The Gift of Identity; click here to listen

Every man, Jesus was one feels more like a losing battle for request no Saturday afternoon and welcome into this version of the masculine journey radio show this week version that is on Dennis Britain sitting in for Sam manges, usually in this chair on Saturday. Sam is traveling this weekend and we don't have him with us. But though Sam is always with us in spirit and shared some things for the show as well.

We have Al Henley we have Benny Menino and we have Robby Gilmore with me today want to start by wishing a very special happy birthday to my mom ridden lives up in Winchester, Virginia, mom.

If you're listening. I love you and hope you have a great day today. Happy birthday day after birthday to my lovely wife Candace. We had a great time so I thought you were to sing happy birthday I'll stop you right there that is reasonable for. We want to do that but also Robby brought birthdays for another reason. My mom's birthday. We also have another big birthday that were going to celebrate this month and that's the birthday of Jesus Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. And that's kind of what led us to thinking about what will you do on the shows this month which shot Sam, came up with.

God led him into this and each started in the devotional on Monday that he sense that sends out and read something real quick little part of it that he said over the next month. Let's take a deep look at the gifts.

The father gives us gives the greatest gift of his son, that we may have life, but what else is he offering us each day that we may or may not realize, and if we realize it. Are we accepting it and living as if it is truth in our lives we can use try to say there.

Robby well, there's this thing and they try to capture hours get a kick out of this. Call the Christmas spirit. We try to capture that all sorts of different ways of the world does because I know there's something real about it, but the course.

They're missing out on the reason for the season, but even in those movies there still a picture of how things operate how we lose our identity and that I think that's the gift were talking about today right the gift of identity and you want to start things out with something that was a little more serious. I think Sue will do that now that you kind of fast-moving when you see what is really going on there.

You hear the music changed to evil music as he makes this agreement and we talk about agreements on the show quite all know I did notice that I did notice that yeah it's in their music changes. This evil music is uses I hate Christmas and we talk about agreements being that we make an agreement was Satan. He locks in on that have some power over that in this literally robs little Grinch which look at his identity at the beginning of the clip. He's a lover. Many loves Christmas is all excited about Martha and Mary over the star that he so excited. But then, due to the wound due to his shaving of the beard and all the little scratches on his face. Everybody laughing at him. You know he Satan hits his mark he draws him. I hate Christmas I hate trees I you know the whole scene and it completely changes the grinches identity and what I hear that evil music behind that I can't help but think how many times in my sucker the same situation. I I somehow another get embarrassed in whatever and all of a sudden I make an agreement. I hate or are never going to or those kind of things and thus my identity the little lever Grinch that Robby should be. This conference so that's how you're saying it plays out in our lives that I shouldn't say gone forever because if we can go back to Jesus and finals agreements and asked for his blood cleanses from those agreements and help us get out from underneath those things as our kinsman redeemer.

Then we can go back to the gift that Sam is referring to that of our original identity out you.

Let's get back from the listeners, especially the men. What would we mean by identity mean if your soul is something outside of the flesh and bones. It would be a personality you might be able to associate with that.

So your identity is your personality plus your gifts together and in what you think that's going turn out to be, but also you will find out later as you get to know God and who you are in Christ identity in Christ. You were meant to be good Sam. The only thing I was gonna mention I say the word, Sam. Sam had a couple Scripture verses in this first devotional that he did that spoke to that once Galatians 326 so in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith also said in Romans 8814. Excuse me for those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God, saying that were the children of God actually was saying that in both of the verses that we are children of God. It's kind of a different way of looking at it than then I'm this ugly guy and I hate Christmas right Emily being the children we get to guess we could be as excited this Christmas as we were when we were six because there's a really cool stuff to come to the tree wait on you, Dennis, and his weight now sugar free sugar-free psycho pumpkin pie we had on Thanksgiving. It was great getting down the Cool Whip. Now you had a clip from one of my favorite movies. This is a great one.

What's beautiful about this clip is you listen to this is from the movie Rudy and Rudy thinks his identity is going to be as a football player but as he gets out there and he starts to give up which is again not his identity is not who he is. He finds out and talk to the gardener, a trusted friend who he really is and that anymore well since what are you putting the license to the point is the greatest tragedies in the world I wanted to run out of that tunnel for my dad to prove that I was someone so full of crap athletic ability to land agreed University Bain in his lifetime will prove nothing to nobody except yourself what you've gone through.

