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 to have you with us.
I'm glad to be back. It's a couple weeks I've been gone. You may not have missed me, but I missed all you guys, and I missed doing the show. I enjoy doing that with you guys. We really didn't miss you at all.
Oh, that's okay. I'm secure enough in my relationship with God that it doesn't really hurt me that much anymore. I really missed you not doing the bump for me while you were on your honeymoon. I just thought that was kind of funny. Yeah, it kind of wouldn't have been good for me to do that.
I didn't even take a computer with me. That reason, but uh, we're in the middle of uh resetting some stuff here in the studio. Uh, we had a power kind of go out a minute ago, and so we're working on that. And we'll get to uh get to our clips here in a few minutes, but uh Who would like to tell us a little bit about the topic? I don't know whose topic this is.
I'm still confused.
Well Yeah. Huh. Ultimately it was a uh kind of a group effort. Knew you were going to be back hosting this week, and so we decided to pick something that would stump you. Which, you know, we decided on abiding with God since it doesn't seem that you do that very often.
And so, no, seriously, we kind of ended last week talking a lot about this idea of abiding with God and what that looks like in our life and how that makes a difference. And so. It just kinda seemed like the natural uh next step. is to to begin to discuss that. That's kind of where we're going to go this week.
Is what it Maybe what it looks like in some of our lives, maybe what it brings to mind when we talk about it, or maybe what it. Causes other people to think about when we bring it to mind, you know? And so that's kind of where we're headed. Absolutely. And you'd send out a text to the group, and that's how we usually communicate our topic.
And it said: the topic for this week is to be still, right, and abide in God. Right. Right, and so for me, the first thing that always comes to mind when I hear those words be still, and Nick, if you could play the bump that's, or the, the clip that says be quiet. Here in just a second. Be very, very quiet.
Be very, very quiet. Shhh. Be very quiet. Be very quiet. Exactly.
If you didn't grow up in the time area that I grew up, you wouldn't recognize that that's Looney Tunes. Right. And so you always had Elmer Fudd, be very, very quiet. I'm hunting wabbits. Right.
And so I cut out the hunting wabbits part. But for me, it's yes, it starts with being very, very quiet. Yeah. And I gotta settle my soul, I gotta settle my mind, I gotta settle all those distractions that I have. to hear that small still voice.
And so I literally do hear that when I think about the topic of being quiet. And so I wasn't being sacrilegious or anything. It's just that's what reminds me to say, okay, I have to intentionally. be very, very quiet or I'll let the distractions of the worlds the world take me away from what God's wanting to do with me. From now on, all of us when we start our mornings.
Especially me, I can definitely speak for me when I start. My morning, tomorrow morning, I'm going to hear Elmer Fudd in my head, and I'm going to think about you. It works, it's effective. It's a good memory point.
So, for me, that's where it kind of went: I need to be. quiet to fully understand how I can best abide in him. Right, because otherwise I'm going to chart off on my own agenda. I'm going to chart off and try to do things the way I feel like I need to do it. And that doesn't work out real well most of the time.
Most of the time, Danny, you had something you wanted to add?
Well, I was just thinking about early on, like thirty something years ago, When I was trying to learn to do devotions or whatever and sitting still and being quiet for two minutes. was a major task. You know, 30 years later, I'm up to five now.
So, five minutes.
So, we're doing pretty good. Oh, yeah. Over double. Yeah, so. Yeah, it it's hard for me.
Especially and I'll challenge each of you when you go out and try to take quiet time to just pray. How many other things come to your mind? You start thinking about your agenda for the day. You start thinking about what am I going to make for dinner tonight. You start, whatever, fill in the blank.
It's all these things, and it's the enemy just throwing things at you to distract you. from being able to be fully quiet. Yeah, exactly. You guys are really helping today. Thank you.
It's about the only time that the enemy reminds me to pray. Yeah. When I am literally sitting there and I'm just, okay, I'm just going to be quiet. I'm just going to be still and I'm going to. Abide with God and try to listen to God.
And what does God have for me today? And then about nine million things go processing through my mind, and hopefully, not my mouth, but. Through my mind, as, oh, I need to pray about this, I need to pray about that, I need to pray about this. And so. finally understanding, oh, So the enemy the enemy can Throw prayer requests at me, too.
And I don't mean to sound sacrilegious about that, but he'll use anything, including scripture. Two. try to get you off. And get you away from just resting with God. Definitely uses the could have, would have, I should have, wished I would have stuffed on you, right?
