A Revelation of the True Masculine

We need a massive shift in the hearts of men. For far too long men have walked in ignorance of true masculinity. God has given men a voice and a heart of authority. But we have used our power to heap upon ourselves selfish benefits.

We have used our voice of authority to control and manipulate those who are weaker. We have satisfied our own lusts through our strength and influence. In our brokenness we have run over those who stood in the way of our success, or those who might affect our reputation in the eyes of others. We have objectified women and men and lifted up sexual pleasure as our highest ambition. We have abandoned our children and left a generation fatherless.

What would the world be like if men walked in the true gift of their masculinity? We would see a world radically different today.

If men walked in the true masculine:

• The pornography industry would be left bankrupt.
• Prostitution would all but end.
• Prisons would be emptied.
• Woman would cherished and empowered.
• Children would walk in confidence, knowing they are loved and valued.
• Orphanages would cease to exist.
• Senseless violence would end.

I know I've made some pretty harsh judgments toward men. But we are responsible and accountable to God and to one another for a great part of the pain caused in this world. We MUST receive healing from wounds to our masculinity and then walk in our true destiny as men! Good men, arise! Hear the call of God on your lives! Forsake the selfish mindset so many of us have adopted! Let us rise up and cause a revolution of justice and mercy as men of God!

Rites of Passage

I recently took my sons through a rites of passage into manhood. I had decided when they were just little babes that I would take them through some kind of passage into manhood. When they were 13 I gathered togehter all the significant and godly men in their lives and we had a feast and a time of blessing. The men and I blessed my sons and also gave them warnings of the dangers they faced as men. It was a significant event for both of my son's lives.

Today we went another step further into their journey into manhood. First I taught my sons about the 5 essential lessons of male initiation. Those five are:

1. Life is painful.
2. Life is not about you.
3. You are not in control.
4. You are not that important.
5. You are going to die

If you get a chance, read "Adam's Return" by Richard Rohr for more details on the five lessons of male initiation.

Today I taught my sons about these lessons. They are preparing to move away from home and live on their own for the first time. They are ready. They are awesome men of God. And I wanted to better prepare them for life.

We focused specifically on the first lesson; life is painful. I taught them that life is painful and that we cannot run from pain and we must avoid numbing the pain. We have to accept that life can bring pain and that we cannot avoid it. Men have a tendency to run from pain or to numb it through alcohol, drugs, sex, money and all the other distractions that life can bring.

After teaching them this lesson, the three of us went to a tattoo parlor and chose tattoos that spoke about our hearts as men. I told them that as they experienced the pain, to remember that life was painful. That as they bled, they were entering into a covenant to use their gift of masculinity for the good of God's Kingdom, for their families, and for their community. I also told them that everytime they looked at their tattoos they would be reminded of the covenant and of the time of initiation into manhood. They would also be reminded of us doing this together.

I believe this will seal the truth of the gift of their masculinity for the rest of their lives. I will NEVER forget this day!!!

Children - God's Inheritance

We live in a society that has lost the sense of value that children bring to our lives. We have come to see children as a nuisance and as a financial liability. We abort them. We avoid having them. And when we have them, we let someone else raise them. What has happened?

The industrial age has taken the parent from the home. When our primary means of income was agriculture, children were seen as an asset and the family worked together to ensure that there was food on the table. There was a sense of unity of purpose. With the industrial age, Dad left the home and shortly thereafter Mom was in the workplace as well.

One could argue that life is so much better now. But is it? Even the poorest in our nation are rich in comparison to the vast majority of the rest of the world. Yet we are not satisfied. We heap up more things and buy bigger houses and have more toys. All of these things limit the way we live. We live for things rather than for God and for others. So we avoid conception through birth control and abort children when we conceive inconvenient pregnancies.

A quick study of scripture reveals the true heart of God toward children. Psalm 127:3 tells us "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." Those living in the Hebrew culture of the Old Testament understood the blessing that children represented. A barren womb was considered a curse to the children of Israel.

Molech was a god that the nations surrounding Israel worshiped. It was believed that sacrificing your first born child would appease Molech and prosperity would be promised. Although we don't offer our children to a stone idol, our society has sacrificed her children for prosperity.

