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 are glad that you're with us and even more so, we're glad that we have Danny back in studio again.
This is like your second time back in studio since you were out for a while, isn't it? Yeah, second time. That's good. I can count to two, so I'm pretty good there. Yeah, we're not counting on next week then because you won't be able to count that high.
No, no, I got shoes off or something. I'm out. Yeah. And we have Robby on the line. Robby, we've missed having you in studio, and I know it's going to be a little bit before we can get you in studio, but it's great to have you here with us via whatever we're on, radio.
Well, the uh the phone, yeah. Yeah, wow. It would be good to be in the same room with Danny again since boot camp. But It it'll be nice when that happens. Yeah, yeah, and we haven't said anything on the air, but Robby's had a pretty challenging last month or so.
Having had a pretty significant accident, but fortunately he came through it okay as far as he's alive and he's recovering, and it'll just be a bit before he can get back in here with us.
So we're very grateful for what God's doing and continues to do in your life, Robby. And I know that you won't let any of this be wasted. Yeah, if I was speaking from the grave, now that would make it a great show. Yeah, it might boost our ratings, you know, just a little bit. I'm just saying not saying that we exercise that one.
I'm just saying, you know, it could do that. We'll have to wait till Easter for that one, yeah.
Okay, yeah, that would be the good resurrection show, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Well, we are visiting Word of the Year. I mean, it may seem like the only shows we do are about boot camp and word of the year, you know. But uh, this is the mid-year.
Well, it's into first quarter, but we're still finishing from last quarter where not everybody got to talk about their word of the year.
Some people were on like an extended cruise for like one person was, for a long time and missed the shows we did on it. And then Some of us had just not reported on our word fully yet, so we're going to do that through the show and the after-hour show. And before we do that, Who would like to explain what the word of the year is? Danny, would you do us a favor and explain what the word of the year is? If you're the first time listening, you've never listened to one of our podcasts or show, what are we talking about?
Well, word of the year, we pray every end of usually end of the year or sometimes in the beginning of the year for a word for God to give us. That we carry throughout the year, and it kind of unpacks itself and takes all meaning in our lives. Right. And it's individual to each one of us. Yes.
Right, and so this is how many years have you done it now? This'll be let's see. I came to you guys in two thousand, so This would be year six. It's okay. 2020, not 2000.
Yeah, 2020. 26th year, 26th year. Yeah. Oh, you know. Last year was a long time.
That was pretty good. You say last year was a long time. You were here before we even formed. Right? Yeah.
So so you knit us in our. You're like, God, you knit us before. That's prophetic, right there. Yeah, it is. Thank you, Andy.
I didn't even catch that. It was spoon right over my head. Nothing is missed in this room. I'm not sure. No, nothing is missed.
There's grace for a few seconds, and then it's gone. I ain't even sure you call it grace. I'm just saying it. I'm being graceful about that word, grace. But anyway, we were talking about Word of the Year, and Jim, you didn't get the opportunity to talk about your Word of the Year yet, and so we're going to let you go first.
Yeah, it should have been boat or dock or something that went with where you are all the time.
Well, the interesting thing was before. I left, which was And Well, first time early January. I had two words I was debating. And by the time I got back, I was trying to figure out what those words were. And uh apparently they weren't from God because they weren't in Jim's brain.
And very shortly after that, I got my word of the year, and I'll do the clip and then reveal the big word, but it this has been One of the more significant words of the year I've had since the first time I did it. Back before we started. Anyway, this. Clip is got one of my favorite Scottish actors. And he is playing King Arthur.
Same guy, but different movie. Or it could have been. But uh anyway, this is King Arthur with Mal what's his face? Maligant. Maligant.
And he's come in to rejoin the King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table one more time to make a proposal. and we'll just launch right into it from there. May God grant us the wisdom to discover the right, the will to choose it. and the strength to make it endure. Amen.
Amen. To think that I was once first among your knights. You left this council of your own free will. We each of us must follow our own road, my lord, and mine had further to go.
So, is Lyoness to come under the protection of Camelot? Is Lyoness in need of protection? Come, Arthur. I'm here to settle this business. We both know DNS is too weak to stand alone.
I'd say half each. The lesser gives way to the greater. And what nation could be greater than Camelot? The land of justice and the hope of mankind. Come.
Your hand on it. We'll all live together as friends. You offer me what isn't yours to give. I mean no harm to Camelot. You know the law we live by.
And where is it written, beyond Camelot live lesser people? People too weak to protect themselves, let them die. Other people live by other laws, Arthur. Or is the law of Camelot to rule the entire world? There are laws that enslave men.
and laws have set them free. Either what we hold to be right and good and true is right and good and true for all mankind under God.
