Why Men Hate Going to Church." It has had a profound effect on me when pondering the minimal effectiveness of Christ's Church today, here in America. He explains most men believe they must check their masculinity at the door when attending most church services. Burrow contends that when Christ was on this earth, He lived a manly life, demonstrating much masculinity. He blames the modern church today for emasculating men and becoming feminized. This caused me to ponder the question, did Jesus teach and command passivity as emphasized by most churches today? When we read of Jesus' teaching in Luke 6 about turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and giving a bully your suit jacket when he takes your coat, it would appear so. It has much with the way you interpret being passive. Some would say Jesus was teaching that we should not have a retaliatory spirit, that we should sit back and just take it. This way of thinking leads one to believe being passive means to avoid acting on injustice or brutality. But upon further review and study on the matter, I have come to realize that Jesus is not teaching an inactive form of passiveness, but an active form. One that would require great restraint from our natural tendencies as men. In fact, I believe it requires greater strength to restrain ourselves then to act in a retaliatory matter. I am a football coach and we teach our players to walk away when an opposing teams player starts trash talking. We show them on film how silly it makes the trash talker look when he is talking at the back of our player's helmet. Does that make our player look weak or meek? To the contrary, I think a demonstration of restraint shows great strength and maturity...attributes I think are consistent with a manly type of man. But here's the thing, Jesus wasn't saying we should just back away and do nothing when we are a party to injustice, cruelty or brutality. He was saying we need to muster courage and strength to act in away that would confound the aggressor. The secret, is to show him love. Now, I will be the first to admit, this does not seem to be a manly thing to do, but a man can and should show love in a masculine way and that is to show restraint from retaliation, show compassion on the aggressor's ignorance of knowing God's ways and to act on the offense in a positive way as Christ would. For example, when an aggressor shows me cruelty I am to show him kindness. If he shows be harshness, I am to respond with gentleness. I am to return hate with love. One of Newton's Laws of Thermodynamics states that where there is an action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We are to react, but not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but in an equal and opposite way. I don't know about you but I am going to need some help acting in this manner. Fortunately, by the grace of God, He has provided us with that help through the person of the Holy Spirit, from which we receive the attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. We can only receive this "fruit of the Spirit" by recognizing and submitting to a Higher Power; our Creater; our Redeemer; our Rock and our Fortress. Now this is something I can respect as a man.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Does Jesus Command Passivity?
I am reading the second time through David Murrow's book entitled "
Why Men Hate Going to Church." It has had a profound effect on me when pondering the minimal effectiveness of Christ's Church today, here in America. He explains most men believe they must check their masculinity at the door when attending most church services. Burrow contends that when Christ was on this earth, He lived a manly life, demonstrating much masculinity. He blames the modern church today for emasculating men and becoming feminized. This caused me to ponder the question, did Jesus teach and command passivity as emphasized by most churches today? When we read of Jesus' teaching in Luke 6 about turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and giving a bully your suit jacket when he takes your coat, it would appear so. It has much with the way you interpret being passive. Some would say Jesus was teaching that we should not have a retaliatory spirit, that we should sit back and just take it. This way of thinking leads one to believe being passive means to avoid acting on injustice or brutality. But upon further review and study on the matter, I have come to realize that Jesus is not teaching an inactive form of passiveness, but an active form. One that would require great restraint from our natural tendencies as men. In fact, I believe it requires greater strength to restrain ourselves then to act in a retaliatory matter. I am a football coach and we teach our players to walk away when an opposing teams player starts trash talking. We show them on film how silly it makes the trash talker look when he is talking at the back of our player's helmet. Does that make our player look weak or meek? To the contrary, I think a demonstration of restraint shows great strength and maturity...attributes I think are consistent with a manly type of man. But here's the thing, Jesus wasn't saying we should just back away and do nothing when we are a party to injustice, cruelty or brutality. He was saying we need to muster courage and strength to act in away that would confound the aggressor. The secret, is to show him love. Now, I will be the first to admit, this does not seem to be a manly thing to do, but a man can and should show love in a masculine way and that is to show restraint from retaliation, show compassion on the aggressor's ignorance of knowing God's ways and to act on the offense in a positive way as Christ would. For example, when an aggressor shows me cruelty I am to show him kindness. If he shows be harshness, I am to respond with gentleness. I am to return hate with love. One of Newton's Laws of Thermodynamics states that where there is an action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We are to react, but not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but in an equal and opposite way. I don't know about you but I am going to need some help acting in this manner. Fortunately, by the grace of God, He has provided us with that help through the person of the Holy Spirit, from which we receive the attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. We can only receive this "fruit of the Spirit" by recognizing and submitting to a Higher Power; our Creater; our Redeemer; our Rock and our Fortress. Now this is something I can respect as a man.
