Doesn't America seem more like the Land of the Freaked Out and Home of the Faint At Heart.
America has:
... the highest rate of mental illness
... the highest rate of stress related illness
... the highest rate of debt
... the highest rate of single stressed out women raising children
... the highest rate of women having heart attacks
... the highest rate of judgemental and prejudice people
... the highest rate of divorce
... the highest rate of abortion
... the highest rate of pornography (#1 world wide exporter)
... the highest rate of violence in a majority of countries
We have so much to be proud of ? ? ? NOT!!!
The Church in America seem more like the Land of the Freaked Out and Home of the Faint At Heart, to me. Under the watch of the church:
The Church has:
... the highest rate of divorces, more divorces in the Church than the world.
... about the same rate of adolescence fornication in the youth groups.
... a lot of minister who have been caught having affairs.
... a lack of connect with peoples real needs.
... let the world remove God from school.
... let the world remove God from government.
... let the world remove God from the social arena
... let the world turn this once Christian nation to a Post-Christian Nation
... Allowed this nation to follow the EU, the revissed Roman empire
... Allowed this nation to start the UN and the CIA by a president who was a Free Mason
We have so much to be proud of ? ? ? NOT!!!
Anyways, thats about how I feel right now. Any body think this is a tragedy? Or do most just not care anymore.
America now recieves more missionaries than it sends. The US used to be the largest missionary sending nation now it recieves more than it sends. And we in the nation just sit on our couches twiddling our thumbs.
Christians are the single largest religious group in the world and we let morally debase people tell us how to live. We let debase music and entertainment ruin peoples lives, we let godless people run our government.
If 80-90% of Americas believe in God, Jesus and the Bible and claim to be Christians why does this nation seem to be the most ungodly nation on the face of the earth. We need to get fed up and do something more than we are.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Man Up Mission
Introduction: Its time to man up and become the father, priest and king in your home, who sets the borders of your tent, who leads his home spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally, treats his family as a royal priesthood would, and those who dwell in you're tents are safe.
To: all Men in Action,
From: a fellow soldiers and sojourner.
I was thinking the other day and this thought came into my mind about the need for men to Man Up and become the men God created them to be and that God wants to help men “Man Up!” and provide “Manna For The Man Down.” It sounds kind of corny but Manna was God given pro-vision in a time when there was no earthly pro-vision in the desert. They couldn’t go to the food market to get food. They were in the desert, there was no help or no help outside of God. When God told Moses to hit the rock so what would come out it was a picture of Jesus the Messiah, giving us water out of rock where there was no hope of water coming from a rock and though we may feel that we are rock, living on the third rock from the sun. God has given us hope and help. Man up means to be a man, to own up to your responsibility and act like a man, not a boy or child, and definitely not a fe-male. Whether a person is confused about their gender distinction or role as a man or male, there is a genetic difference and trauma can break down the mind and mental barriers and confuse you about who God created you to be but it still doesn’t change the genetic and physical distinction God created.
Manna is fresh bread from heaven in the form of Jesus the messiah to bring life to our mortal bodies. Pro-vision is Gods supply for His pro-fessional vision for your life. I’ve heard it said that if Gods guiding Gods pro-viding. One of the important things to understand is the bible says the word of God is sharp to the dividing asunder of joints and marrow, soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. In the beginning God divided the heavens and the earth. Separation and boundaries are important. God set the boundaries of the world. We should have good boundaries. We should live by principle. As Paul said “To him who knows what’s right and doesn’t do it, it is sin.” Its one thing to know its another to do, to not only be a hearer but be a doer. We need to be Men In Action not Missing In Action. Faith without works is dead in the water and goes no where. God gave us free will and nothing gets done if we don’t make a choice, Deuteronomy 28 is a prime example of choices and their consequences.
I wanted to share some things with you God put on my heart about Men being Men in these last days. Things are rough men are being effaced all the time. Its funny that women talk about eMANcipation and in the first part of that work is Man. God made man in His image and formed him from dust and then took a rib from man to make woman. Wo-man means man with a womb. So man was made first and woman was made to be a helpmate. Men were made to lead and be decision makers, women were made with a womb to nurture, care for and help love and raise children. Men were made to labor and work, to provide for and protect the women and the baby in the womb. Its important to understand the distinction that God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and stEve. Its good that God created gender distinction and we are not like worms who can procreate with themselves. That would be weird. God made us the way we are for a reason. Proverbs 28 is an entire chapter dedicated on how to be a godly women the entire bible is book on how to be a godly person, how to be a godly man or women. God loves you and has a plan for you. If no one tells you let me tell you. You can be the man God created you to be.
I used to love watching Tim the tool man Taylor and the “arrr arrr” overly exaggerated testosterone with no control and it was funny, he was a manly man who took no advice and made a lot of mistakes. I’ve also seen in life that there are those like Tim and others who under pain and pressure go the path of least resistance at least so they think. Adam and King Ahab are prime examples in the bible. Adam said, “the women made me do it,” and Ahab just let the women do it. And the results were tragic. In Adam’s case we all inherited, sickness, sin and hard labor where the curses he brought upon us. In Ahab’s case the spirit of Jezebel or witchcraft was released. The word of God says “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” Witchcraft stems from a desire to manipulate and control where one is in fear and doesn’t trust that God has the best in mind. Fear seeks to control love seeks to lead. Too many seek to control through natural means and not lead through love. Faith trust where fear tries to control. Jesus said the meek shall INHERIT the earth, to be meek or mild isn’t weak. To give in to someone and let the control is weak, however to be truly meek is to be mild and kind, yet firm. To inherit the earth is a strong thing. To be weak is to give up the earth which God gave dominion to us over.
What you get in life a lot of times is people who make compromises to make the peace but the compromises never make peace, they only make one weak. When you stand on principle and stand firm, you have a foundation that can’t be shaken. The word of God says “As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord,” and that the man is the head of the home just as Christ is the head of the church.
