GBB National Blog

The rest of the passage....

2011-10-23T15:31:00.002-04:00

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2 Timothy 2:1-7
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

The first couple of verses here are what GBB was founded on. I ask each of you to not only disciple as verses one and two instruct but also follow verse 3 as well! Don't allow yourselves to get caught up in worldly cares but rather serve our Lord as your commanding officer, deserving of the rewards He holds for us at the Bema Seat!

Leadership

2011-04-05T09:52:00.005-04:00

Through years of discipling younger men I now receive periodic tidbits back from them. Recently one of my guys sent me this quote about leadership. It's not directly theistic but as I read it I couldn't help but see the moral rightness of it. As we look toward leadership maybe we should look at it through the lense described below. As we hope to truly lead others we should pray that we could fit somewhere into this quote.

Leadership is an invisible strand as mysterious as it is powerful. It pulls and it bonds. It is a catalyst that creates unity out of disorder. Yet, it defies definition. No combination of talents can guarantee it. No process of training can create it where the spark does not exist. The qualities of leadership are universal. They are found in the poor and the rich, the humble and the proud, the common man, and the brilliant thinker; they are qualities that suggest paradox rather than pattern. But wherever they are found, leadership makes things happen. The most precious and intangible quality of leadership is trust: the confidence that the one who leads will act in the best interest of those who follow, the assurance that he will serve the group without sacrificing the rights of the individual. Leadership's imperative is a 'sense of rightness,' knowing when to advance and when to pause, when to criticize and when to praise, how to encourage others to excel. From the leader's reserves of energy and optimism, his followers draw strength. In his determination and self-confidence, they find inspiration. In the highest sense, leadership is integrity. This command by conscience asserts itself more by commitment and example than by directive. Integrity recognizes external obligation, but it heeds the quiet voice within, rather than the clamor without. -Author unknown

Ohio District Leadership Training

2010-11-08T14:38:00.002-05:00

Hey Ohio Guys!!!!!

Don't forget that we're having leadership training THIS Saturday at Millersburg GBC starting with breakfast at 8:30. I'm putting the finishing touches on my part of things including an update from GBB National, the 2011 High Adventure Announcement as well as an update on the curriculum project.

I'd like to see as many of you there as possible so if you haven't told Dan you're coming please let him know ASAP! Dan Hazlett

Piled Up Posts

2010-08-16T18:05:00.002-04:00

Wow its a busy time of year at GBB... Here's the highlights of the last month or so:

I went to Momentum Youth Conference again this year with Rittman GBC and instead of only one guy and one girl our church represented with three guys. What an awesome week full of awesome Spiritual highs, no sleep and lasting commitments!

I went from Momentum to the FGBC National Conference in Cincinnati. I met up with some great folks, had some very exciting meetings and heard some interesting speakers! Next time you see me you can ask all about that stuff but there's too much to dump about right now. I love how God is working in our Fellowship right now!

GBB weekly curriculum is just about ready to roll out - a couple finishing touches, a couple of reads & edits and everyone will have it in their hands to roll on this fall.

Rank curriculum is pushing forward and an updated leaders guide should be headed your way soon. We're working on getting the materials printed (instead of copied and assembled in my office!) so go ahead and get excited for that possibility! I know I am.

Wooster Grace will add a GBB unit this fall! Woohooo I'll add more on that soon along with contact info for their commander and leaders so you can welcome them to the ministry. Keep an eye on the Ohio District web site too!

Speaking of Ohio - the 3rd annual Ohio District GBB Family Picnic is this Saturday! At last count I heard we're expecting around 100ish for the day! What a fun time to meet the families of our GBB men and boys!

Many of you know about the Radical Difference discipleship focus day GBB and SMM sponsored in March at Wooster. Well, the FGBC churches in Alaska caught wind of that and inquired about the focus day. They've asked Viki Rife and I to come up to Alaska to talk to the churches about discipleship. What a great opportunity for God to use us to further his Kingdom through training and I'm not gonna lie - what a great opportunity for me to make a trip back to Alaska!!!

Many of you knew about the recent passing of Harold Brandenburg, a long-time member of the GBB Board of Directors. I had the opportunity to visit with Harold's family and friends when I attended the funeral in Indiana with a bunch of other GBB guys. Harold was a great friend who I could always count on to bring me into line when I got overly excited about something... He was always the level head in our duo and I'll miss having him on the gun range at Rendezvous camps. Though Harold will be missed his passing is bittersweet to me. He's not the first GBBer I've seen pass and he won't be the last. Harold's passing was a lot like Harry Speichers in that I knew those men well enough to know I'll see them again. There were tears but there were a lot more smiles and outbursts of laughter as family and friends recalled Harold's godly life. I love the cheerful contrast there is at a Christian funeral instead of the sad affair of some of the other funerals I've attended. Many of us imagined what it would be like to see the reunion going on for Harold in Heaven!

We serve a loving God!

Rendezvous 2010

2010-07-08T09:59:00.002-04:00

Rendezvous 2010 has been filed away in the office but our prayers at GBB National is that its impact will continue on. We had 56 boys and 28 men for the week!

Units began to arrive on Saturday and camp set-up went quickly. Sunday morning we had church for the units in camp (Roger Mills spoke) and then we spent the rest of the day getting ready for the big week. The rest of the units arrived throughout the day.

Monday morning we were up early (6:30) in order to get to the flag raising ceremonies by 7:00 followed by uniform inspections. Carl Kaylor and I agreed that it was the best first day Rendezvous inspection we'd ever conducted. Everybody looked sharp and unit organization was impressive for the first day! Breakfast followed inspection and then we had morning devotions. Pastor Bob provided some great morning devotions materials and we studied "Heroes of the Faith" from Hebrews 11.

This year we tried something a little different than past years. Since the boys were divided into activity groups (each group had a different color wrist band as in the past) we decided that rather than have devotions with their own unit we'd have them break away from their own camp after breakfast and meet with their team for devotions. Each team was led by a leader and each team had Adventure Team guys (junior leaders) assigned to them. We did this to ensure a very intentional time of Bible study for the boys in the morning, rather than squeezing it in with breakfast duties. I was very pleased with how the format worked this year and I was excited to see some of the A-Team LEADING young boys in their morning devotions!!! 2 Timothy 2:2 in action!!!!

After morning devotions we met at the flag pole to send all the boys off to their respective classes for the morning. Classes for the week included; archery, backpacking/hiking, canoeing, campfire cooking, first aide, fishing, knot tying, orienteering, riflery and wood carving. The boys learned a little about each activity and during the first couple of days the A-Team guys assisted with leadership in the classes.

After lunch the boys attended another class in the afternoon followed by dinner and free time. Each night we put on our Rendezvous shirts (this year's shirt had a copy of the Rendezvous patch on the front and bear claw marks on the back - I must say we looked pretty cool!) for the flag lowering ceremony. Then we moved over to our evening council fire session.

Our evening speaker for the week was Mike Taylor from GBIM. Mike was great! He told the boys at the beginning of the week that he had three goals for the boys to accomplish. He wanted them to become followers of Jesus Christ, use their personal gifts for Christ's Kingdom and consider missions. Since Mike spent many years as a missionary in Africa each night he brought us "Heroes from Africa." He had stories of real men in Africa who made sacrifices for Jesus. He spoke about the Biblical principles that led those men to follow Christ's call for their lives and he talked about how God used those men for His glory.

Each day we followed the same schedule for the younger boys but the A-Team (older boys) were able to do some activites seperate from the younger guys. On Tuesday morning I met up with Jim from Chapman State Park. He equipped us with several types of bladed tools so we could clear trails around the park. The boys worked hard and we learned that some of God's creations are pretty pesky. Our work paid off and the trails were cleared by lunch time.

On Wednesday, after morning devotions, the A-Team was dropped off along a road in the Allegheny National Forest and we hiked south along a closed park road. The boys had topographical maps, a trail map and a compass. I was the only one with the knowledge and when we missed out turn I fought my tongue and kept quiet. About an hour's hike past our turn the guys finally agreed they'd missed something. They decided to go less than a mile cross-country to meet up with our planned trail instead of hiking an hour (about 3 miles) back up the road. Cross-country hiking, using a compass to stay on course, though not part of the original plan, taught the boys a lot about using the compass to move accross dense forest. Our God is sovereign over all things!

