I wish to begin with a wonderful quote from the film, Selena where Abraham Quintanilla (played by Edward James Olmos) says, 

“Listen, being Mexican American is tough. Anglos jump all over if you don’t speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don’t speak Spanish perfectly. We’ve got to be twice as perfect as anybody else. Our family has been here four centuries, yet they treat us as if we just swam across the Rio Grande. I mean we got to know about John Wayne and Pedro Infante. Anglo food is too bland; yet when we go to Mexico we get the runs. Ours [homeland] is right next door – right over there. And we got to prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are; we got to prove to the Americans how American we are. It is exhausting! Man, nobody knows how tough it is to be Mexican American!”

THE TENSION

The question of "the hyphen" is of great tension in the United States. It is one that cripples some and confuses others. It is a paradox that questions a sense of belonging and relationship. But I want to be clear and concise: the issue is not primarily social injustice, but identity. Identity is the golden ticket because it gives people value and worth. The problem is that we are constantly looking for value and worth in things that will constantly fail us, most notably ourselves. 

Edward James Olmos' words in Selena are spot on, however. Personally, the tension I feel in being a Mexican-American is that I've either sold out to be successful or pursue further educational opportunities or that I want to be like the white man in my success. People can be jerks. All of the sudden, I don't know anything about the barrios because I have a degree, yet any success is because I'm a minority or as I was once told, "ethnic." English doesn't mean "better than you," raza. And gringos, English is not the official language of the United States not to mention there's no such thing as the language "Mexican." You need a Joya after you get off of the horse you bought from my cousin. 

The tension inside of the hyphen is one of identity, not success. We need to understand this clearly and quite frankly unapologetically. Diana Cardenas writes on the assimilation and acculturation: assimilation is the process of losing one's identity, worth, value, and culture for the sake of another while acculturation is the act of maintaining one's culture and learning and adopting principles from another in order to learn and grow. Regardless on whether you agree or disagree (I actually agree), the purpose of her thought process is one of identity. 

Yes, it is out of my identity as a Mexican that I love carne asadas and Negro Modelo with banda bumping in the background. And yes, it is out of my identity as an American that I enjoy coffee shops, education, and pallet wood decorations.

If the question and tension within the hyphen is one of identity and clearly our cultures (despite success and pride) are failing, then where do we go to have closure on who we are? 

OUR ANSWER

Jesus.

Jesus was an outsider; among his own people. Jesus experienced rejection, was a social rebel, didn't always play by the rules, loved the people, and then we murdered Him. The Catholic church has it right: the bloody portrayal of the crucifixion. The Protestant church understood it: we cannot save ourselves and therefore are in need of a Savior. This means that a part from Jesus Christ, we will only cause further tension to the lack of countless identities.

The entire Biblia is about a people who are unfaithful to a Savior who constantly demonstrates his faithfulness to them. Yeah, that's us, menzos.

Jesus, rather, gives us a new identity; one that despite where we come from or how we were raised is based on who He is. 

REAL ENCOURAGEMENT

Gringos, you need to learn to have parties. Everyone agrees. The language, "Mexican" doesn't exist and this isn't your country, but ours. And social injustice is real, not just something poor people do to get attention. Dia de los Muertos is very real, not an excuse to look cute with vibrant colors. People died, yo. 

Raza, you need to learn to shut up sometimes. You're not fooling anyone when you drink coffee from Starbucks but scream that you're from La Balboa. I would much rather you embrace your low-rider, bumpin' 2-Pac while proudly sipping on your black coffee with 8 sugars. Ya. Callate. 

At the end of the day, amigos, let us turn to Jesus where there is reconciliation and restoration for our cultures and differences. The joy that is found in Jesus is that we're different. It is out of the person and work of Christ that we have identity and our differences are actually what make up the church (a people)! Let us not be ignorant to one another, but burden for one another for the sake of bringing more glory to our Savior; the real immigrant. 

At the end of the movie, The Replacements, Gene Hackman says that the men on the football team go to live what every athlete dreams for: a second chance. I don't know any dude who isn't looking for a second chance. There's a reason high school "glory days" exist, many wish they could do it all over again- differently. 

For the most part, men have endless pursuits or love the TV a little too much because they either don’t want to make the same mistake twice so others don’t think wrongly of them or have simply given up. To many, it’s never enough while others will settle for the Star Wars bed sheets. But what if we had the opportunity to start new?

