It has now been almost one month since my weekend in the Colorado mountains with 470 "brothers" attending the Wild at Heart Boot Camp sponsored by the team from Ransomed Heart. The Boot Camp occurred at the Crooked Creek youth camp near Fraser, Colorado on August 15 - August 18. I woke up at 3:00 AM the morning of August 15 to drive to the Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans to catch a 6:00 AM flight to Denver International Airport. We landed at 8:00 AM Denver time and I had a wait of 5 hours before the buses would arrive to take us to the facility. I had rested on the plane and went to McDonald's and ordered and enjoyed a big breakfast with pancakes, after which I went to a charging station and called home and surfed the net while biding my time until the buses arrived.
I left my terminal about 11:45 and took the train to the main terminal where we were to meet the buses and already men were gathering in preparation for the weekend. I visited with a number of men and then it was time to board the buses and go to the camp. It was a nice ride of about 2 hours into the glorious Rocky mountains. Upon arriving at the camp we all unboarded the buses and gathered our luggage and went into the Bear Claw building to check in. The staff had tables set up in alphabetical order to make the check in more efficient. I was given my packet and told dinner would begin at 6:00 PM in the Bull Moose cafeteria. My assigned lodge was Glacier in the Horseshoe room. Upon entering the room all of my room mates were unloading and there was only one bunk left for me to claim and it was a top one. I introduced myself to Chuck who would be my bunk mate for the weekend and got everything unpacked and made up the bed. Then it was off to the cafeteria to enjoy a meal before the first session at 7:00 in the Avalanche theater. The team made some announcements during the meal and all 470 of us were looking forward to the start of a special weekend. At the table I set at there was a brother who was attending his third boot camp and said he got something out of the weekend each time he comes.
Let me sidetrack first and say every meal that the young teenagers and the staff prepared for us were exceptional. Every single meal was excellent and the young teenagers who served us were all courteous and willing to help make sure our experience for the weekend was special. These young people reminded me that our country will find great leaders when it becomes their turn at the helm.
The opening session found the Ransomed Heart team very well prepared to make the weekend a special time for the participants. John Eldredge took the stage and opened up by saying "welcome my brothers." You have made a good choice by being here this weekend because of what is going to happen to us over the next three days. He asked for a show of hands of the men who came by ourselves and I would venture to guess 60% of us raised our hands. John said he understands how much courage it took for us to decide to come by ourselves and he would not have done that if he was in our shoes. I will admit as the day approached I was somewhat concerned about being by myself, but God had a surprise for me that he would reveal during the days there. We were informed we would be embarking on a treasure hunt over the weekend. We would be searching for the heart of God and searching for the heart God put within us as men. After preparing us for the weekend we were dismissed for the night and I decided I was going to go to sleep as it had already been a long day for me.
On Friday morning I woke up and showered and prepared to have breakfast. I decided I would have a few minutes of quiet time as I drank my coffee and waited for the bell to ring announcing breakfast was ready. While writing in my journal I saw a movement above me in my peripheral vision and I looked up and there was a hummingbird hovering within three feet of my face watching me. He hovered there for about ten seconds looking at me and then flew off. I felt as though the spirit was telling me I am here this weekend, and you'll sense me so stay focused.
The second session began to bring some focus for me concerning the weekend and my place in this world. The Ransomed Heart team spoke to us about coming to understand we are participants in a story. A story that has four acts. Act 1 is the time before the world where there is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, the fellowship of the trinity. Act 2 is the creation of the angels, and a revolt that takes place in heaven as a result of Lucifer wanting to seize the throne. This was a war and the enemy and his allies were defeated and thrown from heaven. This war is the genesis of why all of the wars take place on Earth. Act 3 is the creation of mankind, and is the act I and all of you are currently living within. Act 4 is the restoration that will come. My life began to come into some focus for me. I am not a random person placed here in a random way, I have a part and a reason for being in the story.
In all, we were to go through eight more sessions over the next two and a half days, and for brevity's sake I must share that they were all worth the time I spent in Colorado. The Ransomed Heart team has a real and powerful message to share with men. There is no doubt that God is revealing important things through John Eldredge, Craig McConnell, Bart Hansen, and Morgan Snyder and the rest of the team that shared with us during the weekend. I am not saying this as a brain dead man. I am 56 years old and an engineer in life and I pretty much approach things with extreme caution until I am convinced of the motive behind them. These men are genuine in sharing the gospel to everyone they can reach. As a result I believe God has used them to change the direction my life was going in.
I have shared that on May 13, my wife left me because she did not feel safe and told me my only option was to get help or she wouldn't come back. It was this demand that eventually led me to the August 2013 Boot Camp at Crooked Creek Ranch in Fraser, Colorado. On May 27, while visiting with my counselor she asked if I had ever thought about attending a "men's retreat", because she routinely recommends that to her women clients. She said she was not familiar with what is available for men. I shared with her that my favorite author has an event he calls a boot camp that they put on about three or four times a year and I'd look into it. When I got home that evening I told Susan what the counselor said and then I checked on the Ransom Heart website and saw that the lottery for the next session was going to close on May 28. I entered the lottery that evening. On June 1, I received an email stating I had been selected, so it appears that I was meant to be there.
