Recommended Reading: "3 Common, Cringeworthy Introvert Experiences"

 Hey guys. Stephen here. It's been a while since I contributed here. I really have no explanation for why, except that I have been mentally disengaged from a lot of things as of late. You will hopefully be hearing a little more from me on the blog over the next few days or so.

Doing life as an introvert can be extremely challenging at times. Recently, this article popped up and gave me all the feels. I definitely related to #3 on the list. I can be a very good conversationalist when the situation calls; usually, I do better one on one with conversations that take place on a deeper level than most guys are willing to engage in. But random chit-chat / shooting the breeze? Forget about it. Too draining. 

This is a very short read, but really helps to explain the mindset of introverts!

~S

3 Common, Cringeworthy Introvert Experiences

Rob's Intolerance For Political Extremists Within Samson Society

The Seeds of Political Violence Are Being Sown in Church (thedispatch.com)

Here's a little bit about me (as a typical Samson guy):

I don't support (time / money) any other national / international parachurch organizations other than Samson Society and Desiring God.  I most definitely do not support social media corporations (though I do have a placeholder LinkedIn account - to support my family's business).  I do not watch television, and that includes streamed television.  You should know that I absolutely loathe television programming.  In my opinion, it is the bane of western culture.

The reason for this (regarding the last two items) is:  I have - what I believe to be - better uses of my time.  And, I'm (by God's grace) intelligent coupled with emotionally healthy.

Now, there are boatloads of individuals out there who're much more intelligent than I am, but they may just be emotionally (mentally) unhealthy.  And inversely, there're boatloads of emotionally (mentally) healthy individuals out there who're not - overall - very intelligent.

I cannot stress enough how blessed I feel relative to what God's personally gifted me with (which I've cited above).  None of which I take for granted.

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Here's a little bit about typical Samson guys (as it pertains to religion):

Guys who step into Samson meetings - all in all - with a Charismatic / Pentecostal / Assemblies of God Christian mindset aren't your typical attendee.  And that's not to say these guys don't / wouldn't recognize the benefit(s) of relational accountability.  It's just that their heavy emphasis on what I'll call Holy Spirit spiritualism versus Biblical theology tends to alienate them (because of the aforementioned statistical trend).  Too, in general, I have found that the typical Holy Spirit spiritualism guy tends to bank on his religious emotions (as a state of mind) moreso than his more theologically grounded counterpart.  

My grandmother (dad's mom) was Charismatic, therefore I grew up witnessing her mindset / emotional religiosity firsthand.  This, coupled with her emotional / mental unhealth served to alienate her (plus she was just a mean, self-centered virago).  This familial connection declares my bias.  So there.

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Here's a proposed scenario, taking into account a typical Samson meeting (per my experience facilitating & attending):

So what if a low intelligence or emotionally (mentally) unhealthy or Holy Spirit spiritualism zealot (or some combination therein) steps into a Samson Society meeting?  What's to be done?  

They should be welcomed in with open arms.  And yes, their individualistic differentiator(s) will be noted by everyone else.  And yes, it may very well impact the typical pacing / vibe of said meeting.  But, I would argue, instead of resenting the unexpected (via their presence), everyone should push hard through it by cranking up the vulnerability / level of engagement.

Why?

No one's in control of any Samson Society meeting.  It's foundationally a horizontal experience.  As such, the Society doesn't discriminate.

Also, who's to say your emotional / mental health won't deteriorate someday?  Or your intelligence be similarly impacted?  I realize religious framework rarely changes overnight / over time, but it has happened.  In other words, you may not see yourself today as anything other than a __________.  But that too may someday change.

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So, why bring all of this saccharine, open door verbiage (about me, Samson guys & hypothetical Samson meetings) into a post titled with the word "intolerance"?

Honestly, I simply felt the need to unpack those items from a set vantage point before I divulge my take on individuals who Rob chooses to avoid - within the context of a Samson Society community.  Individuals who relay their extremist, politically motivated behavior therein or otherwise.

