Christian Athletes and 10th Anniversary Boot Camp

This is the Truth Network proceedings where you hear from ordinary people instilled with an extraordinary passion together we explore the stories of men and women who take what they love God turn their passion kingdom pursuits now your host Robbie Gilmore today as I have one of my best friends with me and we could share something that one of my biggest passions in life, which is a messenger and a radio boot camp that's coming up November 7-10 welcome, hey, glad to be here excited and this is where to start. This is the 10th anniversary it's been 10 years it could've been exactly 10 years ago this weekend was the first time I was ever on the Truth Network would've been with you. Come in and talk and it was Robbie's hobby that was way back when Robbie's hobbies, you know, was a thing and now I did I do and I think even had a show about. Maybe your health on Robbie's hobbies or something like that were not even got Sheila involved in that because of her being a healthcare professional. But yeah, I mean we had literally within a week or two of probably today. We had just met for the first time ever, 10 years ago while a lot a lot a lot a lot of stuff.

So this company blast. We are to believe me and be glad you turned in about this consists life-changing stuff and really really really is. I can begin to talk about it, but also today we are scheduled to have Jeff Barnes with us who hasn't yet arrived were very excited about come in all years with the Western North Carolina Fellowship of Christian athletes and we want to make sure you're aware that Monday, October 28. It's a week from Monday. Is not this Monday but a week from Monday. They have a banquet coming up at Calvary Baptist Church 6:30 PM and they have a huge Mazama tease it a little bit. They have a huge UNC basketball star that is going to be the main speaker so this is absolutely huge. The main speaker. The main speed onto he's been. I mean he was a great basketball player so you know when we are talking about Fellowship of Christian athletes you have speaking of athletes. I heard about athlete. He claimed he long jumped 25 feet but actually the best job only measured 23 feet. This was a clear case that the code is here because he wanted to get on a winning streak. Some so as you've ever considered this but for an athlete to win the Olympic gold cycling he has to put the pedal to the metal. This and if Jeff were here he would agree that both Jeff and Darren don't belong on bicycles. They were athletes in the hair-raising Olympics. They featured they were featured. As you might guess in the balderdash. You know, I know Jeff knowing longer than I know you and II can definitely speak for me in the balderdash and hairless Olympics.

But now you got so we actually have a riddle at the end of the shenanigans. So in which book of the Bible did the apostle Paul talking athletes here. So when you look in the Bible to the apostle Paul played the race card, in which book is that if you can call that Keith and answer it. 866-34-TRUTH 8788 foraging call and answer that riddle, in which book of the Bible to the apostle Paul played the race card. Keith tell about that when you go 866-348-7884. All you have to do is tell us which book in the Bible to the apostle Paul play the race card. But since you know Jeff Darren this Fellowship of Christian athletes and I've had them on the show many times they are an awesome organization then you know it really is catching young people with their passion right in the middle of athletics and we want to great plans to come in and speak to yeah and and had the opportunity to plant a seed and a young man or young woman's heart that can, not just affect their own life in their own heart for years to come, but those of many others might my son Jeff helped coach my son quite frankly and in high school and in football and he said the storm and Norman guy yeah Jeff is a good guy and Jeff's son and my son were very good friends and are both good leaders in the kingdom of God today.

They played baseball together and in football together in different things over the years, but you know it. It surprised my son a little bit when he went to college to play baseball at a Christian college Christian school and I'm sure it's probably this way for a lot of young Christian athletes.

