Devotion 2.20.19

We’ve started a series based on a book called, “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine”.  If you have any questions, thoughts, and comments, email me and I’d love to incorporate them.

Everyone loves learning secrets right…

Feeling like you’re on the inside of some type of knowledge is a powerful feeling.  And knowing can be used for good or bad.  The third archetype of masculinity that is discussed in the book we’re exploring is that of “Magician”.

Now when you hear this it sounds like something hokey from the past, but the author makes the point that whatever title you want to give it, there have always been people within our societies that have been the keepers and passers on of special knowledge.  As time moved forward, this became more specialized, with people who passed on knowledge in areas of science, technology, business, psychology, and yes religion, but regardless, there are things that can’t be learned simply from looking at the world, and they must be passed on by the “magicians”.

In faith, we speak about “general” and “special” revelation.  There are some things that people can look at and know about the world if they’re relatively honest, which is the general revelation.  People mess up and “sin”.  There are some things that are right (helping others) and some that are bad (e.g. stealing or murdering).  Even the existence of God or something bigger than man is obvious to most. 

But then there is also special revelation.  Everything in the Bible is largely God’s special revelation, the story of God creating and then reacting to the sin of his people by saving us through the sending of his son.  And while general revelation is good and helpful, it doesn’t finally bring us into relationship with God.  For that, we need the special knowledge.  But God doesn’t want it to be a secret.  He needs us to pass it on.  And for that, we must all take on the role of the “magician”, because we’ve had it passed on to us.  Think today of some specific times when someone passed on a truth about God to you. . . . Think about some opportunities for you to pass something on to the next generation as well.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Rom 10:14-15)

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 2.11.19

Any admirers of General Patton out there?

I was reading about the idea of the warrior within men and the author referenced the movie and famous speech of Patton.  In it he says, “I don’t want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position….  We are advancing constantly and we aren’t interesting in holding anything!”  If you want to watch the clip, click here (but be warned, he’s a little blue in it)

We may not want to model ourselves on everything in Patton, but he powerfully speaks to the idea of the warrior.  This can get a bad rap and for a reason. There’s plenty of men who have taken the idea of a warrior and turned it into the right to be aggressive, demeaning, and dominate those who are less powerful than them.

But this isn’t the point of the warrior.  The warrior is about the energy that encourages us to “advance” in the face of trials. To look at the problems we have in life (whether it’s at work, home, church, or beyond) and to not sit still, but to rouse ourselves to take them head on.  It’s about taking risks to create, defend, and extend what God wants for us and those around us, even in the face of opposition.

I read that some churches have taken, “Onward Christian Soldiers” out of hymnals because it was too warlike or aggressive, but the metaphors in this song are powerful and they are Scriptural.  So I’ll close by placing the text below so we can consider how God is energizing us to take on whatever battles he has for us today.

1 Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle, see his banner go!

Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!

 

2 At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise! [Refrain]

 

3 Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod;
We are not divided; all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity. [Refrain]

 

4 Onward, then, ye people, join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor, unto Christ the King;
This thro' countless ages men and angels sing. [Refrain]

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 2.8.19

We’re starting a new series this week.  If you have any questions, thoughts, and comments, email me and I’d love to incorporate them.

Reminder- 2^nd Saturday Men’s Breakfast is this weekend.  8:30 am at Rudy’s.

Who is the greatest king in history?

I found a list of the 10 Greatest Monarchs in world history and it was interesting to see why they were included.  Many of them focus on military accomplishments and how much territory they ruled.  But there are others who are praised for reforms in legal systems that benefitted all classes, their encouragement of the arts, freedoms granted, economic booms, and even encouragement of morality.

So what makes a “king”?

In the book on mature masculinity I’m getting insights from for these devotions, it speaks of “king” as the first and most important archetype for men.  Very few men in history actually have been monarchs but all men draw on this concept.  The idea of a king is someone who is the father of a nation, who represents leadership even from God to the people, who cares for all people by encouraging and rewarding them, bringing calm to their fears, and stewards the resources of others.

