discipleship – Muscular Christianity

Why Bother?

Initially, the emphasis is on eternity. You want to be a Christian so you can be certain you’re in the right line after you die. And if Heaven and hell turn out to be fictional, still you want to make sure just in case.

Beyond that, things like going to church and reading your Bible are noble exercises. Being moral is a good approach in the way that it allows you to avoid the pain that often accompanies the consequences of debauchery.

But is that it?

Is the whole point of being on top of your game spiritually nothing more than just being “nice?”

Absolutely not.

The life worth living is the one where you are fierce on the battlefield and you are a gentleman in every other arena. You reek of excellence, honor and strength. Rather than cave in the face of temptation to be less than who you are, you stand, you endure and you win. And not just in the realm of moral dilemmas where your resolve is being tested in the context of sexual pleasures or unethical practices. However toxic or frequent they may be, those are juvenile and insignificant when compared to the real struggle and the real prize.

There is a war being waged every waking moment of your life between the lesser version of yourself and the one that God created to achieve and to thrive. To hit that mark – to claim that victory – you have to engage an enemy whose sole purpose is to see you fail in every category that matters. His tactics are as subtle as they are lethal and however determined you may be, your defenses are pointless. You will fail, you will lose and you will hurt.

The world is full of wealthy disasters, happy fiends and clever fools. Measuring your influence and success by goalposts that never stop moving is pure folly. What matters most is what outlasts you and it’s your character that serves as the foundation upon which your true success is built. That is your top button. Everything else is either compromised or complimented by the substance of who you are.

Here is where Christ makes all the difference.

To refer to it as “good news,” seems like a pathetic understatement. It’s not just a “positive report.” It’s not just the prospect of a temporary reprieve. It’s a Divine Guarantee that you can win every time (Rom 8:28, 37; 2 Cor 2:14). The war that had to be fought and had to be lost is now a war that is already won – it’s just a matter of choosing the Weapon and the Resource that renders even the most diabolical of Satan’s schemes harmless. In end, you are more than your best because now it’s the Son of God in and through you. It’s not just bravery, it’s Perfect Courage. It’s not just strength, it’s Perfect Power and it’s not just a fortunate circumstance, it’s a Divinely orchestrated opportunity.

You study the Word of God and you converse with your King to ensure that you are facing every moment in a way that translates to the best possible outcome according to the True Muscle and the Perfect Mindset afforded to you by God and purchased with the sacrifice of His Son.

That’s why you study Scripture. That’s why you go to church. That’s why you pray and that’s how you triumph over every impulse to be less than the man God created you to be.

Hardcharger

In the USMC, “hardcharger” was a term you used to describe someone who was motivated. They were constantly striving for excellence and all the while being the kind of person you wanted to either work with or work for.

They had an energy about them that got you fired up. You enjoyed just being in the same room with them because of the way they effected the disposition of those within the sphere of their influence.

I came across several “hardchargers” during my nine years in the Corps. Master Sergeant “Top” Harris was a Vietnam vet with two purple hearts. Catalog Marine. When he gave the command, you snapped to attention and there was a part of you that took pride in working for an individual that had earned the right to light you up based on his combat record as well as his personal example.

Sergeant Major McGuirk was another Vietnam war vet. Personal decorations that extended to his collar bone. What made him so memorable was his perpetually cheerful demeanor. I remember standing outside as he came by and said, “Morning, Marines! Hope you’re doing good. Terrible day to be pissed off…!”

Then there was Sergeant Major Kellogg. He had earned the Medal of Honor as a Sergeant by using his body to shield his squad from the blast of a grenade. Although he was enlisted, you still saluted him as is the case with all Medal of Honor winners. What made his situation especially inspiring is that he was the only Sergeant Major in USMC history beside Dan Daly that had won our nation’s highest honor. I still get chills as I recall “sticking” my salute as his car drove by.

And there were others. Top Mike, Petty Office Dunaway, Major Croswell, Gunnery Sergeant Burd. And it’s not limited to the military. “Hardchargers” are everywhere, but while they’re not exclusive to any one walk of life, they’re not especially common.

You have to wired in a special way. It’s not something that can be quantified entirely, but the one characteristic that is consistently present is passion. It has to be complimented with a sense of humility and integrity. There also has to be an authentic commitment to the welfare of others, but “passion” is the underlying quality that gets your attention and makes you want to listen. The other virtues will “keep” your attention, but what initially gets you in a place where you’re positioned to be influenced and enriched is the sense of excitement these people bring to the table.

Pause of a minute.

