Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp - Entering the Thin Places

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

“And let me tell you something: you don’t escape spiritual warfare simply because you choose not to believe it exists or because you refuse to fight it.” John Eldredge – Waking the Dead

When I first published my blog post, "Wild at Heart Boot Camp - As Iron Sharpens Iron," back in May of 2009, little did I know or realize how God would use that to begin to unravel my life and call me even deeper into walking with Him in both my spiritual and masculine journey.

In the last 9 years, I've heard from men - across the United States and from various points across the world - that they had discovered this post while seeking information and direction from God as to whether or not they should, too, attend the Wild at Heart Boot Camp for men led by John Eldredge and his team at Ransomed Heart.

What I wanted to do is now trust God's call on my heart and share the story He co-authored with me centered around the first Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp for men that I attended in the mountains of Colorado back in December of 2010.

Titled "Thin Places - A Tale of Strength & Honor from the Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp" and covering my experiences with God, other men, and the courageous men of the Ransomed Heart team, it is both testimony and truth covering the life-changing event and how it deeply impacted my heart, my story, and my walk with God.

You can find a link to it at my mission outpost MAXIMUS HEART - Stories from the Wellspring of Life. On the main page, click on "The Unfolding Story" tab - you will find the PDF download by scrolling down the page. My hope and prayer is that men who seek this event when offered every few years by my friends and allies at Ransomed Heart will also find a whisper of God's own calling upon their heart in the thin places where He meets us in the spiritual and masculine journey.

STRENGTH & HONOR!!

John Fontaine

The Jumble: I Am My Father's Son!

Having recently turned 54 years of age, I always find it fascinating when God presents moments of clarity that make me utter the words, "I am my father's son." Over the last month or so, I find it coming into play with an innocuous piece of literary wonder called...

The Jumble.

As a small boy growing up in the Bronx, I loved when my father would return home from his overnight work as a city bus driver. I knew he would always have the latest edition of The New York Daily News tucked under the arm of his bud driver's uniform. My interest in this hallowed periodical was quite simple - I wanted to get my hands on the Funnies. For some reason, I had a fascination with Dondi and the other comical characters that were brought to life through pen and ink. But I digress...

You see, there was a fascinating piece of treasure buried in the pages with the Funnies...a small picture nestled adjacent to a string of mixed up words waiting to be solved. Even as a young boy, I loved a good mystery...and thanks to my Mom (who got a library card into my hands even before she ever put a tricycle under my ass), I found the Jumble to be an excellent way to sharpen my love of words.

There was one slight wrinkle in this educational frontier: my father owned the Jumble. That meant no one - no one - was allowed to complete it inside the paper before he did. As a rambunctious type of boy, I could understand the territorial enthusiasm he was showing...after all, he bought the paper, so he should be (and always was) the first one to read it and, by rights, complete the prize within...the daily Jumble. If memory serves me, there was more than one occasion where the fifth-floor Bronx walk-up became a battle zone because someone forgot the rules and did the Jumble before he had a chance to conquer it.

The Jumble may be child's play to some (i.e. your New York Times crossword puzzle aficionados), but to me in those years (I'm talking 5 to 9 years old) it was an amazing chance to test my intelligence and, on the rare occasion, even be a contributor to my father's victory. In his story, he never even finished high school and was always a man of few words. I even recall finding it fascinating to see him in his easy chair (think Archie Bunker and you know it was my father's chair), settling in and putting on his black-framed reading glasses, shuffling through the pages and readying his pencil to go to work. He was like a dog on a leg of lamb, sometimes smiling at the gift of deciphering the words with ease while at other times his face twisted into a snarl of frustration. Sometimes I would even get a chance, if I was in the room alone with him, to hear a few choice words that my Mom wouldn't want me to either hear nor repeat. 

Even as a child, the frustrating part was this: he left the answers behind, like some sort of literary crime scene that I was both fascinated with and repulsed by. In the timing of my youth, I would return home from school just after he awoke in the afternoon; by that time - with homework and such - it was usually too late by that time to lay claim to the paper, if even for a few moments to copy down the Jumble for later investigation and completion. And, mind you, this was that late 60's and early 70's - well before the Internet could lend a hand in the need of any eventual word-cracking that left me stumped and stymied. 

Flash forward decades. It's 2016, and I'm in the break room at my place of employment. I know, I know...the Jumble has been in syndication for decades, but it seems to me that after we moved from New York to Kentucky in the mid-70's my fascination with this wordy enigma completely disappeared. Maybe I was reading more and comfortable with my vocabulary. I know my father was fascinated with and completing the Jumble his entire life until he passed away in 1996. So here I am, looking through the copy of our local Courier-Journal here in Louisville and what do I stumble across? The Jumble...in all of its black and white, literary-mystery brilliance and beauty. I swept up the paper before any other employee could get it and rushed it to the copy machine. I'm not kidding - when I pressed the Copy button and waited for the print to exit the machine, I felt like I was 5 or 6 years old again, somehow challenging my father and honoring him in the same moment.