What does this look like in regular men like us?  I like some examples from the book. This is what energizes us to take on the financial and psychological stresses of our family and be the calm in the midst of their storms while encouraging them to succeed in their own schooling, work, etc.  It’s what enables us to go to work and confront a rebellious subordinate without having to fire them.  Or to build a relationship with a coworker struggling who we encourage and support through addiction or other family crisis.  It’s the ideal that we will be a voice of calm and reassurance when things at work or church seem like they’re out of control and others are panicking.  The king cares for all and succeeds when they succeed.

Remember, “Whoever wants to be great amongst you, must become a servant.” (Matt 20:26)

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 2.6.19

Think of some immature actions you’ve seen lately on the part of men…  The last Texas Tech basketball game comes to mind when a West Virginia player decided to take out his frustration at a one-sided loss by tripping a Tech player.   In some cases, this behavior is simply a product of the moment.  I don’t know anything more about this young man and hopefully this action is not repeated in his life.  Other players do have reputations where they continue to lash out in childish ways (e.g. Grayson Allen or Draymond Green).

Where does this and other immature behavior come from in men?

In most, it’s the product of what we learn in our childhoods.  Now certainly, all children are immature- even good children are immature, but there are different versions of immaturity.  The book I referenced in the last devotion, “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover” talks about this.  For example, all children start with an understanding of the world revolving around them and are learning to use what’s in their power to control others, but for some, this starts to become leadership. In others, however, this becomes “high chair tyrants”.  Think of aggressive children who make big demands and throw fits.  On the other side of the spectrum, there are some who seem passive but are actually quite manipulative.  Think of the child who sulks until they get what they want (he calls them Weakling Princes).

If these behaviors are met with mature parenting, most kids will learn what is and isn’t acceptable and will start to lead rather than manipulate or bully, but some of this behavior can continue and gets transferred into adult life.  The body is that of an adult, but the actions and moral compass are that of an immature child.  We see it in all walks of life- in our politicians (what a shock), in our bosses, in our dads, and yes, even in our church leaders.

The reality is none of us completely leaves this behind.  Every one of us falls into sinful behavior which draws on immature behaviors we learned can work from our childhood.  The key is for us to recognize this (or listen when someone confronts us with it) and repent.  Paul puts it this way in 1 Cor. 13:11:

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 2.4.19

We’re starting a new series this week.  If you have any questions, thoughts, and comments, email me and I’d love to incorporate them. 

What is, “The best a man can get?”  That’s the question posed by Gillette’s new ads that have drawn big reactions from many.  The coining of the phrase, “toxic masculinity” has also become a lightning rod for debate.

A book was recently passed on to me by one of our members.  It’s called, “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine”.  I like the direction of this book which would have criticisms for many overreacting in both directions on this issue.  Here’s a quote.

“What is missing is not for the most part, what many depth psychologists assume is missing; that is adequate connection with the inner feminine.  In many cases, these men seeking help had been, and were continuing to be, overwhelmed by the feminine. What they were missing was an adequate connection to the deep and instinctual masculine energies, the potentials of mature masculinity.”

I’ve seen some well written articles in the recent debate that make a similar argument.  What we need is more masculinity, real and true masculinity that reflects well what God lays out for us in Scripture from Genesis 1-2 which show man’s role in caring for creation and woman all the way to Eph. 5 which calls on men to show their headship by sacrificing everything for their wives.  Too often, whether it was intended or not, the criticism of the bad actions of males was met by the argument that men needed to give up some of the traits that made them men and replace them with more “feminine” virtues.  Or perhaps needed to be led more by feminine role models.

No.

Bad forms of masculinity don’t arise by accident.  They exist because generations of men haven’t been appropriately mentored or taught and this is another impact of sin.  And just like sin breaks down everything else (including feminism) it can also break down the masculine.  And so we need to pay attention and work hard to encourage each other as men and help pass on to the next generation a strong and mature masculinity.  Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at some of these basic roles identified by the book and look at how they line up with God’s design. 

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School

Devotion 1.31.19

Super Bowl LIII (53) is just around the corner.  New England looks well on its way to being ranked as one of the best, if not THE best, football team in the history of the game.  That's with or without a victory this Sunday.  You can say what you want about your team, if your team won more than two Super Bowls, but the crowning achievement that gets you into "best team in history" isn't just the rings.

