Viggo Tarasov tried to explain to his son the error of his way. Iosef had beaten up a man, taken his car, and killed his dog. Iosef described the man as a “nobody.” His father replies: “That nobody is John Wick. He was once an associate of ours. They called him Baba Yaga…. He wasn’t exactly the Boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the Boogeyman. John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will … something you know very little about.”
Against a gang of enemies intent on destroying you, someone like John Wick would be welcomed. In a battle, you want an elite warrior by your side — a Navy Seal, a Greek Spartan, a Zulu Warrior … a Berserker!
Viggo describes three important characteristics of such warriors: focus, commitment, and will. And, unfortunately, there are too many today who, like Iosef, lack those qualities. Are you someone like that?
The Berzerker Life is all about training ourselves to be elite warriors. We want to be men dedicated to personal development. We want to be a man others can rely upon to be at their side, protecting their backs.
-
How would you describe each of theses qualities:
A. Focus B. Commitment C. Will - How can you develop these qualities in your own life?
- Who do you trust completely to "watch your back"? Why do you trust them?
THE BATTLEGROUND
Do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—
his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
A young sailor was on his first voyage. He had the task of cleaning the compass of the ship. He noticed some salt-grunge along the edge of the glass covering. Wanting to do an exceptional job, he took his knife and ran it along that edge, scraping out the crud. What he didn’t notice was that a small piece from the tip of the knife broke off and wedged into the compass housing. As a result, the magnetic compass was slightly off. That slight difference resulted in the ship being off course. It missed the port to which they were sailing.
Your mind sets the course of your life: it’s your compass! From your mind comes your dreams and desires, your goals and priorities. In your mind, you determine how you will act, what you will do, how you will live, what you will be.
Of course, the world — the people around us — want you to conform to their way of thinking. This is a hivemind. Everyone is the same in their thoughts, values, and actions, like bees in their hive.
We don’t want to be conformed. We reject the world and its lies. We refuse to be in lock-step with others. We will not be cookie-cutter people. A song from long ago tells us:
And the people in the houses All went to the university
Where they were but in boxes And they came out all the same
And there’s doctors and lawyers And business executives
And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same.
We want to go in a different direction. We want to follow Jesus. We want to live God’s perfect will, to show what is good and pleasing to him. For that, our minds need to be renewed. The crud has to be cleaned out so we can set and follow the right course of our lives.
- How does the world seek to “conform” you to its pattern?
- How are you “transformed”?
- How will you know if you’ve been “conformed” or “transformed”?
