Gideon and his army of 32,000 men are preparing for battle, a battle where the odds against them are so great that Gideon himself had been uncertain about God’s direction. He had checked and double-checked with God, yet the command was still the same, clear and unmistakable. He was to go forwards. God was going to save them.

As one of the most thrilling days in history starts to unfold, God begins one of the most mind-boggling military preparations that man has ever witnessed. He turns to Gideon and says, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’”

22,000 men went home.

Did God realize how many scaredy-cats he had? Surely he didn’t think that so many men would go home. They were now facing an army thousands of times their size. Surely God would call some of them back. Cutting 22,0000 men… leaving only 10,000 men… there had to be a mistake. But God doesn’t think so, in fact, he speaks again, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

God chose 300 men.

Three hundred men… three hundred men that were ready to do God’s command. Ready to fight a battle with an army which—as the scriptures say so vividly—was as thick as locusts, and that had so many camels (to carry away the plunder) that they could be counted no more easily than the sand on the seashore.

Three hundred men… that were not afraid.

They Were Not Afraid

Why not? They had every human reason to be afraid, and yet, nobody was muttering under their breath about this fantastic suicide mission. God had chosen for himself 300 men, 300 men of valor, 300 men of faith, 300 men that could not win the battle, 300 men through whom he would demonstrate his grace.

They were not afraid, because God was with them. They were not afraid, because God had chosen them. They were not afraid, because God had instructed them. They were not afraid, because God had sent them.

They were not afraid, because they had faith.

There are many more stories, many more examples, many more days when faith had victory over fear. Sometimes it was more amazing than this. There is Daniel. Then there are Daniel’s three friends. Their example is one of the most thrilling, one of the most powerful, one of the most inspiring. Three men, in the prime of life, three men against a whole nation, three men who lived when they should have died.

It was a day to be remembered forever. A day when three men stood, when three men refused to bow to an idol built in defiance to the God of Heaven and Earth, when three men defied the king.

A day, when 3 men were not afraid.

Why not? Why weren’t they afraid? Why wasn’t Joseph? Or Abraham? Or Moses? Or Paul? Or David?

Or… you?

Yes! You! Why did you jump? Why do you feel uncomfortable in a hero’s shoes? Friends, this is the focus of this article. Do you believe God? Are you ready to do his command? Are you ready to be chosen for a dangerous mission? Are you ready to stand when others run? Are you willing to—in the words of Jim Elliot—“give up what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose?” Or are you going to leave that for somebody else? Somebody else? Like who? Who?

Like Who?

Who would have stood in the place of Daniel? Who would have stood in the place of David? Who would have stood in the place of Moses? Who would have stood in the place of Joseph?

Who will stand in your place?

Nobody. Your potential, will be lost potential—because you were afraid. You were afraid, because you would not believe God. You were afraid because you would not obey God. You were afraid, because you did not know God. You were afraid to die, because you were afraid to live.

You Can

You don’t have to be afraid. No! You can be fearless! You can be faithful. You can stand when other men run. You can be an incredible tool in God’s hands. God can do with you far more than you ever dreamt of doing yourself. But what does it take?

It takes surrender. Yes, it takes surrender. It takes giving up your own strength. It takes your life. Your life! God wants it! Every bit of it! Every shard, every scrap, every ounce. He wants to give you His strength for your weakness. He wants to give you heroism for your helplessness. He wants to give you fearlessness for your fearfulness.

Give it up.

This is the first article in a 3-part series on Godly Manhood and Womanhood. In part 3 we will discuss the practical application of fearlessness and faithfulness to the life of both men and women. But before that, we’re going to talk about two more aspects of godly character: compassion and justice. Keep checking back for the rest of this series.

A few months ago, a reader of Oneway Purpose asked me this question.

Where is the Biblical basis for this? I get that men should fight against injustice and the such, but where is a list of masculine vs. feminine traits in scripture? Why does the man have to be the hero? Is it just physical strength that demands a man act or is there something more that drives these character traits? Furthermore, what if they are reversed (i.e. Can a Christian male be a “metro-sexual” and/or a Christian female be a “tomboy”).

This question was in response to my post “Of Giants and Grasshoppers” which, just to note it here before you do, has some embarrassing historical errors, it also did not address some very fundamental principles which I hope to make clear in the following series.

In this series, I am not going to be giving the readers of Oneway Purpose a direct answer to this question. Instead I will focus on the Biblical principles of character that will guide us to a fuller understanding of Biblical Manhood. In the end you will be the one who answers these questions for yourself. This series will concentrate on providing you with the means to find a Biblical resolution.

1: Fearless Men, Faithful Men

Why shouldn’t men be afraid? What does it mean to be a man of valor? What does it mean to be strong and not afraid? What does it take to be fearless? In the first article of a 3-part series, we discover what it takes. Everything.

2: Compassion and Justice

Contrary to what you might have heard, big muscles don’t make you a man. So what does define Godly Manhood in the scriptures? What does God require from men and women devoted to him? Is it tough guys with a shiny sword? Pretty girls with long dresses?

3: To Be A Hero(ine) in 2007

What does it take to be a hero? Fearlessness, Compassion, and Justice. What does it take to be a heroine? Fearlessness, Compassion, and Justice. What’s the difference between a hero and heroine? In applying the same 3 biblical standards of character to men and women alike, we discover the answer our questions. Why should men protect women and children? Why should a woman protect her children? Why should the strong protect the weak? Why should men be the first to stand in the line of fire?

All of these articles will be coming out in the next two weeks. Keep checking back. I already have the first post done, so you can expect it up as soon as I can revise and publish it. You can monitor the progress of the other three posts right on the sidebar.

Oh, and where I have I been? Why haven’t I posted sooner? I have a good excuse. Every spare moment was going into getting the Modesty Survey ready for launch – including a couple nights with just a couple hours of sleep. It’s been a great success with over 1 million pageloads since launch. Make sure to check it out if you haven’t already.

A speech given by President Roosevelt in Washington on March 13, 1905, before the National Congress of Mothers.

