Of Alchemy and Wolves

It has been said that the internet is both a wealth of knowledge and a haven for stupidity. Anyone that has spent more than five minutes online can find that there is a ton of truth to that summary of the internet. At no point in human history has the pursuit of information been easier. Yet, it is so easy for the information we seek to become hidden or muddled by all of the distractions we encounter at various stages of our internet dives. It is all there for us to find if we only have the will and desire to find it. To be honest, which is one reason I decided to start this site, I have no idea if anyone will find this blog. They are a dime a dozen these days. Sure, they may be less popular than they used to be given the rise of social media. Most people barely have time to read anything more than a headline while scrolling through their feeds, so why would they make the time to read the longer thoughts of another individual. I suppose it has a lot to do with the motivations of the knowledge seeker. Are they looking to be affirmed or are they looking to actually better themselves? I am hoping to do a little bit of both with these musings. 

When I speak of hoping to affirm others, I don't mean it in the way society seems to use it today. What I really mean is this: I am just a normal guy trying to figure out how to be a better man. That is it. How is that affirming? Well, do a quick search and you will find numerous such men on the internet shooting for the same goal. Masculinity has been attacked to the point to where many men are emotionally insecure, deficient in the fine art of being men, and basically are just boys who can shave. I will quickly raise my hand to say I have resided in that crowd, even as recent as a few years ago. Then, something changed. I looked around at society and it didn't seem right. We were denying "First Things" as set forth by God in our own design. We were losing true compassion for virtue signaling. Our rights were slowly eroded away by a government who had forgotten that "We the People" give consent to them to govern. Men were becoming less like men and we were drifting towards androgyny like a train without brakes. Fast forward a few years and all of those things are just as true, but now they are taking anabolic steroids. I wanted to be part of the solution in whatever little ways I could. Thus you will find here bits of my own journey. You'll find my failures and successes. You'll find a guy who wants to be a better man for his wife, child, family, friends, community and, above all, for God. Will this become some giant movement because I write a blog? That outcome isn't likely, but I am a firm believer that we do the little things we can and allow them to add up over time. If that means take care of just what's in your immediate reach, then so be it.

Now that we've gotten through some of the "whys" of this page, let me introduce myself. My name is Brian. I am chemist by education and training. I was a minister for ten years of my life. I am not perfect, by far, and tend to be closer to the "broken" end of the spectrum than the "fixed" end more often than not. I also know that I am loved and saved by a God whose mercy and grace far exceed anything I am worthy of. I am a nobody in the grand scheme of history and I have made more mistakes than I care to truly recount, yet I am forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ and I will make no apologies for saying so. That truth is what is at the center of the concept for this blog and the center of what being a true man is for me. Before the ladies feel left out, much of what will be discussed can help with your own journey as well. I am a guy though, after all, and since I plan to keep it that way, much of what I write will be written from and for that perspective. I encourage you to hang around though, because godly men need godly women.

So why the "Alchemy Wolf?" Most people have  heard the term "alchemy" at some point in their lives and have formed some sort of image in their minds of what it looked like or means. As a chemist myself, the history of the practice is fascinating to me, but I'll spare you most of the details. The basic concept was that someone, with enough knowledge and effort, could turn any metal or combination of metals into gold. Obviously, the purpose of the endeavor was never realized, but it did unintentionally create and prove many theories about the world and how it works. I want to take this idea of "alchemy" and apply it to life today. Specifically, a life of becoming a better man. The true idea of alchemy is taking one substance and with heat, pressure, and experimentation, turning it into a more valuable substance. I want to apply alchemy to my life. I want to take the messy, tarnished man sitting here and writing this today and through the heat and pressure of change, make myself more useful and valuable to service for God, my family, and my community. 

Wolves are another thing that people tend to have an image of. It's either this majestic vision of a wolf with snow blowing into it's face on top of a mountain, or it's one of the wolf stealing chickens. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by wolves. Their intellect, pack mentality, and social order is something that many of us can take lessons from. However, many times when we refer to someone as a "wolf" we are not meaning it in a flattering way. They tend to be the people we are warned not to hang around. They are conniving, selfish, vicious, and have all manner of other negative character traits. Even the Bible speaks about wolves hiding under the veneer of a sheep and that we must be watchful. But are all "wolves" (in the human sense) bad? I think we all have the ability to choose which type of wolf we will be. Will we live within our fallen nature, take advantage of others and be out for ourselves, or can we take our inner wolf to the foot of the cross and become a guardian for others and useful to the Lord? 

That's my goal. I want to take this shaggy, messy, sometimes selfish wolf and turn him into a valuable watchman for the world and Heaven alike. I invite you to take this journey with me. I can't promise that I'll write Pulitzer Prize winning pieces, but they will be honest and real. I believe its time for all of us to stand up and become the people God made us to be; it just might take standing in a fire to get there.

​Brian
Alchemy Wolf