iShine Updates
Our firstborn is graduating High School in a week.
My mom and my wife, my in-laws and my college twin nieces are all going to lose it.
I will stay strong… (not)
Inside, I will be a pile of mush… Jessica is my eighteen year old graduating from a time-honored institution of learning known as High School…she cruised through it. Graduating with straight A’s, NHS Honors, scholarships and awards, I’m really proud of her. REALLY PROUD. But not just because of what’s she’s accomplished or that she’s smart. 
I’m proud because of who she has become! Jessica is a strong, hard-working and resourceful young woman. Her head sits mostly straight on her shoulders 
She is ready for the next stage of her life. She is ready to launch out into the deep and swim on her own. I have no fear about her being ready for college.
I’m proud because she has learned to work when no one notices, to be diligent when she didn’t feel like it…to listen,trust and follow God when her emotions told her to take charge herself and hurry things up. I have no fear about her faith.
I’m proud because she has a solid and beautiful understanding of how unique and irreplaceable she is as a woman, from her appearance to her purpose, she has accepted and even learned to love herself…just as she was created. I have no fear about her perspective on life and God’s plan for her in it.
I am terrified that she is leaving home… and will never need us again. I am scared to death that she has grown up so much that her parents will be a historical reference she uses only in past tense conversations with her new-found intellectual friends.
But I am so grateful for the chance we had to be in her life… to love her and guide her and encourage her along the last eighteen years. I am so excited to watch now from a distance as she learns to not only walk into her life, but to RUN into the future. Nothing could be more twisted up inside of me as to accept that it’s her time to grow a bit more, move a bit further and become a whole bunch more than ever before…and that it will likely all occur somewhere far away from our home. 
I guess that’s the pride and the pain of parenting… the reason parents have lots of tears and fears for their kids on graduation day.
So glad we learned to trust God for her as little one…
So glad her mom and I can trust Him all over again today…
We Love you Jessica Elaine… (sniff), going to miss seeing you everyday. But we are so excited to find out what comes next…. from your “can’t be prouder and happier” Padre and Mother :)
Parents… as I consider how it’s going to feel sitting next to my tear soaked and eye dabbing family members at graduation… I’m urging you, please – please – please – make the time, live well and wisely with your young ones!
Above all…take time to listen to God as He nudges you to be careful, go slow, speed up, stay firm, relax, or use a more gentle touch from time to time with your kids. There is NO formula, only your heart and theirs. Ask and Listen often for God to show you and your spouse the best way to parent YOUR kids.
Psalm 16: 5- 11 (ESV) Bible Gateway.com
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
In the end I choose to cling to the Word of God, Psalm 16 is one my favorite parenting passages in the entire bible…from diapers to diploma’s, rest assured…God’s got your back and a whole lot more!
Peace Out on Graduation Week from RTP !
Brad.
PS – Jessica… I’m super-stoked to start our June RoadTrip from Seattle WA to San Fransico CA ! WooooHOOO
Tagged: brad mathias, Christian parenting, faith and family, Graduation, High School Seniors, Jessica Mathias, Proud Parents, roadtrip parenting 
Today’s post is from the one and only Mr. Randy Allsbury. Randy has recently become an “online” friend, but I look forward to hanging out with him when Team Sprad relocates back to Edmond, OK. Randy spent 12 years in ministry and for the past several years he has been buried in the corporate world teaching the philosophy of “core values” based marketing or relationship marketing. Want to learn more about what Randy is doing now? You can get more info on his consulting HERE.
Randy has also just release a brand new book that is geared to men and marriage. I absolutely love the title, “Real Men Hug Porcupines”. Stay tuned and I’ll show you how you can win a free copy of this book.
Randy, it’s an honor to have you post at EpicParent today!
Here’s Randy…
Spanking, time-out chair, being grounded, no cell-phone, extra chores, no allowance… I am sure you can name a few more of our favorite forms of discipline. The thing I learned from my father was not “the” form of discipline that works the best, but instead having the right attitude and mindset when you must discipline your children.
The first thing we have to do is understand the offense. Was it a mistake in judgment, or was it outright rebellion? Do they have real remorse or are they sorry they got caught? When we know our child is repentant and not in rebellion it’s a good idea to show some grace and use that time to talk about the grace God gives us.
When my eldest two were in early grade school, I was a youth minister in Wichita, Kansas. I arrived home one afternoon and both were on their beds awaiting fatherly discipline. I shot up a flair-prayer for wisdom and a few minutes later I told them they needed to go get in the car. Sheepishly, Ashley and Austin went to the garage and got in the back seat. They were nervous, knowing they deserved to be punished. Not sure where we were headed, I drove them out of the driveway. The car was silent. Austin was envisioning a trip to the woods and not returning. (We were in Kansas, there were no woods.) A few minutes later, I pulled into a Braum’s fast food and ice cream store. We went in and I told them they could order any ice cream treat they wanted. You should have seen the look on their faces. Half happy and half “I wonder what kind of dirty trick daddy is going to play on us?” They received the sundae and cone and we headed for a table. Sitting I said, “Listen guys, I want to teach you about grace and mercy. Mercy is when you deserve a spanking and I don’t give you one. Grace is when you deserve a spanking and instead I buy you ice cream. We are all sinners and deserve punishment, but because of Jesus, we don’t get punished and we get to go to heaven and live forever with God.” From that day on, those two understood the grace of God.
As parents, we can either look at disciplinary occasions with regret or we can make them opportunities to teach and build a better relationship with our children.
The bottom line is, when our children misbehave, IT’S NOT ABOUT US!
If you would like to win a copy of Randy’s new book “Real Men Hug Porcupines”, knock these 2 things out we’ll enter you in the drawing…
1. Leave a comment and tell us why you would like to have this book on marriage.
2. Become a fan of EpicParent.tv on Facebook. You can do that HERE.
If you would like to purchase a copy of his new book, you can do that HERE.
Would you like to receive EpicParent’s newest posts by email? If so, click HERE or to add it to your reader click HERE.
Parenting sometimes overwhelms me. So much stuff is changing, life evolving within and without all the time…kids become pre-teens, teens start to drive… teens who drive start to date… It’s enough to wig you out if you’re not careful. It’s enough to cause you to feel so inadequate you might be tempted to throw your hands up and just let life happen… “what will be…will be”!
http://goodlifezen.com/
But, after a good nights sleep and refreshment in the scriptures, a bit of commuter-time prayer and suddenly the clouds part and I can start to see blue sky peeking through. I’m reminded of the truth in all of this turbulence, the facts as they were…. such as the reassuring reminder that God isn’t taunting us.
He’s not placing us specifically in the role of parent, protector, mentor and friend to our kids, only to absently walk away and from a safe distance, sheepishly grin to Himself as we drive everyone in our family right off a proverbial life cliff, frantically swerving and braking all the way to avoid the oncoming life issues directly in lane ahead….
One of my temptations is to look only at what I don’t have… to focus exclusively on the things in my life that are not going well, that are not progressing as I would like them to. As a parent, I do the same dang exact thing with my kids… I look for their weaknesses, their flaws…their inconsistencies. Initially I don’t feel I’m being harsh or negative, just “pragmatic”, focusing on the things that we all could strive to “improve on”. Sound familiar?
Still not sure what I’m talking about… here’s a quick check to see if this is you. Are most of the real talks you have with your kids a sermon-like narrative of another very important – “Life Lesson”? If your kids and spouse say yes… then it’s time to CHILL. (you’re vote doesn’t count)
It boils down to this soul-searching question. Are we searching more for what we have missed with our kids than what can be found. Obsessing over the lingering doubts of there being something unknown in our kids lives, something we missed. A threat, that’s dormant and undiscovered, aggravating & undefinable…a possibility that life MIGHT go wrong for them? Some nebulous problem we’re determined to prevent, even if it exhausts us or in the end…never actually existed at all?
http://islandperspective.com/
I’m done running harder and sleeping less. It’s time to shift my gears and start looking at what is right in front of me, today. I’m ignoring the stuff in the past, and I’m not fixating on some fantasy dream of what the future should be. NOPE, I’m stopping to smell the roses right now, slowing it down to remember how precious it all is in the here and now.
The bible says it this way…
(The Message- Bible Gateway.com) Matthew 11: 28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Maybe some of us have long ago learned and applied this truth…maybe some of you have a great story or testimony of how God helped you overcome the feelings of being inadequate as a parent, of learning to rest in your best and trust in God’s grace? Or maybe it’s like many life truths… it comes around in waves and cycles with ever-deepening intensity and understanding as we navigate each season of living it out.
How do you as a parent; focus on the what you have and let go of the what you have not’s in life?
Love you guys, Peace out – RTP !
brad.
Tagged: brad mathias, Christian parenting, Coping with stressful kids, Exhausted parents, faith and family, frustrated parents, Life Changes and Parenting, Matthew 11, Road Trip Parenting 
Today’s post is a re-run from a year ago…
But it is a must read from my 13 year old son Cole!
Like most kids my age, I have a long list of “my wants”, here are a few of the things I would love to get my hands on…
- Xbox Live
- Fly fishing gear
- “NEW” snowboarding gear
- Basketballs (I can never have enough)
- OKC Thunder gear
- FiftyNineFifty Hats
- Lots of duck tape (Love to invent w/ this stuff)
I brought this list to mom and dad, just hoping they might buy some of it, and they told me that if I really want this stuff that I should get out my checkbook and buy it myself! What! I am only 13! I remember one time I had to buy my own fly tying gear and I wasn’t too happy about having to spend my own money. As I was filling out the check I start mumbling, complaining and stomping my feet inside (I didn’t really stomp my feet, my dad would ground me forever if I acted like that). The truth is that I was acting like a spoiled brat.
Parents that’s just one of the many times I’ve had to buy my own things.
I started my own lawn business a couple of years ago called Grassman Lawn Care, so I do have the money in my account to buy some of this stuff. But one day I was complaining about having to mow lawns and buy my own stuff and my dad said, “I think I am going to give your company to Tifton and that I should go get a job at McDonalds.” That instantly knocked me into place and helped me realize that I should be thankful for my company and that I should buy things myself. Buying my own stuff also gives me a pretty big sense of accomplishment.
Parents, your kids are going to hate having to buy their own stuff, I still and always will, but it will give your kids a huge head start! Wall street journal says that my generation is the laziest generation yet, but I say we have the most potential with our advanced technology. Parents, it is in your hands to bring out that potential in your kids.
I think giving your kids everything is a crime that most moms and dads partake in and I also think it is an acceptable form of child abuse. So parents, stop buying your kids everything, tell them to get a job or do some chores around the house and help them find a way to earn the money to buy their stuff!
Do you remember what your very first J-O-B was? If so…please tell! Mine was pushing a 500 pound lawn mower in the 110 degree Texas sun!
Would you like to receive EpicParent’s newest posts by email? If so, click HERE or to add it to your reader click HERE.
I’m at home…anxiously watching my three kids verbally chew into each other without a moments hesitation…simple conversations becoming complex multi-faceted examples of modern pschological warfare, right in my kitchen! No blood spatters yet, but the wounds are deep and just as painful as if they had been inflicted with a fully automated m-16 and some grenades!
www.sheknows.com
Enough raw carnage to make a parent sick… where do they learn to battle and wound each other like that?
Who teaches our kids to attack first and ask questions later? I mean who models this kind of verbal warfare, who makes it seem like a good idea to rip into each other with put-downs and cricisms’ 24/7/365? I’m thinking somewhere at the top of my hit list should be… cynical and irresponsible teachers, modern-day TV sitcom screenwriters… hardcore religious & legalistic preachers…bitter old people? It’s clear that someone out there is messing up my kids and by God I’m going to get to the bottom of it and find me some answers… it’s seriously time to stop this nonsense!
Sound familiar?
Yeah… me too.
I am loosely describing one of a hundred experiences over the past five years with my three teenagers. They learn to bite and nip and gnaw at each other like it’s their first language. Their immediate knee-jerk reaction to look for the flaws in each other, to hold grudges and keep track of failures, disappointments and broken promises. They fall into a pattern of looking for ways to painfully remind the others of past compromises and weaknesses of character…and they have no clue what they are doing.
Nope, they just mimic what they see…no real thought goes into it…they just live out what they observe…
Oh SNAP!
Yesirreebob, those kids are OUR KIDS.
