The Patriarchy Connection: David Murrow and the Thrill of Adventure

David Murrow is of the opinion that the church is too safe, and that, he says, is women's fault. If the church wasn't directed by women (although it isn't), it would be full of adventure and risk-taking! Seeking to fix the problem, Murrow created a website called "Church for Men," with the goal of making the church less a women's thing and more a man's thing.

(Visit the website at, http://churchformen.com/)

I understand Murrow's frustration with the nurturing, loving environment of the local church since his heart yearns for adventure. It's the same frustration that has driven countless young people to exchange the safety of their parents' home for the uncertainty and thrill that comes from traveling. 

I was one of them. I found sleepy, safe Scandinavia boring beyond belief; I couldn't wait to get out and explore the world! And so I did. But now, as I have a family of my own, I look for other things. I like the safety of the small community we live in. It's a great place to raise children, to garden, to write.
 
There is a time and place for everything, says Ecclesiastes, and there is a way to find adventure, but you won't find it if you stay in the safety of your local church. An adventure that doesn't include risk is not an adventure; a wave pool isn't scary, a stormy Pacific Ocean is.

What if instead of blaming women, Murrow had looked for that adventure outside the local church? What if instead of looking for a way to please himself, he had looked for a way to please others, serve others? 

To find adventure one must be willing to face the unknown. Paul had all the adventure one could ask for, but hear what he has to say about how he found it:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (2 Cor 11:23-29, NIV)

Adventure comes with a cost; it demands as its price our comfort. The local church is a safe, nurturing place for a reason: there are a lot of hurting people who need that environment. To the rest of us God extends an invitation to come and follow him wherever that may lead.

That's where the real adventure begins.