I am showing the Captivating DVD Series to a group of 65 Year 9 girls. I have been able to find 'teenager friendly' DVD clips to support each lesson which has worked very well. Because of their age I have found that adapting some of the questions in the study and facilitator's guide has also been necessary and because of time constraints I only use a few questions from each guide for both written and discussion prompts which take place in smaller groups later in the week. My heart for the girls is that they address these issues , and are aware of the issues brought out in the series early in life. Last week after our small group discussion we went to our Middle School chapel where the speaker reinforced what we had just discussed.

Colleen

I loved John's message in the March newsletter. I've been a Christian all my life and had Jesus horribly confused. I'm listening to the Gospels right now and finding him to be a completely different (and completely perplexing) figure. And I love him! So much goodness and freedom!

Bryan

We have recently finished reading your book, Love and War.  In the past eight months, our 25 year marriage had been to the brink of disaster,and divorce was brought up on more than a few occasions during horrible fights we would rather not remember.  Unfortunately, our pastor and a Christian psychologist the pastor referred us to could not accept that the ROOT of our marital problems was spiritual, though we felt we had adequate proof.  We truly know that we were being tormented and oppressed by demons, and without going into all the gruesome details, we ended up dropping all counseling and simply prayed with great intensity while reading every Christian marriage book we could get our hands on, as well as Christian books regarding spiritual warfare. 

While each book we read had some very good information, it was your book that we felt was the absolute best marriage book from front to back!  There were more than a few pages where your words "leapt" from the page, and we found ourselves saying, "They are talking about us!"  Let me assure you that we know first and foremost that our marriage would not have survived without God's help, strength and love, but your book and ministry have been the most delicious "icing on the cake"!

We thank God for you and for the words you share in Love and War.  This past week-end we celebrated Valentine's Day, a day that for six months we thought we would probably never celebrate together again, and it was the most glorious week-end.  We invited the Lord to be a part of our celebration, which He did so beautifully with a generous snowfall turning our trip into a great adventure in a winter wonderland.  Normally, the idea of traveling in a snow storm would have had me in a panic and rethinking the whole trip, but I remembered your words about adventure and prayed for peace regarding my fears.  So we packed the jeep and headed to the resort, and I am SO thankful we did!  We were like newlyweds the entire week-end with nothing but positive and loving thoughts and actions.  And part of the trip down to the resort was finishing the last few pages of your book . . . what a way to start our Valentine's Day celebration! 

Again, we thank you and pray that your ministry and this book will reach the hands of the many couples who so desperately need this blessing in their marriages.

Janice
 

I wrote to you guys a few weeks back about my sister Sarah and her husband Mohammed. They attended your 'Love and War' event in Austin. Just wanted to give you an update.....but first let me say THANK YOU for praying for them! The enemy tried hard to deter Mohammed from going, but the Lord won out! My sister told me it was awesome (of course!) and that although Mohammed didn't say much about it, she knows he was touched by the things you said. At one point she looked over at him and could see a tear rolling down his cheek. Praise God that His Spirit melts us, and praise God for your ministry! If you recall, Mohammed had asked Sarah for a divorce just a few days before your event. Since then, he has not mentioned it again and he has become more attentive to their children. The Lord has put it on my sister's heart to go back to the basics of friendship with her husband and has given her a renewed hope. I expect miraculous things to unfold!

You are each doing great things for the Kingdom and I just had to say thank you once again. May God's boundless love continue to flow through your ministry and into the hearts of the thirsty and broken. You need to know you are making a difference!

Blessings to each of you,

Megan

For 4 days, a company of leaders and friends from Guadalajara and Mexico City escaped from the urban chaos, work, and responsibilities to encounter God together on the skirts of central Mexico's legendary volcanos.  We hiked, fished, laughed, ate, ran, and sat around the fire together.  As you know, we gathered together around Christ through the 9 Boot Camp conversations.   We talked about the continued discoveries of our place in the the giant story, God's epic and it's course in central Mexico. One dear friend and leader said, “I carry with me the vision of building strong bands of brothers throughout the kingdom who know what it is to search for God and life together.  I feel full of hope, and will give my life to something like this.” 

     
We shared prayer together concerning the adventure and risk taking associated directly with our deepest desires to make Mexico something new, vibrant, and more centered in Christ.   One friend left the experience saying, “I will take the next steps in my life by courageously taking steps of action.  I will do so by writing down 12 things that I will do in response to God’s leading.   I will check off each action when it is completed so that we will know that I am following up on this...if I am walking in the direction of my God given dreams or not.”  This same brother talked about building a micro-finance organization to help the poor; he also said it was time to propose to his girlfriend, and spoke about his hunger to be a better son and friend.

