This is the Truth Network Welcome to Masculine Journey. I'm glad that you're with us this week and so is everybody else here. We're glad that you're with us this week. I think I'm kind of mentally here. I'm not really sure after that opening statement. We're glad to have you.
And I still do, but for a totally different reason. We're doing the Word of the Year update. And so we'll talk about what that is here in a second. But the reason that I didn't used to want to do this show was I didn't do anything with my Word of the Year.
And so I didn't have much to update. And so I was like, ah, I'm going to get outed on this. It's going to come out.
You know, I can't pose my way through it because these guys will know, you know. And so now with the Word of the Year, which I'll have Robby explain here in a second, I dread this one because it's almost time to give up the Word from this year. And I'm really sad to lose my Word from this year.
So Robby, why don't you take a moment and kind of explain if they haven't heard our mid-year show or last year's show or any of the other shows on Word of the Year, what we're talking about. So we actually got this from John Eldridge's ministry and their podcast that they started talking about this about 2016, that every year they would ask in the November, December area for a Word for the upcoming year from God, like an advanced Word, to kind of give focal points, a good idea that Harold shared with us. But, you know, something to kind of build on, you know, what God's teaching you for the upcoming year and to kind of give you a sense of, you know, what you're up against for this upcoming year or what the, you know, God's going to teach you. And so we adopted that and for me it has been an unbelievable journey and I get that Word of the Year and then I write it into my daily prayer and I've written it every year since 2016. And so I have all these words and how they build on one another and the journeys that God has taken me on through these words, you know, which usually they've been simple words like love or, you know, like this year's word is vision and, you know, next year's word, I can hardly wait to share that when we get to January. But, you know, he gives you a word and then interestingly they're very often linked into what you're going to go but I've been telling Sam this for years that you will become so enthused about this word that you've been working on all year long. You will not want to let it go and because, you know, God has just showed you such amazing things about this idea, this concept that he's teaching you that you don't want to let it go. Yeah, to be honest I think it's been three years now that I've been pretty fully bought in to it.
He drank the Kool-Aid. Yeah, yeah, I'm there, you know, I'm committed, you know, I got the t-shirt, you know, I'm good to go, right. So the previous years I selectively did it, kind of slow to come on board, I don't need another thing to do, you know. I'm just, I'm very, you got to drag me into things sometimes and God knows that better than anybody that, you know, sometimes I just dig my heels in for no real reason, you know.
And this is one of them, I didn't doubt the value of it, I'm just like eh, I just don't really want to do it, you know. And then I started hearing the stories of what God was doing in your guys' lives and I was watching what was going on there and I'm like well I want some of that, you know. God, you know, you've had this for me. You know, I was so bad at it, God had to give me the same word two years in a row. I remember.
Because, yeah, I just didn't do anything with it. I'd like to say it was believe or it was hope. That's how bad it was, I can't remember which word I had for two years. But, you know, it was one of them that God's like well if you're not going to do anything with it, I'm going to give it to you again this year, you know. And then the following year, the next year after that is when he gave me talents and I really dug into talents. And that was a very, very big year for me in lots of ways and I'll maybe share that later in the show. And then the next year he gave me family and I thought initially well he gave me family because I spent so much time on digging into my talents that God's given me. At some point it came at the cost of spending some time with family. And so the first year I thought okay, he's just kind of correcting my pendulum that overswung this other way, right.
You know, he's trying to bring it back to the middle. And there was some of that that was true, but not knowing what God already knew, I was going to lose my brother that following Christmas. About a year ago, actually not this coming weekend, not today you're hearing this, but a week from now. Will be a year ago that I lost my brother and I had invested that whole year in family including a couple trips down to see him in Florida. That I could have made excuses or could have made reasons not to go, but because God gave me the word family and I'd had a year of already seeing the benefits as I dug into talents. To say no God, you gave me this word, I'm going to trust that you know why.
Okay, I'm going to say yes to everything family that I can. And I did that for a whole year and I'm so grateful that I did. You know, because obviously I'll never get that time back with my brother on this side of heaven, right. And so I'm grateful that God had the foresight to say look son, I need you to dig in here and to engage here and I'm going to give you direction.
Because you don't even know what's coming down the tracks for you yet. Right, and I do and so anyway that's the way I look at it and just so very grateful and then you know talk more about the word that he gave me this year when it's my turn. But I'm just so grateful for this word and as you said Robby, you never get rid of them, you just add them to your repertoire of things to do, to use, right. It's in your big cookbook of magical ingredients now that God's given you to say oh maybe I need to sprinkle a little bit of talents in here. Maybe I need to sprinkle a little bit of generosity or you know, okay. You know he's just building that toolbox for you of different things that you can use to love on other people, right.
