Participants:
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000276A
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00:01 Where are the men in the church?
00:03 Stay tuned to meet a man 00:05 who is concerned about that challenge 00:07 and has developed ways to address it. 00:09 My name is Yvonne Lewis-Shelton, 00:11 and you are watching Urban Report. 00:38 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:40 My guest today is Dr. William Lee, 00:43 Men's Ministry, Director of the Lake Region Conference 00:46 of Seventh-day Adventists, 00:48 and host of Dare to Dream's for guys only series. 00:51 Welcome! 00:53 It's so good to have you, Dr. Lee. 00:55 Thanks for having me today. 00:56 I've talked to you before via Skype on Urban Report, 01:00 but I haven't had you in studio. 01:02 Right. 01:04 So this is a whole new thing 01:05 and I'm just so glad to have you. 01:07 Yeah, happy to be here. 01:08 Yes, yes. 01:09 So you have noticed a situation 01:13 in our churches that... 01:16 And I don't know if it's particularly 01:18 in the African-American church 01:20 or whether it is just across the board. 01:22 But there just seems to be a lack of men in the church. 01:27 This is such a female dominated environment. 01:31 What do you think is going on there? 01:33 Yeah, so the studies actually say 01:34 that there are about 60% of women 01:36 and about 40% men there in the church. 01:39 And the larger the church becomes, 01:41 the more that deficit begins to grow. 01:43 So that's been a burden of mine for a number of years. 01:46 Now I'm a pastor in little about 16 years 01:49 and I've been seeing over the years... 01:50 You are too young for that. 01:51 I know it. You have that baby face. 01:53 I know it. I know it. 01:54 Well, over the years, I've been seeing this, 01:56 the steady decline every year, so it seems that 01:58 there are less men in the church. 02:01 Began to notice that again, 02:02 my first year of pastoring and I grew up in a church 02:05 where there were a number of men in the church, 02:07 professional, hardworking man, 02:09 a father who was president at home as well. 02:12 And as the years to be a transpired being, 02:14 I say, wow, you know, look at the deacon's ministry, 02:17 the men's ministry, and other ministries. 02:19 I said, wow, there are so many women 02:20 and hardworking women in the church. 02:22 But where are the men? Yeah. 02:24 I almost felt like God 02:25 in the Garden of Eden where he said, 02:26 Adam, where are you? 02:28 Yes! Yes, yes. 02:29 So we began a search 02:31 and began to put some strategies in place 02:32 to try to recruit and retain men in our church now. 02:34 That's incredible because, you know, 02:37 it is interesting that at one point, 02:40 there were a lot more men in the church 02:43 than there are now. 02:44 What kinds of things do you think have contributed 02:47 to the absence of men in church? 02:50 Yeah, so I think there are number of factors, 02:52 some of that are proven statistically are that 02:55 men are becoming more involved in working 02:58 and on the weekends, specifically. 03:00 On Sabbath? 03:01 Some more on Sabbath, and by all means, 03:04 we have men that are just falling away 03:06 almost like the prodigal as well. 03:08 They have gone, you know, gone astray, 03:11 some men that because we live now 03:13 in the information age as well, say, hey, 03:15 I'll catch it via YouTube 03:16 or live stream and another things. 03:19 And so right now our church, 03:21 we're seeing a major decline as it relates to, to men, 03:24 especially African-American men in the church today. 03:27 So again, that's something 03:29 that we need to be able to put some strategy 03:31 behind to bring them back. 03:32 Yes, for sure, for sure. 03:34 So do you think that 03:37 the message has been very feminized? 03:41 You know, because in playing to the audience 03:46 sometimes there's distance placed between the pastor, 03:51 let's say, and the men and the audience 03:53 because they're playing more to the females in the audience. 