If your finding yourself defusing more emotional bombs than Dr. Phil…it may be time to take a personal inventory of our own attitudes and habits. It may be that we parents are the ones who need to re-tune our hearts to move from a critical focus and a complaining spirit… to a complimentary one.
exploration.grc.nasa.gov
Training kids up in “The Way They Should Go” is not rocket science… its real life.
Learning as we go, let’s be careful to model behavior at home that encourages more than it corrects, that loves more and serves more than it demands of others… it’s the way we want them to go… right?
Peace out, RTP families!
Today’s blog is submitted with genuine humility and personal conviction…apparently this is something I have to work on, so i’m sharing it with you too
brad.
Tagged: brad mathias, Christianity, Compliments, Critical thinking, Dr. Phil, faith and family, parenting, Road Trip Parenting, Rocketscience, teenagers 
10 Signs You’re Abusing Your Kids!!
- At the end of the day, do you pick up all your kiddos stuff? Dishes? Evil Knievel action figures? Undies? Junk in the living room? If so, I think it’s awesome that you are getting her accustomed to having an expensive personal servant when she becomes a young adult.
- When your kiddos ask to go see The Avengers (which is awesome btw…), when they want the new KD’s or when they have to have the new Dora backpack…do you jump to it and make it happen ASAP? If so, you’re teaching him that the world owes him everything he wants without any work or effort on his part.
- Do you let your kids disregard adults and give wimpy hand shakes. If so, your teaching them a habit of dishonor that will plague them for the rest of their lives.
- Have you exposed your kids to Snooki and Jersey Shore? Do you STILL have the Victoria Secret catalog delivered to your home? (WAKE UP!! Your sons are checking this out and maybe even masturbating to it) Do you joke with your sons about T & A? (dads, you know who you are). If so, you very well may be preparing them for a lifelong addiction to porn.
- If you and your spouse have a throw down…do you bad mouth, dishonor and tear down your spouse in front of your son? If so, your teaching them destructive patterns they will carry into their marriage.
- Do you encourage (hm, hm…force) your kids to play basketball, football, chess, piano, join the yearbook staff, start a band, launch a business, make straight A’s and have a boyfriend!!?! If so, you’re probably trying to make up for all your failures and inadequacies!! You’re also teaching your son to be an overachiever and a people pleaser.
- FORCE your kids to behave like nice little Christian kids and the result is fake little Christian kids that will one day run away from Jesus!!
- Constantly interfere in your childs’ play dates, then you will constantly interfere in your kids’ clothing choice, then you will constantly interfere in your kids’ dating life, then you will constantly interfere in your kids’ college choice only to find out that you no longer have a kid to interfere with!
- Do you give your kids the silent treatment when you disapprove of their behavior? If so…STOP IT! That’s child abuse! Get help now.
- When your son is reprimanded (by a teacher, activity leader, neighbor or law enforcement officer), do you immediately assume that they are picking on your child? This teaches lack of respect, the ability to politely defend oneself, and a warped sense of prejudice leading to the feeling that “everyone is against me.” Thanks to http://www.peanut.org/nuke/ for this one!!
Are you guilty of acceptable child abuse? Which one of the previous examples do you struggle with?
Would you like to receive EpicParent’s newest posts by email? If so, click HERE or to add it to your reader click HERE.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
Jodie and I just learned that one of our great friends has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic & liver cancer.
Her name is Stacey Slaton and she is one amazing lady!! She is an incredible wife, EPICMOM and true friend!
She is married to Greg Slaton (GM @ Pole Position Raceway in OKC) and they have two beautiful daughters…Alison who is 11 and Ashytn who is 3.
Greg and Stacey have lived in Edmond, OK for years. They attend LifeChurch.tv (OKC Campus) and have been deeply involved in Edmond Schools for many years.
The reason I am writing this post today is because WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
Keep reading and you’ll learn how you can help out the Slatons…
- PRAY
- Sign up for meals HERE. Security Code is 3435
- Give Financially: Stacey had an in-home day care and will not be able to work. They need your financial help to offset their living expenses as well as medical expenses. There is an account set up at any Bank Of Oklahoma. They are receiving donations on behalf of the Stacey Slayton Fund.
- Garage Sale: There will be a garage sale on Saturday, June 2nd. They are needing donations and volunteers. For more questions on the garage sale, you can email Tina McArthur at tinamcarthur@yahoo.com.