In the quiet of the morning office flow, I cast my eyes to both the small comic in the Jumble (which, through it's dialogue and picture can give the user some important clues about solving the final piece of the puzzle) as well as the list of mixed up words waiting on my courage. As an adult, have you ever had a moment where you were reintroduced to that younger part of you that is golden, full of joy, and not wanting to grow up so fast? I picked up a pen (always the boldest move a Jumble man could make...what if I make a mistake?) and dived in. Some of those first words came easy, my eyes and brain doing its best Russell Crowe-like A Beautiful Mind impersonation. With one of them, I found myself repeating the facial tics and f-bombs of my father from years gone by. Sweet!! 

I confess...at one point, I found myself going to Google to rescue me on a word that, in the end, wasn't hard to decipher but had stumped my ass up and down the block. It felt like and was - in the memory and legacy of my father - cheating. And I haven't done it since.

That was weeks ago. My daily habit, Monday through Friday, is to now sit down at my computer, download a fresh copy of the daily Jumble, and be both a young boy and a man in the second half of his life...a wordsmith detective on the hunt to figure it out. The best part of completing it each morning? I get to smile, think about my father, Michael, and say these words with love in my heart: "I am my father's son!"

If you want to join me and learn more about my story and my heart for the spiritual and masculine journey that God has called me on, please visit MAXIMUS HEART - Stories from the Wellspring of Life by clicking HERE.

The Hiding Man

I was recently on a walk home from the local grocery. Coming at me from a distance down the sidewalk by 2nd and Ormsby near where I live were three people...two men and a woman, walking in single file, male, female, male. As I passed them, as is my habit, I looked at them to offer a visual greeting, smile, just noticing. Oddly, the men did not even look up. Wow, I thought, they can't even look me in the eyes. The woman, mind you, was smiling, looked me square in the eyes, acknowledged being seen and seeing me. As I passed them by, I realized that the men were just reminding me about that part of me - the hiding man.

In my life, I've known him well. I know him less now more than ever, but he still can make an unannounced visit in the most interesting of places, times, situations. Yes, not only The Situation can have situations. The masculine journey, for me, has been an incredible journey of such moments. And it made me ask some questions:

"Why do I hide? Why can't I, won't I, look another man in the eyes?" For me, could be guilt, shame, fear. The first story I made up about those two men as they passed me by was that they weren't happy with where they were at or what they were doing. That wouldn't remotely be on my radar of emotional thoughts anytime recently, would it? Again, looking into the mirror on the masculine journey is a fascinating risk that is worth the reward waiting.

At Maximus Heart, we connect, inspire, and battle for deep healing and true freedom within the hearts of men on their spiritual and masculine journey. The Hiding Man, in me, wants to hide because I haven't healed in a certain part of my heart that gives me safety, trust, and courage to be me in front of others. I recognize the hiding man in other men because I've seen him in me.

My encouragement to men is: LOOK UP! See the world as you walk through it. Recognize the other men in your life - where you walk - and know they have their own journey to travel but it is very much like yours in many ways. BE SEEN! As a man, you were designed to magnify and manifest the glory of the Creator - and that is powerful, and much needed in our communities and world!

In my sojourn to and from the grocery, who knows...I might be looking to see if you see me seeing you seeing me!!

If you would like more information on MAXIMUS HEART, please click here.

Maximus Heart - An Outpost for the Masculine Journey

Over the years I've enjoyed sharing where I've been on the spiritual and masculine journey. At this point in the Larger Story I am living inside of, it's time for me to share this exciting path with others...hence, the beginning of Maximus Heart. 

You can find out more by clicking here - this online outpost is designed to assist men who are walking through their journey. Our mission is to connect, inspire, and battle for deep healing & true freedom within the hearts of men on their spiritual & masculine journey. Using many of the resources from Ransomed Heart that have helped change my life and the lives of so many others across the globe, we are offering to help facilitate, lead, and structure curriculum for other small groups interested in walking and living deep in this message.

We also help connect men to weekend adventures and boot camps - both associated with Ransomed Heart as well as The ManKind Project. More information is also coming soon for the Maximus Heart boot camp event for men, A Journey of Strength & Honor (slated for late 2015).

Please take some time to visit the site, let us know what you think, and register for one of the four featured small group study platforms scheduled for 2015. Space is limited - so act accordingly!!

Look forward to sharing more on the pages here at His Grace Amazing in the future about how this exciting path of mission and calling is helping make impact in the lives of men seeking a deeper walk on their journey and their lives with God!

For more information on John Eldredge & Ransomed Heart, click here.

For more information on The ManKind Project, click here.

Frodo Didn't Go It Alone!!

"What I am suggesting is that we reframe the way we look at our lives as men. And the way we look at our relationships with God. I also want to help you reframe the way you relate to other men." (From Fathered by God by John Eldredge - 2009, Thomas Nelson, p. 11)

One of my favorite movies is The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films. If you are familiar with the series, you know that - once the prologue has been presented - the story hones in on what some consider its main character...the hobbit named Frodo Baggins. Each time I watch these epics, I always come away with the sense that in his initiation and masculine journey, one thing is ultimately and most importantly true for Frodo: he didn't go it alone!!

