Why Men Should Attend A PromiseKeeper's Conference
by Wesley Fryer
I wrote this brief speech for our church congregation
in April 2003.
I was thinking
the other day about why I want to attend the PromiseKeeper’s
conference here in Lubbock in several weeks, May 2nd and 3rd, and thought about
the movies in the
Lord of the Rings series. I don’t know how many of you
have seen either The Fellowship of the Ring or The Two Towers,
but in that story, the author, J.R.R. Tolkien, says a great deal to each of
us about the struggles
and temptations of life, and about the strategies we can use together to be
victorious against evil and the forces of darkness. In the movies, the little
hobbit Frodo
is not sent out alone to carry out his mission—to destroy the “evil
ring of power.” Instead, he goes out in a Fellowship – with a band
of brothers – who are both armed and skilled in defending themselves
against the attacks of the enemy.
One of the great lies widely believed among men in our
culture today is that
we are supposed to face life’s trials and struggles alone. Some people
refer to this as a “John Wayne” mentality, and while I love to
watch The Duke’s movies, his method can be a poor model for my life.
Several years ago at a PromiseKeeper’s conference, I realized that I
was living my life like I believed this- I had made my best friends in high
school and in
college, but when I looked around me- they were not there. We had all moved
away and moved on- I knew other men at work, here at church and in other places—but
I certainly wouldn’t have considered myself in a “fellowship” with
any of them—I didn’t have a “band of brothers.”
In Ephesians
6 the Apostle Paul writes:
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the
day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done
everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around
your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and stand with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit
on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind,
be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Men,
I guarantee you that as I go into the spiritual battles which rage all around
in this world, even here in Lubbock, Texas, I do not want to be armed
with just
a swiss army knife. It’s always fun to see McGuyver and the amazing things
he can do with his swiss army knife—but I promise you I want and need
more—I
want to go into battle with an F-15 strike eagle strapped on, and with all
my brothers flying right with me, in formation off my wingtip.
PromiseKeepers
is not about men getting together to bond because it’s macho
and they want to go home and rule the roost. Promisekeepers is about 10,000
men singing together in once voice, in United Spirit Arena, songs like “Amazing
Grace” and “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” That is a powerful
experience.
PromiseKeepers is about men learning how we can better serve our
wives and our families, as Christ served the church. PromiseKeepers provides
a chance,
which
all men need, to step back from our daily routines and rituals, and examine
the balance or imbalance we are maintaining between time at work and time with
our
families, between time with ourselves and time with God. I believe the key
to having a deepening relationship with God and through his power, experiencing
victory in the battles of our lives, is changing our routines. It is not really
about “just this one weekend” at PromiseKeepers— it is about
the routines we establish in our lives: the time we make for prayer, for studying
God’s Word, and for fellowshipping with and building up our brothers
in Christ.
Come to the table we have set up in the Narthex after the service
or next Sunday before church, and ask any of the men there why they think PromiseKeepers
is
a worthwhile event you should attend—with your own father or son, if
that is possible. My father is traveling from Kansas to spend that weekend
together
with me, and I am really looking forward to the time we will be sharing together.
I challenge each man here today to take a day and a half out of your normal
schedule—a
Friday night and a Saturday—come to United Spirit Arena—and better
yet, bring a friend—and together, we’ll go before the throne of God
in worship and get equipped for the battles we are called to fight. Because war
is not just something that is half a world away on the FoxNews channel— and
it’s not just a work of fiction in a novel or on a movie screen-- it right
here in the midst of us—and no man wants to be in this fight alone. God
does have a plan for each of us in our lives, and I believe a part of that
plan is for the men of God to seek his face, and seek to understand the vision
and
call which he places on our lives individually. I am excited PromiseKeepers
is coming to Lubbock in 4 weeks, and I am even more excited about the things
God
will do through this event in the lives of men throughout Lubbock and the South
Plains. Please join us for this event!
More information about PromiseKeepers is available on www.promisekeepers.org.