We joined up with the our planned trail and before long we ran into the Minister Creek Trail. It was reported to me to be one of the best trails in Western PA and after hiking the trail I'd have to agree with that analysis. We encountered wide, fast flowing creeks with lots of beautiful vegitation, steep hills with an awesome view of the valley and creek, huge outcroppings of rocks including huge tunnels an sheer cliff faces, and an amazing overlook that gave us a great view of the Minister Valley. It was a long day and we all needed showers by the end but it was a very rewarding day to spend with the older guys.

Wednesday night, just as it began to get dark, it rained, HARD. It rained off and on through the night but despite the wind blowing above, the heavy rain and the light/boom show there seemed to be very little rain. Though some guys got wet because of leaky tents many more stayed dry since their tent wasn't blown flat by the wind. God was so good!

Through the rain on Thursday morning the A-Team packed up and headed for the Allegheny River for an overnight canoe trip. Since we would miss the evening council fire we met up with Mike Taylor before we got on the river. Mike encouraged the older boys again to follow God's call in their lives and use what God gives them for His glory.

We hit the water at about 10:30 that morning and it wasn't long before we were caught in a downpour. We'd already determined we'd be able to canoe through rain as long as it wasn't accompanied by lightning. We never had lightning that morning - again, God took care of us on the water. We stopped for lunch along the river (the rain stopped before then) and during lunch we located and captured a crawfish. Since the boys are A (stands for Adventure)-Team they decided one of the guys should eat it. Before long the water was boiling and the crawfish was cooked. It reportedly tasted like lobster.

We found our island for the night and set up camp. We played in the river, caught more crawfish and had a late dinner around the campfire. The guys had fun cheesing for the camera with crawfish hanging out of their mouths but the fun erupted when two of the guys attempted to eat a muscle they found in the river. They boiled it and tried to eat it - I can safely say they'll never try that again!

That night, as things began to wind down, we were all around the fire and I planned to talk to the boys about some stuff in Ephesians. I opened my Bible to 2 Timothy and I spoke instead about the importance of discipleship. Some of the guys opened up and shared their experiences with direct accountability. It was a really great time to share with that special group of God's adventurers.

Friday morning we stayed pretty relaxed. As the younger boys were headed to their morning devotions back at camp we were getting out of bed and getting breakfast started. We were on the water around 9 than morning and we did the morning devotions while we sat in our canoes near our island. As we canoed south we realized that "our" island wasn't the island we thought it was. the island we were supposed to stay on was actually further down river and as we passed it I noticed how rough it was. I didn't notice even one area on the island that looked like a nice camping spot. Again, God's sovereinty was realized. No matter how much we plan He puts us in the right spot for His glory. We finished the trip pretty much as expected, minus the bunch of fish we wanted to catch...

Camp was wrapped up Friday night with our closing council fire. Mike brought us the final message and reminded the boys of the goals for the week. There were several first time decisions for Christ and a bunch of recommitments.
I was presented the prestigious leadership neckerchief. Leaders should beware that I have it back in my possession now and they're all subject to the award! Each class leader had an opportunity to share what happened during the week and eventually the Honor Unit was announced. In dramatic fashion as usual, Eastside, Unit 4 was awarded the Honor Unit for Rendezvous 2010!

What a busy but rewarding week!

Ohio Outpost

2010-05-03T15:34:00.002-04:00

I had a great time this past weekend as I attended the Ohio District Outpost Camp at Findley State Park near Wellington, Ohio. There were 76 boys and 50 men in attendance and though the weather forecast was full of rain and thunderstorms God parted the bad weather once again. North and south of us the rains came down but we only had rain a couple of times and it never interfered with anything other than Sunday morning colors.

The boys enjoyed a rope-making class (where they actually made a length of rope to take home), canoeing, hiking, fishing, verses and the nature center on Saturday. The camping area was long and narrow which made for a long walk from one end to the other. The boys really loved being able to run - having the room to get away from the tents a bit and have fun on their own. We loved watching them interact as they spread their wings beyond their own unit's familiarity.

On Saturday evening Perry Mullen was awarded the 2010 Outpost Patch Design Award. Perry received the first patch along with a few items he'll be able to use as he continues his activities with GBB. We also had the opportunity to hear from each of the class leaders. They shared the wonderful experiences and observations they'd had that day. We wrapped up our Saturday evening Council Fire time with Pastor Rob Barlow from the Ashland West Main GBC. He challenged the boys to be Men of God in a world that lacks such an animal.

On Sunday morning we woke up to rain but nothing we couldn't handle (we're GBB right?). At Sunday morning Council Fire Rittman, Unit 65 was awarded the Honor Unit. They were the unit that had the least number of deductions for camp / uniform inspections as well as knot and verse competitions. We wrapped up our weekend with Joel Penton, former Ohio State University Football player turned ministry leader. He brought another challenge to the men and boys to be different than the world and stand out as Men of God.

What a great weekend and what a great opportunity for the men and boys of the Ohio District! Man I'm pumped for Rendezvous!!!!!!!

Every Young Man's Battle

2010-02-21T20:15:00.003-05:00

I wanted to let all you guys know about a book I'm using when discipling young men. If you're a young man you need to read this book! If you're discipling young men right now you need to take a look at this book! There's a workbook to follow the book and a study available with the web site. There's plenty to follow and the guys I've used this with said it's the most direct use of scripture to attack the issues of sexual temptation and lust in their lives.

This is not a watered down, Sunday morning service type of study. This is a small group-type study that covers some pretty tough to share about issues. I urge you guys all to check it out. Like I said up top, there's tons of good stuff to go along with the book to ensure our young men have all the information they need to know God's true plan for their bodies and their minds when it comes to sex.

Check it out!!!

Rendezvous Announcement!!!!

2010-02-08T17:55:00.002-05:00

The 2010 GBB National Rendezvous will be a week-long base camp event at Chapman State Park located near Buchers Mills, Pennsylvania! Chapman State Park is located about eight miles southwest of Clarendon, PA and about 90 miles northeast of Pittsburg. Here are some need-to-know items for the event:

When:
June 19th - 26th, 2010
Units may arrive any time on Saturday the 19th or Sunday the 20th.
The first scheduled event will be the leader's huddle on Sunday evening.
A group church service is planned for units that are in camp Sunday morning.
Camp will close Friday evening with Council Fire. Unit may break camp Friday night or Saturday morning.

Cost:
$50 registration fee (covers camping and camp activities for the week)

Food:
Each unit is responsible for their own food. As usual, there will likely be a daily store runner for perishable and last-minute items.

Equipment:
There should be plenty of room for tents and kitchens. More information will follow regarding the needs for specialized equipment for classes.

Activities:
For those that are not familiar with the GBB National Rendezvous, we tent camp for a week and have various training classes and fun events that will inform and challenge each of you. Each day will include a unit team devotional in the morning and a large camp devotional (Council Fire) in the evening. The other activities include swimming, canoeing, craft projects, gun safety, hiking, campfire cooking, fishing and several other activites taht are in teh planning stages.

Deadline!!!!!!
In order to accurately plan for Rendezvous activites we need to have all paperwork and registration fees received in teh GBB National Office by April 30, 2010. Each participant will need to complete teh following GBB National Forms that can be found on our web site, http://www.gbbnational.com/gbb_forms.htm
- National Event Registration Form
- Medical Permission Form
- Event Permission Slip

As a reminder, Rendezvous Events are for GBB National REGISTERED men and boys, age eight and older. This means that all men and boys who plan to attend Rendezvous must be included on the unit's annual registration forms. Boys younger than eight may attend Rendezvous but they must have a male legal guardian attend Rendezvous with them. Any requests for exceptions to those requirements must be communicated to GBB National for approval. Please keep current with the GBB web site and your e-mail for updates!

We hope every unit is making plans to attend this great discipleship event!

