Chris Frost SPEAKS!

Homeschooled, Poems & Homicide- A Call to Masculinity

Towards the end of my second grade year my mother and father with my complete approval decided that I would be homeschooled. Homeschooling was a blast. My neighbor and best friend in the world homeschooled as well. Our goal each day was to finish our studies and homework as quickly as possible, usually by early afternoon and then head outdoors for an afternoon of running through the woods, spying on neighbors, or dressing up in military clothing (We were unseen by the human eye when in camouflage) like courageous solders preparing for battle.

There was such freedom homeschooling. Some afternoons my mother and I would pack a lunch and go to Happy Rock Park. We would get some exercise by walking the trails. There was nothing like studying vocabulary or finishing a reading assignment outside in the sunshine rather than cramped up in a stuffy old house. One of my favorite memories homeschooling was the time I went with my mom and dad on a family camping trip that lasted 14 days. I enjoyed learning on hiking trips, doing my homework sitting by the edge of a swimming hole, or shore fishing. Some days I lounged all day in my hammock with a book in my hand. Those were awesome childhood experiences that I love replaying in my head.

Which brings me to why I mentioned that I was home-schooled. In the back of my 3rd grade vocabulary book was a poem written by Richard Kipling in 1896. I printed the poem and carried it with me in my wallet for many years. I have even committed this poem to memory. It's truths ring loud in my heart whenever I need them.

“If”

By: Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

Please visit theartofmanliness.com, an article posted on this poem by Richard Kipling asks the question, "What is Manliness?" The article reads, "How do you know when you become a man? Is it when you win your first fight? When you get married? Have kids? “If,” written by manly writer Rudyard Kipling, is an amazingly insightful poem on the attributes of what makes a man a man. Becoming a man isn’t just one event, but rather a series of attributes developed over a lifetime. If only more men desired to obtain these characteristics, the world would be a much better place."

But what do we see today in our nation this very minute? A cheating husband and father of four shot to death by one of his girlfriends who in turn shot herself. These are the stories of men that make the headlines today and consume our airways. Men who are accused of child molestation are made out to be hero's. We sell tickets to their funerals. The sign says, "Sold Out!" And what do we hear on the news today but, "Poor Steve. It was not his fault that he was shot. He was having a tough time transitioning into the next season of life."

We need more men to be men. Husbands to be husbands. Fathers to be fathers.We need more masculinity in our world.

Today, live for The Audience of "1"!     

It is well with my soul

Grumbling people are my biggest turn-off. It set's me off. Grumbling is gross and discusting. Grumbling makes beautiful people ugly. God help you if you ask a grumbler how their day was. They cannot wait to explain to you in detail how horrible it was. Bless your soul if you try and offer a grumbler any advice for the future. They don't want your advice. They want your ears! If they take your advice who would listen to them? Heck, if they applied constructive counsel they might not have anything to grip about therefore leaving a huge void in their life. And that would be sad for the grumbler.

Grumbling in my life has a snowball affect. Once I get started it is hard to stop. It builds strength and momentum. Get out of my way when I get on a roll. I don't mean too. It's just when you begin to complain a little you are opening the flood gates of rationalization to guilt-free complaining. The key for me anyways is not to begin in the first place. 

 I recently came across this poem by Thoro Harris in a book that I am reading:

In country, town, or city, some people can be found,

Who spend their lives in grumbling at everything around;

O Yes, they always grumble, no matter what we say,

For these are chronic grumblers, and they grumble night and day.

They grumble in the city, they grumble on the farm,

They grumble at their husbands, they grumble at their wives;

They grumble at their children, but the grumbler never thrives.

They grumble when it's raining, they grumble when it's dry,

And if the crops are failing, they grumble and they sigh.

They grumble at the prices and grumble when they're high,

They grumble all the year around and they grumble till they die.

O, They grumble on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

They grumble on Thursday too,

Grumble even Friday, Saturday, Sunday,

They grumble the whole week through.

Last week I commented on a lady's purple bracelet she wore on her right arm. She explained to me that she wears it to remind herself not to complain when she is tempted. Very clever. Whatever caused this woman to campaign against complaining was a great thing.

