A Man of Imitation

"To be in Christ, is to live in his ideas, character, spirit, as the atmosphere of being. Men everywhere are living in the ideas and characters of others. He who lives in the spirit of Raphael, becomes a painter; he who lives in the spirit of Milton, becomes a poet; he who lives in the spirit of Bacon, becomes a philosopher; he who lives in the spirit of Caesar, becomes a warrior; he who lives in the spirit of Christ, becomes a man."

-Anonymous

"I urge you, then, be imitators of me." -I Corinthians 4:16

-Paul
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Although the first quote shows age, the concept is still very real and applies to everyone today. We can take those examples above and add in our own imitations; Hollywood, culture, "The American Dream", "The Joneses", money and so on. Do those sound like some imitations of today's culture? We all want to be great, we all want to be noticed and we think that acting or living like someone popular will get us what we want.

• Chuck Palahniuk, the author of Fight Club wrote, “We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact." 

This line is so true in my opinion. Some of us grow up and make these imitations our goal in life. In the meantime, we miss the opportunity to become a man. We miss the spirit of Christ.

Paul's appeal in I Corinthians 4, is for us to imitate him; because he is imitating Christ. I think we can all agree that Christ is the ultimate example for all of us. Do you agree? How to live, how to speak, how to love, how to care and most importantly how to sacrifice? Paul endures hardships such as persecution, homelessness, curses, slander and more. 

• His response in verses 12 and 13 was this, "When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly." 

Are we man enough these days to take that kind of abuse and deal with it? Are we man enough these days to take any kind of abuse from culture or those that think there're better than us?

"He who lives in Christ, becomes a man." I have found this very true in my own walk and in the examples of men that I am close with. The path of Christ requires us all to do things that are not taught in college, that are not taught in culture, and that are not taught on television. It requires a man to go deeper; to read more, to seek truth beyond these "easy" stimuli, to break chains of his families past, to discover the manhood Christ has set in his heart. Be a man that is strong enough and willing enough to imitate Christ, not the things of this world. Are you ready to accept the challenge and be a man that imitates Christ?

Voice your opinion below or ask more questions. We're all in this fight together!

Wax Seal

We've all heard the horror stories related to the john, the pot, the throne or best known as the toilet. After a fresh installation, the possibilities to leak could come from so many places; the water connection in the back; the connection from the tank to the pot, and of course the wax seal. I write about this because this weekend was my first experience with replacing a toilet. I won't lie, anytime I do something new I watch a couple Youtube videos to see what to do and not to do. I download the information into my hard drive and off I go... to the pot. The toilet that was there worked, but had been there for a loooong time. I'm sure the gallons per flush were easily 3 or more, which today's standards are about 1.28 gallons per flush; quite the money savings over a long period of time. I know you probably don't care to hear about this, but, to be honest; it is good information to know. With the old toilet removed, I dreaded the new install. Like I said, with so many opportunities for it to leak, you never know how it will go after you turn that water back on. I can honestly say though, that it was a great and easy installation with no leaks. (so far)

Why does any of this matter or even apply to life. Well, you have to ask yourself 'where am I leaking'. Where am I letting things go or how am I making sure what gets in doesn't leak out? Consider your water source and its connection. With a simple turn of a handle, the water to a toilet can be on or off. Are you on or off? Are you allowing the water to flow in (leak proof), and flow out (leak proof)?

I learned that Jesus is the water source and in order for your life to go according to his plan, you have to make sure your valve is turned to 'on'. That first connection; that connection to him is of most importance and the seal has to be right. That first connection for the toilet consists of threads and plumbers tape. The plumbers tape is that extra seal, that little bit needed to make a tight connection. What is your connection like with Jesus? How do you make sure your relationship is tight; so that when he is ready to shine through you, you are ready?

