When Grace Is the Only Way

Luke 22:49-51

49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Philippians 4:5

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Pastors, its your time. Make it happen.

Men, I try not to make the days I write the Manly Message about me specifically. There are times that I learn a lesson through an experience that seems to be too Taylor made for me to share.

For those that don’t know, I resigned from my job as a college basketball coach a couple of years ago, but it was just like you see on TV all the time, I “resigned” from my position. I will next say that I have learned so much from that experience and there have been numerous positives that have come from that change in my life.

On Saturday I attended and event that required that I shake hands with some of the people who were influential in the decision to give me the option to resign. I also talked for a substantial amount of time of with the man who replaced me.

After the event, I truly struggled at my core with being there and being cordial to some of the people I interacted with. However, at some point during the evening I came to the begrudging understanding that being cordial in that situation was necessary and needed.

If Jesus can heal the ear of a man who is there to arrest Him for NO EARTHLY REASON, we can be cordial to those who we feel have wronged us. We can mirror Jesus’ actions in less than desirable situations. Jesus was headed to terrible abuse and a horrific death but He had unbelievable grace toward the men who were there to destroy Him. That puts things in perspective.

Men it won’t always be easy or fun, but mirror Jesus and make sure you make it a great week in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

True Grit

Luke 21:19

19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

Job 1:22

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Grit.

Men, I was talking to a fellow man on the message this week and I realized that grit is a component of faith. Then I did what I always do with a faith question, I asked another of the men in the message if he agreed with my assertion.

Sadly, the week before last a former colleague of mine lost a son to suicide. In that time, he’s probably had 8-10 faith related posts on Facebook. I believe that he’s doing so to show strength and request comfort. Another friend has had a specific request of God for quite some time and anxiously awaits direction. Finally, another friend and his family have decided to involve hospice for a loved one and he has requested prayers. Grit is mustering the strength to stay in faith after the loss of a child or sibling. Grit defeating doubt when doubt itself seems to be gaining momentum.

So were those scriptures above the two best for grit and faith? The truth is that I can’t speak for you. I know that you know what grit is and you know how it applies to your faith. I know that for the thousands of men reading this post.

Grit is essential to faith because our faith involves a lot of delayed gratification and our faith involves a lot of courage to keep moving forward in times of misunderstanding, fear or pain. Grit is where the courage for the next step comes from.

It is also my opinion that grit will allow us to remain steadfast in our faith in the fallen world in which Christianity comes under attack.

Make it a great day in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

Family Friday 9/28:

Good morning, men!

Wednesday morning, I was able to go to See You at the Pole at our local elementary school. My oldest son, Derek, was asked to read his “favorite” passage. Outside of Phil 4:13, I don’t think D has any scripture committed to memory, and we are totally ok with that. You could tell he was a bit nervous.

I asked him what message he would want to share and he said, “That God is always with us.” We did some Googling and arrived at Romans 8:38-39:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He took his grandpa Pip’s bible and did awesome! Naturally, as his dad, I was pleased with the fact that he was courageous enough to share and didn’t let the fact that he didn’t know a certain verse deter him. Consider our relationship with the Heavenly Father in the same way…..

Sometimes we don’t know exactly what to say or how to put it, but the effort of sharing Jesus with others pleases Him intensely!

Have a blessed day, men!

M.I.T.T. ~ Runyan

Wounds

I have learned so much about wounds in the last month.

It actually has me thinking about our wounds that we have as men.  I am not talking physical wounds, though at times they may apply, but more spiritual and emotional.

There are some very consistent issues involved with many of the wounds we treat with our products.  We call this “comorbidities” in the medical world, some examples would be diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renal (kidney insufficiency), high body mass index, the list can go on for miles….and most patients have them all.

I promise I’m not trying to be insensitive to anyone who lives with any of those issues, that’s not my goal, I understand there can be many causes, but I will tell you a common theme I’ve heard with almost all the patients we treat is a word called non- compliant…basically saying, as health care providers we have tried to inform them on the correct direction, but they are not listening to our advice when it comes to their health. So what do we have now? A festering wound!

You see where I’m going here yet? We have all been wounded, some of us by others, some of us by our own non compliance, either way we need to be compliant from here on out in order to see full closure healing of this wound, with no reoccurrence.

My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.
Psalm 38:5 NIV

NON-COMPLIANCE=DISOBEDIENCE=SIN

That’s exactly what I’m saying, I’ve allowed my own wounds to fester because of myself! I cannot heal these wounds on my own, in fact that’s the biggest part of my non compliance, me thinking I can do it!

