Wild At Heart Chapter 10

• A strong man coming to rescue a beautiful woman is universal to human nature. It is written in our hearts, one of the core desires of every man and every woman.

• Jon and Stasi’s story 181• Why do most of us get lost somewhere

between “once upon a time” and “happily ever after”

• Most passionate romances seem to end up with evenings in front of the TV.

• What went wrong with our fairy tale:– None of us really ever thought the enemy was real

(sorcerer, dragon,…) we thought we could have her without a fight and that the biggest battle was asking her out.

– We have also not realized she is in a damsel in distress (wounded)

• Eve is the crown of creation, she embodies the exquisite beauty and exotic mystery of God. And she is a special target fot the Evil One.

• He turns his most vicious malice towards her.

• If he can destroy her or keep her captive, he can ruin the story.

Eve’s Wound 182

• Some women’s wounds came with violence and others with neglect.

• She is haunted by the questions:– Am I lovely?

– Will you pursue me?

– Do you delight in me?

– Will you fight for me?

• Every woman needs to know she is exquisite, exotic and chosen

• She has been wounded and heard, “you are not beautiful and no one will really fight for you”

• Like many of the men’s wounds their wounds come at the hand of her father.

• A little girl looks to her father to know if she is lovely.

• The power he has to cripple or bless is just as significant to her as it is to his son.

• Violent fathers Janet’s story183

• Passive fathers Stasi’s story183

• John and Stasi’s story revisited 184

• The number one problem between men and their women is that when we men, when asked to truly fight for her…….hesitate.

• We are still seeking to save ourselves.

• We have forgotten the deep pleasure of spilling our life for another.

Offering our strength 184• Proverbs 30:18-19

• A different look at sex:

• The man comes to offer his strength and the woman invites the man into herself, an act that requires courage and vulnerability and selflessness for both of them.

• The beauty of a woman arouses and man to play the man; the strength of the man, offered tenderly to his woman, allows her to be beautiful, it brings life to her and to many.

• The same is true on how we offer her our words

• “Life and death in the power of the tongue” Proverbs 18:21

• John’s words to Stasi 185

• If a man refuses to offer himself , then his wife will remain empty and barren.

• A violent man destroys with his words.

• A passive (silent) man starves his wife.

• John’s friend’s new bride 186

• We are called to sacrifice our strength for them,

• This is what makes Maximus or William Wallace heroic. They are willing to die to set others free.

• Joseph’s story 186

• “they will be called oaks of righteousness” Isaiah 61:3. There under a man’s strength the woman finds rest.

• The masculine journey takes a man away from the woman so that he might return to her. E goes to find his strength and then returns to offer it.

• He tears down the walls of the tower that has held her with his words and his actions.

• He speaks to her heart’s deepest question in a thousand ways, yes you are lovely, yes there is one who will fight for you.

• Since most men have yet to fight the battle, most women remain in the tower.

Using Her 187

• Most men want the maiden without any cost to themselves.

• That is what draws men to pornography:

• He gets to enjoy the woman at her expense

• When a man insists on being energized by the woman, he uses her to get the feeling he is a man

• It is a false strength because it comes from outside and not from his deep center

• Tamar page 187-188

• Most men marry for safety, they chose a woman who will make them feel like a man, but never really challenge them to be one.

• Why don't men offer what they have to their women, because we know down deep in our guts that it won’t be enough.

• Barrenness of Eve 189

• What if it does not work?

• Work for what?– Validate you as a man?

– Resurrect her heart in one day?

• You can’t bring your question to Eve. No matter how good of a man you are you can never be enough.

• If she is the report card on your strength you will ultimately get an F, but that is not why you love her, to get a grade.

• You love her because that is what you were made to do.

• That’s what a real man does

Eve to Adam 190• Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth 190-191

• There is no possible reading of this passage that is “safe” or “nice”

• Song of Solomon 192

• The church has really crippled women when it tells them that their beauty is in vain and they are at their feminine best when they are serving others.

• A woman is at her best when she is being a woman.

• Boaz and Ruth revisited 192

• John’s challenge to women 192

It is a Battle 192• Will you fight for her? 192

• Some men are willing to go in once, twice, even three times, but a Warrior is in it for good.

• Daniels story 193

• What kind of man do you want to be? Maximus? Wallace? Or Judah?

• John and Stasi’s friend’s wedding 193-194

Close 195• John’s Christmas present

• My birthday present

• Next time An Adventure to Live Chapter 11