The Good Life – November-December 2018

MANPOWER
WRITTEN BY: JON HAUSER
PHOTO BY: MELISSA DALE PHOTOGRAPHY
I am an engineer; wired to observe the realities of this
world. For 50 years I’ve witnessed this reality: men
tend to trail behind women when it comes to spiritual
intensity. I’ve seen many families where mom is active
in her faith and local church but dad isn’t; very rare
that dad is active and mom is not. Having worked with
teenagers for years, it’s common for teens to step away
from faith when dad isn’t actively engaged.
As a pastor, I have a burning desire to help men grow
spiritually. When a man grows spiritually there’s a
significant positive ripple effect in the lives of his family,
business, and neighborhood that lasts for generations.
In the Bible, God is searching: I looked for someone
among them who would build up the wall and stand
before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would
not have to destroy it, but I found no one (Ezekiel
22:30).
God was looking for someone who would stay true
to Him amidst all the temptations this world offers;
someone who would fight for their spouse, children,
church, and pastor; someone quick to forgive, seek
forgiveness, and focus on unity; someone who was all
out devoted and all in surrendered to God. And God
found? No one. My prayer is that when God searches
the Red River Valley, He finds 1,000s of men who fit
this description!
In Judges Chapters 13-16, Samson was a powerful
man continually plagued with a dangerously weak
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