It’s important to have boundaries and live by principle. The word of God makes it clear how a man should act. A man is the head of the home, a man should pray and be the priest and spiritual leader in the home. Men of principle are hard to find. Its funny what the world thinks, I once saw a shirt that says real men where black, however here is what God thinks, "He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor," Isa 59:16. In the bible a man was considered the priest of the home and the chief duty of a priest is to be a spiritual leader, one who intercedes between God and men, to make reconciliation between God and men. Jesus did that once and for all through his blood and showed us the way to be true men, to lead through love, to serve, to not seek our own and to be willing to lay our lives down for our wifes and friends. Real men pray, real men lead through love, real men go to church, real men as spiritual. But there is a problem in society today.
Man Down! In battle that is a term for a wounded soldier. Man down, means the man is no longer in the fight. One thing I learned from martial arts is that you can beat an opponent who is better than you if you can take out his heart to fight. You can be in the battle and loose because you lost the heart to fight. If you loose the “eye of the tiger” if you take your eye of the prize then you’ve already lost the fight. We have to man men down whose hearts aren’t in the fight and like Ahab let Jezebell run their lives. God doesn’t want that. He wants you to be a Moses, or a Joshua, a leader. Who will not stay down but who will get up and keep going.
Statistics show more women go to church, that there are more women raising children, that more men without fathers are in prison than men with fathers, that most people with mental illness had no father or a bad fatherly example, that more crimes are committed by men whose fathers were not consistent, didn’t live by principle. Men are the key to society being whole. Without men of principle leading a nation the nation will fall apart, the same goes in a home.
Good Men Down: Adam & Ahab. Not many mentioned, not many remembered unless you really screw it up. Adam messed it up for us all by following and not leading, Ahab allowed Jezebel to control and manipulate him an dothers. Jezebel operated under a spirit of rebellion and a spirit of witchcraft and Ahab wasn’t a strong enough man to man up and be the godly man God created him to be. Its said that your not remember for the problems you create but the problems you solve. The few who are remembered for the problems they created aren’t happy. We should be about solutions not adding to pollution. We should be about solving problems not leaving them alone or creating them.
Will the real Super-Man please stand up? As Bob Marley once said in a song, “Get up, Stand up,” you have to fight for your rights because the devil came to kill, steal and destroy, yet Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly. Christ is our sacrifice. He is the way to the Father, He is the way to healing, He is the way to life, without Christ there is no Eternal life. Christ is the true example of a real manly man. He’s a man’s man, He lead the way we should follow by being a true intercessor to stand in the gap and intermediate a situation that was out of control. He came to rescue, like batman and superman, He came down to save us from our own sins. While we were yet in sins he died for us. He loved us enough to swoop down and rescue us from the natural consequences of our bad choices. Jeremiah in the bible said the heart is deceitfully wicked who can know its ways, Paul later said there is none righteous no not one. We all have sinned and fallen short. No one is greater or worse than the next. The last shall be the first and the first shall be the last. If you want the fruit of being a man then you have to do the hard work of being a man. It’s not easy the whole world is under the sway of the wicked and doesn’t want you to be a godly man. I like that song that says “can’t nobody hold me down” and “you can hate me know but I won’t stop now.” That’s how I live my life by principle so that when I die there will be no regrets. When I stand before God I want Him to say well done good and faithful not oops your at the wrong door sorry, “good bye,” and then you here the devil say “toasty,” and you hear Raiden Mortal Kombat say “finish him,” lol. Okay, no that was funny but seriously we should live today like we might die today with no regrets, no remorse and free from condemnation and guilt.
To: all Men in Action,
From: a fellow soldiers and sojourner.
I was thinking the other day and this thought came into my mind about the need for men to Man Up and become the men God created them to be and that God wants to help men “Man Up!” and provide “Manna For The Man Down.” It sounds kind of corny but Manna was God given pro-vision in a time when there was no earthly pro-vision in the desert. They couldn’t go to the food market to get food. They were in the desert, there was no help or no help outside of God. When God told Moses to hit the rock so what would come out it was a picture of Jesus the Messiah, giving us water out of rock where there was no hope of water coming from a rock and though we may feel that we are rock, living on the third rock from the sun. God has given us hope and help. Man up means to be a man, to own up to your responsibility and act like a man, not a boy or child, and definitely not a fe-male. Whether a person is confused about their gender distinction or role as a man or male, there is a genetic difference and trauma can break down the mind and mental barriers and confuse you about who God created you to be but it still doesn’t change the genetic and physical distinction God created.
Manna is fresh bread from heaven in the form of Jesus the messiah to bring life to our mortal bodies. Pro-vision is Gods supply for His pro-fessional vision for your life. I’ve heard it said that if Gods guiding Gods pro-viding. One of the important things to understand is the bible says the word of God is sharp to the dividing asunder of joints and marrow, soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. In the beginning God divided the heavens and the earth. Separation and boundaries are important. God set the boundaries of the world. We should have good boundaries. We should live by principle. As Paul said “To him who knows what’s right and doesn’t do it, it is sin.” Its one thing to know its another to do, to not only be a hearer but be a doer. We need to be Men In Action not Missing In Action. Faith without works is dead in the water and goes no where. God gave us free will and nothing gets done if we don’t make a choice, Deuteronomy 28 is a prime example of choices and their consequences.
I wanted to share some things with you God put on my heart about Men being Men in these last days. Things are rough men are being effaced all the time. Its funny that women talk about eMANcipation and in the first part of that work is Man. God made man in His image and formed him from dust and then took a rib from man to make woman. Wo-man means man with a womb. So man was made first and woman was made to be a helpmate. Men were made to lead and be decision makers, women were made with a womb to nurture, care for and help love and raise children. Men were made to labor and work, to provide for and protect the women and the baby in the womb. Its important to understand the distinction that God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and stEve. Its good that God created gender distinction and we are not like worms who can procreate with themselves. That would be weird. God made us the way we are for a reason. Proverbs 28 is an entire chapter dedicated on how to be a godly women the entire bible is book on how to be a godly person, how to be a godly man or women. God loves you and has a plan for you. If no one tells you let me tell you. You can be the man God created you to be.