We reminded one another of the noble commission given to us as fathers and husbands and boyfriends (there were 4 young unmarried men who joined us).  We made commitments about the kind of servants and men we want to be for those closest to us.  One father said, “I am going home and will spend more time with my son.”  Another father said, “I will be a more authentically present husband and father to my wife and daughter.  I will become a listener and be deeply attentive to them.  I will ask them frequently, ¿Cómo estás?”  Another family man said, “I will now put great emphasis on my relationship with my wife and children.  We will discover God together...I will be a better listener.”  

We experienced walking with God and walking with God together.  We formed a stronger band of brothers for the struggles ahead.  As one friend concluded, “I feel internal strength now, and know that I will live to grow in my spiritual life.  My self-worth, identity, security, and sufficiency will be found in the hands of God from now on.” Another one said, “I can see with greater clarity that this group of men is truly on the front lines of the kingdom of Christ in Mexico.” 

-James

We had our first school W@H camp at the end of last month where we took 15 of the problem students from [a high school] in Pretoria (age 17-18) on a three day bush experience… these are bad @ss guys… 4 of them have got charges of assault against them and are awaiting trial, one was involved in Satanism and most come from broken homes… They all gave their hearts to God on this camp. 13 of the 15 have volunteered to facilitate the next camp… they are giving witness in the school one at a time… they have started a band of brothers at school… they are standing up in class speaking up against disrespect towards female teachers! Their parents are approaching us for tools and guidance… they are requesting farther son camps to heal their wounds… the teachers have experienced the hand of God in their school and there is a renewed devotion to the lord among them…

The repercussions of this have been so immense that it is impossible to measure…
We stand in awe of what God is doing in our city… and country… -

(A response to a Captivating Retreat held up in The Rockies)

What can I say? A Christian since I was 20 years old – serving, working, trudging, bearing up under the “Saintly” longsuffering of “a woman of God”, duty, obligation, tiredness, loss. If Christ came to fill us with joy, why was I so worn out and joyless? What was I missing in this? Was heaven my only hope in this life?

With that question to God ten months ago He began to lead me on a quest. A quest for the truth, I thought. But it has been a quest for so much more. The beautiful culmination (of at least this part of my story) has been that I have seen my God here in this place striding on the mountain tops, His song to me in the wind. A hidden meadow with the warmth of the sun, the rustling of the aspens, untrodden paths with an invitation from my Lover to walk off the easy path to encounter His beauty, His presence, His Whispers of longing to me. To be fearless where there has been fear… because I am not alone for My God is with me always…

It has been a long time since I felt warmth this deep in my heart. I have been breathed on by the one who gives me life. He is my All. He is my delight.

Thank you thank you than you.

I wept as I read, .

"So, put down the book for just a moment, and let this sink in: Jesus can, and wants to, heal you heart."- Waking the Dead - page 136:

I put the book down and let it sink in.

I closed my eyes (the voice came)- "Jesus can, and wants to, heal my heart."

I keep repeating it - "Jesus can, and wants to, heal my heart.  Jesus can... Jesus can heal my heart... He wants to heal my heart..." I keep saying the words over and over... my heart cries "Abba" The laces are undone, the latches unlocked, shields down.

I weep.

The failures and shortcomings. The lust. The moment of sexual innocence lost and the endless cycle of pain and despair; the flood of haunting memories that curse my dreams. The well-placed arrows and piercing daggers; the years of masturbation and images of women that I had scourged over. The women I had used, but deeper still, the ones that had used me.  I weep... because scoop by scoop, piece by piece, hole by hole... He is removing the guilt and extracting the pain. I want to stop (I am weeping And  my neighbors will likely soon be at my door) but I can't - I can't let go. I’m not going to stop short of... ... silence. The tears stop. The voice returns.

“It is good, it is good. It is very good” (His words only after creating Man in His image).

I made it through parts of Wild at Heart years ago, but the weight of sin and shame left me a casualty of war, lying wounded on the battlefield. I never believed my heart could still be good... not after years of my sinful hypocrisy and the forced outward smile. Now, here I am... God was always moving and still speaking, but now... "they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15)

I look forward to the rest of my journey with my Savior.. I am. a man fully

alive. - Peter