Two years ago last month, my life was completely shattered when my wife of 8 years left me and took my children. Within days, God sent people to my aid from all sides. And within weeks, I attended my first men’s group meeting. It was at this meeting 2 years ago that I was asked to buy a certain book. Those were desperate times, and I did anything I was asked to do at that point, so I bought the book. But as the group had just finished their study revolving around it, I never read a single page. Soon my dresser became a pile of books, and this particular one was lost in the shuffle, even as another friend recommended it this past summer. Well, God has a way of reminding us of what is important. I loaned my iPhone to a special friend this past week. And I may never ask for it back. Because I finally started reading the book this week. And I now know why God presented it to me at that very moment.

“We live in a far more dramatic, far more dangerous story than we ever imagined. The reason we love The Chronicles of Narnia or Star Wars or The Matrix or The Lord of the Rings is that they are telling us something about our lives that we never, ever get on the evening news. Or from most pulpits. This is our most desperate hour. Without the burning in our hearts, we lose the meaning of our days. It all withers down to fast food and bills and voice mail and who really cares anyway? Do you see what has happened? The essence of our faith has been stripped away. The very thing that was to give our lives meaning and protect us - this way of seeing - has been lost. Or stolen from us. Notice that those who have tried to wake us up to this reality were usually killed for it: the prophets, Jesus, Stephen, Paul, most of the disciples, in fact. Has it ever occurred to you that someone was trying to shut them up?”

- John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

I am a servant of the Most High. And I am at war.

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