What is a man?

What is a man? What is he like? What must a boy do to be considered a man? To answer this question, we turn to the poetic wisdom of ROTB's Manly Man of the Month, Rudyard Kipling. Easily his greatest poem, "If" was written to answer those questions. It is a work which young men should read often, perhaps even memorize, or frame it and hang it on their bedroom wall so that is is ever before their eyes.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

The Old Man whose Porch I Painted

I painted an old man's porch yesterday. Never really done anything like that before. Didn't know how long it would take. Didn't know how much I would get paid. But an old man needed his porch painted, I needed money, and I'm always wanting to learn something new, so I thought, "Why not? I guess I'll paint an old man's porch today." I thought I'd make some money. Thought I'd learn how to paint a porch. But what I made and what I learned went far beyond what I would've expected. Turns out you just don't know what you might be in for, when you go to paint an old man's porch.

As I got my tools together and got started on the job, the old man took a seat on the porch. Sometimes he talked, sometimes he was silent. When he stared off in the distance, his eyes seemed to be holding back 90 years of memories of mornings just like this one. When he spoke, he made observation of the hummingbirds eating from the feeder he had hung from his backyard shed; how one was always the boss, how the funny little birds that seemed so innocent could severely bully one another, and how peaceful it was just to watch their acrobatic flight. He'd look out into his eastern neighbor's backyard, where a manufactured home was being set up. For what reason, the old man didn't know; but he sure knew the new home was too close to the old home, and that they oughtta change its angle so it'd be square with the property. Oh well; I guess a 90 year old man earns the right to complain about a few things.

As I worked, I watched the old man trying to walk around on his bad knees. Now this wasn't the first time I met this old man; we've actually been friends for several years. I knew why his knees were bad, and why he only has three fingers on his left hand. Actually, they're the same reason. This old man was in a war. The old man was one of the greatest generation. Sicily and North Africa are just places to me, just geographic locations you read about in history books. Not to the old man. To him, those are places on whose beaches he landed, places where friends died, places where he did his duty in this midst of hell, places he remembers with every painful step. He told me about some of these places, some of those friends. While we ate lunch, he showed me a book that the Army had put together, a history of the 45th Infantry Division's 179th Regiment in which he served. There were pictures, stories, statistics, maps. There was a list of casualties in the back. Several of those names had been marked with a yellow highlighter. They weren't just names to him. When we went back out, he told me some more stories. He joined the army in 1938, three years before Pearl Harbor. "Did you join because you thought a war was coming?" I asked him. "Naw," he said, "I was 17 years old and needed money. And $21 a month was a lot of money." He told me about a lieutenant in North Africa who did what had to be done to protect his men from a potential threat. Had the lieutenant done what he did today, he would have been crucified by the media, tried for war crimes, and accused of tarnishing America's reputation by resorting to barbarism. Back in them days, they just called it doing your duty.

The old man also a few good stories about growing up. He talked a lot about his brother, who is dead now. I could tell he misses him. The old man remembers well what it was like to be young. He said he worked as a painter for a sign company when he was 13 and 14. Can you imagine that today? I think his brother worked for the company and helped him get the job. His brother later became a business agent for painters and such in the city. Did that for about 20 or 30 years. I was glad the old man knew how paint. I sure didn't. He showed me a lot of tricks he still remembered. I had to laugh at the story he told about a school bully that chased him home several times. One day the bully made the worst mistake of his life; he caught him. After that, the young boy that became the old man never had to worry about the bully again. In fact, he started chasing the bully home!

He told me about his wife. A woman he loved with all his heart. They were married after the war. Never were able to have any children. After retirement, they travelled the country and he has some wonderful stories to tell about those days. She's been gone for over nine years now. But neither love nor pain have diminished.

We talked about changing times. He's lived on the same corner for 17 years, and lived just down the street for almost as long before that. Our area has seen some heavy development recently. You know times are changing fast when a 90 and a 20 year old man can both remember the day when you were lucky to see a car on the road, much less traffic.

If you've never done it before, painting a porch requires a lot of looking up. Made me think of Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, lying on his back, paint and plaster dripping in his face. I said something about it to the old man. He chuckled. I'd only seen the chapel in pictures. But the old man? He'd seen it with his own eyes, when he too was a young man. Back when he was fighting a war.

Did we talk about politics? The economy? You betcha! The old man has seen a lot of things in his day. It makes him shake his head in wonder at the irresponsibility of people. Why they drive expensive cars, live in big houses they can't afford, get buried in debt up to their eyeballs. Like about 90% of 90 year old men, he's a lifelong Democrat. It saddens him to see what the party of Roosevelt and Kennedy has become. He doesn't trust his president. Despises him really, for apologizing for America's wartime actions. Doesn't trust the people leading his country. He understands the foolishness of their policy, but doesn't know what to do about it.

