Michael Catt - Courageous Living: Dare to Take a Stand

Copyright 2011 by Michael Catt

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-4336-7387-0

Published by B&H Publishing Group,

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.642

Subject Heading: COURAGE \ MEN \ LEADERSHIP \ FAMILY LIFE

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

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Dedicated to

Daniel Simmons

Pastor, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia

One of the most courageous leaders Ive ever known, my copastor, friend, ReFRESH conference speaker, and fellow laborer in building bridges toward racial reconciliation in Albany, Georgia

T his is my fourth book in less than three years. Ive not had time to have writers block. If it werent for people helping me along the way, I wouldnt have been able to tackle such a formidable task. As Ive said before, no one writes a book alone. A book is the result of people, books, and places that have influenced your thinking. Its the result of research and time alone with God. Its ultimately the result of a passion to invest in others beyond your normal sphere of influence.

When I was approached about writing Courageous Living , I knew I would need help. I want to thank some significant people who have helped me in this process. Jim McBride and Bill Reeves are my literary agents. They take care of the business aspect so I can focus on writing. Im grateful they believe in me. Thomas Walters first signed me to write for B&H. His gracious guidance on this project has helped me. He challenged me to write a better book than the first draft I sent him. I hope he is not disappointed. To all the team at B&H and LifeWay, I am grateful for your belief in what God is doing at Sherwood.

To my wife Terri, who always gives me the time I need to work on these projects. She has patiently kept dinner warm so I could finish a few more paragraphs on a chapter. She reads the manuscripts and makes suggestions. She prays for me as I try to get the wording like I want it. She is my best friend.

To Debbie Toole, my administrative assistant who has served with me for twenty years. Shes the gatekeeper to my

office. If it werent for Debbie, I wouldnt have the time in my schedule to get alone and write. Im grateful she sees the big picture of what Im trying to do.

To Stephanie Bennett, my research assistant and to my daughter Hayley, who helped me meet my deadlines. Stephanie did the initial edit and research, refining and fine tuning the material. She spends countless hours helping me get everything I need. Hayley stepped in at the last minute when Stephanie was out on maternity leave and helped me take out some of the preachy material and target a younger audience. With other books, Ive tried to target my generation and below. With this one I needed to challenge the next generation. Hayleys insights as she read the material with a fresh eye were invaluable.

I must thank Alex and Stephen Kendrick. Not only are these guys on our staff, but they are also loyal men who model integrity and passion for their calling. Im grateful for the powerful script and storyline of the movie Courageous . My prayer is that God will use the movie to inspire and challenge men to a higher level. The movie is the inspiration behind this book, and Im grateful to share the journey with them.

To the members of Sherwood who have supported, prayed for, and encouraged me in so many ways, I am grateful. To the lay leadership of Sherwood, Im forever indebted to them for their willingness to follow as I seek to lead. Im especially grateful for the Dream Team, a group of men who counsel me and help me cast vision. Last but not least, to the incredible staff God has given us at Sherwood. I couldnt ask for better men, fathers, role models, and co-laborers in the field. In all my years of ministry, these guys are the best Ive ever seen.

One last word, thanks to all of you who have supported the ministry of Sherwood and Sherwood Pictures over the years. Your prayers for us and support of all we are seeking to do is a blessing to us. If God has used anything weve donea book, a movie, or a messagewe give God praise. We are nothing apart from Him. We long to reach the world from Albany, Georgia and see many come into the kingdom through the ministries God has entrusted to us.

Blessings,

Michael Catt

www.michaelcatt.com

T he story is told of a battle where the flag bearer got so far ahead of the regiment that the officer called back to headquarters and asked, Shall we bring the flag back to the regiment? The commanding officer said, No, make the regiment catch up with the flag!

Today we need men with the hearts of a warrior; men who will run to catch up with the flag Christ carries ahead of us. Men who wont turn back. We need men who stand up and take responsibility for their role as men. A recent cover of Time magazine (September 27, 2010) featured a picture of a young boy and his father, and the cover story was entitled, Man Up! The Traditional Male Is an Endangered Species. Its Time to Rethink Masculinity. The article, written by Andrew Romano and Tony Dokoupil, asked the question, Whats the matter with men? They went on to write, For years, the media have delivered the direst of prognoses. Men are in decline. Guys are getting stiffed. The war on boys has begun. And so on. This summer The Atlantics Hanna Rosin went so far as to declare that The End of Men is upon us.

Later in the Time article the authors addressed the obvious question: If men are going off the rails, how do they get back While I do not agree with all their conclusions, I do believe the issue must be addressed. Examine a few of these statements:

When men lose, women and children lose too.

The home is a natural place to start.

Men have a choice: either feel inadequate or get a lot more creative.

Unfortunately the suggested image in the article appeared to be more of the feminization of men than for men to Man Up!Every study will tell you we are lacking in male role models today. Many of our societal problems are because of the lack of male leadership in our homes, churches, and communities. Men have walked away from family and responsibility. The impact is, according to any study, a rise in the crime rate, assault, gangs, drug and alcohol use, and imprisonment.

We need men in the church to step up. Inside the church I find that godly fathers are an endangered species. It seems the church has surrendered to the times. Rather than reminding men of their responsibilities and calling them to action, we have multiple Bible studies for ladies and softball for men. Where are the men who are resolved to invest in their kids spiritually and raise the next generation for Christ?

We need men to man up. Its time to call men to a higher level of responsibility. We need a new generation of men who dont look to the corporate office as a measure of their success. Rather, they look into the lives of their wives and children. We desperately need men who find their significance in faith, family, and hard work. We need men who, regardless of their station in life, are stepping up to their God-given roles.

We need men to match our mountains. In these pages I explore the examples of people in the Bible who displayed great courage when playing it safe would have been easier. They challenge us to keep moving forward. They cause us to examine our priorities and deal with anything that brings fear to our hearts.