Spring Boot Camp Highlights

This is Stu Epperson from the truth.

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Welcome masculine journey but were glad to have you with us today Lord is coming fresh off of a boot camp now Robby. How exciting is a scumbag being a relaxing boot camp and get back in the just said well Sam, I'm glad you can enjoy that right this minute. We've had a few technical difficulties are the station and that was a little stress on Robby's part over the top. Maybe that's not what is often referred to it as soon as it any time he come back from boot camp coming back into the world is almost like a transition year there's like a jetlagged feeling. There is a feeling oh my gosh you know we got so much going on now, you know, I know my last couple days just been off the chain and not really sure what to do as far as this, trying to get some rest and it hasn't been okay for you when you can work from home so unite is take a nap when everyone so we had a great boot camp. Robby, do you think that everything was going pre-well with camp. This time I think we had a great turnout known, especially since we had some of the coven times were we in a one time had really small turnout on other times it had big turnout.

I really need to come out a coven and that you really sense no feel of the pressure of that plus you know the thing that really get back in that feel of what that's like.

Back at camp, rather than what I've experienced over the last half-hour but was that every campus just so unique and and with each camp. God is clearly got a message an overarching message that came through so clear and I think you know for many of us is really working on identity and shame.

You know, as part of that identity. In this particular camp. It was really really spectacular.

Yeah, we had a little talk about it more later, but we had her new talk, no, I haven't really done a talk in the way that we did it in lots of different ways. You know, it originated out of the ministry here in and we had three people that shared a talk I don't think of ever really done that. I know you done two people started talking so it was something completely new and will talk a bit more about that as we get into more the clips and things – wonderful which which clip to play first. Well we got a small sheet in-house on this fall's write up on top so he can go there if you want.

Yeah… At that I'll be happy to. So this is from the movie the patriot and for those of you haven't seen it a spectacular movie with Mel Gibson of that glory and places. No doubt it, not unlike Braveheart but that the basic storyline is you got a man from South Carolina who had fought in the French and Indian war as a hero and certainly done some things in that war that he had made an agreement that that he was never going to get involved in another battle like that, especially to risk his wife and kids are his wife had been passed waving them on his kids involved and so part of the warfare talk is in open wars among you while you risk it or not and and this man didn't want to risk it and tell the British were actually at his farm and unfortunately were resting one of his sons and go to hang him and while the other son got upset about that. They shot and killed him. And at this point in time they were taking off his other son to be hanged and at that point he decided it was time to get involved. Now the oldest son is being walked away. The second one I just been shot so you have these two boys that are literally with him in the woods that are now going to take on essentially, you know, I guess like a battalion.

I mean, thereby 20 or 30 soldiers that these three are going to take on in two boys are like eight and 10 maybe some like that. So as you hear this, you'll hear him explain to these boys.

What he's going to do and then you'll hear a small excerpt of what happened as a result of fire first, I want you to start with the officers ~different similar to fish. I want you to reload your brother Nathan now think should happen to me when you can drop your weapons want to run as quickly as you can hide in the brush.

Make your way home, get your brother and your sisters in Charlotte understood when I tell you from this mess. You think small boys standing at finishing the noise you heard there was that there was one of those soldiers that had his son by the throat with a knife. In the course Mel Gibson's character.

There had had a hatchet that he threw that made it quick dispatch of that situation, but clearly the message of that for those of us who are hunters or marksmen of the idea of aim small Miss small just really stuck to me through out this boot camp, although I didn't realize that that was going to stick so hard, but in the very first talk that I gave that night as I prayed, God was very clear with me that at the end of my talk, which had to do with the Matthew 20 a passage where Jesus ask the two blind beggars you know what you want me to do for you is by the fact that they are blind at and you know that's very much the idea of you going to boot camp is what are you aiming for. And if you aim for something very, very, very specific, then you know your chance of getting that would be much better and the challenges his mentor in that situation. I like sit in a smorgasbord of things. What is it God I want it you want to do for me and there's so many to choose from it and really deceive. What is God, after at this boot camp and here we are at and so God asked me to get down.

Actually on my knees and pray that God would speak a word. Actually, if you could see my hand kaboom among the four head with a word that that was what God was gone. After this we can and and it was really a very small, very specific thing that he asked me to do and it was really fun to deliver that message and then actually to get down on my knees which Sam you said you're very surprised at how easily I got back up.

Yeah you call anybody in for assistance or anything. Is there a rain or anything I RMA I didn't hurt yourself. But the thing about. I did aim for that but that God would give people something very very specific that first night, a word award or something to work on and all my goodness the fruits that came through that there were so many different guys on the team alone that told me about their word.

But one of the words became significant in the camp for me was one of the guys it'd been there Before by the name of Rob told me that the word that God gave him was bold also that same night he indicated to me that he had been thinking he needed get baptized will God use that as I was praying Ashley, the last day, Sunday morning to say you need to get Rob to go ahead and go I get baptized with his dad here with his brother-in-law there and his friend and be a memory that that that that would be beautiful and an opportunity for Rob to see how much his dad loves him.

