Manpurse Slingshot

December 11 2010, 9:15 am | Blake Hudspeth

Things that are “in” right now: silly bands, being “green”, Tom’s shoes, wearing black rimmed glasses (regardless of ocular necessity), skinny jeans, skinny jeans rolled up to become capris (or what I call “Manpris”©), wearing scarves in the summer, and whatever song Katy Perry decides to come out with this week (spoiler alert: it’ll have gross lyrics, and be stuck in your head for a month).

Things that are “out” right now: beanie babies, jeans that don’t cut off blood circulation to your feet, flip phones, wearing scarves in the summer (by the time you had gotten to “Katy Perry decides”, they went out…I hope you kept your Buckle receipt), and the XFL (google it, it’s real).

One thing, however, will never go out of style: the Manpurse.  GQ and Vogue might try to spin it as the “European Carry All”, but we all know what it really is.  A purse, for dudes.  Indiana Jones rocked one in all of his movies.  I keep a laptop and a few books in mine.  They’ve been around for thousands of years. 

In the book of 1st Samuel, a young guy named David, who would soon be king of Israel, had a Manpurse (GQ called it a “shepherd’s pouch” back then).  One day he got fed up with a Philistine giant named Goliath who wouldn’t stop blaspheming the name of GOD.  Everyone else in Israel was terrified of Goliath, but David knew two things: GOD was with him, and he was good with a slingshot. He told King Saul that he’d fight for Israel against the giant and GOD would deliver him. 

At the request of Saul, David reluctantly tried on the king’s armor in order to fight Goliath “like a true warrior”, but he wasn’t fit for Saul’s armor.  His gifts were not with a sword and shield, but with a slingshot.  It wasn’t the conventional way to fight, but it was David’s gift.  So, he took 5 stones from a brook, stuck them in his Manpurse, ran toward the battle line with his slingshot and GOD used him to destroy the man who was oppressing Israel. 

As a young leader and pastor, I find a TON of encouragement in that story.  GOD shows me over and over again in His Word that I don’t have to be a “seasoned warrior” to slay the giant.  I don’t have to be able to wear the armor and wield the sword.  The same Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in me (Romans 8:11) and He equips me for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

That’s how I want my life and ministry to be marked; to know that GOD is with me and all I need is the gifts He’s given me.  Then, with my Manpurse and Slingshot, I can chunk stones into the face of giants.  

What’s your “Manpurse” and “Slingshot”?

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