To do that. I I want to know when Jesus was off. by himself. with God, which he did regularly, If it was like my dad and grandad. They'd be in the same room enjoying each other's company without constant chatter.
And my mother would give Dad a lecture every time we went home.
Some of my very best times with God have, first of all, they usually have been. When I was in a bad spot. And I just take off up to the mountains and sit and see the wonder of creation and weep where nobody's gonna hear me. And Those were great times. And other times Some of the other best times with God, abiding with God.
have been his interruptions, which are usually at And Sam, I know you've experienced this too, quite often or comedy. He's breaking the tension that I've built up. Mm-hmm. in the relationship by doing something that makes me laugh. Yeah, it kinda takes you out of that path that you're on.
You know, when you're talking about Darren, you know, hearing from God. You know, one of the things that we We talk about that a lot because we do believe God speaks to us. The Bible is very clear that God speaks to people, or otherwise, the sheep knowing my voice would not make any sense. You know, some of those things really wouldn't. Have sense, but we always want to check that against scripture.
Yeah. Whatever we think we're hearing, right? Yeah, one of my mentors.
Somebody asked him about that one time, and he said, Hey, I am all for you. Hearing God? knowing what God's saying to you. But why don't you start out with everything that you know he's already said? And that's scripture.
And so, in other words, in no, you don't have to memorize the Bible before you start listening. to God. But when you do hear something and you think it's from God. You must. Bounce that off of Scripture.
And hopefully a Why is Brother, an older, a pastor, a friend, somebody that you can say, hey, man, this is. This is what I'm thinking, this is what I think I heard, but... Especially if you're a novice. At doing that sort of thing, we still do that. I mean, I don't think any of us really consider ourselves novice in that, but.
There's still times when we will look at each other and go, you know And Each other to speak into that and allow Scripture to speak into that first and foremost. Absolutely. I think the enemy loves it, but we often fall into the trap of Okay, I've got uh Just sit down and read my Bible.
Well, A number of things can happen there, one of which, for me at least, if I'm relaxed, is falling asleep. but it is also a a good time to hear him speak through particular verses, they'll grab you. And if you're distracted with other things, you can read the Bible for hours and hours and not. get a whisper from God. And, you know, praying.
Praying I love the old saying, almost used it earlier before, but you talk. God gave us two ears, one mouth. And if you are Doing nothing but talking to God, that's not part of the relationship. That's not. listening and listening is more important.
Um like you said, the be very, very quiet. I love that. That was very very very Biblical that we need to be still to hear God. Yeah, I think it was the story of Elijah. when he's off in the uh in the cave.
And he's listening for God in the storms. He's listening to God in all these places. And basically, it comes down that God's in that still voice, that small voice. You know, it's, yes, he can speak any way he chooses to. but it's a reminder of, hey, it's a intimate relationship.
You know, you don't usually have intimacy through yelling. Right. You have intimacy through the quiet.
Well, there's certain parts of the country where that is considered intimacy. It could be. Certain cultures may see that differently. Robby, you've been actually a little quiet, which is surprising. I've been hunting rabbits.
You've been hunting rabbits. You've been abiding right now as we're working towards break. No, no, it's this is a um You know, one of the sweet spots, as far as I'm concerned, is your relationship with God is where your faith. you know, where the rubber meets the road, so to speak, you know, where you get a chance to to truly Figure out the direction, but more importantly, just to be with him because in his presence is fullness of joy. And so, you know, it's.
It's the sweet spot, but as you guys have all pointed out, it It's very, very, very difficult. I can't tell you the hours I've spent in all the different distractions. But somehow or another he allows me to To be with him in those few moments, whatever they may be, in the several hours I attempted. And in those few moments, it's amazing. Um how far you can Get as far as Feeling his presence, as far as understanding he loves you, as far as seeing your life in that perspective.
But it happens. Um Not easy. Mm. No, it's really not. We do have a boot camp coming up and that's a great time to listen for God.
Now this particular boot camp we have coming up in November, there is a prerequisite to it. You have to have gone to a boot camp somewhere. You have to have attended one of our, I forgot what we call it, entrenchments. You could have, yeah. Yeah, and so that's the thing we haven't really talked about a lot, but if your church wants to have us come do a weekend there, reach out to us, mascoonjourney.org.
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. 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? And 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've held. Register today at mascularjourney.org. My T pen on you.
I depend on you. For the sun. To rise. For my sweet bed I depend on you. Your side depend on you.
Welcome back to Masculine Journey. And Darren, that was the song you picked for the bump, correct? Yeah, it was. I I thoroughly Uh enjoy. abiding with God.
