Revolutionizing Man-Kind

I am right now in the middle of a personal development program for men, called the Total Man Retreat. The theme revolution man-kind. Reintroducing men to what kindness is all about and how it is kindness that attracts people and helps us lead. Many men think kindness is weakness, but in reality kindness is strength.

Most men are known as harsh, mad, angry, and aggressive. These are the terms more readily used to describe a man. Its rare to hear someone say, that is a kind man.

We’ve heard from Dale Martin, Church of the Harvest’s Edmond Campus Pastor, about a good man. We need to see ourselves as good men, and we need to behave ourselves as good men. Relying on the direction of God, and not being afraid to be good, realizing that real men are good men.

We’ve Heard From Rev Spike Our OKC Campus Pastor about the revolution Cycle. How God wants us to surrender not just sacrifice. Sacrifice says i’ll do this for this outcome. Surrender says, I’ll do this because ive given my life to it, regardless of the outcome.

We’ve heard from Pastor Kirk Pankratz Church of the Harvest’s Senior Pastor. He spoke on the revolution of Kindness. What Kindness really is, we should overcome being “mad” men, We should learn what kindness is and understand what kindness does, and to please God your kindness can be simple and easy, it doesn’t have to be world impacting but day to day Kindness will impact the world.

Today, I am going to Speak on How to revolt. We must have a personal revolution, before we can lead one publicly. We must have purposed revolution, because revolution without purpose is mere rebellion. We must have the right motives in our revolution. A revolution must be led not said. We must count the cost for the revolution, and we must pay the price for our revolution.

So what are we revolting against? Personal issues of anger and frustration, so we can lead our families into fulfillment and peace. Against hate, bitterness, anger, and malice, so we can change the world. Against, wrong images of men, wrong identities of what it means to be a man. So we can lead in security that Character is prominent, integrity a major tenant, and Love our greatest motivation.

God wants us to be men, and he wants us to love our wives, love our children and attend to them, and quite frankly He wants us to change the world for the positive.

Simply, “Revolutionize Man-Kind”

David

Clear the Clutter…

 

Have you ever moved?  If you’re like me you would rather get poked in the eye with a tire iron, than to pack everything up and move it.  The one thing I’ve noticed about moving is, each time we’ve done it we have more stuff than the last time. 

       Some of this “stuff” is no doubt excellent and has great purpose, but when you look around, you realize, a lot of it is useless junk.  Toys your kids haven’t played with in years.  Things that you bought, and said, “I have to have this!” then hardly used it. 

The question is how does all this accumulation affect us?  One effect is, it clutters our homes.  Have you ever felt like you’re cleaning and picking up constantly?  It feels like the job’s never done. 

Another effect is a lack of space.  Have you ever wanted to put your car in the garage, but there was no room?  The garage is made to keep your car out of the weather, and give you easy access to your home, but if you have needless accumulation the car stays outside and you walk in the winter weather to get to the front door and your stuff is packed neatly and “warmly” I might add, in the garage.

Our lives at times look like this type of house.  They are filled will accumulated trinkets of one kind or another. The thing about clutter is, it doesn’t matter if it’s negative or positive, if there’s not room for it in the house it throws everything out of order.  Hebrews 12:1 says “therefore we also, since we are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin….”  You know, it’s not always sinful and bad things that complicate our lives, sometimes it can be things that are moral and positive but because there is no room for them in our lives they become a weight.  

       Life’s accumulations are just like the clutter in our house, they create an environment where we are constantly picking up after ourselves but don’t seem to be making any progress.  Just like the garage not being used appropriately, our lives many times get out of order because of all the extra accumulation.  When we should be spending time in prayer, or with our families, or working on our marriage, those things which are true priority, we are running around, trying to be seen with the right people, to have the right stuff, and be involved in the right extra curricula’s, yeah, “walking in the cold to the front door, instead of parking in the safety of the garage with easy access to the house.” 

        Another thing accumulation causes is indecisiveness.  We are worried about finances, and relationships, about acceptance and lack of time.  Our mind is so full, going in so many directions that we can’t decide what needs to be done.  We become double minded. 

I know its winter, but it’s time for a good spring cleaning.  Sweep out the clutter; get rid of things that are not truly priority.  Matthew 6:31 (msg) says ^“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. ³²People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.”

How do we de-clutter our lives? How do we measure what’s necessary and what’s not?  How do we know when something that is not wrong has become unnecessary accumulation?

       What do we do when our house gets cluttered?  We clean house.  We put things in order. 

Cleaning house takes the renewal of some things and the removal of others.  We have to renew our priorities.  Those things that God says are most important, and then remove the things that steal time and devotion from them.    

       Sometimes we create worry and anxiety in our lives, being frustrated over all the clutter.  We say, “I am so tired of this clutter.” “I am so busy; I don’t have time to clean up.”  The problem with this mind set is nothing changes, as a matter of fact it gets worse and we become more anxious.  Let’s just do what Jesus said, and relax.  Quit fretting and worrying, and clean up.  Matthew 6:33(NKJ) says “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”

       By doing this we are renewing our focus, we are removing distractions.  We are setting our lives in order to fulfill their true purpose, and to achieve true happiness and fulfillment.

       So, gather your family around, get your broom, and start sweeping.  And before you know it, you’ll be parking in the garage again.  Have a great Christ Centered day.

      

 

-David Gadberry