I used to love watching Tim the tool man Taylor and the “arrr arrr” overly exaggerated testosterone with no control and it was funny, he was a manly man who took no advice and made a lot of mistakes. I’ve also seen in life that there are those like Tim and others who under pain and pressure go the path of least resistance at least so they think. Adam and King Ahab are prime examples in the bible. Adam said, “the women made me do it,” and Ahab just let the women do it. And the results were tragic. In Adam’s case we all inherited, sickness, sin and hard labor where the curses he brought upon us. In Ahab’s case the spirit of Jezebel or witchcraft was released. The word of God says “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” Witchcraft stems from a desire to manipulate and control where one is in fear and doesn’t trust that God has the best in mind. Fear seeks to control love seeks to lead. Too many seek to control through natural means and not lead through love. Faith trust where fear tries to control. Jesus said the meek shall INHERIT the earth, to be meek or mild isn’t weak. To give in to someone and let the control is weak, however to be truly meek is to be mild and kind, yet firm. To inherit the earth is a strong thing. To be weak is to give up the earth which God gave dominion to us over.
What you get in life a lot of times is people who make compromises to make the peace but the compromises never make peace, they only make one weak. When you stand on principle and stand firm, you have a foundation that can’t be shaken. The word of God says “As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord,” and that the man is the head of the home just as Christ is the head of the church.
It’s important to have boundaries and live by principle. The word of God makes it clear how a man should act. A man is the head of the home, a man should pray and be the priest and spiritual leader in the home. Men of principle are hard to find. Its funny what the world thinks, I once saw a shirt that says real men where black, however here is what God thinks, "He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor," Isa 59:16. In the bible a man was considered the priest of the home and the chief duty of a priest is to be a spiritual leader, one who intercedes between God and men, to make reconciliation between God and men. Jesus did that once and for all through his blood and showed us the way to be true men, to lead through love, to serve, to not seek our own and to be willing to lay our lives down for our wifes and friends. Real men pray, real men lead through love, real men go to church, real men as spiritual. But there is a problem in society today.
Man Down! In battle that is a term for a wounded soldier. Man down, means the man is no longer in the fight. One thing I learned from martial arts is that you can beat an opponent who is better than you if you can take out his heart to fight. You can be in the battle and loose because you lost the heart to fight. If you loose the “eye of the tiger” if you take your eye of the prize then you’ve already lost the fight. We have to man men down whose hearts aren’t in the fight and like Ahab let Jezebell run their lives. God doesn’t want that. He wants you to be a Moses, or a Joshua, a leader. Who will not stay down but who will get up and keep going.
Statistics show more women go to church, that there are more women raising children, that more men without fathers are in prison than men with fathers, that most people with mental illness had no father or a bad fatherly example, that more crimes are committed by men whose fathers were not consistent, didn’t live by principle. Men are the key to society being whole. Without men of principle leading a nation the nation will fall apart, the same goes in a home.
Good Men Down: Adam & Ahab. Not many mentioned, not many remembered unless you really screw it up. Adam messed it up for us all by following and not leading, Ahab allowed Jezebel to control and manipulate him an dothers. Jezebel operated under a spirit of rebellion and a spirit of witchcraft and Ahab wasn’t a strong enough man to man up and be the godly man God created him to be. Its said that your not remember for the problems you create but the problems you solve. The few who are remembered for the problems they created aren’t happy. We should be about solutions not adding to pollution. We should be about solving problems not leaving them alone or creating them.
Will the real Super-Man please stand up? As Bob Marley once said in a song, “Get up, Stand up,” you have to fight for your rights because the devil came to kill, steal and destroy, yet Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly. Christ is our sacrifice. He is the way to the Father, He is the way to healing, He is the way to life, without Christ there is no Eternal life. Christ is the true example of a real manly man. He’s a man’s man, He lead the way we should follow by being a true intercessor to stand in the gap and intermediate a situation that was out of control. He came to rescue, like batman and superman, He came down to save us from our own sins. While we were yet in sins he died for us. He loved us enough to swoop down and rescue us from the natural consequences of our bad choices. Jeremiah in the bible said the heart is deceitfully wicked who can know its ways, Paul later said there is none righteous no not one. We all have sinned and fallen short. No one is greater or worse than the next. The last shall be the first and the first shall be the last. If you want the fruit of being a man then you have to do the hard work of being a man. It’s not easy the whole world is under the sway of the wicked and doesn’t want you to be a godly man. I like that song that says “can’t nobody hold me down” and “you can hate me know but I won’t stop now.” That’s how I live my life by principle so that when I die there will be no regrets. When I stand before God I want Him to say well done good and faithful not oops your at the wrong door sorry, “good bye,” and then you here the devil say “toasty,” and you hear Raiden Mortal Kombat say “finish him,” lol. Okay, no that was funny but seriously we should live today like we might die today with no regrets, no remorse and free from condemnation and guilt.
"He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor," Isa 59:16.
We should be real men who lead and show how its done. The word of God says that if we train our children up in the way they should go they will not depart from it when they are old. Truth is Gods way is right and fruitful and productive. Yet, the world shows there is a way that seems right unto a man but the end is death. If you had a father living by principle you have something to be thankful for, you are solid person and probably not giving to committing serious crime and your probably more mentally stable than others who don’t. You should tell you dad thanks even though you probably resented so of what he standed for.
Man Up! on the cross. Jesus set the true example of a man, a spiritual leader who is willing to lay his life down for his friends. One who will stand by principle if it cost Him everything. Daniel was thrown in the lions den for not submitting to ungodly people, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego where throwing into the fire for not bowing to a false God. Those are real manly examples of who we should be.
