Manliness: As Taught by Teens

Yes, I will admit to you right now that a bunch of teen boys taught me to be a man. Now when I say taught, I am not meaning that they sat me down in a classroom and lectured me on what it means to be a man, but they showed me in a completely different way. Last night the teens of my youth group blessed me with an opportunity to witness manliness at its finest.

First, lets start with how these men came together to teach me how to be a man.  This past year I challenged my teens to do a special night for the opposite gender. The ladies were going to do a super bowl party for the guys and the guys were going to do a dinner and a movie for the ladies. They sounded like great ideas, but the guys just didn't seem motivated. The ladies on the other hand were incredibly organized and seem to work so hard to make sure the men had a great time. They decorated cupcakes and brought snacks, and each lady gave each guy a present. It was adorable and I loved it and I thought to myself how will the guys every make it up to the girls. The girls went all out for the guys and I could barely motivate the boys to get themselves to plan let alone actually put on the night. This dinner night seem like it was going to be a total bust. Or so I thought.

Yesterday. I witnessed a completely different side of the teens in my youth group, especially the men. The men didn't only spend the entire day decorating the hall, but I had stop them from trying to turn the parish hall into a five star restaurant.  These men didn't hold anything back. They covered the hall with led lights, they cooked a spaghetti dinner, and even made sure that every woman got a flower. Not only did all the women look like princesses, but the guys made sure each of them felt that way. Making sure the women knew they looked beautiful and completely serving them in any way possible.  To witness this was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.



As a man there are certain times that make you feel so manly that you need to go cut down a tree or wrestle a bear (might also be because I live in Alaska). Last night was one of those times. It wasn't because the guys were having a beard growing competition or trying to see who was the strongest. The men were just true servants to the women. They showed not only to the women, but to themselves the beauty in what it means to be a gentlemen. I not only witnessed, but learned what it meant to have a true servants heart. It wasn't from a book or a lesson taught from a teacher, but from the individuals that I am suppose to be teaching.  God's beauty comes from the most surprising places.  Tonight it happen to be a handful a teen guys.

The X-Men Reflection

Ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to have some kind of superpower. I was obsessed with the X-men and thought it was the coolest thing to have a power. I would even sit in my room staring at different objects trying to move them with my mind. I promise one time  I actually moved an empty soda, but I could be wrong and it could have just been the wind. Even today I sit and think how cool would it be if everyone in the world could have superpowers.  The thing is that everyone really does have super powers. 

Have you ever thought what does it mean to have a super power?  It normally consists of someone having a great talent or gift that most normal people don't have.  Everyone around me has talents and gifts, so doesn't that mean everyone has super power. Some people will say that they earned their super power through hard work and dedication. Some people will say that they inherited their super power from their parents because their parents were incredibly smart or athletic. I would say all those are factors in honing your super power, but the only one to give super powers is God. 

Before we go any further, I should clear up any discussion on who is the greatest super hero and that is God.  When you can name a super hero that can create a universe, perform many miracless, and die and resurrect himself to save millions of souls then there will be a discussion, but as of right now God is the greatest super hero.  A lot of times I like to look at God as the more perfect version of Professor X. He is not only the leader of all the X-men, but he also teaches everyone to trust in the powers they were given and use them for good and not evil. The main difference between the world the X-men live in and our world is that God grants every person with a gift.  For instance, the greatest super hero team that I have ever witnessed in my life is my family.  I have one brother who I am pretty sure is the smartest human being to walk the earth and another brother who has devoted his life to helping those that are ill.  I have a little sister who if she got anymore talented she would be the next wonder woman but in real life. Above all else I have a mom who has taught each of us everyday what true sacrifice means.  You can argue with me that all of these gifts aren't super powers, but I wont hesitate to tell you your wrong. 

Today, I spent a lot of time sitting in my office in prayer.  Trying to argue with God that I am a normal man that has very few gifts. God just doesn't allow me to accept that. He constantly reminds me that all I need to do is constantly put Faith in Him, that He will give me the ability to spread the good news. Take a moment today and think: Have I relied on the gifts that God has given me? Am I using these super powers to answer his call? Only through God can we truly use our super powers to their max potential. 

Just to clarify Nightcrawler is the coolest superhero. Mainly because he is super vocal about his faith.