He was one of two Christians on the baseball team at a Christian college. So what the Fellowship of Christian athletes does in mentoring young men and women and loving on them and helping them further their walk in Christ. But not only that, but to to redeem that courage that's in there that we know that God's put in there for a young man or young woman and for the Fellowship of Christian athletes to help them develop and an opportunity and a and a sense of of sharing their faith in operating and on that courage to talk to others really can help them not just through no high school but through college and many many years afterwards it's it's a great program I've participated in a lot of their golf tournaments and things like that over the years and all you had a banquet coming up Monday, October 28 which is a week from Monday at 630 at Calvary Baptist Church and they do have NCR UNC basketball star Bill Ford who is going to be with their histamine diatonic is not a mean guy, but getting back to the real thing that week that you came to talk about is the boot camp. Yeah at at and the thing that I was think about God put on my heart about the boot camp is John Eldridge certainly inspired you guys yeah and if you've listened this before we fact that that many times in his book wild at heart, and his ransom heart ministries is a limit put on the boot camps but John wrote another book that was called. It is called in this great book is called the utter relief of holiness, and here we are tenant's.

Gary titled the great book that here we are 10 years ago and and and if I was to define what's happened for me having walked with you guys for 10 years and that always boot camps in and learn the materials and walked with God through it in whatever I don't know that I could come anywhere close to understanding what that even means. Now it's a huge part of my life. I mean the tooth to actually realize that wow there is freedom and the freedom is in actual holiness.

Yes, and it's available for Christians, but it isn't easy. It isn't like you don't they know there is a two-step process or some tips and techniques that you're going to come get the is it. Is it okay for me to say, holiness is gotten a bad rap. You know me as as a pastor for many years I talked about holiness. I've heard pastors preach on it forever, and in praise God that they do, however, I've also heard that holiness used in in such a way that causes people to think I can never achieve that. I man matches so far out there or you hear the the secular terms. The holier than thou terms. Things like that will that person just be holier than thou because of being judgmental or or maybe they're not being judgmental, but that's the wrap we throw it down in order to dismiss what it is they're saying and so but one of the things about that holiness is yeah it's it's the greatest weapon we have in our entire arsenal. That's amazing. I handed it is a completely another relief which has to do with absolute joy which I would've never really understood a lot from along those ways to stay. Thank you for listening. By the way, you know, when Paul play the race card, 8663 takes your passion and uses it to build the kingdom.

Today we are blessed to have with us Darren could messenger any radio's 10th anniversary boot camp coming up its November 7 through the 10th so you got a couple three weeks to make your plans to attend that and we got this riddle that somebody's got a call and when in which book of the Bible did the apostle Paul play the race card. Not to mention the Western NC FCA or the North Carolina Fellowship Christian athletes as a banquet coming up this Monday, October 28 the Calvary Baptist church in Winston-Salem and here to talk about that is none other than the Stu Epperson himself to Stu. This is huge. You tell me. I apologize I did not know all that there was to know about this banquet but you know lots already figured out and daring to me that guy bring an exciting morning… Yes sir well that the FDA a lot of folks may not know that… Might be a really was a life-changing event for me Mount Tabor high school 1987 coach Willett godly man mentor despite remind you to think about FCA and I have heard of it and he said there's never been what amount they were there never been on the triad and but we have to have a student led new student to get excited till I like that you have to be quite so try to figure out a way to cure my fate.

Great that summer.

Lord show me how I can share my faith more openly and boldly in what what about a better way of Dr. Christian athletes quick a lot of not unhappy came to our club every week and a lot of it got Dave and so it really been out out of the FDA chapter almost every high school in America.

Colleges everywhere and that their goal elected to lead students, coaches and everyone around them to Christ and build them up in Christ.

And so there have that big banquet for all of our friends at Gartner Calvary Baptist Church in North Carolina with Dale and Bill Ford disguised them legend man is his name is synonymous with UNC basketball team met. He was an All-American player of the year Hall of Fame.

Everything he's going to be speaking a week from Monday at Calvary Baptist Church in it going to be sensational and work we did one I want to know about and I wanted to look pretty quick though. We want everyone to either go online to their website article you call the phone number call Jeff Clark number directly and in order your tickets, take your family sponsored table and get involved in your athletics is a Great Way, Robbie.