Thanks!
GBB National Rendezvous Committee

What a month!

2010-02-04T18:33:00.002-05:00

So in my previous post I let everyone know we'd be in the hospital for a couple weeks. One week quickly turned into two. Two weeks quickly turned into three. Three weeks almost turned into four but a couple days shy of four weeks we finally made it home!
Madyson is doing great and she's adjusting nicely to her new environment. Her sisters aren't nearly as loud and busy as the NICU and we're very blessed to be well adjusted to the hospital's feeding schedule. Madyson eats every three hours (wish I could afford to eat every three hours!) and she seems to enjoy sleep between feedings, especially at night! Praise the Lord!

So Beverly and I had a lot of time together, sitting by Madyson's bedside, sitting together in the family lounge, sitting together in the cafeteria. I have to say that God certainly blessed me with a wonderfully strong and courageous wife! I don't mean to make you other men envious but the younger guys should certainly prayerfully seek a woman like my beloved.

During some of our conversations we recounted some of the blessings we'd experienced that we'd have missed had we not been sent to the NICU at Akron Children's Hospital. 1. We met a great couple who also had a daughter in the NICU. They first approached us after they noticed Beverly and I at breakfast. They told us how encouraged they were by having another Christian married couple in there with them. (being married and committed Christians wasn't really the norm) 2. When asked by a newlywed guy about our marriage (he said he'd noticed we were really close and wondered how long we'd been married, how long it took to get as close as we are, etc.) we had the opportunity to share how having a God-centered marriage has been the key to our happiness together. 3. I had the unique experience of helping a homeless man reach his destination at Haven of Rest Ministries in Akron. Had I not been headed to the hospital that day I doubt I'd have volunteered for the task. 4. We had the opportunity to witness with our lives, sharing our faith by just being polite and respectful to all.

I had the opportunity to share all of this with our youth group on Wednesday night. As our 4:12 Students worked through Exodus we came the part where the Israelites are constantly grumbling to Moses and Aaron about their conditions (see Chapters 15, 16). I paralleled that by explaining how easily Beverly and I could have shook our fists at God - many people do. Instead we took the Job route and praised Him all the way!

Though I don't recommend having a near month-long stay in a NICU I can't say for even a moment that it wasn't a rewarding experience! Whatever God's purpose we took peace in knowing He had one - even if it wasn't the most comfortable ride for our family.

Now that we're back home I plan to get kickin' on some GBB stuff. There's lots to do and not enough time in each day, days in each week, weeks in each month...

I can do everything through HIM who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

WOW!

2010-01-08T13:46:00.002-05:00

What a crazy week it's been around here! So our third girl (that's right a GBB guy with three girls is crazy right?) was due on February 11th. Apparently she couldn't wait another second because during the very early morning hours of January 6th (5 weeks early for those that don't like calendar math) she decided she'd had enough time in mama's dutch oven - she was ready to meet the world! She was born at 6:14 AM and was 4 lbs. 13 oz. and 17" long. The last couple of days have been busy but we're praising God that the only problems Madyson (oh yeah, we named her Madyson Grace) has is the desire to occasionally stop breathing. Everything else is wonderfully made and the breathing thing is just a short phase she'll grow out of - like pegged pants and video games.
We're at Akron Children's Hospital and the doctor said this morning that he thinks we'll be here for 1-2 weeks.
All of that to say, please pray for Madyson. Please pray that she'll continue to grow stronger and that she'll continue to develop quickly. Also, please keep Beverly (mama) in your prayers as well.

Thanks guys!
-Rob

Woodville's Fall Outpost 2009 video

2009-12-07T21:45:00.001-05:00

Please click on the link or copy and paste to check out the video that the Woodville guys put together for the Ohio District GBB Fall Outpost Camp. Jim and the gang did a great job and I want everyone to see this video!

http://www.gbbnational.com/Woodville%20Videos/GBB%20FALL%2009.wmv

As the seasons change

2009-10-31T10:20:00.004-04:00

So yesterday in Northeastern Ohio it was about 70 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. If you closed your eyes it felt almost Spring-like. Then you opened your eyes to see the amazing display of colors. More than half the leaves have fallen but the ones that are left still grace the trees with all kinds of fall colors. The ground in the park outside the GBB office was completely covered with leaves - there was no grass showing anywhere. There's something about walking through piles upon piles of leaves, kicking them up as you shuffle your feet a bit, that just makes you feel good about the season.

As I met with a young man yesterday morning I was thinking back to our first meeting last year. He was so child-like in his faith and thoughts. In just one year's time he's grown so much! As I worked through some good stuff with him I couldn't help feeling good about this new season in his life. He's transformed so much over the past year and everyone can see the changes.

And I've grown so much through the process as well! Being a discipler over the last year has taught me so much about the guys I'm with but I think I've learned the most about myself. My faith has been strengthened and I'm constantly challenged to live up to the same expectations I have for the students I've discipled. My prayer life is better, my Bible study time is AMAZING, and I feel HIS peace in my life.

If you haven't discipled a young man (more than just meeting during GBB time) I encourage all of you to invest part of your lives in younger men (either in age or in faith or both). God will bless you for it!

GBB National Board Meetings

2009-10-20T20:32:00.002-04:00

The GBB National Board Meetings are October 23rd and 24th. I'm looking forward to an encouraging time with the GBB Men as we work through the business side of GBB this weekend. Please pray for the board as they travel to the meeting and pray that God would give us wisdom in our decisions.

Save the date: November 14th is the Ohio District Leadership Conference at Millersburg GBC. Check the Ohio page or contact Jeff or Dan for more info.

Prayer needed!!!!

2009-09-08T20:31:00.002-04:00

Dick has faithfully served GBB for many years. He is on our GBB National board. The following is a copied e-mail regarding his accident on Saturday and associated prayer needs.

Dick's accident was on Saturday. Dick was cutting a branch out of a tree and fell. He has a broken wrist. He will have surgery for the wrist, putting in a plate and a couple of screws TOMORROW (Wed 9/9/09)....During checks at the hospital, they were looking for internal bleeding. These checks revealed a mass on Dick's kidney. He will be having surgery to remove the kidney after his arm is stable. It will take some more tests, and scheduling the operation....probably sometime in October. Please pray for Dick. Thanks.

Weekly Curriculum on THE way!

2009-08-24T11:16:00.003-04:00

The GBB National weekly curriculum for 2009-2010 will be mailed out on Wednesday. The CDs will be mailed to the contact address listed at GBB National Headquarters and the package will be mailed to the attention of the unit commander. If you want the CD mailed to a certain address that may be different than the one you submitted with last year's registration, please contact me before Wednesday.

A lot of time, study and research went into this year's weekly curriculum but please remember that the group of men who wrote it did so on a volunteer basis. None of us are paid writers and though the information has been checked and double-checked there is still a potential for misprints or confusing language. Please, if you find something that could have been different, please contact me so I can bring your observations to the curriculum review committee. We want you all to be good Bereans with this curriculum - check it out and if something's missing, LET US KNOW.

I pray that each of the units receive the curriculum well and that your units will be blessed by this year's lesson plan.

A big "THANK YOU" also goes to the curriculum committee for all of their hard work over this past year!

Why discipleship?

2009-08-03T14:32:00.005-04:00

So I'm reading through Judges as part of my Momentum '09 daily devotions follow-up. Today's devotion was from Judges 2 and in the text it talks about how, when Joshua and his generation of spiritual leadership died, the nation turned away from God and gradually became more pagan.

God brought judges in to teach the nation and correct their behavior but when those men died everything not only went back toward evil but it got worse with each cycle of new judges.
How do we combat this in our families, our GBB units, our youth groups, our churches, our communities, our nation? Discipleship.

If godly men invest wholly in the lives of younger men and ensure that during that process those younger men invest in even younger men, through our obedience to God's commands we will continue the cycle of godly knowledge and wisdom.

If we just live good lives and aren't convicted with passing on our knowledge and wisdom then the young men around us will surely have the world to influence them. We can easily see the values of the world in stark contrast to the values of our Holy Lord.

