"The Secret of a Man's Soul"

A Look at 'Wild at Heart'

Ever wonder why you get that urge on a beautiful Friday afternoon to skip out of work and head for the cottage? Do you ever find yourself daydreaming of an adventure to give your all? What about the first hour after watching Rocky or Braveheart? Do you feel the need to spar with someone or fight for your people? If so, you are not alone. John Eldredge has taken the time to define true Godly masculinity and to uncover the 'Wild Heart' of man.

It starts with an invitation from God Himself. God has given us this masculine heart, and with it the invitation to live out what He meant us to be. John gets right into it by listing three desires written so deeply in his heart and the hearts of every man that to ignore them would be a loss of soul. These desires are undeniable, however buried or forgotten they may be.

The first desire is 'A Battle to Fight.' Of course we can all recall our first boyhood attempt at war! The setting; two back yards. The frontline: a five foot wooden privacy fence. The weapons of choice: a bazooka or machine gun. John touches on a very controversial subject here which many parents stand divided on. My suggestion would have to be to choose your side carefully. Regardless of your stance on children and guns, you find yourself remembering the adrenaline rush that you yourself had when conquering the wooden fence and overtaking enemy territory. At the time it was just another day of fun with the gang from the neighbourhood, but at its core it was a God instilled desire of the masculine heart. Today's culture has since stripped us men of that desire. We have buried it under our safe, low risk life styles as modern men.

Secondly, we have 'An Adventure to Live.' Think back to my opening paragraph on that Friday afternoon trip to the cottage. You are automatically filled with a desire to conquer the wilderness frontier, to live off the land, spending your time fishing and hiking, living out any number of adventures. Still not sure if you agree? Just look at the success of major action motion pictures like 'Braveheart', 'Legends of the Fall', and 'Saving Private Ryan'. The huge box office numbers that these films produce are because of the desire in a man's heart for an adventure to live. John states: "If a man has lost this desire, says he doesn't want it, that's only because he doesn't know he has what it takes, believes he will fail the test. And so he decides it's better not to try."

The third, but definitely not the last desire is 'A Beauty to Rescue.' "There is nothing so inspiring to a man as a beautiful woman." Again, we can all recall our childhood days and remember that first time we kissed a girl. Remember that burst of excitement and that chill that ran down your spine? A man does not need a battle to fight alone.


He needs someone to fight for... ---->