If you haven't done that by now getting going on never go so I never got to see it first game well I've seen too many games in his decision.

Every song is seen again from the state plan bench two years I wasn't being played because of my color got filled up with a lot of slack with still a week goes by.

I don't regret it, and I guarantee you week will go by in your life you will walk and not letting them get the best you hearing them say there was.

But the gardener for second you your member of the team you become in service of the team and he went away from that he lost his his focus on that. Would he do for a living. After that he serve the team every day, day in day out prepare the field and Rudy himself. He thought that his identity was going to be as a football player but instead it was being diligent, hard-working. He was the first one in his family to go to college is one of the few in the community took a chance and tried to step outside of wood.

The rest of the community and settled for. He became ill and I kind of the sense that no he dared to dream dared to believe, and I hate to use that term. Now that I think of how I said it made a move. You did that to me so often we think were going to be.

We were little kid.

We daydream in a little Robby Gilmore laying on the grass, tearing up the blue sky, cool breeze running through his hair and he stake in where I grew up on this. Never in a million years did he see himself as a Christian serving the Lord on the radio encouraging so many people. Same thing for you Dennis look at you, you encourage so many people with how you speak how to use music know but I bet you never saw that appreciate you sharing that has to music will come back as one of our clips talk about the gift of identity today on masculine journey radio show. If you'd like to listen to the show earning our pastors log on masculine journey radio.org and you can look at this and our podcast there right back your phone your tablet your iPad gradually just became a radio that's right you take the Truth Network with you everywhere. Now they start brand-new Truth Network out. That's right.

Listen to Dr. Michael Brown light a fire to Christian to thought life. All our programming 24 seven) in your hand fracture out of range of your radio or traveling in a busy airport. You can plug into the Truth Network just go to TruthNetwork.com download do for you Truth Network.com 2003 James minor veteran of 26 years, suffered a paralyzing injury changed his life and his wife is dedicated herself tirelessly caring for her husband. My role as caregiver 24 hours seven days a week there's no brakes paralyzed veterans of America fighting for over 60 years to make sure our veterans benefits they were promised and all of the support they greatly deserve. You can help PDA.org looking back to the masculine journey radio show ledger with us were talking about the gift of identity. This afternoon we had our we had a replay there of the Don Henley Thanksgiving song there for a minute, which you gives me the opportunity to tell you about the great Thanksgiving dinner. I had Robin's house and the sugar-free pumpkin pie for me just give you this piece of advice if you ever have pumpkin pie without sugar and make sure you got some of that Cool Whip nearby. Maybe about a gallon of it.

I talk about the white stuff. I did make an agreement with government. But when Dennis was so kind as to the other table and he had been eaten two or three bytes and that we also need many I bit into it. I'd made the pie myself and I said I seem to leave at one of the major ingredients listed sugar. My kids were left on the floor of they love to have a laugh at their father's expense. Well, it was a great time you have in there we move right from Thanksgiving and Christmas. We went right to the Black Friday and in the Christmas it was a great time and attic had a good time at Robby's afternoon clip that I want to share with you. This is actually a movie clip as were talking about identity this afternoon just want you to listen to this part of the song is from a friend of mine Tom Rucker who are put out a CD with this on it.

The song is called the jacket and the old man see it in your head hold another bunch of them agree another, then another teenage boy was so insecure.

John the guys on about you.

With that, took me back to high school for a minute there.

Robby and those were some insecure moments. There's no doubt you out. I remember getting my letterman jacket and I remember thinking, this is one for the ages. I have no idea where Roy and I wanted the I was.

That was one of the things you think to save it forever but my mom, my stepfather, you got cast out will use the jacket is kind of a metaphor for and I spoke with Tom about this earlier this week and I said you know will not listen to this song I heard you talking about your identity as a high school teenager and trying to find your place when you got into high school he was. He played sports.

He also visas later in the song he was in a band which obviously he's kept his his music up but shaky time and just one of those times in life were searching for identity and I tell you Robby. I see some guys and I'll go on Facebook Nancy's guys and I went to high school there. Still, hang on to the that identity from way back then, which for us is way back that I don't think they actually have letter jackets.