It's absurd for me, as a man among men, to conceive of being initiated alone or traveling the paths of my spiritual and masculine journey by myself. Of course, in both crucibles, there are moments designed for solitude and reflection. This is good - Scripture, of course, bears out many instances where Jesus himself chose to go off alone to a place where he could pray, regroup, rest, grieve...you know, be human.

So, on this amazing sojourn known as the masculine journey, ask yourself a question: "Who is my fellowship? Do I have a company of men to walk with, talk to, trust in, and fight/live/love/play alongside of?" If the answer comes back, "No!" or perhaps, "What do I need that for?" you may look at reconsidering your options. Believe me, I've loved to go it alone in my life...but from this point in my journey, it wasn't wise.

A lot of that came from the pain of agreements I made: such as "I'm on my own and it has to be me to figure life out" or "I can't trust God to show up for me - he's too busy, doesn't care..." I believe what Eldredge is speaking to in the reframing encouragement is to come from that place in my masculine heart where courage meets vulnerability. It is a scary proposition for many men - who know God or don't - to discover that allowing for the fellowship of men to come around him in spirit and truth does really equal having the willingness to change the ingrained patterns of pride or stubbornness or ego of the go it alone myth of being a man. 

Here's a question I found invaluable at that stage I asked of myself: "What if ALL of what I've been seeking - love, wholeness, initiation, courage, living deeply in my calling/mission/purpose, peace, healing and faith is to be found within the fellowship of men...and having God father me?"

In one of the final scenes in the trilogy, late into The Return of the King film, there is a beautiful scene where Frodo awakens after being rescued from the destruction of Mount Doom. One by one, starting with Gandalf, he is reunited with the fellowship of men - his fellowship of men - and the joy keeps growing intensely as they share in the victory of what it took them all to do. Frodo didn't go it alone. God, in his wisdom and love, doesn't invite us to either. 

For more on John Eldredge and Ransomed Heart, click here.

To purchase a copy of Fathered by God, click here.

For more on John Fontaine & MAXIMUS HEART, click here.

Holiness Is Worth It

I truly love it when God smacks me upside both head and heart...especially in the early morning hours when my time with him is most precious and unencumbered by the pounding drums of the Matrix waiting for me to step out my apartment door and into a world at war.

This morning, I was reading a chapter from Free to Live, a wonderful book by John Eldredge (originally published as The Utter Relief of Holiness). In the chapter entitled "The Fruit of Holiness," the final paragraph was what struck me most deeply after the deep truths I had read on the pages leading up to it:

"So let me say one more time, the pursuit of a deep and genuine holiness is worth whatever it costs you. Because holiness is an utter relief. It is a joy and a healing of your creation. It will make you powerful in the Spirit, it will rescue you again and again, it will fortress you to the enemy's attacks, it will make your life a compelling argument for Jesus because it is of the same quality as his. Finally, in these last days, the saints are being sorely tested. Holiness is your strength and your safe passage through the trial. It is worth it." (p. 168)

Wow...let me pull a few words that light my heart on fire: "...relief...joy...healing...powerful in the Spirit...rescue...fortress...compelling argument for Jesus...quality...strength...safe passage through trial..."

As I continue my journey of becoming as a man, this masculine journey with God and others is full of risk, reward, honor wounds, and dangerous for good moments throughout each day. And to seek holiness, I know that whatever it costs me I become more and more willing to pay. The currency of holiness is to become whole - in me and for God. 

For more on John Eldredge and Ransomed Heart Ministries, click here.

For more on John Fontaine and Maximus Heart, click here.

Are You Ready for Your Adventure??

Each week my heart is saddened to see - either first hand or through a variety of media reports - more evidence that the world needs grown up men. While the challenges of being a grown up man myself continue to sharpen me as iron, I am grateful I do not have to walk this path alone.

For over 25 years, the ManKind Project has held the space to nurture stronger, safer and more connected men. In Kentucky, this work has been going on since the early 1990's. Our flagship training is the New Warrior Training Adventure, a modern initiation experience for men over the age of 18.

At the ManKind Project of Kentucky we offer community, connection, growth, inspiration, and a chance to become more the man you've always wanted to be. We are fierce defenders of time-honored values: Integrity, Accountability, Compassion, Generosity, Inclusivity, Authenticity, Leadership, and Respect.

For info on the ManKind Project of KY, please call:

Earl Shiring (502.494.5993) or John Fontaine (502.712.1972)

We also host open circles (weekly or bi-weekly) that men can visit (see our website link above for more info on our Integration Group circles). Men are always welcome at our monthly Intro to Men's Work gathering at our MKP Kentucky Lodge (1728 Mellwood Avenue in Louisville).

Are you READY for YOUR Adventure? If you need a visual, take a few moments to check out the video and give us a call if you want to learn more or step into the journey of making the radical choice to become a grown up man!!

Confessions of a Celibate Man

I am nearly 52 years of age. I am a heterosexual, white, Christian man. And, for the past 10 years, I have been celibate. For those of you who have forsaken the dictionary, it can mean "...the state of not being married..." or "...abstention from sexual intercourse..."