What would you do if you were given that opportunity? 

REDEMPTION

The Bible gives one of the most impactful messages to men: redemption. Redemption is a beautiful second chance, the kind with no strings attached. It’s the kind of chance that doesn’t remind you of what you did or didn’t do the last time, but an opportunity to be redeemed; to no longer exist in the mistakes you committed; to no longer be driven by a motivation that has an underlying foundation of fear; to exist as what you were created for: worship.  

In redemption, we are new not because of what we did or haven’t done, but because of the person and work of Christ Jesus. We are Christ’s workmanship which means that when He created us, we were given purpose; clear and intentional purpose (Ephesians 2:10). Redemption gives you identity.

Men, in our pursuit of Christ, redemption is the second chance. And the first thing you’re given with that second chance is an identity, a clear understanding of who you are because of who Christ is.REDEMPTION

I can remember watching the first Avengers movie with my son and a scene that stuck with me was when S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson tells Loki that he will fail in his pursuits because he lacks conviction. Soon after, we see Loki grow angry and just as he’s going to make his point, is shot.

At the end of 2015, my son and I went to go watch the new Star Wars movie and I was stoked because I can be a nerd. In a scene where Kylo Ren hears disturbing news about his men not being able to catch some of the resistance, he becomes enraged and destroys an entire room with his light-saber.

Here’s my point: both characters throw fits; giant adult-sized fits.

Superhero movies have a great iron as the good guy has conviction and a broken past and while they struggle, they move forward in their convictions to save the day. Men, today, lack conviction. Conviction is a firmly held belief that requires action and that seems to be something of the past unfortunately.

ADVANCING THROUGH CONVICTION

The Bible is full of men who were real, had a crazy background, yet held convictions. In fact, one of the central themes in the Bible is that God chooses ordinary men and does extraordinary things through them to further the advance of His kingdom.

The Lord calls the drunk, the adulterer, the proud, and the weak and does a mighty work through them (fully knowing they’ll jack up) and gives men two big roles: fulfillment and responsibility.

If we look to Adam, Noah, and Abraham we see that in addition to a family, God gives them jobs. And as quickly as they’re blessed, they fail. However, in their failure, we see God covering them in grace and reassuring them of their faith and call as men.

These men were counted as righteous, not because they were awesome but because of their relationship (what we covered last week) with God and their conviction. Superheros are no longer on the big screen, but sit at at the dinner table; innovate and advance; cultivate and create; work and strive.

My prayer is that we stop looking to fictional characters for hope and look toward the One who’s given us a purpose through real men who went before us, failed like us, and helped advance the Gospel of Christ for the sake of His glory and not their own.

Men, conviction is a belief that requires action not passivity.

There is an epidemic going around. It’s contagious and attractive. We have a man problem where men are lacking in the everyday: family, work, and culture. Currently, we have so many boys walking around with a lost identity of manhood that it’s causing more harm than good despite innovations and advances in technologies, degrees earned, jobs obtained, and marriages celebrated.

Over 90% of crimes are committed by men; the divorce rate in marriages are exponential; adolescence is a prolonged (and encouraged) pastime stretching from the ages of 18 to early 30’s. 

Where did we go wrong? Is Manhood simply something that once was and it no longer applies to who we are today?

In this first installment, we place ourselves at the beginning: creation and identity.

CREATION

In Genesis 1:27, God said “Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” The word image means “to be like; to resemble.” Man was created so that he would represent and glorify the One who created him in addition to carrying the responsibility given to Him (Genesis 2:15).

Simply, God hooked man (Adam) up with a job and a beautiful wife (Eve); calling him to cultivate the land and to be fruitful with his wife. Then, something happened. Man sinned. While Eve may have been the one who first ate of the forbidden fruit, it was Adam (who was was next to her) that dropped the ball by doing nothing to protect his wife. The lack of action by Adam would have implications for generations upon generations.

As our culture and technology continually evolve, the amount of ideologies and thoughts on what it means to be a man become further lost. What does is mean to be a man?  

We have boys who are  graduating college, starting a family, sleeping around, or obtaining loads of power and believe it is efforts like these that define men and while many of these aspirations (including several others) are not necessarily bad, they are not what make men. Rather, it is our relationship with the Lord that make men, gives purpose, and most importantly identity. 

