After I returned home from Care Net’s Pro-Life Men’s Summit at Dr. Tony Evans’ church in Dallas, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, I had a chance to reflect. It was an amazing weekend, as we equipped hundreds of men to turn their pro-life passion into action.
As usual, I was inspired by Dr. Evans’ electrifying keynote address. He shared an illustration that captured the God-ordained work men have cut out for them in the pro-life movement.
He told a story of a man who drove past a barn and saw several targets painted on its side.
In the middle of the bullseye of each target was a bullet hole. The man was in awe of how great a shot the owner of the barn must have been. So, one day he stopped and asked him about his perfectly accurate shooting. The owner replied, “Well, I shoot first, and then I paint targets around the bullet holes.” Dr. Evans concluded, “While it may look like someone is living with purpose, it may just be that he is a good painter.”
Isn’t that so true of life? When we only see the outward appearance, or what others decide to show us, it can seem people have it all together… that they are always hitting life’s bullseyes. But if we are living purposelessly, and then creating a phony life around the meaningless targets we are hitting, then we will miss the real target – the purpose that God has planned for us.
That is what Called and Missioned, our Pro-Life Men’s Summit, is all about. We want men to think about whether or not they are living with purpose… or if they’re content with the false “painted” life. We want those men to take the purpose that God’s given them, and help other men in their local pregnancy center or community find their God-given purpose, too.
We hope and pray the Men’s Summit bears great fruit in the years to come, as more men become engaged in the Pro Abundant Life movement in their churches, pregnancy centers, families, and communities. And, as always, I thank you for your generosity that makes events like this possible.
To learn more, visit calledandmissioned.com.