03:56 Do you think that that we have presented even... 04:01 Presented Christ in more of a feminine... 04:05 I don't mean that he, you know... 04:08 Right. 04:09 The way he's been presented... 04:11 Right. 04:12 Has not really appealed to men. 04:14 Would you think that? 04:16 I think so, I think 04:17 that's a very important part that you're bringing it out 04:18 right there that, especially as a pastor, 04:21 I'm very cognizant of the fact that, you know, 04:23 I'm not preaching just to women but also to men. 04:25 Now someone who is intentional bout trying to reach men 04:28 as I'm crafting messages, as I'm reading the word, 04:31 I'm always thinking about, you know, 04:33 how are men looking at this text. 04:34 Right. 04:35 You know, especially when Jesus says, 04:37 turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. 04:39 You know, that's something 04:40 that men kind of say, oh, hold, wait a minute, 04:42 especially in our modern day world right now. 04:44 So as I'm crafting messages, 04:46 I'm always trying to put in an element of encouragement 04:50 and element of manhood, 04:52 and element showing that Jesus is not just a weakling 04:55 but He's a strong man... 04:56 Yes! 04:58 Who literally, you know, will go inside, 04:59 and not the angry side of Jesus who will turn over tables 05:02 and that will drive out money changers with the whip 05:04 and to show the masculine side of Jesus 05:06 that that He is somebody who is the King of kings 05:09 and the Lord of lords. 05:10 Yes. 05:11 Compassionate, but yet also full of grace and love as well. 05:14 That's so good. 05:15 You know, one of my son said to me when he was... 05:20 Praise God, he is... 05:22 The Lord has turned his life around. 05:23 Yeah. 05:25 But he said before, 05:27 he questioned that whole thing of turn the other cheek 05:31 and, you know, go the extra mile 05:34 and that kind of thing, 05:35 like it just didn't seem strong to him. 05:39 Now he has a whole other view of who Jesus is, 05:42 but before, it was like, he just, it was... 05:46 It just didn't seem like Jesus was strong, 05:49 like He really is. 05:51 Yeah. 05:52 And so what you're saying 05:53 is that when you're crafting your sermons, 05:55 you keep in mind 05:56 that you're crafting it for men and women. 05:59 Absolutely. Not just for the women. 06:01 Yeah, boys and girls. Yes. 06:02 For everybody, 06:03 but specifically again for our men 06:05 so that men can leave a worship service, 06:08 to leave a Sabbath service 06:10 and say, oh, wait a minute, 06:11 now this has encouraged me, this has encouraged me. 06:12 This is something that I can identify with. 06:14 This was a Jesus that I like. 06:15 Yeah. 06:17 Now so to speak than a feminized 06:18 or a watered down kind of thing 06:19 but know something that our men 06:21 can really appreciate 06:22 and know, again, intentionally 06:25 that God, that we were made in the image of God. 06:27 Yes. 06:28 That we are the head and not the tail. 06:30 Yes. 06:31 Now so many times our men in our society 06:32 are beat up, you know, all week long. 06:34 That's another reason 06:36 why they don't come to church as well 06:37 because of the, you know, 06:38 so much being beat up at the job 06:40 and just really tired as well. 06:41 Yeah. 06:42 So when it comes to church, 06:44 you know, we want to be able to instill with Him 06:45 that again that we are made in the image of God, 06:47 that God has gifted man, God has blessed man, 06:48 that God gave, 06:50 you know, dominion and power in the Garden of Eden 06:52 to men and women but man has a definite part to play. 06:54 Yes. 06:55 And I think it's important, 06:57 I mean, even with Dare to Dream, 06:59 we've really focused a lot on encouraging men 07:03 because we want men to know 07:05 that they can be strong and spiritual, 07:08 that it's not antithetical to be, 07:12 you know, strong and spiritual. 07:14 That's right. 07:15 You're not weak if you're spiritual. 07:17 That's right. 