Guns in Pittsburgh

The National Rifle Association is in Pittsburgh, and they have a convention with hundreds of yards of guns and ammunition for the public to look at and/or purchase. Their presence in Pittsburgh has been greatly publicized. The Christian stance on the NRA's visit to Pittsburgh has been very divisive. Some Christian leaders, churches, and organizations are organizing to protest the NRA's presence in this city where hundreds of people die every year from gun violence. Other Christian leaders are openly supportive of the NRA's presence in Pittsburgh, rallying their efforts around the second ammendment and the right of Americans to bear arms. So, which view on guns is most representative of what it means to follow Christ?

To be honest, I am still working through where I stand on this issue of guns. It is complex to me. I have Christian friends who I admire and respect that own guns, and who I know will most likely visit this gun show in Pittsburgh to show their support. I also have Christian friends who I admire and respect who will be protesting outside of the gun show in order to keep more guns off the streets of Pittsburgh. Should I join the protest, or should I go purchase a gun (as many well-meaning people have strongly encouraged me to do since I moved my family to Homewood)? I hate the guns in my community. I hear gun shots sometimes, and people die violently in my neighborhood every year because of guns. I want those guns out of my community. I don't want more guns coming into Pittsburgh. On the other hand, the gun violence may just be a symptom of broader, systemic problems in society that lead one human being to point a gun at another human being and pull the trigger. Should Christians spend more time dealing with the causes to the violence instead of trying to treat the symptoms?

This issue hit home with me last night. One of my mentees called me. He had heard an advertisement on the news for the gun show in town, and he wanted to know if I could take him there to see the guns. He is 16 years old. He lives in a neighborhood that experiences a lot of gun violence. His own father, whom he has not had contact with, is spending his whole life in prison for killing someone with a gun. Last summer, my mentee's brother (three years older) was shot and killed. Also last summer, my mentee's uncle was murdered with a gun. Many of the young men in his neighborhood have access to guns. I know he could track down an illegal gun if he really wanted to. If anyone has experienced the tragic effects of guns that make their way into the streets, it's him. And, yet, he is still intrigued by guns and wants to go to the gun show. This goes beyond the ideological debate that Christians have with one another. Suddenly, this is something that I have to think through.

No, I am not taking my mentee to the gun show. Maybe that makes me a good Christian. Some would say it makes me a bad Christian. Next time I hang out with him, though, we are hopefully going to have a long talk about the subject. He is a follower of Christ, and I am a follower of Christ. We may spend some time talking about guns and the fact that many people are permitted to own them, but mostly I hope we'll spend some time talking about the root causes of gun violence in America. I hope to be able to talk with him about how he can avoid the fate of his father, brother, and uncle. We've talked about these things many times, and in a sense we'll just continue the dialogue because we have a close enough relationship to talk about the violence in our city. Our dialogue will go on because we are Christians in a relationship with one another. Will that ever be the stance of Christians on the gun issue? Will we build relationships with each other and have civil discussions, or will we distance ourselves from one another and become further polarized? I'll be watching to see what happens here in Pittsburgh this week.

Locked Out

One of the best things that happened to me yesterday was that I was locked out of my house. That sounds like an unusual thing to say, but I was locked out of my house on a sunny day in Pittsburgh while school was letting out and my neighbors were returning home from work. It gave me the opportunity to hang out in front of my house and talk to my neighbors and friends. The relationships are by far the best part of urban ministry. Sure, there are many sacrifices of living incarnationally in the city. But, the benefits far outweigh any of the downside. And, so, I have started looking forward to the unexpected things that happen to me. It usually means that God had a plan for me that I didn't know about... like getting locked out in my neighborhood with some of Pittsburgh's finest residents.

