Act Like a Man

We seem to be surrounded by men right now. Waverly is hosting the "Gentlemen of the Road" festival this weekend. And then after the "gentlemen" all leave, we celebrate Father's Day on Sunday.

On a typical Father's Day in church, I acknowledge the day, even take a moment to honor and pray for dads. But then I go on with worship, teaching, etc. like any other Sunday.

But this year, I am going to do something I've never done before - I'm going to talk about "how to be a man."

To the Ladies...

Now ladies, before you groan, thinking you'll skip this Sunday to avoid the grunting, chain saw demonstrations, and endless sports analogies, let me reassure you that there will be PLENTY in the message that will help you in your daily life. (Which is why I am entitling my message this Sunday "How To Be A (Hu)Man.") In fact, I believe you will actually be encouraged as a woman by hearing me talk about manhood. (Don't believe me? Then come Sunday and see.)

And now back to All Audiences...

So on Sunday, I'm going to talk about being a man. I think it is worth us taking time to talk about what it really means to be a guy. (If you want to peek ahead, our passage this Sunday will be 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.)

But rather than wait until Sunday, let me draw one thing out in this email as preparation for Sunday's message:

Act Like a Man = Courage

A couple of English translations of the Bible translate the Greek word andrizesthe in 1 Corinthians 16:13 as "act like men," which appears to be an accurate translation.

But according to the Bible Study tools on the Lumina website, andrizesthe can also be translated as "be brave, have courage."

Often, we think of courage as something heroes possess in order to do the amazing things that get them the label "hero." But courage is something all people can have. And it can be displayed everyday. For instance:

• It takes courage to reach out to a neighbor or family member with whom you have a strained relationship.
• It takes courage to stand up to office-place gossip with grace.
• It takes courage to lovingly stand your ground with a defiant child.
• It takes courage not to respond to your spouse in anger during a tense discussion.
• It takes courage to roll out of bed 30 minutes early to read your Bible.
• It takes courage to turn off the phone or TV so you can be fully present with another person.

To sum that list up: it takes courage to obey God in all phases of life. And you can do that whether you are a man or a woman.

So whether you are of the male or female gender, may I "en-courage" you to display courage, revealing that your faith is in God.

Go, and live courageously.