07:18 You know, and so we've really, 07:19 that's why we had for guys only too 07:21 because we wanted to make sure 07:22 that the unique problems 07:24 that men are confronted with, 07:25 we wanted them to be able to find some answers for. 07:28 And so it's just so important to me 07:32 that we develop, 07:34 even in craft sermons 07:35 and programming around men and women. 07:38 Right. 07:39 But I think that 07:40 because there's so many women in the church, 07:42 we just tend to lean toward the women 07:44 and not the men. 07:45 That's right. 07:47 So you wrote this book, "Ready, Set, GO!" 07:49 Yeah. 07:50 And tell us what led you to write this book? 07:53 Yeah. 07:54 So part of it was, you know, I said before, 07:56 you know, grew up in the church, 07:58 you know, been in church all my life 07:59 seeing positive role models in the church, 08:01 seeing men that were committed to Christ 08:04 and, you know, doing it in the home as well 08:06 and encouraged me. 08:08 And as I began to grow, again, 08:09 saw the diminish 08:10 or the slow decline of men in the church, 08:12 had a father 08:14 that was literally present in my home, 08:16 you know, all my life. 08:18 Just passed away two years ago. 08:20 And it was devastating for me, literally, 08:21 but he gave me such an example of manhood, 08:24 a spirituality, and how to treat a woman. 08:28 You know, how to handle anger, 08:29 how to be a man of integrity, and sincerity. 08:33 So I mean, all those things were birthed in me. 08:35 So I said, "Well, I got to put this, 08:36 you know, to paper." 08:38 Yes. 08:39 So other men around the country 08:40 and all the world can be able to understand principles 08:42 Bible techniques, 08:43 you know, everything to be able to encourage a man 08:45 to continue to be strong in the Lord, 08:48 in the power of His might, 08:49 to be able to lead his family, 08:50 love his children and all of that so, 08:53 yeah. 08:54 See... 08:55 You just gave me like a ton of things 08:57 that just sink my teeth into. 08:58 You know, one of the things 08:59 is so important is the role of the man in the home 09:04 and if he's not in the home, 09:06 the boy has nobody to emulate but the mom. 09:10 That's right. 09:11 So now you have a situation where the mindset is, 09:16 mom is provider 09:19 because there's no men there 09:21 to show how do you treat your wife. 09:23 That's right. 09:24 How do you discipline your children, 09:26 how do you show them 09:27 God at home? 09:29 You know, there's no man there 09:30 and I know that there are situations 09:33 where, you know, the single parent homes, 09:35 there are a lot of single parent households 09:37 and the mothers are doing the best they can. 09:39 And we appreciate that. Absolutely. Yes. 09:41 But we need for the men to step up to the plate, 09:44 and be responsible fathers to their children, 09:49 and teach them a lot of times they didn't have a role model. 09:54 Yeah. 09:55 We're looking at like layers of dysfunction. 09:59 And, but it can all change. 10:02 And that's what... 10:04 You know, that's what you've written this book 10:05 for some Bible studies 10:07 to help bring people back into focus on manhood 10:12 and what's involved with that, and spiritual manhood. 10:14 That's right. 10:15 And that spills over into the family. 10:19 Absolutely. 10:20 And it really, that's part of my passion as well is that, 10:22 that we have good, healthy, 10:24 godly families in the States today. 10:26 Yes. 10:27 Especially at the end so man can lead their family, 10:29 you know what I'm talking about a lot, 10:31 you know, the father stays in the home, 10:32 but the men that are there, 10:34 you know, if we can really harness 10:36 on being able to love our spouse. 10:38 Yes. 10:39 You know, to model what it means to be a good father. 10:42 And I have two boys myself, 10:44 you know, and these boys are watching me, 10:46 you know, every step of the way with everything that I do. 10:48 Yes. 10:49 So I want to make sure 10:50 that I'm leaving a legacy for my two boys. 10:52 So as they grew up, they will understand, 10:53 you know, what it means to be a man. 10:55 Yes. 10:56 Again what it means to be a husband, 10:57 what it means to be someone that works hard and is diligent 10:59 and has a positive attitude and all of that. 11:01 Yes. 11:03 So, you know, that gets me excited 11:04 to be able to model that to my children, 11:06 model that in the church, model that in the community 11:08 and be able to put pen to paper, 11:10 so that other men can understand as well 11:12 because the Bible says so much about integrity. 