Once that valve is turned on, you have to be ready to allow him to work through you. As the process of this takes place, you have to check the rest of your seals or connections. In plumbing these are your tank seals and bolts. In your life this could be your relationships, friendships, work, hobbies and more. How are you keeping the seals tight for Christ in these areas?

The last connection is the Wax Seal; this is where the water exits and is forever on a different path. The wax seal is the biggest connection for the toilet. You have one chance to get it right, and if you don't, you have to get a new one a try again. This relates to your expression of Christ to others; how do you treat others and how are you displaying Christ in your attitude? You can allow him into your life, you can keep your seals tight by living for him; but you when the opportunity is there to serve or speak about him, and you have to make sure all your connections are tight. This is the Wax Seal; this is where Christ can shine through you the best. Sometimes you only have one chance to get it right with people, and you have to be ready. It's not to say you won't get another chance, but that first impression can make all the difference.

OK, so this may be a slightly odd example of living for Christ, but I do believe the point is made.

How are you keeping your seals tight?

On The Floor

My legs were tired from working out the week before. There were 100 other men around me and the last thing I felt like doing was putting my knees on the floor and bowing before the Father. We were all instructed to get on our knees though and that is what I proceeded to do. When I initially went down, I could feel my sore legs cry out and I could feel my bad knee start to sing. I just did not feel it. I did not feel the need or the push. Finally I asked myself, where were all of these excuses coming from? Where was all this selfishness coming from? I finally put my face to the floor.

The floor was dirty, so I put my hands on the floor in front of my face. For a minute, I thought about how dirty the floor was and the fact that my face was only inches from it. It was after this point that I started to get angry. I started to ask myself why I felt this way and why was I letting it dominate my every thought. This should be a moment of pure and selfless sacrifice to Christ. Nothing else should matter at this point. Nothing else should be so important.

With my eyes closed, I looked far into the distance and I could see the enemy. I could see him smirking at me and enjoying every moment of my doubt. I raised my hand and pointed my finger at him and told him to “Leave me” and “Get out of my site!” I could feel my heart beat getting faster and faster. As I battled with him and felt him slowly moving away, I would look to Christ and ask him to forgive me and help me. As I spoke to Christ the enemy would slowly move back towards me; trying to take advantage of my connection with the Father. I would then look back down again and face the enemy straight on and force him back again and again and again. He was relentless.

The Lord finally gave me enough strength to cast him out of my site. With my eyes closed and the vision still very real, I fell to my knees and asked God for his help. I told him that I was tired of the soft food. I was tired of the basics and I wanted to know more. I asked him to show me who he really was and is. I asked him to take away my doubt and free me from the power of the enemy. He has no right in my life and he knows it. Christ heard my prayers and answered my prayers. I had no longer felt the pain in my legs or knee. I could no longer feel the stronghold of doubt and fear inside of my head. I had fought that battle with Christ and he was again victorious. I arose from the floor with a renewed sense of strength and a renewed sense of love for my God. He is strong and He is good.

Again, Christ showed me his strength. He showed me that I can always depend on him and that he will always fight for me. He is on my team.

How has Christ brought you to the floor before? 
How has He protected you in times of need?

Quality Construction: What are you building?

Wow, this holiness and righteousness requirement of God seems like such an impossible task to live out. In my own strength, I try to build a resistance to the attitudes, temptations, and the daily pulls I encounter.  However, an examination of my heart shows me that my best attempts are just flesh-driven habits, mantras, and resolve, easily evaporated in the heat of spiritual battles.  I need something more; I’m dependent on something greater than myself. I cannot walk this road in my own power.

What the Lord continues to do is break me, with each breaking, I become weaker in the flesh but stronger in the Spirit. My fleshly attempts at holiness have been similar to that of a man who builds his home with a faux-brick exterior but expects the performance of a real brick home. How naïve. As an exterior adornment, faux bricks and stonework’s look great and give the appearance of a well-built structure. What’s even more attractive is the fact that the materials are lightweight, less costly, and install quickly, having many of the aesthetic and resistive benefits of the “real thing.” From the outside, everything looks great.