In the early 1900’s, the percentage of boys aged 12-18 who chose to dismiss church as an unnecessary and irrelevant practice was 60-80 percent. ¹ It seems that contemporary Christianity has always been challenged when it comes to presenting a relationship with Christ as being practical and not just profound. As a result, Christianity becomes regulated to something either academic or mystical – either way it’s processed as a three hour chore to be performed every Sunday as opposed to an every day paradigm that translates to an ever increasing collection of advantages over those things that would otherwise have you existing rather than truly living.

When you take a look at Christ as He truly was and is, you have the Ultimate Hardcharger. Don’t hear that as a segue into something “theological.” I have no trouble processing my Savior as as Personality worthy of my respect and admiration as well as my reverence. Go with me…

I aspire to individuals who carry themselves well. Theirs is a physical bearing that communicates an appreciation for discipline and a familiarity with hard work. In the Marines we were taught to speak with a command tone to your voice when tasked with directing others and you were to always lead by example. “JJ DID TIE BUCKLE.” Leadership Traits: Justice, Judgement, Decisiveness, Integrity, Dependability, Tact, Initiative, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, Endurance. Jesus had all of that.

And while the common “picture” of Christ is a frail, blue-eyed whisper of a man, it’s laughable when you try to reconcile that image with 30 years of hard, physical labor as a carpenter and the capacity to endure six hours on the cross before passing away – and that after being beaten and flogged. I’m not trying to suggest that Jesus was an action hero or a fitness model. What I am trying to do is strip away the tradition that insists on a Christ figure with perfect skin, a delicate bone structure and a voice perpetually accompanied with soft singing and a professional string ensemble.

Is the physical appearance of Jesus an issue? No. It’s His Identity and His Message that needs to be the focus (Is 53:2-3). But while there was nothing majestic about His look to the point where people were inclined to conclude He was Divine, that’s not our cue to assume a lack of discipline (gluttony [Dt 21:20; Prov 23:21]) or a pasty physique (sluggard [Prov 21:25; 24:30-34]). Look at Christ as He’s playing with the kids (Lk 18:16) but don’t try to “edit” Him when He’s driving out the money changers in the Temple (Jn 2:12-25). Hear the approachable nature in His Voice as He’s delivering the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:1-10), but hear His Authority when He refers to the Pharisees as a brood of vipers (Matt 12:34).

Bottom line: Recognize that every admirable trait you could possibly appreciate in someone you look up to was authored by God. And when we’re commanded to imitate God (Eph 5:1), we’re being admonished to be “hardchargers.” Think about it! The Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), the attributes of godly wisdom (Jas 3:17) – those are the foundational attributes that qualify an action as truly heroic. Those are the characteristics that certify one’s actions as virtuous and not just commendable. The Leadership Traits encouraged by the Marines? When the wisdom you’re deploying has as it’s philosophical starting point a fear of God (Prov 9:10), everyone of those traits is manifested in its purest and most effective form.

The term “Christian Solider” is often used to describe someone who is putting points on the board more so in terms of theological values than practical gains. And that’s part of why society sometimes has a quizzical look on their face when confronted with someone who excels in the marketplace and is also born again. But that shouldn’t be the case. God never restricted His Resources for tragedies and crisis situations only, nor was His Lordship designed to be one file folder among many. Rather, He’s the Filing Cabinet and the whole of life is to processed from a position of Divine strength and a sanctified sense of Purpose (Is 41:10; Phil 2:13).

That’s the quintessential hardcharger, right there!

Bring it!

1. Clifford Putney, Muscular Christianity, First Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2003), Kindle edition.

Faith Versus Fiction

You’ve heard the statement “It takes more faith to be an atheist…”

I’ve concluded that when you’re conversing with a non-believer, that’s not a strategic contribution to the dialogue. In a way you’re implying that there’s a more noble effort being put forth by eliminating God from the human experience than there is by revering His Presence and Activity.

Faith in God isn’t always logical in that you’re operating according to a perspective that exceeds the boundaries of human intellect. It’s because of the way it sometimes flies in the face of what’s empirical, that critics sneer at anything that strikes them as supernatural and therefore nonsensical. The problem with their platform, however, is that in an effort to explain the created order or to establish a sound philosophical base for morals and a sense of purpose, they’re obligated to adhere to imaginary numbers and concepts that exist in theory more so than practice. It’s not faith they deploy in those moments, rather it’s a resolve to maintain the illusion of control over themselves and their environment. While they insist theirs is a more rational perspective, in the light of Truth, it’s nothing more than an alluring fiction.