Holistic Ministry

What does it mean for a church to impact its community? How can a church meet the holistic needs of people? In the book Churches that Make a Difference, the authors suggest that a healthy church is "a church that practices both evangelism and social ministry; balances nurture and outreach; knows and loves its community; clearly communicates its theology and specific vision for holistic mission; integrates the holistic vision into the internal life of the church; builds its ministry on a base of spiritual maturity and healthy, loving relationships; and calls and equips its members into action." That's a big part of what we are trying to do at North Way Christian Community. We seek to be internally healthy and externally focused. It's a difficult endeavor because culture is always changing, and people are always changing. Still, meeting holistic needs is an important part of what it means to follow Christ.

Monks and Easter Commercials

After a long Easter week, I plopped down on the couch this evening and flipped on the TV. 60 Minutes happened to be showing a story about a 1,000+ year old Orthodox Christian monastic movement in Greece. They interviewed monks who eat twice a day, sleep three hours a day, and pray constantly to Christ. I was fascinated by the in-depth reporting... the first reporters to capture this movement in over thirty years. No women had ever visited the monks, and only Orthodox Christian men are permitted to make pilgrimages there. As I was watching, CBS cut to commercials and the first ad was for an erectile dysfunction drug. I couldn't believe it! The cultural contrast was almost too much to take. One second the show is highlighting men who have absolutely no interaction with women, and the next second I'm watching couples give intentional glances to one another during random life events that lead to them somehow watching the sunset together naked in side by side bath tubs. After the ED ad, CBS News cut in for a one minute overview of the day's national news. The lead story was "Easter Profits Up 12%," and the newscaster explained how great this good Easter season was for our recovering economy. I just had to laugh at this point! It was all just too much.

In a way, these cultural contrasts capture why it is so difficult for American Christians to live out an authentic, meaningful Christian faith. We read about the gospel message in our Bibles, and we hear about it at church. But, the second we leave church or end our quiet time in the morning, we enter a world that is dead set on distracting us from the real meaning of what it means to follow Christ whole-heartedly. The life of following Christ seems to come at us with a whisper, but then we live our lives and the world seems to scream at us that there is another way. The contrast in America is remarkable. We have it down to a science. That whole religion thing works out once a week on a Sunday when we might go to church, but the rest of the time it really doesn't impact our lives too much. Our faith doesn't cost us anything. Things just seem to go better in America if you are Christian. Hey, maybe God will bless our business efforts (remember, Easter was profitable this year)... and, maybe we might even overcome our struggles with ED if we follow Jesus. We'll get that bigger house, and that nicer car, and that promotion at work, and all the benefits of American society if we just check the Christian box with our lives.

Obviously, I'm being sarcastic... but I'm also curious. There are many Christians that separate their faith from their "real lives." There are many Christian leaders lined up to sell prosperity or self help doctrine. Christianity is often marketed to the masses. But, following Christ should cost us something. It should cost us everything. When we choose to follow Christ, we die to our selves and we gain Christ. And there is great life and joy in that decision! God does want us to find meaning in life through Him, but it often does cost us a lot. It is the narrow path. And, my point is, the American cultural version of Christianity and actually following Christ don't often sync well. However, our society still tries to figure it out. We like to talk about monks who sacrifice all for the sake of Christ, and then we like to talk about making a profit from Easter and marketing the next ED drugs in our next breath. We like to think we can have the best of both worlds. We can have it all. Life is all about us, and our individual happiness. But, we can't. Those are all lies. And that is why Christianity is shrinking in America at an alarming rate, and it is growing exponentially in other places around the world. We can't have it all, and life is not all about us... no matter how hard we try. In America, we must be careful that we do not get caught up in cultural Christianity. We need to focus on the real thing... and that is Christ.