If you're not doing it now; get discipled, be one who disciples or both!

The History of GBB

2009-07-29T10:47:00.002-04:00

Here's a portion of an e-mail I received from a dear man regarding his history with one of the founders of Grace Brethren Boys, Pastor Ed Jackson. He returned one of the gold belt buckles that was given him many years ago as a token of appreciation. He felt GBB would appreciate having it back as it has a lot of meaning for him and for GBB.

"As a young boy I accepted the Lord as my personal Saviour in 1944 at the Brethren Church in Long Beach, Californina. Many years later the Lord brought together an L.A. Fire Dept. Captain and a Ohio State Highway Patrol Lieutenant (Ed Jackson) to travel across the U.S. encouraging men in the Grace Brethren Church to be involved for the Lord. The Boys ministry was a natural for men so we encouraged others to be involved. Somewhere along the line this buckle was presented to me."

I'm so thankful for the history of GBB: men, strong in their faith, molding younger men into strong believers and trusted leaders, then passing the torch so those young men can continue the cycle of discipleship. God has placed each of the men involved with GBB over the years in a position to fulfill his commands to disciple younger men.

Thank you God for the men who pour their lives into young men so they may see the contrast between a worldly man and a godly man. Thank you God for the opportunities you've given us in GBB! Thank you Lord for the boys who are so teachable and desire to have a relationship with you. Thank you Lord for the hearts you've broken and thank you God for the boys you bring us that still have a long way to go. Amen.

What a trip!

2009-07-06T11:45:00.002-04:00

If you haven't already checked it out - go to www.gbbnational.com and check out some of the High Adventure Pics! We had a great week, full of unexpected twists and turns. If you were there, and took pictures, please make sure you send them to Jeff on the website so he can get them uploaded to share. All of my pics are also on my facebook if you're interested in seeing more from the week.

Jeff did a great job, as did Pastor Bob, in writing up what we did. Check out the web site for the details of the week! My favorite part was the morning and evening discussion times. It was cool to see how the 10 minute discussion on Monday morning transformed into 30 minutes on Friday morning. The boys and men really stepped outside themselves for the week and I pray that each of us can carry that over into our own units, churches and communities.

And amazingly enough - there were no unexpected baptisms by canoe.

Are you ready?

2009-06-17T10:41:00.002-04:00

So, T minus 3 days and counting for High Adventure '09 on the Rideau Canal in CANADA! Are you ready? Neither am I...

Good news - the canoe trailer is done. The canoes arrived and are put together. They look great and I can't wait to get them on the Canadian water.

As we prepare for another challenging High Adventure I'm most excited for what God has planned for us through our daily conversations. I can't wait to talk with the guys about the contrasts between the world's lies and the Biblical absolutes provided for us in the Bible.

Please pray for the men and boys headed to Canada with GBB this weekend. Please pray for open hearts and souls. Please pray for safety and good weather as well as easy travels.

See ya up there, eh.

The trailer is here!

2009-05-21T14:05:00.002-04:00

GBB National's brand new trailer arrived on Monday and I put most of it together on Tuesday! It was kinda tough to assemble and I'm glad that Beverly stopped by a couple of times because I needed an extra set of hands. It is a sturdy trailer and I'm glad we went with the 12" wheels! To finish the trailer we'll have to wait until our canoes arrive so we can custom-fit the racks to our 8 brand new canoes!!!!

While we're on the subject... Nick said he has information for the week of High Adventure 2009. Pastor Bob also sent me information about our topics for the week. As soon as I have Nick's stuff I'll put out a mass-mailing to everyone who's registrered (19 boys and 17 men) to help you get ready for H.A. '09.

Please give me a call or shoot me an e-mail if you run into questions or have any thoughts on High Adventure!

CANOES on the way!

2009-05-09T22:26:00.003-04:00

I received a call this week from Directboats.com to let me know that our check was received and our canoes, trailer and paddles are on the way! A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who contributed to the canoe fund already. You guys made it possible for GBB National to update our canoe stock which, as I was recently reminded, needed gum a couple summers ago to complete a canoe trip in Pennsylvania.
For those of you who weren't there on High Adventure '07, we had an overnight canoe trip planned. Unfortunately for us, the water level was down...considerably. We ended up hitting bottom or walking the canoes for a large portion of the trip and one of the fiberglass canoes took one too many direct hits. When we realized the canoe wasn't going to make it we resorted to pressed chewing gum in the hole. Believe it or not it wasn't much of a problem for the rest of the trip. It made for some pretty great memories, especially for our waterlogged guest speaker!
Even though the canoes have been shipped the canoe fund has not been closed out. We still need money to close out the fund and the canoes were bought with the prayer that money would continue to come in.
If you are holding onto money that your unit has collected or designated for the canoe fund, please put it in the mail or at least let me know you plan to send money to the canoe fund.
Thanks guys!

Pray for Pastor Bob

2009-04-29T17:30:00.003-04:00

Pastor Bob is GBB National's Chaplain. Please keep him and his family in your prayers during this very difficult time. This is a copied posting from the BMH Editor's Blog:

Smokers' Daughter-in-Law Dies in Motorcycle Accident
Pastor Galen Wiley from Lancaster, PA, has forwarded this information and prayer request from the family of Bob and Jeanne Smoker of Wrightsville, PA. Bob is the pastor of Susquehanna Grace Brethren Church, and his son and daughter-in-law were in the motorcycle accident on Saturday.
Bob Smoker just called me with the information on the memorial service for his daughter-in-law Michelle Smoker, who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident on Saturday evening. Her husband Dan was able to come home from the hospital on Saturday evening, but he is obviously devastated because he was driving the motorcycle. Michelle and her family are believers, so there is a peace that she is home with the Lord. But the emotions are still very painful at this time of loss and separation.
The memorial service will be this Friday at 2:00, following a time to visitation with the family from 12-2. The location is at the:Olewiler & Heffner Funeral Home35 Gotham DriveRed Lion, PA 17356 Phone Number: (717) 244-6991
Bob and Jean Smoker’s address is 8 Christine DrWrightsville, PA 17368
Their email is smok1@verizon.net.
I know the entire family would appreciate our prayers so much at this time.

Passports

2009-04-14T12:50:00.002-04:00

Hopefully all of you planning to attend H.A. '09 have received your passports / passcards by now. I got mine a couple of weeks ago and realized they missprinted my date of birth. Please double-check your info and if there's a problem fill out the forms and get it back to them for correction. As long as you're less than 45 days from the date of issue you don't have to send new pictures. You just have to mail everything back to them, including their correction form and your proof of citizenship. The lady on their help line (1-877-487-2778) told me to write "Urgent Attention: Rewrites" on the envelope so it gets fixed ASAP.
Call me or shoot me an e-mail if anyone else is running into trouble with their passports / passcards.
I'm glad we insisted on the March 1st deadline to get the cards ordered or I'd have put it off!!! hahaha

My latest trip to Urban Hope

2009-04-11T15:30:00.002-04:00

I'm still recovering from my latest trip to the Urban Hope Training Center in Philadelphia. Our group returned Wednesday night from our four-day trip but I'm still wiped out! I don't know if it was the 5-6 hours of sleep per night for so many nights in a row, the cold, wet weather we had while cleaning up the streets and watching the Phillies game Tuesday night or maybe one of those sweet students passed some of their yucky germs around... Anyway, I've been down and out since I got back!

Anyway, the trip was great! There were two other groups there for the week; a youth group from Indiana and a school group from Maryland. As you can see from the pic there were plenty of people to hang with for a few days and the students seemed to mesh really well. The bummer of the whole thing was that our group (Rittman) headed back on Wednesday instead of staying through the end of the week. Based on how I felt the last couple of days I'd say that really was kind of a blessing though...

As far as the trip went I know some of our students stepped way outside their comfort zones during many aspects of our visit. Knocking on doors in their hometown would be outside their comfort zone - knocking on row-house doors in the inner-city was WAY outside their comfort zone. Walking up and talking to a complete stranger would have been outside their comfort zone - walking up to and talking to homeless people in a subway was WAY outside their comfort zone.