Well we're just another robber tribe. Your fine words are talking you out of peace. And into war. There's a peace that's only to be found on the other side of war. If that battle must come.
I will fight it. I'm done. I'm dying. I'm dying. So much for my quieter days.
That appealed to me on a lot of levels.
So much for my quieter days was very meaningful. But I've always loved that there's a peace that can only be found on the other side of war. And that is true. I've been a pretty peaceful person my entire life. In fact, I was growing up, so Um Anti-fighting, that I was in fights all the time because people said, Oh, you can pick on the big guy and push him around and get away with it.
So, in junior high school, that's what middle school used to be when it was seventh to ninth grade. Uh I was constantly being challenged. And I did not like to fight. And you pretty much had to hit me a time or two before I was in the fight. But uh I learned early that you know the big guy loses a fight either way.
You either beat up the little guy or you got beat up by the little guy, neither of which are. great bragging rights when you're in junior high. But that one hit me pretty hard. I've always been a Peace seeker. You know, I want peace at all costs and sometimes the cost of peace is not worth paying as the uh Iranian people have had peace for half a century, but it hasn't been It's been basically being in prison, and that can happen to all of us.
And I grew up, once I figured out, well, just peace seeking is not enough, sometimes I tried to be a peacekeeper, and I would. interrupt battles and jump in where I knew I'd be okay. But uh being a peacemaker Which is something biblically we're really all called to do. And be blessed. No, don't shove it on us.
It's your word, bud. It is my word.
Well, and I tried to shove it back. I mean, generally, when God tells you to do something, if you say, oh, yeah, I can do that, that wasn't God speaking. And this was one of those, God, you know, I'm. enjoying the peace of my life right now and I do understand what being a peace meeker maker is, meeker. I guess being meek and peaceful is a good thing.
Jesus was definitely meek, but he also knew that we were in a war and we continue to be. And what really got me with that and the reason I said, you know, I don't think I can do that. this at this point in my life. And God sort of laughed and said, Of course you can't. You can I can do it through you.
So I've volunteered my services and whatever that looks like to a couple other people and I am looking for opportunities to be a peacemaker in the battle. And that is really changed my outlook for the rest of my life. when I was ready to coast on in. on cruise ships. And of course there are battles there too.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And it's funny you mentioned that 'cause the cruise at the buffet, you mean? Oh, well, I I've I've always been able to win that battle. I can to wipe out a buffet.
when called to action there. But the uh Our adventure one of our adventures was going to Patagonia, the Tip of South. America and cruising through Cape Horn. which has Verified killed tens of thousands of sailors and hundreds. Not quite a thousand ships have sunk there.
When we were there, Uh Danny was telling a story earlier about Standing on the ship of a docked ship and being blown all around. We had. The calmest seas they had that crew had ever seen there. And I heard that from multiple crew members.
So God's still calming the seas, but I was kind of looking forward to the adventure. Yeah. Prabhi, anything you want to add? I just want to go to you off, and then if you just say no, that's fine. I just didn't know if there's anything that was on your mind.
Well, I've always, you know, of that clip. picture that we've discovered years ago, and I'm with Jim, that you know, that is an interesting Point where God can only help you show you where you've got to fight, because it's too easy to get involved in the ones you don't need to be. Um It's awesome. Yeah, it's uh learning to fight wisely. You know, my issue growing up was not wanting to fight.
That was not the problem. It was learning when to fight and when not to fight. And how to fight, and I'm doing better, but God continues to mature all of us in that area. Go to masconjourney.org to register for the upcoming boot camp the weekend before Thanksgiving. 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. You got there. You know, I think I was 13 maybe in my first camp. I'm now 28.
You know, these look a lot different from when they looked back then. Back then, it was a lot more finding direction, and it's still finding direction, but it's also being reminded of what that direction was and where did you lose it along the way. Let's reclaim that and take it into your next step. You know, talking about being fathered, I had a good dad, I had a great dad, and a lot of things were great. And, you know, you had your faults like anyone else, but I think I always told myself I don't necessarily need God's love because I'm okay.
And that's what God's been working on with me for this camp: hey, yeah, you do. You're not going to make it without me. And He's really just shown that He delights in me and I am the apple of His eye. And just really being able to feel that this camp has been a lot different from anything I felt. Register today at masculinejourney.org.
Word of God speak. Would you pour down like rain? Washing by My eyes to see your majesty to be still and know that you're in this place. Please let me stay and rest in your holiness. Word of God speaks.
Welcome back. We've used that bump, I know, quite often for the word of the year, but man, it is such a perfect bump. For the word of the year. That's Mercy Me. If you don't know the song, what an amazing song.
that is. And every time I hear even that little snippet of it, it just moves my emotions in a in a way that is hard to explain. But that that's our bump coming in. And so Andy, you have the next clip. Mm.
