"make it your ambition to lead a quiet life." ~ Apostle Paul

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about living in the Alaskan wilderness away from all the burdens, noise, and relentless hurry of your daily grind? The Ozzy Osbourne rock anthem seems like an apt description for the way many men feel about their lives right now.

“I'm going off the rails on a crazy train” (Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne)

The insane pace and pressure of our modern world has many of us looking to pull the eject lever, yet completely unsure how to step off of a crazy train moving at full speed. The words "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life" (1 Thessalonians 5:11) have never seemed more counter-cultural, radical and inconceivable. Like a rocket making its re-entry into earth’s atmosphere, the extreme heat, hypersonic speeds, and friction battling to keep you from slowing down threaten to tear your life apart at the seams in the process. Stepping off the Crazy Train will not be easy, but it is the only way to recalibrate to what Eugene Peterson once described as “the unforced rhythms of grace.” Here is Peterson’s paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-30

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Jesus

 What if this invitation could be applied to your life? Would you take the deal?

Stepping Off the Crazy Train does not mean moving into a log cabin in the Alaskan wilderness or checking into a Benedictine Monastery. As Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa is known for saying, "In a mad world, only the mad are sane." You are needed right where you are to bring sanity into a crazy world, even if it means that by being sane, you are labeled crazy! You are not alone, even Jesus’ family thought He was crazy!

“when His family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” - Mark 3:21

Will you dare to step off the crazy train even if others think you are out of your mind?

Stepping Off The Crazy Train: Loving & Leading A Counter-Cultural Life is a new IMPACT Cohort study for men who want to grow as husbands, fathers, and leaders. If you are a man seeking sanity in the pace and priorities of your life, family and career, we encourage you to join or start an IMPACT Cohort and participate in this 7 week study. Take action here.