Sunday mornings!

I have heard it said that the devil works overtime on Sunday mornings. More fights between husbands and wives seem to happen on Sunday mornings. The kids fighting with parents, parents trying to get the kids dressed and to church on time… ya right. Tons of hassle for an hour and half of holiness. The question has to be asked is it all worth it? The answer is found in the reason we attend. Church can never be about us or simply our needs or what we might or might not get out of it. Going to church is all about Jesus and what we can offer to Him and then it is all about the people and what we have to offer to them. We are last! There is no need in a man’s life greater than the need to go to church and learn how to die to self. Sunday mornings is the true text of every man’s heart and what is most important to him. Sunday mornings is about a man’s heart and if God still has full control of it. See ya at church!

 

 

The power of nothingness!

At the core of every man is the drive to do something. Men find their significance in what they do not in who they are. Most men are not relational beings they are hunters and gathers. We like the thrill of the chase but not getting caught. We love to talk about what we do but not what we dream of doing. The problems of our lives not the passions of our lives become the topic of guy conversations. Men are scared of silence and the sound of their own heartbeat.  Men want noise that will drown out the voice of God speaking of what could be and not settling for what is. The power of doing nothing is the fuel that will ignite your passion and purpose. Cars were made to be driven but men were created to dream. Find a place of silence and nothingness and you will hear the voice of God the author of your passion!

 

The best of days!

What is the difference between the best of days and the worst of days? The Bible says,” this is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it”! God ask us to rejoice in the day not in the week or in the year. Rejoicing is a day by day exercise not a week by week or a month by month or God forbids a year by year.  A man cannot handle thinking beyond the day! We project so far ahead that it robs us of the best of days. We must plan our future while we rejoice in THE DAY. This is your best day because Jesus is in it and He wants you to be in it as well.  Faith is what you hope but for many guys fear is what they plan out. The is your best day not because of what will happen to you but what God will do through you. Rejoice in the Lord of the day and you will be glad in it. Think of who He is not who you’re not or for some of you think of who He is not who you think you are.  This is your best day because Jesus is the Lord of it!

 

 

Domestic Christi any!

I believe we as men have been domesticated into believing that we must live our lives within the lines that others have set up as a result of their own personal fears. We tame what we fear might cause us harm or discomfort or what we have become jealous of because we want to be like them at some level. Me are to be wild and untamed not leached and controlled. I am not saying that wild equals neglect or some lack of personal responsibility in fact quit the opposite. Untamed men are the real caretakers of their families because they live by the laws of God not the traditions of man. They dare to trust a God which allows them the freedom to explore their God given passions rather than just work some dead end job for the rest of their lives.  Wild men make the best fathers and husbands because they love Jesus more than anything thing else on the planet and have learned the power of surrender not survival. Born to be wild!  

 

 

Meetings that matter!

I hate meetings or should I say I hate meetings that don’t matter or should I say I hate meetings that don’t matter to me. I like meetings that are short and sweet that is why I don’t make a very good counselor. My ADD kicks in with anything that has to do with administration even though if need these people to keep me from going to jail. I love meetings that have to do with vision casting or when someone is sharing their passion for life. Whining or grip sessions drive me crazy or someone who just wants to hear themselves talk. I know meetings are a necessary evil and that some are even somewhat productive. I just wish I did have to go to them. I love meetings that I call but the ones that are calling me. I need to have a better attitude when it comes to meetings. Maybe the way I go into one would make a difference in the way I come out of one! Gotta run I am late for my next meeting.

 

Time out!

I know it has been a few days since I have blogged however my wife and I took a few days off just to get away. Sometimes you need to get away so you know what you really need to get to! The laptop stayed behind along with every work related issue and my focus was getting to know my bride of almost 20 years. We men love to take time off only to bring the thing we are taking time off from with us during our time off. Call me crazy but isn’t that like standing in a prison cell telling others how free you are? Time outs must be taken for they are seldom given! 48 hours until the cave…

 

 

 

Out of reach!

I remember as a child always wanting something that was just out of my reach. In fact if I was truly honest that is how I have lived most of my life reaching for what others say is impossible but to me it makes perfect since. The passion that God has put within the heart of every man must always be just out of mans reach for if it was within his reach he simply wouldn’t need God. As a child if I couldn’t reach my desire I would find something bigger that would extend my reach. As a man that something extra is God! Boring is making your life and everything in it totally reachable by your ability. But you were created to dream God size dreams and then allow God to become the true extension of your life to make them your reality. Many a man believes in God but few put God to the test by trusting in Him. I am not talking about being stupid or foolish with our lives but I am talking about defining, discovering and deploying the passion that is in your heart but seems just beyond your reach. Passion is within Gods reach!