An Unpredictable Couple of Days

Being a pastor in the city is definitely challenging. The past couple of days are a good example of that for me. On Friday morning, Good Friday, I woke up early to go to a men's breakfast event on the North Side of Pittsburgh. I spoke briefly to the men there, challenging them to get involved in mentoring kids in Homewood and also to go to the March for Peace in Homewood immediately following the breakfast event. Many of the guys participated in the March, and it was so great to see an interracial crowd from all over the Pittsburgh area locking arms as we walked and prayed for the violence in my neighborhood to stop. My daughters even made it onto the local news for participating in the event (although the news didn't capture me having to carry them for the second half of the March up hill in the cold rain). After spending time with my neighbors in Homewood, I drove to North Way Oakland to connect with people at the noon Good Friday service. On the drive to Oakland I called a reporter who interviewed me about the Mathieson Leadership Award that I received the day before. The worship was great in Oakland, and afterward I headed out to pick up several of my mentees for an overnight event. We spent time in the new game room at my house (thanks to a small group from North Way that finished the basement for us), we went out to eat at the Original Hot Dog Shop, we went to the evening Good Friday service at North Way Oakland with Julie and the girls, and then that night we were up until 1am playing games and watching movies. We woke up early this morning to take one of my mentees to a job interview at McDonalds, and after that we spent the rest of the day hanging out at my house doing life together. I made a brunch with pancakes, bacon, and, of course, ice cream. To finish off our time together, we drove around the neighborhood with the windows down listening to music and stopping to visit with people. Tonight I'll be spending time with my family, and then after they go to sleep I'll study for a couple hours working on a DMin project.

I definitely don't have this whole urban ministry thing down to a science, but I don't think it is really supposed to be about balance or rhythm or safety or anything like that. Sure, I slow down to rest when needed and I prioritize time with my family a lot. But, being a pastor in an urban environment means that I am involved in a ministry of relationships and presence. You never know what is going to happen. Urban ministry is not all about a sterile church environment where things are clean and predictable. Urban ministry is messy and unpredictable, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Relationships take time, and transformation takes time. I think it's kind of interesting when Christians tell me sometimes that they like to start things up and then hand them off to other people after a few months. That's definitely not a "style" of ministry that works in cities. Sometimes the biggest thing we can do is stay in one place, investing in that area and those relationships for a long time. And that's exactly what the past couple of days have been like for me. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! Thankfully, God is a God of risk and unpredictability. I'm just along for the journey.

LAMP Recognition

Today was an interesting day. I was invited to the FAME (Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education) luncheon at the Duquesne Club to receive the Andrew W. Mathieson Leadership Award. FAME is an amazing organization in Pittsburgh that does tremendous work in the community, and a friend of mine who serves on their board of directors nominated me for the award without me knowing it. The board members were intriqued by the work that I am a part of here in Homewood, so they decided to recognize the mentoring efforts.

I was very honored by the award, and the event today was first class. They did a great job with the whole luncheon. One thing that comes to mind, though, in receiving an award for my work with LAMP is that LAMP only works if mentors are willing to get involved. Thankfully, God has brought over 200 mentors to Homewood over the past five years. Hundreds of children have been impacted in many ways by volunteers who give their time and energy. Also, LAMP does not work without great partners from the school district and our LAMP partner organization, Family Guidance.

I have been so blessed to be a part of leading LAMP at North Way for the past five years. It has been an adventure... one of the great joys of my life! I would not trade these experiences in Homewood over the past five years for anything! I guess it is nice to receive personal recognition every once in a while, but much of the recognition with LAMP should go to all of the mentors and mentees in the program. And, much of the recognition for my work in Homewood should go to my wife, Julie, and our daughters, Kyra and Sierra. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us over the next five years. A big thanks goes out to the FAME organization for making this a special day.

A Video in Homewood

Today was a long day of recording video footage about LAMP for the five year celebration of North Way's partnership with the schools in Homewood. We recorded at my house and in my neighborhood all day. Pastor Doug Melder shared about the theological foundation for why Christians should be engaged in justice issues and mentoring. Several LAMP mentees shared about their mentoring experiences. I shared about what I have experienced with LAMP over the past five years. And, we hit the streets to capture footage of Homewood. It was a long day, but it was a good day. Homewood has a great story to tell, and LAMP has a great story to tell. The past five years in Homewood have been amazing, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the next five years! Lives will be impacted, both of the mentees and the mentors. I'm sure God will continue to move in profound ways. Relationships will be developed. And, hopefully, God will be glorified by the church fulfilling the mission that God has for us.