On the other hand, faith in Christ is based on a historical reality. The Person Jesus Christ did exist and the circumstances surrounding His birth, life, death and resurrection are documented in Scripture and corroborated by other extra-biblical accounts. It’s neither illogical nor unreasonable to accept and trust Christ as the One He claimed to be. And when you’re subscribing to a Resource that can be trusted, it is no longer illogical to embrace whatever content comes from that Resource, regardless of how it may or may not resonate with the obvious.

In business, you’re inevitably confronted with things you can neither control nor anticipate. The best product, the best marketing strategy, the best business plan can be dismantled in an instant by an unexpected occurrence. Look at what it says in James:

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (Jas 4:13-16 [see also Prov 27:1])

What this verse is pointing out is that in light of the fact that we can never know what awaits us just around the corner, it’s not smart to brag about anything that has yet to happen. Regardless of how you’ve prepared and schemed, the outcome is totally in the Hands of God. That’s why, following the directions of your Heavenly Father in terms of a business strategy, while it may not look as though you’re operating in a sensible manner, it is very sensible to navigate your vessel from the Perspective of One Who both knows and sees everything whereas you and I are limited to that which is right in front of us (see Luke 5:4-6).

When you’re being truly faithful, you’re being genuinely wise. There’s nothing ludicrous in handing over the day to day operations of your shop to One Who is in a position to guide and direct based on unlimited Strength and a Perspective not restrained by the limitations of a human perspective.

So keep the faith and be assured that you’re being smart in doing so. “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: ⁶He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your indication like the noonday sun.” (Ps 37:4-6)

Higher Education

So, Peter and his crew have been fishing all night. They know what they’re doing. They do this for a living. But despite their best efforts, they haven’t caught anything and you can imagine the way their wheels are spinning. They’ve got bills to pay and mouths to feed. This isn’t bragging rights they’re pursuing, this is their livelihood.

They’re wrapping things up. It’s morning and they’re already rehearsing what they’re going to be telling their wives, I’m sure. “Sorry, baby…we didn’t catch anything.”

They’re washing their nets, when here comes Jesus. He’s got His typical crowd following Him and He asks Peter if he would be willing to let Him get into one of his boats and speak from a position just off shore. “Sure,” says Peter. It’s not like they’ve got anything pressing going on now, in light of last night’s epic fail. Read more

The Tyranny of the Urgent

The Dictionary defines “tyranny” as “cruel and oppressive power.” When you consider the context of the title of this post, it makes sense.

Here’s the situation: You’ve got several plates spinning. Among them there are some legitimate deadlines, but you also have some things that, while they need to get done, don’t have the same sense of professional urgency attached to them. And while that might be plain when you step back and really evaluate your to-do list, it isn’t always obvious when you’re just in your “zone,” trying to get things done.

But in order for your day to be truly productive, you have to step back and collect your thoughts enough to ensure that your efforts are being deployed in the wisest manner possible. Otherwise, the “tyranny of the urgent” takes over and those things that are authentic priorities are usurped by what poses as “urgent.”

And I’ve come to discover that it’s not always obvious… Read more

The Difference Between Facts and Truth

Assessment versus Response

A “fact” is an accurate assessment of a situation. “Truth” is an accurate response to a situation. While the two words are often used interchangeably, it’s healthy to recognize the profound difference that exists between the two.

Facts are based on knowledge. Statistics, status reports, studies, polls – empirical readings of whatever it is that’s being considered. Think of it has having money. The more knowledgeable you are, the more capital you have access to.

Truth, on the other hand is based on wisdom. It’s the ability to take all that knowledge and process it in a way that results in a right decision. If you go back to the illustration of wealth, where knowledge would be having capital, wisdom would be knowing how to allocate that money.

Perspective

Ultimately, it comes down to perspective. Look at Proverbs 9:10:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10)

If I limit my intake of criteria to what I can see and whatever most resonates with my personal preferences, the end result is an outlook that may appear sound, but is ultimately ill equipped to effectively stand up against the reality of life where a more comprehensive and unpredictable collection of variables exists.

To be accurate in the way I formulate my convictions, I must base my perspective on an Absolute Resource that transcends cultural inclinations, personal opinions and human perspectives. Only by hitching my philosophical wagon to an unchanging and all-knowing dynamic do I emerge with an approach that can accommodate what lies beyond the human capacity to see and understand.

An Emphasis on Wisdom

That’s why Scripture places such and emphasis on wisdom, because it’s based on a dependence and commitment to God more so than a self sufficient bravado that attempts to supersede Divine omniscience with human intelligence.

So pursue facts for the sake of being informed, but seek Truth for the sake of being wise. That’s the difference between facts and Truth and the difference between failure and success.