Man up in your finances to be a good godly provider. Don’t let your wife, girlfriend or future wife suffer from your lack of manly covering. The bible says the husband is the wife’s covering. Are you covering your wife or covering you rear, trying to hide your mistakes? If you can’t provide for yourself, how do you think you can cover and provide for a wife. If you have financial difficulty then reach out and get some resources on how to handle your money, budget, save, invest. But please don’t try and get a wife if you can’t take care of provide for youself.
Man Up: Jesus, David, Abram and Joseph are a few who were real men in the bible who overcame great obstacles to serve God. David was persecuted by King Saul for a good 10-15 years before becoming king. Abram never say the promise, it was Moses a descendant of his removed by 400 years who lead the people to water but didn’t get to drink of the promised land himself for being prideful. Joseph was a man who rose up against great odds, when thrown into slavery he became the head of the home, when thrown into prison become the head of the nation. Daniel when taken into captivity was thrown into the lions den but rose to be the leader of a nation. If you want to be remembered for being a great man, you must rise up and live by principle, it is that simple but it is that hard.
I came across this info in an article today, “Just today I saw another report about how male sweat causes positive responses in women. The latest research was published by the University of California. In testing the effects of male sweat on women they once again recorded positive hormonal changes for the majority of them who were exposed to its smell. This is significant.” You sweat is sexy to a women; make your life worth counting for. Do something significant with yourself!! Be remembered for the man you were not the whip you were.
Shalom Alechum,
Jeramiah A Giehl (aka Just paraDOX)
Man Up Ministry & JEM Stone Produktionz
Preaching, Production, Promotion, Planning & Performing
www.JustparaDOX.com
Man Up Manual
Man Up!
Manna 4 The
Man Down
Will The Real
Super-Men
Please Stand Up!
Manna 4 The
Man Down
Will The Real
Super-Men
Please Stand Up!
The Man Up!
Manual For
Men’s Ministry
Manual For
Men’s Ministry
How to Man up
And shoulder (or
Soldier) the
Responsibilities
Of being a man
In the context of
Modern culture
According to the
Word of God
And shoulder (or
Soldier) the
Responsibilities
Of being a man
In the context of
Modern culture
According to the
Word of God
We are going to begin studying the mighty men of the bible.
This is still a work in progress.
Mighty Men of the Bible (We are going to study the strengths & weaknesses)
1. Adam (Called to Greatness, Fall from Goodness)
2. Lucifer (Covering Cherub to Exposing Saints)
3. Noah (Lone Ranger - Protector - Maverick)
4. Abram (The Father Of Many Nations-Patriarchal Man Hood)
5. Moses (The Super Man Complex))
6. Lot (The Pillar of Pride - Provider not Protector)
7. Saul (Kingly Anointing)
8. Aaron (Priestly Anointing)
9. Elijah (Prophet)
10. (Defending The Pea Patch)
11. Samuel (Chosen As A Child)
12. Gideon Complex (Me No Good, To Small and Dumb)
13. Ahab (Lion with No Heart is No Man - Woo! Man!)
14. David & Goliath (Conquering Giants)
15. Joseph (from Slave to Second In Command)
16. Daniel & The Kings Men (Obedience is better than Sacrifice)
17. Joseph & Esau (the battle for first place)
18. Jeramiah (The Weeping Prohet, A Sensitive Man)
19. Isaiah (From Brokenness to Victorious)
20. Samson (The Secret Of Power)
21. Jesus (The Mans Man) Jesus Juice (The Holy Spirit)
22. Timothy (Godly parenting from a Single Mom)
23. Paul (Apostolic Anointing)
24. Peter (Timid But Tremendous)
25. Thomas (Dearly Doubting)
26. James (The Little Brother, in the shadow of Big Brother)
27. Ezekiel (Lost Sheep and the True Shepherd)
28. Solomon (From Wisdom To Many Women, From Prophet To Playa)
29. The Centurion (Soldier / Warrior Anointing)
30. Isaac (Like Father, Like Son - Generational Iniquities)
31. Joshua & Caleb (Men Of Faith, Protector & Providors, Leaders w/ Integrity)
32. (Farmer Cultivating Crops)
Question ~ What Do You Think About This? (Your feedback is requested)
I am curious to find out what you think. Gods put it on my heart to start a bible study geared towards men. I am working on curriculum for it based of the article I wrote a few weeks ago title Man Up! I feel there is a need for men to find their godly identity to know what the right view of a man is. Culture is creating a clime of emasculated men who don't know what it means to be a real man. I've dealt with it, I know many do and it causes struggles for them at work, in relationships, with their wife and family. Because men don't know how to be men anymore and no one is teaching them.
I have a couple questions.
Would you be interested?
What topics would interest you?
When would be a good time (day and time)?
What kind of ministry would you like to see?
Do you have something to share (what would you bring-offer)?
Please feel free to give me your thoughts and insights and what you think. Please give me some feedback on what you think. Do you think this is needed? What would you personally find beneficial?
Man Up Ministry!
Here is a small overview of what I feel God putting on my heart.
Topics we will be discussing, how to be a man or Man Up, what does it mean to be a Prophet, Priest & King, the men in the bible the characteristics, what made the successful and where they failed. How we can learn from them? What God wants us to learn? What are godly images of men? How do we become the men God has called us to be? Etc.
Here is was a good clip I came across about The problem in society of tough Guy Violence by Men promoted in Media - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI
Attached is a copy of the article I wrote about men needed to Man Up which is the inspiration for the bible study and probably will be the intro to the curriculum or book that's developing..
