Was Jesus Wild?

…For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.—Paul. Philippians 4:12-13 [The Passion Translation].

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An Introduction to Living Wild on the Path

An Invitation to Live Wild and Engaged

All too often when inevitable pain comes it’s too late to consider how we will allow ourselves to be shaped by it. If we as men fail to thoroughly anticipate how we will respond to the harm of living in a fallen world, the pain may be for not. It will either numb us or destroy us rather than refine and even bless us. Suffering, pain, failure, and setbacks, need not destroy the heart of anyone God loves! In fact, all of these experiences have the potential to lead to life but very few people I know suffer deeply and profit from it.  
 
In Men, pain is seldom expected or embraced when it comes so, it is often denied or swept under the spiritual rug of Gods sovereignty. The apostle Paul tells us that, as we grown inwardly, we wait eagerly for our final redemption. But few of us, enter the tragedy of living in a fallen world, and simultaneously struggle with God perpetually until we finally surrender and our heart is renewed with hope.

Men often settle for an artificial resolution to our pain or we will ignore and disassociate ourselves with it altogether. We roll under the old cliche’ of (No blood, No Sympathy!) We must understand that God‘s perspective on suffering is very different. He loves us so much that He invites us on a healing journey through the valleys, and over the cliffs of an evil world, but we often miss out on his redemptive, and restorative path so, many of us suffer for no reason.

The core of what makes us human beings in Gods image is our capacity for Faith Hope and Love yet we live in a culture that has spends unprecedented time and energy, wallowing in our pain. Can you relate presently? It becomes clear that many of us are carrying , deep hurt simply because whether intentionally or unintentionally provoked or unprovoked, we opt to carry our own burdens instead of casting our burdens and pain on Him.

It has become clear to me what the evil in this world is doing to harm all of our hearts and to darken our love for God and others. No matter who we are, we all need the good news of the healing power of redemption and the freedom to receive restoration and renovation: right now, where we are at, without judgment from each other and the work around us.

Good healing in this life of being men is not the resolution of our past. It is a simple yoke with Jesus! It is only there that we can receive a new understanding of how to deal with past hurts, the damage to the human spirit, while charting a path toward the wild, robust, abundant, thriving, life that God promises those He loves! That is you, right now, just the way you are! No prequalification.

The only One who can make perfect sense of the pain we endure is the One who endured the pain of the Cross, the One who bore our sorrows and the pain that we have caused. He took it all upon Himself for me and you so that we could live life a life of abundance, resilience, and redemption. Cast your pain on Him!

Jesus was a Wild Man!

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace and The Wild Rhythms of Jesus.
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Matthew 11:20-30 
Next Jesus unleashed on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.

21-24 “Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”

I get the impression that as a man Jesus on occasion could get really ticked off at  some folks. Does this ring true for you?

25-26 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

Evidently Jesus had developed a mechanism that when He was really upset with those who didn’t get it, He would default to conversation with His Father. (Go Figure!)

27a. Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does…..

It’s safe to draw the correlation that Jesus as a man experienced all of the pain, anger, and disappointments that we do as men but that He was governed by His Father in such a relational way that even though He could unleash on folks there was a rhythm at work that allowed him to also communicate with the Father, and be tender towards others at the same time.

Are you ready for a Wild Invitation?

Jesus continues with an invitation to Yolk with Him on a Wild Path by saying…
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27b… But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. And then He says this…

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Challenge: Live Wild, Yoke with Jesus!

If you are thinking of accepting this challenge, you are in the right place, with the right men, right now! Our heart for you is that as we come together to “Keep Company” with Jesus that this wild way of living on the Path of Jesus will spread like wildfire. That you will take it with you into your own life, your families, and communities, because you are accepting an invitation to the rhythms  that Jesus chooses to manifest his glory though. Are you daring enough to allow those around you to see radical change in your life as you go deep with Jesus! It’s risky! It’s even a little scary because your wife, or your kids, your grandchildren, your community may not have seen the wild side of Jesus being lived out in your life.

So… If you are looking for a community of misfits who are committed to taking very deep dives into our relationship with Jesus. If you are willing to confront the fears, failures, and set backs in your life by casting your cares on Him, and If you are interested in becoming a more thriving, vibrant, robust, man and leader, Then we hope that you will walk with us into an Easy Yolk with Jesus and join with this group of men who intend to walk Wild on the Path, and extend the invitation to all of the other misfit men you come in contact with.
We believe that the most timely thing we can do in our culture is to lead other men into a deep relationship and Wild walk with Jesus on His Path.
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We look forward to what He will do in us as Men.