In our modern industrial civilization there are many and grave dangers to counterbalance the splendors and the triumphs. It is not a good thing to see cities grow at disproportionate speed relatively to the country; for the small land owners, the men who own their little homes, and therefore to a very large extent the men who till farms, the men of the soil, have hitherto made the foundation of lasting national life in every State; and, if the foundation becomes either too weak or too narrow, the superstructure, no matter how attractive, is in imminent danger of falling.

But far more important than the question of the occupation of our citizens is the question of how their family life is conducted. No matter what that occupation may be, as long as there is a real home and as long as those who make up that home do their duty to one another, to their neighbors and to the State, it is of minor consequence whether the man’s trade is plied in the country or in the city, whether it calls for the work of the hands or for the work of the head.

No piled-up wealth, no splendor of material growth, no brilliance of artistic development, will permanently avail any people unless its home life is healthy, unless the average man possesses honesty, courage, common sense, and decency, unless he works hard and is willing at need to fight hard; and unless the average woman is a good wife, a good mother, able and willing to perform the first and greatest duty of womanhood, able and willing to bear, and to bring up as they should be brought up, healthy children, sound in body, mind, and character, and numerous enough so that the race shall increase and not decrease.

There are certain old truths which will be true as long as this world endures, and which no amount of progress can alter. One of these is the truth that the primary duty of the husband is to be the home-maker, the breadwinner for his wife and children, and that the primary duty of the woman is to be the helpmate, the housewife, and mother. The woman should have ample educational advantages; but save in exceptional cases the man must be, and she need not be, and generally ought not to be, trained for a lifelong career as the family breadwinner; and, therefore, after a certain point, the training of the two must normally be different because the duties of the two are normally different. This does not mean inequality of function, but it does mean that normally there must be dissimilarity of function. On the whole, I think the duty of the woman the more important, the more difficult, and the more honorable of the two; on the whole I respect the woman who does her duty even more than I respect the man who does his.

No ordinary work done by a man is either as hard or as responsible as the work of a woman who is bringing up a family of small children; for upon her time and strength demands are made not only every hour of the day but often every hour of the night. She may have to get up night after night to take care of a sick child, and yet must by day continue to do all her household duties as well; and if the family means are scant she must usually enjoy even her rare holidays taking her whole brood of children with her. The birth pangs make all men the debtors of all women. Above all our sympathy and regard are due to the struggling wives among those whom Abraham Lincoln called the plain people, and whom he so loved and trusted; for the lives of these women are often led on the lonely heights of quiet, self-sacrificing heroism.

Just as the happiest and most honorable and most useful task that can be set any man is to earn enough for the support of his wife and family, for the bringing up and starting in life of his children, so the most important, the most honorable and desirable task which can be set any woman is to be a good and wise mother in a home marked by self-respect and mutual forbearance, by willingness to perform duty, and by refusal to sink into self-indulgence or avoid that which entails effort and self-sacrifice. Of course there are exceptional men and exceptional women who can do and ought to do much more than this, who can lead and ought to lead great careers of outside usefulness in addition to—not as substitutes for—their home work; but I am not speaking of exceptions; I am speaking of the primary duties, I am speaking of the average citizens, the average men and women who make up the nation.

Inasmuch as I am speaking to an assemblage of mothers, I shall have nothing whatever to say in praise of an easy life. Yours is the work which is never ended. No mother has an easy time, the most mothers have very hard times; and yet what true mother would barter her experience of joy and sorrow in exchange for a life of cold selfishness, which insists upon perpetual amusement and the avoidance of care, and which often finds its fit dwelling place in some flat designed to furnish with the least possible expenditure of effort the maximum of comfort and of luxury, but in which there is literally no place for children?

The woman who is a good wife, a good mother, is entitled to our respect as is no one else; but he is entitled to it only because, and so long as, she is worthy of it. Effort and self-sacrifice are the law of worthy life for the man as for the woman; tho neither the effort nor the self-sacrifice may be the same for the one as for the other. I do not in the least believe in the patient Griselda type of woman, in the woman who submits to gross and long continued ill treatment, any more than I believe in a man who tamely submits to wrongful aggression. No wrong-doing is so abhorrent as wrong-doing by a man toward the wife and the children who should arouse every tender feeling in his nature. Selfishness toward them, lack of tenderness toward them, lack of consideration for them, above all, brutality in any form toward them, should arouse the heartiest scorn and indignation in every upright soul.

I believe in the woman keeping her self-respect just as I believe in the man doing so. I believe in her rights just as much as I believe in the man’s, and indeed a little more; and I regard marriage as a partnership, in which each partner is in honor bound to think of the rights of the other as well as of his or her own. But I think that the duties are even more important than the rights; and in the long run I think that the reward is ampler and greater for duty well done, than for the insistence upon individual rights, necessary tho this, too, must often be. Your duty is hard, your responsibility great; but greatest of all is your reward. I do not pity you in the least. On the contrary, I feel respect and admiration for you.

Into the woman’s keeping is committed the destiny of the generations to come after us. In bringing up your children you mothers must remember that while it is essential to be loving and tender it is no less essential to be wise and firm. Foolishness and affection must not be treated as interchangeable terms; and besides training your sons and daughters in the softer and milder virtues, you must seek to give them those stern and hardy qualities which in after life they will surely need. Some children will go wrong in spite of the best training; and some will go right even when their surroundings are most unfortunate; nevertheless an immense amount depends upon the family training. If you mothers through weakness bring up your sons to be selfish and to think only of themselves, you will be responsible for much sadness among the women who are to be their wives in the future. If you let your daughters grow up idle, perhaps under the mistaken impression that as you yourselves have had to work hard they shall know only enjoyment, you are preparing them to be useless to others and burdens to themselves. Teach boys and girls alike that they are not to look forward to live spent in avoiding difficulties, but to lives spent in overcoming difficulties. Teach them that work, for themselves and also for others, is not a curse but a blessing; seek to make them happy, to make them enjoy life, but seek also to make them face life with the steadfast resolution to wrest success from labor and adversity, and to do their whole duty before God and to man. Surely she who can thus train her sons and her daughters is thrice fortunate among women.