Shalom Alechum,
Jeramiah A Giehl (aka Just paraDOX)
JEM Stone Produktionz
Production, Promotion, Planning & Performing
The Entertainment Industry and Our Culture of Violence
The Entertainment Industry and Our Culture of Violence:
America’s Great Moral Disconnect
By Dr. Michael L. Brown
April 23, 2007
If you needed a diversion from watching the news about the tragic campus massacre at Virginia Tech last week, you could have been entertained by any number of movies on TV, like Scream 3, the ever-popular blood fest which aired two nights after the killings. Or you could have made your way over to the theater and taken in the double feature Grindhouse, hailed as the most violent chick-flick of all time. If you weren’t in the mood for movies, you could have lost yourself in a video game like Grand Theft Auto, rated Mature for “more intense violence or language than products in the Teen category.”
Yes, it is a tragic irony of our contemporary culture that we can be so traumatized by violence in its murderous, real life incarnation – rightly so – while at the same time be so titillated by extreme violence on TV, the movies, and our computer screens. The moral disconnect is massive.
Today, young people in particular are entertained by an endless barrage of scenes depicting bloodshed, torture, mutilation, and gore, scenes which create an appetite for more extreme forms of violent entertainment, and the entertainment industry is only to happy to comply. Yet it is considered off limits even to talk about the deleterious effects of this violent bombardment. To raise the subject is to evidence an extreme form of prudery, to be out of touch with reality, to advocate censorship.
But this is not a question of censorship or prudery. It is a question of common sense. According to an April 23, 2000 news release, “Playing violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life, according to two studies appearing in the April issue of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.”
Does it take the APA to tell us that a constant saturation of extremely violent images “can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior”? Isn’t this perfectly logical?
A ten year-old boy watches an NBA playoff game and then dons the jersey of his favorite player and runs to the nearest basketball court, wanting to be just like his hero. A teenage girl watches American Idol and says to herself, “That’s going to me next year,” as she sings and shimmies in front of her mirror. And in 1999, two unstable high-school students in Littleton, Colorado watch Natural Born Killers over and over again and say to themselves, “We’re going to do that one day too” – and they did.
Yes, it is no secret that the Columbine killers, whose murderous acts preceded the Virginia Tech massacre by almost eight years to the day, immersed themselves in video games like Doom and Mortal Kombat. They were also infatuated with movies like Natural Born Killers, and, in the massacre, they may have acted out a murderous school scene from The Matrix.
In the aftermath of the massacre at Blacksburg, some were raising the inevitable questions about gun control legislation, but I found myself wondering, “What kind of movies did the killer watch? Did our culture of violence help fuel the fires of an already sick mind?”
It appears that the demented young murderer was enthralled by the South Korean production Oldboy, an ultra-violent movie which featured themes like incest and sadistic revenge. In one scene, the movie’s chief protagonist pulls out the teeth of his former captor using a claw hammer. (Not surprisingly, Oldboy was hailed by critics at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.) Did images like this influence an already unstable psyche, helping to push him over the edge?
To be sure, the entertainment industry did not slaughter thirty-two people on the Virginia Tech campus. It was a mentally ill killer who pulled the trigger and was guilty of the horrific crime. But we are sticking our heads in the sand if we refuse to ask ourselves whether there is a connection between the extreme violence of the entertainment industry and the desensitizing of our youth.
Followers of Jesus are not exempt from this process of hardening, and if we allow ourselves to be entertained by all kinds of violence and sex, we too will become desensitized. Christian parents, what are your kids watching? What kind of games are they playing? And what is entertaining us as adults? What images are filling our hearts and minds?
We do well to heed Paul’s warning to the Ephesians: “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Eph 4:17-19). Hardening of the heart can be fatal.
Recent Hollywood releases include movies like Saw III, with the MPAA list of offensive elements including “strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity and language.” Yet as one website noted, “Parents read this as a warning, kids as a come-on. “‘Terror and torture’? I’m there!” Can’t see it? Must see it.”
An online review for parents describes Grindhouse scenes including, “faces melting, martial arts kicking, flesh-biting/eating, dismembering, and bashing with metal poles. Heads and chests explode, spewing goo and blood.” Another website warns of disturbing images in the movie, including a sex scene in which the woman realizes that the man has been decapitated. Yet a review on the Bloody-Disguting.com website raves about Grindhouse and its “three hours of car crashes, car chases, explosions, blood, guts, gore, slime, knife fights, sex scenes, fake trailers and more action than you’ve seen all year.”
In 1968, the ultra-liberal, child educator Benjamin Spock wrote, “[A nursery school teacher told me] her children were crudely bopping each other much more than previously, without provocation. When she remonstrated with them, they would protest, ‘But that’s what the Three Stooges do.’ This attitude did not signify a serious undermining of character. But it certainly showed me that watching violence can lower a child’s standards of behavior” (Baby and Child Care).
What would he say today?
Michael L. Brown, Ph.D., is Director of the Coalition of Conscience, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Men-Only Church Times Sermons, Meets in Gym
Men-Only Church Times Sermons, Meets in Gym
Outreach is part of national movement to reverse 'feminization' of Christianity.
By Jim Ellis
Associated Press Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - No hymnals. No pews. No steeple. No stained glass windows. And no women.
This ain't your grandma's church.
Organizers of the Church For Men say that guys are "bored stiff" in many churches today.
"We try to make it interesting for them. We meet in a gym and we talk about issues that mess men up," said Mike Ellis, 46, the church's founder.
The Church For Men meets one Saturday evening per month, drawing about 70 guys dressed in everything but straight-laced shirts and neckties. The service features a rock band, a shot clock to time the preacher's message and a one-hour in-and-out guarantee.
Ellis' church is part of a national movement to reverse what many Christian pastors and ministers are calling a troubling trend. Studies show that men are less likely than women to show up on Sunday mornings, and the reaction has been an emerging testosterone theology of sorts. Churches nationwide are now reaching out to men.
One study found that the average U.S. adult church congregation is 61 percent female, said David Murrow, author of "Why Men Hate Going To Church." The research shows women are more likely to attend church, Sunday school and small church groups."
Going to church is perceived as womanly behavior," said Murrow, who is based in Anchorage, Alaska, and travels the country lecturing about the issue. "We don't go to church for the same reason we don't wear pink."
