The Isolation of Men
It’s all around us. Men walking dead, like zombies. If you’re one of them, you don’t know what you want so you do what the men around you do. You are easily swayed by marketers, so you work to buy more stuff, wasting away your life. You overdo what you think is masculine with bravado to make up for the little boy you feel like inside.
A recent study revealed the lowest percentage of US men ever recorded report having fewer than six “friends.” I see you, isolated with a hopeless countenance. You sometimes fake a smile and talk up sports or weather, but behind your smile your eyes betray you. You’re living a pseudo-masculine lifestyle, attempting to dress, drive and look much different than you are inside.
Church is just another place where you try to hide what is going on inside. Your trite churchy answers provide cover for your brokenness. Instead of church being real, it is another place to make sure no one really sees you. You learn to play the church game, sometimes to the point of accolades, but it is all hollow because you know the truth.
Fully Known and Loved
At Crucible, we believe that every soul wants to be fully seen and loved. But fear driven by shame tells you that if others really know you, they will reject you. So you hide. The Crucible retreat experience provides the safety that allows men to be fully seen. You will find the opposite of judgement and rejection. You will find grace and love in a community of authenticity.
Healthy Crucible Community
At the core of what God is doing through Crucible is a community that both holds men accountable and gives grace. Healthy community is not only having a place where you don’t need to pose, but where you are discouraged from hiding. Where the thing we admire the most in each other is vulnerability and authenticity.
Do Something About It
I am fired up about taking what I got from my weekend to the world. I’ve invited men I met in a grocery store or sat beside at the bar. Invited my mechanic and accountant. I’ve invited all my relatives, lifelong friends, acquaintances, church members, neighbors, etc. I invite anyone that I notice is wanting more in life. I don’t invite them to “fill a weekend,” I invite them because I know God is using Crucible to defeat isolation. It is the most effective life transformation I’ve ever experienced, and I want you to experience it, too.
Now is the time for you to stop doing life in isolation. Stop trying to figure out everything on your own. Take a chance to discover that you are not the only person who has gone through what you’ve gone through or is dealing with what you are dealing with. Now is the time to transition from posing and hiding to being fully seen and known. To living with authenticity in a community of authentic men. To experience radical honesty and grace. Now is the time. Learn more about the Crucible Christian Men’s Retreat.
Upcoming Men’s Retreats
- March 22-24, 2024 | Cedar Hill, TX
- April 12-14, 2024 | St. Charles, IL Urban Community
- April 19-21, 2024 | North Zulch, TX
- April 19-21, 2024 | Laurel Springs, NC
- April 26-28, 2024 | Chouteau, OK
- May 3-5, 2024 | St. Charles, IL
- May 3-5, 2024 | Bergton, VA
- May 17-19, 2024 | Madison, CT
- May 17-19, 2024 | Como, CO