When you tell me to be silent. When you tell me to hush. When you tell me my words are offensive.
I don’t think you understand Why I have to say it. Why I refuse to hold my tongue. Why these words flow.
I don’t think you understand
There is a fire in my bones. There is truth that must be spoken. And I’m physically incapable of holding it back.
I don’t think you understand
That love is not offensive.
That truth sometimes hurts.
That Love and Truth are the same person.
I don’t think you understand That fire can be refining and not only destructive. That though I am burned, I am not consumed. That this fire can’t be extinguished.
In this episode, Josh Hatcher talks about the COST of doing good.
Every action and decision has consequences. Even making the decision to do the right thing can have a negative impact sometimes. The “greater good” isn’t always a warm and fuzzy happy ending. What do we do in that instance?
More accurately – there will always be someone who doesn’t like you or what you have to say.
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Galatia, which is in what is now known as Turkey. That region had been populated by “Gallic Celts.” Christianity was spreading across the Roman Empire, and even into the fringes.
Paul was issuing a rebuke to the church, who had started to listen to preachers who told a much different story of Jesus, of redemption, and it was causing dissension in the church.
For the record, the spurious information being taught was that in order to be right with God, these barbarian turkish celts were going to be required to follow Jewish customs. They were taught that they couldn’t eat cheeseburgers, bacon, or pork rinds, had to cut the foreskin off their penis, and any number of other rules that were not meant to apply to them.
Paul had enough – Jesus was never meant to be just for Jews. Jesus never told people they had to become Jews. To follow Jesus, no one was required to follow a bunch of laws and customs just to fit in. Anyone could come to Jesus. And a life changing relationship with Jesus is meant for all people, regardless of race or culture.
That’s the context – but the verse that jumps out to me is this:
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10
Let’s get this straight right here and now.
We can live our lives trying to please people. We can do everything in our power to try to make people like us, or make people happy. We can follow all the rules, dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s, and we’re going to find out a very hard truth.
You will never please all the people.
There will always be someone who will have expectations of you that are not reasonable. There will always be someone who will talk about you. There will always be someone who wants you to look, act, or talk a certain way.
While there is a degree to which we should try to get along with people, and a degree to which we should build a reputation, and love and serve people… the honest truth is – it’s God’s opinion of us that matters, and no one else’s.
Do the right thing because you want to honor God, not because you are worried what someone will think.
Do the right thing because God tells you to, not because man tells you to Do not strive to please men.
Strive to please God.
Manlihood.com provides personal development for men. Our goal is to help enrich men’s lives and to help them become better men. We believe spirituality is an essential part of that component. We understand that not everyone subscribes to a judeo-christian belief system, but we know that a large part of our audience is encouraged to be better men through the paradigm that we share. Our hope is that all men can see and learn to experience fulfillment through faith in Christ, but we also know that not everyone will. Our secondary hope is that by sharing these Spiritual Sunday posts, that even those who may not agree, would be able to at the very least, understand our mindset, and possibly even find something helpful and applicable to their lives. We’re not banging on our Bible or cramming Jesus down anyone’s throat. We are simply processing these experiences through the lens of faith, and inviting all to look with us.
It’s Creative Thursday! Every week we’ll feature a poem, a song, or some other creative expression here at Manlihood.com
We believe to be creative is in the nature of every man, whether it’s art, literature, musif, woodworking, or fish takes around the campfire. This week’s post is a poem by Josh Hatcher entitled, “Behold the Destroyer.” https://youtu.be/eFtM_rOY75c
In this episode, Josh Hatcher tackles the phrase “Man Up!”
It’s become almost taboo to say it, in light of a cultural shift that draws a lot of attention to Toxic Masculinity. Josh talks about that shift, and about the value in encouraging someone to “Man Up.”
How do we (men and women) take back the ground that we’ve surrendered, especially in education, media and politics? Is there a collective voice that can say unashamedly, “Enough is enough!”?
JD Casper released his new song, Living in the Past this week, and Manlihood has an exclusive first look.
We sat down for an interview with JD Casper, and we’re excited to share his new song with you for our Creative Thursday feature!
Living in the Past is like walking into your grandfather’s house after he’s passed on, and as you’re cleaning out the cupboards, you find a coffee can loaded with cash. There’s the blessing of finding a rich treasure, but also the nostalgia of a simpler time, and grandpa’s old wisdom. JD Casper builds on an old tradition of folk and country music with his tender acoustic musical arrangement, but the depth of his lyrics are in the simple truths they communicate.
“Don’t look back in anger, hold on to your memories. Learn from your mistakes and all your apologies. With good help and company, a soul can be set free with a good melody you can make your dreams reality. Hindsight staring through the glass Broken hearts can heal without a cast. They say good times come from living like each day could be your last. Oh what’s the point of living in the past.”
JD Casper, “Living in the Past”
Check out the video for JD Casper’s “Living in the Past”
Manlihood: Your new song, “Living in the Past” has so much depth. There’s a message you want us to hear – tell me about that.
