PREVENTING LOVED ONES FROM BOOTCAMP RELAPSE!

Well it's that time again.  The trees are decked out in their finest fall foliage; Halloween decorations crowd store aisles and mailboxes are filling up with Christmas magazines and charity appeals.  What happened to Thanksgiving?  Did it get lost in the commercialism fray?  Did the rest of the world forget?

I didn't and I'm starting my Thanksgiving praises early because this is also the time that my home church celebrates Family and Friends.   All year we've been studying God's principles for a Biblical family through skillful living.  This encompasses godly male leadership; wise and nurturing females; influential singles, and children spiritually equipped to survive in this sin-drenched world!  

We had a Marriage Bootcamp in February.  A Boys and Girls Bootcamp in June.  A Kingdom Woman Rally in August and now men of all ages are starting their second week of Small Change, Big Impact  Men's Bootcamp.  It's their ninth year and we're praising God for those who are truly allowing God to transform them from the inside out!

The church parking lot is full every morning!  The sanctuary still simmering on Sunday after week long powerful preaching and teaching.  And no doubt your man will have that Bootcamp Swagger for at least a month after graduation.  But what then? What  if you're not yet seeing any long-lasting change? 

This blog is for the wives, mothers, siblings, and significant others who are still waiting. Here's a few things we can do to keep that spiritual fire going!
  
Just think of the acrostic B.O.O.T.C.A.M.P. 

B - Believe in your loved one's potential (Phil. 1:6; I Tim. 3:4) There's a hero in there somewhere. 
       We've just got to help bring it out.  Every man wants the respect and admiration of his family.
       They often stumble over the appropriate way to get it, but deep down they crave it, so be his 
       biggest cheerleader.  Show him that you've got his back no matter what!

O - Overcome disappointments with faith not resentment (2 Tim. 2:24-26; Heb. 12:12-15)
       Get real! Change doesn't always come overnight--not saying it can't but God's timing is always
       best.  Have a little patience. How long did it take you to get things figured out? Hasn't God been
      long suffering with you?

O - Obey Scripture no matter what, so respond appropriately (Ps. 119:33-36; 66; 105)
     At the end of the day, no matter what you do or how hard you pray, if you're not doing it according    
     to scripture, you're wasting your time.  God must get the glory!

T- Thank God (I Thess 5:18). Thank God he went to Bootcamp so many don't! Thank the one who   
      encouraged him.  Thank God that he's hearing the Word and is in the fellowship of godly men.
     Thank God for what you don't see yet but the promise that it's coming. Always give thanks!

C- Carve out time daily to encourage him, even when bootcamp is over (Heb. 3:12-13; 2 Tim 1:6)
       Everyone needs encouragement when they're down, doubtful, or dismayed. Write a note, say 
      something positive. Simply say, I'm proud of you.  It will go a long, long way!

A- Hold him accountable without nagging ( Prov. 27:15-16; Rom. 14:10-12).  Save your breathe!
     Nagging gets you no where and only cuts off communication.  Stubborn men dig in 
    deeper when nagged!  Here are some of the principles our men go over at bootcamp: 'Man up and
    bow down'; Submit to God; Resist the Devil; Face it and God will Fix it; Draw closer to God.
    Signs are  posted all over the sanctuary...shock them by letting your man know you're paying   
    attention!

M -Model the behavior you want to see (I Peter  1:15-16;  I Peter 3:1; Gal. 5:22) Your loved one 
       won't always hear what you say or even acknowledge what you do in a positive way, but don't
       give up.  Don't let the Enemy use "you" as an excuse not to do what God has told him to do. 

P-  Praise and Pray without ceasing (I Thess. 5:17, Matt. 7:7) Nothing gets accomplished in God's 
      people or God's kingdom without fervent prayer so never stop.   Keep your eyes on Jesus and
     never give up. 

Take a moment to look at the picture above.  See the words engraved on the rocks?  Focus, Renewal, Forgiveness, Love, Hope, Faith, and Balance.  That's what it's going to take to Save our Families, our marriages, and our children against a common Enemy.  Don't be guilty of Bootcamp Relapse.  Go back and re-read the scriptures.  Practice them with your spouse, children and others.  TOGETHER WE REALLY CAN GET THROUGH THIS!!

Until Next Time!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT THE BIBLE!!

I spent the day with my only grandson this past week.  He's a pretty cool eleven year old if I have to say so myself.  He's a thinker  by nature and full of questions.  But like many of our children I find that he's getting exposed early to things that I didn't even care about when I was his age. Already we've had deep conversations about Area 57 and the possibility of life on other planets, Hawking's Black Hole theory and Quantum physics.  If you haven't guessed yet...he's into science!

Since quite a few scientists are also atheists, I've been keeping my eyes and ears open to make sure that he's getting a good diet of bible truth as well.  While he's busy quizzing me on science, I'm dropping in the Word of God at every opportunity! That's why I thought he might enjoy a  movie as one of our outings. I wanted to get his take on one just hitting the theater this month, Left Behind.  We both found it interesting and entertaining but for a bible-based movie it had very little bible in it!  (The first one starring Kirk Cameron was much better).

