Hi, my name is Chad.
Not the Chad you may know of, heard of, met once, sat behind, beside, in front of or across from in church. Not the Chad you thought was standoffish, maybe arrogant, but certainly not warm or inviting.
I hope after five years of attending HNW there are not many who would say they know that Chad, though I’m certain there are some. This is the Chad who didn’t talk to you out of fear. Fear you didn’t want to know me, that I wasn’t good enough to talk to you, that you might ridicule or laugh at me. Stupid right? Fear is seldom logical unless you’re being chased by a spider. I’m serious, give me sharks, bears, wolves, whatever. Just keep the dang spiders away.
Like a lot of guys, I have a lot of walls. They’re not there to keep anyone out per se, just the people I don’t trust not to hurt me, make me feel small, insignificant or stupid. Sounds funny coming from a “big guy” I’m sure, but so much of my life and so many of my life decisions have been made looking through this lens.
Because of that, I am so thankful – beyond thankful – that God moved in the heart of one man, to inspire a passion that led to the creation of the HNW Ironmen group. I can only speak for myself when I say the 33 Series we’ve been working through has changed the course of my life. Learning about the picture of authentic manhood provided by Christ, has allowed me to put away the “manhood playbook” I’d built over the years; taking my cues from society and other men who were as jacked up as I was.
I understand why men and the picture of manhood has changed over time. I know now the ways in which God created men to lead and to serve. I understand the plethora of wounds that a man can suffer, especially in his youth, and the idols they create in our hearts and minds. Most profoundly, I’ve learned to identify these things in myself and let God in to start the healing to put me on the path to serving Him in the way I’ve been created to.
Are all my fears gone? Heck no. It took a lot of years to put all those fears in place and I’m sure it’s going to take a few to reprogram them out; but I have a plan and a vision and it’s rooted in the Word, in my Savior and with my brothers who love and support me.
So thank you to you Bill Darnall and all the men at HNW who make up Ironmen. On behalf of my wife, whose husband now knows what it looks like to both lead and serve. On behalf of my kids, whose daddy now has a chance at not passing on his ingrained hurts. And from me, who never imagined I’d be able to speak openly about these things, especially to other men.
To every man who didn’t know about or has yet to attend an Ironmen group, do it. Even if you think you have a perfect life (which doesn’t exist, by the way), I promise you will learn things about yourself and the Lord you didn’t know before. If nothing else you’ll see every other guy out there is as jacked up as you are. We’re all in this together.
Ironmen Groups
Men, it’s time to join a group! All groups meet online via Zoom with studies available throughout the week. Fight by Craig Groeschel, 33 Series Authentic Manhood, Life-Changing Prayer and more begin soon. Select one or more studies and join in!
Not the Chad you may know of, heard of, met once, sat behind, beside, in front of or across from in church. Not the Chad you thought was standoffish, maybe arrogant, but certainly not warm or inviting.
I hope after five years of attending HNW there are not many who would say they know that Chad, though I’m certain there are some. This is the Chad who didn’t talk to you out of fear. Fear you didn’t want to know me, that I wasn’t good enough to talk to you, that you might ridicule or laugh at me. Stupid right? Fear is seldom logical unless you’re being chased by a spider. I’m serious, give me sharks, bears, wolves, whatever. Just keep the dang spiders away.
Like a lot of guys, I have a lot of walls. They’re not there to keep anyone out per se, just the people I don’t trust not to hurt me, make me feel small, insignificant or stupid. Sounds funny coming from a “big guy” I’m sure, but so much of my life and so many of my life decisions have been made looking through this lens.
Because of that, I am so thankful – beyond thankful – that God moved in the heart of one man, to inspire a passion that led to the creation of the HNW Ironmen group. I can only speak for myself when I say the 33 Series we’ve been working through has changed the course of my life. Learning about the picture of authentic manhood provided by Christ, has allowed me to put away the “manhood playbook” I’d built over the years; taking my cues from society and other men who were as jacked up as I was.
I understand why men and the picture of manhood has changed over time. I know now the ways in which God created men to lead and to serve. I understand the plethora of wounds that a man can suffer, especially in his youth, and the idols they create in our hearts and minds. Most profoundly, I’ve learned to identify these things in myself and let God in to start the healing to put me on the path to serving Him in the way I’ve been created to.
Are all my fears gone? Heck no. It took a lot of years to put all those fears in place and I’m sure it’s going to take a few to reprogram them out; but I have a plan and a vision and it’s rooted in the Word, in my Savior and with my brothers who love and support me.
So thank you to you Bill Darnall and all the men at HNW who make up Ironmen. On behalf of my wife, whose husband now knows what it looks like to both lead and serve. On behalf of my kids, whose daddy now has a chance at not passing on his ingrained hurts. And from me, who never imagined I’d be able to speak openly about these things, especially to other men.
To every man who didn’t know about or has yet to attend an Ironmen group, do it. Even if you think you have a perfect life (which doesn’t exist, by the way), I promise you will learn things about yourself and the Lord you didn’t know before. If nothing else you’ll see every other guy out there is as jacked up as you are. We’re all in this together.
Ironmen Groups
Men, it’s time to join a group! All groups meet online via Zoom with studies available throughout the week. Fight by Craig Groeschel, 33 Series Authentic Manhood, Life-Changing Prayer and more begin soon. Select one or more studies and join in!
Posted in Adults, Care, Christian Living, Dr. Steve Bezner, Faith, HNW Main Blog, Men, Recovery, Updates, Worship