“You are never a great man when you have more mind than heart.” E.P. Beauchene
If you haven’t already noticed the first week of our great Hunt for God has been a “Life Quotes” section, but I think I should let you know that I have not done this because the Bible is lacking in inspiration or instruction for our lives as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Based on this verse nothing could be further from the truth about God’s word. The Bible is so filled with God’s wisdom, light and eternal significance that it would take a team of the most brilliant minds ever mustered an eternity to study it and they would still never unpack all that the Word of God has to offer humanity. I love God’s word with all of my heart and my family will testify that I read and study it almost every day of the week, and that does not include preparing for my job as a pastor.
I have included this section for three major reasons that I would like to explain, all of which have to do with our quote for today. First, everyday that I write in my journal the forethought of my mind is my three sons. Every devotional, almost every day, has the single-minded focus of wanting my sons to hear their father’s heart. This has been going on for most of the nearly 17 years we have had children and my library is filled with devotional books that I have hand written over the last two decades, all of which are dedicated to my sons James, Darby and Colton. I am a man of heart before mind (which has bitten me in the butt at times) and although I love the pursuit of knowledge I realize antithesis to Oprah Winfrey’s, “Knowledge is power” I would say only when it is followed by a heart set aflame with the wisdom to understand how to use said knowledge. I want my boys to see and know the heart of their dad, his struggles, his passions and his wrestling’s with God over my lifetime. In fact the Beauchene quote was taking while wrestling with God through John Eldredge’s book Waking the Dead, which I think every man should read. So if these devos ever seem overly personal or seem to target some unknown man or men it is because they are!
Secondly, this section is included because I know a lot of men who do not know a lot of Scripture (which is not good I know), but almost every man I know remembers some quote from famous person, situation or movie. On average men are not readers. In fact, I recently read a statistic that between 70-80 percent of all book purchases in America are by women! My dad, who is a retired high school teacher, brags to this day that he never read a book after college graduation! The irony of that is so thick it makes me laugh out loud just thinking about it. My dad was a great history and science teacher who was amazing at connecting with his students and as you know those topics do not change much. One time dad was bragging about his amazing anti-book-reading statistic when an appalled English teacher confronted him in the Teacher’s Lounge and my dad shot back in classic Ramos form, “Hey reading is your job, not mine! You read the books!”
End of discussion.
My dad however, is the consummate learner when it comes to sports, hunting, fishing or whatever inspires him in the moment and I am amazed at how cutting edge he is when it comes to the things he is passionate about. I still push back on dad’s view only to say that I believe men should read on a continual basis and seek to learn and grow through the tremendous literary works of men who have gone before us. I believe in Bill Hybels' statement that, “Leaders are learners” and since men are called to lead, men are called to learn. If you have taken the time to read this I know you already agree.
Thirdly, what I know about men is that we need to be pushed, inspired, somehow moved, and often provoked to action. Some of the great moments of my life have come when God has shocked me with a quote found on a locker room wall, coffee cup, movie or even a song. These silver bullets of truth knocked me down with their velocity and changed the course of my heart. I firmly believe through personal experience that God uses people to speak into the hearts and lives of men other than those found exclusively in the Bible. I hope and pray that God will use something I may write to impact your life as well. I believe firmly that the written word has life changing potential.
Like Beauchene I believe that until God can wreck a man’s heart he will remain mostly unchanged. The man with a strong mind and no heart is only an egg shell of how God intended him to be. God wants your heart. All of it and when he gets it he will put you on the fast track to becoming the leader you were created to be.
I end with a quote from John Wesley that illustrates this point wonderfully, "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth."
Amen.