Some of the synonyms for celibate are abstinence or chasteness. On the flip side of that coin, some of the antonyms are debauchery, lechery, or whoring. Pretty black and white...but walking that road for a decade has been anything but black and white.

So I was more than a little surprised this morning when God asked me to write about this, to confess what it's been like to be unmarried and abstient in a society, frankly, that doesn't care about its abysmal divorce rate, the damage done by infidelity to hearts and families, or the tsunami of sexual license that has flooded lives, bodies, and souls without care to the cost or the repair that is always necessary in its wake.

In his wonderful book, Epic (2004: Thomas Nelson, Inc.), author John Eldredge brings up a great point: "One of the deepest of all human longings is the longing to belong, to be a part of things, to be invited in...Loneliness might be the hardest cross we bear." (p. 23) When God captured my heart in 2005, I had already left a trail of broken hearts, bodies, and souls (physically & sexually) in my wake. And that wasn't even addressing the bonds of slavery to pornography that still gripped me.

Why this topic? On a popular social network yesterday, a "friend" shared a story link about a beautiful, young (19 years old) woman who killed herself with a shotgun after filming her first porn scene. She was a straight A student with dreams and hopes of making her mark in the world. Obviously - and sadly - it wasn't to be. I commented on the post, recognizing that, yes, it was a sad story to read but it also made me angry that men - especially men who are of God - have failed the daughters of Eve in such contemptable ways, from the church to the home, in not standing up for and protecting the Beauty from such pernicious and destructive forces. 

Could celibacy helped save that young woman's life? Of course it could have. As a celibate man, I am not a freak nor unable to honor my sexuality. Porn is not sex and sex is not love. In my life, I invited two different women to marry me. Both said "Yes," but in the end, both chose to leave me because I chose to destroy my life in front of them instead of becoming the man God created me to be. That was a long time ago - and I am not that man any longer. But celibacy isn't something that I wake up to every morning with glee and shout, "Man, I'm not going to want to be married today or ever have sex again and it's gonna be a great day!!"

I am grateful not to be enslaved to pornography anymore. I am grateful that I have become a better man, that the world is a safer place because I have recovered a relationship with God, myself, and others. I am grateful that I have a stronger heart and a clearer sense of duty as a man in relation to what a woman is and seeks from a man. I am grateful that I can still desire to be a husband and, perhaps, a father before my earthly life turns towards eternity. I am grateful that my heart is open to love - true intimacy with God, myself, and others.

And I am grateful that celibacy is my choice...and that even though, for now, I am alone - I am grateful to not be lonely. I'll wait...I'm worth it and so is the woman who would say "Yes" to such a man.

For more on John Eldredge, his books, resources and ministry, please visit Ransomed Heart.com 

Reminding My Heart

Undoubtedly you've heard the phrase:

"What's your gut reaction?"

As I continue on my masculine journey, I am privileged to be a part of the revolution that God has called men to from across the globe...all started when John Eldredge wrote Wild at Heart (2001, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).

He also wrote a companion workbook to it called The Wild at Heart Field Manual - which is, as he describes it "like getting two years of therapy for about ten bucks." 

I know I got my copy back in 2009, the year after I first discovered and read his book. I've been working my way through this incredible tool ever since. It's starting to fall apart in some places from use - and it's detailed with various highlighter shades, notes, drawings, pictures pasted in...and, most of all, the deep truth of a man whose heart has been rescued and set free by God.

In the first chapter of the Field Manual, one of the first things Eldredge asks of a man is:

"You've read the first chapter of Wild at Heart - now give me a gut reaction. What struck you? What stirred you, got your blood going?" (p. 6)

Here is what I wrote:

• It made me feel things I'd forgotten about myself as a man.
• I've been looking for my heart all my life!
• What's my destiny?
• I long for an invitation to be the man I long to be: courageous, bold, romantic!!
• I am a warrior, lover, sage, and king!
• Why do I search in me - and other men - for authentic masculinity?
• I've failed many tests...but still believe I have what it takes!
• Wild - Strong - Valiant...waiting to be set free by God?!

I'm in no rush to finish the Field Manual as I continue to walk in the freedom I've been called up into and fought hard to win with God leading the charge. And it's good to check back in on my gut reaction to know that I am finding the deep, true answers to the questions above...and the ones that come from living in the wild territory of a free heart.

For more information on John Eldredge and Ransomed Heart Ministries - along with a treasure trove of books, CD's, DVD's and other resources - please visit RansomedHeart.com

Walking with God: Conversational Intimacy

In the introduction to his book Walking with God (2008: Thomas Nelson), author John Eldredge starts bold:

"It is our deepest need, as human beings, to learn to live intimately with God. It is what we were made for. Back in the beginning of our story...there was a paradise called Eden. In that garden of life as it was meant to be, there lived the first man and woman. Their story is important to us because whatever it was they were, and whatever it was they had, we also were meant to be and to have. And what they enjoyed above all the other delights of that place was this - they walked with God. They talked with him, and he with them." (ix, Introduction)

What saddens me today is that not only are so many people still so far away from God (Eden to today is one major road trip) but communication today - with all of its technological gadgetry and wizardry - has taken the context of communicating and siloed people from one another in ways that are alarming. 

