The past weekend will be forever etched in my memory as my son and I embarked on a three day journey to retrace the steps of some of the bravest men in our nation’s history.
We went with a group called, “Lead with Character” – a Christian organization that seeks to both, tell the truth (read, ‘no P.C. garbage) about the bloodiest conflict in our nation’s history and teach young boys how to become strong, Christian men and leaders some day. Get this, they actually refer to the boys the entire trip as, “Future Men!” I knew I was gonna love this thing the moment I heard that. When my son Nathan first heard the phrase you could actually see him sit up a little bit straighter and puff out his chest just a bit. Both those gestures would increase perceptibly as the trip went on.
This trip had so many pluses that I have decided a couple of things:
- First, I want to fill the bus next year with fathers from Southbrook and their sons. That means 45 of you. It will be about the same time next June and I would like to begin gauging interest now. So, if you are interested in going indicate so in the comment section of this blog and I will have my assistant get info. To you so that you can make sure nothing stands in the way of this trip.
- Secondly, I will blog this entire week about some of the lessons that most touched me just to wet your appetite.
- Don’t worry, this is not “third.” I can count. But I did want to give a shout out to the ladies who read this blog. I strongly encourage you not to take a siesta from these next several posts. You too can gain a lot from reading these and you might just learn something about the men in your life that gives you some hope for the future. Just a thought.
Ok, that being said, lesson number one:
We Must Become the Story Tellers.
What do I mean by this?
Well, you and I have a choice in today’s culture. Either we tell our children the stories, principles and truths of God or the media gives their untrue, bias, watered down, evil version.
Did he say evil?
Yes, and that’s not a strong enough word—believe me.
In fact, don’t take my word for it. Read the following so you can see for yourself just how bad things have gotten, “The Marketing of Evil,” by David Kupelian or, just click here and order it.
Ok, so the race is on so to speak and the question for you and your family is, “Who is winning?” Are you quickly and deeply instilling God’s values into your children or is MTV?
“Pastor Rob, I don’t let my kids watch MTV so this doesn’t apply to me.”
Hmm, do they watch the Disney channel?
- Will and Grace?
- Two and a half men?
- The Simpsons?
- Friends?
“Wow Pastor Rob, are you ever out of touch. Those shows are old!”
I know, I was trying to go easy on you. How bout these?
- Gossip Girl
- Desperate House Wives
- The Family Guy
- How I met your mother
- Prison Break
I need to stop right here before some of you start taking this post as a boycott deal and miss the point altogether. I’m not telling you what you can and can’t watch (not in this post anyway 
). I’m just urging you to take a look at the breakdown between the hours spent pounding worldviews into your sweet little cherub’s frontal lobes and eventually into their hearts from the media verses the parents.
Now add into the mix that the average father today spends (on average) 27 seconds in meaningful conversation with their kids and I’ll bet I can actually predict a truckload of heartache for a lot of you down the road.
* BTW, for the handful of you who think that 27 seconds is a pile of rubbish, allow me to clarify.
That does not include things like the following:
- “Did you do your homework?”
- “Take out the trash!”
- “Ok, let’s eat!”
- “Good night.”
Deep and tear-jerking as those are—I think most will agree that they actually do not fall into the category of “meaningful conversation.”
Let’s continue. I forgive your interruption 
.
Oh yes, “The Story Tellers,” who tells’em in your household? And from what perspective?
Men, you need to take up this mantle first and foremost. Become the storytellers or someone else will in your children’s lives. And you do not want lies to be what your “Future Men” and “Future Ladies” build their lives on.
Even more subtle, you don’t want the right stories told from the wrong perspective either. That can be just as damaging.
Here’s an example given on the trip:
The story of “The Exodus” as told (appropriately) in the biblical book of “Exodus.” How much do you suppose the story would differ if it were told from the perspective of Pharaoh rather than the perspective of Moses?
* If you do not know the story, read Exodus. If you can’t (and I have to say it’s difficult to imagine that a bunch of you simply can’t take the time to read God’s Word but, I digress) rent the movie, “The Ten Commandments.”
Hmm, pretty easy to imagine a PC version coming off the Egyptian presses at that time. Might have gone something like this:
Reporter: What went wrong here?
Pharaoh” These ungrateful Jews used some kind of voodoo on us and murdered our firstborn sons after putting us through heartache after heartache through a series of what they called plagues and I call torture! I’m surprised we weren’t water-boarded! After everything we’ve done for them! We allowed them to live in our great land! We allowed them to eat food that is rightfully ours. We gave them jobs to feel good about themselves,,,”
Anyway, you can probably imagine for yourselves that Pharaoh’s spin on things would have been far different from that of Moses. But more importantly, it would have been far, far different from the truth.
But that’s what millions of Egyptians ended up believing for the next several thousand years.
Parents, what do you want your children to know?
The Spin?
Or, The Truth?
Become the storytellers.