However, true brick homes take time to build right and require more of an investment from those who desire this type of construction. Though costly, the investment in the “real thing” provides an increased resistance to infestation, rot, and harsh weather while providing some thermal benefits.

Translate this analogy over to your spiritual walk and you will see that we are faced with those same decisions as we choose to allow God to build our lives—or just settle for something that costs less. Have you considered the cost? Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain.” Are you allowing the Lord to be the architect and builder of your spiritual life? We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we need a wise architect, a strong builder, and quality materials. Through grace, they’re provided through the power of God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Paul tells us in Hebrews 3:10-13 (NIV), “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.”

It this relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that builds the type of life and treasures that moths, rust, and thieves cannot destroy or steal. Pull the sign out of the yard, I’m buying! 

Are you allowing the Lord to be the architect and builder of your spiritual life?

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This has been a guest post by a very good friend and brother in Christ, M. Coffin. Look forward to more great posts in the near future!

MM: The Way of Quality

I had no intention of making the ideas of Quality, a blog post with two parts, but I guess God had other plans. This part of our Christian walk is so important and is also such a challenge. I am always looking for new ways to get closer and take my relationship with Christ further. Of course, the enemy knows this about myself and increases his fight against my quality walk everyday. Well this is a battle he is not going to win and here are some of the ways I have found helpful in keeping a quality walk with Christ.

~Experience~

Just like the example I talked about in the first post about quality, I believe the more experience you have in your walk with Christ the more you will love Him. Again, this could be the opposite effect and experience can take you down a path of decaying desire and loss of interest. But God never stops working, even if we stop. Over the course of my walk with Christ, He has continued to show me Himself in many situations and events. He has shown me His power and love in my marriage, my friendships, my family and just people in general. In my opinion, the more you experience Christ and his work in your life, the more you will pursue Him and you walk will maintain a higher level of quality.

~Journaling~

Believe it or not, before Christ got a hold of my life I was not one to read or write. I had no desire to read a book or write for that matter. But over the course of the last year, the processes of reading and writing have become one of my most powerful tools in having a higher quality Christian walk. You would never see me taking notes in Church; you would never see me caught with a book in my hands. I think I can honestly say though that this is the new norm for me. As though it is some kind of weakness to be caught dead with a book or known for writing. These men have a completely wrong idea of true weakness and strength. I have learned so much and have a powerful back log of keeping a journal from the Sunday sermons. I keep a section in the back of my journal specifically for Manturity blog ideas. I use these tools of reading and writing to learn more, to understand more and to have a the highest quality of understanding possible. These things have worked for me immensely and I would highly recommend all men considering these tools while they excel in their walk with Christ.

~Accountability~

In a recent blog post titled “The Job”; I talked about maintaining an accountability partner. Someone who knows what you have been through and someone you can talk about anything with. The idea of accountability in this instance is ways to keep you accountable. I have a reminder set on my phone at the end of each month titled “Battle Plan Check”. It reminds me about my past and the way things were. It reminds me to stay faithful and don’t turn back to my old ways. I try to stay involved in reading a new book or following up on a really good classic. I am always trying to come up with new ideas for the Manturity blog. I try to spend some time in prayer each day. These are just a few ways I keep myself accountable. These things help me from turning back to my old habits and ways. They also help me maintain a high level of quality!

~Desire~

For men, Desire is a constant issue. We are so susceptible to the false desires of this world. The sex, the drugs, the music, the fame, the “image” and more. I have done a series on Desire in the past because it was one of the main topics when I started my walk with Christ. Psalm 37:4, is one of my favorite verses and it says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires or your heart.” Going back to the example in the first post about quality, a man can either maintain his desire for Christ or he can lose his desire over time. Knowing this idea, I have to always be mindful of where my hearts desire is and make sure it is in line with the desires of Christ. A great way to look at desire is to not ask God what YOU desire, but rather what would God have you desire. This is not a normal way of thinking, but it is the correct way of thinking, Pray for God to show you the desires of your heart and it will change your life. Take some time to research more about desire, live it out in your life each day and watch your life change.