"Call me." The world is so busy it usually goes to voicemail.
"Text me." Complete sentences and punctuation aren't even required anymore.
"Email me." And the inbox assault continues, piling on, putting people further behind.

God, in his scandalous grace and and fierce glory, wants ME...my voice, my walk, right there in step and Spirit with him. He doesn't give a flip how many apps I have on my smart phone. He doesn't want to wait until I have my emails caught up. He certainly wants to say things deeper into my heart that far exceed 150 characters. 

Only from learning to be still and know - listen - walk with God have I found that what Eldredge says makes sense. Many people (especially in the church) feel that God no longer speaks...or that the only way he speaks to those who love and follow him is through Scripture. I do believe that the Bible is the foundational truth for all in Christ to follow - but to be told that God no longer speaks isn't true or biblical.

'The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.' (John 10:2-4 NIV)

If God is walking, then has he stopped talking?? Not for me...I follow because I have begun to listen...deeply, intimately, courageously and faithfully. Conversational intimacy with God is not only real, but part of our original design and birthright. So, unplug from the PC and the smart phone and the TV...ask him if he would like to walk and talk with you. I seriously doubt you'll get voicemail!!

Strength & Honor!

For more on John Eldredge, his books & resources from Ransomed Heart Ministries, please visit:
RansomedHeart.com

The Thin Places

In the bigger scheme of life, I know that 15 months since my last posting in here isn't that significant...especially since I know that God has been up to some good in the interventions toward my heart He's performed - you know, sort of on the scale, invasion-wise, as, say, the beginning scenes of Saving Private Ryan.

I don't blame me for not checking in here - being in The Thin Places with God, no less battling spiritual warfare on a level over the last few years that has been some of the fiercest I've seen - leads me to believe that I am heading in exactly the right direction that God has planned for my continuing masculine journey and initiation, healing, preparation, and mission.

So, short and sweet...it's good to be back. Where I'm at, it's raining today. Feel like a little boy that's looking out the window and wishing he could go out and play. More coming in the near future on my walk with God, my continuing love for the Wild at Heart and Ransomed Heart™ message and ministry, my adventures in men's work with The ManKind Project™, and some of what's been going on in the interim. Blessed to be where I've been and looking forward to fiercely bringing the Kingdom as I continue to follow His lead!

For a deeper look at my adventures with the Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp, email me at living.fierce@gmail.com for a copy of "The Thin Places."

The New Warrior Training Adventure (Oct. 19-21, 2012)

Somewhere along the way a man invited me to take a journey, to step into an adventure...

Men's work - it's messy, sometimes dangerous, always thrilling and necessary. Our culture in the West has lost all sight of what masculine initiation truly means to other cultures and civilizations. Sadly, a great number of men...young and old...find their lives cut off, under fire, desperate or perhaps assigned to unwanted terrain.

There is a place a man make find adventure as he searches for what his heart truly desires & his mission in this world...

It's called The New Warrior Training Adventure, sponsored by The ManKind Project of Kentucky (www.kentucky.mkp.org) and to be held in Bedford, IN from October 19-21, 2012. Registration is now open & spaces are limited - reserve your spot today!!

Call 502.939.4333 for more information on an adventure you will not want to miss!

Time to Invade the Man Caves!!

Men are hungry. No, not for the next latte or the latest iPhone. No, not for 6-pack abs or a corner office. Men are hungry for initiation - for a call into the battle and adventure and beauty that is crying out from their hearts.

One of the reasons I love the Psalms in Scripture is that David, a complex and interesting model of masculinity, tells it like it is. He's not going to speak to God through a filter, through a mask, and he's not going to sit there and beg for a plate of milk and cookies to make everything alright when his soul is being crushed and he doesn't see a way out. Shepherd, warrior, king...and, yet, he craved a deeper initiation, a more pressing closeness through prayer with God.

Today was one of those days when I wanted to just hide in a favorite part of my man cave - namely, the bedroom, blinds drawn, covers pulled tight, eyes shut tighter, phone turned off. Hiding. When I was called out...pushed out, dragged out by a Power greater than myself...I was led to Psalm 142 (written, by the way, when David was hiding in the cave):

"When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life." (142:3-4 NIV)

Not exactly the way "a man after God's own heart" should act, huh? Not very kingly, huh? Not exactly the poster boy for the warrior spirit, huh? But how true this is of men's hearts today, wouldn't you say? Or maybe you wouldn't...

Maybe it's your heart that longs for refuge - longs for someone to care. Masculine initiation is about men caring for the hearts of other men fiercely enough to go into battle for them. The hidden snares of evil plague men's hearts at every turn - you know the ones you get trapped in. I do. But the initiatory journey is created...whether secular or faith-based...to offer a man a way out of the cave, an opportunity to stop hiding, and a chance to go into battle surrounded by a legion of men who will fight until blood, sweat, and tears have been spent in the glory of victory!