As you know what your work background to bring people to the Lord. You think you're showing up at some big event was a celebrity. Also, you hear about how he came to Christ. Now the Lord like then all the study of articles you want to receive Christ did medical student Solano by the way, you can find out about it. If you are making in proceeds.com you can register right there and and like you said, get a table or bring a friend or whatever you know when an opportunity to pick from around somebody and say hey let's go Cecil Ford speaking online account and like you say to change lives. Yet the great thing you think that I recheck neighbor with the gospel out are respected and played ball on the look about or what not will here you go.

Hand-delivered gift from the Lord. Get these tickets taken to this awesome awesome night get a great dinner great fellowship and also to learn about the ministry of FCA are so many really good sport like this at the connected one culture could Negotiate on that spot dinner that that are are ways to get the gospel to young people and old and coaches and assistant coaches and families that are just there's just so still creative but mannered, but what a great rollicking note and I love you know you and Darren know on the Mac during an in your boot camp you guys draw a lot of analogies from movies and talk about our journey of faith that I love those clicky playing in it isn't sports a great doctor at the bar. You know all Paul talked about note boxing analogy running the race of my real kiss Gary's home on accounting is much better.

You know, Tom played the race card when one is books of the Bible. So when he gets that second just proficient very much you call it an insurance God bless. Never cut off your boss.

That was not a good move right there. So anyway we got Gary is holding on in Greensboro, North Carolina carrier on the kingdom pursuits good morning I am doing wonderful Gary, and I'm guessing that you know which book in the Bible that Paul played the race card exactly right about that we may obtain about Brown and that awesome that Crowley is a big deal with thank you God or not you bruise or not you know, so we also played the race card whoever that might have been, and actually David played the race card in the Psalms is not to… David well actually it was, living Psalms 23.thank is actually lightning lived and at the same time… How much of the Bible was actually available and I was back in those days because a lot of times the junior stages depended on that to go to Torah the first five books you know James is actually business. Leviticus, Deuteronomy and numbers. But the thing about it that was they recognize that whether or not that was more available or not. We don't know because Jesus hey quality from Isaiah, and he also quoted from other scriptures from Psalms right you know when it was written so I guess you know that's a great way to light. Thank you Gary God bless you Joy believes that there sounds like fun.

Thank you.

Hear and change it here to get is where John, climate know better climate because it takes a really and it's starting to do that to nominate so getting back to when we were before we went to the break and we're talk about holiness in the time of this this boot camp experience so you know I did. I hate we had a refugee right mid holiness but go ahead and we can get. Can you turn my has a very yeah you know holiness is a it's a weapon it's it's not just this hard thing that you have to white knuckle through holiness as a weapon. It's also given by grace just like everything else is.

But it but it is something that that that you want to develop it's it's one of those tools that you're given and if it just lays around and gets rusty.

It doesn't work very well, but if it is one of those tools that you continually sharpen and use on a regular basis and learn to wield well. Holiness is the greatest weapon that God has given us outside of the blood of Christ, literally, and I'm see what if it took Robbie Gilmore pre-tenure scout pre-boot camp pre-understanding some things that that I came to understand through attending a boot camp and and really spending time with God was that the way I was going to get there in allied I had the same goal of the know I wanted to achieve the things I wanted in chief, you know, I knew that I was far from where I needed to be in my walk with Christ. But the way I was going to get there was simply by white nothing.

I was going to study the Bible more. I was going to pray more. I was going to do these things.

And yes those already made some progress. Yeah, but the real challenge was I left God out of the equation asked Willie and I left other people that had been on that journey out of the equation to show me that there was this whole idea of a freedom of the heart and of of of retreat of Mina when Isaiah talked about in you know, back to the shards of the heart. But Jesus was in the prophecy was talk about him is to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free web that doesn't just come with praying in Bible study and attending church know it doesn't and it has that that freedom in the heart of man has been a double edge sword for as long as Christians have been talking about it that you know freedom in America.