11:15 I mean, there's story after story... 11:16 Yes. 11:17 Those of Daniel, Esther, 11:19 I mean all these stories are critical for us 11:21 that, you know, in the days that we're living right now. 11:23 So I wanted to write the book for us as a resource, 11:25 as a tool, especially for men's ministry. 11:28 So one of the things I saw as well 11:29 was that men rarely get together, 11:32 you know, for spiritual conversation. 11:35 I mean, we can get together for basketball, 11:37 for football, for sports, you know, the barber shop, 11:40 we have great conversations about so many different topics. 11:43 But when it comes to spirituality, 11:45 into God, into Jesus, 11:46 we know we really never have that conversation. 11:49 Why do you think that is? 11:51 You know, I think there is something 11:52 is that we're just, we're afraid to open up 11:54 and to share, 11:55 you know, deep down the recesses of our hearts 11:57 some of the things that we struggle with 11:59 and things that we really think about. 12:01 You know, so I think that men struggle 12:03 to have that real transparent conversation. 12:06 Yes. 12:07 But when there is a safe environment 12:10 where there is camaraderie, 12:12 where there is a mutual understanding 12:14 between other men, 12:15 you know, just like in a barber shop, 12:17 I mean, there's no holds barred, 12:19 I mean, 12:21 there is conversation after conversation 12:22 that you can go forth. 12:24 And that's what we want to create. 12:25 So that's one of the ways that we wrote the book 12:26 was to start off with discussion, 12:28 you know, to have a real, 12:29 you know, opening comment and then jump right into it. 12:33 You know, what do you think about anger? 12:35 You know, how are you dealing with that 12:38 where so much is going on in our world today 12:40 for men of color and just men and period. 12:42 Yes. How are you dealing with that? 12:44 How are you dealing with your, with purity? 12:46 Yes. 12:47 And those are the things, 12:49 you know, so many things we wrote about greatness 12:51 and all that as well that men want to be great. 12:53 Yes. And inspire for greatness. 12:55 Yes, how do you deal with the basic things 12:59 that you run into in day-to-day life? 13:01 How do you deal with them as a Christian man, 13:04 not just as a man, but as a Christian man? 13:07 Because, again, 13:09 if you've never had the example you don't know. 13:13 Right. You just don't know. 13:14 So this book is great because it gives strategies 13:20 and it's a Bible study, 13:21 like you have the first chapter. 13:22 Let's kind of go through 13:24 some of the contents here becoming a spiritual brother. 13:27 What is that about? 13:28 Yeah, that God created us in His image, 13:30 to be in His likeness, to be spiritual, 13:33 to be connected to God. 13:35 So from the very beginning, 13:36 I want men to understand that we're here on purpose, 13:39 that there is a purpose for your life 13:41 that God wants to use you for His glory, 13:43 that we were created to worship God 13:45 and to live for God, 13:46 and that God wants to live in us 13:48 that His Spirit wants to dwell in us, 13:50 and that the greatest thing 13:51 we can ever do as men is literally 13:53 to allow the Spirit of God to lead us and to direct us. 13:57 I found out that, Dr. Lewis, 13:58 that God opens doors that no man can shut, 14:01 and He's gonna shut doors that no man can open. 14:02 Yes. 14:04 And men need to understand 14:05 that God has so much purpose for us 14:08 and that God can use us like no other. 14:10 Yes. 14:11 So that's part of becoming a spiritual brother. 