What is ”The Strange Him!!”? The Strange Him!! is a MAN who has conviction, courage, and strength. A “MAN” in today’s society is totally different than a “man”. A MAN is one who protects, provides, and leads. These MEN are truly strange to most people, and this newsletter is an observance and celebration of that MAN. Thank you for your support, and hopefully, you will like what you read and share this newsletter with another “strange” MAN. Stay strange, my friend!!

The Forge - A forge is where steel is subjected to high temperatures to make it malleable so that it can be transformed by the maker. The following words are meant to provide you with information that may impact your life and potentially bring about a change in it.

This newsletter is going to be a little different than previous newsletters…somewhat. I feel this newsletter will seem more first-person in expression than second or third-person, which the latter is how I “try” to frame this newsletter…. The key word is try. Secondly, this week’s topic started out being about masculinity, but over the past few months, I have felt a cloud forming over me, and it has me in a terrible frame of mind, and I just need to talk about it. I have always been fairly good at juggling multiple tasks and home life and social life and…you know what I mean. I even had a fella who used to work with me once time tell me that the more burdened I became, the better I became at handling it all. Well, that is not how I feel right now. Matter of fact, I feel lost. Lost at work, lost with my family, lost with my friends…I feel like I am missing the mark in every aspect of my life, and I am pretty sure I know why. To clear the air, I am not whining or complaining about my place in life because I have a good life. What I am saying is that I am feeling attacked. This newsletter is not intended to be a religious outlet, but that said, I am a believer of Christ, and there will times in newsletters where I will express my Faith and my beliefs as my Faith leads me to share. Now that you understand my position regarding my Faith and Salvation, let us talk a little about being attacked. Let’s step back over the past year. I guess it was about a year ago when I was watching YouTube videos on financial literacy and finances in general and listened to a gentleman by the name of Myron Golden. He said a few things that caught my attention, but in one video, he talked about what motivated him to start reaching (the dude used to be a trash collector). He said he was reading his Bible, and that day, he was reading about Solomon and his wisdom. The thing you have to understand about King Solomon is that his wisdom came from God. God asked Solomon what he wanted, and Solomon wanted wisdom to rule his kingdom. Because Solomon’s wish was for his people and not himself, God granted him that. I didn't have to tell you the little story of Solomon, but that one video found me reaching for my Bible to read about Solomon, and then I found myself just generally starting to read my Bible more and more. During this time, I have also found myself drawing closer to God. I’ve been reading my Bible more, being more intentional with my prayer time, having more conversations regarding my faith and God, reading devotions, going to church more, and spending more time listening and watching Christian YouTube videos than the sawmilling videos I enjoy watching. I actually have started watching more YouTube videos of pastor’s sermons than I have of anything, so much so that my wife asked me a week or so ago why I am listening to preaching all of the time. I can see in my own life that my focus is turning more to God than things of this world. I can see the good it is doing in my life. My wife and I seem to have drawn closer, I feel as I am finding my patience again, I have definitely started listening more, the thirst for social media is gone, and the best thing of all, I find myself thinking more about God during the day. Yes, life is good!

BUT…

There is always a but, right? Again, I am not going to complain…but…as the sufferings of the apostle Paul taught us…if you follow Christ, there will always be suffering for you in this world. Suffering can come in a variety of ways. Take, for example, some of the sufferings of Paul:

2 Corinthians 11: 24-28

²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

And this litany of events was only halfway through his ministry. I would imagine the suffrage in his life was probably 3X what this list states.

I cannot say I have taken forty lashes minus one or been shipwrecked…nothing to that measure, but for some reason, I just feel a weight yoked upon me right now. I can’t put my finger on exactly what that weight is or why, but it is there. There is a feeling of not knowing what is next. I am having a hard time recognizing what the priorities are in my life that I need to handle…right now. Why am I feeling this way? The only thing I keep coming back to is that my walk with Christ is growing better/stronger each and every day. I feel that in my heart, so it has to be the enemy trying to discourage me and engage me. Maybe you are feeling the same way or maybe you have something different in your life. Through the rest of this letter we will try and tackle this together and try to figure out if there are ways Christ has taught us to battle during these times when we seemingly have no control over our lives. Let’s figure out how in the world we deal with our sufferings.

The Maxim - general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct

Paul suffered tremendously, but it was not always the same suffrage. Let’s examine “Our Three Kinds of Suffering” (The Gospel Coalition by Ray Ortlund).

One, deserved suffering. We sin, and we suffer misery for it. Sin always spawns misery. It’s all sin can do. So, deserved suffering is inevitable: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). When our sins catch up with us, and we feel the pain, let’s humble ourselves and accept it and, as fully as we can, make right the wrong we did.

