Recent Men’s Retreat

I have attended a dozen or so men’s retreats over the last 20 years, but none so powerful as this past month. We had about 60-70 men from our two congregations come together for 2 full days and really connect with one another. Our guest host was Nate Larkin and because of the spirit in which he spoke and the transparency in which he told his life story, it encouraged all of us to put aside our “persona’s” that hide our true self. A few of the key points: We all have a desire to be self sufficient – no real need for God.  If there was any way that I could obtain salvation on my own, I would certainly do it.  And with regards to the personal addictions / idolatry, why can’t God give me a private solution for my private problem?  Wouldn’t that be better?  That is not God’s way.  Pride is difficult to overome. Real brokeness is required to fully understand our own depravity, personal limitations and surrender to the Holy Spirit. Read Romans chapters 1-8. I pray that this will be the beginning of more transparent lives among the men in our church and ultimately in the community we live in. With humble hearts is how we can be effective in sharing the gospel.