These are just a few ideas of how to maintain a quality walk with Christ, I’m sure I could go more in depth and talk about many more ideas, but I would love to hear your ideas instead. Can you relate with these ideas or not? What is your experience as a new or old Christian? What has helped you have a high quality walk with Christ?

MM: The Type of Man

What type of man needs to be a Maintenance Man? Anyone? Every man!

No man is ever finished being worked on. No man is ever finished learning new things. Each day is a new opportunity to learn, grow, fail and succeed and so on. We all know this and are aware of this, but how do we take all of those examples and truly learn from them? How do we use these daily things to help us mature and move on? If you haven't been successful in learning from these daily things, than maybe you need to approach life a different way. Maybe instead of trying to tackle these issues by yourself you consider asking for help. You consider finding a way to keep track of some of these things and find a way maintain your knowledge.

A man has to be WILLING. 'Psalm 119:36'

From my personal experience, the most freeing decision I have made is giving my life over to Christ. Doing that allowed me to take the focus off of myself. When the focus is "clearly" on yourself, it is so difficult to see what is going on around you. You have a harder time considering other people's decisions, situations and feelings. There is a simple term for this sickness and it's called selfishness. Selfishness can become a black hole for men. I didn't realize how it was affecting me, until I snapped out of it. Things seemed to get so clear all of a sudden. I was finally willing to give Christ the time He deserved; the time He wanted me to give Him for so long. There was no question, I was willing.

A man has to be OPEN. 'Ezekiel 36:26'
Following Christ for real, for the first time, meant new things. It meant meeting new people, exploring new ideas, changing habits, finding desire and just plain talking to Christ more. A man that finally takes the leap of faith or the man that has had the faith for a while has to stay open to what Christ is doing or may have planned for you. As a new Christian, I knew there would be things that I had never experienced before, but I knew in my heart that I had to keep climbing. A man that has been a Christian for years must still be open to new ideas. He must not get stagnant with his ideas, beliefs and values. He must learn to be open and maintain that trait.

A man must learn DEPENDENCY. 'Exodus 15:2-3'
Being willing has broken your selfishness, being open has helped you adjust to new practices, but a man must learn that giving his life to Christ means a new dependency. It is no longer "me", but Christ in me. It is He who gives me my money, and it is He who makes my path straight, and it is He who provides a way out of temptations, and it is He who died for me. There is no shame, no weakness in being dependent on Christ. For me, it has been one of the strongest moves I have ever made in my life. It made me realize that my dependency on other people gave me no strength compared to Christ's strength.

Maintain. Sustain. Guard. Keep On. Nurture. Manage. Preserve. Save. Retain. Repair. Renew.

Some say it is easier to maintain a bad behavior than it is a good behavior. I say, give me their names and let me meet them. I say, don't let what others say dominate your opinion. I say, go to the sources, go to Christ and ask Him how to maintain. Ask Him how to be a man. And you know what, He will show you. He will give you all the tools you need....

Challenge yourself to be a Maintenance Man for Christ! 

Share some ways on how you maintain your walk!

The Resolution Battle

A new year means new beginnings. Right? Whether you have publicly stated your resolution for the new year or have kept it private, only you know your resolution. Only you know the truth about it and what it really means. It might be a few of the following; to loose a few pounds, to be a better friend, to be a stronger husband, to get more involved with your Church, to spend more time with your family or kids, or pursue a stronger and more real relationship with Christ. Whatever it may be, you have come to realize that you have a goal in mind. From there you have to decide when are you trying to accomplish this goal? Is there a specific time frame you are setting yourself up for or this a year long activity that will take you to your next resolution? Figure our your resolution and apply a time frame to it. Even if it is just a few months to get you started, you have to have a goal that you are working towards. 

