Monday, June 6, 2022
"I'm Fed Up With This Church / Pastor / Congregation!"
Here in Mississippi, there's a Protestant church on almost every corner, and this is especially true in the metro suburbs / small towns.
Why is this the case?
Churches are a dime a dozen here for numerous reasons, but one (typically unspoken) reason that can't be ignored is the infamous church-split.
Churches splitting or splintering can be quite the acrimonious affair. An affair that's often rooted in either theological, pastoral or stylistic dissonance amongst the parishioners.
Many church offshoots (as a result of a split) die within just a few years (if not months), but others find their feet and grow notwithstanding their Zero Hour. Hence, splitting or splintering off happens every so often as parishioners feel so moved to take - what they believe is - necessary risks to get what they want.
All in all, if you're a parishioner who's "Fed Up!" with some aspect of your church home, you're by far not an original trope. And I think it's important to realize this. For there's often a sense of vigilance (versus humility) that's the true source of "fed-upness". As such, the ramifications therein need to be taken holistically into account.
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Going a little deeper relative to this topic, before you decide to walk away from a healthy church body, forgoing your / your family's membership there, consider how your doing so will long-term impact your family.
If you're a father to children between the ages of 8 to 21 (assuming you have parental rights intact), your aforementioned decision MUST TAKE THEIR SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING INTO ACCOUNT if your desire is to see your children / grandchildren grow in stature via Christendom.
That being said, I do realize there are fathers who completely decouple themselves from this "spiritual responsibility" towards their children, but I believe it's important to realize that their approach isn't at all biblical.
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My family's (Bob, Darlene & I) involvement in First Baptist Church Jackson, being pastored then by Dr. Frank Pollard (throughout the '80s), was pivotal. This church taught / nourished both my parents and myself (throughout my "growing up" years), meeting each of us where we were as individuals. No doubt, it was / has been a foundational life-changing experience for each of us.
Bob & Darlene (my parents) were completely spiritually hands-off as parents, and this was because they simply didn't feel comfortable mentoring their only child in that regard. Mostly, that discomfort was rooted in neither of them having the necessary spiritual / biblical foundation to execute, taking into account their youth (both of them were teenagers when I was born).
And this is where our church (First Baptist Church Jackson) mightily stood in the gap, on their behalf.
Whether it was Sunday School, youth ministry, college ministry, worship services, youth choir involvement, youth ministry trips*, youth ensemble involvement / experiences - all of these week after week after week - MADE A DECIDED IMPACT ON ROB.
*I was lassoed in by the gospel during the summer before my 7th grade year in Mount Lebanon, TX.
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Lastly, I know too there are parents out there who encourage their teenagers to be involved within a church's youth ministry (of their choosing) sans their parents. But I would argue that this isn't the same setup as what I experienced.
Most teenagers who attend church regularly are doing so alongside their parents / grandparents / guardians. This is the norm, and teenagers benefit from this normalcy.
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In closing, if you're "Fed Up!", I'd argue that it may be best to swallow hard before you jump ship. The spiritual future of your children / grandchildren / great-grandchildren will no doubt be greatly impacted by your reaction to your feelings about your church.
And let's all remember this truth: Feelings rarely can be trusted (especially when we're in bondage to chronic sin patterns).
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Saturday, June 4, 2022
My Need To Be Seen / Pursued By Men I Respect (& How Porn Defaults To Fulfill That Need)
All of my issues with gay porn - for the most part - have a common denominator of attempting to fill a void of feeling isolated from the universal community of men.
When I was a senior in high school, I purchased my first Playgirl magazine, and this was the first time I saw photos of completely naked men. Though I only held on to the magazine (the year was 1990) for 3-4 days, in looking back, it opened my eyes to how disgusted I was with my own self. And that disgust was rooted in simply not feeling comfortable behaving / being seen as a man (& I'm not referring to conformity). Now, you must know that I certainly didn't feel like a woman (at this time in my life or ever). Instead, I simply felt worthless having no perceived masculine identity whatsoever.
What did this Playgirl magazine actually provide for teenage Rob? Two things.
1)
Being semi-nude (shirtless) is a normal "celebration" of being male. Being fully naked too, isn't frowned upon, though it's relegated to specific settings where men gather (locker rooms, skinny dipping, etc.).
The pictorial of one Playgirl model, in particular, blew my synapses because he was so natural looking, yet it was apparent he'd no shame regarding his physique. The young man was probably 5-8 years older than I at the time. He was below average height, had average size junk and did not in any way look manufactured / manicured. Hence, he had loads of body hair and even minute skin imperfections that hadn't been airbrushed away. And yes, he was in great physical shape, but it reflected his no doubt athletic prowess more than vanity (this guy was not a pro bodybuilder).
All of this added up to this complete masculine comfortableness that I longed too to have. This I could emotionally latch onto via porn.
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2)
On the flip side of that comfortableness, there was the allure of symbolically being known by those you're putting your trust in. As a teenager, no one knew anything about my sexuality except me and God. And though I refused to loathe my sexual attractions towards men (believing they were a result of a number of circumstantial factors), I desperately needed to be known (as every teenager does) by someone I could trust with this (& the rest of myself). But there wasn't anyone - that being a real person - for me to be pursued by in this regard.
Therefore, I fantasized about being known by my middle school youth pastor, classmates at school, etc. Eventually, these fantasies migrated to photos of semi-nude men on greeting cards and in wall calendars, all of which lead up to the Playgirl magazine purchase. Every fantasy had a theme of known Rob being relationally pursued.
Subconsciously, the aforementioned naked model in the Playgirl pictorial, I felt, was being known by me - as the viewer, and he had been known by the photographer & his crew likewise. This blew my mind, but I didn't at all understand what was truly happening inside my brain at that young of an age. Today, thankfully, I'm beginning to.
In the past, I've joked during Samson Society meetings about having a secret desire to be a porn model. Taking the notion of being known to the extreme served as the root of that joke.
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What served as the breaking point for Rob regarding these needs not being met?
2013 (I'd just turned 40) was the year I worked in Cleveland, MS as Delta State University's Campus Architect. About six middle managers, all mostly close to my age, reported to me, and each of them had minions beneath them. This entire grouping was nothing but men, all of which were laborers overseeing everything from campus landscaping to HVAC systems. The perceived authenticity / comradery between these men left me feeling extremely isolated. Naturally, I turned to our pastor at Covenant Pres Cleveland for help, but he freaked out at even the slightest hint of discussing sex / sexuality. Eventually, I once again turned to gay porn / writing on a now defunct blog to cope. Doing this on my work PC is what got me fired.
I came away feeling so rejected and ashamed. But, it was through that pain that God ushered me into Samson Society in August of 2014.
Samson Society serves as a petri dish for being known authentically. The meetings provide a framework, week after week, for sharing / presenting oneself to the group, and from there, there's opportunity to connect one-on-one in order to be known that much more intimately.
Each of the two resolutions I cited above are too resolved (in my mind) within the Samson community. The only difference being (between it and gay porn), is Samson Society takes much more work / commitment / patience.
And since Samson guys are actual - living / breathing - warts & all relationships, they're much richer / diverse / nurturing / sustaining / helpful. But too, that being said, as with any close friendship, none of these relationships are without setbacks, disappointments, and pain.
I love to consume porn, but I love what Samson Society has offered me as an alternative more. Thanks be to God for Samson Society.
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Thursday, June 2, 2022
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