Men on Fire by Stephen Mansfield

Author:Stephen Mansfield
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Living / Men;Men (Christian theology);REL012060;REL012120;REL012000
ISBN: 9781493423361
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

The Free Fire Zone

The very heart of what you want with a core of men around you is what I call a Free Fire Zone. No, I didn’t invent this phrase. You may know that this is language used in the military. It has to do with the conditions that govern how freely men in battle can fire at an enemy.

I’m not using these words in quite the same way. I use the phrase Free Fire Zone to describe a condition among a band of men in which anything that needs to be said to make any one of them better will be said. It is a state in which a group of men have agreed that they are committed to each other’s good and that they will address anything that needs to be addressed in a man’s life to help him be his best.

Not only will these men speak to the issues in a man’s life but they will then join him in his fight. They will coach him if they can. They will get him coaching if they can’t. They will pray for him, hold him accountable, and cheer him on until victory is achieved.

This Free Fire Zone is agreed to by men who love each other, enjoy being with each other, and have fun and rowdy times together but also keep an eye on each other to help each man be all he is meant to be. This privilege of addressing any matter is never abused. It is never used to hurt a man or to allow anyone to feel superior. It is used sparingly, gently, wisely, compassionately, and encouragingly.

Though I describe men being in for the long haul with a man’s problems, most of the matters confronted by a band of brothers are quickly dealt with when someone simply has the courage to step up. It doesn’t take much at all to deal with a man’s rudeness to his wife or foul language or lateness or laziness. It might take longer to help him with his grammar or his wound from his childhood or his weak fathering. Yet even these start getting better when someone just has the boldness to speak.

I don’t mind telling you what men have dealt with in my life so you can see how this works. In my adult years, I have had my band of men talk to me about my impatience, about my anger toward another man, about my harshness during an appearance on CNN, about being too much of an introvert, about my workouts and weight, about pride, and about how much I was on the road and away from home.

My guys also check on me from time to time, just as I do them. I happen to like Oreos. A lot! It has become a code word among my guys. When I’m traveling, one of them is certain to work into a phone conversation, “How are you doing with the Oreos?” He isn’t really concerned that I am somewhere eating thousands of Oreos.

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