Communication skills, public forms of affection, such as hugs and hand-holding, and other "soft skills" make many men feel incompetent in church, Murrow said.
Long church services also cause men to leave the fold, said Ellis, who first got the idea for a man-only church six years ago.
"I have the attention span of a flea," he said. "They say that if you don't get a man's attention in six to eight minutes, you lost them."
To that end, followers at Church For Men meet on a basketball court, a large scoreboard with a time clock ensures the preacher's message is delivered in 15 minutes, and the same rock band that opened for Bad Company and the Georgia Satellites a month ago bangs out a three-song set of hard-rockin' tunes.
Ellis maintains his church is not a replacement for the traditional weekly service, but an outreach to what he calls the "largest unreached people group."
Guest preacher Tom Trageser, 45, talked about lust during the church's March service. He finished his message, prayer and all, with five seconds left on the clock.
Some women in conventional churches say the movement to actively involve men is positive and they don't feel threatened by the men-only concept."
It made me excited to see the men getting together and discussing what they need to be doing," said Carolyn Mills, 58, who attends United Brethren in Christ in Holly Hill.
The religion that began 2,000 years ago with Jesus Christ convincing 12 male disciples to travel throughout the Holy Land on foot has been "feminized" during the past century, Murrow said.
Christian comedian and blogger Chris Elrod recently wrote in his blog: "Musically (men) want AC/DC and we give them Celine Dion. Lyrically (men) want Tom Clancy and we give them Danielle Steel. Spiritually (men) want 'Braveheart' and we give them 'Sleepless In Seattle.'"
The transformation of the church, many think, began with the Second Great Awakening during the early 1800s, which helped to advance the liberation of women. Not only were women attracted to the sweeping reforms pushed by revivalists of this period, but the evangelists would also attempt to reach men through their wives, hoping the wives would pressure husbands and sons to join them in the church, writes Leon Podles in his book, "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity."
The result, Murrow says, is more women in congregations assuming leadership roles and a natural shift toward a service catered to women.
"If the church is going to survive, we have to get men plugged back in," said Chuck McKeown, pastor of the United Brethren in Christ, where about 55 percent of the congregation is female.
McKeown launched a Sunday night service just for men in November. About 60 men convene outside, cook meat on the grill and separate into discussion groups."
Men have an affinity with the outdoors," McKeown said.
McKeown also made changes to the Sunday morning service, shortening the service time from nearly two hours to about an hour and featuring more upbeat music, all in an attempt to engage men.
Other churches with a male bent include Grove Community Church in Peoria, Ill. Members there don't have a pastor; they have a "coach," who "integrates a healthy, life-giving masculine spirit throughout the entire church," according to the church's Web site.
"Totally unchurched men are now attending church on a regular basis because of this ministry," Trainer said. "It's an absolute turn toward God through using something men are interested in."
McKeown said that women benefit too.
"We just encourage men to do what's right, to love their wives and family and protect their children," McKeown said.
Source: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070407/26770_Men-Only_Church_Times_Sermons%2C_Meets_in_Gym.htm
Outreach is part of national movement to reverse 'feminization' of Christianity.
By Jim Ellis
Associated Press Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - No hymnals. No pews. No steeple. No stained glass windows. And no women.
This ain't your grandma's church.
Organizers of the Church For Men say that guys are "bored stiff" in many churches today.
"We try to make it interesting for them. We meet in a gym and we talk about issues that mess men up," said Mike Ellis, 46, the church's founder.
The Church For Men meets one Saturday evening per month, drawing about 70 guys dressed in everything but straight-laced shirts and neckties. The service features a rock band, a shot clock to time the preacher's message and a one-hour in-and-out guarantee.
Ellis' church is part of a national movement to reverse what many Christian pastors and ministers are calling a troubling trend. Studies show that men are less likely than women to show up on Sunday mornings, and the reaction has been an emerging testosterone theology of sorts. Churches nationwide are now reaching out to men.
One study found that the average U.S. adult church congregation is 61 percent female, said David Murrow, author of "Why Men Hate Going To Church." The research shows women are more likely to attend church, Sunday school and small church groups."
Going to church is perceived as womanly behavior," said Murrow, who is based in Anchorage, Alaska, and travels the country lecturing about the issue. "We don't go to church for the same reason we don't wear pink."
Communication skills, public forms of affection, such as hugs and hand-holding, and other "soft skills" make many men feel incompetent in church, Murrow said.
Long church services also cause men to leave the fold, said Ellis, who first got the idea for a man-only church six years ago.
"I have the attention span of a flea," he said. "They say that if you don't get a man's attention in six to eight minutes, you lost them."
To that end, followers at Church For Men meet on a basketball court, a large scoreboard with a time clock ensures the preacher's message is delivered in 15 minutes, and the same rock band that opened for Bad Company and the Georgia Satellites a month ago bangs out a three-song set of hard-rockin' tunes.
Ellis maintains his church is not a replacement for the traditional weekly service, but an outreach to what he calls the "largest unreached people group."
Guest preacher Tom Trageser, 45, talked about lust during the church's March service. He finished his message, prayer and all, with five seconds left on the clock.
Some women in conventional churches say the movement to actively involve men is positive and they don't feel threatened by the men-only concept."
It made me excited to see the men getting together and discussing what they need to be doing," said Carolyn Mills, 58, who attends United Brethren in Christ in Holly Hill.
The religion that began 2,000 years ago with Jesus Christ convincing 12 male disciples to travel throughout the Holy Land on foot has been "feminized" during the past century, Murrow said.
Christian comedian and blogger Chris Elrod recently wrote in his blog: "Musically (men) want AC/DC and we give them Celine Dion. Lyrically (men) want Tom Clancy and we give them Danielle Steel. Spiritually (men) want 'Braveheart' and we give them 'Sleepless In Seattle.'"
