I’ve heard it said that there are two things you should never watch being made: laws and sausage. Well, here at Koinonia, we don’t believe in secret sausage making (article 17.3 of statement of faith). And so, with deepest apologies to those of a more kosher disposition, the men of Koinonia enjoyed a dinner last weekend replete with pork sausage to our heart’s content. But this wasn’t just any old pork sausage, it was sausage made specially by Paul Fioravanti for this event. And yes, I got to see how the sausage was made.
The morning of the meal, I walked over to Paul’s house to help him make the sausage, having heard only horror stories of said process. In his food prep area, I found that he had purchased 10 pork butts from a local butcher, had minced them all himself, and now needed me to help him feed the minced pork butt through the sausage maker (which was something out of a 1950’s Sears catalog). Not only that, but he was also slow cooking stew using the bones from the pork and his own house made wine. Needless to say, it was quite the experience. And through it, I was able to overcome a deep spiritual stronghold in my life of chronic Loukaniko-phobia (just look it up).
But sausage-making wasn’t the only spiritual issue addressed that night. Nearly 70 guys gathered in the Agape hall. Every age group and demographic represented. The worship team ranged in age from 13-76 years old. Whether we liked it or not, we were forced to sit shoulder to shoulder with the person next to us, and conversation ensued at every table (…talk about addressing strongholds for men!) So much chatting ensued that we were concerned that this was starting to look like a ladies dinner!
And then Michael Brown stood up to address us. He spoke on “The Making of a Man of God”. He began with the Scripture, which stirred our hearts and reminded us of our unique call as men in the kingdom of God. Then, he opened up about his own life: his victories and struggles with being a man at home and being a man in the local church. We learned that Mr. Brown may or may not have been bamboozled by a certain auto repair shop that shall remain nameless. Which added financial and emotional stress to his life. But he shared how those are the moments when our true “manhood” is tested.
Will we continue to live selflessly? Will we continue to lead faithfully? Or will we respond with insecurity and, in so doing, corrupt the Biblical mandate we have as men in the home and in the local church? And he didn’t finish without giving us numerous practical ways to live out our manhood both in our homes and in the local church. I can confidently say that we walked away being “filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Biblical manhood might not be easy, but it certainly is no secret! Oh, and neither is sausage making.