- Spread the Word: I would really appreciate it if you would share this post on Facebook with everyone you know to help us spread the word.
- Facebook: You can find Stacey on Facebook HERE. Jodie and I would love it if you would send her a message and encourage her.
As you can tell, this is very personal to Jodie and I. We would deeply appreciate it if you would roll up your sleeves and help out!!
Sincerely,
Chris Spradlin
Had a great service yesterday…celebrating mom’s and handing out beautiful roses, remembering how special each mother was and is at church, then everyone piles into cars to chase a superfat lunch
Later we exchange lots of sweet and thoughtful gifts and cards, saying something like “Mom, you’re so amazing, so special, I Love you” etc.. 
it’s traditional to take a day to remember all that mom’s mean and are and do for us…a wonderful day, one to cherish and observe…
But what about the next day? When a gray and rainy morning arrives and the reality check occurs; you’ve awakened to Mothers day + 1 ! Looking for a cup of coffee…you stumble into the kitchen to discover the dishes are not magically gone, laundry is still spilling precariously out of the fourth plastic clothes basket in the hallway, and your kids have decided to start a minor civil war in the upstairs bathroom!
No matter how hard you look…the mother’s day fairy has completely disappeared and the real stuff of family life has returned…only this time with a bit of a vengeance. The UP of Sunday is replaced by the DOWN of just another normal Monday. (SIGH…)
Hang on MOM!
God NOTICES… He see’s the faithfulness of your love, the relentless desire to raise your kids the “right” way. To get up day after day and make lunches, clean your kitchens and make sure the kids have clean underwear… your heart is not un-noticed. He see’s you’re “before there were kids” dreams, your early hopes of creating a truly unique and amazing life… He remembers and cherish’s your hearts deepest desire…He cares.
I Samuel 1-2 shares the story of an Epic mom by the name of Hannah. Her testimony of injustice, despair and frustration at being a mom and a mother are timeless…they can resonate forward 3,000 years and remind us all of the power of prayer, the hope of God’s touch and the amazingly intimate sensitivity that God has for the heart of a woman.
“Hannah prayed: I’m bursting with God-news! I’m walking on air.
I’m laughing at my rivals. I’m dancing my salvation. 2-5 Nothing and no one is holy like God,
no rock mountain like our God….For God knows what’s going on.
He takes the measure of everything that happens.
The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces,
while the weak are infused with fresh strength.
The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts,
while the hungry are getting second helpings.
The barren woman has a houseful of children,
while the mother of many is bereft.
6-10 God brings death and God brings life,
brings down to the grave and raises up.
God brings poverty and God brings wealth;
he lowers, he also lifts up.
He puts poor people on their feet again;
he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope,
Restoring dignity and respect to their lives—
a place in the sun! (courtesy of Biblegateway)
So… if your feeling a bit overwhelmed by the burdens of mom-hood and your one day a year buzz is fading… read a bit in the bible today. I Samuel 1-2 would be awesome… find out for yourself about Hannah and her story, read her song. She struggled, she trusted and God overcame… in exchange, Hannah surrended her gift to God and a nation was changed, a entire people group re-directed from chaos to Kingdom. Hannah’s answer was a son… Samuel (God Heard me) who annointed David to be King of Israel.
Hannah, was challenged to keep going one more day…serving once more without any sign that God was out there, that God even noticed her… but she tried one more time to pray, to ask… and poured her entire heart out to Him.. she allowed God to gently touch her brokenness and trusted only Him to make it whole… and from that simple act of complete and utter trust… God touched her back and saved a nation.
God Notices your prayer!
It’s EPIC example of the power of faith and surrender and the mercy and grace of God! Blessings to all of you mothers, wherever you are… never ever doubt… GOD DOES NOTICE YOU!
RTP -
Tagged: brad mathias, Christian parenting, faith and family, Frustrated mothers, Mothers day, parenting, Praying for kids, Road Trip Parenting 
- 70% of kids 0 – 8 watch 1hr. & 52 minutes of television a day.
- Half of kids under 8 (and 40% of 2- to 4-year-olds) have access to a smartphone, iPad or some other mobile media device.
- Kids under 2 spend more than twice as much time watching videos as they do being read to.
- About 80% of children between the ages of 0 and 5 who use the Internet in the United States do so on at least a weekly basis.