The coolest part of the whole experience was that our students were able to gel with other students and they were all in the same boat. Everybody was out of their norm but they were in it together. They all did great and the Lord was definately at work this week!

Canoes!

2009-03-17T15:08:00.002-04:00

With the approach of an "on the water" High Adventure GBB National took a look at our canoes and related equipment. We didn't like what we saw... Many of our canoes were purchased a long time ago and some were used when we bought them. They've seen some rough years. Many of them are aluminum and have broken or bent thwarts and seats. There are places where rivets have broken and become jagged. Some of the fiberglass canoes have hit far too many rocks. Some of you probably remember the gum-patching incident at our last High Adventure.
At Rendezvous last year some of our wood canoe paddles broke. They've suffered some dry rot and need replaced. Our canoe trailer, built many years ago, was a boat trailer that was modified to haul canoes. It's very tongue heavy when loaded and is made of heavy steel. (The weight does mean that its a smooth pull though...)
With all the problems GBB National started looking into purchasing some new equipment rather than trying to fix everything before this summer. We've found a great deal but there is definately a cost involved. We've asked that all of our GBB units send money to GBB Headquarters to help offset the cost. Because of other money that has been promised for the equipment, if each registered unit can contribute $100 each we'll be able to afford to replace the canoes, paddles and trailer without taking too much of a hit in the GBB National funds.
Please prayerfully consider a contribution to GBB National and please mark your contributions with a note to let us know the money is for the canoes. (IF you don't earmark your money then it goes into the general opperating funds.)
Thanks men!

GBB National Board

2009-03-15T23:54:00.002-04:00

Wow it's been a long time since I've blogged. I've missed you too!

So we had our GBB National Board meetings this past weekend. I love hanging out with our board, recalling good times spent together and with men who've moved on. As much as I love talking about the time we got lost on an overnight backpacking trip, the time we chased bears off, the time we spent more time walking our canoes than paddling and the time we built boats with our bare hands; I loved talking with the guys most about the vision and the future of GBB.

I loved talking about High Adventure. I loved talking about the plans for a physically challenging, emotionally draining and spritually envigorating week. I loved talking about the renewed passion of discipleship within not only GBB but the fellowship as well. I loved talking about the spark, the excitement and the enthusiasm of our leadership.

Please pray that our message and the excitement it brings will spread!

Be imitators of God...

2009-02-21T17:53:00.002-05:00

In my reading this week I came across Ephesians 5:1-2; "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

The first part of that verse is pretty powerful... "Be imitators of God..."

Its been said that the greatest form of flattery is imitation. But God is so perfect. How are we to flatter him in this way? That's some pretty high standards! Luckily, God gave us chapter 4 in Ephesians too.
Verse 31 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Verse 32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.
Verse 29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Verses 26-27 - In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
Verse 25 - Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

WOW, right? I know, I said it before, that's a huge bill to fill! Isn't it nice to know that "with God all things are possible?"

Unplug

2009-02-03T11:42:00.004-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple weeks - its been crazy busy here!

I spent last weekend at Unplug '09. It was an amazing weekend at Kalahari near Sandusky, Ohio. If you've never heard of Kalahari, they claim to be the world's largest indoor water park!
You can check them out at http://www.kalahariresorts.com/oh/

We arrived Friday night and cut loose with our friends in the water park. Then we joined up with about 700 of our closest friends from other youth groups in Ohio for the Friday night session. There were four session on the weekend and each of them included music from the Liberty University band, Exodus. http://www.myspace.com/exodusband

There were crazy eating games and whacky antics before each message. That kept the students entertained and engaged. Then Exodus played to signal the beginning of the worship portion of each session. The speaker was Pastor Jeff Bogue from Grace Church -North (Akron) and throughout the weekend he challenged the kids to look at trials as gifts and to persevere. Another highlight was a huge cross that was constructed. Students wrote down their struggle points on stickers and posted them on the cross, essentially giving them over to God. Sunday's session featured Ja'rod Cherry, a former NFL player, who shared his testimony with the students.

I've been impressed with the impact the weekend had me as well as on some of the students. We've heard from parents who noticed a change in their child's life.

Praise the Lord!

Fellowship Council

2009-01-16T10:46:00.002-05:00

Men and boys,
The GBB/SMM video project is done and will soon be in the hands of the FGBC Fellowship Council. The purpose of getting the video (DVD) to them is so they can see what GBB and SMM are doing - to show that we're still alive, and still blowing on the embers of discipleship in the fellowship.

Please pray for the safety of the members of the Fellowship Council as they travel this next week. Please pray that their meetings will be fruitful and their individual as well as collective missions will be clear. Please pray that our Lord will bless their time together so that our fellowship will be strengthened and our Father will be glorified because of it.

High Adventure 2009 Details!!!!!!

2009-01-08T14:20:00.001-05:00

GBB National has released the information for the 2009 GBB National High Adventure. As a reminder, High Adventure Camps are for registered men and boys, age 13 and older who have completed their 1st Class Rank. Any requests for exceptions to those requirements must be communicated to GBB National for approval. Contact GBB National Headquarters for additional details.

The 2009 High Adventure will be a week-long canoe trip on the Rideau Canal near Kingston, Ontario, CANADA! Here are some need-to-know items for the trip:

When: June 20th – 27th, 2009
We’ll arrive and be in a base camp Saturday and Sunday nights
We’ll hit the water on Monday morning
We’ll canoe Monday-Friday
We’ll be transported back to the base camp Friday night
We’ll leave for home on Saturday.

Cost: $75 registration fee (covers camping / docking fees for the week)
If you want to bring extra spending money you may but there are few opportunities to purchase items along the way.

Food: Each person (or small group) is responsible for their own food. There will not be a daily store runner so plan for the week and pack light!

PassCard: You guessed it – you’ll need a passport or passcard to re-enter the USA after High Adventure. You can complete the paperwork on-line at http://www.travel.state.gov/. Just look for the “Passport Card” information and follow the links. The form has to be printed and submitted with a picture (like a passport) and the cards take 4-6 weeks. You can also get the forms at the U.S. Post Office. Make sure you apply for a Passport Card – unless you want a full-blown passport. The cost for the card is $45 for an adult and $35 for anyone under age sixteen. Contact Rob or Nick Jacobs if you have questions.

Equipment: There should be plenty of room for tents but it is not advisable to bring a family-size tent. The smaller the better since all gear and food will be in your canoe! Also, there will be no camp fires for cooking so plan on bringing a backpacking stove (shared among a group). You will need a mess kit and utensils as well. Plan to do some fishing! (more to follow about licensing, etc.)

Canoes: We need to know how many canoes are available. Please contact Nick Jacobs at (614) 861-2343 or Rob Gable at (330) 464-8185 or rgable1357@neo.rr.com if you are able to bring canoe(s). Make sure your local license is up to date and be prepared to present documentation if needed at the border.

Speaker: Though testing our guts for the week, we'll also be focused on the Glory of Jesus Christ! Men, young or experienced, should come prepared to challenge or be challenged spiritually during High Adventure 2009!

Deadline: We need your National Event Registration Forms and we need to know that Passport Cards or Passports have at least been submitted for approval by March 1st. Passports or Passport Cards must be in hand and we need your Event Permission Slip, Medical Form and registration fee by May 1st.

2009-01-03T18:52:00.002-05:00

These lines are from "The Gate of the Year," a poem written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"

Doesn't that just speak volumes for our relationship with Christ. Give it up! Turn it over! Have faith!

I am glad to have 2008 in the books and I look forward to things already planned for 2009! Keep looking here for (and / or the GBB National web site) for High Adventure 2009 updates.

Happy New Year

2008-12-30T10:20:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!
Yeah, I know its a couple days early but why can't we celebrate now! Our church is showing Prince Caspian tomorrow night and my parents are keeping our girls after the movie (and overnight) so Beverly and I can go watch the big ball drop with a bunch of friends. We'll have to rush home because I'll have to work very early New Year's Day. I pray that all of you will have a safe New Year and that all of our guys will usher in the new year in a way that is pleasing to our Lord.

