Stay Connected

I woke up extra early Wednesday morning to prepare for our annual Wednesday morning group of men that meet at 6 am which begins in the second week of September and runs into March. We started this group called Men’s Fraternity four years ago with about 120 men. It is a three year curriculum that helps men engage in the quest for “Authentic Manhood”. Its excellent material and we have seen a large number of men’s lives change. But, this morning was different.

We run two different classes on each side of our church. One classroom for each year the men are going through to complete the three year journey. Something that I have learned over the years of facilitating small groups, especially with men, that men need to be invited personally and from someone they can trust.

Like I said, this morning was different. Only seven men showed up plus the two facilitators for the groups. A huge difference since we normally have an average of 60 men. Two things happened that I realized once I left and went home to get my kids to school and get ready for work. While I was putting, (Oh, I forgot to mention that I stopped at the golf course to putt for a few minutes) so, while I was putting, I began missing to the left, and when I would correct it, I began to push everything to the right. I noticed as I became aware of what I was doing, I was moving the putter on an incorrect path.

I stopped for a second and remembered what I had been doing, and it’s a bad habit I tend to fall into frequently. That habit is not staying connected. In order for my putts to drop like I want them to, I need to be aware of the connection of my left bicep staying connected to my left pec and the back of my left hand pointing at the target. After I had remembered what I was doing wrong, I corrected it and the putts were rolling in.

Then it struck me like a flood. The thought of the men that were not connected to a small group, accountability partner or some kind of a mentor is the problem. Now, I realize men have to tend to work, family and other activities that their kids are involved in that seem to suck the other part of life away. But one reason we guys don’t do small groups, bible studies and meet with other men on a spiritual level is we don’t see it as a priority. We know it’s important, but we must not think it’s a priority. Now that’s a problem. Like our golf swing, we need to be coached in order to get better, or in this case, to grow spiritually.

One problem Jesus saw in His disciples as well as the rest of us, is that most people do not make it a priority to stay connected with others and worse the connection with Jesus. Since Jesus is the creator of life and came to give us life, why wouldn’t we want to stay connected to Him and others to move ahead in life?

It’s a lot like the shows we watch about wild life or the National Geographic documentaries. You know the ones, where the Zebras are all together grazing when suddenly a Lion comes out of hiding and begins chasing the pack of Zebras. Suddenly one Zebra breaks away by itself and the Lion pursues it because now it has no protection. The Lion chases it down until it falls prey to the Lion’s strength and stamina.

One thing about sin, it has strength and stamina. It will continue to pursue you as you begin to get away from the tribe of men that would have protected you through prayer and encouragement. In the book of James he says this to his readers in chapter 5 verse 16, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective”. I know for a lot of men, this is very uncomfortable. But look at the last two words in the verse, “powerful and effective.” There is prevailing power in intercessory prayer and power in numbers. Just read what the wisest man ever said about the power of numbers in Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

So, I would like to leave you with a challenge today. What are you going to do about your priorities…what is it going to take in order to get them order? Let me give you a hint, the time is NOW! Don’t ever wait. There may not be a tomorrow!