And so I had exactly I aim small she's like this, I mean because I can when I went to Rob. I said as he looked at me like you really want me to get that cold muddy water and I licked her that it molested then you tell me some about the word that you heard was bold, you know, in other work that he would like to be like you, but you know Andy work for you.

I mean you saw that baptism and all my gosh those the harvest of seeing. I wish everybody and I will put that video if it is our website of this man rushing to the water for his son to come out of the water in the hug of those two embracing was not only like from my perspective of the prodigal father running for the sun to put his robe on the boy but that there was also a part that you might remember that it says at the end of the Old Testament that John the Baptist are allies of the will know turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons and the sons to the father I've never seen that through baptism like that. Like John the Baptist live but if you could've seen those two hug and as a result of what happened. I mean, it was absolutely amazing.

Go ahead and argue at some my word was a tough one. Peer and that sort of makes me courage. I got a long way to go and I was really cool to see how that played out in summary different ways in the in aim small Miss small. Yeah, it was so that throughout the camp I think you know the results and themes come up that we we don't normally see you. I think he said it rubbing quite well that we we find sees me at each boot camp we find nuggets and you called something else, but something that's always going to be a part of boot camps moving forward. Right right and this is one of them.

You know that that whole concept of you know what I'm really aiming at, you know, I mean you had a story he told us on off the air in a concert exactly the opposite. At one point in that was deer hunting one morning and went out in the sun came up, and in our to tell the whole truth. I was smoking which I should've been doing think about was noticing a Derek is it fine-grained instead. There are 40 deer in the field and so I just thought live if I shot out of months and was about to hit some. The gun went off, you know soon as I saw her in the scope I fired before eight really got a name on anything because I just figured I was committed dear dear ran everywhere I aimed big and I missed you.

Yeah. And to be carried on smoking a long time, car salesman. Of course I smoked what happened this Sunday if Jesus Christ showed up at your church commentary with Stu Epperson, author of the book last words of Jesus. This is exactly what happened in Luke chapter 19 Mark 11 Matthew 21 in evening John Shepherd Jesus Christ came in.

He cleansed the temple the Lord of the Sabbath, the son of God came into his father's house and he was upset and he saw all the merchandising was he had done in the words of Jesus is the had turned his father's house into a den of thieves. Jesus wasn't at home there because it wasn't about him or his father is your church Christo centric. That means filled with Jesus. Is he the hero your church is his word being taught. If you came your church today would be uncomfortable even recognize it or would he be at home some or think about commentary with Stu Epperson, author of the book last words of Jesus.

Available now in bookstores. Learn more at last words of Jesus. That's a very popular song we use it and so this is one that depicted use for the Broncos tells what word I was given was chosen and I thought okay this could be interesting so I went down and after the wound talk which Robby got me again was I had planned because I was so sleepy dear dental and thought, okay, we got a covenant of solid and I know youstupid I'm going to and at the end.

Robby told he goes gold go to your cabin and take a nap and I'm going geez so that I would've missed so much because God showed me that I was his weapon of choice that that you, my manhood, my who I am in agony been attacked. All my life and just in different ways, and as I begin to dig into that that wounding the message behind it. I realize God will say, you know, and Andy had brought his Cool Whip and it was a honey note Scott live on stock gunstock the lesson Mohicans and is just a unique weapon in God was telling me your unique weapon. Your you have made you in broke the mold got a thing and that is all that was about we take in my question to God and human answered and you noses, the whole theme of the boot camp that Psalm just says I really will know when we did the same talk.

