GENTLE FATHERS

One of the joys of being the Men's Pastor of our fellowship, is the privilege of participating in the divine nature of Christ.  Today, I had the honor of watching men who love God open up their hearts to one another in a way I've never seen before. As any of you who've read this blog know by now, we are an open and transparent group of men. A few weeks back, one of the men asked me for a definition of transparency. I knew what he was asking, but I wanted a physical example to give him. I wanted a moment I could point to and say; “this is what transparency looks like.” Today was that moment, and wouldn't you know, he wasn't there today. So, C-Dawg, this is for you.

We're still in chapter three of the book "Bond of Brothers", and dealing with the importance of fathers to our lives. Wes Yoder has this wonderful way of bringing the needs in our lives to the forefront without wrapping them in preachiness. I began the study by reading the two highlights from chapter three, that were read last week. I asked our next man in line to offer up his highlighted excerpt from the book “Bond of Brothers.”

WOW! 

 You talk about completely changing things up! We went through about seven men this morning, so, I hope everyone will understand if I don't recount everyone's reading or the intimate details of it. What I will share is what I felt the Holy Spirit saying throughout the entire meeting. Our Brother Tony, shared the passage about 'Gentleness' being an attribute men need, and one that is in God's nature. He told us the story of a gentle man of God who'd been there throughout the major events of his life. At every turn, where life decisions were made, this man had been there quietly guiding him along the way. For those of us who know our Bro. Tony, we can all be grateful to the Lord for putting a man of gentle strength into Tony's life. Someday, I look forward to meeting this man, and thanking him for living the fruit of the Spirit.

Pastor Michael read from the portion of the book where Wes Yoder talks about his friend the 'sports' nut.' Pastor Michael was touched by the passage because he himself is a 'sports nut' and he has a very close friend who isn't. The two of them have a friendship that has lasted for thirty years in spite of their different interests.

Pastor Eric's passage was the same as Bro. Tony's. He mentioned how the passage had challenged him to express the gentleness within himself.

Bro. Carl read the passage that talked about how our children long for us to be a part of the 'game and story' of their lives. He used the example of one of the tiny toddlers in our church who will take him by the hand and lead him to where his play toys are or outside where they can play. It is a gift to you and the little one, when you can kneel down and join in their world.

This was one of those times, that I wished our women could have been at the keyhole of our discussion and heard the tender words and memories that flowed from the hearts of their men. You see, this is what Wes Yoder says happens when you ask a man to talk about what he really cares about. The fire in a man's heart isn't a raging flame of anger, or a consuming fire of sexual passion. The forge of a Godly man's heart produces a stronger steel than what the world would have you to believe. The bellows of the Holy Spirit heats the fire of love and devotion in a man's heart to a point far beyond what is considered normal. I know! I've seen these men with their children, and I've heard their story.

Living the life of Christ is not a drudgery to these men. They are men of holy passion. Their stories are wonderfully alive and real.

So, with their permission, I'd like to pull everything down into a nutshell. Of all the qualities of the character of God that we men should allow to bear fruit in our lives, gentleness is one of the most important, especially when you have children.

For a world who sees our God as a stiff, unyielding, and tyrannical creature bent on our destruction, I offer up a different view. I present to you the loving, joyous, peaceful, longsuffering, gentle, good, faithful, meek, and temperate God who loves His children more than we carnal fathers ever could. You see, I believe that when we truly know the real nature of God, we can become more like him. I am naïve enough to believe that men who've been born again, can display the nature of God to their wives, and family. I am sentimental enough to dream of a day when our young men won't be crippled by their exploding hormones and will instead be ruled by the Spirit of Christ within them. You can't tell me it can't happen, because I've seen it within the men who've allowed me to shepherd their sons, and to speak into their lives.

What breaks my heart is that those who are ruled by the carnal nature, would have you to believe that there aren't noble men of Godly character. The Hollywood grist mills would like for you to believe that all men are ruled by their stomach and parts further down below. The feminist pandering jabber boxes would like to rob decent men of their honor and dignity. I am here to tell you that they are liars, and their words are lies. I know good men. I know Godly men. I know men who make me desire to be a better man than I ever thought I could be. I know Tony, Michael, Eric, Dale, Carl, Jeff, and a host of others whose lives speak volumes of the power of the Spirit of God.

You see, what makes gentleness such an admiral fruit of the Spirit, is that in order to be gentle, you must be strong. It is implied. Within the picture of a man holding a tiny infant, is the knowledge that this creature who could easily crush this tiny life, can cradle it softly in his hands till the softest whimper disappears in a tender sleep. The same hands that can move mountains, drive nails, fell timbers, and make steel edifices rise from the earth, can carry their sleeping child from the car to their room without waking them. The same feet that trudge through war zones, will embrace the tiny toes and feet of a toddler wishing to dance with 'Daddy.' The same arms that can throw footballs over two hundred feet, basketballs a hundred feet, or baseballs across a diamond, can embrace a squealing child and impart the message of love.

HOW?

Because our God has made us in His image. Gentleness is His nature. Tenderness is his quality. It is the carnal nature that would try to drive it out of us. We don't understand the dichotomy of His nature, so we barely understand it in ourselves. It is hard to believe that the very same God who breathed stars into existence, could breathe into the nostrils of a cold and lifeless lump of flesh. It is hard to believe that the very same God who drowned an Egyptian army would also save seven lives. It is easier to believe in the harsh, stern, and unyielding God of our own creation, than the tender gentle loving God of Creation. Our sons, and yes, even more so, our daughters deserve to know a gentle father like our gentle Father.

I don't have any doubt they exist, because I've seen them.