Now, keep in mind that I said behavior.  Not just opinion / talking points.  B-E-H-A-V-I-O-R.

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If I'm made aware of a Samson guy whose crossed the political extremism line by promoting / participating in violence against our government, in my mind, they've stepped into a role that immediately topples them from our shared communal plane.  

Even if they're lacking in the intelligence / mental health department or are committed to the most high-voltage Charismatic sect out there.  Even if.

Nothing can excuse political extremism coupled with violence.  Why?  It's the work of Satan for such a time as this.  

Samson Society must not usher in terrorists.  Their behavior is a disgrace.

And I realize that the church has and will likely continue to ignore this topic.  Just as it ignores so much that it should not.  

God bless the Samson Society.  

Lagniappe 

Recommended Reading - Begin Your Day With Sex!

Romance After Kids: Ten Ways to Keep the Fire Burning | Desiring God

Recommendation #1, I first heard - many years ago - from Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  Though I've / we've never attempted it (as a set routine), I / we therefore cannot vouch for it personally.  Nevertheless, it sounds like a great idea.  Especially if you can agree together to roll back the alarm clock +/-45 minutes in order to be intimate.

There's no denying that one's mind is clearer first thing than at any point during the day.  And, I would argue, morning climaxes typically aren't premature.  Hence, the ascent towards orgasm tends to be just as pleasurable.  Perhaps this is because you're overall less fatigued / your mind is clear to focus on being sexually intimate.  

Sex / romance after dark (evenings) no doubt does coalescence with tradition.  The winding down of the day, alcohol consumption, and the release of sexual desire - built up over the past +/-12 hours.  

But, a toasty, relaxed spouse's bod (after a comfy night's sleep) might be just the thing needed to kickstart one's day.

There's no excuse relative to not getting laid.  So long as each spouse is willing to think outside of the box on occasion.

Happy Valentine's Day 2022.

Recommended Reading If You're Considering Divorce (Or Have Received / Drawn Up Divorce Papers As Of Late)

How a divorce can make you sick — and even lead to early death (nypost.com)

The Historical Church Scholarship Behind Every Samson Society Small Group - Recommended Reading

 The Daring Idea of Small Groups | Desiring God

Heart Of Man

For the second time (last night), I screened this powerful allegory (w/ my virtual Samson Society group).  

The most convicting / provoking aspects within is the commentary provided.  Commentary given by men and women seizing the opportunity / utilizing their (no doubt earned) authority (based on experience) to speak with such conviction.  If you haven't taken the time to screen this film, do yourself a favor.  It is one of a kind.

We Know That Jesus Ascended Into Heaven +/-30 Days After His Resurrection, & That Now He's Seated At The Right Hand Of God, The Father. Considering That Biblical Truth, Wherein Lies His Humanity Today?

The older I get, the more I appreciate / feel at peace with my God-given 49-year-old physical body, and thereby am less focused on others' (bodies).  It's embarrassing to reminiscence on just how consumed I was - as my younger self - with certain others' bodies (hot, athletically-built guys), but as a highly visual guy, I'm of the opinion that I was not the exception (my sexuality notwithstanding).

Looking at others and seeing physical beauty in a person's body / face, whether it's the entire package or a portion therein, always felt very, very wrong - morally - to be doing.  But I was a naive "kid in a candy store" as a found myself growing from boy to man.  With zero direct fatherly guidance, much less a sounding board to respectfully query during my adolescence, my self-image took a double beating.  The repetitiveness of which only served to promulgate further my obsession with seemingly everyone else's culturally normalized masculinity - to my own's detriment.

Exacerbating all of this internal loathing was '80s / early '90s entertainment (television / film / periodicals).  And, of course, I was not alone.  Most everyone within that time period was tracking similarly as the American public was captivated culturally by the wild, wild West Coast's photographed propaganda.

Taking all of this into account, every bit of this - as described here - was / is directly involving my humanity.  No doubt, this represents a sizable part of Rob.

