This Column is For Men
by Don Sniff, Fowler Christian Church
Exo 15:3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.
In the country today, if you think of “manly” things, you think of pro football, with tough conditioned men attacking one another in a game of war. Or think about rodeos, where men chase down steers on the back of a charging horse, or trying to hold on to a jumping/kicking bull or horse. Manly. Men head for the outdoors, to hunt, fish, or 4-wheel. Manly. But when a person thinks of “church”, we don’t think “manly”, we think womanly…passive, quiet, boring.
Were you able to enter a time-warp and go back 2,000 or 3,000 years, however, what a different picture you’d see! The churches and synagogues were filled with men. If the women attended, they sat in the back, or up in a balcony while the teacher spoke to the men and their sons about God and life. David Murrow recently wrote a book titled “Why Men Hate Going to Church.” And basically, it’s because church has become feminized. And this is definitely true. Walk into any church here in the Fowler area, or the Arkansas Valley, or anywhere here in the country and count noses. The majority will be female. Yet the Lord holds the men responsible for the spiritual welfare of their families.
We are returning to our Biblical roots in our church, and others in the area are also. One of the men in our church teaches self-defense classes, and you can get banged up quickly. We have men’s meetings once a month where we throw on some steaks, bring out the shotguns and have a clay shoot, or bring our rifles and blast targets. Ever tried prairie golf? Try hitting a golf ball in a prairie dog patch, while avoiding the occasional rattler, then tell me it’s for women only! And ours isn’t the only church getting back to our masculine roots. There are a collection of churches in Pueblo and Colorado Springs where the men have a group called “Ironworks”. As one member from Pueblo just told me, “It’s basically Christian men getting together to go shooting, hunting, fishing, dirtbike riding and other such manly pursuits.” Yeah, that’s more my cup of coffee. So men, go to church next Sunday with the wife and kids. Think of the old Westerns that used to be on TV. Think of a wagon train. We’re all driving our Conestogas across the prairie of life. It’s tough out here. Life really is short, and often callous, even brutal. It’s better to be with like-minded men who can help one another when the chips are down. It’s good to know that when trouble comes, we can ‘circle the wagons’. And it’s good for our wives and families. But whether you come or not, stop thinking of God as some sort of pale, sissy being who’s soft as a marshmallow and wants men to be the same. As the verse above says, “The Lord is a warrior!” He expects His men to be as well. He also said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” We’re men, and we’re going to do what we were designed to do…be men!
See you in church.
