Course Corrections for #Purity,,,Keeping it Between the Lines

I am using a driving metaphor when I say "keeping it between the lines".When we drive a car, we are constantly making little corrections to our speed and direction to keep the vehicle between the lines on the road. Those little course corrections keep us going in the direction we want to be going at a safe pace.

When we travel, we forget to make those little course corrections. After all, we REALLY don't have accountability when we are on the road. So a few failed course corrections can have some serious implications.

Some examples of failed course corrections:

1. An extra drink at the bar with the guys. Normally you wouldn't do that, but since you are on the road, nobody will care...right?
2. A friendly smile to a girl in the bar (or in the elevator or wherever). Again, this is not the norm, but you are just being nice and friendly....right?
3. Checking out the titles of the adult movies on the hotel TV. Would you do that if your wife was sitting on the bed next to you?
4. Firing up the laptop "to check on a few things". How often does that lead you to a website that you told yourself you were not going to go to? Alot, I bet.
5. Ordering a huge meal (and eating it all)when you are trying to lose weight. Is it just a way to fill the loneliness?
6. A physical touch (innocent, of course) with a female in the office/location you are visiting while away from home. Your a long way from home and nobody will ever know...right?
7. Lying to your wife about where you have been and what you have done....she wouldn't understand the truth anyway, would she?

We as men screw up. We are good at messing up. It seems to just come naturally. It is especially easy to mess up when we are away from home and alone. Add to this the fact that we as men really don't have deep friendships with other men that can help us through temptation.

If this sounds familiar to you and you really want help in making small course corrections, send me an email...info@travelingmanministry.com

Temptations while traveling

The blog gets alot of hits from web searches asking about #temptations while traveling. I think people are starting to realize how serious a problem this is. The temptations a man faces when he is away from home are very real and can destroy a marriage. The temptations can come in many forms -- something simple like watching network TV (i.e Dancing with the Stars), to a little deeper like a hotel room with HBO or Cinemax, to the extreme like pay per view movies.

The goal of TMM is to help guys stay pure while they are away from home. Pure can come in many forms - sexually pure, alcohol pure, gambling pure...you get the idea. 

A man must be continually on guard to defend himself from these temptations. One slip up can lead to disaster on the purity front. Stay strong and  do not let the enemy in!

Double life

Another example of #doublelife hit the news recently. The governor of California has revealed he has a 10 year old secret child. Here is a man that gave the appearance of a faithful man. There were some indications of problems earlier when he was accused of groping women while he was acting in films.

A secret life of a man who is on the go, on the road, and been married for 20+ years does not surprise me. Men who travel sometimes operate under a 2nd set of rules that only apply when away from home. There is an extremely high level of porn addiction, gambling problems, alcohol
Abuse, and infidelity. Men who lead a sinful life while away can come home and integrate back into their families for the few days they are home, always anticipating the next trip away.

So the governor's secret affair and secret child comes as no surprise. I do believe this marriage can be saved, as I do believe that with 90% of marriage issues. The question is (as it usually is) are they willing to do the work that many have opted not to do. Are they willing to allow Christ to heal and restore?

What are your thoughts on the issues that traveling men face?