Or to let others love on you as a case may be. So anyway anything else you guys would like to add before we get to the first clip? Let's go. Okay. So the first clip is actually a bit from a song.
We've used it before as a bump for this particular topic as we've done it but I want to do it opposite this time. I want to read you the words to the song and then play the little part of the clip and then tell you why. But the song is from a group called Train and the song is called Words. And so in here it says the part you're going to hear he'll be singing words they'll try to shake us don't let them break us or stop our world from turning. When words keep you from feeling good use them as firewood and let them burn. So we'll play it and then come back and talk about why. Words they'll try to shake you don't let them break you or stop your world from turning. When words keep you from feeling good use them as firewood and let them burn.
The reason I wanted to play that is you may not decide to do the word of the year with God. That's totally within your freedom of choice, right? Your free will that you can decide to do that. But what you might not realize is you're living under somebody's words right now. The world's the enemy's.
We've done shows on labels like we did a few weeks ago. The enemy loves to have labels that he calls you. Those are words. When you listen to the song from train there are words that we just need to treat like firewood and throw away. Those labels that the world's given us those things that people say to us.
Honestly I promise you other than physical pain where you've broken a bone or something's happened. Something like that the most painful times and even more painful than those I promise you words were related. Someone said something or didn't say something or something happened. Words are key. It's so important that that's what they call Jesus. The word.
God spoke the world into existence. Yeah. Words are everything. What words are you going to focus on? Are you going to focus on what's being told to you from anyone that you can't trust? Even sometimes people you think you can trust. Some of my biggest pain has come from people that love me dearly. That I love dearly. They're not bad people.
They're just broken people that are hurting people. Like I've done. Like we've all done.
The only words that I can trust wholeheartedly is God's. So if you haven't decided to do it I would encourage you to do it. Because honestly what's your other option?
What other choice do you have? And I don't mean that so flip it. I just mean that you have to make a choice of what you're going to focus on.
Right Harold? You've got a focal point in front of you. You can focus on those words or God's words. Well you can reach this time of year and really feel bad like you described for yourself. That's where I am this year.
I started out trying to find a word. But I gave up too quickly last year. Not going to do that again. I don't like being caught in this situation. Especially not for someone like me that I work crossword puzzles continually.
I have the app on my phone. If I'm stuck somewhere in a doctor's office or a few minutes here or there. I'll be doing a crossword puzzle. I write poetry. There's probably nobody that's more focused on words than me. And yet here I sit saying, oh I've reached the end of the year and I didn't have a word from God for the year.
Well I've seen a lot of words from God through the daily Bible study and all that I do. But it ain't the same. I have had those years when I had a word. I want that back.
And the thing is Harold, your point that you make, it's us that pulls away. In those years God gave me a word. I just chose not to do anything with him. And honestly I worry about how much different – not worry. I wonder how much different my life would have been. How much different my kids' lives may have been. Had I been obedient to just following the words. Because it would have changed me for the good in one direction or another.
God's words have never failed to change me into a better person. It's just not in his wheelhouse. When he's painting the tapestry, that's not in there. His plans are for our good. I think that's your scripture in there somewhere, right? Absolutely.
So we have about 30 seconds left before we go to break. Anything else you'd like to add? Anything that comes to mind? I just know having done it that it's his way of showing affection towards us, right? Can you imagine having a child you never talked to? He certainly talked through the Bible, but he has a special word for you too. Talk to you after the break. What we have at our boot camp is something that makes you stronger. And it 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.
How's things been going since the last boot camp? Doing good, growing. I've got growing pains. I came up here as a little boy, falling down, getting up. And now I'm a cowboy ranger going into adolescent-hood.
It's a pleasure to be here. So you're speaking about cowboy rangers. Is that one of the talks that really came alive to you this weekend?
Yep. I don't want to grow up real fast. I had to do that a long time ago. I'm just taking baby steps along this journey. And I can't think of any place or group of guys I'd rather be with because you are appointed and accountable for me to learn and listen.
And I've got a notebook full of good tools that's going to help me grow. Register today at masculinejourney.org. Welcome back to Masculine Journey. I hope not many people are on the video feed because I was kind of dancing around there. That song makes me feel good.
