Recently there’s been a lot of cultural excitement over the prospect of becoming a high-value man. As Christians we need to be examining these things in light of scripture and it’s relevant to both men and women because you either are a man, married to one, raising one, or you’re going to be married to one.

A high-value man has a six-pack, makes a ton of money and can get any girl he wants. He also owns his own business, doesn’t spend time with those “below him”, and is of course more valuable than his wife because “what does she bring to the table?”

It is no coincidence that the top influencers in this space are nietzsche-quoting, god-hating, men. This is because the soul of nietzsche’s teaching is that you would become the top guy, the “ubermench” as he would call it. For nietzsche it’s all about man. You see the problem? The Bible says that wisdom begins with the fear of God, nietzsche says it starts with the love of man. The sons of nietzsche preach self-centered power, the sons of God preach humble submission to another man, Jesus Christ.  

Now the answer is not to Jesus-juke your way into an effeminate, beta Christianity where it’s okay to be bad at your job and unambitious. No, men were made to chase glory (2 Cor 3:18). This innate desire, the desire for glory, is what’s twisted and perverted in our culture today. But glory is not found in having multiple sexual partners. Glory is found in having one smiling wife surrounded by glowing children like Saturn & her moons. Common signs of glory are spit-up on your tie, bags under your eyes & a wife that’s happy to see you. Glory is being so diligent in your work that you stand before CEO’s and stuff money away for your grandchildren.

Above all a man who really desires glory has trusted in Jesus Christ, he has confessed his sins, and humbled himself before God. In Christ is true value which outperforms our culture’s monopoly money value system any day of the week. In Christ is true glory & value.

Jeremiah Jasso – December 31, 2023

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Technology is a tool, and modern communications technology is no different. Cranes and bulldozers are tools for lifting and carry heavy objects and moving earth. Smart phones and messaging and texting and social media platforms are tools that make the heavy lifting and moving of words and communication easier. So all by themselves, tools are gifts from God, and therefore the fundamental question is: what are you using them for? You can use a crane with a wrecking ball or a bulldozer to break things (and if that’s what needed to be done, that’s great). 

Scripture teaches that the tongue is like a sword, like a flamethrower, like the rudder of a great ship, and therefore, communication technologies amplify the power of the tongue, for good or for ill. While social media can spread lies, slander, propaganda, pornography, and destruction, by the same token, it can be used for great good: spreading the truth, knowledge, gratitude, the gospel, and some measure of community. 

So what are you using these tools for? How are you teaching your family to use these tools? A father who buys his ten year old son a wrecking ball for Christmas may be considered the greatest dad ever for about fifteen minutes, until the first house on the street is leveled. But just as firearms and chain saws are dangerous but have good and lawful uses, parents who do not give any teaching or training for the right use of phones and social media are not preparing their children for the real world. 

There is certainly freedom for greater or lesser use of various tools. But do not kid yourself in either direction. Do not pat yourself on the back for rejecting smart phones and social media apps, and do not pat yourself on the back for embracing them. This is really no better than congratulating yourself on whether or not you allow the use of hammers in your house. The question is: how is the tool being used? Are you talking about it? Are you discussing it? Are you checking in and walking together in wisdom? Don’t assume anything. Your goal is to love God and love one another with these tools in true wisdom.

Toby Sumpter – December 31, 2023

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The new year brings with it the desire to lay down fresh resolutions. With this spirit comes a variety of temptations, one of which is that of lamenting what few resources we have. You want to make advancements in knowledge, but you have little education in your background. You look to grow your business, but you do not have the financial resources of that successful entrepreneur across the room. You want to bestow wisdom upon our children, but your forefathers were Barbarians and Scythians, so you have no heritage of generational faithfulness to rely upon.

What are you to do? You must not despise the day of small things. This was the word from the prophet Zechariah in the days of Zerubbabel when Israel rebuilt a broken-down Jerusalem. It is a Word we must take to heart. While a top-tier education, a successful business, and generations of faithful forefathers are all things for which to be grateful, none of them are things to trust in. Moreover, God’s pattern is to bring salvation from unlikely and insignificant places. Salvation arrives in the little town of Bethlehem. Jesus is called a Nazarene. And can anything good come from there? Jesse’s son was so small that he wasn’t even invited to the “pick the next king” committee meeting. 

We must learn not to despise God’s blessings while at the same time not despising small beginnings. The natural man must despise one or the other. But our duty is to trust that the God who has helped us to lay the foundation of the house is the God who will see to it that we finish it, even if Sanballat is carrying on over there about how vain our efforts are. Trust God and keep swinging your hammer. The clinking and clanging will drown out his taunts.

Jared Longshore – December 31, 2023

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Isaiah 44:13-16 says, “He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, ‘Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!’ And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!’”

The prophet Isaiah portrays for us the insanity of idolatry. Man takes a chunk of wood, does nothing to its chemical substrates, but simply changes the shape. The wood now has divots for eyes and grooves for ears. And because it looks different, it is different, at least that’s the lie the carpenter tells himself. He turns to you and says, “Look at this god! Let us bow down and worship it together.” The effectiveness of this ruse depends on either, 1) your propensity towards gullibility, 2) a distrust of your own faculties which leads you to doubt your own intelligence. You think, “Maybe it is a god.” 3) You’re enamored with the carpenter or at least motivated to please the carpenter, causing you to abandon the truth in exchange for attention. You know it’s just a chunk of wood, but you are willing to participate in this idolatrous theater to garner favor. Or 4) and this is the most dismal, you actually believe the carvings and etchings transformed the hunk of wood into a god. 

The carpenter is selling a fantasy. A world where he can fashion gods out of wood and sell them in the marketplace, “A god for sale, come purchase your god. He’ll deliver you from calamity, he’ll grant you prosperity. Come and buy protection and long life. Who wouldn’t want to trade a few drachmas for that?” But if the little statue is not a god, then the situation is as follows: either the carpenter is a charlatan and a scammer who profits off of your naivety, or it’s the blind leading the blind.

If you are of the gullible sort, pray for discernment. If you distrust your own faculties, you may have to work harder than someone who is naturally gifted, but pray for the sort of work ethic that would eventually lead to understanding. If you are enamored with the carpenter, then you already own an idol. Your idol is not sitting on the shelf at the vendor booth, your idol is manning the vendor booth. Do not neglect what you have learned, it is written, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

And if you believe the wooden figurine is actually a god, you have been deceived, dear friend. Heed my voice when I tell you, placing the effigy in the fire will be of more value to you than keeping it out. 

The carpenter makes one to look like a boar, one to look like a bird, another resembles a fish. They come in all sorts of shapes. So the question is: What shape does your idol take?

Daniel Namahoe – December 24, 2023

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The unbelieving world doesn’t know what to do with Christmas. It’s too big to ignore, but the world doesn’t know what it’s for. Sort of like Stonehenge. They stare at Christmas in perplexity. “It must meansomething…” 

And so, they try all sorts of things on for size: Maybe if we involve a magically generous old man in a red suit, that will make sense of things. No? Add reindeer. Still no? Well shoot. Okay, well, let’s try to borrow the trappings of a Christian age and see if that will help. It’s like setting the table with your grandparents’ chinaware and hoping that will make food appear. When all else fails, go for the sentimental; appeal to the feels. Just go for what makes you feel warm and snuggly. Fill the dishes with whipped cream. That’s what Christmas is for. It’s for warm and snuggly feelings. Ahhh. Glad we got that figured out.

Joshua Edgren – December 24, 2023

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