There are many good people who are denied the supreme blessing of children, and for these we have the respect and sympathy always due to those who, from no fault of their own, are denied any of the other great blessings of life. But the man or woman who deliberately forego these blessings, whether from viciousness, coldness, shallow-heartedness, self-indulgence, or mere failure to appreciate aright the difference between the all-important and the unimportant,—why, such a creature merits contempt as hearty as any visited upon the soldier who runs away in battle, or upon the man who refuses to work for the support of those dependent upon him, and who tho able-bodied is yet content to eat in idleness the bread which others provide.

The existence of women of this type forms one of the most unpleasant and unwholesome features of modern life. If any one is so dim of vision as to fail to see what a thoroughly unlovely creature such a woman is I wish they would read Judge Robert Grant’s novel “Unleavened Bread,” ponder seriously the character of Selma, and think of the fate that would surely overcome any nation which developed its average and typical woman along such lines. Unfortunately it would be untrue to say that this type exists only in American novels. That it also exists in American life is made unpleasantly evident by the statistics as to the dwindling families in some localities. It is made evident in equally sinister fashion by the census statistics as to divorce, which are fairly appalling; for easy divorce is now as it ever has been, a bane to any nation, a curse to society, a menace to the home, an incitement to married unhappiness and to immorality, an evil thing for men and a still more hideous evil for women. These unpleasant tendencies in our American life are made evident by articles such as those which I actually read not long ago in a certain paper, where a clergyman was quoted, seemingly with approval, as expressing the general American attitude when he said that the ambition of any save a very rich man should be to rear two children only, so as to give his children an opportunity “to taste a few of the good things of life.”

This man, whose profession and calling should have made him a moral teacher, actually set before others the ideal, not of training children to do their duty, not of sending them forth with stout hearts and ready minds to win triumphs for themselves and their country, not of allowing them the opportunity, and giving them the privilege of making their own place in the world, but, forsooth, of keeping the number of children so limited that they might “taste a few good things!” The way to give a child a fair chance in life is not to bring it up in luxury, but to see that it has the kind of training that will give it strength of character. Even apart from the vital question of national life, and regarding only the individual interest of the children themselves, happiness in the true sense is a hundredfold more apt to come to any given member of a healthy family of healthy-minded children, well brought up, well educated, but taught that they must shift up, well educated, but taught that they must shift for themselves, must win their own way, and by their own exertions make their own positions of usefulness, than it is apt to come to those whose parents themselves have acted on and have trained their children to act on, the selfish and sordid theory that the whole end of life is to “taste a few good things.”

The intelligence of the remark is on a par with its morality; for the most rudimentary mental process would have shown the speaker that if the average family in which there are children contained but two children the nation as a whole would decrease in population so rapidly that in two or three generations it would very deservedly be on the point of extinction, so that the people who had acted on this base and selfish doctrine would be giving place to others with braver and more robust ideals. Nor would such a result be in any way regrettable; for a race that practised such doctrine—that is, a race that practised race suicide—would thereby conclusively show that it was unfit to exist, and that it had better give place to people who had not forgotten the primary laws of their being.

To sum up, then, the whole matter is simple enough. If either a race or an individual prefers the pleasure of more effortless ease, of self-indulgence, to the infinitely deeper, the infinitely higher pleasures that come to those who know the toil and the weariness, but also the joy, of hard duty well done, why, that race or that individual must inevitably in the end pay the penalty of leading a life both vapid and ignoble. No man and no woman really worthy of the name can care for the life spent solely or chiefly in the avoidance of risk and trouble and labor. Save in exceptional cases the prizes worth having in life must be paid for, and the life worth living must be a life of work for a worthy end, and ordinarily of work more for others than for one’s self.

The woman’s task is not easy—no task worth doing is easy—but in doing it, and when she has done it, there shall come to her the highest and holiest joy known to mankind; and having done it, she shall have the reward prophesied in Scripture; for her husband and her children, yes, and all people who realize that her work lies at the foundation of all national happiness and greatness, shall rise up and call her blessed.

3 years ago when I wrote and submitted my first article to a magazine, I had no concept of where it would take me. My first article was almost an accident, but it was one of the best accidents I ever made. My goal wasn’t to be an author, and in fact, writing was not my strong point and definitely not something I wanted to do more of than I had to.

That last couple years have been a growing, stretching and learning experience for me. Most of all, I have grown closer to God. I have grown closer to God because He has taken the time to lead me forwards and onwards. And now, looking back, I realize that God has been doing an awesome work in my life. But, what hurts most is when I discovered that self, yes that great dragon we all are well acquainted with, stands up and says, “Look what I have done.”

Friends, success is not measured by what we have done. It is measured by what God has done. And this is the topic I want to focus on today. I want to share what it is that gives us joy and happiness. I want to show you that we can be just as fulfilled at the first step as we are at the last. I want to show you that your accomplishments are not what measure your success.

Have you succeeded?

Well maybe in 20 years once I’ve reached all my currently set goals I’ll be able to say, “Yes, I’ve succeeded.” Maybe once I get elected as the Prime Minister I’ll be able to say, “I’ve succeeded.” Or… maybe, when it comes to the end of this day, I’ll be able to say, “I’ve succeeded.”

What is it that measures success? Is it the completion of this article I’m working on? Well, in a way I’ll have accomplished this goal and will have succeeded. I will have reached my intended destination. But friends, that’s not the success I refer to. Life is not all about reaching destinations. Life is about walking with God. Success is about walking with God.

A dear sister confided in me one day. She said, “David, I feel so left behind. Everybody is doing so much. People like Alex and Brett, like you, make me feel so… unable.”

And friends, I have my own list of people that make me feel incapable. Oh yes I do, and I fear it stretches much longer than it ought. But I want to tell you right now: that list does not matter. That list is irrelevant. Because it doesn’t measure our success.