It's a scary topic. You know, do we do we give people the freedom to own guns. Do we take the guns away from them will know freedom is a scary thing you can do a lot of really awesome things with freedom. You can also do a lot of bad things with freedom and the fact of the matter is that Jesus said when he announced his ministry in Luke.

He quotes Isaiah, saying I have come to set the captives free to bind up the brokenhearted, to give sight to those who have been living in darkness or blindness. And so the boot camps are a way that we help guys understand very specifically how God does that.

There some general stuff to. But there's also some very specific stuff, but if you're listening right in your thinking man. I don't know about one of these big cans of these men's retreat things I'm right there with you. I will, and the huge fan of of those types of gatherings you several years ago, but I went to the first one has a skeptic in 10 years later still doing camps and I'm tell you that story later flatmate I came the first one is a skeptic but I mean were talking huge gigantic life change for my family.

As a result of what God's family. How that all happened.

Stay with us working Robbie Gilmore here in the truth network podcasts of help make my pillow the company it is today, and now Mike Lindell, who by the way, I've met is a great guy, the inventor and CEO of my pillow wants to get back to our listeners for the first time you can get deep discounts on all my pillow products. If you go to my pillow.com right now, and click on the new radio listeners special who never thought that my dream job would be selling my pillows and you're getting tired of these sleeping jobs, but you can get deep discounts on my pillows, mattress toppers, bedsheets, and so much more.

For example, the body pillow is regularly 89, 99, but with a promo code get truth it's only 2999 remember all my pillow products come with a 60 day moneyback guarantee and a 10 year warranty. Just go to my pillow.com and click on the new radio listeners specials and get deep discounts on all my pillow products including the body pillow for only 2999 enter promo code to get truth or call 800-942-9613 for these great radio specials and uses it to build the kingdom. Today we are with Aaron Kuhn talk about the 10th anniversary of masculine journey radio boot camp coming up November 7 through the 10th. It's four days but actually are coming on Thursday nights really take really one day on Friday. Authentic Freda Friday off work because you come in Thursday night for 5 o'clock we get set up and we had dinner that night. We have a talk that night and then while it's going to be on Friday, Saturday and then Sunday at lunch about that time you get home and during that time you will be your eyes will be opened like oh my goodness, I cannot necessarily be because of us doing the talking.

We will be it it it clearly will be God that will do this and all of a sudden you'll know why I had no idea in and really when we talk about either during the break. Actually, is that according to that passage in Isaiah says I came to bind up the brokenhearted and set the captives free. I give sight to the blind in the brain to change right.

The real challenge is, as I think about my life 10 years ago.

Even though I had salvation. I was a Christian and I actually was enjoying my relationship with God in a lot of different ways and in wonderful ways. I have a ministry to Christian card. I should've been on for three or four years at that point, but when you're blind you can't see the chains at and I was doing all sorts of stuff that was certainly not holy. But I was doing it completely compulsively. Not to say that on totally free from compulsive behavior, but the things that I've I realize the gospel, the deep cleansing of the blood of Christ was meant to get in there and help me get this freedom I mean this is the beauty of what is taking place, but for you it it it it it came through. You are a pastor and yet I've been a pastor for the better part of 20 years and and still had my heart broken very badly ended up in a divorce, just a lot of different horrible things had happened in my life and when I went to my first boot camp.

It was after the divorce have been married 26 years and been a pastor for the better part of 20 years I was I was mad at God. I was mad at you I was mad at me. I'd I didn't want to be the pastor of anybody including me and was just kinda sitting on the sidelines and my sister actually gave me the book while the heart and said you need to read this I started to read it. I got about three chapters, and, and it started talking about you know men were made to be to take risks, and that comes in way different forms.

It's it's not about jump out of airplanes or picking fights, you know, all the time it taken wrist might be starting a ministry might be starting a company and it might be a starting prayer with your wife that mean there's a lot of things that did come in the form of of risk-taking that God put in your heart. It's in there someplace you may been pushing it down Satan's probably been attacking it for a long long time but the way that message hit me was no note note note note I have already taken lots of risks and I don't need to take more.

