There is something special about a group of men getting together to have fun, seek the heart of God, and to sharpen one another. Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. [Prov 27:17] That is what happened on an isolated 1,500 acre ranch in Oklahoma last weekend. Men came together to sharpen one another.
There was plenty of laughter, practical jokes, friendly competition and men who were seeking the heart of God the Father. Nearly seventy pounds of brisket was consumed along with multiple pounds of pinto beans and fifteen pounds of smoked sausage. My waistline feels it. Large mouth bass were easy pickings for those skilled anglers (except for me- I did not catch one fish the whole weekend) A few caught some weighing in over eight pounds. My hat goes off to the winning team of Ben Sanders and Troy Chatham. One man spent the night on the roof while several others slept on cots outdoors, one slept in his truck, and others made little nests wherever they could find inside the house.
Men sang songs of praise and worshipped. Men competed in a game requiring mental precision, physical stamina, and overcoming obstacles. Men drifted off one by one into the great outdoors to meet with the Creator of the universe with Bibles in their hands in private and profound ways. This is just a sample of what Man Camp is all about.
We laugh when we advertise this each year because we call it a weekend of “meat, men, and ministry.” I am talking about real men huddling up to commune with God and cultivate deeper relationships with other men. Marines, Navy men, Vietnam veterans, business men, college students, college basketball and football athletes, fire fighters, E.M.T.’s, law enforcement officers, mechanics, electricians, and ranchers. I am talking about real men seeking a real God.
Man Camp has become more than a weekend retreat. Real men discuss the hard issues of life. One man stood and proclaimed that it was a year ago he asked the Lord to deliver him from tobacco and he has stood strong a year later not having a single dip. It was at Man Camp that many men formed a pact with one another to help each other in the struggle against lust, doubts, drifting away from God, and to reach other men.
When men are younger we have the fellowship of sports, FFA, and fraternities to keep us bonded. You can see it in young boys at an early age as they begin to group up to play some pick up sport of some type. There is a bonding that takes place on the athletic fields as well as the battle fields as men learn to depend on one another in competition or in war. Few ever say it but the message is clear, men need other men in their life. Whether it be at a weekend retreat or sitting around the coffee table at the local café, men need other men. We need more than just an acquaintance with the men we go to church we with. We need a bonding like David had with Jonathan when the scriptures says their souls were knit together.
Every man needs other men to come along side him to sharpen him for the journey of life. Little boys need fathers or father figures to encourage them and cheer them on their journey toward authentic man hood. Young men need the wisdom of older men who have been around the block a time or two. Middle aged men need the seasoned senior men to come along side them and help them to navigate life’s disappointments and mid life crisis while senior men need to be around young men who are dreaming God’s dreams so senior men will finish strong and not coast toward the finish line. Men need other men to sharpen them.
I am grateful for a band of brothers God has put in my life. From way back in my past I am grateful for a legend true to life cowboy named David (though I affectionately called him “Dad”) from a little town most have never heard of. He taught me emotional toughness and reminded me of the old Vince Lombardi saying that, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” He modeled hard work, a generous and giving heart, and a never say quit or can’t attitude in spite of droughts, financial set backs, drops in the cattle market, horse injuries, broken down trucks, tractors, and house repairs. His attitude never fell into despair. He still is a legend in my book.
I am grateful for a group of men who took me under their wings in the early years of my ministry. They did most of the work and I did the praying and the preaching and through it all we saw God do extraordinary things. Dozens were baptized, I learned about prayer, evangelism, church growth, and perseverance through the tough times. We were all too young to know how special we had it until each of us moved away from Weatherford, TX in pursuit of other things. Those guys had and still have my back. They are my friends, my brothers. We have laughed together until our sides hurt. We have eaten our share of fatted calves over the years and we have shed a few tears together along the way as well. Those brothers are as near my heart today as they were back in the old days at Spring Creek. I could never have done it by myself and even today I look forward to the time that I get to spend with those brothers. You guys made Spring Creek a success. I was just a young preacher who was blessed beyond what I even imagine. I miss you guys and have often asked the Lord to bring us all back together again to do ministry.