Speaking of pleasing God... What about New Year's resolutions? I'm thinking about making a committment with Beverly to read the entire Bible this year. I'll keep you posted.

Happy New Year!

Merry CHRISTmas

2008-12-21T20:19:00.004-05:00

Beverly, the girls and I rang the bell yesterday for the Salvation Army. It was funny how some people would come in, see our little princesses dressed in their warmest clothes, with red cheeks and noses and say, "That's cheating!" before they dug deep in their pockets for all of their spare change. Maybe the girls' cuteness did evoke some people to give more but that wasn't our mission. Our mission was to show our kids the importance of volunteering, sacrificing or serving some one other than themselves.

As we stood there we greeted everyone who walked in and said "Merry Christmas" as we thanked all those who gave on their way out. One senior gentleman gave the girls some money to put in the bucket (as a lot of people did) and we chimed Merry Christmas as he walked away. He stopped, and slowly turned. He thanked Beverly for saying "Merry Christmas" rather than the ever-so-popular, "Happy Holidays" or some other non-descript substitute. He said, and I agree, that we need to take Christmas back. We need to remind others of the true meaning of Christmas and that it has nothing to do with a red suit, a glowing red nose, or a green, hairy, pug-nosed creature in Whatland or some other town.

So, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I pray that you all have a safe Christmas time with family and friends. I pray that all of the GBB men and boys take time with their families to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and share it with others.

Video project update

2008-12-11T17:43:00.003-05:00

I had the opportunity to visit with the Eastside unit again this week. The purpose of my visit this time was two-fold. What brought me back to Eastside so soon was a visit from Kate Ward. Kate is the great lady who is working on our video project. You'd have thought that some of the Eastside guys already had an Emmy the way they were "acting." My favorite video moment was a time where a group of boys were talking with a junior leader. Kate had the camera rolling for some footage shots as the junior leader was telling the boys about some exciting times at a GBB National High Adventure event. Trying to impress the teenage leader, one of the younger boys belted out that one time he was camping and didn't go to be bathroom for a whole day or something. Not to be outdone, another younger boy belted out that one time he went "three, NO FOUR DAYS" without going #2! I was impressed! Not at the bathroom comment but Kate's ability to remain professional until after the camera was off. I was losing it!

I made it a point to thank the boys and the leaders for doing such a great job for Kate and I wanted to publicly thank them too. Thanks guys for doing such a great job!

GBB Growth!!!

2008-12-02T15:43:00.003-05:00

I am really excited to welcome a unit back to GBB! The Woodville Grace Brethren Church located in sunny Mansfield, Ohio submitted annual GBB National registration for 2009. Under the command of Jim Eagle the newly formed GBB unit at Woodville registered two men and six boys.

As I searched the records in the office I found where the Woodville GBC had a GBB unit in the very early '90's. They were unit 18 so their number has been reinstated. Keep an eye on the Ohio District web page as we get their info updated.

Jim, his right hand men, Pete and Pastor Ron Smals are all pumped at the opportunities the Lord has given their church in Mansfield. They are located in a neighborhood community rich with young men and boys. They look forward to growth and I agree that GBB will enable their church's vision to encourage father/son relationships with the men and boys of not only their church but their community as well.

Praise the Lord for obedient men willing to follow Paul's words in 2 Timothy 2: "And these things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."

Welcome back Woodville!

GPS

2008-11-24T11:02:00.004-05:00

I got home late last night from a four-day trip to Kansas City and back. My wife, two girls and my parents along with their GPS went out to visit my brother, his wife and our niece. Little Mikayla was born Sept. 11th this year and due to work schedules and other committments this is the first opportunity we had to visit. Though I got a nasty cold during the trip I enjoyed spending time with family and meeting my niece! I also enjoyed my time with the Kansas City Chapter of the Ohio State Alumni Association. We watched the Buckeyes hand the Wolverines their fifth straight loss in the long-standing rivalry.

Buckeyes aside, you probably noticed that I mentioned my parents' GPS. I don't know if I love it or hate it. That thing is great for plotting how long its going to take to get somewhere and its good for giving you some routes but like all computers it can't read my mind and it doesn't understand big-city traffic very well. It also only works as fast as the operator can enter information into it... On one occasion it expected me to "stay left on I-70 W" as we approached an exit ramp. I took that advice and moved into the left lane. As soon as we cleared that ramp it told me to "exit right on I-435 South", as we passed that exit ramp. I could have made it had it not been for the two other lanes of cars in the way! Obviously we missed that exit. Then it wanted me to do a U-turn several times and it expected us to drive the wrong way down a one-way street another time. My favorite thing of all is when you disobey this piece of technological genious the programed voice almost sounds annoyed as it says "recalculating."

Isn't it nice that God is not just a GPS. Not only does He know where we're going but he knows where we've been and not just on this particular trip. He knows our entire history and whether or not we'll take His advice. He provided us with THE map to help us stay on course. He always provides an exit when we really need one and He has the right answer for when we miss the exit He's provided. His grace isn't some annoying voice that says He's recalculating when we step out of line. His Holy Spirit doesn't lag behind when we need to act fast. Though he does sometimes tell us to turn away or to work against the flow its never the wrong way.

Thank you Father for being so much more than a GPS in our lives!

Leadership

2008-11-17T18:11:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to attend and speak at the Ohio District GBB Leadership Conference on Saturday. What a great group of faithful men. As I spoke about the focus and vision for GBB National I was of course pleased with the great response from the men. I love when everyone is on board!

We also heard from Dwayne Peters about mixed or single-parent families and the special attention we should give to those relationships. The day also included the Ohio District Board President, Dan Hazlett's talk about the need for leadership and the importance of having strong relationships with the boys and other men in the church. He spoke a lot about personal experiences which connected well with men at the training. We finished the day with a round-table discussion. The recurring theme was the perception of a general lack of leadership development with youth training in our churches. It seems the observation is that our youth ministries are doing an amazing job at evangelism but we're dropping the ball when it comes to discipleship. Especially among the boys who show the most promise as leaders. Maybe all of that discussion should be saved for another posting...

My favorite part of the day was the video that was shown. It was the DVD of the moderator's address from the 2008 FGBC National Conference in Florida. Our moderator, Pastor John McIntosh, is the senior pastor at the Simi Valley GBC in California. During his address he outlined "the five components that are critical to the transfer of the gospel truth from one generation to the next." Essentially, discipleship.

It was the fourth time I'd seen this particular study on DVD and I was there in person when he spoke to the fellowship at National Conference. I felt the same this time as I did that very first time - exhillerated! I've loved the 2 Timothy 2:1-2 passage and its been part of GBB's mission since GBB was created. To hear a leader in our fellowship speak so well on the subject of leadership made me want to jump up and down as I ran to the stage to hug the man! Of course I restrained myself at confernce as I did this weekend. I don't know which would have been more awkward - hugging Pastor John or the screen at Millersburg GBC...

If you haven't seen the video (and heard our moderator's vision for this year) I encourage you to view the video for free at: http://www.fgbc.org/newsletter/subpages/2008-10-09/mcintosh.cfm
If you can't view the video and need a copy sent to you, please contact me and GBB will make sure you receive a copy of the moderator's address. It speaks to the basis for why GBB was created and why the mission of GBB is still relevant to the continuation of the FGBC.

Calling ALL GBB Leaders!

2008-11-08T15:18:00.002-05:00

UGHHH - I had training all week in Columbus and had planned to update the blog - too bad the filters at my training blocked out stuff like blogs and anything that didn't have to do with state business! Sorry for the delay!

As a reminder, all GBB Leaders are invited to attend the second annual GBB Leadership Training hosted by the Ohio District GBB. The training will be held at the Millersburg GBC on Saturday, Novebmer 15th and will begin with a great Holmes County (Amish Country) breakfast prepared by our Millersburg guys. We'll cover some updates from GBB National, some web stuff, as well as a challenging message from the FGBC National Conference that was held in Tampa, Florida this year. We'll wrap everything up as we did before with a roundtable discussion about the GBB units and some best practices.

