ken castor

Warm-hearted Warriors: Raising Boys to Know God

 

 My sons run. They jump too. And wrestle. They play super-hero games, fighting injustice with mighty powers. They laugh with their bellies, cry with their lungs, and smile with their entire soul. They swoon for girls and stand-up for their Mom. Something as simple as a marker can create artful hunter-styled masterpieces on their faces. Something as valuable as time from their Dad can create heart-full adoration in their souls.

Boys love life with innate zeal. They long for maximum joy. Throwing a rock in the river can be the epitome of adventure. Even reading a book can be a fraternal celebration of happiness and companionship.

But all across North America the delight of boyhood is discouraged in our churches. Countless young men have given up on God at a young age. They have found in our modern religion the killer of their appetite. Emotionless fellowships have frustrated many of our starving warriors. By repelling their hearts, we have lost thousands, if not millions of men. We have isolated their minds from their souls. We have taught them church data but failed to teach them passionate biblical faith. A warrior will not serve someone who does not inspire him. And, unless dramatic action is taken, the transference of faith to successive generations will be halted in defeat.

Our boys need a warrior environment. Our warm-hearted soldiers will grow to serve God if we enable them to continue craving life. One day, armed with authentic love, these warm-hearted warriors could engage this entire world with transformational power. Imagine an army raised up around this planet passionately and unswervingly committed to the cause of peace and life, relief and restoration, joy and confidence.

Here's how it could happen:

• PLAY HARD WITH YOUR SONS: It is vital that we make our families and churches houses of fun. When a boy thinks of their home or their church, let them be excited! Nothing pushes away our youth more than to suck the life out of the adventure of knowing God.

• PRAY STRONG WITH YOUR SONS: Essential to the commitment of every warrior is the inspiration of their commander. A warrior will follow the leader who connects with them in the deepest place of their soul. We must teach our boys a life of action-talk with God. A warrior who knows and trusts God as their leader will follow him to the ends of the earth.

• STAY LONG WITH YOUR SONS: When a parent or mentor abandons a boy, the warrior's heart turns cold. Too many boys are being taught to plunder and pillage because too many of us are injuring their hearts. If we truly want to grow warm-hearted warriors we need more people in our families and churches to give long-term commitment to our sons.  

Let's do this together. Let's raise our boys to actively know a God who cares for them, who leads them with faithfulness and inspiration, who gives them courage and strength to face any foe. Let's raise warm-hearted and warrior-spirited boys by raising them with a playful, prayerful, faithful life.

Nursing infants silence enemies

I was startled recently by an obscure verse in a famous psalm. Usually, verse 1 and verses 3-9 of Psalm 8 get all the attention. They are marvelous verses describing the majesty of the Lord and the humble wonder of humanity. God is rightfully praised and humans are rightfully placed.  "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your Name in all the earth... What are mortals that you should think of us... For you made us only a little lower than Elohim (God)..." Etc. These are orienting verses that help us discover God and ourselves more clearly.

But verse 2 shocked my system a bit.  For some reason through the years I have skimmed over this verse.  This time, however, I became ashamed that I had so passively dismissed these words in the past. It reads like this:

"You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise.  

They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge."

First, I am reminded that God places tremendous attention on young people. In a world that dismisses and neglects children, God intentionally teaches them.  God focuses time and energy to equip them to be proactive proclaimers. Most of us would naturally agree that babies and young children exude a sort of passive praise of God. Their innocence and fragility and sweetness emotes with the wonder of our Creator. But to think that God enables them to personally engage in the act of praise is a remarkable thought. God believes that children, even nursing infants, are able to praise Him. Again, as Scripture reveals repeatedly, we read that we should never hinder a little one from following God.

Secondly, I am startled that nursing infants and children have the power to silence God's enemies. No missles, no hidden nuclear program nor secret drones.  No government authority, no military advantage nor organized movement. These babies still rely upon their mothers for life and nourishment. They are weak and fragile.  Babies cannot yet completely control their fine motor movements. Babies poop in diapers... as long as someone has diapered them. Nursing infants and children are at the mercy of others who care for them. And yet, somehow, according to Psalm 8, they are able to pacify God's enemies.

It's quite a picture: God's enemies silenced by diapered, nursing infants.  Like Daniel in the den of lions, babies shut the mouths of devouring beasts.

How? Simple really. Astonishingly simple. God cares for young people and teaches young people to proclaim praise in the midst of the terrors roaming this earth. And in their fragile innocence and wide-eyed wonder, these children quell the rage of sin and shine hope to the nations.

Thank you, Jesus, for the unbridled wonder of the next generation!

Here's the entirety of Psalm 8 in the New Living Translation (taken from Bible Gateway):

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.^[a]

 ¹ O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.

 ² You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength,^[b]
   silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

 ³ When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
      the moon and the stars you set in place—
 ⁴ what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
      human beings that you should care for them?^[c]
 5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God^[d]
      and crowned them^[e] with glory and honor.
 ⁶ You gave them charge of everything you made,
      putting all things under their authority—
 ⁷ the flocks and the herds
      and all the wild animals,
 ⁸ the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
      and everything that swims the ocean currents.

