The time is 8pm on a Saturday night and I am cleaning orange goop out of my left ear and I don’t mind a bit. In fact the orange is kind of everywhere. It is smeared into my pants and shirts and on my marker and on my helmet, yea it is just about everywhere.
You see I have been out with the men and future men of Berean Baptist Church for a great day of pure fun—fun without any chemical enhancement from alcohol, drugs or sexual perversion. No this was just the simple but exhilarating fun of divvying up into two teams and shooting each other till the last man stands.
Men and boys, expressing their very warrior tendencies in a very appropriate, lawful and safe manner is what today’s church activity was all about. Dads and sons playing together and opposing each other on a field of war where the ammunition explodes into a bright orange liquid upon stinging contact is what today was all about.
Today was about our youngest of men learning that a gun (marker in this case) is a serious thing and weapons have triggers, safety switches and must never be pointed at someone unless you are ready to squeeze the trigger.
It was about older men razzing younger men and a true sense of camaraderie existed among all. It was about welcoming our newest members to the Berean family with a friendly shot to the head.
If you haven’t participated in a great paint ball war you can’t relate to adrenal rush of being attacked from multiple side or assaulting a bunker through a crossfire of balls exploding all around you. Men, this appeals to you—it appeals to you because God made you that way. God made us to be warrior—tender warriors—but still warriors.
God, the Bible, church, Sunday school, Christian education is not for sissies—it is for real men who love Jesus Christ as their Lord and also can enjoy a great game of simulated war.
The prize is a welt, and men and boys proudly display their bruises and welts as badges of courage. We brag about killing the preacher and getting a good headshot on so and so. We call men out and challenge the boys to become men. This is all a good thing and when it is led by the Holy Spirit, it is a godly thing.
The church has a significant role in helping families prepare young men to transition to adult leaders and servants in the local New Testament church.
Today was a great day in the life of the men of Berean—today several new members were integrated into the family. Today some older men enjoyed time with younger men. Today men testified of the goodness of God and bragged about the awesomeness of our God. Today was a good day to eat a fresh grilled steak with a group of men who love Jesus and enjoy a good game of paintball. Today was a good day to be a member of Berean and even a greater day to have the privilege of being the preacher of such a fine group of godly men.
If you haven’t picked up your copy of Tender Warrior at our book table (soon to be bookstore) you need to. Tender Warrior by Stu Weber is a great book and is a must read for every male striving to live for Jesus the ultimate Warrior.
