09-29-2007, 03:37 PM
WILD AT HEART by John Eldredge
A book devoted to men who feel they have lost their way in life, their purpose, their direction, and most importantly the passion lost from a heart on the run. I really like it and would like to share just a few passages with you all...
The heart of a man is like deep water. -- Proverbs 20:5
Eve was created within the lush beauty of Eden's garden. But Adam, if you'll remember, was created outside the Garden, in the wilderness. In the record of our beginnings, the second chapter of Genesis makes it clear. Man was born in the outback, from the untamed part of creation. Only afterwards is he brought to Eden. And ever since then boys have never been at home indoors, and men have had an insatiable longing to explore...
The way a man's life unfolds nowadays tends to drive his heart into remote regions of the soul. Endless hours at a computer screen, selling shoes at the mall, meetings, memos, phone calls. The business world--where the majority of American men live and die--requires a man to be efficient and punctual. Corporate policies and procedures are designed with one aim: to harness a man to the plow and make him produce. But the soul refuses to be harnessed; it knows nothings of Day Timers and deadlines and P&L statements.The soul longs for passion, for freedom, for life...
Society at large can't make up its mind about men. Having spent the last 30 years redefining masculinity into something more sensitive, safe, manageable, and well, feminie; it now berates men for not being MEN. "Boys will be boys," women sigh. "Where are all the real men?" is a popular topic on talk shows and books. "You asked them to be women," I want to say! The result since the 1960's is a gender confusion never experienced at such a wide level in the history of the world. How can a man know he is one when his highest aspiration is minding his manners?
And then, alas, there is the church. Christianity, as it currently exisits, has done some terrible things to men. When all is said and done, I think most men in the church believe that God put them on the earth to be a good boys. The problem with men, we are told, is that they don't know how to keep their promises, be spiritual leaders, talk to their wives, or raise their children. But, if they will try real hard they can reach the lofty summit of becoming...a nice guy. That's what we hold up as models of Christian maturity: Really Nice Guys. We don't smoke, drink, or swear; that's what makes us men. Now let me ask my male readers: In all your boyhood dreams growing up, did you ever dream of becoming a Nice Guy? (Ladies, was the Prince of your dreams dashing...or merely nice?)
Really now--do I overstate my case? Walk into most churches in America, have a look around, and ask yourself this question: "What is a Christian man?" Don't listen to what is said, look at what you find there. There is no doubt about it. You'd have to admit a Christian man is...bored.
A book devoted to men who feel they have lost their way in life, their purpose, their direction, and most importantly the passion lost from a heart on the run. I really like it and would like to share just a few passages with you all...
The heart of a man is like deep water. -- Proverbs 20:5
Eve was created within the lush beauty of Eden's garden. But Adam, if you'll remember, was created outside the Garden, in the wilderness. In the record of our beginnings, the second chapter of Genesis makes it clear. Man was born in the outback, from the untamed part of creation. Only afterwards is he brought to Eden. And ever since then boys have never been at home indoors, and men have had an insatiable longing to explore...
The way a man's life unfolds nowadays tends to drive his heart into remote regions of the soul. Endless hours at a computer screen, selling shoes at the mall, meetings, memos, phone calls. The business world--where the majority of American men live and die--requires a man to be efficient and punctual. Corporate policies and procedures are designed with one aim: to harness a man to the plow and make him produce. But the soul refuses to be harnessed; it knows nothings of Day Timers and deadlines and P&L statements.The soul longs for passion, for freedom, for life...
Society at large can't make up its mind about men. Having spent the last 30 years redefining masculinity into something more sensitive, safe, manageable, and well, feminie; it now berates men for not being MEN. "Boys will be boys," women sigh. "Where are all the real men?" is a popular topic on talk shows and books. "You asked them to be women," I want to say! The result since the 1960's is a gender confusion never experienced at such a wide level in the history of the world. How can a man know he is one when his highest aspiration is minding his manners?
And then, alas, there is the church. Christianity, as it currently exisits, has done some terrible things to men. When all is said and done, I think most men in the church believe that God put them on the earth to be a good boys. The problem with men, we are told, is that they don't know how to keep their promises, be spiritual leaders, talk to their wives, or raise their children. But, if they will try real hard they can reach the lofty summit of becoming...a nice guy. That's what we hold up as models of Christian maturity: Really Nice Guys. We don't smoke, drink, or swear; that's what makes us men. Now let me ask my male readers: In all your boyhood dreams growing up, did you ever dream of becoming a Nice Guy? (Ladies, was the Prince of your dreams dashing...or merely nice?)
Really now--do I overstate my case? Walk into most churches in America, have a look around, and ask yourself this question: "What is a Christian man?" Don't listen to what is said, look at what you find there. There is no doubt about it. You'd have to admit a Christian man is...bored.
