MMA Fight Night

So tonight I went to a local MMA fight called "King of the Ring" tonight to support one of our guys who was fighting.

First of all I LOVED IT. I'm absolutely convinced that Jesus would have been among that crowd.

(The dude throwing a kick in the picture did the same thing tonight and knocked a guy out)

(The guy on the bottom pic trains with my friend)

I thought I'd be going to basically a bar where they let untrained fighters just duke it out... let me tell you... it wasn't that at all. It was a very controlled and well-lit atmosphere. The audience was made up of a crowd of true MMA fans. They appreciated the technique and for the most part were a very controlled group of people. I didn't personally see anyone drunk (some were loose on the booze but I didn't see anyone drunk). I didn't see any fighting (or arguing) aside from the fights in the ring... and it was an event that people could honestly take their family to (assuming the family liked fights). With doctors and security noticeably present... this was as regulated as any boxing match would be.

Among all of this I couldn't help but to think... "The American Church offers NOTHING that most of the people here want."

Testosterone was in the air. When we meet each week for church most of the testosterone is checked at the door. The only time we see it in churches is when the deacons let it loose in the board meetings and dare the staff to show some. I'm connecting with the Mark Driscolls and Anthony Bradley's of the world who realize that the American Church has castrated it's men. I'm praying to be a part of the generation that ushers the men back into the church and back into genuine leadership roles in the home.

I'm praying for the day when I lead a church full of men who love Christ and fight to redeem every part of their lives. Men who will stand up for injustice and be willing to share their faith without fear. We must challenge our men to rise up and be men. When we feel like we have to turn off the testosterone valve in order to get men to follow Jesus... we're assuming that manhood in and of itself is what causes all sin. We need to challenge men to be man enough to control their behavior. Men can rise up to that level. Men need fathers and examples. God is both. Men need a reason to fight. Let's teach them that video games, pornography and lottery tickets are not worth their time. Let's show men that there is an eternal cause that needs their strength.

Okay... I'm done for now... I'm just so pumped about this issue. Jacob wrestled with God, Paul used boxing as an illustration for spiritual training and yet we view contact sports as something of the devil and 'turn the other cheek' as if it means for us to be weak quitters. I think we have to re-read the scripture without the lens of the feminized church and see what it really means.