I like that song. But that's not why I'm smiling and laughing. The reason I'm doing that, we are talking about words. We're talking about God's word. And so it seems fitting to play the song from Cameo. It's word up, right?
What's a word that's up? But the main thing that makes me laugh about it is Jim really, really hates that song. And so I know he's not here, but I get a lot of joy knowing he'll listen to the show. But he's got to hear that it's very unique. Yeah, yeah.
To really get the full dig into it. It was a very unique hit back in the day. Yeah, was that early 90s maybe? I don't have to look it up.
Early 90s. Yeah, somewhere in there. You all got Google. You can look it up.
I'm on it. Yeah, no, it's all good. So Danny, welcome. Glad to have you here. Good to be here. Yeah, yeah.
Come flying in by the seat of my pants, basically. Well, that's right. And a car, too, I think. Well, yeah, truck.
Well, welcome. But we're just talking about the word of the year, which I know you knew that. And so, Robby, you actually have the next clip if you want to tell us about that.
Sure, sure. So it's a fun time to have this clip because the clip is from the movie Elf. And, you know, Buddy the Elf, you know, classic Christmas movie. No doubt I'm really glad that you probably have seen it.
But if you haven't, go see it because it's one of the funniest movies of all time. And you own an Elf outfit. Do you do it? My boss does. Oh, okay.
I do own an Elf pajamas. Okay, okay. Just saying. But nonetheless. And I love the attitude of Elf, which has everything to do with the idea.
My word of the year was vision. And if you want to see a clash of vision, right, if you watch the movie Elf, because you have this man who's been raised at the North Pole and he has a vision of Santa, right, and what elves do and make toys and everything that has to do with, you know, this time of the year and faith. Essentially, the whole idea of Santa Claus, according to the movie, you know, is based on people believing. Right? If they believe, then Santa's got the power to get around the world in one night, however that works.
And, however, the rest of the people thinks he's absolutely fruitcake. Right? And so what we don't have here is a shared vision. And so as I was, again, my word of the year was vision. And I spent the year hoping that God would give me some type of vision to either share at my church, share at the radio station, share in my family. In other words, however, every single day he gave me a vision. In other words, we're talking vision. And he'd say, all right, Ravi, here's your vision for today. Call this person, do this, study this chapter, look at this. This is where we're going today.
But that was the extent of it. And so, man, I got to go to man camp at the – in October. So at this point in time, we're 10 months into this trying to get a vision idea. Like, God, I know you're – you know, it's coming. I'm going to get this vision other than just my vision of the day. And when I'm at man camp, all of a sudden it hits me like a ton of bricks that this is just beyond simple. But before we get that, I want to play this clip.
And yes, there's a conversion of world visions. Because at this point in time, Buddy the Elf's parents are – you know, his real-life dad is realizing that his son, he thinks, is completely nuts. His wife is trying to adapt to it. But at this – This would be her stepson. This would be her stepson.
She's just found out she had a stepson, trying to be nice, trying to adapt to that. And Buddy is eating spaghetti. And he's eating spaghetti with syrup, right? And – which has him kind of freaked out, but the best part of the whole thing in my vision is that he chugs an entire bottle of Coke, which you don't see.
It's happening at the beginning of this clip. But he's chugging this whole bottle of Coke. And if you chugged a whole bottle of Coke, you'd probably have to burp, which you'll hear right at the point that she says it's – after all, he's your son. And then you hear that. And then the next morning, he's fixing her breakfast, and he's, again, making her spaghetti and pouring syrup on it. And she's getting yum, and she's tasting. And so I want you to fully experience that, and we'll talk about it.
So where were you for the last 30 years? The North Pole. Can you pass some maple syrup, please? I didn't put – it's spaghetti. Oh, you know what? I think I have something. You like sugar, huh? Is there sugar in syrup? Yes. Then yes.
We elves try to stick to the four main food groups – candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. So will you be staying with us then? You mean I can stay? Of course you can. Emily – How long do you think you'll be with us?
I hadn't really planned it out, but I was thinking, like, forever. Emily, can I just speak to you for a minute in the kitchen, please? Are you crazy? He cannot stay here. Clearly, he has some serious issues. We can't just throw him out in the snow.
Why not? He loves the snow. He's told me 15 times. Walter, he's your son. Did you hear that? You are so weird. Well, this is really something.
I'm usually the one making breakfast. That's good. That's good. Oh, that's good. Good? Good. God. So did you – did you sleep okay last night?