JD Casper: For me, the song serves as a modest reminder to be present everyday. Engage with your loved ones and don’t dwell on the past. You’re not your childhood traumas. You’re not the bad decisions or the bad break ups you’ve went through. Your hardships don’t define you. There’s always hope for a better tomorrow. For all of us.
Manlihood: There’s an earnest and rich earthiness to your music – it could have been recorded yesterday or 100 years ago. What is it about that folk style that drew you in?
JD Casper: As a child, I spent a lot of time with my grandfather. He’s had country radio on in his living room and garage 24/7 since before I was born. I think it was imprinted into my subconscious for better or worse. But I really started to embrace the sound about 10 years ago. I like music that bleeds emotion.
Manlihood:Is music your full time gig? What does that look like for you? Is it hard work?
JD Casper: Music has been my full time gig for about 5 years now. My schedule has been pretty consistent. I play six shows a week. It’s a lot of singing, strumming, and stomping. But I get paid well and get to spend the maximum amount of time with my family. Which is very important to me having a son that’s turning 3 this month.
Manlihood: You’ve been a musician since you were young. Did you ever dream it would look like what it looks like now?
JD Casper: If you had told me, the 12 year old boy from Lewis Run, PA that this was going to be my life at 27, I don’t think I would’ve believed it. I’m living my dream. Truly.
Manlihood: This song dropped this week, where can I buy it?
JD Casper: You can get it everywhere! Stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon music, or download it on iTunes, or the YouTube video. There will be a bigger EP coming soon with 5 or 6 more songs. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Manhood is not automatic. In this episode of the Manlihood ManCast, Josh Hatcher talks about the elements that have to be in place for manhood to thrive, mentorship, modeling, and reinforcing.
In this week’s “Ask a Man” Segment, Josh answers this question from a listener: My wife says she wants a divorce. I don’t want a divorce. What should I do?
We’ve all heard this instagram horsecrap before. Somebody gets all fired up and hope and optimism around the New Year – maybe they read a book from a motivational guru, or they are just convinced that it’s time to make a change.
We often look at it with skepticism, because we’ve seen that same person do this EVERY January. By February they’re pounding fiery cheetos and acting like a douche all over again.
While we may not be a fan of fair-weather life transformation, the start of something new, a new year, a new decade, certainly seems like a convenient time to evaluate our lives. How do we measure up?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a diet on January 2, only to find myself caving in by the end of the month. I can’t begin to count the number of years I’ve vowed to turn over a new leaf, and found myself digging through the trash to find the old leaf.
We know that God is a God of second chances.
All through scripture, and history, we see stories of God giving man a chance to be redeemed, and start fresh.
The entire picture of Jesus, being born, dying, and coming back to life is what Christianity is all about. Our first ritual, baptism, is a picture of that – to die to our old ways, to be buried under the water, and to come back to life.
New year or not, getting a clean slate and a fresh start is at the very core of what it means to walk with God.
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 MSG
What does a fresh start look like for you? Are there things you need to stop doing? Do you need to ask God for forgiveness? Do you need to make a clean break with behaviors or attitudes? Are there things you must start to do that you have not been doing?
I know that for everything we are not, and everything we break and screw up, God can bring forgiveness, wholeness, and freedom. We’ve got to come to Him humble and ask Him, and then as He changes the inside, we work together with Him on the outside.
Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared. These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray; when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts we’ll be on high ground, untouched. God’s my island hideaway, keeps danger far from the shore,throws garlands of hosannas around my neck. Let me give you some good advice; I’m looking you in the eye and giving it to you straight: “Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule that needs bit and bridle to stay on track.” Psalm 32: 5-9 MSG
As we look at our fresh start, my encouragement to you is to make a plan. Be diligent with that plan. Don’t just try to wing it.
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5
If there are changes you want to make, take the time to work through a plan of action. If you want to change the way you behave, you must change the way you feel, and to change the way you feel, you have to change the way you think. That takes effort, intentionality, and discipline.
Don’t stay where you are, if there’s more out there for you. Don’t be content with a less than best version of yourself, when God has even better for you. Don’t just expect God to be your fairy godmother and bibbidy bobbity boop you into your new life, either. There’s a grand and glorious work to do – and He wants to do it with you.
Manlihood.com provides personal development for men. Our goal is to help enrich men’s lives and to help them become better men. We believe spirituality is an essential part of that component. We understand that not everyone subscribes to a judeo-christian belief system, but we know that a large part of our audience is encouraged to be better men through the paradigm that we share. Our hope is that all men can see and learn to experience fulfillment through faith in Christ, but we also know that not everyone will. Our secondary hope is that by sharing these Spiritual Sunday posts, that even those who may not agree, would be able to at the very least, understand our mindset, and possibly even find something helpful and applicable to their lives. We’re not banging on our Bible or cramming Jesus down anyone’s throat. We are simply processing these experiences through the lens of faith, and inviting all to look with us.
Creativity is in our nature as men. From art, to poetry and music, to woodworking and landscaping, we value things that are creative, and benefit from using our creativity to express ourselves. Each Thursday, we’re going to shine a light on some creativity.
This week, Josh Hatcher shares a poem entitled: All I Have to Give You from his book, Sweat, Sawdust, and the Millpond – available at Amazon now!