It ended up taking me all day to paint the old man's porch. I learned a lot more than just how to paint. But as I reflected on the day, I thought of something else; something that saddened me. It was the thought of how few young men ever get the chance to paint an old man's porch. What are they missing? There are so many old men in this country with so many stories, just like the old man whose porch I painted. There are so many young men in this country, just like me, who need to hear them, but never get to. Why? We don't take the time to listen. We've got too many other friends. We're too busy with "life." And everyday, they, and their stories, are dying. We have told the old men that they don't matter, that we don't have time for them, that they have nothing to teach us. Yeats spoke accurately of these times: "That is no country for old men... an aged man is but a paltry thing." But are there yet old men? Are there yet young men? Then there is yet time. Young men, there are old men in your neighborhood, in your town, in your church, in your family. Now find one of those old men. Paint his porch. Listen to his stories. Hear his wisdom. Do you want to be a man? Learn from one who already is.

Wisdom is with aged men,

With long life is understanding.

Job 12:12

In hopes of rebuilding a country for old men,

Colton

ROTB's Manly Man of the Month

Welcome to the first installment of an exciting new feature on the ROTB blog: The Manly Man of the Month. Each month I will select one of my favorite manly men from history to be the focus of a series of posts throughout the month. These posts will not appear on any particular days or have a set regularity. Posts will include biographical information, excerpts of their writings, and lessons on manliness taken from their lives. I think this will provide my readers the opportunity to learn more about the historic art of manliness, and to see how much valuable knowledge there is to be gained from great men of the past.

For the month of September, we will be focusing our attention on Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). Mr Kipling was a prolific English author who had much to write about manliness, and we will have the privilege of gaining a great deal of wisdom from his words. He explores subjects such as the makings of a man, the importance of remembering the providences of God, morality and law, boyhood, reverence for life, and the nobility of women. Through Kipling's eloquent pen and wonderful imagination, we will see concepts relevant to manliness from a wide diversity of perspectives; from the naive eyes of a young sailor, to the ancient wisdom of a sagacious bear.

Today in History...

Forty-six years ago today, one man took his stand on the mountaintop.

One man addressed a nation.

One man spoke the truth in love.

One man defied hatred.

One man did his duty.

One man demanded justice.

One man showed remarkable faith.

One man demonstrated courage.

One man believed the impossible.

One man had a dream.

One man changed the world.

HONOR HIM.

Why "Repairers of the Breach"?

Is this not the fast which I choose,

To loosen the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the bands of the yoke,

And to let the oppressed go free

And break every yoke?

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry

And bring the homeless poor into the house;

When you see the naked, to cover him;

And to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light will be break out like the dawn,

And your recovery will speedily spring forth;

And your righteousness will go before you;

The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

You will cry, and He will say, "Here I am."

If you remove the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

And if you give yourself to the hungry

And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness

And your gloom will become like midday.

And the LORD will continually guide you,

And satisfy your desire in scorched places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise up the age-old foundations;

And you will be called the repairer of the breach,

The restorer of the paths in which to dwell.

Isaiah 58:6-12

I do not know of any other Scripture that speaks so powerfully to the impact of reformation. In particular, this passage emphasizes proclaiming liberty to those who need it most. I believe that the young men of my generation are one of the most enslaved groups of people in human history. They are enslaved to false images of manliness, to a future with no purpose, to a life with no vision, to meaningless distractions. They have lost connection with a heritage of manly men who have lived throughout time, and likewise have never forged a connection with the generations to come. They do not know where they came from, where they are going, or what their purpose as men is in this world.

It is time to rebuild the ancient ruins of the art of manliness; to raise up the age old foundation laid by manly men from King David to Theodore Roosevelt. It is time to repair the breach in the wall of manliness and restore the paths in which God intended for men to live. I have always been an admirer of Nehemiah. In fact, the camp I designed for young men that I mentioned in my last post was called the Nehemiah Corps Boot Camp. I see the mission of this ministry and the mission of Nehemiah as having much in common with each other, and much in common with Isaiah 58:12. Strong walls were an ancient city's best defense. They were the very symbol of strength in that time. The wall of biblical manliness has been destroyed in our day, as the wall of Jerusalem was destroyed in Nehemiah's. As the city of Jerusalem was left weak and vulnerable, our entire civilization has been left weak and vulnerable.

As a man who has answered the call of God to lead in the rebuilding of the wall, I also find incredible encouragement and strength from this passage. I am humbled that God so desires to honor the work of those who obey Him and take up the charge. Your prayers are much appreciated as I labor to repair the breach.

In Him,

Colton

My Story

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit my new blog. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and explain how Repairers of the Breach came to be.

I grew up in the small town of Blanchard, OK. I am the fourth generation of the Wilson family to live in this area, so our roots go pretty deep. Something else that goes pretty deep in the Wilson family is a strong work ethic. My great-grandfather and his father were both ranchers. My dad and granddad made their careers in the home-building business. With work ethic being so valued through my family history, it was understood that even as kids, my younger brother and I were expected to work hard and "make a hand." And we did. Brushhogging, construction site cleanup, tree trimming, brush hauling, and fence building were just a few of the multitude of skills I was taught and practiced. But as I grew older, I realized that the invaluable experience that had just come naturally to me was very rare among the young men of my generation. Very few had the opportunity to develop the work ethic, learn the skills, acquire the character, and make the money that I had.