The First Bible

I recently had the opportunity to give a young person his first Bible. One of my favorite things to do in life is to give a Bible to a person that I have spent a lot of time investing in relationally. I talk to young people a lot about the meaning of life, why we are here on this planet, the tension between good and evil, the consequences of sin, and many different practical discussions about every day life. So, by the time I give a young person a Bible they are open to having a tool that will help them with their lives. Only, of course, the Bible is much more than just a tool to help us in our lives. I'm handing them the Word of God. It is crucial to everything that we do. It explains God's mission to redeem the world. The kids that I mentor seem to have a hunger for being a part of something bigger that is going on around them. Many of my mentees are exposed to some extreme brokenness from a very young age, so they are forced to wrestle with adult struggles in their lives long before any child should be forced to face those issues. That is all the more reason why it is so important for them to have Christians that spend time with them in their context. They need help to guide them through uncharted waters of life. And, thankfully, God gives us his Word to light the path for all of us. I am looking forward to spending time in the Scriptures with my friend as we share life together over the months and years to come.

A Crisis of Masculinity

Most of the young men that I mentor struggle with the issue of sexuality. There are many opportunities for them to become sexually active at a young age, and they live in a hyper-sexualized culture. My peers, in their twenties and thirties, struggle with the same issue. Many young adult men in America decide not to get married, instead settling for sexual gratification through one night stands, the hook up culture, or choosing to live with a person instead of getting married. Often, men in their forties and fifties endure that stage of life with pornography addictions, or even infidelity happens, for a wide variety of reasons. Some guys think it's no big deal to hang out with their buddies at the strip club. This crisis of sexual struggles with men in America is indicative of a broader crisis of masculinity.

God designed us, as men, to live out of our strength. We are supposed to give our strength away to others. Wives need husbands who love them well by caring for their hearts and following Christ with all of their strength. Children need to have fathers who are deeply committed to them and their mothers. If a man comes into influence at work, his employees need his strength to help them with their jobs and with good wages so that their families can be supported. Our towns and neighborhoods need men to live out of their strength so that the community is held together more closely. This country, and even this world, needs men who are willing to take risks and follow Christ well so that the world will be a better place.

So, the problem with sexual struggles is that men choose not to live out of their strength. Giving into sexual temptation means taking the "easy" way out. We fail to offer ourselves to others, and instead we become takers. We become users. Plus, not only does sexual sin hurt others, it hurts our selves. Every time we give in to lust and temptation, we hurt ourselves. We struggle, our families break down, and society at large starts to fall apart because men are taken out by sexual temptations. There is hope, though. It's never too late for God to restore our relationships and make them whole. It's never too late for God to heal our hearts and help us live out of the freedom that comes with being released from sexual sin and addictions. Young men who have become sexually active outside of marriage can stop that lifestyle at any time and commit themselves to sexual integrity. The man who is living with his girlfriend can choose at any time to live out of his strength and commit to her through marriage. The man who is in the prime of his life can choose not to have a mid-life crisis, and instead give himself away fully in a committed relationship with his wife. This is not just a matter of will power. I'm talking about something that God does for us when we are in a true, authentic relationship with him. God will heal us, and equip us to move forward. The crisis of masculinity in America will not be overcome by will power. It will be overcome because this generation of men allowed God to work through them on a daily basis to live out of the strength that this world truly needs.

Grappling Honestly with Urban Ministry

In the blog post before this one, I pointed out that there are many ups and downs in Homewood. Progress seems to be made, and then destructive forces seem to take over. If I view all of this through my own eyes and try to work toward transformation through my own effort, then everything in the inner city seems too overwhelming. The issues are too complex, and I lose hope under those circumstances. Yet, I still have hope. Why is that?

