The kiss that waited.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Hey y'all! Here is an an entry that I made summer of '06. Some of y'all have read it already, but I wanted to present it agian as a reminder and as a challenge to all of my men out there. Love y'all!

The Steel Hammer Theory

"Imagine yourself as a steel hammer. Since the time you were first crafted, you have spent your entire life living in a jewelry box, cavorting with rings and necklaces. Your sole purpose has been to fluff pillows every night for you owner, Martha, before she goes to bed. If this was your reality, why would you ever think that you were made for something different?

"But suppose that your jewelry box is left open for a day and you see Martha catch her panty hose on a nail protruding from her bed frame. As she shrieks, a longing surges through you - a longing to come to her rescue. 'I want to help her. I want to take care of that protruding nail.' But reason quickly prevails. 'I am only a pillow fluffer,' you tell yourself. 'I am unfit to handle a dangerous menace like a protruding nail!'

Every once in a while we young men see a nail protruding from the bed frame of life. When we hear the Marthanian shriek, something inside of us stirs. We look around and notice that all the other 'hammers' are resting contentedly in their jewelry boxes, cavorting with all the cute rings and necklaces. So we pass up the opportunity to find our real purpose and finally understand our true design.

"But what would it mean for us, as young men, to witness a steel hammer - one just like us - rise up courageously and pound that protruding nail? What might happen if we saw a William Wallace, in our modern-day culture, rise up and fight for freedom and stand up for truth? What would happen to us if another steel hammer jumped into our jewelry box and yelled, 'Stand up and be counted as a steel hammer! Follow me - we have nails to pound!'

"My steel hammer theory is this: If we young men could see a flesh-and-blood example of what we were meant to become as men, if we could catch an untarnished vision of what we have been crafted for by God - the revelation would unlock the jewelry boxes we are trapped in and set us free to become great 'nail pounding' men. Granted, a steel hammer must still choose to escape from the jewelry box once it is unlocked. And it is true that he must still choose to follow in the footsteps of great 'hammers' before him. But once the vision is planted, the steel hammer has the opportunity to be something more."

~That was another bit from Eric Ludy's book. I think it is very accurate description of what is happening in the world today, especially among "Christian men." This is a call for YOU to rise up, for YOU to take a stand, for YOU to be the leader and warrior that the Father created YOU to be. Don't wait for others to make a difference in the world around you. That is what everyone else is waiting for. A very close friend of mine has told me many times that, "Procrastination is the #1 sin of today's church." Make the stand right now while there is still time!

Fighting for His Glory,

Steven