But this was not the only training I was receiving. In the mid-1990s, my dad transitioned from home builder to full-time minister. Beginning in our living room, we started the Bible Study Center, a church which grew to a size that required its own facility within two years. Dad teaches the Bible in a very expositional, in-depth manner. Sometimes he teaches through an entire book (e.g. Romans, Ephesians, Philippians) or maybe a doctrinal study (e.g. The Deity of Christ, Baptism, God's Will). Because he teaches so thoroughly on Sunday morning, and discusses what he is studying with me throughout the week, I have learned an enormous amount about the Bible, about Christ, and about the Christian walk. But then the same thing began to happen. I realized that as a teenager, I probably had the equivalent of a seminary master's degree. But young men at churches all across the nation, were not receiving in-depth teaching of the word of God. They had a few beliefs that never developed into convictions, and their faith typically crumbled by the time they left home.

This understanding was further reinforced by another development in my life. Through the ministry of Dr. G. Thomas Sharp of Creation Truth Foundation in Noble, OK, I became familiar with the evidence for biblical creation. My curious and analytical mind, which had driven me to read dozens of science books as a kid, but had always been confused by why all of them taught evolution, was finally satisfied. There was a logical, scientific, and reasonable defense of the Bible's account of creation. I started reading creation science books and even started teaching classes at church. Through the materials I read, I discovered that young people all over had the same questions I did, but never got the opportunity to have them answered. I expanded my teaching to a local homeschool group, and even had the opportunity to speak at a church in Great Falls, MT.

All of these events were creating in me an strong urge to teach and to disciple and to share what I had learned with other young people. But what would be my focus? How would I do it? My original thought was that I would go into full-time creation ministry like Dr. Sharp. After graduating a year early from high school in 2006, I enrolled in the online Biblical studies program at what I thought was a conservative Christian college. But after one year, I found the biblical teaching was very weak and much was contrary to what I believed. Further, the extra-biblical courses (e.g. sociology) were taught from a strongly humanistic perspective. Frustrated, I left the college and spent the summer in prayer trying to decide what to do next. Because I still felt I needed a degree to pursue the ministry, my dad suggested civil engineering. It was a very science-related field, but I would not have to worry about running into flawed theology, or evolutionary philosophy. I applied and was accepted into the program at the University of Oklahoma.

Several things began happening at the same time from that point forward. First, I started feeling very drawn to making a career in civil engineering. It appealed to many of my interests. I began to almost forget about my earlier passions, and set my mind to becoming a licensed professional engineer. I studied hard at my classes, kept my GPA above 3.75, sent out resumes, attended career fairs, and was even hired as an intern this summer. But while I was pursuing what I thought would be a much easier path in life, God had other plans. He began using the time I was spending in college to refocus me and redirect me to whole new ministry I never saw coming.

Looking back, its very hard to see the chronology of events and how they were working together, but God was doing something great. It started with my Engineering Practice course when I was introduced to the concept of entrepreneurship. In October 2007, God gave me the idea to do a camp for young men in the spring to teach work ethic. I had long been able to develop friendships with boys several years younger than myself (another way God was working) so I took some of them and taught them the skills, principles, and character that I had learned. While I was driving back and forth to school, I listened to talks from Vision Forum's Entrepreneurial Boot Camp (which emphasized a family-based model), as well as The 200 Year Plan, along with several talks on Manliness. Courses I took at school in American history and Greek philosophy got me to thinking about very complex concepts and showed me how much I enjoyed exercising my mind in that way. The political climate in our nation was really grabbing my attention and I became involved in campaigns and staying up with the news. I was becoming fascinated with new concepts, new ministry outlets, new ideas to research, and so many things that I wanted to share.

At the same time, I was becoming more and more disenchanted with a career in engineering. Over this past summer, I began spending a lot of time in prayer and counseling with my dad about what I should do. The idea of mentoring boys was becoming very strong. I began teaching a series at church on manliness, and the response was incredible. I could see a very powerful need. I also saw that this ministry was something I was passionate about. I wanted to take everything I knew and would continue to learn about work, the Bible, politics, thought, science, history, etc. and train boys in the lost art of manliness. By the end of the summer, I knew this was without a doubt what God wanted me to do. I withdrew from OU, and made the decision not to resume any college education, but instead to self-educate as I had done through much of my homeschooling. I do not believe that college is necessary for success as it is often made out to be. What I do believe, is that God is faithful to those who trust and obey Him. I have decided to focus on this ministry and with God's help to develop it into something that will bring glory to Him, and have an impact on the lives of perhaps thousands of young men.

As you now realize, the path through which this ministry was developed was long and complicated. But I as I look back over it all, I am in awe of the providential hand of God. Even when I did not realize it, He was working in my life in mighty ways to prepare me to do His will to advance His kingdom. I humbly await what He has in store next. This blog will be a place for me to chronicle how He is working and how He is using the ministry of Repairers of the Breach for His glory. I will also be sharing with you thoughts, observations, and information on topics relevant to this ministry.

Thank you for reading,

Colton Wilson