Last summer, myself and a few friends went out to Lost Lake Campgrounds near Mt. Hood and studied the biblical themes of Suffering and Endurance through the book of Job. We fasted, prayed, sang songs of worship, confessed sin, went on prayer hikes, had time for silence and solitude, climbed a butte and held a bible study on the summit, told jokes and laughed around a campfire, suffered through a night of bitter cold, and feasted in thanksgiving to the Lord the following morning. It was an amazing time away with the Lord, a trip I’ll never forget.

Retreat or Advance?

Men’s Retreats are all too often escapist in nature, where men get together to do “masculine” things like watch Braveheart, go golfing, do ropes courses, and eat inordinate amounts of chicken wings/pizza. All the while, many men on these trips enjoy an “escape” from the reality of the battlefield of life, and this feeds the mentality that discipleship can be reduced to a search for comfort, entertainment and new hobbies.

Answering the Call

We men need to embrace the call to lead and suffer for Christ, and we need to learn how to endure the battle, and fight the good fight of faith together, with other men at our side. Men of strength and resolve are becoming a rarity in Christian churches these days. Every Sunday, we walk into church looking like men who have forgotten the Gospel, and that’s because we’ve been retreating all week–neglecting time with the Lord, compromising, letting things other than Christ capture our affections. As Christians we are determined to not retreat. Instead, we are committed to advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, and especially in our own hearts. I would love to see a shift away from “retreats” and toward “advances”. Not that we have to change the name, just the way we see them. I think this would produce a greater sense of urgency in our men’s ministry, and give younger men a vision for biblical manhood that would inspire and challenge them to impact the world for Christ.


–Matthew 16:18b “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”


–1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”


–2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”


–1 John 4:4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Men’s Advance Checklist

Running with the Witnesses by John Piper

Men’s Advance Plan

Men’s Advance Packet

Flickr Slideshow

D.A. Carson – Making Sense of Suffering (2008 OBC)

Theology of Suffering: