men-gi-neer-ing [men-juh-neer-ing]

1. the study of how to become a Christ-reflecting, life-changing, baby-making, wife-loving, child-rearing, Satan-smacking man of God
2. the forward motion and planning of a mengineer
3. an annoying and ridiculous term implemented by an attendee of Mars Hill’s Men’s Basic Training

Anybody ever been to Promise Keepers? Well, I have. I recall with nausea and trepidation the memories of holding hands with not only men, but complete strangers. The odor of dudes and repetitive corporate “praise” tunes haunts and frightens me to this very day. I’m sure many a man’s life was reclaimed for Jesus at these events, but Promise Keepers was most definitely not for me.

As a long-time (3 years) member at Mars Hill, I have a secret I’m ashamed to admit. I’ve been finding excuses and seemingly valid reasons not to attend a Mars Hill men’s event from the day I stepped foot in the old Ernst warehouse we call home. I’d blame it on Promise Keepers but Jesus would label it as laziness, fear, and procrastination. I think Jesus offers the best analysis of my behavior here.

Well, I’m married now and the decisions I make effect my wife as well as myself. Lately my wife has been inquiring of my plan for our lives. A song by the band Built to Spill titled “The Plan” (off their 1990 live album) has been weighing heavy in my mind. The lyrics “the plan keeps coming up again, the plan means nothing stays the same, but the plan won’t accomplish anything, if it’s not implemented” have been bouncing around my brain. My wife has been tossing up questions such as “what if your current job doesn’t work out?” or “what are we going to do with the extra money we make this summer?” My wife wants a plan A, B, C, and D! Jesus wants me to lead her like He loves the church and I want to keep waking up next to her in the morning. With these facts in mind, I decided to attend the Men’s Basic Training “mengineering” event.

Nearly 700 men attended the event. Most of them were faces I’d never seen. To my joy, this event smelled nothing of Promise Keepers-just straight up worship through singing, Biblical teaching, and authentic conversation with earnest and God-fearing men. There were no frills and definitely no gimmicks.

It was Pastor Mark’s session that hit me with a load of crap. Not literally, but Pastor Mark did throw some reality my way with Proverbs 14:3 which reads, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” With this verse, expectations of what it means to be a man were made clear. If a man wants to reap a productive life and harvest of souls for Christ, then he’ll be working (shoveling crap) for the rest of his days. Our work as men of God will continue until the day we leave this earth. It seems simple enough, but many men including Christians (gasp!) live their life in denial of this truth, seeking something akin to eternal retirement.

Immediately following this dose of reality, Pastor Mark laid out the need for what he dubs “life engineering” or “life planning.” Life engineering involves picking a date in the future, writing a thorough list of goals to be accomplished by that date, and then working backwards to strategically plan how you’ll achieve those goals. Mark supported his life engineering paradigm with a list of Biblical references to further cement the fact that strategic planning is synonymous with Biblical manhood.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit, my wife, and Pastor Mark, making a plan seemed doable. For once, I didn’t mind hearing my need for a “plan.” Planning was actually sounding like a good idea and the only real way to hop on the path to abundant, life changing, and godly manhood.

Unfortunately, I’ve got bad news. It just so happens that the key to successful planning lies in acting on the plan. Dang it! I love to talk about plans. They make for great conversation. People love to gather around and hear my plans. I can stave off a ton of responsibility with talk of a good plan-at least for a while; but then I fear I’ll become one of those annoying friends who always talk about their “big plans”, but never actually accomplishes them-living for comfort and attention instead.

If you’re still reading this blog, then I’m here to remind you and myself (on behalf of God, the Bible, and Pastor Mark) that there comes a time when a man must act on his plan. Without forward momentum in our lives, God can’t work or guide us. I figure this mengineering thing takes a lot of prayer and discipline, because it sure isn’t easy. But that’s part of being a man of God-actually stepping out in faith, acting on a plan, and trusting God to direct us in the path that brings glory to Him and blessing to His people.

So if anybody needs to reach me, don’t bother. I’ll be mengineering for the next month or so. And for any man with a zeal for Christ, I recommend a little mengineering, prayer, and basic training Mars Hill style.

Like he said, Matt Grant is a 3-years-strong Mars Hill member, leading worship for the half pints at Shoreline’s Kids’ Kore on Tuesday nights. In his spare time, he likes to eat popcorn and take his lovely wife, Adelle, to Dairy Queen for a cool treat.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Registration for the upcoming Men’s Advance 2007: Reborn on the Battlefield, June 8th-10th, is now open. Get signed up soon, as openings are limited.