Crowhurst_Autumn_15.pdf

Authentic Men’s Weekend - A Conference for MenThirty men from all over the UK convergedon the CCHC for a very special weekendin May. Not only was there a broad rangeof accents, there was also a broad rangeof ages. Jokingly I said beforehand that Iwanted a certificate to prove that I am an‘Authentic Man!’ That wasn’t forthcomingbut such a certificate would have paled intoinsignificance in comparison with such apowerful move of the Holy Spirit during thatweekend.Based on the book ‘Wild at Heart’ by JohnEldredge, a team of skilled men took usthrough what it is to be a man in the churchtoday. In essence, the church has tried toproduce emasculated and non-competitivemen, to produce ’nice’ men. That was neverGod’s plan. God gave men a warrior heartand we need to reclaim it. There are battlesto fight and adventures to live. Adventure isvital to the lives of men; when boredom setsin, it creates the wrong sorts of adventure -gambling, pornography, affairs etc.We looked at the cosmic battle and theimpact that has on lives today. We alsolooked at the masks that men wear, oftento hide past hurts and how these need to bedealt with. Finally we looked at father/sonrelationships, both in Godly, and in humanterms.This brief summary does not do justice tothe real impact of the weekend, which was amixture of talks, interspersed with film clips,and times for reflection.Each evening ended with meeting sociallyround a camp fire in the grounds. Therewere unexpected extras like bacon butties,and popcorn to go with a film on Saturdaynight.The weekend was challenging, exhilaratingand well worthwhile. I would recommend itto any man. If you get a chance to go on one,then please do. You will not be disappointed.Colin Crook7