14:14 Did you ever have a period in your life 14:17 where you weren't as spiritual as, 14:20 let's say, you are now 14:21 and the Lord had to kind of bring you back? 14:24 Well, so I grew up in the church all my life, 14:26 but I tell people all the time 14:27 that even though I was in the church, 14:29 the church was not always in me. 14:30 I never went astray, 14:31 never did the drinking or smoking, 14:34 you know, living out like the prodigal so to speak. 14:36 But I was in the house, 14:37 but really did not know Christ in the house. 14:39 Yes, lost in the house, right? Absolutely, no doubt about it. 14:41 So I mean, 14:43 going through the emotions, pathfinders, 14:44 you know, avenues, you've all those organizations 14:46 that our church does 14:48 but it really didn't have 14:49 any kind of substance inside of me, 14:51 you know, just going through it every single time. 14:53 So it was living my, you know, in high school being of cars 14:56 where I began to really understand 14:58 who I am as a man 15:00 and who I am as created image of God. 15:03 And I mean, that really just changed my entire mindset. 15:06 Was there a pivotal event that brought you to him 15:10 or was it just you found yourself 15:12 just yielding to Him? 15:16 Yeah, so we had a week of prayer 15:18 at my home church in Benton Harbor, Michigan 15:20 and it was a revival speaker. 15:23 And he literally came and talked about, 15:25 you know, God wants a personal relationship with you. 15:28 And you know, I've been in church, 15:30 I've heard that a little bit, 15:31 but for the first time in my life, 15:33 I mean, literally it just clicked. 15:34 Wow! 15:35 It was like, man, God wants to worship with me? 15:37 Yes, yes. 15:38 With me? Really? 15:39 Somebody from you know where I'm from, 15:41 like whoa from the hood, God wants to, you know, 15:43 and it has really began, a light bulb went off. 15:45 So I tried it, right. 15:46 So I start praying every day. 15:48 So I'm reading the Word of God every day. 15:50 And it was like, man, and the more I began to read, 15:52 the more my mind began to expand, 15:55 the more, you know, I had a desire for God. 15:57 I started praying, you know, for real for real prayers. 15:59 Yes. 16:01 And God began to hear those prayers. 16:02 So it's like, wow, you know, God is no respecter of persons, 16:05 if God can hear somebody 16:07 from the hoods of Benton Harbor, Michigan, 16:09 then surely there is a God. 16:11 I mean, and from there, 16:13 you know, I just had a zeal and the passion 16:15 to serve God and to witness for Him 16:18 and to get the mission out. 16:19 Yes. 16:21 You know, so that's part of... 16:22 That's beautiful becoming a spiritual brother. 16:25 Brothers want to be great. Yeah. 16:27 So if you look at, you know, again men, athletics, 16:31 you know, we will go out 16:33 and we will buy the jewel by a jersey, 16:34 we'll buy a Steph Curry jersey, you know, we will buy, 16:36 you know, LeBron jersey and we'll wear it, why? 16:39 Because literally 16:40 we are identifying with greatness. 16:42 We're identifying with it. 16:43 You know, all these athletes, 16:45 professional athletes and others, 16:46 you know, men see themselves in other men. 16:50 And I'm going back to the fact that when you recognize, 16:53 like Revelation 1:5 that God has washed us. 16:57 Yes. God has cleansed us. 16:58 He has called us kings in His image. 17:02 You know, true greatness, Jesus said is, 17:04 is serving in and being humble as well, 17:06 all of that, men are ordained to be great, 17:11 to be great. 17:12 And, you know, he's ordained, 17:13 you know, loosely but God has called us. 17:15 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 17:16 Sure. To for greatness. 17:17 You know, God has not called as just to be mediocre, 17:19 you know, I believe that God has called every single, 17:21 last one of us for a specific task 17:24 to promote and push the kingdom agenda 17:26 and to be successful in this world 17:28 and to help obviously the world to come. 17:30 So brothers want to be great, you know. 17:32 Yes. That is so true. 17:34 That whole desire to identify 17:37 with what is perceived as greatness. 17:39 Right. 