Beyond the Chrysalis

The topic for Sunday evening's talks: manliness. Prime opportunity to "don the spiritual umbrella," allowing all the advice to slide off the nylon fabric and miss my head? Hardly. A large majority of manly character qualities transfer very well to women. Even "leadership" qualities can be applied appropriately to a Christian woman's life in the (school) teaching and child-training realms. Umm, and those in the world who are not avowed spinsters would do well to know what to look for in a spouse.

What makes a good man?
Strong horizontal relationships with good quality peers.
Ability to buck up and accomplish things, even if you have to start from scratch.
An active interest in the salvation of lost persons.
Genuine excitement about God's Word and its application to our lives. (ES read parts of a story entitled "Missing in Action." Brief synopsis: a lady visited a Mennonite church. The SS teacher was all excited, but got very few comments out of the other men. There were no testimonies offered after a special service. The men hardly did anything in the way of tract distribution/other outreach. It could make one desire to reach into the paper and shake such dead Christians - plant a fire under their bench-warming selves - something. Those techniques, however, being impossible, I will shake myself because I need it, too.)
Engagement in upbuilding entertainment as opposed to that which militates against godly character, or is just not beneficial.

Where are the men? The women? Too many have not yet matured and remain in the chrysalis of spiritual stagnation (mixed metaphor again...).