News, Updates and Resources for Current Mountain Men
News & Updates
Facing Our Pain As Men, Oct. 1, 2010 by Pastor Mark
Richard Rohr says, “If we don’t transform our pain, we will transmit it.” I have found this to be very true. And men have pain. We have pain from when we were boys, not sure of what to do in certain situations. This same pain haunts us as men. Most of us know what it feels like to die on the inside. It really does feel like death when you are in a situation and you are “supposed to” know what to do and you don’t. Every man I know hates that.
A lot of that pain, oddly enough, comes from men, men who transmit pain quite well. They are literally carriers of pain. Pain comes out of who they are. They were never able to face up to the source of their pain and be transformed. Another Rohr saying is, “the ego prefers a satisfying untruth to an unsatisfying truth.” We just don’t want to face the truth about who we are (fiercely loved failures), so we live in our pain and transmit it to others; often to those we love the most!
We need a different way of doing life. We need Jesus to show us how to be men. We need him to show us how our pain can be transformed into something actually life-giving. The last words of the Old Testament hint at a healing that will take place between fathers and their children as their hearts are turned towards each other (Malachi 4:6). Dying to ourselves can actually bring life. That dying feeling you remember as a boy, or as a man, can be turned into a sense of relief. We really don’t know what we are supposed to do, and it is OK.
Cultivating this in men, the facing of our pain, is part of what Mountain Men is about. Men who have the courage to do this will reap great rewards. I have seen it in others and in myself. It can be so freeing. This is one of the main motivators for me making Mountain Men a priority in my life. I want to see men healed and set free.
Also, there is a men's retreat coming up in November. See the bottom of this page for more details.
~ Pastor Mark
Books that Pastor Mark Recommends for Men
Adam’s Return, Richard Rohr
Bonhoeffer (biography), Eric Metaxas
The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard (this one can be a difficult read)
For Men Only, Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn
Healing the Masculine Soul, Gordon Dalbey
Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A Resilient Life, Gordon McDonald
Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas
Samson and the Pirate Monks, Nate Larken
Season of Life, Jeffry Marx
Wild at Heart, John Eldridge
Resources
Information Night Packet - A detailed description of the Mountain Men experience.
2010-2011 Mountain Men Schedule - A complete list of dates for the 2010-2011 Mountain Men gatherings.
Online Mountain Men Commitment Form - Use this online form to indicate my commitment to the Mountain Men Discipleship Journey.
Online Prayer for the Journey Form - Use this online form to share with Pastor Mark the names and email or mailing addresses of the two people who have committed to praying for you during this discipleship experience. Pastor Mark will send an email or letter to each of them sharing a little of what Mountain Men is all about and how they can support you through prayer.
Sample Chapter of the Mountain Men Climbing Guide - Take a look at this excerpt from the Mountain Men Guide, Year One. It is a copy of the large group and small group sessions on anger.
Pastor Mark's Article on Pornography
Alaska Men's Retreat: A Man After God's Own Heart, November 12-14, 2010