Who (or What) Are You Laboring For?
Mr. Dylan said..."you're gonna have to serve somebody" and Mr. Chapin asked "When you coming home, dad?"
Today is April 15th, which means it’s my father’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!)
For those of us who live in the United States, April 15th also happens to be Tax Day, which is admittedly a far less joyous occasion.
I don’t remember exactly when I first filed taxes, but it was sometime in high school, which means that for the last 30 years, give or take, today has been a day of mixed emotions, often preceded by late nights reviewing documents, not getting as much sleep as I should, and drinking LOTS of coffee.
Today is no different.
Over the last week, I’ve:
Stayed up later than normal every night.
Printed out, revised, and scribbled over pages and pages of information.
Consumed no less than 5 gallons of coffee.
I’m sure some of you are assuming the 5 gallons is just hyperbole. It is not, and you can ask my son Zeke as we have been together constantly for the last five days.
Some of you may believe me, but also think 5 gallons of coffee in a week is too much. Wrong again. There is no such thing as too much coffee. But don’t ask Zeke. Because while he is an excellent barista at a wonderful coffee shop (shout out to Kevista Coffee in Bend, Oregon), he tried to cut me off on Saturday. Fortunately, my pastor friend Jeremy, who is also a semi-pro coffee roaster extraordinaire, was also with us for the last five days, and he had my back with a fresh pot morning, noon, and night.
Now, before you start feeling too bad for me, thinking that my tax prep requires a pastor/coffee roaster and my own personal barista, let me make a few things clear:
I did fall asleep with a stiff neck and a tension headache last night.
I am exhausted and mentally drained this morning.
I will anxiously wait to discover the outcome of all the hard work that just wrapped up.
BUT
I did not spend the last week doing my taxes.
The real reason for the coffee consumption, the lack of sleep, and the stiffness and pain that I feel is far more important than taxes, is valuable beyond measure, and is absolutely worth every bit of lingering discomfort. You see, last Wednesday, Zeke and I flew to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where I had the privilege of leading a group of very intentional fathers in a Rite of Passage to Initiate their sons into manhood.
Fathers Initiating Sons into Manhood is far more important than taxes, is valuable beyond measure, and is absolutely worth every bit of lingering discomfort.
Over the coming weeks and months, I intend to share more about what goes on at Dangerously Good Men’s Rite of Passage events, and I’ll even be inviting some of the fathers and sons who’ve attended previous events to share their stories on the upcoming Dangerously Good Men podcast!
But for now, I simply want to capture some of what goes on at these events. There is such deeply powerful emotion, revelation, and inspiration that comes from watching fathers connect with their sons over several days filled with intentional discussions, difficult challenges, and powerfully curated moments in extraordinary surroundings.
For many of the fathers and sons, the 6+ hour-long drive from where they lived to the “Gatlinburg Mansion” was the first time they’d ever gone anywhere further than the hardware store as just the two of them. This is by design. Transformation is far easier when we remove ourselves from the “ordinary”. (Yes, there is a real “Gatlinburg Mansion” and you can even rent it yourself at The Cabin Rental Store, check out the view from the back deck!)
Click HERE to book a call with me and learn more about Dangerously Good Men’s upcoming Rite of Passage events
As soon as they arrive, the journey of discovery begins as they
Explore the incredible space they’ll be sharing with the other men
Discover their private suite and bathroom (another intentional design element)
Receive the first of several useful and exciting tokens, and then
Dive into the first of 10 sessions and activities specifically designed to:
Create Connection, Develop A Shared Vision, and Present A Framework that equips fathers to confidently guide their sons into HEROIC Manhood!
Over the course of three days, fathers and sons will learn to listen better and to share. They’ll read a little and learn to write a little more. They’ll let their guard down and they’ll step into discomfort. They’ll need some encouragement and they’ll discover they have some to give as well. They’ll forget the distractions that seemed so important and they’ll rediscover the joy of being present with others. They will all laugh and many of them will cry. Most will feel weak at some point but they will all go home stronger.
Day 1 - 11 fathers arrived with boys behind them.
Day 3 - 11 Fathers left with Young Men Beside Them.
Thank you, Zeke, Jeremy, Ezra, Tyler, Andy, and Bryce for giving your time, talent, and treasure to serve the fathers and sons.
Thank you, Andy, Craig, Neil, Rich, Mike, Justin K, Jeff, Justin P, Brandon, Virgil, and Bryce for trusting us to help you Initiate your sons.
And thank you to the young men who “Stepped out of the Shire” this weekend. I can’t wait to hear the stories of your journeys!
This brings us back full circle to the title and sub-title of this article. After an exhilarating but exhausting weekend capped with a day of travel, 16 fathers woke up on tax day with a choice they’ll have to make over and over again.
Because Bob Dylan was right…and
Harry Chapin nailed the consequences of getting it wrong…
So the question remains…
Who (or What) Are You Laboring For?