17:40 And God's plan, we talk on this program, 17:42 we always talk about God's plan for everyone's life. 17:45 There is a plan for everyone. 17:47 That's right. 17:48 There's no one is here on this planet 17:50 without a plan for his or her life. 17:53 So what you're saying is God's plan 17:56 is for everybody to have some greatness 17:59 because we are connected to Him. 18:01 That's right. 18:02 And when we're connected to Him, 18:03 and you can't help it, right? 18:05 There it is. You can't help it. 18:06 Okay, what about proud of who I am? 18:08 Yeah. 18:09 So specifically as African-American men, 18:12 we need to understand that we have a rich heritage 18:15 that, you know, we didn't come from monkeys or from apes, 18:18 we don't believe in evolution whatsoever. 18:20 But we look at even in Africa and other places as well, 18:23 that, you know, we were doctors 18:25 and we were physicians, you know, 18:26 pyramids were built by men of color. 18:28 Yes. 18:30 And we're gonna be proud of the fact 18:31 that that we can identify, 18:32 we can see ourselves in the Word of God. 18:34 You know, the Bible talks so much about Egypt 18:36 and Ethiopia and other parts of the world. 18:39 You know, that when we find our true identity. 18:42 My father used to always, you know, lay it on me that, 18:44 you know, in Christ, 18:46 that's where we find our identity. 18:47 But do not forget as well where you've come from 18:49 That's right. 18:50 Don't forget about the struggle 18:51 and our ancestors and the history, 18:53 the rich history that we have as men. 18:56 And I think that's so important too, Dr. Lee, 18:58 because I think sometimes there's a disconnect between, 19:03 you know, knowing about where you come from, 19:06 knowing about where medicine started, 19:09 you know, in Egypt and mathematics 19:11 and all of that, 19:12 knowing that once you know that, 19:15 then you say, wow. 19:16 You know, I didn't know 19:17 that we contributed all of that to the world. 19:20 That's right. Yeah. But we did. 19:23 And so I think it's important to know where you come from, 19:27 to know your history 19:28 so that you can hold your head up 19:30 and not feel like, 19:31 oh, you know, all we've done is sports and music. 19:34 Right. No. 19:35 Right. No, no, no. 19:37 And I think once there's that understanding of your history, 19:41 then you can feel comfortable, 19:44 you know, because you know that you come from people 19:48 who have contributed. 19:49 That's right. 19:50 And plus the inventions and all that, 19:52 all I think it's just really important 19:54 to know your history. 19:56 So this is good because 19:58 what we want to do is to make sure 20:00 that you know 20:01 that there's information in this book 20:04 that can really be of help. 20:06 If you're a female 20:07 and you have husband, brother, uncle, 20:10 men's ministry friend, give them this book. 20:14 Yeah. This book will really help. 20:17 Okay. 20:18 What about the strongholds 20:20 and imprisoned African-American men? 20:22 Yeah. 20:24 So if you look down the line, you may, 20:26 you see so many different generations of strongholds. 20:30 And I think the Bible speaks about this as well that, 20:31 you know, the strongholds 20:33 go from the third and fourth generation, 20:35 but the Bible was clear, number one, 20:36 that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal... 20:39 That's right. Mighty God. 20:40 That they might 20:42 to the pulling down the strongholds. 20:43 Yeah. 20:44 So again, fatherlessness, 20:46 I believe is a stronghold that so many times 20:47 that pattern of not having a father in the home 20:49 and it gets passed on to another son 20:51 and that son does the same exact thing, 20:53 does not handle business inside the whole 20:55 and that's one of the strongholds 20:57 that need to be broken. 20:58 It can be alcoholism, or drug addiction, 21:00 or being promiscuous as well. 21:03 These are all strongholds 21:04 that I think that brothers deal with, 21:06 especially in our urban cities and our urban communities. 