Interestingly enough, local sports talk radio host Ryan Hyatt interviewed Michael Lombardi, a football analyst who worked for three coaches over his NFL lifetime:  Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick, and Al Davis.  Lombardi has recently written a book about the experience called Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and  Building Dynasties in the NFL (2019).  He puts forth the argument that all three may be the best coaches of all time, but he certainly studied at the feet of Walsh and Belichick.

He speaks initially in the book about culture.  "Champions behave like champions before they are champions."  This quote came from Bill Walsh, who built a renaissance team in San Francisco that took football to a new level.  Lombardi notes that he was hired from college scouting ranks to be a scout for San Francisco, which meant he was Walsh's driver.  The beauty of that gig was that Walsh taught as he drove:  philosophically about building a champion, books on leadership, and sketching out his notes and talking to Lombardi as he drove him here and there.

Walsh developed a "Standard of Performance" which had 17 principles.  The first one:  "Exhibit a ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic directed at continual improvement."  Ferocious and intelligently applied....  He clearly parted ways with John Wooden who felt emotion was not the best way to build a champion, but how else can you tap into the passion of a human without finding the right emotion.  In Walsh's case, ferocity.  Attack with a purpose and do so "intelligently." Next: "Demonstrate respect for each person in the organization."

The list goes on and builds on each principal, but each also stands alone like the first two. 

In Philippians 4, the apostle Paul instructs us in a similar fashion:  "Finally brothers, whatever is honorable.., just.., pure.., lovely.., commendable.., if there is any excellence... worthy of praise, thing about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

Do we dwell on the past? No, not in the instructions Paul gives us.  Do we stew on something?  No.  Do we fret about the here and now?  No.  What do we do?  We focus on and act on whatever his honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, or anything that is excellent.  In other words, we follow Christ and work in humility to imitate Him in our daily lives.

Our prayer is that we are followers of Christ and act in humility with one another, practicing all He has taught us.

Hope Men's Ministry

Devotion 1.30.19

Houston had five police officers shot in the line of duty this past week.  The duty?  Entering a dangerous situation to attempt to search for weapons and drugs in a home in a community.  One of the officers suffered wounds for the third time in his career.

When I was a principal in Houston in the 1990s, there were a few times when I was called about a possible break-in at the school.  We had an alarm, so the call came, and I responded.  Each time the Houston Police (HPD) were there.  I remember how we interacted.  I'd pull up in my car, and they were out of their cars near an entrance.  I'd get out of the car making every attempt that they would know I was there on their terms, hands clearly visible and out front for them to see.  We'd shake hands and they'd ask about entrances and the building.  It was before sophisticated systems, so we didn't talk in terms of sectors and motion sensors.

HPD would tell me to stay put, and they would go in, leaving a couple outside in case the would-be burglar would be flushed out.  Only on one occasion out of the three did they catch someone.  However, every time I remember they would stand between me and harm.  The police were definitely friends of the school.  They were responsive and quick to be present.  From speaking to a class, to dealing with potential abuse, to helping with small, petty stuff (going to the house of a guy picking up his kids and cussing at one of the teachers to tell the man we didn't appreciate that).

Every time I saw them, there was a feeling of reassurance.  They were going to take care of the situation.  And the neighborhood was one of a high ethnic neighborhood, but that never seemed to enter into a conversation because the policeman may be white, black, Hispanic as well.  They behaved as though successfully resolving the situation was the most important matter at hand.

So, when I heard five were shot trying to rid a neighborhood of an undesirable element, I saw the faces of the husbands of teachers in the school who were policemen, guys I went to high school with, and policemen who came as part of the route they covered.  It could be any of them.

The words of John 15:13 come to mind at this time:  "Greater love has no one than this; to lay down his life for his friends."

We pray today for those who put themselves in harm's way for people they don't even know.  Christ laid down his life for us, and He knows us, for better and worse.  We lift up a prayer of thanksgiving for those who are willing to lay down their lives for us, regardless of who or what we are.  Through their sacrifice, we witness John 15:13 and are given a small glimpse of the sacrifice Christ paid for us.

Hope Men's Ministry