The answer sounds simple, but God gives me hope. No matter what the circumstances are like in my neighborhood, there is always hope that God will move in amazing ways to bring about transformation of people and places. In To Live in Peace, Mark Gornik writes, "There is always a choice, both spiritual and political, to reverse the continuing ruination, depletion, and exploitation of our cities and those who seek its shelter. Our urban ruins and new urban forms invite us to neither the despair of destruction nor the optimism of progress but to the genuine hope of redemption - hope based on renewing our imaginations with the vision and patterns of life that reflect the new creation of God. Christian hope is grounded in the death and resurrection of Christ, not the faded dreams of an age simultaneously winding down and rewinding. The Christian faith thus seeks to grapple honestly with the presence of suffering and the possibility of new beginnings for all of humanity and creation. For in the Crucified and Risen 'all things' are transfigured, and the city is an object of divine grace no less than any other aspect of the creation. This is the deep structure upon which hope rests."

And so, that is the approach that I hope to have in Homewood: grappling honestly with the presence of suffering and the possibility of new beginnings. I am only in Homewood because God put me here, and I should not get too caught up in results or set backs. My life is simply an act of obedience lived out before a God who wants to work through me to achieve his purposes.

One Night in Homewood

Homewood is an interesting place to live because there are so many positive and negative forces pulling the community in so many different directions all of the time. Last night, for instance, it was warm outside and my children played with some neighborhood kids on our front porch and on the sidewalk and street area. The sight and sound of children playing in the streets is a good thing in any healthy community. My neighbors decided to go for a bike ride in our little corner of Homewood. Several LAMP kids from the neighborhood stopped by for a neighborly visit. We admired to progress of the new homes that are nearly finished right across the street from us. We had some friends from our church over to hang out for a couple hours, and we sat in our back yard and enjoyed the nice, evening breeze while we talked and ate homemade pie. There were no gun shots. There was no fear. It was just a great evening, Homewood-style.

Then, that night, we decided to sleep with the window open in our bedroom because it was so nice outside. I heard some shots. I heard some sirens. I drifted off to sleep. I was awoken in the early hours of the morning to some clanking and voices that sounded like some people trying to break into the houses under construction across the street from us. I rose and peaked out the window, but I didn't see anyone. I did see, however, a common site: drug addicts and dealers driving up to the drug house that is located right next to the local elementary school. I've tried complaining about the house before, but nothing ever seems to change so I decide to just go back to sleep. I think to myself that I haven't seen any police patrolling our area for a long time. It's obvious where the drugs are, and I wonder why the police don't seem to do anything about it. I don't like that it's right outside my door. I try to go back to sleep, and I do for a couple hours, only I'm awoken again close to 4am because the waste management company that empties the dumpsters at the elementary school next to us seems to always come in the middle of the night to pick up the trash. It wakes me up all the time, and it is illegal. I've complained about it, but nobody ever does anything about it. I guess the company figures that nobody cares about what goes on in Homewood in the middle of the night, so who cares if they keep on breaking the law. The driver heads away, and I make note of the company name on the side of the truck. Maybe I'll call again tomorrow. Maybe not. As I'm peaking out the window, the steady flow of drug activity continues at the house up the street. And I wonder... what will this next day bring about in Homewood?

Will good triumph over evil? Will the process of transformation and progress continue, or will the destructive forces in my neighborhood win out? I guess only time will tell. And for the time being, God has called me to live and minister here, regardless of whether the neighborhood is being restored or if it is falling apart around me. I need to give all of it over to God, because it's all too much for my mind to understand. And so that's what I do. In the middle of the night in Homewood, I pray that God will move in this neighborhood according to his will and his timing. And I give all of my anxiety over to God. And I praise God for the ways he blessed me the day before. And I ask God to help me discover once again this next day where he is moving so I can join his work there. And I close my eyes and fall peacefully asleep knowing that God is God and I am not. God has given us the ending to this Story. God wins.