Why Men Hate Going to Church." It has had a profound effect on me when pondering the minimal effectiveness of Christ's Church today, here in America. He explains most men believe they must check their masculinity at the door when attending most church services. Burrow contends that when Christ was on this earth, He lived a manly life, demonstrating much masculinity. He blames the modern church today for emasculating men and becoming feminized. This caused me to ponder the question, did Jesus teach and command passivity as emphasized by most churches today? When we read of Jesus' teaching in Luke 6 about turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and giving a bully your suit jacket when he takes your coat, it would appear so. It has much with the way you interpret being passive. Some would say Jesus was teaching that we should not have a retaliatory spirit, that we should sit back and just take it. This way of thinking leads one to believe being passive means to avoid acting on injustice or brutality. But upon further review and study on the matter, I have come to realize that Jesus is not teaching an inactive form of passiveness, but an active form. One that would require great restraint from our natural tendencies as men. In fact, I believe it requires greater strength to restrain ourselves then to act in a retaliatory matter. I am a football coach and we teach our players to walk away when an opposing teams player starts trash talking. We show them on film how silly it makes the trash talker look when he is talking at the back of our player's helmet. Does that make our player look weak or meek? To the contrary, I think a demonstration of restraint shows great strength and maturity...attributes I think are consistent with a manly type of man. But here's the thing, Jesus wasn't saying we should just back away and do nothing when we are a party to injustice, cruelty or brutality. He was saying we need to muster courage and strength to act in away that would confound the aggressor. The secret, is to show him love. Now, I will be the first to admit, this does not seem to be a manly thing to do, but a man can and should show love in a masculine way and that is to show restraint from retaliation, show compassion on the aggressor's ignorance of knowing God's ways and to act on the offense in a positive way as Christ would. For example, when an aggressor shows me cruelty I am to show him kindness. If he shows be harshness, I am to respond with gentleness. I am to return hate with love. One of Newton's Laws of Thermodynamics states that where there is an action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We are to react, but not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but in an equal and opposite way. I don't know about you but I am going to need some help acting in this manner. Fortunately, by the grace of God, He has provided us with that help through the person of the Holy Spirit, from which we receive the attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. We can only receive this "fruit of the Spirit" by recognizing and submitting to a Higher Power; our Creater; our Redeemer; our Rock and our Fortress. Now this is something I can respect as a man.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Elias Lee Finnegan Dedication
Elias Lee Finnegan was dedicated to the Lord by his parents Erica and Cody Finnegan on Sunday, June 12, 2010, at Grace Community Church in Lima, Ohio. Grandparents, great parents, aunts and uncles and great aunts and great uncles all attended the service and celebrated together with a meal at the Old Barn Out Back in Lima. Oh, I must not forget cousin Zachary. He was in attendance as well.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
As Iron Sharpens Iron
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
A vivid memory of mine as a little boy, is watching my great grandfather in the kitchen sharpen a knife with an iron file. Down on one side and back on the other the knife would go at the speed of light it seemed, until the sharpened edge glistened as if it were new again. I watched mezmorized by the constant motion, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Without skipping a beat, my great grandfather would continue the constant motion pausing every so often to check the sharpness of the blade. He would actually pluck a hair from his head and attempt to split it with the knife to determine when his mission was accomplished.
As I read this verse from Proverbs, this vivid memory returned to me as if it were yesterday. I pondered why the action of sharpening iron would be compared to a man developing and molding the character of another. How does iron sharpen iron anyway? When and why does a piece of iron need sharpened in the first place?
I think it is important to note that other materials are used to sharpen iron than just iron. Growing up on a farm, I often used a revovling sandstone to sharpen blades. Over time, I noticed how the sandstone would wear down and have to be replaced whereas an iron file that I also used upon occassion didn't. The principle is that one object can be used to make another object made of like material better without destroying or tearing down the other. So the Bible says it is best that a man be the object of edifying another man, and a woman to build up another woman. Many marriages have been compromised or destroyed by spouses who sought out counsel from a person of the opposite sex; a co-worker, a personal friend or an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.
When my great grandfather ran the blade down over the top of the iron file, he would slip the blade underneath the file to run the opposite side of the blade down the bottom side of the file. This way, the same side of the blade would consistently be run down the same direction of the file. To run it back up the opposite direction would be counterproductive to the task and would ruin the sharpened edge. Likewise, when a person comes along side another person, their instruction or advice must be consistent with God's Word and be constant, not an occassional compliment or words used to flatter the individual. There must be purpose in the action and that is to build up the person being sharpened, not to build up the one who is doing the sharpening. This is how and why an object is sharpened.