- 60% of children under age three watch videos online..
- 7.5 million Facebook users are below the age of 13.
- Kids 13 – 17 years of age send/receive an average of 2,899 texts a month.
The other day my youngest son, Tifton Jack, came home from school and wouldn’t shut up about the over head projector his teacher used in class. I guess he had never seen one before (?) but he was floored by the technology straight from the 60′s.
The Jack Hammer was so impressed that he decided he was going to make his own overhead projector!
Check out his supply list…
So Tifton went to work and just a few hours later, he had made his own fully functioning, Team Sprad certified, church lyrics displaying qualified, over head projector!
If….
Listen up parents!!
If…
Tifton had come home and jacked around on his Kindle Fire, watched SpongeBob SquarePants on the tube or played games on the iPad he would never had used his God given brain to innovate, create, or problem solve.
I’m not one of those parents that says “to hell with media”!
However, I do believe that media is killing, destroying, and stifling our kids’ ability to think, create, devise, innovate, dream, and change the world.
And parents, just in case you wanted to know!
If you allow your kids to sit in a vegetative state in front of the hellavision!! If your kids are getting carpel tunnel from sending thousand of texts. If your kids can recite every line of Talledega Nights. And if your kids had rather sit on the couch and eat goldfish instead of rolling in the grass. (I think you get the idea)
Well then Mom and Dad…
You should be cuffed and locked away for ACCEPTABLE CHILD ABUSE!!
Yep!! You heard me right.
Cuffed and locked away!
3 Quick Tips To Get The Innovation Going In Your Kids…
- Replace SpongeBob with Lego’s
- Have your kids list 10 (creative/innovative) uses for a lawn chair (let them dream)
- Give them 1 project to create and execute each month
Mom & Dad!! I would love to have you leave a comment. Tell us if you think you are guilty of ACCEPTABLE CHILD ABUSE.
Would you like to receive EpicParent’s newest posts by email? If so, click HERE or to add it to your reader click HERE.
All Men Die; Few Men Ever Really LIVE
“The most dangerous man on earth is the man who has reckoned with his own death. All men die; few men ever really live. Sure, you can create a safe life for yourself . . . and end your days in a rest home babbling on about some forgotten misfortune. I’d rather go down swinging. Besides, the less we are trying to “save ourselves,” the more effective a warrior we will be. Listen to G. K. Chesterton on courage:
healingleaf.wordpress.com – pic credit
Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. “He that will lose his life, the same shall save it” is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. It is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. It might be printed in an Alpine guide or a drill book. The paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. A man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. He can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it. A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life-like water and yet drink death like wine.”
(Wild at Heart , 169)
(above is a repost by RTP of a daily email devotional from Ransomed Heart Ministries in Colorado Springs, CO)
For more information on the amazing ministry of John Eldridge and his regular Rocky Mountain Bootcamp retreats, blogs, books and resources for men and leaders, please check out their amazing and life changing stuff HERE.
John Eldredge
————————————————————————————
I love the message of Eldridge, his books, his retreats, and his life story…all point us to the recovery of the true self and the understanding of the role God has given us to play in OUR STORY. A recovery of the life God created us to live. Men, we need to wake ourselves and get up, learn to live, learn to fight and learn to defend what God has given so freely for us and our families.
If you find yourself really struggling with lifelessness…things like; apathy, fatigue, cynicism and a growing anger or frustration with your life, your wife, your church and your career… you may just need to take a moment to reset.
If you think it’s time for a RESET, I would encourage you to consider checking out “Wild at Heart” one of John’s first books and consider booking a trip to visit his Bootcamp at a Ransomed Heart weekend mens retreat. I have personally been radically changed by this ministry and believe the entire organization to be healthy and trustworthy for you to seriously consider. At the very least… purchase a book – read the book, attend a boot camp – lean into Jesus… and come alive with a band of brothers that you never knew before!
I DARE YOU!
Peace out RTP,
brad (Disclaimer for readers… RoadTrip Parenting does not receive a dime of compensation or commission from RHM )
Tagged: band of brothers, bootcamp, brad mathias, Courage, Faith and Men, Fear, G K Chesterton, John Eldridge, Learning to Live, Ransomed Heart Ministries, Road Trip Parenting, Zombified 