Duck Dynasty (Part Three) – What Tolerance Truly Is

The challenge is: How do I talk with someone in a way that make Christ look appealing when their whole approach to life and morality is based on a platform that dismisses Biblical Absolutes as antiquated, limiting and irrelevant?

But the question is not whether I have to the capacity to accept what is different. Rather, it’s whether or not I am willing to embrace what is wrong. And here’s where the dialogue becomes difficult to navigate apart from a spiritual perspective.

Biblical Absolutes

My definition of “moral” is intentionally based on Biblical Absolutes. My interpretation of those parameters is one that perceives them as keys to success as opposed to burdensome obligations (John 8:31-32). But that paradigm is foreign to the person who’s on the outside looking in as far as an authentic relationship with Christ and they always will be.

As humans, we’re antagonistic to God’s Word and the way in which He defines moral behavior:

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. *(Rom 8:6-8)

So my coming up to someone who doesn’t subscribe to the way in which God has designed things and attempt to tell them that they’re driving outside the lines – that’s not going to make a dent. Whatever they have determined is going to make them happy is now being threatened by an approach to morality that they neither understand nor agree with. You can’t expect to get very far given that dynamic as a starting point.

You’re Not Supposed to Judge

To remain silent is not an option. Some will insist that you’re not supposed to “judge,” but that’s not true. Anytime Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven” He was acknowledging there was dirt on the floor that needed to be cleaned up. We’re admonished to identify shortcomings both in ourselves and others in order to avoid running off the road, but it has to be done in a way that produces a positive result (see Matt 18:15; Jas 5:16; 1 John 1:9).

It’s important to realize the difference between judging, training and punishing. Jesus never condemned anyone while on this earth, though He would’ve been completely justified in doing so. But while He didn’t condemn someone for their actions, He never hesitated in identifying sin. It’s through the identification of a problem, that you’re able to effectively address it. To say there is no problem is to deny both the obvious as well as the needed remedy.

So, it’s important to judge in order to keep our blind spots from becoming lethal. At the same time, it’s absolutely crucial to do it in a way where the result inspires a positive response.

Consider the chart below:

Action	Definition	Yes / No	Scripture
Judgment	Define	Yes	Matt 18:15; John 7:24; 1 Cor 5:12
Discipline	Train	Yes	1 Cor 5; 2 Cor 2:5-11
Condemnation	Punish	No	John 3:17; 8:11

Again, Jesus didn’t hesitate in identifying a particular act as sinful, but He did so in a way that targeted the source of the problem and not just the evidence of it, and that’s key. In John 4:16-19, Jesus is able to bring to light the fact that the woman He was speaking with had a morally checkered past. But He did it in a way where the woman’s response was centered on the One Who defined morality as opposed to defending the morality of a certain behavior.

So What Do You Say?

Phil wasn’t wrong in what he said and insisting that the media backlash would’ve been less had he said it in a different way is speculative at best. The only thing we can do is take our cue from Christ and let that be our template.

That said, what does that template look like?

Going back to John 4, you see how Jesus is able to acknowledge the woman’s lifestyle without making that the centerpiece. The issue is sin and not just a bad lifestyle.

When we converse with someone, it’s important to ensure that we don’t view our situation as any better than the person we’re talking to. Regardless of their lifestyle, we’re all sinners desperately needing a Savior (Rom 3:23).

Perhaps Paul said it best:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)

That’s the bottom line. If the conversation drifts away from the one central Truth, communicated in a way that has your audience leaving their water containers behind to go and talk to the very people she was hoping to avoid earlier that day, then we need to make sure we’re streamlining our verbiage to accommodate only those things that truly matter.

Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Robertson said at one point that it’s God’s job to sort everything out. That’s true. Until them, all we’re expected to do – and all we can do – is present Christ and let Him sort everything else out. Frankly, when it comes to these kind of scenarios, it’s not only our best approach, it’s the only one that yields any real results.

Want to see how much you learned? Take the quiz…

Duck Dynasty (Part Two) – More Than Strategic

Honesty, Compassion, Equality and Kindness

The recent comments of Phil Robertson, as far as his disagreeing with the homosexual lifestyle is neither inaccurate nor cruel, they’re just not welcome.

The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) crowd maintains that their platform is based on honesty, compassion; equality and kindness. And anyone who disagrees is engaging in the antithesis of those virtues. In other words, should you voice your convictions which are contrary to the homosexual lifestyle; you’re guilty of hate speech.

It’s a brilliant strategy to predicate your stance in a way where anyone who disagrees is automatically disqualified as someone who lacks compassion. But there is a fundamental flaw in their reasoning that needs to be indentified in order to facilitate a compelling rebuttal.