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At some point during my mid-30s, I happened upon (thanks to the www) one very unexpected Christian celebrity pastor.  On the surface, it was this man's amazing communications skills combined with his decidedly masculine looks / swagger that truly piqued my interest.  Never had I seen nor heard a pastor quite like this Mark Driscoll (who just happened to also be my age).

But now, whilst looking back, what I truly believe I was drawn to was 

1) his brooding outrage / disgust with so much that he'd been subject to within his own Americanized '80s (Pacific Northwest) upbringing (of which I could directly relate to).  

2) the man's potential, which far exceeded his ability to preach.

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Before proceeding, an important special bulletin (for those of you whose own experience with Mars Hills Church - Pastor Mark's former - continues to muddy the emotional waters).  This is such a wonderful response to that situation from October of 2014.  

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Why are these two items important, and how do they pertain to the questions posed within this blog post?  Much less, my relationship with my own humanness.    

Humanity's primary definer is limitations.  We are finite, fleshly beings who live / breathe for a season / during a season here on Earth.  As such, we grow and become during that season.  Hence, so much of our (internally) known / recognized identity comes from that growing / becoming.  

Jesus, according to Scripture, grew as well and eventually became the man who was baptized by his cousin before ministering nonstop ('till his death / resurrection) to the masses.  

Pastor Mark Driscoll preached / preaches incessantly about Jesus, and it was apparent that through that preaching, he resonated deeply with the Jesus presented within the gospels combined with the portion of Jesus he saw (& could relate to) within himself (his own God-imaged humanity).  

As such, the outcome of all of this was extremely compelling to his parishioners.  And I believe that compelling was indirectly (subconsciously) fueled by the two items I cited earlier within this post.  Let's review them again.

1) his brooding outrage / disgust with so much that he'd been subject to within his Americanized '80s (Pacific Northwest) upbringing.  

2) the man's potential which far exceeded his ability to preach.

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I believe - as Mark Driscoll preached - that Jesus was both deeply sympathetic to humanity's plight (physical illnesses / disabilities, disastrous consequences / outcomes and the ensuing heartache) combined with his overwhelming disdain for the Hebrew culture (keyword) that took advantage of people - in order to establish a religiously entitled class structure.   

Yet, Jesus neither had (was forced) to care about any of this, nor was he relegated to serve and ultimately die.  

His humanity demonstrated that, yet he very much desired for this to be part of his narrative.

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One of the dumbest aspects of comic book superheroes is how utterly unbelievable / unrealistic they behave morally.  If there were mutants or meta-humans or aliens who looked like humans on Earth, of which could read minds or fly or were super strong, etc., each and every one of them would take full advantage of their superiority relative to everyone else.  As such, they would rule all of us with an iron fist (fear), exploiting our inferiority to them.  

And this is an especially true reality -taking into account - how corrupt we are as a human-beings.  For they would easily find credence to repeatedly punish us via their adjudicatory whimsy.  

There are a whole lotta Christians out there who've dedicated their lives to the pastorate, the mission field - in spite of - their gifting of leadership, work ethic, creativity, etc.  As such, their "plight" makes no sense if you consider their potential.  

This is one of the most brutally consequential realities of the Christian faith.  And it cannot be brushed aside because it precisely aligns with Jesus himself - as he was presented in the gospels.  

In the end, it's a praiseworthy, mind-blowing element of faith.  Faith that runs counter to / best manages our God-imaged yet very fallen humanity.

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So what is Jesus' humanity demanding of him today?  Does he still require sleep, food, somewhere to relieve himself?  Do his sex organs still function (erections)?  Is he sneezing on occasion?  Is his hair (head / beard) regularly groomed, per his liking?  

If the answer to these questions wasn't of course, then you'd not have men like Mark Driscoll.  Mark Driscoll, who though not perfect (by a long shot), certainly has / does continue to humanly impact the world for Christ in conjunction with the perspective he's gained via Christ's humanity.  

Lagniappe