I know you've noticed the trend..Hollywood has discovered that Christians love movies about their faith!  Yep!  Now there's  something for both the sinner and the saint and we're making them billion of dollars at the box office.  Already there's one coming out about Moses, based on the Book of Exodus. By spring we'll have another called, Wayward, a modern day Prodigal son.

I'm not hating on the movie industry. It is good to see something beside sex and violence and deviant behavior.  It is entertaining for sure.  But could they at least try to make it look like the bible!  Did you see the movie, Noah?  I must admit, I didn't.  But even my grandson said it was confusing!  
However there are some true faith-based offerings:  God's Not Dead!; Courageous, Soul Surfer, and Fireproof are examples.  But I left Heaven is For Real, thinking...Are YOU For Real???  

Okay, let me see your hands...how many of you still believe that Tyler Perry's movies are faith-based and teach Christian values???  So glad I can't FaceTime all of you!  Yet he built his now successful career with the monetary support of Christian audiences!

 Do you believe that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute as shown in The Passion of Christ and perhaps two-thirds of other movies? Everyday in the news we are inundated with pictures of people  in the Middle East.  Ethnic Jews, Syrians, Jordanians, all people of color.  Yet in most biblical movies the disciples  and others are fair-skinned with European features, especially Jesus.  

This is not racist diatribe.  Just proof that Christians ought to be able to discern fact from fiction (2 Timothy: 2:15; John 8:32).  Know what is a tool for evangelism (Romans 10:17) and what is just pure entertainment.  Even the latter must be done with care for it is easy to be swayed by another gospel (Gal. 1:6-10) or become spiritually defiled with over indulgence (Ps. 101:3a)

The  sad news is that many Christians are Bible illiterates and can't tell the difference! When witnessing we have to spend a great deal of time just getting folks to unlearn what they've seen! 

 Perhaps the next time we go to the movies before heading for the popcorn we should pause, pray and then take a moment to scan our Bibles first!!

BROKEN THINGS!!

Remember as a chid how you thought nothing of taking a treasured toy or some little cherished item with a boo boo to an adult saying,  Fix it please!  That's how I've been feeling lately, only there's no one  in this world that can actually do that!

Rarely, a day goes by that I don't hear the word broken used to describe some malfunctioning, defective or insufficient practice that comes to light during a crisis.  Our economy teeters on the brink of default every few months or so.  Terrorists easily find breaches in Homeland security.  Billions of dollars are spent each year to equip and train our law enforcement officers yet crime and violence continues to escalate!  Folks let's admit it...our world is broken!

While some take this admission as an opportunity to point fingers, when the smoke clears we can only point to one culprit--the god of this age, Satan! (2 Corinthian 4:3-4)  Don't get me wrong, I know this is October, the month when Ole Slew foot, gets enough publicity.  I'm not even overlooking man's personal responsibility by using, the Devil made me do it, excuse.  I'm just telling you whose behind all these events.

Sorry, Republicans, this is not all President Obama and the Democrats fault.  Sorry, Feminists, there is a war against women, but the Republicans aren't waging it and Hilary Clinton can't fix it.  I'm sorry too Christians.. that although prayer has been taken out of school, it shouldn't have been taken out of your home.  You can't really blame Madelyn O'Hare for the rising cost of health care or the immigration problem can you?

As is my practice, when I'm stumped for answers to questions of a global nature like the failing world systems, I go to the God's Word.  I know that part of the remedy for healing broken things is prayer.  So I revisited the Lord's Prayer in John 17.  No, I'm not confused.  I'm not talking about the Model Prayer, that begins, Our Father which art in heaven.... (Matt. 6:9-13).  I'm talking about Christ's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

It may surprise you that Jesus' concern at the time was not for this world.  In fact He specifically says in John 17:9, I pray for them (Christ followers).  I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world But for those you gave me, For they are yours by right. (Message Bible).  He goes on to say in verse 15: I do not ask you to take them out of this world but that you keep them from the Evil one. 

In another passage He warns us through the apostle John,  Love not the world neither the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the  love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15). So does this mean we shouldn't care about what's happening in the world?  Of course not!  We are still commanded to be Salt and Light (Matt. 5:13-17).  We should still vote and serve in the armed forces when called upon and pay our taxes (Romans 13:1-7).

What we should not do is put our hope for a better world in mankind! We must not believe that
somehow morality will be restored through a miraculous change of mind, or that violence will be quelled through the imprisonment of more offenders or stricter gun laws.

Here is the reality!  Satan is alive and well and these are the last days spoken of in 2 Timothy 4: 1-5,  The Days of Broken Things.  We've been in them since Christ's resurrection.  Let us not be blinded that things are going to get better they're not! But let's get busy preparing for the time when Abba Father, Our Lord comes back, destroys Satan and fixes all that is broken.  Then, there will be a new and righteous world order! (Romans 8:15; Revelation 21)

Determine to  live each day until this glorious time comes with the strength and grace He provides.  Do not fear the unknown for Christ is praying for you!  Do not strive in fruitless pursuits, endless debates and marches! And above all do not  lose hope!

"Broken Things can become Blessed Things for our good, But God Must do the Mending!"