The Yardstick

The yardstick of true success isn’t actually a yardstick at all; rather, it’s a heartstick. If you want to know how you are succeeding in life, there’s only one thing to do, examine your heart. See if your hand is in God’s hand, if your heart is trusting Him, if your ears are hearing His voice. And when we do this, we don’t need other people to tell us of our achievements to know that we are succeeding.

But on that note, how can we truthfully say, “I have succeeded”? What have we done that counts to success? When God takes us and leads us, when he calls us and we obey, what counts as success? It’s faith, it’s obedience, it’s believing God! It’s the same faith, the same obedience that God put in our hearts in the first place. Truly, we love him only because He first loved us. Truly, there is nothing that I have done. But yet, I have succeeded. I have succeeded, by grace. Oh, the joy of mercy, the wonder of grace.

The Joy in Success

Friends, there is a glory in success. There is a joy that passes all understanding. When we’re walking with God, He is our joy. We don’t need to pursue anything else for our pleasure. We don’t need to reach any other height for greater exhilaration, we don’t need to climb to any other position where we will be more famous. In this place, friends, with our hand in God’s hand, is where we ought to be. If you’re the president or the plumber, you’ll still have succeeded.

Called out of your Comfort Zone

Recently I wrote the article, “The Best You Have”, and I covered the topic of our efforts, our energy, and how that relates in God’s plan for our success. You may ask me now, “How does giving God the best that I have change my life if all that matters is our walk with God?” I’m pretty sure that question was on somebody’s mind, because it was on mine, but there’s a simple answer. It is God’s will that we give him our best and our all, therefore, in my life this translates directly to a matter of obedience. Friend, if you’re not giving God everything, you’re missing out on so much. If you are, you’re missing out on nothing. When God has our life to work with, our best devoted to His glory, He can do awesome things. Friends, that’s success.

And there’s an incredible exhilaration when God calls us to run with Him. It reminds me of the first time (only time) I went skiing. First, I took a lesson and learned how to ski. Then I spent an hour on the small slope. Then I went for the larger slope. Oh my, oh my, I fell a few times on my first trip down. But finally, on the second trip down the hill, somehow I relaxed. Once I relaxed, the thrill was incredible, and I wasn’t falling down. No. I was racing down, with the wind in my face, my poles at my side, cutting across, cutting back, swooping down into line for the next ride back up.

But what happened? When did I begin enjoying it? When I gave up on my fears, and relaxed. I know it’s a poor illustration. But friends, when we’re ready to give up our fears, when we’re ready to relax and let God take control…

He’ll give us the ride of our life!

One short moment, one flicker of light, a few short breaths, and we’re gone. Gone into eternity. It’s sobering to realize how much depends on these few moments, how much of the future is suspended on the present, always standing on the edge of time, never knowing when it will stop for us.

Don’t Waste your Life

So many teenagers have no concept of life, of the eternal consequences of their choices. I stand at the window and see so many of my age group entirely desensitized, numbed, unrealizing, and uncaring of their future.

Why? Why? Why do we want to waste our life?... this life which isn’t ours at all. We want to step out and claim we are our own, but God tells us the opposite. He lays his hand on our shoulder and says, “You, you are not your own.” And then he bends down close and looks us straight in the eyes and adds, “You, You! Were bought with a price.” We are His! We are not our own. We cannot do whatever we want.

And yet, in an almost painful sense, we can. He has entrusted us with it all. He does not always stand in our way when we reject his purchase. Satan has sold his lie to the whole world. In the place of Stewards we have become thieves. What hope is there for us then? None, nothing but grace, nothing but faith, faith that God can change us from a thief to a servant, from a sinner to a saint, from old to new. Faith in His crimson blood that can wash us white as snow, faith in His salvation, that salvation which takes us back… as His own.

His own… And now he asks us to serve Him, to be a faithful steward of our lives. And there’s so much that entails. There are so many areas where our stewardship is illustrated. It shows in what we spend our time doing, it shows in how we talk, it shows in how we live, most of all… it shows in where we put our devotion. Ultimately our heart loyalty is shown in every aspect of our life.

Keep thy Heart

Long ago, a wise King of Israel wrote these words, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The first word is loaded with so much meaning. Keep, guard, protect… like the watchman over the city, like the gate keeper over the gate, like a mother over her child, like a soldier over his life. “Guard it!” “Fight for it.” “Do battle!” But never be found asleep with your sword uselessly lying at your side, never, not even for a moment. For at that instant, the enemy shall fall upon you.

Solomon was dead serious, as a king, he knew all about diligent and slothful gatekeepers. He knew about those who did not stand guard like they ought. He also knew about the heroic sentries who devoted all their energies to watching, spying, guarding, protecting his city, his throne. When he said ‘all’ he meant ‘all’, in fact, the Hebrew word is even stronger, ‘the whole, in every sense, in every way’... be diligent.

‘For out of it are the issues of life.’ That one phrase could be the subject of a sermon. Is it possible that our heart devotion, who we serve… can change us, can affect us so completely. Is it possible that what we do, what we are, what we say, what we think, and how we live is dictated by where our heart is?

Indeed! And this is where Satan targets us directly. He wants us to put our heart devotion into anything, anything but God. He would rather see it focused on a movie star, on a car, on fleshly desires, on anything, anywhere, anyone but God. Why? Satan wants your life to be wasted. Don’t kid yourself. He is in a moment-by-moment battle for your devotion, your joy, and your loyalty.

The Other David

A few months ago, my very namesake discovered me. Of the very few David Boskovic’s in the world (As far as I know they all still fit on one hand.) one discovered me online. Oh the stark contrast in our lives, oh how he felt the difference. He blogged about me, writing words that reflected the pain he felt, too vulgar to remember.