Oftentimes on my tractor. Um art knows something about that probably. But I usually, you know, have a set of headphones on, which would not be OSHA approved when you're operating a tractor. Um, but I do. And one of my favorite groups is uh Shane and Shane.
Just love. the amount of worship music that they Actually. Um produce and This was one of the songs. Aaron Williams is the writer, and he and they did this. I've heard it.
I don't know, a few hundred times. And so when we started thinking about this, That line goes on to say, you are the way, the truth, and the life. And please teach me how to abide. And that's where the rubber meets the road, right? As Robby said, that's the sweet spot.
And Abiding is not easy. There's lots of things that are not easy in life, but that are wonderful. Right? Bit b I know this might be a PG show right now, but You know, sex between a man and a woman who are married is wonderful. It's also not easy.
But it's great. And so Um The same thing with God. Is you might need to put some effort into it and grow in how that happens and all of those different things. But as Robby said, you might spend hours and hours trying to feel that abiding, And then in the last three minutes of the time that you have with God. Oftentimes God comes through.
In a way that communicates to you and your heart, in a way that you've not heard before or felt before. And those three minutes are The best three minutes of your day. And so that is the. to me. I get very frustrated often.
When I am in the morning, I'm trying to be quiet. I want everything. I don't, you know, I want the dogs to be quiet. I want my wife to be quiet. I want the thermostat to be quiet.
I mean, I, you know, all of that. and everything almost can be a distraction to me, and I have to fight through that. But When God and I finally get to that place together, um it seems like nothing can distract me from it. And that's kind of when I know that I'm abiding. It's when all those other distractions are no longer bothering me.
Well, and one of the things as you were talking about that that Intimacy is made deeper through conflict, right? If you allow it, through challenges. Right? When I go through a challenging time and I go through that with God, at my side there is a deeper intimacy. that that comes from that.
And so Danny, we've been talking a lot, but we want to get to your clip. Which it's it's entitled Bummer Lambs. Do you want to tell us a little bit about it? Yeah, I stole it from you. Thank you.
Yeah, and I stole it from the internet. Yeah, so anyway, Solomon said there's nothing new under the sun.
So, um,. Yeah, I immediately when I saw the topic, and I knew we had talked about it a little bit last week before we left. and I immediately thought of this clip. And the lady does a great description of what a bummer lamb is, and I don't think I'd ever heard it until you played this clip. And but, you know I'll set it up this way, is you know, it's a description of what happens in the actual sheep.
and a shepherd. But it means so much, and I'll talk about why after the clip. But we can play the Bubber Lamb clip. Every now and again, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and immediately reject that lamb. In fact, she'll kick it away if the shepherd tries to reintroduce the lamb to her.
And so the shepherd has to intervene. They call them bummer labs. and if he doesn't intervene that little one will die not of hunger but of a broken spirit.
So he takes the lambetus home and he'll keep it warm by the fire and feed it with a bottle. And at some point during every day he'll pick that little lamb up and hold it close to his chest and talk to it. And once the lamb is strong and able to go back to the flock, He'll place it back with flock. But I got to see this, which I just loved in the morning when the shepherd comes out and stands at the edge of the field and he calls out: sheep, sheep, sheep. The very first ones to run to him are the bummer lambs, because they know his voice.
And I will be a bummer lamb for the rest of my life. And it's not as if Jesus loves his bummer lambs more than the rest. It's just at our very worst, at our most broken, at our most hopeless. The shepherd came and picked us up. And held us close, and we've heard his voice, and we will never ever leave his side.
You know, that that's my story. And uh Because, you know, talking in the pre show a little bit about how the enemy has always come at me with rejection. And, you know, I wasn't great at sports growing up. And I was the last one usually chosen on the playground 'cause Nobody wanted the guy it wasn't any good. You know, and you you had to be chosen sooner or later.
And there's a scripture that says Jesus says, You didn't choose me, I chose you. And I remember the first time that that rang in my heart, I realized. Hey, Jesus chose me to be on his team. He chose me. And because I'm a bummer lamb.
And, you know, all the rejection of my life, you know, had good parents and that kind of thing, but you know. The world was full of rejection for me. And then all of a sudden I realized that Jesus himself God Himself chose me. And you know, that brings something into your heart that you always want to abide with him. And I don't do it well.
I was thinking what Darren was talking about, you know, you spend hours trying to Get to that place, and I thought that's my every covenant of silence at a boot camp. That's me. You know, we go out for an hour, and about the last three minutes, man, I'm in there. But I have battled through 57 minutes of. My brain just bouncing all over the place.
