Today in nearby Wisconsin and halfway around the world in
Australia, men are gathering, preparing, praying.
Some are staffing one of these two weekend retreats. Among
them are rookie staffers, whose “work” is fresh in their hearts, and on their
faces. At least one of them, a friend of mine, is staffing for the first time
many years after he went through what is now The Crucible Weekend. There are
mid-level staff, who are familiar with the setting & the flow of the
weekend. And there, too, are senior staff, the leaders. These are the men who
have staffed over and over, who have earned the wisdom they bring. There’s no “Easy-Bake
Oven” for men’s work. Men who give up their weekends, hobbies, and no small
amount of energy to run these things know there is no substitute for
experience. Some of these leaders will assume a heavy mantle of leadership for
the entire weekend. There are surprises, even for the senior staff. And that is
okay, because, you see, they’ve been tested, over and over. And they rely upon
God to show up & do his work through them and all the other men on the
weekend. It is a weighty responsibility, and yet I’ve never heard a leader
complain about it.
There are other men, too. In fact, nearly as many men as on
staff will be attending the weekend, starting tonight. Some arrive broken, troubled
on every side. Some arrive proud, convinced they have things all figured out. Some
men are fighting with all they have to get there tonight, fighting through
fear, trouble at home and/or work, physical issues, car trouble, foul spirits
and the like. Some men are going because they hope God will show up. Some men
are going, and they’re scared, some bordering on panic. Still others have seen
men they know go on the weekend and emerge changed—for the better. These men don’t
know how, or why, they just know they want what they saw in the actions &
words of a man who had been through. Several years ago, I was one of these men.
It is rare in today’s society that words like honor,
service, servant leadership, prayer, and Jesus are all used together. It is
even rarer when men in the Christian church do *anything* together. How rare,
precious, and inspiring it is when these two things come together on a weekend
retreat!
Throughout the day today, and during the weekend, I’ll lift these
men up in prayer. Godspeed to you all!
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