Located roughly 4000 miles below your feet is the earth’s core. A place of true mystery in many ways and one uncharted by mankind due to the immense heat and pressure surrounding it. What we do know is that this core sustains the earth’s magnetic field which is critical for our existence. 

Likewise below the surface of a man also lies a core which sustains his life in many ways. Much like the earth, the core of a man is largely unexplored and undiscovered. Because of this, it can often feel unapproachable… even uncomfortable for us to be close to. 

Jules Verne’s 1864 classic ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ remains critically acclaimed for its style and imaginative visions. The story centers on an adventurous professor who stumbles upon a manuscript in which a sixteenth-century explorer claims to have found a route to the earth’s core. The professor can’t resist the opportunity to investigate and so sets off immediately with a few men on a timeless adventure full of unknown dangers that may even perhaps unlock the secret to the origins of our existence.

Imagine for a moment, going below the earth’s surface and discovering wonders you never could have imagined existed; wonders that had the potential to change the way you lived the rest of your days.

While Vern’s writing is an obvious work of fiction; what if you were presented with an opportunity to take a journey that similarly offered you a chance to discover deep truths that could change your life – would you, like the professor, set off with little hesitation?

All of us men are on a journey

However, not all of us are necessarily going in the right direction; being the true gateway to life. Matthew 7:14 actually says that ‘…only few ever find it‘

For many of us, we have been led to believe the journey should be deeper into our mind with the destination ultimately being greater knowledge. Don’t we naturally as men, feel we always need to have all the answers. None of us wants to be the one who doesn’t understand something, comes up wrong in a debate or worst of all has to ask for help.

While knowledge is powerful – we need to be cautious we don’t get lost in this pursuit. This ‘journey’ into the mind can quickly become more like being lost in a fog. The endless opinions and theories twisting and branching off into many unknowns – with no end in sight. The deeper we go, the further we lose our true path and true self.  

Men, it’s time for a change in course. While we have been trained from a young age to gain more ‘book smarts’, the true journey we need to be on is actually away from our mind and down deeper into our heart.

For it is in our heart where we feel, where we connect, and where we truly grow. It is here where it’s ok to be the one that doesn’t have all the answers because honestly, the answers to worthless questions don’t even matter. It is here where we will discover genuine oneness with those closest to us.

For it is in our heart, we make the ultimate discovery which is far greater than mere knowledge

The discovery of Love

How to receive love and how to offer love; how to ‘do everything in love‘

Talk about uncharted waters for a man. Not only will this journey need a whole lot of courage, it will also need encouragement. You are wise to not go this journey alone. So, why not find a few good and trustworthy men… your brothers and exploration team; setting off together like the professor and his team for the adventure of a lifetime.

Let’s call it our… ‘Journey to the center of the heart’