I'm sure when Vinnie was coming up. I'm pretty sure they didn't just one of the things he says later on in the song that I thought was a great line says nothing ever looks quite the same.

If you're looking back how many of us what we get.

We have these things we look back on our past and doesn't look the same as it did then it may have seemed like it was a big deal.

I know in my own case, one of the things I struggle with is the past I've struggled with identities that I probably put on myself and the enemy is enhanced by saying yeah you were this year you were that Tom was talking about some good things that happen in high school, but what he was also talking about in the song was to help much of the struggle he was having if he was still holding on to some of those things today. I think that would be of a big issue for him but to listener out there today. Robby, how do you get past that had you get past that point where you're like you still see yourself in a way you might have 20 years ago. And if it's not good if it's not a good identity and that is guiding you. How is that robbing you right now Robby just like in our Grinch clip you got a bully and that bully is going to try to change your identity and if you listen to that agreement. Listen to that what they're telling you that your weaker your smaller your seagull is is is we know one friend once you accept that and you make an agreement that that's me then. Now you need that Christmas present. We talked about. You need Christ to come back in and say God when did I begin to take on this false identity when I begin to take on that which is not of you because if it's a view it's going to bear good fruit.

And if you see good fruit coming out of it and that's that's probably some got to know what some guy gave but if you feel bad about yourself you're feeling that there's something better than obviously not. Maybe not. Obviously one of the good things you got is Jesus to sit there and current asking where did this come from. Can I remember a bully who assigned this identity to me and I took that on and agree to it and what was it that you had for me originally that this was along those lines and asked for some healing because that's the present. I think others I've had lots of those. This very year dentist where I went back and God showed me some things that I'd taken a long time ago that now I can get some healing from and get back to what God had for me and it's an exciting adventure L.

He said something else in the song that I haven't talked about this, but I will ask this question because when the lines he says later on is he's got past the jacket onto his son, but he said he says write a story on your own so you can write a story on your own. So he's what is that say to you, you, my dad told me long ago that the expectation of a father that the son surpasses and knew we create a legacy to spring for a kiss a springboard off of in you. I do that with my two boys I want end for my daughters well I want to give them every every opportunity to become better than I was only give them more than what I had so they can grow from it. Also heard when I when I listen to the song later. Listen to it a few times I heard God saying I've given you identity and now want you to write a story that's all your based on the identity that I've given you. Now we have one last clip that Alice can set up forces afternoon now. It's from the movie gladiator. If you haven't seen it. It's pretty place and be prepared put out this is a love this story because this is a man whose identity.

He's forced to something he doesn't want to do it gets near to completion, and he gets pulled away from his families families killed and he gets sold in slavery, they think he's dead. So in this is identity comes out. But when his identity and his purpose comes out it the strength and that takes everybody back as you listen to this I want you to think about where my what's my purpose. Why stand for where my going to do with got it.

It's not this or not, he insists you have to report your name and tell me your name my name is Maximus dismissed one of the homage of the North Gen. hello so true really is some motive will this life for next listen to that here is drinking and people flock to strength. They want to be around strength.

So who are you, what is your identity for me. My name is Al Hindley I'm a project manager in healthcare. I focus on infrastructure projects and IT on the husband to a wonderful woman, father to three wonderful children. I am a blessed child of God, and I will serve my Savior in this world and the next I know who I am in the what I'm supposed to do. I don't always know how to navigate the path within that's part of the Holy Spirit guiding me. So as we go through our lives.

When I first heard that I thought he really knows who you I don't sweat that's when I sat down I thought. Who am I supposed to be close with something else that Sam wrote in the devotional earlier this week we started out that way I wanted it that way since what the Scripture say is our identity, where the beloved children of the father where the apple of his eye is Max locator writes about God's love for us. He states if God had a refrigerator are pictures will be on it. Let that sink and let that be real in your life today.

Nothing we can.

Don't do Robby. Nothing we done in the past are nothing we can do in the future will change that will now were his favorite in this email we got just a few weeks left of this is the year that Robby's favorites are making the most of. We wish you a Merry Christmas season will be talking about some more gifts in the coming weeks to join us again next week on a masculine journey radio.org for any of the podcast. We also love to hear from you. Until then, have a great week God be with you till we meet again