If we are truly ready to be healed there is only one way and that is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The one one who accepted our wounds and our death on the cross, so we wouldn’t have to take the punishment we deserve. His grace and his Mercy are unending and His love is reckless toward us!

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5 NIV

With love, dlp

M.I.T.T.

 

Don’t Look Back

Good morning, men!

When I was driving the Arkansas hills yesterday morning, I listened to a podcast about focusing our attention on what is ahead of us, and not past transgressions or pain. The image above was on a random Google search I ran last night and it fits that perfectly. The road ahead is full of light, beauty, and promise….while the road behind looks to be an endless cavern of darkness.

Personally, this was a perfectly timed sermon. I have spent a lot of time lately pondering what would have been if I had made better choices in my 20s and early 30s, which is pretty uncharacteristic of my normal thought path. That type of thinking can take you to a pretty dark place of pain, remorse, and regret. In turn, I have found myself sulking more and feeling less deserving of God’s grace.

Just like in the OT story of Lot leaving Sodom, when his wife is told not to look back, but does just that and it turned to a pillar of salt…..we must do our best to keep our minds from focusing on unhealthy, negative experiences that are in our past.

In Philippians, Paul likens himself to a runner and says “14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

I can’t ever remember seeing Michael Johnson or Usain Bolt looking over their shoulder at peak speed in the 100. Eyes forward, today. Seek Jesus and the path ahead.

Have a blessed day, men!

M.I.T.T. ~ Runyan

Surrounded

Psalm 125:2 “As the mountains surround Jerusalem,so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.”

Psalm 145:18 “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.”

Ephesians 6:11-17 “11  Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God.”

Good morning men. This message this morning is how we are never alone. There is a new song out by Michael Smith that I just feel is a great description about what God does for us in this world. As the lyrics say “it may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You”.

No matter what this world and the devil throws at us, we can be safe and secure in knowing that Jesus surrounds us men. God is with us ALWAYS. That’s a power and fact that no one can touch. If you’re struggling today, give this song a listen and I pray that it comforts you.

Have a blessed day in the trenches men.

Victory is from the Lord, rejoice & trust in Him

To continue Yancey’s message from Sunday (if you haven’t read it, please do as it is short, powerful and to the point): Victory is from the Lord. Trust in it, Walk in It, Rejoice in it as winners. 

Psalm 44:3: 3It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.

Psalm 89:8-17: 8O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD?  Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.
10You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.
12The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
13You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.
14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
15How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
16In Your name they rejoice all the day,  And by Your righteousness they are exalted.  17For You are the glory of their strength, And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

Proverbs 3:1-6:  1My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
2for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
3Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4So you will find favor and good success^a in the sight of God and man.
5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

1 Corinthians 15:56-58: 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Remember the war has already been won. Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross. His resurrection provided victory, righteousness in Him and a restored relationship with the Father! And we have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us, to remind us all that Jesus said & did, and to empower us! And Jesus is coming back, the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s will return in full glory, wiping out all evil and establish His eternal Kingdom – a new heaven and a new earth – with us as his people, uniting us with God the Father for all eternity! Rejoice in that, walk in that, share that with those the Lord puts in your path. We are winners because of Christ!

We Are Victorious So Act Like a Winner

Deuteronomy 20:4

4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Pastors, today is your day to give your perfect message. Make it happen.

After watching some college football on Saturday (despite K-State and KU COMBINING for 13 points) I got to thinking about victory. It is still amazing to me when I think about it, but through God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice, we get to have the ultimate victory. How blessed are we to have such a gift? It really puts forgiving others or holding a grudge in perspective, as well.

Men, act like winners. Forgive others, show love and be good stewards of our victory. Make it a great week in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

Soil Samples

Matthew 13:3-8

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

What kind of soil are you working with? I would be willing to bet that we all fit into each category of soil in our faith at different times. Hopefully we do as much as we can to be the good soil as often as we possibly can.

We all have our tough times. In coaching I call that the mud. Mud is anything that clouds our mind, trouble at home, a deadline, sales numbers, players that don’t listen, kids that aren’t behaving; all things we can’t control. We can’t play in the mud because we cannot perform at our best and we get as dirty as everyone else.

As a final thought on the parable, we need to be good examples and strong in our faith simply because the “seeds” could also be the people around us who are influenced by our actions.

If someone took a soil sample of you today, would you be good soil?

Make it a great day in the trenches. Stay out of the mud and be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey