Why a Long Obedience?

I have had many people ask me the reason for naming my blog A Long Obedience.  Just kidding no one has but I am sure people have wondered.  It comes from the title of a Eugene Peterson (author of The Message Bible) book entitled A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society.  I think it sums up the Christian walk of discipleship.  We, as Christians, want instant results in our relationship with Jesus, relationships with each other, and instant results in our evangelism to others.  Our expectations for everything from relationships to popcorn have been “microwaved”.  We have a hard time working on tasks or relationships that seem to take a lot of time and energy.  I think this is a large reason why many people divorce.  Our culture hides the work necessary to achieve results and so we expect results to just happen.

Here are some questions to think about and comment on:

1. Where in your life do you expect instant results?  Why do you expect them?
2. Have you considered the long obedience of the Christian life?
3. How can you sustain this long obedience over a life time?
4. How can you equip and encourage others to this life of discipleship?
5. What can we learn from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and His long obedience in the same direction?

Baby Joey

Well we do not have a name yet for our son who is due to be arriving on May 19th but here is a picture of him.

The World of Guyland

I just finished reading a recently published book called Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men by Michael Kimmel.  The books main purpose was to share the world of guy.  Not boys, not men, but guys.  Guys are basically defined as boys who shave and haven’t grown up yet to be responsible men.    Here is the description of the book:

To a growing list of books about the myths and mysteries of American boys and young males, Kimmel, a sociologist and author of Manhood In America, adds this deft exploration grounded in research. Based on more than 400 interviews, over a four-year span, with young men ages 16–26, Kimmel’s study shows that the guys who live in Guyland are mostly white, middle-class, totally confused and cannot commit to their relationships, work or lives. Although they seem baffled by the riddles of manhood and responsibility, they submit to the Guy Code, where locker-room behaviors, sexual conquests, bullying, violence and assuming a cocky jock pose can rule over the sacrifice and conformity of marriage and family. Obsessed with never wanting to grow up, this demographic, which is 22 million strong, craves video games, sports and depersonalized sexual relationships. In the end, Kimmel offers a highly practical guide to male youth.

One of the main ideas in the book is that being defined as a man has gone from a measurement based on what a man produces to a measurement based on what a man consumes.  Some examples of how the media plays to this (or defines it) are:  Drink this beer and you are a man.  Use this razor and you will be a better looking man.  Use this body spray and women will want you.  Drive this truck because real men do.  Women are no exception to this consumption lifestyle of manhood.  On many college campuses women are another commodity to consume.  The more women you sleep with the more of a man you are or become.  This is why it is called scoring.  The higher “scores” the more it defines you as being a man.

This is unacceptable!  Men need to be protectors of women, not predators.  How can we call men to be men?  How can we change this distorted view of manhood?  I would love to hear your comments.

Why another blog?

Before I start this blog I thought I should give a purpose/reason behind writing it.  For many of those who know me it is obvious to them that I am not a good writer so this will be good practice for me (and maybe painful for you).  I am sure this blog will evolve as time passes but at this moment it is to chronicle the thoughts of a Christian, husband, father, and church planter in Hartford, CT.

Some say the soil is quite rocky in New England and we will see.  By God’s grace we will see a mighty harvest here.   We are building the ship and setting the course for revival here.  The Spirit may blow a breeze or a hurricane on this ship.  Either way give us a long obedience in the same direction and courage to fight and stay the course.