As I read this verse from Proverbs, this vivid memory returned to me as if it were yesterday. I pondered why the action of sharpening iron would be compared to a man developing and molding the character of another. How does iron sharpen iron anyway? When and why does a piece of iron need sharpened in the first place?
I think it is important to note that other materials are used to sharpen iron than just iron. Growing up on a farm, I often used a revovling sandstone to sharpen blades. Over time, I noticed how the sandstone would wear down and have to be replaced whereas an iron file that I also used upon occassion didn't. The principle is that one object can be used to make another object made of like material better without destroying or tearing down the other. So the Bible says it is best that a man be the object of edifying another man, and a woman to build up another woman. Many marriages have been compromised or destroyed by spouses who sought out counsel from a person of the opposite sex; a co-worker, a personal friend or an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.
When my great grandfather ran the blade down over the top of the iron file, he would slip the blade underneath the file to run the opposite side of the blade down the bottom side of the file. This way, the same side of the blade would consistently be run down the same direction of the file. To run it back up the opposite direction would be counterproductive to the task and would ruin the sharpened edge. Likewise, when a person comes along side another person, their instruction or advice must be consistent with God's Word and be constant, not an occassional compliment or words used to flatter the individual. There must be purpose in the action and that is to build up the person being sharpened, not to build up the one who is doing the sharpening. This is how and why an object is sharpened.
So why does an object need sharpened? The obvious answer is to restore it to it's original design to effectively accomplish it's intended purpose. God has blessed each of us with talents and gifts. Even more, He has bestowed upon His children spiritual gifts that are to be used to serve others in building up the body of Christ. When we conform to the ways of the world or suffer the wear and tear from the worries of this world, our sense and desire to serve others becomes dulled. We need to be restored to service by the loving rebuke, correction or support of a fellow follower of Christ; one with which we have an intimate relationship. This is called discipleship. In order for discipleship to take place there must be constant and consistent accountability; like the constant and consistent action of the blade against the file. But to the contrary, how many battle worn Christians are left on the shelf and out of service because there is no one willing to disciple them? Many churches today schedule many events, programs and activities to dispense information or to encourage fellowship but they lack personal and intentional accountability which can only come from building personal and intimate relationships. Environments are not created conducive to personal discipleship. Discipleship, one man sharpening another, is a repetitive process and can and should be repeated with intentionality if the church is really serious about it's mission to make disciples.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
A Corruptible Crown
I found this in an old box in the basement. Notice how scratched up and dented it is. It reminded me what the Bible says is true in 1 Corinthians 9:25, "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Februfury
Winter is hitting us hard in Northwest Ohio this year. We had about 4 inches of snow on the ground when we got pelted with another 4.5 inches followed by another 4 inches. I have been trying to keep ahead of it by shoveling the drive every 4 inches or so. The drifts are the worst to remove. We have some drifts around our neighborhood that are about 6 feet high or taller. No need to go to the YMCA the last couple of days.....I am getting all the exercise I need (or can handle) shoveling snow! Gotta love winters in Ohio!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
2009 Year in Review
January
With new dental insurance, I once again began to take care of my teeth with the beginning of many trips to the dentist. I also made my 6 months checkup with my doctor and received a good report. We took my daughter Melissa to the airport and said our teary (mom) goodbyes. She was leaving for England to work as a guide dog trainer for the blind. She will be gone for at least 6 months to a year. Karen and I plan to visit her in May.
February
I delivered the sermon at our church on Pioneer Club Sunday. The message was entitled "Built for Other" with the main point being we were created to serve God by serving others. Pioneer Clubs hosted David Cain, a very talented Christian juggler. Zach came to visit us for his first 2 night stay and he did fine. We had a great time. To finish up the month, I had a colonoscopy. Praise the Lord, a small polyp was removed and it was not cancerous.
March
Mystery Night at Pioneer Clubs was a new event and was a hit. I taught Sunday School classes while the Collerts were cruising. Pioneer Clubs annual skating party at Grove Skateland was once again a big success. I attended a football clinic with the Ottawa-Glandorf coaching staff at Notre Dame.
April
I continued to serve on the Steering Committee at church to help keep our congregation informed of the progress
of the Living Waters Campaign (to raise money for sewer and water service). I created a video that was shown at a Joint ABF session. Pioneer Club wrapped up with a huge splash with a Crud War! One child told his mom as she was tucking him into bed that it was the best night of his life! Nick Powell assisted me in this endeavor and I enjoyed working with him. I headed up the Planning Committee once again for the Pandora Community VBS.
