Life Lessons for Young Men Part 1

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This is Amy Thomas from the masculine journey podcast where we discover what it means to be a wholehearted man your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network this is Truth Network welcome to mannitol brought you by TA W. CM is talking and walking Christian men's ministry where they are devoted to breaking like I have studio will of shiny bright faces and in the building so we are going to be talking about trail life USA and in the studio we have Jim Medeiros and we have some Horton and we have April Horton with us along with the crew and we will be talking to the crew later but trail life USA is an organization that that son had got into and he works with me on the talking walking Christian men's ministry and we are really excited about it because as I was reading on the website and seeing some things that you guys do in reference to the more the biblical aspects of the organization that really caught my attention. And, you know. Proverbs 22 six talks about if we train up a child in the way that they should go and when they are old they won't depart from it. So that's a promise. And God don't break promises we do so. So tell tell me us on how you got involved in trail life USA and what trail life USA has done for you as an individual. Yes, we program itself as story about maybe nine years ago so my wife and I discussed about the program. We had Caleb are you are younger, she is not sick seven years old and we need to do something more than just that. The things were doing around the house of the church want to get him to experience what a man should be above and beyond what the world tells us mansion be so we look to the scouting program and were discouraged with how it was moving so my wife found out about the program eternal life and she told me go to Calvary different church and right now Tuesday night 730 and I okay and watch that you show up so I just did that I showed up. I had no clue what the programs but I've never been scouting myself. I spent seven years active duty in the military said some understanding of those concepts, but when it came to what was going to be for a relationship with my sons. I had no idea what that's can be so I showed up.

There's a bunch of dad's a bunch of kids running around and that's the just as it just getting that's all you have to do sometimes is show up and take that step forward and let God lead you the rest away. So I got involved with that program but before that we start talking to First Christian Church about starting your own treelike program and the Pete Kunkel and Mike Lawson.

We love the program but we just don't have the men to help if you want the program to succeed you have to do to start it; hundred and no, it's just an idea, and so on. Two years until the program setting into the program leadership saw that I could had some capabilities to give instruction so they asked me to step up to train boys so I reluctantly did so, but I enjoyed it was different skill set training men to train boys so that same second year the scouting program. The Boy Scouts went farther to the left and when a German said, hey, if you're really interested in starting a true peer. I'm interested to and then Mike Lawson said I know a guy that's on fire for that and then I got the phone call night so that's how it started. We start with about six boys and I ran the entire program. There's a new program so we didn't really have a lot of foundation. But the foundation that we knew we had price focused everything that we touch everything we do everything we say had to have Jesus in the middle of it not you are an opinion of things. But Jesus in the middle of it. So our program grew in second year, Jim is here with me.

I he stepped up along with another Jennifer Sawyer serves three of us now strategist one 1/4 three is stronger than one so we will focus on just making sure that is faith-based that the kids are having fun and that we were learning things such as the sharp edge tools kids handling knives that have never happened in school, marksmanship training and camping how to burn pancakes how to assess so that's another aspect of it.

There's a lot of men in the program does not have the same experience they have not gone fishing. This first time we went fishing as when we took him fishing. There were camping near fired up fire before the live experiences that these boys are experiencing first for the first time was her father's experience and for the first time and so trail life as it is, is not necessary. Just a scouting program is a ministry and were ministering to families that single moms, single dads, grandparents bringing in their grandchildren there looking for something that the world is not offering consumer service based service programs. We do fundraising do a lot of things with the kids have a buy into it. I told the families that the coming visit. You're not obligated to do anything show up as much as you like.

If the boys are interested, then buy into the program. There's no monitor commitments, there's no resentment if you decided to stay or to leave.

This is at will and our troop now including parents and kids are up to hundred 26 while that's phenomenal. 95% participation rate. Yes, that's even more phenomenal.

Yes yes so we want everyone to bring Jim in his soul. Jim, what role do you play within trail life in the troop and what has your experience been they call me the house mouse. I got my my official role is membership chair and so I help with helping new families be welcomed and integrated into the program also helps support leaders make sure that no were doing things that we need to do.

People wearing her credentials and training is done on the other part of what I do is really about training, so I've taken on a lot of or some of the trail life. The higher level treelike training so that I can bring it back in training leaders in the troop or even leaders and other local troops on the program itself or the policies of her life. USA is so, how has it benefits you. Since you been Carla, it's it, I'd like some you know it's done a lot for family. It's not a lot. I have two boys in the program and now a grandson that just entered the program and in honestly likes on said no.

I came I came in without any scouting experience and it it's helped me be a better dad in a better example. While no I guess his status as a grounded Christian coming into it it it's helped me really. I had two girls and then about 10 years later decided to have a boy and and then had two boys, but you know I I needed to there at their other skills that are necessary in raising boys and boys to be men of God, and so that's how it's really benefited me is just really II guess God gave me an eye for it and I really bought into the program and just wanted to learn as much as I could about the program and so when when you're at a meeting all of us as leaders when we're there and and sometimes not doing anything just stepping back and watching what God has done by raising up new leaders we have 26 men I I believe right now that we consider registered leaders. Men have gone through the training they been background checked, and I mean we went from 1 to 26 while you know in just a few years. So it's just amazing. You know, and I think that's the crux of of what we as believers, what we're looking for is in our sales and certainly a spouse, so we got the spouse of the troop master here so we want to get the real spiel.