I am most grateful for a slew of brothers and young men God put in my life back in East Texas. There was and still are Nolan, Charles, Kevin, Keith, Ron, Les, Mark, Chris, Mike, Joel, and John just to mention a few. Each of those men left their mark on me in some way or other. Each of them sharpened me in my walk with the Lord and my character. Many hours I have spent sitting at their feet listening and learning. Though I am not near them geographically now, I cherish the memories of them all. Their investment in me is way too valuable to compute. I am a rich man when it comes to relationships.
There are now a new group of men I love and am learning about here in Paradise, TX. Great men. Hungry for God men. Men who have dauntless faith and are ready to follow God anywhere doing anything around this globe. These men inspire me. There are also a new crop of young men who are growing up and maturing in the Lord right before my eyes. It is a joy to get to invest in them spiritually. These men are my brothers and I cherish their friendships and it is my honor and privilege to serve as their pastor. God has indeed allowed His lines to fall for me in pleasant places.
Just as Jesus had twelve but out of that twelve He had three with whom He was extremely close, I also have what I call my inner circle. This is a sacred band of brothers I have walked many miles with, over come many trials and struggles with them holding my hands up in support like Aaron and Hur did for Moses in prayer for me. I have a small circle of those who have earned the most treasured and trusted places in my life and heart and endeared themselves in ways I could put down on paper. J.D., E.A., J.R., R.Y. D.R., D.F. You guys know who you are and how blessed I am that you are my friends through both thick and thin. I owe you guys a debt I can never repay but please know that you have sharpened me as a man, as a pastor, as an author, and a husband, as well as a father. You guys have helped me to become the man that I am today through the Lord’s work through you. I love you guys and thank the Lord for you. I pray for our opportunity and desire to keep sharpening one another until the day that we die. May each of you know the blessing of the Lord as much as I have known it by coming into relationship with each of you. You are now and will always be the men in my camp. May we fight the good fight shoulder to shoulder until our last breath. Thank you for being men who have stayed in my camp for all these years. You can count on me to stay in your in your times of need as well.
There was plenty of laughter, practical jokes, friendly competition and men who were seeking the heart of God the Father. Nearly seventy pounds of brisket was consumed along with multiple pounds of pinto beans and fifteen pounds of smoked sausage. My waistline feels it. Large mouth bass were easy pickings for those skilled anglers (except for me- I did not catch one fish the whole weekend) A few caught some weighing in over eight pounds. My hat goes off to the winning team of Ben Sanders and Troy Chatham. One man spent the night on the roof while several others slept on cots outdoors, one slept in his truck, and others made little nests wherever they could find inside the house.
Men sang songs of praise and worshipped. Men competed in a game requiring mental precision, physical stamina, and overcoming obstacles. Men drifted off one by one into the great outdoors to meet with the Creator of the universe with Bibles in their hands in private and profound ways. This is just a sample of what Man Camp is all about.
We laugh when we advertise this each year because we call it a weekend of “meat, men, and ministry.” I am talking about real men huddling up to commune with God and cultivate deeper relationships with other men. Marines, Navy men, Vietnam veterans, business men, college students, college basketball and football athletes, fire fighters, E.M.T.’s, law enforcement officers, mechanics, electricians, and ranchers. I am talking about real men seeking a real God.
Man Camp has become more than a weekend retreat. Real men discuss the hard issues of life. One man stood and proclaimed that it was a year ago he asked the Lord to deliver him from tobacco and he has stood strong a year later not having a single dip. It was at Man Camp that many men formed a pact with one another to help each other in the struggle against lust, doubts, drifting away from God, and to reach other men.
When men are younger we have the fellowship of sports, FFA, and fraternities to keep us bonded. You can see it in young boys at an early age as they begin to group up to play some pick up sport of some type. There is a bonding that takes place on the athletic fields as well as the battle fields as men learn to depend on one another in competition or in war. Few ever say it but the message is clear, men need other men in their life. Whether it be at a weekend retreat or sitting around the coffee table at the local café, men need other men. We need more than just an acquaintance with the men we go to church we with. We need a bonding like David had with Jonathan when the scriptures says their souls were knit together.