 ⁹ O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 8:1 Hebrew according to the gittith.
2. Psalm 8:2 Greek version reads to give you praise. Compare Matt 21:16.
3. Psalm 8:4 Hebrew what is man that you should think of him, / the son of man that you should care for him?
4. Psalm 8:5 Or Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels;Hebrew reads Yet you made him [i.e., man] a little lower than Elohim.
5. Psalm 8:5 Hebrew him [i.e., man]; similarly in 8:6.

 

Joy despite Cancer ~ Carolyn's Story

*This is a message given by two long term friends of our family (especially very dear to my wife). David and Carolyn Kranz, along with my wife's family, were part of the early days of Hosanna!, a small church plant in Lakeville/Burnsville, MN right across from the Buck Hill Ski slopes.  Along with Pastor Bill Bohline, who married Kathy and I (with Carolyn's help!), the Kranz's continued to serve and make a difference in the church and in the lives of many people.  Today, Hosanna! is a multi-thousand person congregation with a great track record, doing some tremendous things in the Twin Cities.  For Kathy and I, one of the joys of returning to Minnesota was the privilege of reconnecting with the Kranz's 6 months ago at a morning service at Hosanna!.  That morning, David and Carolyn share this message --- (Carolyn starts speaking about 11 minutes in... after her husband shares thoughts on the journey they've had)---- This is a story of joy and heartache and praise.

It is a very moving story.

After a very long bout with cancer, Carolyn has joyously gone to be with the Lord.  To me, hers is a powerful reminder of how real a life of faith can be.    Please take the time to see and hear this tremendous, all-too-real story.

The Pursuit of Youth Ministry

This graphic is basically the outline for my "Introduction to Youth and Family Ministry" course at Crown College this fall.  It's a work in progress (and the 50+ students who took the course last year have helped me improve it a bit for this year)... and I'm fairly happy with this current diagram.  What do you think? 

Happy Birthday Ben!!

So my pudgy little baby has become a lean muscular boy... and today he turns 9. 

Happy Birthday Ben!  You have overcome many things and are growing more successful all the time.  Your sister adores you.  Your brother loves your friendship.  Your Mom melts with warmth around you.  And your Dad beams with pride.   We love it when you smile+giggle, when you sing out Wilbur Sargunaraj songs, when you gently care or strongly defend others, and we love it when you run as if your pants were on fire!  We love the color of your skin and your rich Xhosa heritage.  We love how you impact our family and we deeply cherish every bit of who you are.

Benjamin, your first name means "Son of my right hand."  That's how I feel about you.  You are an integral part of my life and of how I function every single day.  Your middle name is the Zulu word 'Themba', which carries concepts of "trust, hope and faith".  Our desire for you is that you will always trust, always hope, always persevere in your walk with God and as a beacon for others.  Your last name, Castor, technically today means "beaver" in French--- But seeing as how we have no French influence in our life, we reject that idea and instead welcome the orginal Greek - which refers to the Roman god = implying that perhaps you could have a powerful (and if not careful, destructive) patronage effect on humanity. :)

So Ben, I pray this year will be your richest yet.  And I pray you will continue to be the encourager, the supporter, the champion of others.  You have been blessed with so many mentors, many friends, many talents and many opportunities... so I pray you will utilize them wisely and with great gratitude to God.  I pray that you and I will get loads of time to be, play, wrestle, and grow together.  And I pray that you will always know your identity is truly rooted deeply in the hands of Jesus.  Thanks for being my son and for letting me be your Dad.  I love you!

Pastor Wally ~ Received into the arms of Jesus

Every now and then when a person dies, people just seem to know that Heaven is fuller. 

Pastor Wally Fus is closer to Jesus now.  And that says a lot because they were already pretty close.  I know we're not supposed to "judge" someone's salvation and eternal destiny... but sometimes you just know when someone was good friends with Jesus.

My heart cries out for Shirley today.  Shirley, your husband was a dear man and I know you will miss him.  When you and Wally joined us for our Young Marrieds retreat in Canmore, your example of a godly couple in love was a pivotal moment for many of our younger couples.  I have prayed many times that my relationship with Kathy will be as challenging and fresh and cute through the years as the one you had with Wally. 

Wally and I began working together at Brentview the same week.  What a special privilege that was for Jesus to give me.  I am thankful for the years that Wally and I met with people as they received Jesus into their lives.  I will forever remember the moments of bedside ministry as we sat and prayed and held hands with people in their final hours.  I am thankful for our many moments of prayer and laughter and wrestling as we sought to pursue Jesus in ministry.  I will miss Wally's encouragement... very much miss it.  And strangely, I'm a bit suprised this morning to actually be grieving the quirky way Wally approached our church staff meetings... and that speaks to Wally's impact upon me... because I never thought I would ever miss a staff meeting.  And perhaps most of all, I will miss Wally's overflowing well of passion to see people know Jesus--- There just aren't enough people like that anymore.   Wally genuinely, heartfully, cared for others because he so deeply cared for Jesus.

Into Your hands is Wally's spirit committed, Lord.  And Jesus, many of us look forward to the day when we will be privileged to see Your servant Wally in Your humble glory.  Amen.

Q&A with Joshua...

This wins a prize for most beautiful conversation ever. Joshua has Aspergers... and he asks his mom some very difficult, but very earnest questions. I love the depth of wonder and the depth of love that exists beneath these words. I am reminded to never give up growing and learning and exploring the vastness of our minds and souls... and I am encouraged to invest ever more deeply into the coming generations:

what dad's can't do...