21:10 This is, I mean, I walk up 21:11 and down the streets of Chicago, 21:12 you know, where I minister now and look into the eyes of men. 21:16 And there seems to be this sense of hopelessness 21:18 and this sense of bondage 21:20 that our men are struggling with. 21:22 So dealing with strongholds is something that I believe 21:24 that God calls us to as Christian men. 21:27 As you know, Paul talked about, there's a struggle in my flesh. 21:30 Yeah. 21:31 Things that I don't want to do it 21:33 but I find myself doing. 21:34 Yes, yes. 21:35 But again, God has given us power 21:37 to be able to break throws 21:38 in the name of Jesus Christ. 21:40 Yes. 21:41 If God be for us can nobody else be against us. 21:42 That's right. That's right. 21:44 And we do that our strongholds, there are, I mean, 21:45 drug addiction, or alcohol, or in fatherlessness, 21:48 and all of these things are strongholds. 21:51 But Jesus came to set the captives free. 21:54 Absolutely. 21:55 So if we have Him, we can be set free. 21:57 That's right. 21:58 But if we don't, we are in bondage. 22:00 Yeah. 22:01 We are in bondage to these strongholds. 22:03 And I just think, there is so many, 22:05 so many people that are in bondage. 22:08 And the other thing 22:09 that's really I think important to our communities 22:12 is the mass incarceration. 22:15 That's one of the reasons 22:16 why there are so few brothers in the church too. 22:18 That's right 22:19 Because a lot of them 22:21 are in jail for petty offenses that aren't even, 22:25 that would not have been... 22:28 They wouldn't have had those convictions 22:30 under other circumstances. 22:32 So it's, you know, 22:34 we're not saying everybody in jail is innocent, 22:36 that's not my point. 22:38 But the whole idea of this mass incarceration, 22:40 you know, it has taken so many of our young men 22:45 off the streets and given them a record 22:47 and now when they come out, they're just stuck. 22:51 Yep, that's right. 22:52 Because they're locked out. Yep. 22:54 And so... 22:55 And then the pattern continues. That's right. 22:57 And they go back to knowing, you know, 22:58 how did I get that kind of get some more money? 22:59 Right. How can I survive? 23:01 Right? Yes. And it is about survival. 23:03 Because again, men want to work, I believe, 23:05 men want to achieve. 23:07 Yes. 23:08 But when you find yourself trapped in a system... 23:09 That's right. Yes. That's oppressive. 23:11 You know, that's why, that's why the Word of God 23:14 and Jesus is so important for us, 23:16 especially as men of color 23:19 for us to understand that there is a way out. 23:21 Yes. 23:22 That when you connect with God, 23:24 God does bring you higher. Yes. 23:26 Let's talk about these strategies 23:27 to get out from under, 23:29 you know, when you're stuck, 23:31 when you're caught up in the system, 23:33 when you have these strongholds, 23:35 how do you get out 23:36 and how do we get men back into church? 23:40 So I think number one, again, 23:41 is really to connect men to Christ. 23:44 You know, you said it before, 23:45 you know, who the Son sets free is free indeed. 23:47 Now we need to be intentional. 23:48 I think we were intentional with so many other ministries 23:51 when it comes to specifically geared toward men, 23:54 you know, we can't take it by chance. 23:56 So we need to develop programs literally in our churches 23:59 that are geared toward young men, 24:01 middle-aged men and senior men, 24:04 you know, we can have the senior men 24:05 teaching the younger man. 24:07 Yes. 24:08 We can have a younger man, 24:10 you know, doing so much, 24:11 you know, in our churches 24:12 that now we just, kind of, 24:14 you know, push them back and say, 24:15 you know, wait your turn, so to speak. 24:16 Yeah. 24:18 There's so much that can be done right now. 24:20 But number one, connecting men to Christ, 24:22 letting them see again, 24:23 that who they are in Christ, that image, 24:25 you know, pull the whole persona of who God is 24:29 and seeing ourselves in Him as well. 24:31 To speak positively up to our men as well, 24:33 to our boys, 24:35 I think it starts really with our boys, 24:37 growing them up and maturing them 24:39 and even teaching our boys how to dress. 