Something to Chew on

• 43% of US children live without their father [US Department of Census]
• 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. [Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978]
• 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, Friday, March 26, 1999]

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
• 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. [Center for Disease Control]

These are some facts that as a man, should scare you.  It’s not a secret that times are changing. Today’s world is far different from the world of 40, 20  or even 10 year ago.  What is that difference?  The difference is Men.  The difference is that we have a generation of young men that are growing up without the influence of a Godly Men in their lives.

I learned what it was to be a man from my father, who learned it from his father.  I saw my father’s triumphs, I saw his struggles, I knew his strengths and his weaknesses. I picked up the Bible because I first saw my father pick up his. I knew and saw these things because my Dad was there daily.  Day in, day out; he was there.  The question is what happens to a generation of men who have grown up without the daily influence of Godly Men in their lives.

Where men once went to college in proportions far higher than women—58 percent to 42 percent as recently as the 1970s—the ratio has now almost exactly reversed.  30 years ago most high school valedictorians were male, now they are predominately female.  Males are 10 times more likely to go to prison than females.  30 years ago, male students outperformed female students in Math and Science.  Currently, females outperform males in every category of school performance.

Our educational system teaches that boys who throw snowballs or play soldier at recess are bad.  Boys are taught to tattle on bullies and those that defend themselves are sent home for a semester.  Students face almost certain discipline for speaking out about their faith.  Something is wrong in our society.  That something is that Boy’s are not taught or even allowed to be men.

Man Up is an attempt to make an impact upon young men in our community by developing a community of Men dedicated to one principle.  That Principle is becoming a better more Goldy Man.  By doing so we hope to impact our community by providing a model for other young men to strive to become.  How do we do that?  Simple.  We embrace the example set forth by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We embrace the idea that no man is an island unto himself.  We take the following verse to heart

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Why is it so important that we as men meet and fellowship.  Once again we embrace the biblical principle found in the following verse

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

What is the plan of attack?

• We LOOK UP.  We look to the example of being a Godly Man that was set forth by Jesus Christ.
• We STAND UP and strive to become better men.
• We PICK UP the Bible, learn from it, and implement its concepts on being a Godly man into our daily lives.

How do we attack? —   We learn to lean on each other for support.  We learn to seek the counsel of other men who have “been there and done that”.  We reap the benefit of others past mistakes.  We pour our heart into the next generation.  We do manly things.

Let’s “Eat Meat”, go “Hunting”, “Pursue the Women in our lives” with a Godly Passion, “Watch Football”.  Let’s do what real men do.  But most importantly Let’s be Godly men and MAN UP.

You don’t need to be a member of FBC Hulbert to become part of “Man UP”  All you need to do is believe deep down that being a Real Man is important.

One only has to look at the decline in the number of regular attendees to understand that as a Church, we are hurting.  Something is missing from Day’s of the past.  Perhaps that something is the lack of Prayer Warriors in today’s congregations.

Matthew 6:9 is the beginning of the most famous prayer in the Bible.  Jesus never says this is what you should pray.  He says this is how you should pray.  In Psalms 103 David says we are to praise his holy name.  As you read through the prayer David says we are to forget not all his benefits.  Each of us has our own testimony.  No two testimonies are alike.  What we all have in common as Christians is that Christ has had an impact on our lives.  Failure to acknowledge that Impact is the failure to acknowledge that our God is all powerful.  It’s failure to acknowledge that each of us is in a unique relationship with our Father.

What I love about our God is that he does not define us by our Transgressions.  He establishes our Identity as his Son and Daughter.  He loves us as a Father loves his Children.  To my knowledge, the only time I went to my earthly father with a list of what I needed was when I was a young child and it was Christmas.   I knew my Father loved me, I knew he would take care of me and protect me.  I knew when he scolded me, he did so out of Love.  Even when I messed up, I had a Dad that loved me because I was his Son.  Even to this day when I truly need something, it is Dad that I go too.

Studies show that in Today’s world, only 42%  percent of this generation is growing up in a fatherless household.  There are some startling facts in “The Fatherless Generation”   There is no argument that the role of “Father” is not an important one.  It’s been shown that Daughters marry men that share some of the same characteristics as their Dad.  It’s also been shown that Son’s grow up, to be like their Fathers.

Psalms 103 is not a Wish List.  Never does it ask for God to handle this situation or to change this facet of our lives.  What it is, is an acknowledgment that we worship an all-powerful deity that loves us, as a father loves his child.  It shows that he is accompanied by Angels that do “His Word” and that his Kingdom, rules over all.  When we acknowledge God for who he is, where he is, what he has done and the power that he holds; we begin to see the true picture.  We have a Heavenly Father that loves us and will provide.  My “Prayer Wish List” is nothing.  My acknowledgment that God is everything is everything.

Upcoming Events

Men’s Breakfast

Every Tuesday Morning at 8:00