 

send asap!

Men of the Cave,

 

Just a quick shout out to get to the cave tonight! Man Cave welcomes back Pastor Greg Farrington along with adventurous Rick Massey. You won’t want to miss this life changing experience.

 

See you tonight,

 

Pastor Z

Cave day!

In a few short hours the gym at Sunset Christian Center will be transformed into a hospital for men who are broken and hurting. This isn’t just a church with a steeple but a battle ground that fights for the hearts of fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and friends. A small army of men show up every Wednesday night to help set up and tear down the Man Cave. They are thanked by the lives that are transformed including their own. They are angles that look like men! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Cave day is what I am all about and I find great pleasure in knowing that God by His mercy and grace has allowed me the opportunity to play my small part in this move of God with in the hearts of men. The cave is too crowed for egos or political correctness but there is plenty of room for humility and honesty. Come as you are but leave as God has always wanted you to be. It is cave day and I would not have it any other way! See you tonight. 

 

Wasted times!

Yesterday my wife, daughter, her boyfriend and me drove to Napa to get a hamburger.  We drove all the way there got a burger and turned around and drove all the way home. Was the drive worth the hamburger oh ya (Taylor’s rocks) but just being together made the trip worth the time many would say was wasted. No one will ever give you the time to invest in what is most important so you have to take it. You have to take the time and live with absolute intention. Turn off the TV, take a walk with the wife, text I love you to your kids, leave your laptop at work, and come to the cave… live with intention. Wasted time is time spent thinking about what you should have done rather on what you can do right now. Btw get the blue cheese burger it’s off the hook! The Man Cave tomorrow night.

 

Something Different!

If you want something different you have to do something different. Yesterday was my something different day! I was afforded the wonderful opportunity to preach at Sunset Christian Center by Pastor Greg. This is something that I take very seriously and with much prayer and thought. I am more of an evangelist than a pastor and God asked me to step out of my comfort zone into the bold zone! At the end of the service I asked people to come forward to except Jesus Christ as their savior. This was a bold move on my part and their part and as a result God did His part. This may never happen again for we are never to put God in a box or make a move of God something we worship. However we are all to expect God to take us out of what is comfortable into what is confronting. Men must go where God is taking them to be fully alive! 

 

Valentine's Day!

Cherisse and I have had the opportunity to host several marriage retreats over the years and we have come to one simple conclusion. We call it, “The Number Factor”! If you spouse doesn’t just know they are number one but feels it as well your marriage is slowly decaying and you have become two people that stay together for the sake of the children or for the security of finances. Nothing takes priority over your spouse no one and nothing! Jesus is not number one in your marriage.  Jesus is not a number He is the creator and because of Him the marriage priority has be established. He is not just part of the priority He alone establishes it. He is not a number in your marriage but He is the nature of your marriage. Make Him all and then you will have the power to make each other number one. Are you number one?

 

Keep it real!

The mission statement of the cave is simple (just the way guys like it) “The Man Cave is a safe place for a dangerous message”. What we mean by that is the message will go as deep as a man will let it.  If a man feels that what is being said or who is saying it lacks authenticity he won’t feel safe and the message becomes useless. We must live beyond our words. We first and foremost must keep it real if we are to have our reality messed with. God can handle your reality not your hypocrisy! The cave is where we bring who we really are to Jesus and who He really is changes who we really are. God accepts every mans reality but loves you so much that He wants His reality to become more real than yours. Bottom line…decrease and He will increase!

 

 

 

Just Jesus!

Most men are just plan tired. They are tired of their job, tired of the bills, tired of relationships, tired of trying to figure everything out. They go to bed tired wake up tired and feel tired most of the day and for many guys they are tired of church, God and everything that is associated with it. They do what they hate most of their lives only to try to save enough money so at the end of their lives they can re-tire… But then there is Jesus! Not the rules and regulations just Jesus. Not how much can you get done today but just Jesus. Not trying to find your identity in what you do but just Jesus. Not busy going to or staying away from but just the living water Jesus. When was the last time it was just you and Jesus? In Him is the place of rest. Just Jesus!

 

Man's ideas!