A Flawed Philosophical Foundation

You cannot logically assert a virtuous quality as the basis for something immoral.

Honesty, compassion, equality and kindness are all noble attributes because of the way in which they advance an agenda based on Truth. Should I attempt to use them as a philosophical foundation to justify a depraved action, my argument is neither logically sound nor are my actions any less corrupt. Yet, this is the argument the homosexual crowd maintains as their first line of defense when it comes to dialoging with anyone who disagrees with their lifestyle.

They’ll insist that their being honest about who they are is worthy of applause. Those who differ need to keep their criticisms to themselves in the name of compassion and kindness. And given the supposed amoral dynamic of sodomy, their commitments need to be granted the same legal consideration as their heterosexual counterparts.

A platform that asserts a moral virtue as the basis for an immoral act is ineffective in refuting a guilty verdict. When held up to the light of Truth, the homosexual lifestyle is perverse. But if the basis for the verdict is irrelevant in the mind of the accused, then there is no indictment and therefore no need for a defense. And that’s why the homosexual stance is as vocal and as compelling sounding as it is – not because it’s right, it’s just clever.

More Than Strategic

Still, there’s more to this debate than simply being strategic. While the homosexual argument may be temporarily overcome by a more tactically sound response, ultimately if my words are to be effective, than I have to follow Christ’s example and point to the Source of Truth and not just a deviation from it. My saying that their use of virtue to cloak their vice means nothing if the Standard by which I measure their lifestyle is considered less than Authoritative. That’s why I have to guide the conversation in a way that presents Truth and not just a fact.

Want to see how much you learned? Take the quiz…

There is Such a Thing as “Muscular Christianity”

Think about this: Being fit spiritually needs to be approached with the same kind of resolve that one deploys in the context of being physically fit. Reason being is that I’m not going to triumph in life based on a fit appearance. It’s who I am and not how I look or perform that ultimately translates to true success.

Being fit is very, very cool. I don’t say that because I feel like I’ve arrived, rather I see it as something that goes beyond mere appearances and therefore worthy of more than a casual effort.

It is inevitably indicative of who you are: your sense of discipline, you capacity to meet certain challenges, your ability to do more than the bare minimum.

We live in a world of instant gratification and an acceptance of unhealthy excess. We don’t have a bowl of ice cream, we have a quart because it’s there and we tell ourselves we should be able to enjoy it. And I’m not just talking about a frozen dairy dessert; I’m talking about any kind of food or behavior that, while it may be fine in the context of healthy parameters, is positively lethal when engaged without boundaries that are Absolute.

People cringe when they hear that word because it represents a dynamic that is perceived as unnecessarily restrictive and no one likes to be told they shouldn’t or they can’t.

But behind that word is an approach that is as advantageous as it is common. No one who has been able to accomplish something extraordinary has been able to do so without denying themselves whatever might distract them from achieving their goal. Yet when we attempt to take that same concept and rightfully apply it to the whole of life, discipline and sacrifice are suddenly processed as antiquated and even judgmental because even the presence of limits can invoke feelings of resentment and indignation. Its one thing to be disciplined in the context of pursuing a goal, but it’s another when deployed as part of a holistic approach to our total existence. Read more

Thomas Jefferson at Ten Years Old

It wasn’t that long ago if you were old enough to work, you were an adult. That means by the time we were getting our Learner’s Permit, George Washington had already completed surveying the territory we now know as Virginia and Thomas Jefferson was several years removed from proving himself capable of surviving in the woods, thanks to a challenge presented by his father when Thomas was ten.
History echoes Scripture as far as how young people are far more capable than our culture gives them credit for
As adults we do well to process these realities as our cue to be more diligent in encouraging the young people in our charge as well as “sucking it up” when confronted with challenges that pale in comparison to those that our younger historical counterparts had to face.

Thomas Jefferson. He’s ten years old and his father sends him into the woods alone. The assignment is to demonstrate his ability to survive in the wild. All he’s got is a gun and his wits.¹

10 year old Thomas is able to prove himself and he would go on to accomplish some extraordinary things as a statesman and as the third President of, what at the time was a very young and unsteady nation.

I’m wondering what would happen if such a thing were attempted today. What if a father handed his ten year old son a shotgun and told him that he had the afternoon to find and kill his supper. Given today’s culture, I’m thinking that would be considered abusive and Family Services would be called upon to help the Dad better understand how to properly raise a boy.

And who’s to say that Family Services wouldn’t have a point? We don’t expect that kind of capacity in a youngster, but my question is: Should we? Should we expect a ten year old to be capable with a shotgun? And why stop there? Should we expect more out of kids than we do? Read more

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