In Oswald Chambers book, My Utmost For His Highest, July 4th reading, he writes, "Fussing always leads to sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way." Grumbling always screams, "What I'm going through is more important than what you are going through." The chronic grumbler lives a selfish lifestyle. It is a very immature person who wastes their time and ours with constant grumbling. Grumbling is the opposite of wisdom and reveals a persons inability to look outside of themselves and be grateful.

A few years ago the wife of prominent pastor left and divorced him. She wrote in a letter explaining the difficulty in their marriage, "he abandoned our marriage. He chose his priorities, and I have not been one of them." Instead of grumbling in the midst of extreme pain and heartache this pastor inspite of the turmoil and grief he felt was able to pen these words, "God builds character on pain, suffering, heartache, misunderstandings, tribulations and trials. To be used by God one must bleed. When you suffer, God does something in your life to make you acceptable in the eyes of people as to what you are saying because they know it's been tried and tested in your life."

It would have been so natural for this hurt pastor to waste the rest of his life away grumbling, gripping and complaining. Instead, his response was unnatural. Supernatural really. Another man who exhibited unnatural strength through tragedy was Horatio Spafford. He was a well known lawyer in Chicago in the late 1800's. He and his family were very wealthy. Horatio and his wife decided to take their family to England so that the children could get the best possible education. A last minute business development caused Mr. Spafford to stay back in Chicago. He sent his wife and children ahead and promised to join them as quickly as possible. During his family's journey the ship wrecked and his four children were killed. One afternoon Horatio received a letter from his wife saying, "Saved Alone." Even in overwhelming grief he knew God was faithful. In grief he penned these words....

When peace like a river,

Attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll, 

Whatever my lot, 

Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Grumbling is a sign of someone without peace. What is it that you find yourself grumbling about these days? Maybe the solution is as simple as wearing something to remind you not to complain. Possibly you should seek counsel from a godly person who understands what your going through. I encourage you today in all things to give thanks. 

Today, Live for The Audience of "1"!

A teachers job

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:

'Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. 

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. 

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. 

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams. 

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. 

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard,a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. 

'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY? 

Today, live for The Audience of "1"!

The Valley of Going Through The Motions

My pastor, Bob and his wife Judy, just celebrated their 30th anniversary of faithfulness to our church and to each other. You can be sure that there were days when either one of them felt like calling in and taking a day off just because. Needed a break. Felt like quiting. Were completely frustrated. Overwhelmed....ect. ect. In other words they had to at times "go through the motions" or give in to the temptation of irresponsibility.The path of faithfulness occasionally leads us through the vally of going through the motions. Finishing our life strong isn't easy but should be our goal. When we keep finishing strong in mind it positively affects the decisions we make today. Our world needs faithful men and women. Faithful to our work, our  ministries, and most of all to God.

Undisciplined excuse makers cannot remain faithful to any specific cause because they rely on their feelings for making decisions instead of relying on unchanging truth. Their need is for hype and hyperbole. Think about this word "faithful". According to Websters definition, "faithful" implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.

Standard qualities of a faithful person are:

• Loyal- firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.
• Constant- continuing firmness of emotional attachment. 
• Staunch- Suggests fortitude and resolution in adherence and imperviousness to influences that would weaken it.
• Steadfast- implies a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction.
• Resolute- has a firm determination to adhere to a cause or purpose. 

How does our life live up to these standards of faithfulness?

Consciencely going through the motions is a disciplined act by mature people. (I said consciencely) Unconsciously going through the motions in a comma state is an undisciplined act by men and women who do not have a history of being the kind of person who lives by these standards of faithfulness. Most of these people look good on the exterior but are empty inside.Faithfulness is a flip-sided coin really. The challenge is to do what's right over what feels good but to not become so mechanical that we lose our passion. It seems to be true to me that if we are loyal, constant, staunch, steadfast, resolute people that it is impossible to live life without passion. A person who lives their life by these standards, like my Pastor for example, really enjoys life.

Faithfulness is not a feeling. It is a choice. Faithfulness is doing what's right over what is convenient. It is a lifestyle. Faithfulness is knowing that any success is not forever, and that all failure is not fatal, but true success is the courage to continue and finish what you started.

Thank you Pastor Bob for being a faithful person! Congratulations for your 30 years of service at Antioch.

Today, be faithful to The Audience of "1"!