We are both teens, both young, both with a life in front of us, but one of us is wasting it. In the depth of drugs, street life, sexual sin, vulgar living, he discovered me, and dumped on me his load of anger. How could another David Boskovic exist other than himself, why did he have to be a religious fanatic… a God worshipper, some type of person who wrote about that Jesus guy. Impossible! I must be out to ruin him. I wrote a short comment in reply, and I pray that God may use me to reach him someday. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday, maybe someday when God has prepared his heart.

Until then, I’ll keep praying.

My Generation

When I see what my generation is doing with their time, it hurts. The same problem has been around forever, but in the last century it has expanded to grand proportions. Life is being wasted, so many lives, wasted on pleasure, wasted in the face of drugs, wasted in a life of self-centered pleasure, worst of all, wasted away from God. I ask why, but then my heart cries out, because I know why. They cry, because they have no idea why, no idea what they’re doing. Some live a life of proud success, but they live it alone, they live it wasted. All find themselves something else to live for, somebody else to serve, but they all waste their life. Others end their life by themselves, in a wasted ruin, because they took life alone. They lived for something else, somebody else. They died the same way they lived… wasted. I search my own life, and I realize how easy it is to waste it. I realize that I must say, “But for the grace of God, go I.”

And it’s that grace of God that we are ultimately given stewardship of. Our ultimate task is to live for God’s glory, by his all-sustaining grace. Our ultimate task is to show others God’s mercy in our life, to show, to tell, to explain that any other way is a waste of life. Any other loyalty is a counterfeit loyalty. Any other pleasure is a forgery. Any other path leads down. Who shall tell them?

A steward of grace.

Introduction

‘Of Giants and Grasshoppers’ is a brand-new, indefinitely continuing weekly series right here on Oneway Purpose. Directed mostly at young men, but applicable to almost everybody’s life in one way or another, this series bites into some of the biggest cultural and spiritual issues that face young people today. Too many men are viewing themselves as grasshoppers. Too many men have lost their vision, their honor. I want to do my part in restoring manhood, not only to my own character but to the character of as many men I know. Let’s all do the same.

Giants and Grasshoppers?

Espionage is a dream job for a handful, and a terrifying occupation to the rest. Right now, I want you to put yourself in the place of one of the millions of Israelites and stand ready to hear the report of a small group of men who have just returned from spying out the Promised Land. I’m sure you’re excited. Here is the report: (From Numbers 13, ESV)

“We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this [a large cluster of grapes and fruit the spies had carried back] is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

Then Caleb said,

“Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Then the men who had gone up with him said,

“We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying,

“The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

1 out of 12

I can just picture them there, 12 men start telling about the wonder and beauty of the fruitfulness of the land. And then 11 say ‘but’. But… However… the people in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Caleb is standing there realizing that they’re about to launch into a negative campaign against taking over the land, so he interrupts them and says, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

But the rest of the men countered, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

For they are Stronger than We

Did you notice the reason they gave for not being able to overcome the land? Did you notice?! Since when was that ever a reason for failure? Since when did the Israelites have that attitude? What had happened? Is it possible that they had fallen into the same trap that we find ourselves in so often?

How many times have we whined, “But that’s impossible! Do you realize how big a job that is?!” Foremost, it lies in our character and our attitude towards danger and responsibility. Guys, listen carefully.

Recently, at a college in Montreal, some psychopath (I refuse to call him a man) male, walked up with a couple weapons and started shooting randomly at people. He started outside the college with one or two shots, wounding at least one person. Than he slowly walked into the building, through the front doors, down the hallway, (at this point police were already following him telling him to drop his gun), and into the cafeteria where he started shooting again for another 10 minutes while police organized themselves to take him. He ended up shooting himself finally, after he had killed one and critically wounded over a dozen.

What angered me most was not the police—it was that all the men ran when they saw him… and left the women to fend for themselves. Of the 19 men in that room, not a single one stayed to help the 14 women, There was not even one single man, one single hero. nobody who stood up to him. If even a few men in that room had tackled him, he would not have had the opportunity to do more than wound a couple people. He was using an automatic rifle, an extremely ineffective weapon at close range. But there were no heroes that day. Not even one.

I had a long time to think about how I would have acted if I was the 1 out of 19 in that situation. Would I have risked my life? As I began thinking about this I realized just why everybody ran, and just why nobody stayed. Everybody was ruled by fear—the same fear we all have.

Ruled by Fear

And so were the other 11 spies. They were afraid, and they gave that reason enough to not be able to conquer. Nobody but Caleb had any faith in God. Nobody was willing to risk themselves in obedience. It was the same story all over again in the Montreal shooting. Nobody was willing to risk their lives. One guy told the reporter, “I was there, and I thought, ‘I don’t want to get shot!’ so I ran for my life.”

Very reasonable decision. I must commend you, very wise. But your life was not the only one in question. If you were only watching out for your own skin, than that would have been just fine. But I’m afraid that today sir, you proved yourself a child.

That would have been entirely our same action, unless we were ruled by something other than fear. Like honor. Like principle. No hero will claim he was not afraid, he just knew had to do his duty.

Here again are a couple of the vows of Chivalry.

1. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
2. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
3. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

We Seemed to Ourselves as Grasshoppers

Picture yourself. Now picture a grasshopper. Those are big giants aren’t they?

When we are ruled by fear, everything takes a different proportion. But now, what exactly did they say? “We seemed to ourselves as grasshoppers.” Do you get it? They were viewing themselves with one 1000th of the strength they should have been! Of course they would never be able to take over the land with that attitude!

Unless we as men realize that we are grossly underestimating our abilities and begin to live by a principle of honor that we vow never to break, we will never change this world. It’s a daunting task isn’t it? But like Caleb yesterday, we must face this task like men. In the strength of God, we are well able.

Men Wanted: Yesterday, Today, Forever

It’s time for a revival. Men, my generation, your generation will change this. We will show ourselves worthy of honor. We will be heroes. And if we never get the chance to singlehandedly fight with a gunman, we shall still always be continually ready to risk our life for the safety of another. On the value of our own life, we shall represent God fearing manhood. Daring Manhood.

