According to data on http://www.esri.com/data/community_data/community-tapestry/index.html, a site that analyzes census data and characterizes communities according to their standardized terms, 48811 is sunk in “Rustbelt Traditions”, finds itself in “Midlife Junction”, and is considered the “Salt of the Earth”. The first two terms seemed a little offensive until I read the characterizations and discovered (to continue an overused comedy classic) I resemble that remark!
What does this mean to us? It means the majority of us are men, comfortable in our homes watching the game on pay-per-view, suiting up occasionally to hunt or fish, drawing down the equity in our home or our 401-K to buy a boat, snowmobile, quad, or big-screen television and praying that the shop doesn’t close or that the IRS doesn’t find out we cheated on our taxes and cost us our job at the correctional facility. Is that what life is? Is it all really that lame?
So we flirt with the gas station clerk or the bank clerk or the chick on-line (that is really a guy going by the name of hot_lips4u, pretending to be a chick) or maybe we pick up a copy of Hustler at the shop in G.R. and keep it behind the seat of our truck and in that find a little excitement, just a little adventure, to drive back the boredom, the mind-numbing boredom of living in lower-middle class. What could that hurt? No one is the wiser and we come off like the hero when we show up at our kid's sporting event, Mr. Stability strikes again. Or maybe we pick up a six-pack every other night and a case on the weekends, just in ‘case’ we have company and we watch our guts lap over our belt, run our car through the wash twice a week, hit the racetrack on the weekends and do wood-working in our shop to feel like we are accomplishing something. We have a sense of urgency to get something done so we bury ourselves in projects and work and convince ourselves that as long as people keep saying I’m a great guy then yes, I’m a great guy and I feel good and I’m happy and….
Its not enough. That blank stare that is part of the “quiet strength” men show when they get in a crowd of people is fear. Fear that all we’ve built our world around will come crashing down and we’ll be revealed for the counterfeit we’ve made of ourselves. Fear that finally someone will ask us to put our heart into something and all we can offer is stability.
It doesn’t have to be that way. There is a war for warriors today. Knights are still very much needed.
The battle is for the hearts of men. The battle is for the hearts of our kids. The battle is for the hearts of our wives, sisters, mothers. The battle is for our time. The battle plan is laid out in the bible. Throughout human history the battles have been won by blood and power. The Hebrew people were delivered by blood and power. Goliath was slain by blood and power. Abraham was tested by blood and power. Cities have been built and destroyed by blood and power and now we stand, ready for the battle, and stand living in the promise of blood and power. Blood of the Son of God, fierce in battle and fierce in Love, and Power of the Holy Spirit, the very Love and Wisdom of God placed in our hearts and the hearts of all men. By this blood and power the war has already been won but the battles are still to be fought. We can be confident that when we choose to put our faith in His blood and His power that we will endure. Nothing can defeat us, not even death itself. So don’t accept what society tells you is the next greatest thing, it is nothing but feces compared to His blood and His power. Don’t accept that you are not successful unless you are rich, the bible teaches that success is surrender and the weak shall be made strong. If you find yourself fed, clothed, and sheltered you are wealthy beyond most of the world. Its time to give back! Join the battle men of 48811! If you are in it already, stay the course!
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