Finishing well

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No testing has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But when you are tested he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.  -1 Corinthians 10:12-13

"What is common to man..." The enemy would have us believe that we are the only ones on the planet going through what we go through. No one else cares. No one else understands. If anyone else knew the things I struggle with, the thoughts that go through my head, why, they'd be appalled! Better just to keep it to myself, maintain the facade, keep a stiff upper lip and forge ahead. It'll probably get better after a while... or not. Either way, I'm not letting anyone else in. 

We can do the same in the context of church, small group, even foxhole. "How's it going?" "Oh, fine." Now don't get me wrong. Discussing the weather is generally a safe ice-breaker, and I don't always have the time - RIGHT NOW - to do a deep-dive. I get that. But I don't need to camp there. Marcus used a phrase in his story: "Isolated in plain sight." To the extent that I am unwilling to be authentic, I will continue to be isolated, even in environments designed to encourage life on life community.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No testing has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But when you are tested he will alsoprovide a way out so that you can endure it.  -1 Corinthians 10:12-13

"Provide a way out..." Despite the aforementioned lies of the enemy, we do experience similar struggles. We all want our kids to be safe and provided for. We all want harmonious relationships. We all want to believe that our lives have meaning that extends beyond ourselves. And we all screw it up periodically. So there's that. What if the way out that God is providing includes brothers who are willing to come alongside and pray me up, build me up, coach me up?

In June, we're going to share stories of Colon Washburn. Many of us knew and loved Colon as a spiritual giant, and he certainly was that. But he had struggles along the way that were remarkably common to a lot of men. Colon was known to say, "It isn't how you start, but how you finish that counts," and he definitely finished well. Colon went "all in" on most everything he did, and when he decided to be a full-on Christ-follower, he did it with joy and with gusto. 

We will be at the lodge on Friday June 1. Join us there at 6:15 AM. If you have a story about your experience with Colon, feel free to share it with the group. Out of consideration for others, plan to condense your comments down to a couple of minutes to allow for as many to share as are willing.

Maybe the Spirit has shown you a man or two who need a better understanding of authentic manhood. Maybe Convoy is a good place to expose them to that. Maybe hearing stories about one of the guys who first dreamed up Convoy becomes a starting point for that. Heads up, eyes open, men!