I shared that I met my bunk mate Chuck when I got in. He was willing to take the top bunk to prevent me from having to climb there. We ended up sharing our story's and I learned that he is from South Carolina and has entered the lottery for the boot camp for three years before he was selected. It also turns out his daughter and son-in-law live in Baton Rouge and he drives through Covington on his way to see them. We connected. We both have wounds and brokenness that we needed to share with others and we exchanged information so when he passes through Covington he will contact me and stop in for a visit. This is pretty evident that God placed each of us in that moment so we could meet. If he had been accepted at any of the other lottery's our chances of connecting would not have happened. If I didn't have that conversation with my counselor on that day I would not have entered in time.
Yet, the most significant moment for me was during the time when after Craig's session on the new name I was praying in my "spot" and asking God what he thinks of me, who I am, and what he calls me. I sensed the name compassionate son during my prayer time. This moment occurred on Friday. I captured it in my journal and was skeptical and hopeful that I had heard correctly. On Saturday after our time of worship we had a short break and I ran to Bear Claw to get another cup of coffee and as I was walking back to Avalanche. There was a brother standing on a rock looking out at the mountains in the distance. As I got closer to him I saw he was wearing a black jacket with something written on the back and I saw that there were two words; compassion, compassion. This was my validation that I had heard my Father correctly the day before and I was humbled. Eldredge said when you understand who you are and why you are here then your destiny will open up and that I found to be true for me.
I recommend this boot camp to those who are broken and searching and looking for their purpose in this story. The clarity I have received has started the transformation process in me and I look forward to growing more into the compassionate person I am created to be in this world in this moment.
The second session began to bring some focus for me concerning the weekend and my place in this world. The Ransomed Heart team spoke to us about coming to understand we are participants in a story. A story that has four acts. Act 1 is the time before the world where there is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, the fellowship of the trinity. Act 2 is the creation of the angels, and a revolt that takes place in heaven as a result of Lucifer wanting to seize the throne. This was a war and the enemy and his allies were defeated and thrown from heaven. This war is the genesis of why all of the wars take place on Earth. Act 3 is the creation of mankind, and is the act I and all of you are currently living within. Act 4 is the restoration that will come. My life began to come into some focus for me. I am not a random person placed here in a random way, I have a part and a reason for being in the story.
In all, we were to go through eight more sessions over the next two and a half days, and for brevity's sake I must share that they were all worth the time I spent in Colorado. The Ransomed Heart team has a real and powerful message to share with men. There is no doubt that God is revealing important things through John Eldredge, Craig McConnell, Bart Hansen, and Morgan Snyder and the rest of the team that shared with us during the weekend. I am not saying this as a brain dead man. I am 56 years old and an engineer in life and I pretty much approach things with extreme caution until I am convinced of the motive behind them. These men are genuine in sharing the gospel to everyone they can reach. As a result I believe God has used them to change the direction my life was going in.
I have shared that on May 13, my wife left me because she did not feel safe and told me my only option was to get help or she wouldn't come back. It was this demand that eventually led me to the August 2013 Boot Camp at Crooked Creek Ranch in Fraser, Colorado. On May 27, while visiting with my counselor she asked if I had ever thought about attending a "men's retreat", because she routinely recommends that to her women clients. She said she was not familiar with what is available for men. I shared with her that my favorite author has an event he calls a boot camp that they put on about three or four times a year and I'd look into it. When I got home that evening I told Susan what the counselor said and then I checked on the Ransom Heart website and saw that the lottery for the next session was going to close on May 28. I entered the lottery that evening. On June 1, I received an email stating I had been selected, so it appears that I was meant to be there.
I shared that I met my bunk mate Chuck when I got in. He was willing to take the top bunk to prevent me from having to climb there. We ended up sharing our story's and I learned that he is from South Carolina and has entered the lottery for the boot camp for three years before he was selected. It also turns out his daughter and son-in-law live in Baton Rouge and he drives through Covington on his way to see them. We connected. We both have wounds and brokenness that we needed to share with others and we exchanged information so when he passes through Covington he will contact me and stop in for a visit. This is pretty evident that God placed each of us in that moment so we could meet. If he had been accepted at any of the other lottery's our chances of connecting would not have happened. If I didn't have that conversation with my counselor on that day I would not have entered in time.
Yet, the most significant moment for me was during the time when after Craig's session on the new name I was praying in my "spot" and asking God what he thinks of me, who I am, and what he calls me. I sensed the name compassionate son during my prayer time. This moment occurred on Friday. I captured it in my journal and was skeptical and hopeful that I had heard correctly. On Saturday after our time of worship we had a short break and I ran to Bear Claw to get another cup of coffee and as I was walking back to Avalanche. There was a brother standing on a rock looking out at the mountains in the distance. As I got closer to him I saw he was wearing a black jacket with something written on the back and I saw that there were two words; compassion, compassion. This was my validation that I had heard my Father correctly the day before and I was humbled. Eldredge said when you understand who you are and why you are here then your destiny will open up and that I found to be true for me.
I recommend this boot camp to those who are broken and searching and looking for their purpose in this story. The clarity I have received has started the transformation process in me and I look forward to growing more into the compassionate person I am created to be in this world in this moment.
