Hero

WHAT IS A HERO?

When the house fell asleep
there was always a light
And it fell from the page
to the eyes of an American boy
In a storybook land
I could dream what I read
When it went to my head
I’d see:

I wanna be a hero

—Steve Taylor, “Hero” (Meltdown, 1984)

*****

“Here I come to save the day!”

—Mighty Mouse

*****

“Out here, due process is a bullet.”

—John Wayne (as Col. Michael Kirby in The Green Berets)

*****

And you didn’t say a word
when they accused you
You did not fight back
when the whole world used you

When hate was crowned King
and love was diminished
You stood meek as a lamb there
without blemish

And they laughed when you cried out
“It is finished”

You lay down
You lay down

—Terry Taylor, “You Lay Down” (1998)

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The Key to Understanding

“Obedience Unto Death” by Rita Ford

The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience.

+ Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest”

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At the End of the Rope

AT THE END OF THE ROPE

Since the day you were born
… you were looking for hope
You’ve looked everywhere
… but the end of your rope!

—Chris Taylor, “Down Goes the Day” (Rhythm House Music 1998)

When I can’t hold on much longer
To a rope weathered and frayed
When I can’t find hope
and I’m losing faith

The savior reaches in
To still the howling wind
To calm the storm within
To rescue me

–Steve Hindalong/The Choir, “To Rescue Me,” O How the Mighty Have Fallen (Galaxy Music 2005)

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A Bridge Away …

I crawl to you
With ten fingers smoking
From turning the pages of sin

With my spirit choking
From earning the wages of sin

A bridge away from justified

A step away from whole

Restore my soul!

+ Steve Hindalong/The Choir, “Restore My Soul” (Circle Slide – 1991)

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer Remembered

The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.

+ Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2/4/1906 – 4/9/1945)

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Just BE It!

I’ve found that it’s not about asking guys to do more; it’s about asking them to be more. It’s not about asking them to pursue a plan or respond to a cool idea or even to a dare. It’s about convincing guys, deep down, that being God’s man is worth the risk.

• Doing more puts man in control.
  Being more puts God in control.
• Doing more is a safe style for men.
  Being more is risky.
• Doing more lets a man pick the changes he needs to make.
  Being more allows God to reveal the changes a man needs to make.
• Doing more attaches to the public persona.
  Being more reaches the private self – the man God wants to reach.

+ Kenny Luck, Every Man God’s Man, 11-12

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Turtle Check-In

Slowly, but surely, the addict is trying to get back into the mode of blogging. So where is the self disclosure?

I will try to do a check-in. I need it for myself … you might as well get to see.

It has been an on-and-off recovery process over the summer. I have had some periods of acting out followed by periods of sobriety. For the past couple of months I have settled into a “mostly sober” state of life. Acting out once every ten days or so, but no binges. As they say in the meetings — we strive for progress, not perfection (although perfection would be really nice).

So how do I think I am doing?

Physically:

I feel very good right now. I have been running this summer and my body feels great. I am sleeping well and I haven’t been sick.

Emotionally:

I also feel pretty good emotionally. I feel connected at home with my wife and family and I feel very engaged at work. But I also feel a bit stressed and a bit tired. I never quite feel I am achieving work-life balance.

Spiritually:

Spiritually I have been feeling dry. Prayer is a constant struggle and many days I don’t pray at all. And yet I am starting evening seminary classes this fall. This makes me feel particularly guilty — how can I study spiritual things if I am not living a spiritual life.

So there you have it … a snap shot of where the addict is today. Not all good and not all bad. And the amazing thing — Christ has been there all along!

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Purity Verse: The Pure in Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

+ Matthew 5:8

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Rockin’ the Jesus Prayer

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

+ 1 Thess. 5:16-18

—

I recently saw a documentary where a greek monastic discussed the practice of praying without ceasing. He said that he could pray no matter what he was doing by simply reciting the “Jesus Prayer” in is head.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, have mercy on me, a sinner!

I have found this short prayer helpful for staving off temptation. Whether I encounter an attractive woman or am just facing a period of boredom, it is helpful for me to recite this prayer in my mind.

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Make Me Clean!

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

+ Mark 1:40-42

D-Monk:

“Jesus, if you choose, you can make me clean.”

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