I remember speaking with a man who had 12 children (they have since gone on to have 14 children at last count). I asked him what motivated him to have so many children. He said "Tom, I am partnering with God to bring eternal beings into existence. These children will live with God for all eternity. I also have the opportunity to disciple these children from birth. What an opportunity to raise them to know and to love God". I was humbled!

Have we really come so far in our enlightened age? Or have we lost our way, and have shown this generation of children that life has little value and that children are anything but a blessing?

The Written Word

I was talking with a friend today and she mentioned someone saying that words are neither right or wrong; good or evil. It is all in the mind and heart of the one reading the words that makes something good or evil. But is that true? Are words truly morally neutral?

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1856. Over two million copies were sold in over 13 languages. When President Abraham Lincoln met Harriet in person he stated "So you're the little girl that started this big war". Lincoln attributed Stowe's book as the main influence over the starting of the Civil War.

"Mein Kampf" or "My Struggle" by Adolph Hitler influenced a generation of Germans toward the goal of world domination (I do find it interesting that mein kampf is the Arabic equivalent of "jihad" currently used by Islamisists, but that's another post). His writings convinced thousands that the two great dangers to the world were Communism and Judaism. Years later we can still see the devastating effect this book had on many generations.

The Apostle Paul states that the word of God is "alive and powerful" in Hebrews 4:12. He also tells us that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". Sounds like more than mere words here!

Words have the ability to get men elected to the highest office, enlist men to fight wars, cause hearts to warm through the stirring of love, awaken injustices that were before unseen and cause men and women to strive to lead holy and quiet lives. I think words have more power than any of us realize! What do you think?

Is It Just Me?

Is it just me, or is the world getting crazier on a daily basis? I can barely keep up with the insanity happening on a global scale. There has never been a time in my life when I could check the news four times daily and find breaking stories on an international level; wars, rumors of wars, etc.


What do you think about what is happening in the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran and North Korea? Where do you think all of this is headed?

The Problem with Greed

The world faces the greatest economic crisis that has been experienced in generations. What is the cause? Who is to blame?

Greed is defined as the excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves. Greed is the foundation stone of this economic crisis. I hear from the mainstream media that the greed of Wall Street is to blame. But is that the only source of greed?

Greed has gripped the hearts of Wall Street certainly. But it has also gripped the hearts of foreign nations who bought up all of our debt, as well as the many individuals who borrowed more than they could afford. We have become an entitlement society. A friend stated it well that today's youth think they are in poverty if their parents don't buy them an iPhone. We want what we want, when we want it. It's that simple!

The generations immediately following the Great Depression saved and sacrificed to have a large down-payment on a home they could afford. A common saying in our home is "Present sacrifices for future benefits". It is something we've taught our children from early on. We need to say no to our desires and be willing to wait to fulfill some of them.

Lenders certainly took advantage of people, but they would not have been successful if the people had not responded to their deceptive promises. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins. The antidote to greed is gratefulness. We need to be thankful for what we already have, instead of coveting things we don't have.

It is my prayer that the current "global economic spanking" we are experiencing would be a lesson well learned; that we would return to delayed gratification and simpler living. My fear is that the lesson will go unnoticed and ignored.

A New Venture

I've been encouraged by several friends to start a blog to discuss current events, politics and religion. I must confess that I love spirited dialogue with those who agree AND disagree with me on controversial topics. I am of the belief that we can disagree in a respectful way and still walk away friends. I know it's rather optimistic, but I've seen in done many, many times. I'm also an eternal optimist.

I named my blog "The Pontificating Prophetic Prestigiator" with great purpose in mind. Firstly, I love to pontificate. One definition of "pontificate" means "To express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way". I'm pretty dogmatic about what I believe.

I also have a prophetic view toward life. I like to look at life through the lens of the prophetic; asking God for the deeper meaning of the events happening in the here and now.

And finally, I am a verbal prestigiator. A prestigiator is a juggler. I enjoy juggling words with others. I love a good verbal feud where we balance disagreement with respect and honor for one another. This is NOT easy to juggle. But it's completely possible with hard work and concentration.

So I'm asking you to join me. Come and read the posts and respond with your thoughts, opinions, agreements and disagreements. Let's learn from one another and grow in wisdom and understanding!