There is also a clip from the butterfly circus that echoed that we wasn't there. There's a scene in there where this the guy if you ever seen a butterfly circus that we will all her alerts are, but the the redeeming master of ceremonies is speaking to the Guyanese Tele name all the things that the old mean guy used to tell Angus why would you do that. He said because you believe that you sometimes God has come after us and go. This is what you believe but that's not what I say about you and that was the message it rang loud and clear. You believed a lot of lies and you you you made those agreements but that's not what's true about you and it is just given me all kinds of different weaponry if you will in in in boot camp and you come out of boot camp and a syringe off to war evidently is weak because it has been an interesting week on many different levels but yet are so many tools that you get that you you you you learn to use in it always uses the analogy of David, he told Saul he can use those weapons because he had improved. He learned to fight with assorted stuff but he was pretty good with a rag in Iraq at the moment to point know what we did a talk on shame this time and entitled about it last segment and so in one day I was praying about some stuff until God laid kind on my heart to do a talk about shame when it wasn't something I was supposed to do alone and Susa. Samari said you need to ask Indian and Robby participate in as a paid more through it he unite asking more about is this something we should discriminate round it all out together. You know, collaborate all the way through and is like now. I want Robby to work on what I'm talking to about on shame and Andy in on you and and then just put it together and that's kind of what we did when arriving is absolutely spectacular from my point Scott showed me some really cool stuff about identity and shame and how shame to some extent as an identity crisis. And when I was looking at the Hebrews you might guess, I would you know II got this idea of of number one, it is your identity, but it is also the fact that your identity is being used to purify you. In other words, when you're when you have shame, it actually pushes you towards God in order to deal with how you're feeling. And unfortunately, if you go to the point where you are so hardhearted you're no longer feel shame, and then you you know, the dark side of the frame so a lot of what shame is about is actually to give you an idea that that something is wrong, but no Andy, you got this clip that you brought along these lines, that this is a get Andy over to the white Mike that he can share yes so the clip I brought. We we have guys we listen to beyond John Eldridge. One of them is John Lindsay, the person speaking in this and it's really kind of a theatrical documentary, but this is really just where there cut doing talk into these different you know sages and light counseling in the deal within shame and is John Lynch and there is Dan Allender who is friends with the wild art ministry. Anyway, they just they are. Everyone really statements as may there's another lady that does some kind of theatrical spoken word gather you that they all every every statement they say is what I felt about shame and it just really spoke to me so feel a sense something is uniquely wrong.

So I never telling anyone what it feels like everybody knows it feels like some something on my face that everybody can see you get close enough to me it makes me awkward in crowds. It makes me insecure and makes me perform come great performer my soul much one to love me and I think if I'm funny enough or talented enough cool enough, witty enough to funny things in a crowd. You think I'm worth knowing and loving but I don't always sound God was mildly disgusted. Hearing that he loves me resonate because it's like when it's all said and done, he still in a judgment unit 1090 still not been with where I am who I am is so I don't feel close to him. I don't feel intimate with him. I don't even feel the freedom to speak to him because he's over there, but he shame is that judgment that there is something ugly distorted and broken about us that is to see they could not their relationship with us cannot bear being in relationship.

Shame is drives my compulsive whatever manner I'm never going to be enough.

So I have permission, I haven't to do wrong.

So you know I like everyone is really statements that I felt my heart you know bound up by addiction in you know things that you didn't do my heart good. Another thing I spoke about is that whole those points that they make Me an appointment of isolation, I can't let anybody know what I'm dealing with, you know, in that really keeps you bound up in you know the whole part of this message is is truly leaning into God even in our brokenness with our wounding and really leaning into him and Leah allowing him to free us not only from the wound from the pose those things but the shame that's associated with them that you get relief from that. And it's like Robby said I would never look at shame as being something that would was headed anything good about it always was totally negative, but to his point. If you're bound up in shame because of what you're doing and you know these these wounds or whatever. If you're bound up in that shame you begin to realize that your only exit from that shame is Jesus the house. We talked about on the shame talk when were there. The guard had an intent. Shame originally. You know, and shame person is a story.

It's in the garden of Eden and have Adam and Eve in the map on all that and then God comes to find him in you. He's you asking Adam where are you and Adam says hiding because I'm naked and I'm ashamed and God's responses. You know who told you you were naked. I couldn't Adam and Eve event naked all time is now aware of it right into the enemy loves to point out the things that that he wants to hold us down by you must embarrass us by. He wants to put us in a place of an agreement with him and and shame and keep us in isolation, and whether the great things it and I stole from our friend Mike G was he'd had in the sermon on Sunday that Satan knows your name because you by your sin, and God knows your sin because you by your name in on. I think that that's key. They remember that when you're hearing something other than your name is probably not coming from God. If you hear an identity thing that's not something positive in a name that God gave you and that's probably not coming from God and especially this get a negative connotation and it's it's pretty easy to say okay that's just the enemy trying to get me into shame and into an agreement and into a place where he can cause me to want to isolate because now I'm naked and I know anyone to see me behind.

It was so cool to me to see like we use the Jerry Maguire clip quite often where now he does want to be just another shark in a suit and this little boy essentially disrupts his life in a bike by letting them see what what an idiot he been about you not caring about the things that were actually important, but that is what began the process of dips dismantling the pose dismantling the shame and and getting him back to where you know he could be who God made them to be exactly that.

And so it's it's really like is that this particular camp for me. One of the things it was just so much from the shame talk that we did and and Rodney's new name.

You know, we have so many guys hear their name for the first time and and clearly Danny had in his message on the poser and it was just a lot about identity. Yeah, I was friends of your paper acquaintances poser by Danny Marsh.

I'd like you to see the buyer initially, I suppose. Her daily Mars. I wasn't really sure if it is a proclamation and then I saw the by, when you hear something about your sin, you know who was voice solidity. There is a good cup so we have a boot camp coming up in November.

It's the weekend before Thanksgiving. I know it seems like it's too early to register. It is, but register next week. This is the Truth Network