remember that? Yeah.
I remember seeing that. Yeah, I just wanted to say. You know, I know we don't, we have a rule against preaching on this show, but I'm going to preach just a little bit. All right. Yeah, yeah, if you have a chance to father a kid or a younger person or anyone who needs, anyone who needs fathering, if you have a chance to give something of yourself that you should do it, you should take that opportunity, whether it's taking a kid fishing, showing him how to...
Fixes lawnmower um Um taking uh Some kids from your church to Carowinds, maybe their parents work seven days a week and they don't get to go. Thinks anything, or even if nothing else. You know, we we had a preacher one time when I was a kid who always said, teach by your example, live live a godly life. Just show the kids around you how what it is to be a An outstanding Christian, godly man, and we're told men here, I guess, women too. It applies to women as well, right?
But just by living your life and setting an example, if nothing else, for young people to see. And um th they will remember it. They will always remember it.
So that's all all yeah, that's great. I mean, and and that you think about Paul and Timothy. I mean, that was that was the relationship there where Paul had had sewed into had sewn into Timothy's life, and then he told Timothy to go do the same. And uh Yeah, he definitely gives us That command, oh if You know, if if somebody stows into you and you don't replicate that, That's just you become a stagnant lake or whatever. You're not allowing his spirit and his wisdom to flow through you.
So.
So, it's my turn for the clip.
So, this is. A clip from Indiana Jones' The Last Crusade, which I hadn't watched until Sunday, I think it was. But um It'd have been on my heart to look into this 'cause I knew that there was some you know, Indiana Jones and his father had some dialogue, and I've found really a good clip that goes back into Indy's youth and how he perceived his father. They're on an adventure. They're trying to find this holy grail.
And, you know, they're kind of going back and forth. And it was both of them's perception. And I'm thinking, well, that's not really God, God is a perfect God. But whenever the conversation is, most of it's coming from Indy's perspective. The father was like, Well, I was really here for you, and I wanted you to kind of.
Live a life self-determined.
Well, that's kind of how we think about God. He just expects us to do everything.
So it's not exactly like a. Uh uh God and and Son, kind of relationship. It's just an example of kind of how things get broken down and how we see God for the longest time. But as the movie goes on, you see them doing this adventure together and more of an appreciation for one another. They kind of grow together on this adventure.
But very good dialogue here. And you can hear a lot of just a lot of misconceptions. Uh from both of them. You know? Sharing your adventures.
It's an interesting experience. You remember the last time we had a quiet drink? Hmm? I supply. I had a milkshake.
Mm. What do you talk about? Fuck. We didn't talk. We never talked.
Do I detect a rebuke? A regret. It was just the two of us, Dad. It was a lonely way to grow up, for you too. If you'd been an ordinary average father like the other guys' dads, you'd have understood that.
Actually, I was a wonderful father boy. Did I ever tell you to eat up, go to bed, wash your ears, do your homework? No, I respected your privacy and I taught you self-reliance. What you taught me was that I was less important to you than people who'd been dead for 500 years in another country. And I learned it so well.
That we've hardly spoken for 20 years. You left just when you were becoming interesting. Damn, I am here now. What do you want to talk about? Mm-hmm.
I'm not sure. Yeah. But what did I can't think of anything. then what are you complaining about? Yeah.
Look, we have work to do. When we get to Alexandrata. We will face. Can you challenge you? It fushed the breath of God.
Only the penitent man will pass. Second. The word of God. Only in the footsteps of God will he proceed. Duck.
The path of God. Only in the leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth. What does that mean? I don't know. We'll find out.
Such hope there about what they're going to find out together. And they do go on that adventure. But you see, there's some of that brokenness from the past. When Indy asked, when he's given an opportunity to actually talk to his father, he doesn't even know what to say. He's so.
Um You know, just so taken back by it. And his dad's all about this adventure. And sometimes we feel like our fathers, they're into their own adventures in their own life, and they just kind of. Leave us behind. And that's the example here.
And, you know, and then it could be a father that was, you know, wanted to pursue God or whatever and maybe a little bit legalistic or whatever. I mean, his father wanted to go find the grail and And and find it s sounds like find following God or whatever, but The relationship part had been left out. And, you know, we can do that. We can do that as men. We can be.
um so intent On f on Mm-hmm. following the letter of the law. But we miss the fact being a moral, good person or whatever. All those things are. Important, but whenever you find God as Father, this is the thing that got me the most, I think, is I struggle with sin, addictions, porn, all kinds of stuff all my life.
And when I really began to pursue God, or he pursued me really as a son and I pursued him as a father. A lot of that crap, a lot of the stuff that I had... dealt with for many years, seem to just kind of fall away.
Now not Not that I was living perfect and I still got a lot of hang-ups and still a lot of A lot of things that aren't right are true. I mean right and true in the way that I'm fully living them out. But gosh, what a difference in my life he made. And it's just exciting. Like Robby was saying, I've taken the red pill.
I don't see myself ever going back. Once you taste and see that the Lord is good. You don't want to walk away from that. I mean, you begin to walk in victory that you always desired. in um in your life so It will change your life.
A boot camp will change your life. We invite you to come. Go register at masculinejourney.org. The boot camp is March 12th through the 15th in Royston, Georgia at Camp Littleite. Come join us.
Have a good week.