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 

2 Chronicles 15:7

Figuring out the resolution and coming up with a timeframe or goal in mind, in my opinion, are some of the easier steps in the process. The resolution is most likely something you have been thinking of for awhile and you are ready to attack it head on. The timeframe is set as a goal or a target. The real challenge is the daily battle or what I like to call 'The Resolution Battle'. This is the part of the resolution that you have to face everyday. What does it mean or even look like to accomplish your resolution? What sacrifices are you going to have to make to ultimately achieve success? What habits are you going to have to change? What relationships are going to change? What will be your driving force? I had to ask myself these same questions last year and will continue to ask these questions each year. I had to come to a place where my resolution was not just mere words that I spoke, but would become a daily way of life. This type of situation separates the men from the boys, the immature from the mature and, I believe, someone that is serious about growing up in life. Here are a few ways that can help you beat the daily battle of your resolutions. Try them out, follow them, change them, adjust them, but do not forsake any of them. You have to stay true to yourself during this process, you have to find real perseverance and you have to see the victory in the end.

1) Set up Reminders! One of the best things to do when you come up with your resolution is to define the terms. Write down and figure out the daily things it will take to accomplish your goals. If you have a smart phone, set up a reminder to come up a the end of each month. If you use another type of calendar, go through it and mark reminders for every month of the year. Incorporate your terms of the resolution and why you chose to do it at the time of decision. Remind yourself about the why!

2) Tell a Friend! This could be your wife, your buddy, your parent, sister or brother. Let someone know the conditions of your resolution and have them hold you accountable. Offer them the same option if they also have a resolution. Work together on this process and you will be that much more willing to fight for the resolutions! Make them a part of your monthly reminders!

3) Pray! "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary." Revelation 2:3. The most powerful thing you can do is pray. Pray that God would help you in your resolution. Pray for a clear direction for your resolution. He may have another course set out for you, but it requires perseverance in other things first. Know that He has a plan for you and pursue Him. Make His presence in your life a daily, living thing.

4) Repeat! Do these things and then do them again. The courage and perseverance it will take to accomplish your resolution will not come easy, but the rewards will great. 

I wish you the best for your resolutions this year and pray that you will succeed in whatever goal you set your mind too. Please share your ideas, thoughts and tips on resolutions!

The seed has been planted, now it's up to you to make it grow!

Unlikely Candidate

Well it has been a very, very busy month and it has not left me much time to write. My most recent post I have been trying to write is titled 'A Consistent Man'. It is kind of an ironic title considering this month has been my most inconsistent month since I first started Manturity. Anyway....

Today is Christmas! Ever since I have been married, my wife and I will come home for the holidays and stay at her parents house. The week leading up to Christmas always means busy days shopping for those last minute gifts, visiting extended family and getting all of those wonderful grandparent gifts, and of course a candle light service at Church. This year was a great service. We attended my wife's families church which is 'Grace Church' in Erie, Pa. You can find the .blogspot blog from the Pastor right here. God spoke a great message to him this year about 'who or what do we magnify in our lives'. His parallel story was of course the Christmas story in the book of Luke, with an extra emphasis on Mary. He went into her story and about her powerful faith in God for the journey that she was about to encounter. Although Mary was an unlikely candidate for the task set before her, she trusted God with all her heart and knew that she had to be faithful. The same is true with us, we all feel like we are an unlikely candidate for the task Christ has before us. It doesn't matter what we look like or what we have done, if we are rich or poor, God wants us for Him. He wants us to magnify Him with all of our heart.

The Christmas season is a time of giving and sharing. Christ gave Himself for us and is gracious enough to share is unconditional love for us. Magnify Christ today for His wonderful birth and magnify Him every other day for His unfailing love. 

How do you magnify Christ during Christmas? Traditions?