Weekend to Remember

Weekend to Remember is a weekend marriage conference held by FamilyLife that teaches God's design for marriage and family. The environment is fun, non-threatening, and sometimes hilarious. And it's a wonderful time for couples to refresh good marriages or heal troubled ones. There are over 150 conferences in cities all across the U.S. each year. Registration is open to individuals, couples, or groups. Whether you're engaged, newlywed, or remarried, enrich your marriage and begin a godly legacy for your family by attending a conference in a city near you.

Weekend to Remember

Ransomed Heart

I'm not sure why I've never posted this, but here's the main web site for all of John Eldredge's various books, ministries, and events. There's no doubt his stuff is inspiring. According to the website:

The story of your life is the story of the journey of your heart through a dangerous and beautiful world. It is the story of the long and sustained assault on your heart by the Enemy who knows who you could be and fears you. But it is also the story of the long and mysterious pursuit of your heart by the God who knows you truly and loves you deeply.

Check it out at:

http://www.ransomedheart.com

Unfading Beauty

For my daughter's 10 birthday, my wife and I performed a womanhood ceremony with her (we do this every 3 years for the ages 7 through 19).

We took her to Duke Gardens, a beautiful renowned garden near our home. As we walked around the gardens surrounded by beautiful flowers and landscaping, we shared with her five principles that we hope will encourage her as she continues to grow into a Godly woman.

The first principle has to do with "Unfading Beauty", how a true woman's focus is not only on her outward beauty, but on her inward beauty. Below is a copy of the actual letter we gave her. I am convinced our daughters need to hear words of encouragement from their dads.

Unfading Beauty

Turn the Light On

Lamplighter Ministries is committed to helping pastors and parents equip believers to face today's challenges through discernment of truth and the renewing of their minds. Lamplighter is doing just that by building character... one story at a time.

And to do this they are currently running a "Turn the Light On" campaign/promotion:

To encourage families to set aside time to read together, pastors will challenge their congregations to covenant to abstain, for 30 days, from all forms of media entertainment. During this 30-day period, Lamplighter will provide 5 Lamplighter books for each participating family for a third of the retail cost ($30); we are asking the church to contribute a third, and Lamplighter will contribute a third. Each contributor (family, church, Lamplighter) will be investing $30 per family. I strongly believe that the return on this investment will be a congregation with renewed passion and vitality!

Check with your pastor or children's pastor to see if your congregation can participate.

Lamplighter Publishing -- Turn the Light On

The Great Adventure...LIVE

Another Wild at Heart inspired adventure camp:

Three men who have personally experienced restoration of the heart through the ministry of John Eldredge and the Ransomed Heart Fellowship have put together an adventure for men looking to awaken and recapture those deep and true God given desires in their hearts.

All three have attended the Wild at Heart Boot Camps and Advanced Platoon Leadership Boot Camps in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. According to them this weekend is no retreat. It’s your opportunity to take four days out of your busy life to go on a guided expedition into the restoration and release of your heart.

The Great Adventure...LIVE

Men of Valor

Tim Frankovich decided to do something specifically for the high school boys in his youth group in 2003 to help them to become true men.

Building a rough teaching outline from the book Every Young Man's Battle, he put together a two-day retreat focusing on issues of purity and integrity. Framing the entire weekend with the battle theme, he incorporated activities such as gladiator duels and "man hunt" in the woods.

Over the last five years, the Men of Valor retreat has grown, both in activities, teachings, and scope.

Check it out for some great ideas for your youth group!

http://www.menofvalor.cc/

Can World's Strongest Dad

Read this article. Prepare to be touched. Prepare to be inspired.

Watch the video. Prepare to have a lump in your throat...

http://cjcphoto.com/can/

GodMen

I'm not sure what I think about this yet....

I first stumbled across it through my familiarity with Brad Stine, an "edgy" Christian comedian. It looks like this "movement" is gaining some steam.

Many of the key words they're using scare away some Christian men....things like "absolute honesty, transparency and openness" and "raw, and real". To be honest these intrigue me...the last thing I want to happen in my life is to "play church" just to get by.

I'll have to do some more research before I make a recommendation, but in the meantime here's the site:

GodMen - Christian men's conference

BreakAway's Father-Son Adventure 2007

HIGH ADVENTURE
7-Day Trip July 29 - August 4, 2007

Take on our life-changing excursions and become wilderness warriors together. You’ll hike, rock climb, raft and relax in the majestic mountains of Colorado—all for the purpose of connecting as fathers and sons. In addition to hiking, rock climbing and white-water rafting, fathers and sons will have plenty of time to relax and have fun together at Silver Cliff Ranch.

The deadline for High Adventure has officially passed; however, they're still accepting applications for a VERY FEW remaining positions.

BREAKAWAY'S FATHER-SON ADVENTURES 2007

Picker Point -- My Manhood Ceremony

Here is a great blog entry from a man who was given a surprise manhood ceremony by his father-in-law, brothers-in-law, grandfather-in-law, and his dad. He gives a nice account of the experience and expresses how he was affirmed by these important men in his life.

For those who aren’t familiar with what a "Manhood Ceremony" is, it’s a tradition that families start in order to affirm and bless the young men in their family as they are coming into manhood.

Usually it is done for a teen but really it could be done at any time. Check out the post for inspiration:

Picker Point -- My Manhood Ceremony

Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people.

The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.

Check it out at the National Archives website:
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration.html

The Story Game

Taking time off this summer? Turn off the tv during the evenings and try a fun family activity. Here's one that will...

Bring people together, inspire mirth and make life-long memories. With The Story Game in hand, you'll bring your family reunion, vacation travel time, or company party to life with funny, light-hearted and touching stories.

The Story Game