The Stages of the Masculine Journey

On Tuesday evening I got to hear John Eldredge speak about much of what is in his newest book Fathered By God. If you enjoyed Wild at Heart, you'll be drawn in by FBG as well.

Here is just some of what I walked away with that evening:

• There are six stages of the masculine journey, the first of which is boyhood.
• During boyhood we live "in a world made safe by your father."
• This is when we seek the answer to the question: "Can I do it?"

• At about age 13, we enter into the cowboy stage and begin to ask "Do I have what it takes?"
• If we don't get the answer we long for, we tend to then avoid risks and simply settle for the status quo and camp out in what we are already good at.

• During the ensuing warrior stage we enter into a grander battle, that of good v. evil.
• It is now that we need a mission, we need to know that we are powerful and dangerous and we need to develop inner discipline.
• Eldredge comments that "The way God trains the warrior is by putting him into battles."

• In our early 20's we enter the stage of the lover. Although it takes a woman to awaken the heart of a lover, this stage is not primarily about romance but about the awakened heart.
• "Men hide in reason and logic but it is in the heart that we find action--faith, hope, worship, love, convictions..."
• "I run in the path of your commands because you have set my heart free." -King David

• In our 40's we enter into the king stage which may be the most difficult of all.
• The question is: When can you trust a man with power? The answer is: After he has been initiated, then he is worthy.
• God wants to take you back and initiate you.

• Around age 55 or so, we then step into the stage of the sage.
• As a sage we may look after a smaller kingdom but we wield a greater influence.

As I walked away from this casual talk, I prayed "Father, show me what you are doing, father me through the stages of my life."