A Remarkable Birth
By Paul Coughlin
I have helped men discover their subdued, maligned, and misunderstood masculinity for some time now. What I witnessed, especially during the powerful question and answer time, was the most commanding display of authenticity, pain, and transformation among today’s men that I have yet to witness. I saw men change on Saturday, and their transformation changed me as well.
I saw humility, which I used to fear because I thought it was synonymous with shame. Humility is among our most dreaded and yet powerful ministers. It clears the air and bulldozes roadblocks toward a better life. It’s like what John the Baptist did for Jesus. It clears the way for life-giving insight. I saw men embrace this humility and I watched their power rise.
I’m still struck by the conversations, questions, and brotherhood. I wish the critics of a man’s spirit and nature would have heard the questions they asked, saw the demons they confronted, and witnessed the change they were willing to undergo. Their manner cut against the many wicked stereotypes that both handcuff and marginalize men, especially in their homes--namely, that men by their very nature are “selfish.”
GodMen helped them delve deeper into their pain, which guys tend to handle in secretive and shameful ways. Their unredeemed grief, father hunger, good sexual energy flowing in the wrong directions, and their feelings of powerlessness, are prone to gang up on men and corral them into shoots of self-destruction and onto ledges of despair.
GodMen unleashed a new male spirituality that is tender-hearted and tough-minded, and in a way that the average guy can understand and celebrate. Sure, we provided our own Shock and Awe Campaign through music, videos, bold statements, and outrageous humor. I enjoyed being part of this unusual campaign because it led toward the redemption of the male soul and the resurrection of his vitality.
I talked with worship leaders, businessmen, government officials, pastors, and more. What was once a strong conviction rattling through our malcontented minds about a year ago was confirmed in stone. Many men want to go deeper than before, not to appease the will of man, but to serve the will of God. They want to love more, protect more, to become warriors of light. Ah, but the struggles and the numbing expectations. It’s hard to swim against the mainstream, so we showed you some new strokes.
We labored not in vain to help men understand their lives better and to understand their need to be among other men, such as through the Sampson Society. We provided what C.S. Lewis described as “undeception” and exposed the mis-direct of evil. Because when you set out to chart a redemptive course, to confront because you love, know that there is a tension in the core of this world between good and evil.
I didn’t see the usual emotional hype that lasts for a day or two, then dissipates and that sometimes embitters men afterward. I saw faces caught in introspection, men taking inventory of their lives, which is a cornerstone of moral integrity.
And finally, there was grace, both human and divine. I’m hesitant to mention grace, not because of what it means, but because of what we’ve made it to mean. God’s grace, a free gift of pardon for our wrongdoing, has received a reputation for softness, a form of dumping down. Yet it is the mighty power of God that can change the DNA of our soul, equipping men to live moral and larger lives.
There is a spirit of both power and self-control within every man who battles for the cause of Christ. I saw this power in your eyes and countenance. Use it justly. Bless others with it since the weak always suffer when the strong fail to act.
