Thursday will be the day of prayer and fasting for the guys on the Journey up in the Northwoods this week. Pray that there would be no distractions for them as they seek the Lord, and that there would be nothing hindering them from hearing His voice. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4)

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Do you have more pictures from the Journey? Please send them to us!

View the Photo Gallery

Do you have more pictures from the Journey? Please send them to us!

View the Photo Gallery

Do you have more pictures from the Journey? Please send them to us!

View the Photo Gallery

Do you have more pictures from the Journey? Please send them to us!

Well, I have to start out by saying all glory and praise be to God for his working and refinement in my life! I have to give a testimony of what the Lord has done in my heart during the Journey To The Heart program.

I had always wanted to go on a Journey, and when I received the opportunity to go it was right after I had had a few years of total rebellion against my parents, which was eating away my spirit and soul!

Then my two sisters came to visit me in Romania, and both of them recognized that I was in distress. My older sister Naomi registered for a whole year on Embassy Institute, and asked me to listen to one of the messages online. So I started listening to Paul and Jenny Speed’s message on hidden failures, and the Holy Spirit grabbed a hold of my heart. I was so convicted I picked up the phone, called my parents, and confessed all my secret sins to them.

I went home right away and received counsel with Brother Jim Logan, and found freedom in Christ and started experiencing the Lord in my  heart. I spent some more time building my relationship with my family and then departed back to Romania.

The Lord revealed to me two weeks before I came on the Journey that I had embraced the music of the family I lived with in Romania. I argued with the Lord, and He revealed to me during the journey how much this music affects me in my relationship with him, and that he could not bless my life with this music in my heart. I listened to wholesome classical music, and also mixed other music from the radio.

When I was in hiding with all my secret sins I had very extreme pain with stomach ulcers, but when I confessed everything and reconciled my heart to all that the Lord lead me to make right, the pain stopped! I had a scope operation done and the doctor said that I no longer had the bacteria in my body. So when I was on the Journey Brother Bill Gothard went through the new book Strong Delusions From Strange Fire, and again the Lord really challenged me again on music. As I argued with God, my stomach pain came back.

Well, just a few days ago on April 9, 2012, I gave the Lord all of my heart and gave up the music that I had embraced and reclaimed that surrendered ground. The pain decreased immediately! Praise the Lord for the Journey and all the truths the Lord has shown me, and all the rhemas he is teaching me. God bless you all and continue on with the Lord in His grace each moment and each day!

~ Caleb
April 2012 Guys Journey

This group of young men headed up to the Northwoods yesterday on the first Journey to the Heart of 2012! Please pray that they would “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that [they] might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

As this is being posted, I am currently in Peru! Memories flood back from my last journey to Peru, in December of 2011….

Even though seven days seems like such a short span of time, God gave each of us such an opportunity to make a great impact in this special country!

I felt I was able to mingle with the people more, and God taught me to be bold in sharing the gospel, instead of simply giving away Christian booklets. 

For example, an incident occurred during our visit to a hospital which ministers to little children with aids. I was in the hospital handing out tracts, when a young mother stopped me and questioned me about my beliefs. She was trying to hold onto life and support her little girl single handedly.  Her heart was very soft soil, ready to receive the seed of His Word, and I was able, right then and there, to lead her to the Rock that is Higher than I! 

It was a busy trip, filled with many memories. We met with government officials and were received very warmly. Also, our group spent time with gang members and their leaders, teaching them to be ‘givers’ instead of takers. 

As a group, we passed out many tracts and were able to pray with numerous souls in different areas.  I was able to give away free gifts to many of these dear people, and used this act as an analogy for the Gospel. Salvation is a free gift that we must receive…It is not free in the sense that it has no cost, but in essence no cost is charged to their account, or mine.  Praise the Lord!

As I look back, I believe that the highlight of the week was when we traveled outside the big city to the Black Mountain area. There, we found hundreds of needy young mothers and children living in poverty-level conditions.  Some didn’t even have running water inside their homes.  But I was even more amazed to find out how many of the families didn’t have a Bible.  I personally own more than four!  Until then I never fully realized what a privilege it was to own God’s word. I hope I will never take it for granted again.

Every time I set foot in the amazing country of Peru, I can’t help but see the incredible needs this country has, coupled with a very real hunger for truth. I am blessed beyond measure to have had the privilege of sharing the Good News with so many lives.

The Lord is going to do great and mighty wonders through His people.

Here are we, Lord, send us!

~Tabitha
Mexican Journey to the Heart Team Leader

“As I drew closer to the Lord on my Journey, I started talking with Him one on one like I would to a friend. Every moment in ALERT I needed this communication to finish what seemed impossible.

“ALERT challenged me physically, mentally, and most important, spiritually as I memorized the entire book of first Peter during the nine weeks of Basic. Learning to depend on God completely through the intense training at ALERT has taught me to begin depending on Him in every area of life.

“This weekend I am going back down to ALERT to attend the advancement of Unit 47. After finishing Basic Training myself, I had encouraged a friend of mine to go through this ALERT Unit. I am so excited to hear that God has done a deep work in his life as a result, including a new desire to build a stronger relationship with his Mom. Praise the Lord!”

- Sam
July 2009 Guys Journey

Click here to view the embedded video.

www.alertacademy.com

Chad is a great teacher

Well, this is our last evening of training with Chad and Alissa Christiansen from In the Gap. It was tons of fun! Chad spent the whole time giving tips and illustrations of good and bad storytelling.

I didn’t bring my laptop so I’m blogging from my mobile phone this evening. Here are a few notes:

- Keep the bigger picture of your story in mind. Know where your story is going. Focus on the overview, not the written detail.

- Be the story. Get into it! Paint the scene. Interact with your objects. Bring the kids with you. (e.g. describe the sunrise, pretend to cast the fishing line)

- Have a visual diversion. The best illustration is anything. Common and simple objects are ideal. (e.g. Pick up the markerboard eraser as if it was the gold nugget in your story)

- Avoid any distractions. Don’t stand in front of an open door or window. Keep things elevated so everyone can see. (Don’t involve just the front row!)

- Close with a commitment. This brings closure and personal evaluation. Make it concise and specific. Tell them how you want them to respond.

Chad telling a story

How Do I Do It?

1. Select the story

2. Verbally push through the story. Practice talking through all the facts.

3. Envision the scene with present-day feelings and concerns. What if you were in their shoes? What if you were at the scene?

4. Tell the story from the view of someone at the scene.

5. Establish the story’s one central truth. What is the one big thing I want to communicate? Weave this in throughout the whole lesson. Repeat it several times.

6. Plan your first words. Memorize them! If you know how the story starts you’ll be able to jump right into it and get your audience into the story.

7. Plan your ending. Have a smooth landing and jump into the conclusion without wandering around or coming to a screeching halt.

8. Research the facts. Facts can really make a story. Make sure you they are accurate.

9. Eliminate needless details. Don’t go overboard with accuracy details, personal details, and emotional details.

10. Add descriptions that will bring life to the story!