The church service today was deemed NextGen Sunday. The pastor gave the pulpit to a young man that is heading to pastoral studies later this year. His message was about King David and his sin with Bethsheba and his lament in Psalm 51 (50 if you are Orthodox). The leading text was Psalm 51 verses 10, 11 and 12. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.’

He spoke of how, beginning with his first view of Bethsheba, the wife of Uriah a general in David’s army. In 2nd Samuel we sin the first sin, ‘And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.   And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?   And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.   And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.’ It led to a second sin in the death of her husband. ‘And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.   And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.   And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.   And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.’

And then he brought David through account through the Prophet Nathaniel, ‘And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;   And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.   Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.   Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.   Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.   For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.   And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.   Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.’ This, according to the speaker’s thought, leads to to the prayer in Psalm 51.

So that brings me to the main part of this article. It is not completely about a man’s fall from grace and redemption because of repentance. Its about men having the ability and need to speak of their own failings and fears.

Last Tuesday,I attended the church’s men’s bible study. There were a few of us at the meeting. We started at like a normal bible study, speaking on scripture and theology. But that soon moved into our testimonies. This was where the meeting went deep. So I have to ask why the American view of manhood is what it is.

Today’s version of being a man is the story of a part of history that no longer exists. At one point in history, the view of a man was the one who go into the wild and thrive and survive. Tame the land. today, we neglect the part where trappers and mountain men had to learn to work with the local tribes of the areas they lived in.

The rugged, no help needed, wealthy man is today’s version of the real man. But that view is outdated. Also in this modern society, a man that shows his weaknesses, admits fault, and believes in diplomacy over extreme violence, is not a man. I, for one, did not used to voice my fears or failures. But as I have grown older, I find it makes a man more to be able to say he fights against natural urges violence, sex, etc. A man determines that he is going to fail and fall. Whether in societal views or faith. To be, and see, men in the group that night, I saw and spoke with a few of the strongest men I have ever known. Imagine how much strength of character that it takes to say that you still fail, that you still fight the old darkened man you were, and that you still need help and support from time to time.

And we see, especially with women on social media, they make fun of men, deride men, mock men, and degrade them constantly. And then as why these (not men) men become known as passport bros. They are looking for a woman in his life that not only wants them for the female but understand that she is supposed to be his peace and support.

So to finalize this article. While society has their skewed version of manhood, true manhood is the ability to admit your falls and failures, and the need for help from time to time. We need no more extreme ‘manly’ violent outbursts and the increasing suicide rates of men. We need more men that understand what a man is.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
 that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
 but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:1-6)