The month of March offers two such opportunities for men in the local Kentucky/Indiana region to step into the containers of the masculine journey, to be deeply initiated in ways that their hearts are hungry for.

One is called the New Warrior Training Adventure and is sponsored by the ManKind Project of Kentucky (http://www.kentucky.mkp.org/). It's a 3-day experiential men's initiatory adventure designed to challenge a man in ways, perhaps, that he's never been challenged before to look at himself and step into a life of vision, action, and mission. It will take place from March 30-April 1, 2012 in Bedford, IN (for more info, you can contact MKP Kentucky by calling 502.939.4333).

The other is called the Men at the Cross weekend and is sponsored by The Cross Ministry Group (http://www.crossmg.org/). It's a 3-day intensive men's experiential weekend where men come to experience a unique encounter with God and other men. It will take place from March 16-18, 2012 in Underwood, IN (for more info, you can contact The Cross Ministry Group by calling 502.216.1942).

Who do you know that's hiding in his man cave? Maybe it's a cave of money, power, sex, deceit, anger, sadness, shame, fear, busyness, despair, or wounds from a time long ago. It's time to light a torch, take up the sword, cry out for the strength, and invade the man caves around you and rouse the hearts of the men hidden in darkness. It takes courage to invite a man into the deeper journey of initiation...and it's never too late!!

Fierce Personality: A Review of "Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldredge

It was December 2010. I arrived at the breathtaking Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista, CO to attend the Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp, led by author, co-founder, and director of Ransomed Heart Ministries, John Eldredge. During the 3-days in the Rockies taking a deeper look and walk with the interpersonal relationship with Jesus, this band of brothers over 350 strong from around the world was intrigued to hear Eldredge and his Ransomed Heart team (Craig McConnell, Bart Hansen, and Morgan Snyder) begin to talk about a new book about the life – and personality – of Jesus.

As 2011 winds down, I was asked to review Eldredge’s latest novel, Beautiful Outlaw (Faithwords, 225 pages), I was actually at a point where seeing that Jesus (or meeting with him in Scripture and more often than not misconnecting) was becoming difficult, labored, without much desire. I wasn’t 20 pages into the book when Eldredge – talking about how essential it was to discover the personality of Jesus…undraped by what might be happening in church or Christianity or churchianity or, worse yet, through the religious haze of what characterized most of what, Scripturally, were the arenas in which most of Jesus’ most awesome heart-to-heart cage matches took place – put a deeper truth on the tip of the sword:

‘What is missing in our Gospel reading – and in our attempts to “read” what Jesus is saying and doing in our own lives right now, this week – is his personality, undraped by religion. Let’s see if we can find this.’

Eldredge, author of such bestselling books as The Sacred Romance (co-authored with Brent Curtis), Desire, Wild at Heart, Waking the Dead, and co-author with his wife, Stasi, of Captivating and Love & War, exhibits courage and boldness deftly blended with a fluid and winsome narrative early on. In the pages of his Introduction, he uncorks a fine bottle of context:
“We don’t need further speculation or debate. We need Jesus himself. And you can have him. Really. You can experience Jesus intimately. You were meant to. For despite the vandalizing of Jesus Christ by religion and the world, he is still alive and very much himself. Though nowadays it takes a bit of uncovering to know him as he is.”

And, sadly, perhaps the drapes measured by most churches to fit the windows looking onto the personality of Jesus miss such things as his playfulness, fierce intention, his human face, extravagant generosity, and disruptive honesty. “The man shoots straight,” Eldredge says in a chapter about the honesty of Jesus. “Sometimes he’s playful; sometimes he’s fierce; the next moment he’s generous. This is the beauty of his disruptive honesty – you can count on Jesus to tell you the truth in the best possible way for you to hear it.” (p. 71)

This is the Jesus many, including myself, have been searching for. I thought I met Jesus six years ago for the first time. Eldredge, with a joyful wit and razor sharp (yet perhaps accurate) sting to some of his projections on the church, invites the reader into the scandalous freedom with which Jesus – as fully God and fully man – lives, the cunning he has (…and, oh man, does he use it, especially against street gangs like the Pharisees…), how his heart overflows with humility, trueness, and beauty, and how loving Jesus – really loving him as he is and is meant to be – letting Jesus be himself with you and through the daily encounters can fill one’s life and be the powerful winds to clear away the “religious fog.”

And the reader is invited to know Jesus in a revolutionary way, and Eldredge’s writing – and the challenge behind the questions – does drive some stakes into ground: Why does false reverence replace loving Jesus? Does knowing about God substitute for knowing God? Why shouldn’t power displays be confused for intimacy with Jesus? Isn’t the stereotypical ‘Christian service’ really just a substitute for friendship with Christ? Does the church offer – or prevail – under a trivial morality? I found Eldredge’s style to be a courageous blend of unvarnished aim for the heart of his readers and the unmistakable revolutionary images of Jesus that have been covered over by so much religious coatings. As the chapters unfolded towards the Epilogue, Eldredge is wistful yet compelling: “I am groping for the words that will somehow move you to hold on to this. The train blows its whistle; the mother chokes up and the father clasps the last handshake ever so tightly, because they know what is at stake. My friends, so much is at stake.” (p. 211)
While others may aim low to find fault with a sense of Eldredge (or other authors) positing solutions for the church if only it would listen and take action, a majority of voices seem to be queuing up to say, ‘Hey, yeah, this is the Jesus I ache to know and am ready to meet.’ In a sense, it’s a Gospel that needs to be read.

