Encountering God on the skirts of a Legendary Volcano

For 4 days, a company of leaders and friends from Guadalajara and Mexico City escaped from the urban chaos, work, and responsibilities to encounter God together on the skirts of central Mexico's legendary volcanos.  We hiked, fished, laughed, ate, ran, and sat around the fire together.  As you know, we gathered together around Christ through the 9 Boot Camp conversations.   We talked about the continued discoveries of our place in the the giant story, God's epic and it's course in central Mexico. One dear friend and leader said, “I carry with me the vision of building strong bands of brothers throughout the kingdom who know what it is to search for God and life together.  I feel full of hope, and will give my life to something like this.” 

     
We shared prayer together concerning the adventure and risk taking associated directly with our deepest desires to make Mexico something new, vibrant, and more centered in Christ.   One friend left the experience saying, “I will take the next steps in my life by courageously taking steps of action.  I will do so by writing down 12 things that I will do in response to God’s leading.   I will check off each action when it is completed so that we will know that I am following up on this...if I am walking in the direction of my God given dreams or not.”  This same brother talked about building a micro-finance organization to help the poor; he also said it was time to propose to his girlfriend, and spoke about his hunger to be a better son and friend.

 

We reminded one another of the noble commission given to us as fathers and husbands and boyfriends (there were 4 young unmarried men who joined us).  We made commitments about the kind of servants and men we want to be for those closest to us.  One father said, “I am going home and will spend more time with my son.”  Another father said, “I will be a more authentically present husband and father to my wife and daughter.  I will become a listener and be deeply attentive to them.  I will ask them frequently, ¿Cómo estás?”  Another family man said, “I will now put great emphasis on my relationship with my wife and children.  We will discover God together...I will be a better listener.”  

 

We experienced walking with God and walking with God together.  We formed a stronger band of brothers for the struggles ahead.  As one friend concluded, “I feel internal strength now, and know that I will live to grow in my spiritual life.  My self-worth, identity, security, and sufficiency will be found in the hands of God from now on.” Another one said, “I can see with greater clarity that this group of men is truly on the front lines of the kingdom of Christ in Mexico.” 

 

-James

Karel, South Africa

We had our first school W@H camp at the end of last month where we took 15 of the problem students from [a high school] in Pretoria (age 17-18) on a three day bush experience… these are bad @ss guys… 4 of them have got charges of assault against them and are awaiting trial, one was involved in Satanism and most come from broken homes… They all gave their hearts to God on this camp. 13 of the 15 have volunteered to facilitate the next camp… they are giving witness in the school one at a time… they have started a band of brothers at school… they are standing up in class speaking up against disrespect towards female teachers! Their parents are approaching us for tools and guidance… they are requesting farther son camps to heal their wounds… the teachers have experienced the hand of God in their school and there is a renewed devotion to the lord among them…

The repercussions of this have been so immense that it is impossible to measure…
We stand in awe of what God is doing in our city… and country… -

Carol

(A response to a Captivating Retreat held up in The Rockies)

What can I say? A Christian since I was 20 years old – serving, working, trudging, bearing up under the “Saintly” longsuffering of “a woman of God”, duty, obligation, tiredness, loss. If Christ came to fill us with joy, why was I so worn out and joyless? What was I missing in this? Was heaven my only hope in this life?

With that question to God ten months ago He began to lead me on a quest. A quest for the truth, I thought. But it has been a quest for so much more. The beautiful culmination (of at least this part of my story) has been that I have seen my God here in this place striding on the mountain tops, His song to me in the wind. A hidden meadow with the warmth of the sun, the rustling of the aspens, untrodden paths with an invitation from my Lover to walk off the easy path to encounter His beauty, His presence, His Whispers of longing to me. To be fearless where there has been fear… because I am not alone for My God is with me always…

It has been a long time since I felt warmth this deep in my heart. I have been breathed on by the one who gives me life. He is my All. He is my delight.

Thank you thank you than you.

Peter

I wept as I read, .

"So, put down the book for just a moment, and let this sink in: Jesus can, and wants to, heal you heart."- Waking the Dead - page 136:

 

I put the book down and let it sink in.

 

I closed my eyes (the voice came)- "Jesus can, and wants to, heal my heart."

 

I keep repeating it - "Jesus can, and wants to, heal my heart.  Jesus can... Jesus can heal my heart... He wants to heal my heart..." I keep saying the words over and over... my heart cries "Abba" The laces are undone, the latches unlocked, shields down.

 

I weep.

 

The failures and shortcomings. The lust. The moment of sexual innocence lost and the endless cycle of pain and despair; the flood of haunting memories that curse my dreams. The well-placed arrows and piercing daggers; the years of masturbation and images of women that I had scourged over. The women I had used, but deeper still, the ones that had used me.  I weep... because scoop by scoop, piece by piece, hole by hole... He is removing the guilt and extracting the pain. I want to stop (I am weeping And  my neighbors will likely soon be at my door) but I can't - I can't let go. I’m not going to stop short of... ... silence. The tears stop. The voice returns.

“It is good, it is good. It is very good” (His words only after creating Man in His image).

 

I made it through parts of Wild at Heart years ago, but the weight of sin and shame left me a casualty of war, lying wounded on the battlefield. I never believed my heart could still be good... not after years of my sinful hypocrisy and the forced outward smile. Now, here I am... God was always moving and still speaking, but now... "they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15)

I look forward to the rest of my journey with my Savior.. I am. a man fully

alive. - Peter