The transformation of the church, many think, began with the Second Great Awakening during the early 1800s, which helped to advance the liberation of women. Not only were women attracted to the sweeping reforms pushed by revivalists of this period, but the evangelists would also attempt to reach men through their wives, hoping the wives would pressure husbands and sons to join them in the church, writes Leon Podles in his book, "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity."
The result, Murrow says, is more women in congregations assuming leadership roles and a natural shift toward a service catered to women.
"If the church is going to survive, we have to get men plugged back in," said Chuck McKeown, pastor of the United Brethren in Christ, where about 55 percent of the congregation is female.
McKeown launched a Sunday night service just for men in November. About 60 men convene outside, cook meat on the grill and separate into discussion groups."
Men have an affinity with the outdoors," McKeown said.
McKeown also made changes to the Sunday morning service, shortening the service time from nearly two hours to about an hour and featuring more upbeat music, all in an attempt to engage men.
Other churches with a male bent include Grove Community Church in Peoria, Ill. Members there don't have a pastor; they have a "coach," who "integrates a healthy, life-giving masculine spirit throughout the entire church," according to the church's Web site.
"Totally unchurched men are now attending church on a regular basis because of this ministry," Trainer said. "It's an absolute turn toward God through using something men are interested in."
McKeown said that women benefit too.
"We just encourage men to do what's right, to love their wives and family and protect their children," McKeown said.
Source: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070407/26770_Men-Only_Church_Times_Sermons%2C_Meets_in_Gym.htm
Macho Christianity - Are Christian Men Too Whimpy?Macho Christianity - Are Christian Men Too Whimpy?
Quote, "Are most churches too feminine? By JOHN DONVAN March 15, 2007 — Three hundred men — all Christian — gathered behind closed doors at a Tennessee mall trying to figure out the difference between being "nice" (which is not good) and being "good" (which is). They struggled in the dimly lit hall — after a Christian rock band handed it off to the comic in charge — to make sense of the message they were hearing from the stage: that church has been "feminized" and that the Jesus talked about in many modern churches is too wimpy and gentle. The men had to decide by day's end (that is, after six hours of listening) whether they were ready to take up the challenge of becoming a "Christian warrior" modeled on the "manlier" version of Christ they were told has been overlooked — the Christ who took a whip to moneychangers, and used the word "dung" when he had to. This was GodMen, a movement that is still a work in progress, according to principle founder Brad Stine, who calls himself "America's comic" and is often written up as "the Christian comic." Stine is convinced that American men in general, and Christian men in particular, have surrendered their masculinity to the shackles of political correctness, especially within the framework of the typical present day church. So he started GodMen as an antidote, to be a place, he says, "where men can be fully men." Or, as the posters for the mall event put it: "GodMen, When Faith Gets Dangerous." There have only been two GodMen events so far, both in Franklin, Tenn. But more are scheduled for the coming year in six other states. In reality, the most recent event was more seminar than hunting trip. A series of lecturers took the stage, interspersed with "guys'" entertainment like a strongman bending wrenches in half with his bare hands, and video clips of NFL bloopers. 'No More Christian Nice Guy' When the laughter died down, however, more serious messages were delivered, most notably by a Christian writer named Paul Coughlin, author of "No More Christian Nice Guy," who laid out the main theme of the day: "I want to encourage you to be good instead of nice," he told the assembled, several of whom were pastors from churches in the South and Midwest. "But know that you are going to make enemies in the process." And that, Coughlin argued, can be a good thing Coughlin contends that the Christian man in America has become passive, straitjacketed by a church culture that insists he emulate a version of Christ who is mild to an extreme, almost "wimpy" in some eyes. This Jesus avoids confrontation, is overly patient and is devoted — to a fault — to the dictum "turn the other cheek." Coughlin can be blunt; in his book, he calls this version of Jesus the "Bearded Lady." "The fact is," he told the gathering, "a meek and mild Jesus eventually is a bore. He doesn't inspire us." The same applies, he argued, to a meek and mild man. "Those men end up divorced," Coughlin said. "Their wives find them boring. They have no — I call it the 'jalapeno factor' — in them. There's no inner heat that causes them to actively, assertively go out and do what needs to be done as a man." 'Who Doesn't Want to Look at a Naked Lady?' Stine, once he'd finished his stand-up act, took a more serious turn, encouraging his audience to acknowledge that Christian men face challenges that they cannot talk about in church, or, as a rule, in front of women — namely, the fact that men, including happily married Christian men, lust for other women, and that they are attracted to pornography even if they believe it is sinful. "Who doesn't want to look at a naked lady?" he asked, the rhetorical question you'll never hear on Sunday. Stine's point: That's why a Christian hooked on pornography — "some of you are addicted," he intoned, without requesting a show of hands — may simmer in shame indefinitely, rather than ask for help to stop. GodMen ends with Stine asking those who want to "join the tribe" to step forward and accept a series of assignments to complete at home, like memorizing some scripture or volunteering at a soup kitchen. Stine is interested in hearing back from those who try. "You're the guinea pigs," he told the audience. "We're still figuring this out.""
View the ABC special God Men - When Faith Gets Dangerous? - http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2953525
They making these kind of statements:
They making these kind of statements:
"Are You Male Enough, Not Are You Tough Enough?"
"Its prom songs to Jesus?"
"Jesus went after money changers with a whip."
Quote, "The GodMen event is: More powerful, raw, and real than any other men's event you know. A place to explore issues like fear, isolation, numbness, aimlessness, pornography, passivity and more. An opportunity to discuss sensitive subjects without using sugar coated or safe church language. Speakers who speak honestly about their struggles through short messages. Hosted by comedian, actor and author Brad Stine. Other speakers include Paul Coughlin (author of No More Christian Nice Guy), Dave Bunker, Illusionist Ken Sands and more, plus the GodMen Band. A place to ask questions and receive honest answers. A chance to celebrate the masculine spirit."