24:41 Yes. 24:42 You know, that's important as well. 24:44 These are strategies, you know, 24:45 I've done things in men's ministry as well 24:47 in our local church where I've taught boys 24:49 how to, you know, how to tie bow ties, 24:51 you know, how to tie a tie, 24:52 you know, how to look professional. 24:54 Yes. 24:55 These are all strategies 24:57 that really are life strategies. 24:58 Yes. 25:00 There is a moment, you know, a man leaves his house, 25:02 he's going to be judged, 25:03 judged in the world, judged at school, 25:06 judged at church, no matter where you go, 25:08 there's people that's gonna be looking at a man. 25:10 Right. 25:11 So we want to be able to connect them to Christ 25:13 to be able to prepare them for this world. 25:16 And, you know, how to live, and how to be respectful, 25:19 how to articulate, you know, how to work hard, 25:21 how to keep a job, 25:23 you know, how to do a resume, 25:24 I mean, the list goes on and on, 25:26 but there is so much that we need to do, 25:28 especially being intentional 25:30 as it relates to ministering to men. 25:33 Even, you know, 25:34 I've decided now I'm bringing... 25:36 Our churches can easily bring in the police into the church. 25:39 You know, part of, you know, 25:41 my father taught me in my first driving lesson, 25:44 you know, he taught me turn left, 25:46 turn right, you know all that. 25:48 But then he got real serious. 25:49 He looked me in the eyes, 25:51 my hands on the steer wheel and he says, 25:52 listen, when you get stopped by the police, 25:55 here's what you do, 25:57 and I didn't think about it then, 25:59 it wasn't years later that I remember 26:00 he said when you get stopped, it wasn't if you get stopped. 26:04 It was when you get stopped, 26:05 keep both hands on a steering wheel, 26:07 be very respectful, yes ma'am, yes sir. 26:10 You know, no sudden movements. Right. 26:12 I mean with all these things... 26:13 He had the talk. He had the talk with me. 26:15 And I appreciate that now, 26:17 especially in the climate that we live in right now. 26:19 And, but these are strategies 26:21 that so many of our young people, 26:24 you know, in the streets of our urban community 26:27 just don't possess, have no idea. 26:30 So the moment somebody, you know, gets loud with them, 26:32 they get loud back. 26:34 Right. 26:35 You know, so much insights from just, 26:37 you know, maybe sometimes a small thing. 26:39 That's right. 26:40 So we need strategies 26:42 to teach our young boys and our men, 26:44 you know, how to be respectful to police, 26:46 how to address authority, 26:48 all those things I think are extremely critical. 26:51 Extremely critical, life saving. 26:53 Yeah. Really life saving. 26:56 So in this last 30 seconds, 26:59 what would you have to share with the men in the church... 27:04 Yeah. Sure. That aren't coming to church? 27:07 I want to share that our doors are wide open 27:09 that God literally is standing at the door, 27:12 and He's knocking, 27:14 that there's still room for you, 27:15 that we need you, we need you back, 27:17 we need our men back in the church, 27:20 knowledge of work, but to model manhood, 27:23 to model what it means to be a Christian man 27:25 in these last days, that loves God, 27:28 will love their family if they has a family, 27:29 if they have chosen that would love their children. 27:31 We want them back because God needs them, 27:34 God wants them, and God loves them. 27:36 Oh, that's beautiful. 27:37 Thank you so much, Pastor Lee. Thank you so much. 27:40 What a blessing. 27:42 What you're doing is really, really necessary. 27:46 I can't believe that we've reached 27:47 the end of another program. 27:49 You know, what Dr. Lee was saying was so important. 27:53 You have to be intentional. 27:55 So go to your church, check out the men's ministries 27:59 and encourage others to be there. 28:01 Thanks for tuning in. 28:02 Join us next time 28:03 'cause it wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2018-12-30