TYRONE'S STORY
This story is true. It's about an attendee of the recent Institute for Biblical Masculinity retreat. It's about a real man.
It was obvious that Tyrone came from a difficult environment. Scarification, tattoos, the clothing, and swagger declared it clearly. The fences were also up and apparent. His heart was heavily guarded and no one was going to break in. So, we didn’t try…or maybe we did.
Love is powerful; we poured it out. Prayer is powerful; we poured it out. Environment is powerful; we upheld only Godly ideals. The seed was sown. The soil would determine the outcome.
We watched, from the corners of our eyes, inspecting for any cracking of the armor, any evidence of change. Nothing day one, day two, or day three. Day four began as all the others.
The final afternoon was literally in the last hour, the final inning, our last at bat. One by one the weekend’s young participants climbed to the lectern to answer five questions: What is your name? Where are you from? What church are you part of? What do you take away from this weekend? What does Christ mean to you now?
As Tyrone’s unit marched on stage, no one had any idea if he would even follow instructions. It was a tossup whether he’d speak or refuse and return to his seat as he had left it—bolted closed.
Three young men remained when he suddenly stepped toward the mic. It answered one of our questions. He stood braced against the podium with hands gripping each side. His voice was clear, deep, thought filled. From the giving of his name we knew that what would follow would be honest. It might not be what we wanted to hear, but it would not be pretentious. This was a strong man; a man who thought through his steps; a leader who would not be cajoled or pressured. We wondered if, however, he was a changed man.
“I don’t go to church.” He stated without embarrassment. It was a fact, just like his name. As resolute as ever, Tyrone would not be pressured even in the presence of a strong and unpretentious group of overtly Christian men . The room was in silence, awaiting his next two statements.
“What did I gain from this retreat? People who know me, know I don’t care nothin’ about men. I mean nothin’. But here, (pausing). Here, I learned how men love men.” We felt a trickle of victory. Our man wasn’t a wall after all, but indeed human, like the rest of us.
He continued, “What does Christ mean to me now?”
Looking up with a confident charismatic smile he said, “You know, when I get up in the morning, I look in the mirror. I say, “Tyrone. Your hair looks good. Your teeth look good. Your shoes look good. I like what I See. (pausing, and with a softer delivery, he continued) But from now on what I want to see when I look in the mirror….I want to see Christ.”
We erupted. Cheering and whooping and applauding, we stood as the walls crumbled and Christ marched into this young MAN’s life.
All material copyrighted by Stephen Meeks
--Gourmet Thoughts for A Gourmet Day ** Fresh Brewed Here Every Monday-- Millions of us begin our day with coffee. For some its a necessity; for others a simple luxury. Which ever your case, I want to share it with you occasionally--not to intrude, but, hopefully to enhance by offering a thought, an idea, an insight, or a story. After all, what better way to begin a gourmet day than with a gourmet thought and hot coffee?