I've I've been too risky, quite frankly, and so I can't put the book down and it was a few years later that I picked it back up when I was just really very broken and didn't have any more answers and I went to the first boot camp finally and didn't make it in my first attempt tried to go when able to go went to my first boot camp really as a skeptic and kind of you know with one eye shut kind of looking at everything very very carefully and while I had heard many things that I'd never heard before and in heard about Jesus in a way that I'd never heard about before it.

It was a struggle for me. Quite frankly, however, I couldn't argue with any of it. II just kept checking. I was like the brilliance you know of acts 17 II just kept checking everything I was hearing against Scripture and I was like, well, I've never heard that I've never really thought about that, like that of I've never preach that for sure, but I sure can't disagree with that concept. And so I started really looking at Jesus and in God and my relationship even more so looking at my own heart and brokenness in my own wounds differently than I ever had and about a year later went back to another big camp and that's when God really began to get hold of my heart in a way that he had never gotten hold of it before. Not because he hadn't tried but because I wasn't listening and and that produced the masculine journey radio show. It produced the dangerous art boot camps.

Good heart ministries endangers heart ministries, merging together to become those boot camps in the masculine journey radio show and what's still going on, you know, 10 years later, and hundreds if not thousands of guys have been through those boot camps marriages have been changed saved children have been saved. Men get saved coming we have men come to those boot camps that are not Christians i.e. another one of those that that that clearly I will never ever forget was Joshua who literally was killed about a year later about a year after his first boot camp experience but he had a couple of them before that time and in a big part of what we work on is in our relationships with our father because it's a picture of how our relationship is with God. Yet it's a prophecy in Joel prophesies about the hearts of fathers being returned to their children children to the hearts of their fathers, and that's the biggest problem we have in society today is where fatherlessness it's rampant fatherlessness is rampant, even if your dad was in the house even if he was a good guy. If there was passivity if if there wasn't a strong Christian teaching, but if you were at the funeral. Yeah, of Joshua, who had totally been estranged from his family had inspected his father, and I don't how long you but as we stood there at the gravesite in his mother and father is literally pouring out to us. What a difference this had made in their family that their son attended these two boot camps in the tragedy of it is. He was shot by his brother by accident, as they were cleaning guns and there is his brother just, you know, I just if it was a tragedy of tragedies. Yet you couldn't help but see how God anticipated this and had provided you know a way for Joshua to get some freedom and prior to his behalf by Josh's own testimony meeting you and I and Sam we still have the letter that Josh wrote us after the second boot camp that he attended when he explained to us how he had been a very sheepish follower of a homeless guy. At one point in his life and that God had come to him in this boot camp and shared with him who he truly was and helped him come into that being over that next year and help him reconcile with his mother and his father and flourish in his relationship with God. Was it easy. No lemming was at all right rainbows and unicorns know but this is. It comes in semi-different forms last night and there was a North Carolina boys Academy dinner and one of the boys that had come to the boot camps parents you know he is now a Navy seal and his parents were sitting next to me and they said you have no idea what you invested in my son that he told me that he now knows how to cherish a woman and any has a better idea of how to respect a woman all these things of what a real man does with a woman came as a result of of what he experienced in all because he I think Mark was at three point at at and you see fruit honestly I'm involved a lot of ministries is based on my profession. I don't get to see the fruit of God really setting people free with the gospel is not some magic stuff and blood of Jesus Christ is allowing people to come under that in and allow God to access the things the places in your life that you never give them access to needed to know you. It's a beautiful and so we got one more segment of the proceeds, not if you're excited you want to get yourself or somebody you know to Go to King to pursuit.com you can find it there, you can register for the boot camp (journey.org. We would love to see that with all my excitement and Irene. Yes, it's a passion because what Jesus is going to do, but I would be completely remiss if I didn't talk about what what in and you know me well to say I love boot camp would be. I mean like this.