But I've learned that you know what, Those three minutes are the best three minutes of of anything, and that's okay. And, you know, sometimes it just happens or, you know, riding on the lawnmower or, you know, riding to work. You know, I got about a not quite an hour drive now, but, um, the you know, I've learned that, you know, sometimes I don't have the radio on, I don't have anything on. Just ridin'. and I'll roll through 50,000 other things.
But sooner or later God and I'll have a conversation. And that's kind of what that means to me because you know. The When he rescues you, And he pulls you out of your Egypt, whatever that is. You know, mine was alcoholism and drug addiction and anything else that make you feel good along the way. But whatever it is he pulls you out of.
And he holds you to his chest and he feeds you and he talks to you. You don't want anything else. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Andy, you wanted to add something to that?
Yeah, just on what Danny was saying there, you know, I think we all struggle with that. I can be a. Trying to abide in a worship service, mine's all over the place. What I'm gonna do after this, all that. You know, you sit down to pray to really connect, not just to just You know, just Like this morning, I was in Leviticus.
Now, that's a difficult one, but my mind was all over the place, and I got some quiet timing. And I did have one of those good connection times, even though I didn't abide in him this weekend. I I told the guys I've been I had it was raining and stuff and I spent all my time Just veginal movies f for this, you know. But, you know, you think about it. If you ever want to know what your to-do list is and you can't ever remember what it is, just sit down to pray.
Sit down and try to connect to God. All kinds of stuff that you'd forgotten and thought about in a while, it all comes back. Take a list and write them down. But, you know, I think God's mercy is in there, especially in the culture that we live in today. It's so fragmented, so interrupt-driven.
And God does want to keep bringing us back. And I think getting in nature and those kinds of things Ease that, make it easier. But it's difficult. It's difficult. We have communication devices all around us and we have family and all that stuff and But I do believe his grace is there, but I do believe that It's also worth pressing into abiding and not just saying, well, shoot, I didn't connect that time.
I'm just going to move on. I think he wants to be pursued through that. You reminded me of a story. We had a recovery house in Asheboro for a while, and before we opened it up, I had this idea. I thought it was a God idea or a good idea.
It was one of the two. And that we'd have prayer on Sunday morning. before church at eight o'clock over at the house. Hadn't had any residents in there yet, anything.
So I had visions of a whole living room full of people. And we pray in, you know, in our Pentecostal fashion and that kind of thing. D but I went over there and I think the first Either first or the second Sunday, a buddy of mine came over. It was just me and him and we sat in the office and prayed. I thought, man, that's pretty good.
Next Sunday nobody showed up and then next Sunday I think Not a buddy of mine, K. And then for several Sundays, two, three Sundays there, I sat in the office by myself. And then I finally said, You know what? It was just probably one of your crazy ideas. and, you know, just, you know, whatever.
And I think I was getting ready to leave. And God spoke to me. I won't ever forget it. He said, Am I not enough for you? Will you not just meet with me?
And that changed my whole perspective on things because, you know, I was looking for something, a bunch of chatter, I guess. And all he really wanted to do was just if we just sat in the office. Quietly, that'd have been okay. Yep. You're talking about technology.
One of my favorite things now is I put my noi noise cancelling AirPods in my ear when I mow and I don't play anything. Yeah, that's good. And I just ride and because of the hum of the the motor I can't hear anything else. And it's just a great time for me to pray for the hour it takes me. I mow on really low, slow, and just let low and slow, and just let my mind.
not be occupied with other things. And it's a great time for me to pray and feel close to God. I I will give you a little I guess it I hate to use the word hack, but it kinda is. It's kind of a go-to.
Sometimes when I'm trying to find my way, In those frustrating moments. If I can get my mind to think of it. I ask God how He feels. Mm-hmm. If I can turn to him and just go, Card.
Share with me what you what you're feeling, what you're experiencing right now. And in doing so, it's an amazing place. to start. It is. It is.
As I was talking before we went to break, We do a thing called entrenchments, and we haven't done a bunch of them. We've gone through seasons where we do them. And so, if your church is a place that you think you'd like us to come talk, Right, we do a short weekend. where it's a Friday night and all day Saturday. Right, and we do a miniature version of a boot camp, and that would qualify you to come to our advanced boot camp in the fall, which is happening when, Andy?
November 19th through the 22nd. Thank you, because I couldn't remember the date. It's 19th through 22nd, and it is in beautiful Royston, Georgia. Absolutely. Go to masconejourney.org.org to register.
We'll talk to you next week.