But this attitude isn’t only about things that are heroic. I don’t want to leave this introduction on a note of surrealism, on the dreamy idealism of ‘being a hero’. Most of us will not have such a drastic opportunity, although we shall be prepared for it. Where we all will prove our ability is in every aspect of life around us. We will prove ourselves when we approach any duty with the attitude of Caleb, “We are well able.”

We will prove ourselves on many giants, all the giants in our life. From each test in school, to each test of character. Every time we feel incapable, every time we meet a giant in our life, let us remember: There are giants. But we are not grasshoppers.

We are well able.

This is only the beginning of this series, stay tuned for more next week!

I Hate Working

I sat twirling in an office chair, “So…” I stopped the chair and faced my friend, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”

“I’m going to retire when I’m 30, I hate working.”

“Oh come on,” I prompted, “but what are you going to do… like in the next 15 years?”

“Oh, nothing, review video games or something. Something that I don’t have to work at.”

I couldn’t believe my ears, I was sure he was kidding. That was the answer one of my friends gave me a couple years ago in regards to my question about his life plans. Needless to say, a little discussion ensued about how that was lazy and entirely unmanly, and how I couldn’t imagine anybody wanting to have such a lifestyle.

I know we’re all looking at eachother and shaking our heads like wise sages right now. “That’s so crazy! I mean, who would want to live like that?! (And what kind of girl would want to marry a guy like that?)” Crazy indeed. And of course we keep shaking our heads, slowly, back and forth, back and forth. We are sooooo much wiser.

Relative Success

But do we realize that this attitude is entirely natural to humans? Is it possible that my friend just had an overdose of it at an early age? Is it possible that we’re only better by a degree and not anywhere near what we ought to be? We settle back comfortably, and we work hard, and we’re sure we don’t have an attitude like that. We’re happy being a cut above somebody who wants to get fat, retire at 30, and get fatter. We’re better and we pride ourselves with that knowledge. It helps our self-worth to be better than somebody else.

But what are we gauging our success by? We feel the adrenaline rush as we pass all the cars, we smile as we think of what people will say. “WOW, that guy is fast.” But all that fun feeling of success crashes on us when we realize we were only passing parked cars. We were doing so much better than the rest of them, but were we doing our best?

Your Best: Wasted

Maybe we were, maybe our pedal was to the metal. Maybe we reached the glorious speed that very few ever reach. Or maybe, in real life, we reached the glorious heights of success, the medals, the honors, maybe we became the President of the United States. Maybe we did. Maybe we climbed Mount Everest. And then we reached the highest point. We were the example of success. But for what purpose?

Regardless of how high you climb, how far you go, how much you achieve, you can waste every bit of it. Your work ethic would be an example, you would be quoted, you would be honored. But, it could all be wasted. What makes the difference?

For what Purpose?

One of my favorite books in the Bible is Ecclesiastes. And yet it is one of the most discomforting books in the Bible. Everything good, everything right, everything we dream about, it is all vanity. Everything we can possibly do or (not do) in this life is listed off as vanity, vanity, and by the end of the book I’m frustrated. “What are we supposed to do then?! If that’s all vanity… why, that’s life! Life isn’t vain!”

But wait. Solomon isn’t saying that our life has to be vanity. In fact, life is far from vain. And He knows it, but there’s one key, one defining factor that makes the difference. In fact, we don’t hear about it until the last verse. And then, all he says is, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear [revere, honor, worship, glorify, etc.] God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecc 12:13 ESV

Is there something so magic in those words? Something that turns life from vanity to a worthwhile effort? There is. It’s where we focus our goals. If we’re living for anything other than God’s glory, if we’re living for any other reason than for His honor, if our goals are set on anything lower than His best… it’s all vanity.

Your Best for God’s Best

My friend seemed to have realized that. I think he read Ecclesiastes and missed the last verse. Maybe his attitude was, “Life is all vanity, so why should I do anything anyways!” But we’re much wiser, we don’t think like that. Or do we? When we think, “I’m good enough, at least I’m better than [name].” or, “Oh come on, why do you have to think I should be perfect?! I’m better than most people, and you still complain that I do things wrong.” We’re actually saying the same thing. We’re complacent creatures, we’re too willing to stay the way we are. But that’s dead wrong. The way we are is not the best we can be. God wants us to step up higher. He calls us to do things better. He doesn’t call us to a life of ease and comfort. He calls us to a life of daring obedience! He wants us to give every bit we have. He wants us to give Him the best.

So many people don’t realize that when we gave our hearts, that meant we gave God everything. It’s incredible that we will catch ourselves thinking, “I gave God my heart, He doesn’t want my energy too does He? God doesn’t want something like that, why, it’s only such a little bit compared to what He has!” Actually, God does want it. Even if it’s only a little bit. Even if you’re confined to a wheelchair, if you’re physically unable to do many things normal people can’t. God wants everything, for after all… God gave us His best. We forget, that God didn’t just love us, He lived out His love. He proved it at the cross when He gave up His only Son to die for me…

When He gave me the Best He had.

From the Men’s Titanic Association, by Doug Phillips.

When asked during the Washington, D.C. Senate Titanic hearings whether the doctrine of “women and children first was the law of the sea?”, Second Office Charles Lightoller responded, “it is the law of human nature.” Of course, there were no formal laws, maritime or otherwise, which required the implementation of such a policy in times of danger. Lightoller’s comments suggest that he, and others like him, believed the doctrine of “women and children first” to be a widely-held and fundamental principle of conduct. Further evidence that this principle was deeply imbedded in Western thought comes from an incident that took place more than half a century before the demise of Titanic.

