The Model for Christian Manhood

When I used to lead women's ministry at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, I helped organize our yearly Women's Retreats. The men, however, never had Men's Retreats. They had Men's Advances. Retreats, as they saw it, were for sissies. Nevermind that the larger church adopted the concept of retreat from Jesus's example in the Gospels. Jesus withdrew/retreated on several occasions, the Greek word meaning to make space away, to retire to make room for something else. In contrast, the men at Mars Hill Church were not discipled to withdraw to make room for Jesus. The Men's Advance had quite the reputation for being a boisterous weekend filled with conversations about sex and UFC fights. Perhaps the men did spend some quiet time in prayer and Bible study, but if they did, no one talked about that aspect of the Men's Advance when they got home.