A Different Look At Jesus

If you haven't checked out John Eldredge's latest book "Beautiful Outlaw",, let me recommend that you do. It may be his best book yet, and I have to say that I am now looking at the Gospels in a different way, as well as seeing Jesus in a different light. Click here to download the first chapter and see what I'm talking about.

What John has done in his book is bring a completely different way to look at Jesus. He says that taking what we read in the Bible at face value, is like kind of watching television with the sound off. We recognize that something is going on, but the man on the screen waving his arms around doesn't make any sense to us, because the personality of the man is missing. Reading the Bible in an academic sort of way, not taking into account the personality of Jesus leaves us with a one dimensional character not full of much life. But Jesus is so full of life, and He does have a personality, one that if we will allow ourselves to see will bring a much richer relationship to our lives.

Seeing that the Christmas season is upon us, why not pick up a copy for all of your family and friends. After all what better gift could someone receive but a book that helps them find the true nature of Jesus in all of His glorious personality? Click here to find out more about this amazing book!

Strength and Honor for the Kingdom and the King!

I Hate Valentine's Day

This is what I heard John Eldredge say last year about this time when some friends of ours went with me and my bride to hear John and Stasi Eldredge on their latest book tour for the book Love & War. There were polite chuckles from the men as we heard him say that, not uproarious laughter, just polite chuckles, none of us really wanted our wives to think that we agreed with him after all.

I have to say that I do agree with him on this one though, and my reasons are the same. It seems that Valentine's Day is a day for men to perform well in the area of how we love our brides. We men are performance based creatures that's to be sure, but with this holiday it seems that we have to not only perform well, but we have to do it bigger and better than each previous year. I've gotta tell you the pressure to come through on this is huge.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the ladies are to blame, they're not. They too, I believe have expectations that they are trying to live up to as well. If anyone is to blame, let's put the blame on the greeting card industry. After all, aren't they the ones who are pushing all those sappy colored cards, and cheap chocolates on us?

Valentine's Day is a day that we are suppose to express how much we love our spouse. One day! I mean, one lousy day to tell her how much they mean to us? Come on, shouldn't love be an every day thing? I'm pretty sure that we are commanded by Jesus to love (John 13:34), but not just one day a year.

If you have read this far, then you probably think that I am a guy, like most who just doesn't understand what it means to be romantic. Well that's not true at all, I'm actually a hopeless romantic. I love the idea of romance, and do enjoy a good chick flick too! Most guys are so busy trying to make their place in this world, that a lot of times they just miss their gal's heart completely. Now I'm not saying that I never miss my bride's heart, I do, but I am working to be more aware of it every day.

I heard about a couple going through marriage counseling once, and the wife poured out her heart to the counselor for almost an hour, while the husband just sat there. Once she had finished, he looked at the counselor and said, "I don't understand where all this is coming from?" To which she cried out, "Don't you love me?" His reply summed up the problem, "Of course I love you, I married you didn't I? I go to work every day for you don't I?"

This may seem funny, and the first time I heard it I actually laughed, but the sad thing is that this really is how so many men see it. I told you I loved you when I married you, that should have been enough. And you know for him it probably is, but guys, for her it isn't. Women are relational, that means they need relationships. Men need them too, but for so long we've been told that we need to be loners, that what our relationships look like usually involve grunting and punching each other in the arm while laughing.

One of my favorite scenes in any movie I've ever watched, is from the movie Enchanted. It's a story about a girl who is waiting for her prince to arrive. Through the story, a prince shows up and takes her to his castle to marry her, but as in most fairy tales, the wicked step mother causes her to be sent from the cartooned fairy tale to the real life New York city. She is helped by a kind stranger and in this clip she is asking him how his fiance' knows that he loves her. Click the picture to see the musical number in the park.

Guys, she will only know we love her if we show her, daily. You don't have to be a Don Juan or super rich to do this either, it's really simple. Write her a note and tell her how you feel about her (stay away from physical aspects here too). Learn what her favorite color, flower and movie is. Then surprise her with something from that list (on a day other than Valentine's Day). The key here guys is to get to know her, you show someone how much you love them, by how much you know them. If she loves Pepsi, but you bring home Coke because you like it better than Pepsi, you are not showing love for your bride. (Thanks Joe McGee)

This isn't rocket science people, think back to when you were dating and try and remember what it was about your spouse that drew you to them. Go back and do some of those things you used to do when you were dating. Hey, here's a novel idea, why don't you go on a date again? You know let her know you are taking her out the day before (give her the opportunity to get prepared for it) and then get a sitter if you need to and get out there and enjoy each others company and rekindle those old feelings for each other.

I do hate Valentine's Day, but I so love my bride and she's worth any effort that I put in to showing her that. So get 'em up folks, let's go whip something for the Kingdom!

What Makes You A Man?

Growing up in Muskogee, Oklahoma in the 70's, there was always talk among those of us adolescent teens about becoming a man. I was thinking about that today, and through my reminiscing I was amazed at what back then I thought it took to become a "man". Mostly it involved doing things, most of which none of us had any idea what they actually were.

I think that one of the saddest things about growing up in the 70's was that there were no men in my life that led me in the path of becoming a man. I was pretty much left to myself as to how to figure that out. So after I married my bride, I quickly realized there was much that was being required of me that I had no idea about. I asked my Pastor one day if he could preach a sermon about what it meant to be an authentic man of God, which never happened.

I moved on in my married life and as we began to have children, again I had this gnawing feeling that I just wasn't quite enough. You know, that I wasn't measuring up as a man. It seemed that I was more and more frustrated, and if you had asked me why, I couldn't have told you. I just knew that there was something missing in my life.

It was about this time that a sales rep who called on my business told me about this book he had just read. He said, "You've got to get this book called Wild at Heart. It's written by this guy named John Eldredge, and Dave it is amazing!" We talked a little bit longer about it, then he left to go to another appointment. I left right after that to go to my local Christian bookstore and buy this book. I read it that night, and in about three days I had completely finished it. I was amazed. In this book, I had found the answers that I had been looking for for so long.

That was almost ten years ago, and I have walked in the knowledge this little book showed me for most of that time. What I have learned through all of this is that what makes me a man, is the decisions that I make everyday. Decisions to love my wife and kids, to give my life for them just like Jesus gave His life for me. It's not in accomplishments, or acquisitions or conquests, it's in the day to day living and giving my life for those around me. That is what makes us men.

How about you? Have you longed for something, but just not been able to articulate what that is? If you haven't read this book Wild at Heart, then I suggest you run to your nearest Christian book store and buy it now...I promise you it will change your life. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!