I had a chance to visit this week with the Eastside Unit during their meeting on Wednesday. They treated me to hotdogs over a camp fire. They are so blessed to be able to have a camp fire for their meetings in the city! I was so pleased when their unit commander, Nick Jacobs, asked for a volunteer to lead prayer and 8 year old Grahm raised his little hand. He belted out a prayer as though he was real used to the idea of public prayer and he even remembered the couple of prayer requests. I love seeing GBB's influence in a young boy's life!

PRAISE THE LORD!

GBB Board Meetings

2008-10-29T16:29:00.002-04:00

The GBB National Board met on October 24th and 25th. The meetings went well as always and there was a lot of information to process. I'm working with the Board Secretary, Mark Dull, to get the minutes compiled so the highlights can be posted on the web site. In addition to board minutes we'd like to add more information to our web page to make it more user-friendly for fellowship churches who are in search of a discipleship ministry for boys.

We're also working directly with SMM (the girls side of discipleship under Women of Grace, USA) on a video project. The purpose of the video is to promote our joint efforts to highlight the need for discipleship and gender-specific children's ministries. Our plan is to post the video on the web site when its all done so keep your eyes on the site for updates and additional information.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
If you notice anything on the web site that is out of place or could be connected a little better, please shoot us an e-mail with your ideas. All ideas for improvement will certainly be considered.

Keep watching this blog and the web site for additional highlights and info from our fall board meetings!

October's Missionary of the Month

2008-10-20T13:55:00.002-04:00

Bob
in Chad, Africa

Bob grew up in Centerville, OH in a very close, Christian family who were members of the Centerville GBC. He is the youngest of 3 brothers. He accepted Christ at 10 years old, but really grew in Christ through High School. Bob was very involved in the ministries of the Centerville GBC. As he finished high school, he began his own property and landscape management company. He began college, with a focus in Safety Engineering.
During college God began to develop an interest in missions for Bob. He began to investigate the possibility of using his skills in missions for a year, wanting to assist the missionaries in practical ways while learning what a missionary does and how he lives. At the same time God was prompting these ideas in Bob's heart, GBIM leadership was praying for someone to assist the Puhls in the Chad. The ministries in the Chad had continued to grow, but at that time, the Puhls were the only missionaries there. They needed practical help in many areas so they could focus on the development and encouragement of the Chadian leaders. God answered those prayers when Bob was approved for a ministry in the Chad. His one-year commitment in 2002 turned into a calling for Bob. He is still in Chad, Africa today.

Bob sends these prayer requests.
"Pray that God will give the GBIM team in Chad much love, strength, and patience as they carry on the ministry there."
"Pray that God will use me to encourage others to join His mission field as I share with churches and supporters."
"Pray for God's direction in my life as I seek His will for my future."

For more information conact me at rgable1357@neo.rr.com. Each unit should have received the full e-mail report this week.

Service

2008-10-15T10:48:00.003-04:00

My lovely wife and I had dinner with a buddy of mine Saturday night. He was home on leave from Iraq in time to be with his mom in the final days leading up to the end of her long battle with cancer. His wife and three daughters were able to come up from Colorado to be with the family for the funeral but they had to go back to Colorado last weekend. Jon obviously was sad that his mom passed but he and his family took comfort in the fact that she was a Christian who lived a very godly life. I've said it before but times like these make you really glad you're a Christian. I can't imagine life without the comfort of God's Sovereignty and Salvation!

After dinner we visited a few friends my buddy hadn't seen in a long time. As we talked about old times (not necessarily better times but certainly fun times) I couldn't help but think about how much I appreciate him. Not because he's my friend and has been for more than 15 years, but because he and his family make sacrifices every day so that I can live my life the way I do. I get to go home each day to see my family. He only gets to come home if something bad happens or he gets leave. My wife has the pleasure of spending time with me almost every day (okay, the statement that it's a pleasure may be a stretch...) but military wives have to spend weeks and months doing everything on their own. Not only do they have to be mom AND dad to their kids, they don't have their best friend in the whole world - the one person who made a covenant to love them unconditionally for the rest of their life. Then I feel for the military personnel who return to a family that's been self-sufficient for so long. Working their way back into the family pattern has got to be a little stressful for everyone. I have so much respect for the men and women of our military - especially career military personnel. They need our prayers and support every day!

Thank you for your service Jon and we're praying for you, your family and your fellow soldiers! I love you man!

Ohio District Outpost

2008-10-06T09:45:00.003-04:00

Well the Ohio District has put another great weekend in the books! Their Fall District Outpost Camp began Friday night with our host unit, Fremont, treating everyone with hot dogs, chili and chicken noodle soup as they arrived in camp. Thank you very much for the warm welcome guys! It was delicious!

After our leader's huddle it was nice to sit around the various camp fires and catch up with old friends while I made new ones. There's something about sitting around a camp fire with men and boys that just puts me in a good mood and makes me think spiritual thoughts.
Though it got really cold Friday night (I didn't have a thermometer but there was frost on the tent in the morning) I pulled on my stocking cap, snuggled down in my heavy sleeping bag and slept pretty good. The only hiccup in my otherwise peaceful sleep was at five o'clock in the morning when I had to go to the bathroom! It was one of those times where I looked at my watch and determined there was no way I was going to comfortably sleep until it was time to get up. So I moved as quietly as possible to the tent door and then woke my tent up with an arctic blast of cold air. When that cold air hit me my desire to go to the bathroom turned into an emergency! Don't worry, I made it... When I got back to my warm sleeping bag and drifted back to sleep I was reminded of why I love camping in October - cold nights = warm sleeping bags.

On Saturday Fremont had set up a nice, leisurely schedule with activities to keep the boys entertained. Among those activities were archery, fishing, fly-tying, Geo-caching and skills games. I sat in on a few of the classes and watched in wonder about how attentive the boys were to these men. I never get tired of seeing how hungry the boys are to hear from the men! They are begging for information and influence. I was reminded about the part in our philosophy of ministry called "demonstration." It means that we must not only teach our boys directly but we must understand that they learn as much by watching us as listening to our words.

That observation and thought came into play later that night at Council Fire as I listened to Chad Black's message to the boys about being fishers of men. As I listened to him speak and read the Bible I felt the Holy Spirit calling me to challenge the older boys. When the Council Fire was over I gathered the junior high and high school aged boys around the large camp fire, away from the younger boys, and we talked about their salvation, the Truth and the influences on them. Then I talked about how much of an influence they already have; about how much the younger boys are watching their every move and emulating the things they're doing. I challenged them to only display the godly character that they want to see in the younger boys around them. I love praying with our young men! The rest of the evening was spent talking with boys and men about GBB, their lives and sharing what has happened in my life.

I decided to play my evening differently Saturday night than Friday night. I remembered that 5 AM ice trip to the bathroom and made an effort to not drink much after dinner. It worked out and I slept from the time I hit the pillow until three minutes before my alarm was set to wake us up. Nice!
Sunday morning Chad Black challenged the boys to fulfill Christ's commandments to go into the world as he told them about his family's call to the Native Americans of Minnesota. He certainly displayed a heart for the Lord and we all prayed for Chad and his family as they prepare to head to a new mission field for them.

In all, we had 85 boys and 47 men attend the Ohio District GBB Fall Outpost Camp. I love that there are so many men committed to the lives of boys. I pray that even more men will come to realize the responsibility they have to "entrust to reliable men so they will be qualified to teach others also." If we don't continue to teach God's Word and model Christ and His godly character our families, GBB units, churches and our communities will continue to slowly become less and less Christlike. It breaks my heart to see how "entertain first" we've become as Christians.
Thank you GBB men for answering the call and opening your lives so that the GBB boys will someday be qualified to lead others as GODLY MEN!

What are we doing here anyway?

2008-10-01T21:13:00.002-04:00

So this week has been crazy busy! Isn't it interesting that as Christians, when things seem completely out of hand, all we have to do is remember God's sovereignty and welcome the calming effect He has over us?