A New Adventure Begins

This weekend the leaders at North Way Christian Community announced that I'll be the campus pastor at the North Way East End campus which is scheduled to launch this fall. I am very excited about this amazing opportunity to be a part of what God is already doing in this part of the city of Pittsburgh. God has shown me some incredible things about urban ministry over the past five years, and I am going to learn much more over the years to come. I will still be living in Homewood (the church location is only about one mile from Homewood), and I will still be involved in LAMP leadership. The church is planning on bringing in some extra help with LAMP so that I can be freed up to focus my attention on the launch of the East End campus as well.

I have two big things that I'm focusing on right now. First, I want to try to make sure that I focus on the fact that God is in control and I am not. The Holy Spirit is already at work in the East End, and I am simply joining in his work there. I am focusing on being obedient to where ever it is that God calls me to go in the East End. Second, I am focusing on finishing strong in the Doctor of Ministry program that I'm in. I am writing my dissertation this year as I finish off a couple of my specialization classes. Research does require a lot of focus for me, and I am hoping that my project will be a gift to the Church. I believe very strongly in faith-based mentoring, and I would like to see high risk urban youth being mentored by Christians all over the Pittsburgh area, in the United States, and even around the world. My goal is for the dissertation to advance that cause.

I'm sure I'll be writing a lot about my transition to being a pastor and launching a church campus over the months and years to come. For now, I am simply humbled and thankful that God would call me to participate in such things. I can't wait to see what God is up to in all of this, because it is my biggest hope that he will be glorified by my small amount of time in this world. All glory and honor belongs to God.

Running Away From or Running To Brokenness?

This evening the principal of the local elementary school came over to our house to have dinner. We have developed a good relationship with her because the LAMP mentoring program has been a big partner at the school for the past five years. We talked about various kids, the need for mentoring in developing assets in high-risk youth, the issues (good and bad) going on in the community, the state of public education in general, the state of the Church in general, and lots of other topics. We had some great discussions, and she is a good leader with a true love for the kids in Homewood. Several kids from the neighborhood, who happen to attend her school, were visiting us and playing games with our girls while she was at our house. When the kids all saw her, they each made sure to tell her, "I love you!" Obviously, the kids at the school like being around her, and she's working hard to improve things at the school.

People often ask me how LAMP churches have been able to partner with public schools. As representatives of the church, we respect the guidelines that the school district has given us in the partnership. But, the success of the partnership has more to do with the willingness and support of the public school district and individual schools than it does anything else. The leadership at the schools in Homewood realize the value of having caring adults spend time with their most vulnerable students. People may not always understand the value of mentoring, but it provides a preventive measure in intervening in the lives of children who could use lots of extra support at a young age. Mentoring is not a quick fix, but there are tremendous academic and general life positive outcomes associated with good mentoring programs over time.

Still, faith-based mentoring does not work without actual faith-based mentors. Many struggling public schools in America are desperately searching for support and resources, but unfortunately many Christians in America are fleeing from impoverished neighborhoods and distancing themselves as much as possible from public education. For me, I'm still trying to figure out how running away from problems and creating Christian bubbles for ourselves and our children has anything to do with following Christ? I believe that the Church operates in its finest form when Christians are engaging and rolling up their sleeves when it comes to tackling complex issues in society. We are at our weakest when we are running away, and Christendom seems to always be weakened when Christians run away from problems. That is one reason why I am so passionate about faith-based mentoring initiatives. I love to see Christians running full speed into the most broken situations, engaging relationally with some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I can't think of anything more Christ-like than that.

