The Frog in the
Kettle
July 15, 2002
The story of the frog in the kettle blew my mind
the fist time I heard it. In case you're unfamiliar with it, the
story involves a frog that a researcher placed in a kettle of
water. Curious as to how long the frog would remain in the water
if he slowly heated it, the researcher placed the kettle, with
the frog in it, over a low fire on a stove. Rather than leap
out, which the frog could have done at any time, it swam lazily
around the increasingly warm water. Amazingly, at least it was
amazing to the researcher, the contented frog died in the
boiling water. Apparently, the water changed temperature so
slowly the frog never noticed--he just fell asleep.
While that experiment would no doubt enrage
amphibian rights activists, it also communicates a powerful
warning. Like that contented frog, we live in a culture that
poses a danger to our spiritual lives and that of our families.
Yet, rather than seeking safety, we often become passive and
indifferent.
We've become like the smallest kid on the block
who lets the neighborhood bully push him around. It may be you
disagree. You may say, "Hey, nobody pushes me around!" Or,
"What's true of the culture in general, isn't true of Christian
men."
If so, I'd challenge you to reconsider. Over a
four month period of time I personally interviewed over 400
Christian men from across the United States. The vast majority
told me they do not pray or read their Bible on a daily basis.
When asked why, most responded by saying something like, "I'm
just too busy." Or, "I'm so tired at the end of the day that
when I get home I just want to crash--or, recreate."
In other words, they've bought into a cultural
value that places work and recreation above all else. And where
does God fit in? He fits in somewhere below work and play. He
fits into the slot that's available when a man has excess time
or energy.
A second area where Christian men are being pistol
whipped by our culture is in the area of sexual purity. Like a
mugger in a dark alley, the Internet took a lot of believers by
surprise. Men, who would never sneak into an adult video store
or visit a gentleman's club, even in disguise, found erotic
images staring at them from their computer monitor. And who
would know if they take an occasional peek? The Internet is the
ideal conduit for pornography. It's inexpensive, voluminous, and
secretive.
I believe it's time we recognize the water is
approaching the boiling point and get out. I don't mean get out
of our culture, that's not possible. I mean abandon the
distorted values of our culture that cause us to think and act
as though there is no God. I mean lock arms with other followers
of Christ in a movement of men who say: "I will be bullied no
more!
I mean make the kinds of lifestyle choices
that enable us to live pure lives as we daily meet with God.
You see, I'm convinced revival will come to our land. But I'm
equally convinced it will come one man, one day at a time. The
question is--will you be that man and lock arms with other men
of like mind?
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