My friend Steve White recently published a book about how God saved his relationship with his son and daughter. He writes about how God used time in the wilderness to show him that all his life he had been a workaholic. His wounds made him aloof to the needs of his wife and children, and ultimately led his family to a complete train wreck. In Steve’s words, the reason why his family went through such brokenness was because he had spent most of his adult life, “Blinded by Good Intentions.” If you are looking for men’s ministry ideas or inspiration to start a men’s ministry, this is a great place to start. Steve gave me permission to share a few excerpts from his book, Blinded by Good Intentions.
Arches National Park is a beautiful place. When I got there on a Wednesday in the first week in November, I had the whole campground to myself. I arrived at just the right time to experience one of the most spectacular sunsets I had seen in forty years of camping…. I was climbing in the middle of an arch as the sun set. The rocks around me looked like they were on fire. Amazed at the beauty I saw happening around me, I sat on a boulder ad wept out loud, I had never done that before, and I was afraid someone would hear me and start laughing.
One reason I took this vacation, planning to be alone for a portion of it, was to spend time pondering, writing, praying, and listening to God about how a church elder meting negatively impacted me and how I might experience a change in my heart. I was accused of not having what it takes to provide good ideas about using the new gathering center we had just built for the community. Their comments were controlling me in a very bad way. I had been working through them for the last six months, but had not gotten free of my negative thoughts about myself from two people’s specific comments.
… I was still the only person in the campground when I started out at about 11:00a.m. I wandered all over the place and found some arches and great rock formations with beautiful views. Miles away across a large valley, I saw a ridge line of very bizarre rocks. I decided to head that way. The distance didn’t bother me because I planned to be in this wilderness all day. As I was wandering toward the ridge, I was repeating Scripture verses and talking aloud to God about the concept of being free of accusation in my struggles with myself and others. I wanted to hear from God and have him reveal what was keeping me stuck.
…As that thought came to me, I saw someone off in the distance coming down the valley at a perpendicular angle to me. I kept heading toward the ridge. After about ten minutes it seemed obvious he and I would cross paths within yards of each other….
This book is a true story about what went wrong in Steve’s life, and how God restored him his relationship with Jesus Christ. Steve is still a part of a men’s ministry at the Orchard Church in Carbondale, Colorado. They frequently plan adventurous retreats to build community and grow spiritually. If you’d like to check out Steve’s book you can visit his website: www.BlindedByGoodIntentions.com.
RELATED POST (here’s another story about the Men’s Outdoor Ministry at the Orchard Church): Why Men’s Ministry Needs Outdoor Adventure? An Inspiring Story