If God were not to show up at the Man Cave, how much of what we have manufactured in our services could go on smoothly without Him? How big affect does the presents of an almighty God really matter in the “Order of Service”? Could we worship without His presents, could we preach without His presents, could lives still be changed without His presents? It is His house we are His guest therefore He ask us to participate in what He is doing it is not for us to invite Him to participate in what we are doing! Is it possible that we are more comfortable with man’s ideas in God’s house than God’s ideas in His own house? The fabrication of the presents of God leads to hearing the voice of man not the voice of God. We need a move of God not simply the ideas of man!

 

 

 

Self righteousness!

Judgment by appearance is one of the greater sins within the Body of Christ.  The sins of smoking and drinking are easily condemned however the greater sins of judging and condemning has become accepted and at some levels embraced. If one does not have a place of brokenness in their lives as a reference of who they really are they will become self righteous and judge with little accuracy the lives of others. The thought that one life has greater value than another has made the church the most segregated place to visit every Sunday morning. Knowing who you really are without the blood of Jesus gives you the grace to accept who God accepts and to get the 2x4 out of your own eye. We never judge with accuracy. 

 

The super boys super bowl!

There are moments in a man’s life that are just plan magic. Those moments that allow men to be men without the thought of where’s the next buck coming from, who’s mad at you now and what needs to be fixed. A few hours where you laugh real loud, test the “thin skin” monitor and yell at the TV! You only have to walk a few feet to a spread that represents the worst of all the food groups. Thank you Cherisse for making sure the boys were well taken care of. I was sad to see the last guy leave but happy that they all came. Until next year my friends it was the best of times!

Home videos!

Last night the Z family watched some old home videos mostly of my daughter growing up. 17 years that were capture frame by frame of moments forgotten by the business of life. We have lived in the same house for the last 14 years and seeing the changes not just in the house but in me were somewhat scary. The Bible says that we are like a vapor here today and gone tomorrow and that reality rings true as I watched my life fly by frame by frame. It makes me want to live with more intention on what I love to do not just what I have to do. To me it is not about getting my priorities in place but getting my passion in place. The videos were not about moments of responsibility but moments of passionate relationships!

What do men dream about?

It was once said that most men live in a quiet desperation! We have learned to simply not voice the things that burn in our hearts to do. In the craziness of responsibility we have given up on the dreams of our youth. In our silence we have become bitter and even sometimes angry as we look to heaven and ask,” is there more to me than this”? In our silence we have learned to play the game and seek out what others have defined us to be and do. A man who surrenders his heart to Jesus Christ is a man that becomes defined by his creator not by the creation. Old men dream dreams!

Delight in God!

When a man’s heart is burning with the desire to know Jesus not simply to become some domesticated Christian believer he will find the freedom to discover and deploy his God given passion. We are not to be tamed by the doctrine of man based on fear and tradition but we are to find the path that is completely unique to us and maybe a threat to others. A man’s life must be fueled by passion…a passion for God and a passion for others. We are not to live foolish but we are to live passionate in faith not fear. Discover your passion and live your destiny!

Owning the cave!

Many times the absence of a leader allows others to take ownership and move them from being a spectator to a participator. I really missed being at the cave last night however the cave is not Pastor Z the cave is every man. The cave is not the home of Pastor Z and you are allowed to visit but the cave is Gods and He invites all of us to take ownership at some level. I have heard nothing but positive feedback about last night and a special shout out goes to Pastor Mike Green for stepping it up! Love you guys. The cave in just 6 days!

Hidden weaknesses!

Men who appear the strongest, capable, self-made, outgoing, secure and holy on the outside many times are the weakest, scared and phony on the inside. Many men are like the back lot of Universal Studios where the buildings appear to be real but all you have to do is open one of the doors to discover what you see is not what you get. We are taught from a young age that men don’t cry or show any type of emotion excepted at sporting events. What a lie. Jesus was and is a man’s man and yet wept openly over his friend Lazarus. Our greatest weakness is our phony strength! Get from the coach to the cave tomorrow night where men are real!

To whom much is given!

I never thought in a million years that I would serve as a pastor again. However what man says no to God says yes to! I can think of so many others that would do a much better job than I. Yet in God’s since of humor He chooses me to lead the cave during this season of my life. Leadership is more than an appointment it is a calling and the responsibility can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. My actions must speak louder than my words and awareness of others becomes more valuable than accomplishments of self. Full time ministry is not a paycheck but a life check as you must be willing to live above reproach. Is this not the call of every Christian man? The cave in just two days!