So, as is the wife of the troop master in the trail USA April tell me how what changes have you seen in song that has maybe brought you guys close together as a family and I will say that some didn't have an active father and his upbringing on his house deployed sale materials. Seo I think in and we just have a lot of examples within our lives and our family structure and so I think that it is provided a lot of examples. T not just our family that all family technically great together is people and when we see someone discipline a child or teach a child.

We all benefit because what works for this plan may not work for that when the E you grow together and so I that's what I like about the program is that the men are growing with the boys. The boys are growing with Canadian and their growing together. God a while and said my youngest is seven and we had a tornado trail and is a real tornado watch I think is a watch or warning. Whichever one you get in the basement for so going to the basement and that he's grabbing a fire extinguisher. He's grabbing water, flashlights, and I said something. How do you know this thesis will trail life. Mom, these boys ran wild their teaching and the boys are literally climbing the walls rolling on the floor and they don't look like they're paying attention that they are and I think that's the thing when it comes to children. Is there very observant and what they see, but they see also reserved sometimes depending on the age certain comments that they may have until until there either one on one with a parent or both parents and they share these things. But see, this is the thing that I like about what your life is going is its building from the ground up and getting the biblical base because that's what this country has gotten away from. We have gotten away from the biblical standards there when mean that the nation as a whole were putting God out of everything you know so when we do that, obviously we start as a nation to fall asleep trail life when I see this I see hope I see man coming back that biblical standard and I see the sons of those coming back to and reassuring themselves that they are indeed will be back right after this year. CMM would love to have you join their community of men for breakfast every first and third Friday of every month and Bible discussions and fellowship. After the breakfast in town meeting location is at their voracious poster First Christian Church in Cartersville 1130 N. Main St. encouraged him a hard start at 7 o'clock from a hard stop at first-time visitors eat for free. Join your hose will a black guy in a white guy of affordable chiropractic in High Point. As you might tell from their name, affordable chiropractic, even for the castration. Dr. Jeff Ricky has been caring for patients in High Point for 34 years, physical therapy, such as ultrasound and spinal decompression for disc conditions such as herniation conference of care for auto accident injury patients with no out-of-pocket expense. Remember, affordable chiropractic West Lexington High Point Hall 336-885-1987 like we are back headman talking with talking with Jim with talking with someone with talking with the better half April and try trail life and you know the when we were off there. We were talking about some the things that trail life some the details and we went to get into that mix some of the details involving trail life in what some of the young man and older man are involved with.

As far as what they do with in the organization so we were talking about election badges. You know that they can achieve so what is the basis behind the badges and the motivation if you will. Behind that to drive a young man to want to earn one with the motivation like and talk to about the Woodlands program and Jim talk about the navigators and ventures program with this program is from kindergarten to fifth grade and are broken into three different troops for concurrent first grade is the boxes. There's the talks that are from second or third grade and amount lines are for the fifth grade. These are little patrols therein and with inside it's about participation is about showing up.

They don't need to know everything.

They just absorb some information so we have the criteria set the show for the meetings and then we have hit the trail that like we just went to the fire station will go and visit little camping, fishing, something outside of the normal troop meeting that they have the participation of recently we participated in the Veterans Day presentation at the Carolina field honors handout programs during that presentation.

So try to get into the community.

Try to get them outside and but getting them to show up and then later on then the of the older boys junior high and high school gym if you can speak to that to that aspect. Yet, as Exxon said, you know, the program begins in Woodlands and and it begins to build the concepts and it repeats it over and over again so that because we we would have boys coming in at different times right.

Not every voice, start at the age of five and work his way all the way up so the programs is done in such a way to elevate each time you move from when you move from the Fox talk, let's say we that the the point of separating them is that now we can we can raise the bar so even though we may all be doing the same lesson that evening.

Maybe when you learn about what tools we may be using different what tools and talk about different wood tools in the heart group were not especially in the mountain line group and we would in the Fox group right and so it navigators going into the navigators group, which is our middle school.

Our group it's the same thing. The structure changes a little bit but the but it really brings everything that they learned in the Woodlands program and just multiplies it and it's in. What I'd like to tell parents disc and Chris and I just experienced this week we had learned the programs we can.

When sans started in with the one in six boys. We only had younger boys and and we we had to create this program a few years ago and had learned a lot about it and the best way to describe it is in Woodlands. There's a lot of seeing and maybe doing some finger thing.