In 1852, the British troopship Birkenhead sunk off the coast of South Africa. She carried the 78th Highlanders, their families, and the ship’s crew. Once it became clear that the boat was going to sink, the orders were given to remove the women and children first by placing them into the Birkenhead’s few lifeboats. Twenty minutes later, the boat sank. Every one of the Highlanders and sailors aboard the Birkenhead died a grisly death in the shark-infested waters while their wives and children helplessly watched from the safety of the lifeboats. In the last minutes before the boat sank, these brave and self-sacrificing men lined up in military formation. Their band played the national air as the ship went down. Like the men of the Titanic, the British soldiers understood that in times of crisis, men must give their lives so that women and children may live. The Birkenhead incident inspired the poet Rudyard Kipling, one of the 20th centuries most accomplished defenders of bold manhood, to pen the following verse:

So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill
Soldier and sailor too.

Real men. Real women. The world today has no concept of them. This story is thrilling, not because we aspire to have to do that. But because we know that were we faced with the same situation, before God we could do no different.

Yet, today’s culture has been infiltrated with a lack of respect for our weaker counterparts. Does that law of human nature that Charles Lightoller was confident of still exist? I don’t mean to speak proudly, but were I faced with a situation like that, I could do no less. It would be painful to die, yet more painful to live and let a woman die. Am I a rare breed? I know there are many men who would, yes could do none else. But unfortunately polls indicate that the typical high school male laughs at the idea of giving up his seat on a lifeboat to help a woman or child.

No, you’re right, we don’t have any more ships sinking today in the same way we used to. But the loss of chivalry spreads wider, much wider than that. I don’t need a poll that tells me that the typical high-school male will laugh when challenged to protect the honor, the purity or the safety of a girl. This was integral to chivalry, in fact here are some of the commandments of chivalry, listen up.

• Thou shalt avoid avarice like the deadly pestilence and shalt embrace its opposite.


• Thou shalt keep thyself chaste for the sake of her whom thou lovest.


• Thou shalt not knowingly strive to break up a correct love affair that someone else is engaged in.


• Thou shalt not chose for thy love anyone whom a natural sense of shame forbids thee to marry.


• Be mindful completely to avoid falsehood.


• In giving and receiving love’s solaces let modesty be ever present.


• Thou shalt speak no evil.


• Thou shalt be in all things polite and courteous.


• Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.


• Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.


• Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.


• Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.


• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Every single one of these means as much today as it did 500 years ago. No we can’t go around with that shining sword and glittering armor, but that’s not what made the man. What made a man was his character and what still makes a man is his character.

In this modern culture or ours we can follow through with the era of chivalry. By God’s Grace we can continue something that He has engrained in us, but that, much of the world has rejected. Today we shall protect both our honor and their honor, we shall guard their safety, we shall defend their life, we shall honor them by putting them first.

This world has forgotten all about care, all about chastity and all about honor. As a generation of men, you and I shall keep that as our first priority. We shall protect the purity of our sisters; we shall protect their honor. We shall keep ourselves chaste for their sake and for God’s glory. We shall promote this as the most important way to show true and heartfelt respect for our sisters.

We shall guard their safety. We shall defend their life. We shall never be guilty of ‘standing back and doing nothing’ when a woman is in danger. We shall defend their life with our life.

And with that attitude, we find it much easier to do the little chivalrous things like opening doors. Most woman and girls know enough to appreciate it. But if they don’t, remember this story. There was a gentleman who held the door open for a woman. He got swiped for it and told in no uncertain terms that she could hold the door open herself. He replied calmly, “Woman, I didn’t hold the door open because you were a lady. I held the door open because I was a gentleman.”

Let us not be cowards in the face of a rapidly falling world of feminism. We shall not be cowards. Let us stand up and be real men for a real world.

Yesterday we dealt with the first of 3 reasons that Bill, a public school principal, gave us to homeschool. Read Part 1 Here.

Not everybody has money to spare, Bill tells us that’s just fine if you’d like to homeschool—it’s not hard on your bank. “Homeschooling,” he begins, “is the best value.” And then he relates, “I remember the first time I walked through a homeschool convention. I had been an administrator for a few years already and my wife and I were getting ready to start training my oldest. I remember seeing the families in the booths, the families throughout the convention in the pull-out sessions, and having the feeling that I have been completely robbed!” Robbed of more than money too, he had seen “the accomplishments of the young people in this setting and was amazed, and sickened at what our society has come to accept as ‘a great education’.”

I’ve talked to many people my age who are going to public school, and for the most part, I see a bit of jealousy. There are so many things about homeschooling that are just so much more enjoyable—but not just that, as a statistic, we homeschoolers get to ride the score sheets. Why wouldn’t you feel cheated? Imagine somebody saying, “I spent all day in school, and just think I could have done it at home in a couple hours, and I could have been smarter for it, and had a whole lot more fun doing it.”

But instead, society has come to accept that public education is good education. Actually, here in Canada we’re supposed to have one of the best, but one look at the average score in my county sends me wondering. In the words of Bill, “I’m sorry, but, BARF! OK, not a professional term for a public school administrator, but it really works here.”

So we choose something better, that’s home education. And it’s not only better on the spiritual and financial levels, Bill gives us the final scoop, “It’s practical.” From an administrator’s perspective he sees and hears of almost everything that goes on at the school. The more serious the incident, the more he is involved. Then Bill tells us, “It was a complete no-brainer that I would not want to send my kids to school because of the peer influence and “socialization”. I would just as soon bathe my children nightly in a cesspool.”

Now, that’s pretty strong, but you know I think that more parents might hold that opinion if they were to take a week in his shoes. What really does go on at the school where your kid is going? If he’s homeschooled, you know full well, if not, it would be good to know. For Bill, he knows too much—too much to risk putting the children he has borne, has loved, and is raising into public school. “I would move,” he says, “to another community, state, or country if I had to in order to avoid placing my children in the state system.” Wow, we think, he must really be in a low school or something, but listen to this, “I am in a “great” school with test scores to die for and wonderful “safety” record, and I wouldn’t touch it.” Does that mean that even the best aren’t good enough? I think that’s precisely his point. And he’s not the only one, as he says, “Even the teachers I serve know I homeschool and have expressed that if they had the chance they would also homeschool.”

And in this case, the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. But unfortunately, most people would like to live a lifestyle that just doesn’t support a homeschool environment.
And that’s the end of our reasons for homeschooling.