In conjunction with the release of Beautiful Outlaw, Ransomed Heart Ministries (http://www.beautifuloutlaw.net/) is offering a free download of a companion 18-part video series for the book, along with a free participant guide for small group study. As Wild at Heart (2001, Thomas Nelson) impacted so many men for the battle, adventure, and beauty in pursuing the heart of Jesus, Beautiful Outlaw and Eldredge so brilliantly and bravely challenges that “…a true knowledge of Jesus is our greatest need and our greatest happiness.”

A Look Ahead to OUTLAWCast!

I think about Colorado all the time...even today, walking home from the store in 90+ degree blazing heat, haze in my eyes, I was thinking about being accepted in the lottery for the upcoming Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp (Dec. 1 - 4, 2011 in Buena Vista, CO at gorgeous Frontier Ranch). More will be revealed...not even sure if it's my time to go again. My faith walk, especially this past year, has been tested like no other time since 2005 and Christ's capture of my heart and my sword. When John Eldredge and his awesome Ransomed Heart Ministry team took to the deeper sides of Wild at Heart last year, I came home with deep impact and much warfare against my heart ahead.

So I look forward to several events and invite all of the men reading this post to consider checking out John's live Webcast event. I'll be hosting a small gathering in Louisville, KY on Monday, November 14, 2011 from 7 until 9pm. Contact me at fontaine4christ@gmail.com for more information on attending if in the area.

Get ready for a review of Eldredge's latest book, Beautiful Outlaw. His Grace Amazing has requested an advance copy (publishing date mid-October), so come back for an insight into the playful, disruptive, and extravagant personality of Jesus.

Visit the Website at http://www.beautifuloutlaw.net/ for more up-to-date information on the book, John's live event tour behind it, and more resources. Don't forget you'll find all information about Ransomed Heart Ministry at http://www.ransomedheart.com

Come visit soon for information on how you can support my attending the Wild at Heart Advanced Boot Camp in December 2011.

The Pruning Season

'He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.' (John 15:2 NIV)

I am not a gardener; I've never had experience growing something with vines and branches, much less anything that required cutting and pruning to keep healthy and productive. I am, though, painfully aware that in my life right now I am being pruned by God.

A good friend of mine gave me a Slinky yesterday, that inexplicable toy of joy from my childhood that doesn't require an owner's manual or parental help to use...I can just pick it up and get to the joy of what it produces. Part of the dynamics "behind the fun," obviously, is the tension that creates the motion of the Slinky in use...a part of me has to be aware of it in my hands and what I am doing with my hands in order to create the joy. So, what does a Slinky have to do with pruning? Well, to me, it seems as if I would have to know what I plan to do with the pruning shears in my hand before I begin to cut away at the vine and branches before me...otherwise, I may not get the results (fruitful growth) that I desire for the plants before me.

So, too, it must be with God and me right now. He knows exactly what He wants to prune in me. Me? I'm not too sure what's going on - a part of me is afraid of someone coming at me with God-sized pruning shears and aiming for places in me and my life I don't want to have cut away. Some of these branches are just gnarly, overgrown, hazardous to the health of the vine, etc. Plants obviously need (desire) light, air, soil, water, along with good nutrients and care to grow and prosper. If I am spending too much time in the dark, away from fresh air, have stopped tilling the soil of my heart, am parched and hungry for the goodness of God, His Word, and the amazing talents of His transformation in my life, well...it's no wonder that the branches - to some extent - have stopped becoming fruitful.

His shears are handled deftly, accurately, with grace, mercy and love...they are pruning away such dead branches as my love affairs with pot and pornography. He is cutting away at such toxic branches in me of laziness to work, arrogance, and deceit. Right now, it feels as if God is clipping away at some thick, twisted branches of loneliness and loss of desire that have wrapped themselves dangerously around the root of my heart that, unless taken away, have the potential to do some great damage. I believe God knows that His pruning hurts me. I also believe that He loves me enough to hurt me a little to help me a lot.

Part of why the pruning season hurts so much right now is that I don't want to see some of these branches go. Just as I could help the overall life, growth and productivity of any plant by doing the positive things to it, I can also help create the unfruitful branches, too, by feeding them what they need to grow. This doesn't help the plant (me)...and any good gardener (a Master one, of course) would immediately feel led to prune whatever must be cut in order to save the plant. No gardener wants to see any plant die, just as I believe that God does not want to see any one of His creation miss the opportunity to return to Him and His love. Sadly, some plants die because they were not pruned. Even more sad is the reality that some of us in this world may suffer because of the inability to allow God in.