Listening and Obeying

People who know me know that I love to take risks. I'm not irresponsible, but I am sold out to the directions that God gives me in my life. And that involves taking risks. An intimate relationship with God is required if we are to live an adventurous journey of life on the edge with God in the lead of everything. To hear God's voice, we must be in a relationship with him. Also, things often do not turn out as we planned even if we do think that we're hearing from God. We are not in control of how things turn out. God is in control, and he always has our best interests at heart.

When God speaks to us, it is very important how we choose to respond. In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby writes, "Some of us assume we have the next few months to think about what God said and to consider whether this is the best timing, to see when we can best fit His instructions into our crowded schedules. But God speaks in His timing. He communicates with His servant when He is ready to move. As God enters into the mainstream of your life, the promptness of your response is crucial. The moment God speaks to you, that is the time to respond. God speaks when He has a purpose in mind for your life. Two things are crucial as you respond: First, you must immediately begin to adjust your life to what He says. Second, you must be prepared to remain obedient as long as it takes for God to fulfill His purposes."

And that's where many American Christians run into problems. We go to church, we read our Bibles, we listen to inspiring stories on Christian radio stations, we go to the Christian book store, we attend small groups and retreats, and we have access to the most in-depth amount of theological material ever assembled by one society. And still, in all those ways that we try to hear from God about our lives, we often fail to obey God when he clearly asks us to do something because our lives are too busy or too comfortable. We perceive that too much risk is required. It's difficult to deviate from the American dream, even though the American dream is all about us trying to control our lives instead of God. And so, many American Christians fail to live out the purposes that God has for them in his mission to redeem the world because they are too deeply immersed in self-help, cultural versions of Christianity. We must break free from that. We must give up control. We must take risks. When God speaks, we must be obedient no matter what it costs us or how long it will take for God to achieve his purposes. We must make changes in our lives in order to be obedient. This is what being a follower of Christ is all about, and it cannot happen apart from an intimate relationship with God.

Hop

I took my daughters to see the movie Hop this weekend. The plot of the movie involved the topic of the failure the launch by twenty-something young men. The heir apparent to the easter bunny didn't want to step into his role as the new easter bunny, so he decided to run away. One of the other main characters was a guy who still lived with his parents, didn't want to get a job, and played the part of the stereotypical slacker who was stuck in a rut of sorts. The two main characters in the movie did not want to grow up and step into the next stage of the masculine journey.

On the surface, the movie was a silly kids movie about the easter bunny. Going deeper, the movie captures the crisis of masculinity in our society very well. Many young men in America are lost and confused about how they might live their lives, so they choose to live in the latest script that the world gives them. These young men live in their parents' basement, and bounce around from job to job and relationship to relationship. It's a selfish existence that does not satisty in the long run, but it's a path that many young go down.

In his book The Way of the Wild Heart, author John Eldredge describes the following stages of the masculine journey: boyhood, cowboy, warrior, lover, king, and sage. He suggests that all men should move through each one of the stages, but we often struggle and become stuck in one particular stage of the journey because the cost seems to be too high if we make the next progression. Eldgredge writes, "There is no more hazardous undertaking, this business of 'becoming a man,' full of dangers, counterfeits, and disasters. It is the Great Trial of every man's life, played out over time, and every man young and old finds himself in this journey. Though there are few who find their way through. Our perilous journey has been made all the more difficult because we live in a time with very little direction. A time with very few fathers to show us the way."

And so in America, many boys are stuck in mens' bodies. They move in with their girlfriends, failing to offer their full strength to the women who love them. They bounce around from one thing to the next, desperately searching for the next big thing that will bring them meaning in life. But they will not find it in anything this world has to offer. God has a plan and purpose for all men, but we cannot go down that path if we fail to take risks and move into the next steps of the masculine journey. That is why our society needs men who have taken the steps in the journey to mentor the next generation of young men, many of whom are struggling because they do not have other men to show them the right path. Mentoring is so important in our modern context. We need more men who are willing to give themselves away to others and step into their roles in our culture.