Some video about the event
http://www.godmen.org/godmen07promo.mov
Some Links
What people are saying.
Quote,
"A contrarian movement...[where] thousands of Christian men are reaching for more forceful, more rugged expressions of their faith." Los Angeles Times
"This wasn't your Daddy's religious revival." Newsweek
"As a Senior Pastor I have always been hesitant to attend, promote, or endorse any event outside our own church without first checking it out for myself. I decided not only to attend myself, but to take some guys from our church as well. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made. GodMen impacted every one of us in a powerful and positive way. This conference dared to directly confront the issues that are decimating men's lives in today's world. Having attended myself, I know GodMen to be a fresh movement among men, a return to a biblical pattern of masculinity that is the beginning of a revolution. I witnessed the impact this conference had on my own twenty-five year old son. His life has been totally transformed by what God did that day through the leaders speaking openly and directly to the real issues in his life. I would encourage Pastors everywhere to get behind this movement of God." Randy Cordell Senior Pastor, Lakeshore Christian Church - Nashville, TN
"An important attempt to address at least one aspect of the difficulty Christianity is facing with men." Roland Martinson Professor of Ministry, Luther Seminary - St. Paul, MN
"After visiting your website, I think I have out my finger on what is lacking in my spiritual life. I agree fully as to your points concerning the emasculation of today’s churchgoing man. The touchy-feely approach may be needed to bring a man in, but to keep a man and have that man grow into what the Bible tells us a man should be, the gloves have to come off. Your approach appears to do just this, hit us right between the eyes. It forces us to look at the hard issues and deal with them. Speaking for myself, this is exactly what I need." Ryan Rayburn Master Sergeant, U.S Air Force
"Congratulations on finding a unique approach that may help a number of men renew their faith in Jesus the Christ or, in fact, help some men to really find Salvation for the first time. I pray that your approach does reach out and find those men who need it. God Bless!" Peter Christy Kansas City, MO
"As a pastor, my job is to draw people into the Kingdom. We use whatever we can to make the message hit home. In the church setting with mixed genders and ages, there are just some topics you can’t hit hard enough to break through. That’s where an event…no, a movement like GodMen comes in. The focus lets the message burn deeper and breaks through those hidden layers in comfort zones where things hide. Even the best of us are still just men. We deal with man problems and man issues. We need platforms like GodMen where a man can really identify with what’s eating at his gut. Where you can hear someone a lot like you, who has already gone ahead and found the way out. We’ve had enough of laying back, covering up and being run over. It’s time to change the way we operate in this world as Christian men. Enough hiding out! Let’s get the skeletons out of the closet and clean house. If you asked me about GodMen in a sentence, I would say hard hitting and focus accurate for men today. If it’s coming anywhere near you, don’t miss it. It just might change your life." Kraig Wall Senior Pastor, Father's House Church - Franklin, TN
"I can be a MAN? And have faith? Now there is a concept that has slowly and carefully been taken from me and all men. I heard your spot on 97.1fm today – what a wonderful concept. Too long we’ve been using 'please - thank you' religion. It’s time to use 'right – wrong' approach." David Wasylenko
"My heart and my personal ministry have been challenged lately that Christians are too passive in their faith. In a world that is moving in the wrong direction faster than non-believers care to accept, we as Christians need to become warriors for and like Christ. You hit the nail on the head in describing certain aspects of too many of today's churchgoing men. I commend you guys for taking a tough stand for God and men." Joe Paul Owner, Bristol Bay Sportfishing - Lake Iliamna, Alaska
"I applaud you all. It is about time someone stands up for men. Take heart there are some of us women who are on your side-and working the best we can to make sure our sisters understand what is going on." Jo Anne Niedermeier Newport, MI
"It has been so very long since I encountered something that TRIPPED MY TRIGER (so positively) as your interview with Brian Wilson. Growing up, I served Mass for my Parish Priest who was a tough Irish Guy, was a Marine Veteran of WWII, the Chaplain for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and drove his Olds 98 Convertible...FAST (even to the cemetery)! I thought the days of a MANLY FAITH were gone. Sure glad they're not!" Ed Kiely Milan, IL"
A Fathers day message - http://www.crosswalk.com/1402712/
The problem in society - Tough Guy Violence by Men
One of the major problems in society is tough guy violence by men in the media and entertainment, here is a link to a video on youtube regarding that - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI
Man Hood in Hip Hop? "Hip-Hop, 'Beyond Beats and Rhymes'" on PBS
I saw this post on SOHH and thought this was interesting and would share.
Quote, "Manhood in Hip HopMy boss listens to National Public Radio (NPR) all the time and he told me about a show called "Talk of the Nation" that was going to be discussing Hip Hop artists and the image they portray to the world.
Listen to it here - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7498468
The guest for the show was a film maker by the name of Byron Hurt who's documentary "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" will be debuting on PBS tonight. He went around and asked many prominent artists about their content and what they thought of the many ways "hip Hop" can be viewed as destructive. It sounds like Mr. Hurt was pretty much confronting these guys infront of a camera. I believe the film has interviews with Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Jada Kiss, and a host of other artists in the lime light.
Watch a teaser of the film here - http://youtube.com/watch?v=WjxjZe3RhIo
I think Mr. Hurt is doing great work. I also think he's doing exactly what many of us in this forum have been doing- transforming Hip Hop in order to prayerfully transform individuals."
I listened to the audio and this is pretty good. Here's a little about the show.
Quote, "A Look at Hip-Hop, 'Beyond Beats and Rhymes'
Talk of the Nation, February 20, 2007 · Filmmaker Byron Hurt's new movie Beyond Beats and Rhymes, documents the impact of the rap music culture on the men who listen and create it.
Guests: Byron Hurt, writer-director of Beyond Beats and RhymesMark Anthony Neal, professor of black popular culture at Duke University"
This looks like good stuff. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/hiphop/
The author of the video thinks hip hop culture is dying.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)