May
This was a very busy month as we made a trip to England to visit Melissa. We visited Bath, London and of course, Southampton, where Melissa lived before taking the EuroStar to Paris France. Upon our return, we were informed by our daughter Erica and her husband Cody that they were expecting a baby! We attended many (17 I believe) graduation parties. The biggest blessing however, was the adoption of our grandson Zachary to our son Jeffery. He is now officially, Zachary Andrew Weaver!
June
VBS was a blast this year as it was a bit out of the ordinary. Our theme was Studio Go: Game
Show! Grace Mennonite Church hosted the event. I helped in the weightroom and tumbling at the school two times a week. I spearheaded a project to redesign our website. It now has a more contemporary look while being more user friendly.
July
I am beginning my 15th year of coaching at Ottawa-Glandorf High School. This summer we had a mini-camp before heading into some passing scrimmages. We did a little better than I expected at the tournament at Liberty-Benton. We had our midget and high school camps later on in the month. I submitted my resignation at St. John Mennonite Church as the Director of Children Ministries. They asked me to stay on until September.
August
I had the privilege of baptizing a little girl named Grace. Melissa, unable to get her green card renewed had to return to us from England. We were all happy she came home. We had an extremely long 2-a-days this year in football. The defense is looking good as we have many returning from last year with playing experience. Not so on the offensive side of the ball where we have just one returning starter. We are cautiously optimistic though. We did not scrimmage well against Perrysburg but had a good scrimmage against a good St. Henry's team. We won our first football game against Fostoria at home. I started my Friday Focus chapel program again. This year my theme is Maximum Impact: Making a Difference.
September
I began doing some substitute teaching within Putnam County, primarily at Ottawa-Glandorf Schools. We, the coaching staff, felt pretty good about winning 3 of our first 4 games. We knew it probably meant the best we could hope for would be a tie for the league title, but we kept improving from week to week. We are gearing up for the post season. I continue to explore and research the feasibility of a coffeehouse in Ottawa. I helped Erica and Cody put a new roof on their garage.
October
I continued to substitute teach while working on my proforma for an idea of a coffeehouse ministry in Ottawa. The first step is identifying a location. I tracked the traffic at two potential sites but can not get any information about the lease or purchase of these properties. One highlight of the season is the opportunity I had to help prepare our manager for the opportunity to dress and kick a field goal in our last regular season game. We finished the regular season with 8 wins and 2 losses, tieing for second place in the conference. We finished 5th in our region which paired us up with Wooster Tri-way for the first round of the playoffs.
November
Playoff fever! We won our first game in the playoffs convincingly and moved on to play Eastwood who defeated t
he first place finisher in our region, Galion. We had perhaps our best game of the year against Eastwood, beating them soundly. Our next opponent, Orrville, a perennial power, defeated the preseason pick to win our region Genoa. We snuck by Orrville with perhaps the biggest win in OG football history to take the Regional Title! Oh how sweet it was! Chagrin Falls stood between us and a trip to Canton. Chagrin Falls finished first in their region undefeated. We played well but came up just short in the end to lose a very close game. As the old cliche' goes, we didn't lose, we just ran out of time. Our only console was knowing that we made it to the final four and had taken another step closer to our ultimate goal of a state title.
December
We continue to anticipate the arrival of our new baby grandson. Erica is doing quite well with the pregnancy and is due next month. We had very blessed visits with our families over the holidays. We had a white Christmas up until Christmas Day when it rained. I closed out the year by having two lumps surgically removed which both proved to be noncancerous lipomas. Melissa, Karen and I saw the New Year in together. We played a new game Melissa bought and watched a movie together.
With new dental insurance, I once again began to take care of my teeth with the beginning of many trips to the dentist. I also made my 6 months checkup with my doctor and received a good report. We took my daughter Melissa to the airport and said our teary (mom) goodbyes. She was leaving for England to work as a guide dog trainer for the blind. She will be gone for at least 6 months to a year. Karen and I plan to visit her in May.
February
I delivered the sermon at our church on Pioneer Club Sunday. The message was entitled "Built for Other" with the main point being we were created to serve God by serving others. Pioneer Clubs hosted David Cain, a very talented Christian juggler. Zach came to visit us for his first 2 night stay and he did fine. We had a great time. To finish up the month, I had a colonoscopy. Praise the Lord, a small polyp was removed and it was not cancerous.March
Mystery Night at Pioneer Clubs was a new event and was a hit. I taught Sunday School classes while the Collerts were cruising. Pioneer Clubs annual skating party at Grove Skateland was once again a big success. I attended a football clinic with the Ottawa-Glandorf coaching staff at Notre Dame.