Okay.
So my word of the year is um Discipline Woohoo, that's a good one, right? Everybody loves that one, right? But at the end of last year, I began to pray about it. And this one, there's sometimes it was like. The word comes in some confirmation stuff.
It wasn't that. I just knew that this is what it was going to be because for some time.
Well, let me do the clip first. I don't want to get into it. The word is discipline. Um this is a clip from Rocky 2. You've got uh Rocky retraining for his rematch or training for his rematch with Apollo Creed.
And, you know, they've got to fight differently this time. And Mick is giving him the directions on how they're going to fight and Rocky's not really all in. Rocky is a man that lives greatly from his heart. But he's having the discipline and knowing how to fight this particular battle. uh he's he's just trying to figure things out.
And it's a funny clip, but you know, it really does speak to discipline. You know, if you watch a Rocky movie, you're going to see the the the discipline of his training and stuff.
So this is just one part of that. See how smooth it moves it.
So he pumps that jab into your eye. Yeah. You got guts to go back in the ring with him, kid. Tides not, McClure. Yeah.
This style's too easy to figure out. I mean left-handed fighters, they're the worst, you know. They lead with their face mostly, trying to throw that big left. Right's no good. They ought to outlaw Southport.
Why didn't you tell me this before? I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
Now look. to pull this marital out. You gotta change everything. You gotta learn to be a right-handed fighter.
Now this will confuse Apollo, and it'll protect that bad eye. I can't learn how to fight right-handed no more. What's cat? There ain't no chance. There's no chance.
Now he will beat you uglier. I'm not sure if I can do it.
Now listen, you start fighting right-handed, and then you change sudden, and that'll make history. But first, They gotta get speed. Speed's what we need. We need... Greasy, fast speed!
Now I show you a trick how to get some speed in them legs. You have to wear that stick and sweatshirt.
Well, it brings me luck, you know. You know what it brings? It brings flies.
Now listen, I want you to try, listen to me. I want you to try to chase this little chicken. What do I gotta chase a chicken for? It's embarrassing, you know? First, because I said so.
And second, because chicken chasing is how we always used to train in the old days. You catch this thing, you can catch grease lightning. Ready? Yeah, well, I'd rather eat it than chase it. It ain't very mature, brother.
If you such a...
Well, neither are you very mature.
Now listen, get this thing. Come on, Eddie! Go on and get him! Get him! Get him!
Get him! Come on, what's the matter with you? Get him! Are you standing still with some beaten feet? Come on!
Move your tail! Move your tail! You look like a grail out there. What's the matter with you? I feel like a Kentucky fried idiot.
So what does that have to do with my story and and discipline. Um you know, this whole getting healed and your heart back has revolutionized my life and You know, I'm pretty consistent in my spiritual walk and my spiritual disciplines. Not to say I got it all down. There are times when I get busy and don't get fed. But I know if I don't run back to that, I'm in trouble.
And I try to do that because I know. the impact. But what I've done is in the past. I was notorious for Unlike a lot of men, you do this performance-based life. and you think there's life within disciplines.
And you're working it out of your own strengths, and you don't really have your heart back. And the report card is horrible. You know, you're not measuring up to any of them.
Well, whenever I got my heart back and realized the heart was key to my connection with God and finding God as Father. You know, I did get up and go to work and stuff like that, but I got real sloppy in my other disciplines because I had always tried to go to them for life, and I resisted that. But as I age, I'm darn near 60. Seems like I ought to have this discipline thing down, you know? And um So I think God is saying, you know, you integrate all this stuff into your life.
You know, it's going to bleed over into these other things.
Now, I was reading. in Kings about Solomon. You know, he was connected to God and all that. Then he got off doing his own thing. He had disciplines down, he had this huge kingdom, he was doing all kinds of stuff.
But You know, he lost his heart with God. I don't want that. I don't want anything. I mean, I'll live a slipely life, and that means I stay connected in my heart to God. I know that doesn't make any sense.
I'm just saying. This is what we're taught a lot of times as men: to live out of our duty and our performance and checking all the boxes, whether it's Your relationships, your health, your finances, your business. Even down to your hobbies, there's disciplines to support all that.
So, my hope is: I live more of an Integrated life and we live more disciplined. And that's, you know, I'm not doing too good through Q1. And I've thought about it a lot, but. You're disciplined in your thinking. And I've.
And I have done some things, mainly around health and stuff. But, you know, that's just that's my word of the year. That's where I think he's taken me, but we'll see how it ends up. What I I'm gonna say it something differently, make sure I'm saying it okay. What I heard you saying was I'm not gonna go get my validation or report card from all those disciplines I used to go to.