Deserved suffering is hard to bear. But our suffering can be even harder:

Two, innocent suffering. We do not sin, we do nothing wrong, but we still suffer. A natural disaster brings innocent suffering. Racial prejudice brings innocent suffering. Abortion brings innocent suffering. “Manasseh shed very much innocent blood” (2 Kings 21:16). We should respond to the innocent sufferings of a natural disaster with whatever help we can provide. And we must courageously oppose the powerful who torment the innocent as much as we are able.

Innocent suffering is horrible. But our sufferings can be even more intense:

Three, righteous suffering. We not only do not sin, but we do what is right, we stand for Jesus and his gospel, and we suffer for it. Why did Cain murder Abel? “Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s were righteous” (1 John 3:12). Abel’s crime was his integrity, which made Cain look bad, and Cain couldn’t stand it. Abel was persecuted for righteousness’ sake (Matt. 5:10). His death was among “the righteous blood shed on earth” (Matt. 23:35). This world dishes out righteous suffering to us all: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). It happens even in churches.

Not all of us will experience the innocent suffering of, say, racial injustice. None of us should experience it. We should oppose it bravely, no matter what the personal cost. If we chicken out and keep our heads down while innocent people are suffering, we offend our Lord and erode our own credibility. But it is righteous suffering where all of us who love the Lord, every one of us without a single exception, can gather at the feet of Jesus and weep together with the deepest understanding.

Righteous suffering is a powerfully unifying force in the body of Christ.

The Breach- the verb breach means to make a gap in and breakthrough

I wish I could tell you that the Bible digs in deep and gives us a roadmap as to handle each of the above sufferings, but I can’t. The Bible teaches that the only solution to our struggles is salvation, and this does not promise that you will be free of suffering in this world. I heard a minister recently say that the only promise God makes to us is the promise of death. I understand what he is saying, but it would be a far better truth if he said God only promises two things: salvation or death. Salvation through faith or death from denial. None of us like or want suffering, but we should embrace suffering as God uses suffering in order to help us develop our relationship with him.

So if we are to embrace suffering, and yes, that is easier said than done, how do we find comfort in suffering? First we must understand that suffering in our life is part of God’s purpose for our life. Secondly, we must look to and allow other believers to endow God’s comfort to us. Suffering provides us with an opportunity to strengthen our bond with Christ. Suffering also allows God to comfort and teach us through our trials and tribulations and, in turn, gives us the ability to comfort others with their struggles.

God uses our suffering to help us grow as his children. Our suffrage will strengthen our reliance on him and less on ourselves. In our lives, we will all face trials so difficult that we are not sure how we will make it the next day; illness, financial valleys, and tragedies that decimate or consume our frail lives, but the Lord will always be there with us and will never let your trial be for naught. 

Odyssey - a long series of wanderings or adventures, especially when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.

This is going to be a different Odyssey this week. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, there is not a better time than now. If you want to know more about salvation, email me at [email protected]. I would be more than happy to talk to you or find someone you know of Faith, and they will be more than happy to talk to you and help lead you. Jesus died on the cross for all of us, and there is nothing you have done in your life that can separate you so far that the Saviour can’t reach out and bring you in. All you have to do is believe. The following message is the best rebuttal I have ever heard to the “I have done so many bad things, God will never save me” argument.

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, I challenge you to pray. I met with a gentleman last night, and he left me with the following, and I offer it up to you.

Pray -
1. Specifically—Be specific in your prayers (Lord, I pray you grant me the wisdom to teach my children in the ways you would have me raise them so they would then be glorifying to you). Don’t pray in generalities (Lord, help me be a better parent).
2. Boldly -  Be bold and come to God, knowing that God hears all and wants to bless us.  Don't cower because YOU are not sure if he is even hearing your prayer. 
3. Persistantly - Bring it to the feet of God, often. If it means that much to you to bring it to God repeatedly, it will mean that much to God.
4.  Expectantly - Expect God to work.  It might not be what you think you need, or you may never see God’s hand moving, but God will work.

The Quench - a process of rapidly cooling a piece of metal in order to achieve or modify specific properties like hardness, strength, or toughness.

Last week, our challenge was to wake up early. I guess you can say I failed this challenge. I woke up at 4:30 twice this week, and the rest of the week, I woke around 6:30. Just because I(maybe we) didn’t crush this challenge this week… doesn’t mean I(we) won’t keep trying. Success comes in the morning.

Again, here is my cult. This is a great way to find a great group of MEN. I bet there is an F3 group near you.

I am also going to continue plugging GORUCK. This is an activity you can do with a group or by yourself….anywhere you go.

I used a logo from this company previously in the newsletter, so I thought I would give them some props. The original “spreading optimism” business. “Life isn’t Easy. Life isn’t Perfect. Life is Good!”

Thanks again for subscribing, and Stay Strange, My Friend!