This week I have been overwhelmed at work, at home and in ministry. I have felt as though I have no time for myself and not enough time for everything else. Each responsibility in my life this week seems to push on all the others and I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

I tell you all of this to make this point: No matter how much Satan tries to put it in my head that I'm not good enough or that I don't have enough time - Christ jumps between us and absorbs the arrows. The armor of God is awesome! Simply KNOWING that everything that happens to me is part of His plan and that no matter how bad things seem at times GOD approved it all is so very calming. It is for HIS purpose that I am here, doing what he assigns through the Holy Spirit. Simply remembering those couple of things takes so much weight off of my shoulders.

Thank you for the reminder Lord!

THE movie

2008-09-28T15:28:00.002-04:00

So, I'm sure by now many of you have heard of the movie "Fireproof." Well, about a month ago I noticed a posting about it on a message board I follow and I followed the link to their web page. If you look at the web page you'll find plenty of stuff about the movie (the trailer, clips, materials, books, etc.). The page is http://www.fireproofthemovie.com. I downloaded the movie trailer for our church and it opened up the worship service last Sunday.

The basic jist of the movie is there is a small town fire captain (Kirk Cameron) who is a hero in his town but his marriage is failing. His father challenges him to hold off on the impending divorce for 40 days while he works through a book called "The Love Dare."

So Beverly and I had the opportunity to have a date night last night. We decided we'd see the movie and have some dinner. He got to the theater about 45 minutes early and were the first into the theater. We figured with all the advertising that had been done there would be a decent crowd. We sat alone for about 5 minutes and then couples, families, and small groups started to file in. Beverly and I love people-watching so it was fun to look at some of the pairs that came into the dark theater and searched for the best place to sit. Obviously, we had the best place so they all had to sit somewhere else. Anyway, as I was saying about the pairings - God certainly has a sense of humor - I'll leave it at that.

Anyway, Beverly and I settled in with our $5 Icee, $3 bottle of water and $6 popcorn. As I said before, I watched the trailer. I also watched all the movie clips on-line and read a lot of the materials about the movie. I felt I had a pretty good idea about the plot of the movie and how things were going to work out. About 15 minutes into the movie I realized that pretty much everything I knew about this movie had already happened. I was in for a great surprise. The movie turned out to be so much more than I expected from the trailer and the clips. It was deeper than I expected for a mainstream movie. The message was convicting and the plot had plenty of twists. I was also surprised by the humor. There were plenty of funny little things and the timing was great. As far as Christian films go I give this one a perfect "10." I was thouroughly impressed and the theater erupted in applause at the end.

If you're looking for a date night, or just looking to see a good Christian film with a positive message, some clean humor and some action / adventure - go see "Fireproof"! Their web site has a listing of theaters playing the movie and you can check your local theater listings as well.

He's Back

2008-09-25T17:09:00.002-04:00

If you didn't get the e-mail... Jeff and his family are back from their extended educational tour of several Civil War sites along the east coast. If you have sent Jeff anything for the web page you can expect to see the updates soon. If you've been holding off on sending him something please remember that he's got a lot on his plate. If it can wait a week, please let it sit so he can get caught up.

WELCOME BACK JEFF!

Are you living it?

2008-09-19T13:23:00.003-04:00

Investing in People
Admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:14

"Who are the people that have meant the most to you in your life? Who has had the most influence in your life? Your parents? A coach, a teacher or a Sunday School teacher? Undoubtedly they challenged you to rise above the status quo. I remember people who cared about my character and who inspired me to a solid standard of holiness, devotion and diligence.

The bottom line? They all called me to noble, pure virtues.

Others have also stepped out of the herd and stepped up. Consider the famed scientist and inventor George Washington Carver who once wrote down what he called the "eight cardinal virtues":

Be clean both inside and outside.
Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.
Lose, if need be, without squealing.
Win without bragging.
Always be considerate of women, children and old people.
Be too brave to lie.
Be too generous to cheat.
Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

Virtuous words. Yet even from a distance of nearly 100 years, they touch us at a deep level of our souls and call us higher than the selfish parts of our natures typically want to go.

I encourage you today to be careful where you look for inspiration--be sure that the people who influence you are those who can be counted on to lead you in the paths of purity and righteousness. And I encourage you to become an influencer, one who has the thick-skinned courage to step out and up and motivate others to be Christ followers. For Christ is the One who truly embodies noble virtue.

Okay, I admit, I totally borrowed this from a daily e-mail I receive from "Family Life - Moments with You." The e-mail is an excerpt from the book, "Moments with You" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

Though the advice in that context is directed for husbands and wives I absolutely see how this advice directly applies to GBB boys. The "eight cardinal virtues" are things that we need to follow ourselves and our leaders need to make sure they model them as well.

According to the GBB philosophy of ministry we believe in "demonstration." That means that we must purposely teach and directly model godly character so that our boys see what it means to be a real man. We must also be very aware that even when we do things without purpose, our boys are still learning by watching what we do, how we act and react. Please remember this in your thoughts and prayers today and ask God to help us all to follow and display Christian values.

Awesome God = awesome power

2008-09-15T22:07:00.002-04:00

Far from Hurricane Ike at the GBB Headquarters in Rittman, Ohio we felt the wind. The Rittman GBC had a picnic (indoors of course) and as we watched our guests, The Covenant Players, the lights flickered and the winds howled outside. After the players were done with their performance we moved to the windows to survey the storm's action. Immediately we noticed the huge tree branch that fell on a car in the parking lot. We also noticed the trees down both up and down First Street. As it turned out, there were trees and electric lines down all over the region. States to our west flooded and we didn't get much rain at all. They didn't have the wind and we lost trees, spouting, shingles and I'm sure some small pets are still missing... Though we weren't in a hurricane the ordeal was VERY stressful for so many people here. During all of it I couldn't help but say out loud, "Don't we have an awesome God?" Hollywood can create a storm in the movies or on TV. No one, not even scientists can make the wind blow from the Gulf to the Great Lakes! Only God has that awesome power!

Sleepy

2008-09-13T06:38:00.003-04:00

Its 6:30 AM and I just rolled in from work - I was supposed to be off at 5 this morning... As I sit here on my computer, killing time before a men's breakfast at church, I wonder, as I often do, what it would be like if the godly men of GBB could spend as much time serving the Lord as they do at their full time jobs. Wouldn't it be great if our careers never got in the way of our real jobs?

Lord, please help us to keep our eyes focused on You rather than all the other things that seem to take up so much of our lives. Please help us to always work to glorify You, not man.

The day we'll always remember

2008-09-11T16:45:00.002-04:00

I, like most everyone alive at the time, will never forget where I was or what I was doing on September 11, 2001. I had worked all night and spent the morning golfing with some guys from work. We finished our round and headed to Applebee's for an early lunch (or late night snack as it was for us...) We walked in and everyone was glued to the televisions stationed around the restaurant. We were directed to one of the large corner booths and we filed in. A waitress came over and we asked what was going on. She explained that both towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had all be struck by commercial jets. We sat there for a long time just watching the events unfold, wondering aloud if we may be called back to work.

I hope everyone is spending time today reflecting on the heroes of that day. The service people and seemingly average citizens who put themselves in harms way that day to help others. Right next to those thoughts we should also never forget the evil that caused such destruction. We should never forget that there are people and organizations who want nothing more than to destroy people and disrupt their way of life. Lastly, we must also trust in the sovereignty of our Lord and Savior. Though things seemed so bad on that day - it was all part of God's plan.

On a much lighter and happier note - I must say congrats to my brother Jarrod and his lovely wife Heather on the birth of their first child, Mikayla Scott Gable. She was born very early this morning in Kansas City and everyone is doing great. Praise the Lord!

Check it out!

2008-09-10T01:30:00.002-04:00

So here it is! GBB National's very first blog! I know you're as excited as I am.

If you're a long time GBBer or new to GBB the purpose of this blog will be to keep you in tune with GBB's news and events. As I hear about anything new I'll post it here. To keep updated on what's going on - save this blog in your favorites and visit it often. If I don't have anything GBB to post I'll post something else that interests me - so either send me some news or buckle up and hold on!