As the pruning season continues, I experience both the pain of the cuts and the healing that comes from them. I experience in all of this the tension of watching/feeling those unhealthy parts of me being taken out of me by God for a greater purpose (growth...being fruitful) and somehow knowing that something amazing will be happening as new branches are given space to grow.

Sort of like putting the Slinky at the top of the staircase and watching it walk itself down one step at a time...the man in me stands next to the boy in me and marvels in wonder, 'How does it do that?'

Men's Work: Do I Have What It Takes?

One question that I believe every man asks himself is, "Do I have what it takes?

If you are interested in men's work and what that answer looks like to you, please visit us at the ManKind Project of KY™ (http://www.kentucky.mkp.org/) or call 502.939.4333 for more information on local men's circles, men's initatory weekends, and more exciting connection for men seeking impact and breakthrough in their masculine journey.

Friend us (ManKind Project - Kentucky)or Fan us (New Warrior Training Adventure Weekend) on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter (@MKPKentucky).

Who's Your Poser? (A Self-Test for Men)

In his book Wild at Heart (2001, Thomas Nelson), author John Eldredge gives us a glimpse at Adam, the first man.

Adam is hiding. 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.' (Gen. 3:10) Eldredge says, "You don't need a course in psychology to understand men...We are hiding, every last one of us. Well aware that we, too, are not what we are meant to be, desperately afraid of exposure, terrified of being seen for what we are and are not, we have run off into the bushes...Most of what you encounter when you meet a man is a facade, an elaborate fig leaf, a brilliant disguise." (p. 52)

Here's your mission, a sort of self-test for men (if you choose to accept it)...

This may be one of the most courageous things you can do as a man - and one of the most life-changing: Ask a few people you know very well to give you some feedback about you as a man.

Part of the test you can take before asking the question. Ask yourself this: "What words would I use to describe myself as a man? Are words like strong, passionate or dangerous words you would use?

On your short list of people to ask should be a few men you respect - men who model something that inspires your heart to be a better man. Also, ask the woman in your life (if you have one) what she thinks. Ah, feel your heart beating just a tad faster now, huh?

Bottom line: The Poser in each of us as men, that brilliant disguise, that "fig leaf," is always in the way of the authentic masculinity that God hardwired into each of us. And just because you may not believe in God doesn't mean you don't have a "fig leaf." Conversely, just because you believe in God doesn't mean you can't be in Poser mode.

The job of The Poser is to take away something essential to the nature of being a man.

Ask honestly; listen honestly; score honestly. And I would love to know what words you hear.

I heard: "Careful...diligent...high concern how I'm seen by others (ouch!)...prideful (ouch!)...passionate...self-absorbed at times (ouch!)...extremely intelligent...persuasive...intense...strategic." The man I asked to give me the feedback was a man I trusted to tell me the truth.

And that's the greatest weapon to defeat The Poser in me...tell the truth!

For more information on the ManKind Project of KY, please visit us at http://www.mkpky.org/
For more information on John Eldredge, please visit http://www.ransomedheart.com/
His Grace Amazing™ is a Web log of its creator, Johnny Fontaine, and not affiliated with either the ManKind Project™ or Ransomed Heart™.

Checking In

It's been a while; this I know. Most of the time in recent memory has been starkly resonant with the lack of God's voice. He is silent, quiet, still on His throne. "What is it that you are not saying?" This is the question I have fear to ask.

It seems late in life to be worried about being a better man, but that's exactly what my heart searches for. I want to be a better man. Sometimes I am - sometimes I am not. I know the difference. And sometimes I am afraid to get closer to Christ because He does not waver. How can I look upon anything that courageous for very long without feeling weak of heart?

And if I take a deep breath and a step back, I can see that the path He is leading me down has no map. It is His will to take me into the quiet places where the battles and the adventures come one after the other, where I feel out of breath and sometimes hope. God hasn't left my side for a moment - and that is a great comfort when I choose to go to war for the hearts of others.

I want to be a better man. That's something I can enjoy today as God blesses me with continued life. There are many opportunities for hope that surround me. I am not alone.

Father God...

Thank You for Your love and Your mercy. I need You to help me overcome. You are the strength I need to go on. Help me to become a better man. Amen.

An Adventure to Live - Are You Ready?

You're probably feeling ready to make a change, shake things up, or continue your growth. The demands and pressures that men face today require an extraordinary level of courage, authenticity, and tenacity. You may be feeling like there is something missing in your life that could make the difference between surviving and thriving in a complex world. You might be ready to take a risk and see what life's like on the other side of the door you've come to. If you're ready to make a bold choice, that door can be thrown wide open. The ManKind Project® of KY (MKP KY) presents training for men called the New Warrior Training Adventure™ (NWTA). At the NWTA, you'll be challenged and supported to learn more about yourself in 48 hours than you've probably learned in the last 20 years. The next NWTA is to be held April 16-18, 2010 in Bedford, IN. Registration is now open and spots are limited. To register online go to www.mkpky.org or call 502.939.4333 for more information. Are you ready?

His Grace Amazing™ is a Web log of its creator, Johnny Fontaine, and not affiliated with the ManKind Project.