Every man needs other men to come along side him to sharpen him for the journey of life. Little boys need fathers or father figures to encourage them and cheer them on their journey toward authentic man hood. Young men need the wisdom of older men who have been around the block a time or two. Middle aged men need the seasoned senior men to come along side them and help them to navigate life’s disappointments and mid life crisis while senior men need to be around young men who are dreaming God’s dreams so senior men will finish strong and not coast toward the finish line. Men need other men to sharpen them.
I am grateful for a band of brothers God has put in my life. From way back in my past I am grateful for a legend true to life cowboy named David (though I affectionately called him “Dad”) from a little town most have never heard of. He taught me emotional toughness and reminded me of the old Vince Lombardi saying that, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” He modeled hard work, a generous and giving heart, and a never say quit or can’t attitude in spite of droughts, financial set backs, drops in the cattle market, horse injuries, broken down trucks, tractors, and house repairs. His attitude never fell into despair. He still is a legend in my book.
I am grateful for a group of men who took me under their wings in the early years of my ministry. They did most of the work and I did the praying and the preaching and through it all we saw God do extraordinary things. Dozens were baptized, I learned about prayer, evangelism, church growth, and perseverance through the tough times. We were all too young to know how special we had it until each of us moved away from Weatherford, TX in pursuit of other things. Those guys had and still have my back. They are my friends, my brothers. We have laughed together until our sides hurt. We have eaten our share of fatted calves over the years and we have shed a few tears together along the way as well. Those brothers are as near my heart today as they were back in the old days at Spring Creek. I could never have done it by myself and even today I look forward to the time that I get to spend with those brothers. You guys made Spring Creek a success. I was just a young preacher who was blessed beyond what I even imagine. I miss you guys and have often asked the Lord to bring us all back together again to do ministry.
I am most grateful for a slew of brothers and young men God put in my life back in East Texas. There was and still are Nolan, Charles, Kevin, Keith, Ron, Les, Mark, Chris, Mike, Joel, and John just to mention a few. Each of those men left their mark on me in some way or other. Each of them sharpened me in my walk with the Lord and my character. Many hours I have spent sitting at their feet listening and learning. Though I am not near them geographically now, I cherish the memories of them all. Their investment in me is way too valuable to compute. I am a rich man when it comes to relationships.
There are now a new group of men I love and am learning about here in Paradise, TX. Great men. Hungry for God men. Men who have dauntless faith and are ready to follow God anywhere doing anything around this globe. These men inspire me. There are also a new crop of young men who are growing up and maturing in the Lord right before my eyes. It is a joy to get to invest in them spiritually. These men are my brothers and I cherish their friendships and it is my honor and privilege to serve as their pastor. God has indeed allowed His lines to fall for me in pleasant places.
Just as Jesus had twelve but out of that twelve He had three with whom He was extremely close, I also have what I call my inner circle. This is a sacred band of brothers I have walked many miles with, over come many trials and struggles with them holding my hands up in support like Aaron and Hur did for Moses in prayer for me. I have a small circle of those who have earned the most treasured and trusted places in my life and heart and endeared themselves in ways I could put down on paper. J.D., E.A., J.R., R.Y. D.R., D.F. You guys know who you are and how blessed I am that you are my friends through both thick and thin. I owe you guys a debt I can never repay but please know that you have sharpened me as a man, as a pastor, as an author, and a husband, as well as a father. You guys have helped me to become the man that I am today through the Lord’s work through you. I love you guys and thank the Lord for you. I pray for our opportunity and desire to keep sharpening one another until the day that we die. May each of you know the blessing of the Lord as much as I have known it by coming into relationship with each of you. You are now and will always be the men in my camp. May we fight the good fight shoulder to shoulder until our last breath. Thank you for being men who have stayed in my camp for all these years. You can count on me to stay in your in your times of need as well.
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