IDENTITY

Before getting hooked up, man was first called into a relationship with God. At the centerpiece of creation, God was extremely intentional about having a relationship because it would be the driving force behind what it meant to be made in God’s image!

Our identity as men can only be found in the person and work of Jesus; understanding this will bring relationship, clarity, and acceptance. Acceptance is one of the biggest driving factors behind the decisions being made by boys today. The problem behind boys seeking acceptance is that it will ever be enough.

Let us look to the One who is enough; the One who restores us back to the Father. Men, we do not have time for excuses any more and we must take responsibility for our actions- up front and not passively. You don’t have to be alone, but you do have to step up.

It has almost been four weeks since the passing of my friend's son, Dylan. These past several weeks have kept my wife and I on high alert so that we could best serve Victoria (Dylan's mom) and her family, encourage and grieve together, and handle our daily responsibilities. Recently, I have been given the opportunity to reflect on this season and the best way to summarize everything is by making much of community and God's sovereignty. 

While Dylan's passing was tragic and hundreds of thousands of people were impacted by his life and condition, as I look back I can clearly see God at work in the lives of Dylan's friends and family and in His own people. In fact, I believe that because of Victoria's faithfulness, the Lord chose to not only save Dylan and bring him to Himself, but also use Dylan in order to reveal Himself to hundreds, two specifically. 

C O M M U N I T Y 

Almost a month before Dylan's accident, Victoria came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at a Women's Retreat. Throughout this time, Victoria had been in community with other women and hearing more about the gospel when it all clicked. Victoria submitted her to life to the Risen King and almost immediately became a missionary mom to Dylan.

Then, tragedy struck as Dylan suffered an accident that resulted in the Lord calling him home. I wept with Victoria, with my family, and in solitude over Dylan's passing. However, I needed to look at what God was doing in the midst of all of this to find some comfort.

While Dylan was in the hospital in addition to the time after his funeral service, I saw the church come together in radical prayer, support, and care in a way that I had never seen before. People were setting their schedules and work aside to minister to Victoria's family in tears, service, and comfort. I saw the church reflect compassion in its truest form: a time of suffering.

I saw the community group my wife and I lead step up in a way that brings me to tears. Our house was cared for while we were out of town, people stepped in and led on Friday nights and put in extra hours on Sunday and during the week to make sure things were taken care of. And no matter the hour or need, I saw our group step in to serve. 

It was an outer working of discipleship; giving their lives to Victoria because her and her family had become dear to them (1 Thessalonians 2:8). It was an overflow of compassion by weeping alongside of Victoria (Romans 12:15). It was God's absolute sovereignty because Victoria's daughter and her boyfriend experienced a care that was honorable, genuine, and compassionate from a people that were reminded that they were God's people and had received mercy (1 Peter 2:10-12). 

The Donate Life flag outside of Driscoll's Children's Hospital. Dylan impacted 100 other kids' lives through his donation.

Dylan (in the paintball mask) at Seth's Nerf War party last year.

The Legacy Wall: The numerous kids who donated their organs (including Dylan) to save others kids in need of life.

Tons of cars! Our community group convoy after helping move Victoria's belongings while she stayed with family.

H I S • S O V E R E I G N T Y 

I know I turned into a preacher on that last paragraph, but if you would allow me to continue. This is the paramount to my observation! As our community, the church loved Victoria's family through Dylan's accident, God was at work in the lives of Victoria's daughter, Bethany and her boyfriend, Mando. 

Two months ago, these two individuals did not know who Jesus was and now have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus! And while I really wish Dylan was here because I miss his questions, I can see the work that Jesus was doing through Dylan to rescue his big sister. I knew that Dylan's loss would be a giant ripple effect in the lives of many; a ripple we can trace all the way back to Victoria being faithful, even while young in the faith. In His sovereignty Jesus would save Victoria to save Dylan in order to use Dylan to save Bethany, Mando, and for hundreds of people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

WHAT!? 

I miss Dylan. He was such a joy to me and my family. I cannot wait to see him one day so we can talk about the sports I don't know and play X-Box.

I do not know why Jesus chose to call Dylan home so soon, but I do know that (1) if Dylan had a choice, he wouldn't want to come back and (2) I know that Christ is sovereign even when we don't understand and by seeing and getting to be a part of these evidences of grace, I can embrace His sovereignty in order to keep moving forward in faith; in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.