I had an amazing opportunity this weekend to go and preach in Mobile, Alabama… the South is like a whole other world to me; friendly, down to earth people that get community and family like no other place I visit. The people of Alabama tell me that it sometimes can be shallow or not as sincere as some would like it, but the Church and people I was around get it, let me tell you!

The pastor of the Church I ministered in also owns a ship manufacturing company, he builds barges and other type of boats for companies all over the world. (This is pastor Joey on one of his 180 ft barges he just built) The Church is full of hungry, life-giving people that just want more of Jesus and to see there community, state and the world changed, I was blessed just to be there with these humble people.

The highlight of the trip, besides the people, was the Saturday night Extreme Fights at the local community center! It fit right into my message that a generation that is not initiated by fathers will end up
initiating themselves.

Men, who do not go through initiation, (in other words embrace death of their own self-ego’s, self-image; let a true man of God initiate their hearts) turn to egotism, performance, ambition, fear of failure, and it back fires into anger, depression, scapegoating, and violence. In avoiding death, man ironically avoided life!

Today, young men try to “Self initiate” by pushing themselves to the edges and into risk; the instinct of initiation is still

there… I watched these young men try to break each others arms, choke each other, pound the life right out of some other guy they do not know! The crowd was going nuts and I have to tell you, it was quite mesmerizing.

We have a generation of young men, all over the earth looking for fathers to tell them who they are; lets stand up for them before they tear each other a part! Thanks, pastor Joey for the hospitality and experience, you are a true man of God.