Unicorns & Flannel

A week or so ago, I was having dinner with my boss when I made a reference to something that was very Scandinavian in nature.

"That was such a Minnesota thing," he said while he ate his slice of pizza. "What other types of Minnesota-specific things are there?"

I thought for a second. "Well, there's fishing. Ice fishing. The funny vowels in words like 'aunt'. The Red Green Show---"

"The Red Green Show is flipping amazing," he said staring me in the face. "Is it really Minnesotan?"

"It's actually a Canadian show, but there aren't many differences," I replied. We continued to talk about the Red Green Show and how awesome it is for a while when I came to this realization:
My expectations of men came from the Red Green Show.

Think about it. To me, a man is a guy who meets these criteria:
Wears flannel. Regularly.
Is hairy.
Goes fishing.
Goes ice fishing.
Spends more time in his garage or truck than in the house.
Spends more time fixing your vehicles, lawnmower, weed-whacker, leaf-blower, snow-blower, and ice fishing hutch heater than fixing your dishwasher or air conditioner.
Knows 101 uses (and counting) for the handyman secret weapon: duct tape.
If duct tape doesn't solve it, WD-40 will.
His motto is "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

Nearly every single character in Red Green meets these criteria.

No wonder Hoosiers think I'm weird. I subconsciously have these expectations which are incredibly culture based. Ahh!

A guy like that is hard to find in these parts, but so is a guy who meets Biblical standards of manliness. Bekah and I have frequently had conversations about the young men in our lives and how we feel, well, disappointed in them. Apart from SIL (which only meets during the summertime) I can only fill one hand with the young men I know who truly love the Lord and are walking in him. Sure, we know plenty of guys who claim to love Christ or claim to be good guys, but in reality they're no different. A young man who truly loves the Lord is about as scarce as a unicorn.

Where are you, young men? Are you working on becoming that Biblical male? Are you growing in the Lord and learning to love Him more? Are you asking for the Lord to give you a greater desire for Him and His Word? Are you becoming the man God wants you to be? Are you becoming the man that I need you to be?

I need you. Our country needs you. The lost need you. Future generations need you. How long will you be satisfied with less than God's best? How many more times will you pick up the remote control instead of your Bible? Brothers, a number of us have lost hope in your existence. We need you to guard us, to guide us, and to encourage us.