Not that they're a bad thing. It's just not a measurement of who I am as a man. Right? The measurement of who I am as a man is my relationship with the Father. Right.
And so that's something we all need to hear, Andy. Uh we do need to do that in Jim. Yes, we all need to be a peacemaker. You know, I was giving grief earlier, but it's going to be great. One of the things I find that when we do word of the year and we revisit this throughout the year with each other is we learn from one another.
Right. And even when we do end up with the same word at a different time, God takes that person in a different direction. It's not the same journey, which seems surprising, but it shouldn't really be. No. We're not clones.
We're all individuals and all have different experiences and stuff. But it is cool that I think we do, we learn each other's words, and we can, as the others speak about what they're learning, you can pull that word into your life and say, well, how am I applying that to my life? Absolutely. Harold, you got anything you want to add? We haven't gone to you yet.
I know you're still pondering what it was like to be 60. I was going to ask Harold if he felt like he was still close to 60.
Well, he hangs around us. He has to be honest. Because the years go so fast. I still feel like. It depends on what part of the highway I'm on.
Okay.
Um Well I've got a word that uh I sort of applied to myself. I'm not going to involve God in it. although he could be behind it. but I labelled myself as negligent. Because I haven't really pursued getting a word this year.
Typically You know, I have to get involved in prayer and so forth and when I g hear that word, then it's evident to me that it is God giving it to me.
Well, this time uh You know, you announced that we were going to be talking about word of the year and it's like, oh no. Here I go again. I didn't get one yet. And so I thought Okay, I'll I'll pick a word for myself and I'll call myself negligent because you're not doing What you need to do.
So we'll find out maybe by next time. If God actually gave me that word or father. Gave it to myself. Either way, I I deserved it. Yeah.
His grace, you know, and as Andy was saying, there's no shame. Maybe you'll have the half-word of the year this year. You know, so when we revisit at the middle of the year, you'll have an update on that.
Well, since I get teased about being a hobbit, I guess being a halfling is not necessarily too bad. Yeah, that's a good connection there. Danny, that's Lord of the Rings talk. I know you wouldn't know what that is. I was asleep, dude.
As soon as he said hobbit, you fell asleep. That's just like Pavlov's dog. If he says that, you fall asleep. You know Waldo. Anyway, we've got just a few more minutes.
Anyone else want to add anything about Word of the Year? What's been your favorite Word of the Year so far you've had? Anything like that?
Well You know, D Danny I've done uh Andy mentioned And he mentioned the word disciple. And or a discipline, and there is a connection between the word disciple and discipline. But the the whole time he was talking I was thinking about different disciplines. I think the most difficult is to abide. And I was just feeling the richness of what I thought Andy was explaining.
Of The discipline of abiding, which would be just like, man, if we just stay there, it would be amazing. Oh, that's a great point.
Something you weren't privy to, Robby, since you're not here and With visual, but there was an amazing bit of physical discipline Andy was displaying as he was talking with his hands and covering much of the studio and only hit the mic one time. I thought he was pretending to be rocky. He was just hitting like the speed bag. That's what I thought was going on. That's it.
The speed bag. No doubt. Are you going to try talking to that? Better than chasing a chicken. Yeah, well, there's discipline in that too, I guess.
Anyway, we do have a boot camp coming up. It's November when, Andy? You know the dates? 19th through the 22nd. And they can sign up online, right?
They can. You know, it'd be a really cool thing if you'd go ahead and just sign up instead of like the last week before, like most people. We'd love. Don't we get prizes for the first person that signs up? We will mention your name and celebrate you on the air if you sign up in this next week.
And you have no competition from those of us that are on staff.
Well, you'll get a free steak dinner at boot camp. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
We will make sure you get that. But anyway, go to masconejourney.org to register for the upcoming boot camp. It is going to be down in Royston, Georgia again. It's really beautiful that time of year down there. And it's uh if you're from the a little bit north of there, it is slightly warmer.
when we go down there.
So that's kinda nice when it comes to fall weather. And I don't think the um Those snakes, whatever they are What is Copperheads, thank you. Nobody's seen any snakes there that I'm aware of. He says they're there, and I'm going to trust that they're there. Anyway, go to masculinejourney.org.
If you're not sure about the word of the year, take some time this week and just say, God, do you have a word of the year for me this year?
Now, if you hear something condemning, like negligence, it may not be from God, but you know, hang there with him, but go ask him about it and see if he has something to enlighten you with over this next year. It's a great journey to go on with him, and it's good to see what he does in your heart along the way. We'll talk with you next week.