This is such a place for my heart is a place for my heart to come alive and and and you may even know that is my father passed away in March. The timing of it was. He passed away on Tuesday. The boot camp was that Thursday.

His funeral was on that Sunday right everybody in my world, said Robbie go to boot to go to boot camp because it's good for your heart that you know Robbie Riley is not in a talk for a minute or two because he's crying now as any of us would be but yes yes yes yes I mean is something broken right now are you are you grieving something are you morning something. Do you have major questions were trying to get you to boot camp for one reason and one reason alone, it's not to come here Darren speaker Robbie speaker Sam speak okay were going to give you little context and guidance but we are asking you to come to the boot camp to hear God speak and when you do it will open your eyes. It will mend broken parts of your heart and it will give you purpose and understanding about things that you haven't understood probably all your life. When I went to my first boot camp I I didn't hear people you know trying to talk me into going right. I went by myself nobody else with me. I kinda wanted to go by myself nobody else with me because I didn't want responsibility to have to put on a happy face for my buddies. You know, or whatever. It's a great thing to do with buddies.

It is, it's an awesome thing to do and I've done it since gone the book boot camps out in Colorado are up in Virginia that other groups are put in on it as as a ministry to my own heart into my buddies and so forth.

But to come by yourself. Don't be scared of that guys don't be scared of that. In fact, that may be exactly what God wants you to do is because it's it's really easy to put on a façade. One of the talks we talk about in the boot camp is called opposer. Robbie will be doing that. Talk.

He's a phenomenal poser so he does a great job with that talk and if you know if you think and poser what he what you mean well you know when you go into talk to the guy about rebuilding your carburetor sums wrong with your car, and he says well you know I think the Jets and carburetor need to be replaced and you're thinking that someplace in the muffler but you go all yeah okay I was thinking that to that's posing guys that's posing when you fake it. When you when you get the big job or the big promotion because you faked your way in and then now you've got it in your like oh my goodness what I do with this. They're going all find out that I don't know Jack about what it is that I just talked them into letting me do that's posing so if you come by yourself. You don't have to pose for anybody you have to pose for us as we don't know you, you have to pose for your friends because they're not there you have to pose for your wife she's not there, and God knows who you are and he loves you anyway so if you're thinking about coming by yourself but your scared. Don't be. II would venture to say the guys that we've met that it had the most breakthrough at boot camps probably came by themselves and I am clearly for me and I knew you, barely, but I've I was there was nobody there else that I you know really knew or whatever the situation was put out all the different there so many different angles to it that that again.you know II would be absolutely shocked to know that I would not be coming back for the rest my life from it which is something that is it's it's like for me. You know in the springtime or whatever you know is a time were in a can go to war. Yeah and and and this is an opportunity know that God is afforded us through this to come alongside other people so you know if you could be praying along those lines of somebody that you know you know you ladies out there or you guys. Maybe you can't make it this time we got another one coming in the spring. It's okay, but you know, one of the fun things for me this year.

It's my my father and invited my brother Mark for years and years and years Mark lunch come to boot camp with us, you will have a good time insisted on more men and and and so Mark never made those that might have gone yeah but marks come in this year is coming to this boot camp and I'm excited about it because I heard about this infamous Mark services. I've known you and I can't wait to meet him number one, but I can't wait to see the joy in your heart over sharing that time, you know with your brother. I've me to my sons of been my grandsons come and other young men that I've been a loved on over the years have common will be there and it's you know it's it's going to be a very intimate time so I got a question on Facebook I be interested.

Have you here, Darren could in advance of the Spanish that you is a caution. This is not a men's retreat right. What's the answer was a men's advance. No retreats or when you sit back and relax a little bit. Well I have some relaxation, but were also going to advance in the kingdom of God. The gates of hell shall not prevail against on the Vatican.com and register for so grateful for the listing today. Right now, encouraging prayer with Pastor Banks is coming on and then actually the method three radio show, for the Truth Network. Thank you