A guest post by Alex Poole…
My story has a familiar beginning:
- I grew up in a Christian home.
- I went to a Christian school.
- I knew I needed salvation and had faith in God.
- During college and my young adult life, I drifted away…
I met my wife in college and we got married soon after we finished. When Katie and I had children, I felt the pressure to get in a church. We looked around, visited, but never committed. I was not leading my family the way God intended, I was not loving my wife the way God intended and I was not pursuing Christ the way He intended. I was trying to be the person that I thought I was supposed to be around certain people at certain times and FAILING.
When we came to Exodus, we quickly realized that it was exactly where we needed to be. We can look back now and see God’s hand in our lives and how He brought us here. About our second week at Exodus, Katie and I attended a gospel training weekend in which the men and women split up for a time of focused teaching. Brian immediately called us all out during the men’s breakout session. It seemed as though he was talking directly to me when he said, “it’s time to grow up and take responsibility for your family.” God had that message for me and He has been faithful to provide support and heart change over the last four years.
Recently, I read an email I wrote to a group of friends about six years ago. Wow, the Holy Spirit has changed me! I don’t realize it day-to-day so much, but there is a stark difference in who wrote that email and who I am today, and I thank God for it! I also thank the faithful leadership and men at Exodus who have done what they said they were going to do when they signed the membership covenant. There are men coming alongside me and stirring me up to good works. There are men calling me out when I stray. There are men praying for my family and me. The leadership impresses upon us that we rise up and fulfill our calling. I need this call; I need this constant encouragement to fight the distractions that I face as a man in our culture. I thank God for blessing me and my family with Exodus Church.
If Alex’s story resonates with you, and your heart is to be the man God calls you to be, join us for Authentic Manhood, starting January 26.