There's a lot of fun when you get into navigators, a lot of doing were not going to spend an hour teaching them the concept we might spend five minutes reminding them of what they've Artie learned in years past, and then were going to give them the materials and have them do it so there's so within within those groups, the foxes in the hearts within those groups. Then, they are specific goals or enter in respect to the election badges that each one can earn yeah that the program is pretty neat. Hasn't different is different towards for the Woodlands versus the navigators and adventurers, which is high school so when you're in Woodlands you have a patch and it has seven if opportunity to earn seven branches in each branch want like one branch would be outdoor skills and other branches Christian values just heritage, science, technology sports, yet not less than what one that caught my eye was Bible basics so so what what does Bible basics entail. There's a walk worthy award and they have to participate in five devotional type of sessions and watch a video memorize verses so it's it's a Bible study for the individual boys that they have to participate in if they don't produce.

They don't get their work so there's a lot of this again. Everything points to Christ on this. We want them to be able to see his work and everything they do and the separation between patrols like the Hawks doing edge tools they might be using plastic knives and soap bars where the amount lines are actually using pocketknives and in what is so it's is geared to what their individual skill set may be the challenges it's them and encourage them to look ahead is that they will use a pocketknife they can't do until they get there price or give some incentive to continue with the program. Recently we had a fishing trip to the boys had to navigators at least had to catch the fish had to clean the fish had to cooked fish that eat the fish while not all requirements of about lien and so there's the boy certain first-time handler knife and I'm covering all of them on during the entire time. It reminds me when I first got my first Swiss Army knife. I thought that was the coolest thing and it was like wow all these fancy tools that I have.

You know will I do with some of these things, but as you are stating say I had a dad who like to fish and you know, fortunately, but there was some days on Saturday morning cartoons was on was like dad is pretty tough is either morning cartoons and going out fishing.

But when we went out fishing. That was a time to bond when we did a lot of that and as father and son and the day we went up to Canada on private property and the man knew him and so he would go through his fence and all my dad ever do is blow his horn and wave his hand and the guy was just a stream on through and we would catch things like that but that's that time when we went up I was probably about maybe eight years old and he said this is what you gonna do exactly what you say you gonna catch the fish you gonna clean the fish you gonna cook the fish and eat the other it and and the thing about when we went out hunting together. He sits on you never hot for anything that you don't eat.

That's absolutely right, the right don't hunt for anything that utility. These are the concepts of returns to end this this this is the thing getting back to some of these basics because I think this really excites me and excites me to do the show because I know that there is listeners out there who have young man who want to get out and become part of something that is not only beneficial to you physically but is beneficial for you spiritually. Amen. In the answer to your question a few minutes ago. What is it that draws them or what is it that keeps them is the word adventure. The program is is creating an opportunity system for adventure. Boys are different than in girls and you know where losing our boys before they become men.

There's so many distractions out there in electronics, video games, phones right girls right.

Lots of things and not that all those things are bad or anything, but there that they are finding adventure in the wrong places right and and and I know that for me as a young man I was looking in the wrong places. So it's it's kind of a double edge sword in a way because we have to keep the program adventurous.

That's what's going to keep them in your rights because it's like that Swiss Army knife that you had right you open it all up and you like wow what all these things do, but you know if you get through them all and you can't do anything with them.

The nice probably going to go down and sit on the shelf and then you're going to find the next thing to do. So we've got to keep the program relevant. You know we've had great opportunities God has just been so good to us in our troop and we are hearing great story some of the local church as well. Where you know things are changing for the better right wheat we had our best camping trip just just a month ago absolute best. We never even envisioned a camping trip going and having as many different activities. We were actually son and I were talking about. We were concerned about doing the same thing over and over again our camping trips before that point seemed to be pretty much the same. And then this one came along.

Somebody offered their place said hey camp here and and not only that, hey I have this person across the street which was a mile away by the cuckoos, a taxidermist and and is willing to talk to your boys. It was just amazing. Liberty University. Dr. Nickens came and brought up ours will and ease taught the kids that how God Moses said to Clay and he dropped the cup that he built and he said sometimes we fall and then he repurposed that to a bullet. Sometimes God creates us into another person.

Soon, something new gas. The boys were just engaged. The parents were engaged there. There's a father that's the key point when I was a child I was left in the morning I went to the woods and come back until supper time and I'd be back by subtype. I had my adventure these boys these ladies out there. They can't even walk away. They walked on the street after the police are being called know they're not free range children and their children. They also when we have these camping trips. These boys are going on adventures you're going to the creeks are going to the woods. There, finding their way through through it all and the parents are getting connected.

Well you know when when we have to continue this conversation so next week when we come back were going to be talking with Jesus saying and bring the crew in here and we'll talk to the crew about some of the things that they deal wow you are on this last.

We also want to hear more from April on next week but we want you to get involved so go to the website find out the truth that's close to you understand what they do they get involved with and if it's something that fits into what you want to do in your son or your daughter, bring the money we thank God for you. We thank God for everything that you doing here you mix God as we wrap up today show is sure that DAW CMM talking and walking Christian servant leaders in their homes, communities, churches and work environments. Check out our website for upcoming events and regularly scheduled meetings drop is a note for topics that you would like to have us visit in the future. Thank you for joining us on man talk today.

Visit us at www.dawcmm.com men walking the talk. This is the Truth Network