In another question, Oneway Purpose asked Bill what ages he thought children would be hurt most by the system. He replied, “The younger the child and/or vulnerable the child, the more potential there is for long term damage to the young one’s being.” And I totally agree, in Canada’s recent federal election one of the issues at stake was government funded childcare. In relation to that, my brother Isaac wrote, “History bears record that any time when a government or any agency other than the family assumed the primary role of raising children, societal disaster, corruption, and destruction followed close.” Fortunately the Conservative government elected squashed the deal.

But Bill says he wouldn’t let his kids go to public school until they’re fully capable of entering the world—and standing firm. I think Bill would agree with this other statement Isaac made,

“As Canadians (or Americans) we believe that children are to be raised by their parents. Not by a government, not by a government system, not by a government agency. We believe it is our right, and our responsibility, and we will retain and defend that with the integrity of citizens against a socialist scheme designed only for political gain, and destined for ultimate corruption. We will not give one inch of our responsibility and right to any government system, federal or provincial. We stand firm to maintain the core of society.”

Oneway Purpose also asked Bill to list three areas where he believes his children are excelling most above their public schooled counterparts, and also asked whether he thought his children were lacking in any areas where public school students are not.

He listed: a) Learning and understanding God’s Word. b) Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control, commonly known as the Fruit of the Spirit. c) Discipline (the kind that “is sorrowful for the moment but in the end is the peaceful fruit of righteousness” Hebrews 12:11

He also says, “When it comes to excellence and lack we are comparing the Fruit of the Spirit to the fruit of the world, otherwise known as Life and death. The rest is mere academics. Limiting the comparisons to the realm of academics alone is fighting the argument in terms dearest to the world.”

I want to be careful here, because the fruit of the Spirit is given by the presence of the Spirit. It’s not the fruit of homeschooling. But I believe Bill meant that, given the opportunity to train his children, he has been able to inculcate these principles into their life, while in public school, they would be trained in principles to the contrary.

But now, I’d like to say that this is a great reason for Christians to take the positions of teachers. In Ontario, we have a section in our education act that reads,

Section 264 c) [Teachers’ responsibility in relation to Religion and morals is] to inculcate by precept and example respect for religion and the principles of Judaeo-Christian morality and the highest regard for truth, justice, loyalty, love of country, humanity, benevolence, sobriety, industry, frugality, purity, temperance and all other virtues;

How many teachers really do that? How many ever read that? I’m afraid not many, but there is a place for Christian teachers, and principals, and I’m proud to see Bill filling one of those places.

And that’s it folks! I was hoping to have some other interviews to include with this, but it just didn’t happen. Hope you enjoyed this!

Goodmorning! First I’d like to apologize for not posting this earlier, second I’d like to apologize for not posting more on the other topics. They’re coming! I had other writing deadlines I had to take care of and can also excuse myself by reason of busyness. Actually, the only time I really get to write here is between 5am and 7 am. Yes, you got it, I’m an early riser most of the time, and it’s not necessarily because I’m homeschooled either.

And homeschooling, that’s what I’m going to be talking about again this morning. I would like to thank Bill from Ask The Principal for letting me interview him. Bill is a public school principal with more years of experience educating than I have living. He prefers to remain anonymous so we’ll just have to be satisfied with well, Bill.

Bill first heard about homeschooling while in college. “In the early 80’s,” he says, “the movement was just taking off and receiving a lot of press locally in my college town.” He met a couple homeschool-supporting professors over the next few years that gave the homeschooling movement credibility in his mind. After meeting a law professor who gave him the legal ins and outs of the issue and told him of the victories that homeschooling families had, Bill anchored his favor of homeschooling permanently. But as he says, “I was yet far from developing my own reasons.”

I guess he’s had enough time to do that, since we have quite a good list here of reasons to homeschool. Unquestionably, he has them down pat. And would you guess, he’s homeschooling his children. So what we have here is a teacher, a principal, and a homeschooling dad who can sign B.S., M.A. Ed behind his name. Very unique. Let’s plunge into the interview.

I asked Bill to give me 3 reasons to homeschool. The three points he chose were “Spiritual, Economical, and Practical”, so let’s take a look at the first. This is Bill.

Spiritual. One of my favorite books in the New Testament is Colossians. We don’t know what heresy that was infiltrating their church, but it was significant and Paul had to address it. I suppose if we knew the exact heresy we would spend more time avoiding the particular instance than in avoiding heresy in general. One of the popular verses in the book is in chapter 2 verse 8:

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (NASB)

The command “See to it…” is pretty strong. In fact, as a principal if I tell a staff member “See to it that…” I know it will be done. It is not an option. There is no waffling, etc. In terms of consequences, well, let me say that there is nothing I can do to anyone that comes remotely close to the consequences implied here if one does not take the command Paul gives of “See to it…” seriously. This whole book is excellent in terms of defining who Christ is and who we are as Christians in Him, to help us to “see to it” we are not taken captive.

As a husband and father, the “see to it” goes beyond just my own self. It is included in the leadership and discipleship of my family. For me, “See to it…”, among other things, includes the fact that my children will not be placed in a public school setting for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in godlessness. (See 2 Timothy 3:16 for an appropriate application of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in Godliness)

Ok readers, see to it that you read all the way through and comment now and on every post I make in the future. But now seriously, Bill has this pinned up very well. I think he’s seen a lot more of the training in godlessness than you or I have, and I admire him for seeing to it that his children grow up trained in Godliness.

We don’t have much time or space left for more today, so we’re actually going to leave the other two points for tomorrow morning. Check back as soon as you get out of bed to hear (aka read) what Bill has to say about the Economical, the Practical, his thoughts on the grading system, how he believes his children are excelling over their public school counterparts, and even more that I’m not mentioning.

Random: Why doesn’t Microsoft Word recognize ::homeschool:: as a properly spelled word?

• Read Spunky’s series of posts discussing homeschooling with Dr. Beam. [1] [2] [3]

Read Part 2 Here