Stand By Me

My wife and I just finished watching the classic movie Stand By Me. I have never seen the movie all the way through until today. I think it actually quickly became one of my favorite movies of all time. It is a great story of four friends that go on the hunt for a dead kid in a few towns over.

However, while the storyline was pretty good it was more the relationship between the boys that caught me in the movie. There just seemed to be an inseparable bond between the four of them.

This was a great movie for me to watch today. I just got back from spending some time with a few men from church at what we call "MAN CAMP". We spent time shooting skeet, doing a relay race, and eating five pound steaks the size of a mans head. I was not able to take part in all of the fun, I had knee surgery almost two weeks ago now and have been in an immobilizer. I was able to shoot skeet (which was awesome), but that again is not what I took away from today.

I found today that there are some amazing men in my church community. They may not look like it when their women are around, but these men love deeply and care for each other in a very deep way. They would give their life for one another. While we all talk a hard game we love each other. Kind of like the boys in "Stand By Me".

The boys talk a hard game, but their bond goes deep. This is why I love spending time with men out in the wilderness of life. It is in this time of life when boys become men and men become warriors. There are so many things that come up against men on a daily basis. For me Satan comes against me with the sin of lust. I am sure I am not the only man that falls into this trap. In fact I think if the men in our lives were honest most of them would say they struggle with some form of lust.

However, even though men fall into this trap that Satan sets up on a daily basis I can tell you that if the men in our faith communities around the world would come together and stand together and stand firm Satan would take a huge hit to his offensive. My gender needs to stand up to the sin of lust, stand firm, link arms, and fight we would see men starting to come alive in their faith. They would have a renewed hope, and they would be able to love with a relentless love.

There is something about spending time with men that makes something come alive in my soul. Something ruff and strong wells up in my bowels that gives me a strength that in seem to forget God has given me.

So to all the men reading this today, step out of your comfort zone, let go of your overwhelming urge to run away, and spend some quality time with the men in your life. Get out and go camping, just the guys, or shoot some guns together. Just do something together, that way you get to know the guy in the trenches next to you. In this way you can have his back and he can have your's. Get out there and live life together.