The Crucible Weekend: Fear & Treasure

I saw a post on Facebook the other day with a quote that I loved:

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. –Joseph Campbell

The cave you fear holds the treasure you seek. 

Now Campbell wasn’t a Christian (far from it), and I have not read anything he wrote, except the quote above.

However, his quote rings true, not just in my mind; in my heart as well. I know well the times God has whispered for me to take on a challenge, and I’ve dug in my heels, fighting/begging Him to not make me do that. I know I distract myself with “busy-ness” sometimes to keep from going to the deep dark places in my life.

I don’t naturally trust other people there: there’s too much risk. And I’ve learned, over time, how to be trustworthy & intentional when navigating deep, dark places—my own & those which belong to others.

It takes practice, encouragement, support, and the occasional dose of tough love. Men who have gone there with God can be His hands & feet, my brothers along the way.

I learned how to be transparent on The Crucible Weekend. I saw men who were emotionally adept, supportive without being sissies, strong but not bullies. They set the bar high & led by example. All of them led by example.

If you’re honest with yourself, you have at least one cave to which Campbell refers. You could spend your whole life running from that cave, swatting God’s hand away as He offers to walk with you in there, to heal & transform you.

Maybe you have children, or a wife. What example do you want to be for them/her? Do you want to avoid the work involved, deny it, ignore it? The people closest to you know. No matter how well you hide, they know whether you’ve taken the risk or not. You can tell an initiated man from all other men: there's a look in a man's eyes. No matter how many more times they have to go back to that cave (or other ones), they’ve at least done it once.

Don’t you owe it to yourself to have gone there, to show you’re man enough to go to a place that scares you to death? Think of how the rest of your life would look *after* facing the fear of that cave!

God is waiting to heal, grow, and teach you. There’s a group of men out there, The Crucible Project, and they’re ready to equip you for that adventure. You must do the work yourself; you do *not* have to do it alone. We have gear for trips like this; you don’t have to make your own torch out of a stick, tar, & cloth anymore.

Pull out your calendar & find a date that works for you. Sign up & take the first step in embracing the treasure in your life, not fearing and hiding from it.

Crucible Project: A Godly Greeting?

As I was re-reading my post about iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17), I remembered hearing speculation that the greeting for the weekend was not Biblical. I disagree, and will do my best to walk a fine line here by addressing the issue as best I can, while honoring my commitment to confidentiality.

2 Cor 13:12 instructs us to "Greet each other with Christian love"

1 Thess 5:26 is similar, "Greet all the brothers & sisters with Christian love"

How is this compatible with Proverbs 27:17? How may I greet another Christian man with Christian love, and promote iron sharpening iron? Again, is this greeting Biblical?

What if in my greeting of this man, I set the foundation as iron sharpening iron? Does that mean I don't care for this man as a brother in Christ? I would argue it does not. A wise friend once told me that the best friends are the ones who love you the way you are, and love you too much to let you stay that way. The intent isn't manipulative, that they'll make you into who they want you to be. Instead, it is they'll challenge & encourage your growth, rather than encouraging your stagnation.

Have you ever been in a social situation where someone was very quiet & didn't provide much in the way of verbal affirmation? What if that person provided little in the way of non-verbal communication? When that happens to me, I turn inward & start guessing at what the other person might be thinking or feeling. My guesses have a lot to do with my own feelings & emotional state, and little to do with the other person. My guesses may or may not be in line with the Bible, and don't have any bearing on whether the Crucible Project weekend is Biblical or not.

What if it is true that iron sharpening iron and greeting each other with Christian love are not only compatible, but the focused intent, based on scripture?

Crucible Project Weekend Retreat: What it is about

Wednesday night after work I drove to a meeting room in another town. What I saw there represents the Crucible Project weekend very well.

• I saw men talking of their brokenness, what they learned, and how they're different. since the weekend.
• I saw women honoring their men for the courage they had, the battle they faced, and the change they've manifested since their return from the weekend.
• I saw friends of participants celebrating the courage, dedication, and transformation of their friends.
• I saw a humble group of men who staffed the weekend honored for their service by participants & witnesses.
• I saw weekend leaders honoring the staff, the participants, and their families for their preparation, hard work, and blessings. And the leaders took nothing for themselves.

Truths were spoken, tears were shed. Grand promises were avoided. Men understand the change with the most impact is the one spoken in confidence to brothers for accountability, and demonstrated without fanfare to those they love, on Tuesdays and Wednesday nights, and the rest of the week.

Crucible Project Retreat No Greg Huston Cult

No Greg Huston picture in my wallet.

The Crucible Project weekend retreats are not a "cult of personality". Greg Huston is no Kim Jong-il. I don't have pictures of him in my wallet, or in my home. We don't have pictures of him on the weekends. He doesn't run around on weekends or staff meetings with people hanging on his every word. He's not a megalomaniac feared by everyone. People don't run around saying things like, "Greg said this" or "We can't do anything without Greg", or "*I* got to spend some time meeting with Greg today".

The reality is much different. First a disclaimer: I'm not a close confidante of Greg. I know him, & he knows me, but I haven't been in a small group with him, I'm not on the Board of Directors for The Crucible Project, etc. So I'm not speaking with authority or inside knowledge of who he is at his core. 

What I can say is that in my interactions with him, he's a humble, smart, wise, honest, hard-working guy who cares very much for the hearts of Christian men. He isn't at every retreat, and the focus when he is there is not on him at all. As I said in my post yesterday, staff are very focused on listening to the Holy Spirit & getting guidance there. Greg isn't hands-off: he has ideas on how he'd like things done, and a lot of experience to back up those ideas. He knows this work isn't about him: it's about men, community, the healing power of God & the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

That doesn't sound like a cult to me. Because it isn't.

Crucible Project Weekend Retreat

It has been a long, long time since I've blogged here. Originally stood up for a Grad School class on Internet Marketing (great class, by the way), I'm re-focusing on a passion of mine: Men's "work" in the Christian church.

I'll wrestle with and address issues like:

• is the Holy Spirit involved in Men's work, or is it just psychobabble?
• is Men's work aligned with the Bible?
• concerns/criticisms of The Crucible Project: valid or not?

More to come soon.