April
I continued to serve on the Steering Committee at church to help keep our congregation informed of the progress
of the Living Waters Campaign (to raise money for sewer and water service). I created a video that was shown at a Joint ABF session. Pioneer Club wrapped up with a huge splash with a Crud War! One child told his mom as she was tucking him into bed that it was the best night of his life! Nick Powell assisted me in this endeavor and I enjoyed working with him. I headed up the Planning Committee once again for the Pandora Community VBS.May
This was a very busy month as we made a trip to England to visit Melissa. We visited Bath, London and of course, Southampton, where Melissa lived before taking the EuroStar to Paris France. Upon our return, we were informed by our daughter Erica and her husband Cody that they were expecting a baby! We attended many (17 I believe) graduation parties. The biggest blessing however, was the adoption of our grandson Zachary to our son Jeffery. He is now officially, Zachary Andrew Weaver!June
VBS was a blast this year as it was a bit out of the ordinary. Our theme was Studio Go: Game
Show! Grace Mennonite Church hosted the event. I helped in the weightroom and tumbling at the school two times a week. I spearheaded a project to redesign our website. It now has a more contemporary look while being more user friendly.July
I am beginning my 15th year of coaching at Ottawa-Glandorf High School. This summer we had a mini-camp before heading into some passing scrimmages. We did a little better than I expected at the tournament at Liberty-Benton. We had our midget and high school camps later on in the month. I submitted my resignation at St. John Mennonite Church as the Director of Children Ministries. They asked me to stay on until September.
August
I had the privilege of baptizing a little girl named Grace. Melissa, unable to get her green card renewed had to return to us from England. We were all happy she came home. We had an extremely long 2-a-days this year in football. The defense is looking good as we have many returning from last year with playing experience. Not so on the offensive side of the ball where we have just one returning starter. We are cautiously optimistic though. We did not scrimmage well against Perrysburg but had a good scrimmage against a good St. Henry's team. We won our first football game against Fostoria at home. I started my Friday Focus chapel program again. This year my theme is Maximum Impact: Making a Difference.
September
I began doing some substitute teaching within Putnam County, primarily at Ottawa-Glandorf Schools. We, the coaching staff, felt pretty good about winning 3 of our first 4 games. We knew it probably meant the best we could hope for would be a tie for the league title, but we kept improving from week to week. We are gearing up for the post season. I continue to explore and research the feasibility of a coffeehouse in Ottawa. I helped Erica and Cody put a new roof on their garage.
October
I continued to substitute teach while working on my proforma for an idea of a coffeehouse ministry in Ottawa. The first step is identifying a location. I tracked the traffic at two potential sites but can not get any information about the lease or purchase of these properties. One highlight of the season is the opportunity I had to help prepare our manager for the opportunity to dress and kick a field goal in our last regular season game. We finished the regular season with 8 wins and 2 losses, tieing for second place in the conference. We finished 5th in our region which paired us up with Wooster Tri-way for the first round of the playoffs.November
Playoff fever! We won our first game in the playoffs convincingly and moved on to play Eastwood who defeated t
he first place finisher in our region, Galion. We had perhaps our best game of the year against Eastwood, beating them soundly. Our next opponent, Orrville, a perennial power, defeated the preseason pick to win our region Genoa. We snuck by Orrville with perhaps the biggest win in OG football history to take the Regional Title! Oh how sweet it was! Chagrin Falls stood between us and a trip to Canton. Chagrin Falls finished first in their region undefeated. We played well but came up just short in the end to lose a very close game. As the old cliche' goes, we didn't lose, we just ran out of time. Our only console was knowing that we made it to the final four and had taken another step closer to our ultimate goal of a state title.December
We continue to anticipate the arrival of our new baby grandson. Erica is doing quite well with the pregnancy and is due next month. We had very blessed visits with our families over the holidays. We had a white Christmas up until Christmas Day when it rained. I closed out the year by having two lumps surgically removed which both proved to be noncancerous lipomas. Melissa, Karen and I saw the New Year in together. We played a new game Melissa bought and watched a movie together.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Getting Started
Well, this is my first post. "Why," my wife asks, "do you want a blog?" I guess I am not really sure. Just a place to share my thoughts, my struggles, my revelations or should I say "Weaverlations?" I am presently on a journey to discover what God has for me next. Yeah, right....who would ever want to follow my journey? Maybe no one, but I know there are alot of people out there seeking God's will for their life. There are many people looking for purpose in their lives. I believe I know my purpose and my gifts and talents but am waiting on God's timing to show me exactly how I may use them for His glory.
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