Great. I got a full 40 minutes, and I had time to build that rocking horse. Oh, my gosh. You actually made that?
Where did you get all the wood? He got it from their TV stand. But anyway, the point is that – and you made the point well as we were talking about it in the pre-show – is that they all are living in a fairly small story. They're going to work every day. They're doing what they're trying to do, trying to raise their family and do whatever. And they don't see all that's really about them, especially the idea of truly loving one another and giving, and especially not his dad, Walter Hobbs. And he's really missing out on his son's life because he's living in this small story. And Buddy comes along, and he is clearly living in a different story. And he's clearly living in one of love and joy and peace and patience. You don't have to be around him much to see he has a very childlike spirit.
And he spreads joy kind of wherever he goes. And it's an amazing thing. But from this clip, you can see what I learned at Man Camp was – it's Psalm 34a. It's taste and see. You see, my word was vision. And in order to see, I learned I have to taste. And when you taste, it actually affects you.
It's like if you were to eat syrup and spaghetti, you would be affected, right? Or if you were to experience the loss of a loved one, you're experiencing something, and because of the little experience of it, you're tasting it. And that allows you to see things that you wouldn't see unless you actually had experienced that. And it's very much with life, very much with the Bible.
And certainly the end of Psalm 34a, which is see that the Lord is good. And so as I began to realize that the vision that God was giving me was just a very simple concept. Again, apart from me, you can do nothing by the same idea. If you don't taste, you can't see. You can read that stuff. If you don't taste it, you ain't going to see. And you can go through this five minutes of your life and not taste that five minutes life, and you're not going to see anything. But if you really experience that five minutes of your life, then God's going to allow you to see, right? And in so you can see there's very much a larger story going on in that childlike spirit that Buddy has of walking in the elevator and lighting up all the lights.
I mean, that sounds like fun to me. Yeah. It's pretty cool when you think about that story of how him living out his call impacts everyone else in his world. Yeah. In a positive way.
Right? And that's the transition of taking people out of the small story that the enemy wants to keep you in and helping them see the larger story of what's really going on, what life's really about, and what the important things in life. Yes, we have to pay our bills.
Yes, we have to do this. Yes, we have to keep power on and food on our tables. And those are all important and they're necessary, but there's much more going on than that, right? How often do you think about that when you have somebody you love on their deathbed? That stuff doesn't matter anymore, right? I mean, there are things that are much more important are when the baby's born, right?
A new life into the family. There's so much more that is bigger than all that, but that's where we spend 90 percent of our time focused. I think how many people don't go to the hospital? Right.
They don't go to the nursing home. You know, there's so many parts of life they choose not to engage, which interestingly was my word, you know, three years ago. And as we talked about, that they keep – those words keep building, and if you don't engage, you'll never taste.
Right. And if you don't taste, you'll never – you know, in other words, all these things that God's going to use for your individual heart. You know, he knew that that's what my heart needed. He knew your word was quite different. And, you know, he's working on something, you know, with your life, and I think it's just a phenomenal adventure that he's got us all on. And the beauty of it is, is we get to do this every year and share the experience of where did God take you with that word?
Where did God take me with this word? Yeah, and I can't really think of any words for us that he's duplicated yet. I mean, he's duplicated mine because I didn't – I wasn't obedient and didn't do anything with it, but I'm talking about I don't think he's duplicated any of our words with each other.
We may have something similar. Right. But it's not been the same word. And even if it is, God will take us in a different direction. Right.
Because our story is not the same story as our friend's story. And never has he taken me where I thought it was going to go. Oh, absolutely not. I got the word at the beginning of the year, and I thought, oh, this is where this is going. Yeah. Not even close. Yeah.
Oh, I know where God's – I can outthink God on this one. Yeah. No. No. So, Robby, we have not much time left, but I know you talked a little bit about it, but kind of just share a little bit more on how some of the words have transitioned from one to another and how they've built on each other.
Yeah. Well, you know, it was interesting. After Engage, my word was love like me. It wasn't just love. It was an extension of love like me. And from that went to vision, and it was fascinating that once I engaged, then I was able to love like him.
And once I was able to love like him, then I actually could taste and see, but had no idea that it would build that way. Right. But you can't get to the next one until you get past the last one. Right.
Right. Go to masculinejourney.org. We will have some upcoming activities coming up. We do have a boot camp coming up in March or April. We're still finalizing the dates. And this week, let yourself be loved well by the Father and love someone else well. We'll talk with you next week.
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