We hope you will join us this year for our 2nd annual Saint Louis FamilyCamp on July 16th – 19th at the Windermere Conference Center. The theme of this year’s camp is: The Christ Centered Family.   Main session speakers and topics for this year will include…

Friday Night: The Christ Centered Life – Bryan Chapell

Saturday Night: The Christ Centered Marriage – Bryan Chapell

Sunday Night: Christ Centered Parenting – John Ryan

Monday Morning: The Christ Centered Family – Andy Chambers

We will also have several breakout sessions equipping both adults and children. This year, we’ve added another exciting element to camp.  We have partnered with our friends at Seeds Family Worship to engage the entire family during our morning worship sessions.

If you register before the end of April, you will receive a $5 discount for every person registering.  Space is limited for camp, so please register today to make certain your spot is secure.  For additional questions, you can message us through the contact page.

Register today!

1. Have you been treasuring Christ above all of the other good gifts of the gospel?
2. Have your actions this week been for the praise of God, or for the praise of people?
3. Have you diligently and consistently spent time in the Word and in prayer?
4. Have you been a servant leader for your wife, tempering honesty with love and kindness?
5. Have you smiled/laughed with and encouraged your kids more than you’ve spoken sternly?
6. Have you been above reproach sexually with any and all thoughts, images, and women in your life?
7. Have you exercised consistently and been faithful to honor God with your eating?
8. Have you been wise in appropriately balancing time between work and family?
9. Have you sought to pray for and share the gospel with any non-believers this week?
10. Have you spent time learning and growing through reading and listening to other Godly men?

Has there ever been a time during your family worship where you felt like the entire family was distracted?

I know in my house, this has happened on more than one occasion.  It doesn’t matter how animated I become or how creative I tell the story, sometimes my family seems miles away.

Before I complete this post, may I just say that distraction for my family mostly comes from depravity.  We are a sinful family that often struggles to take pleasure in the deep truth of God.  Even as we sit before his word and cry out in worship, I fear that our hearts can be wrapped up in selfish ambitions.  Thank you Jesus for loving us despite ourselves.

Apart from that, I also believe that distractions in worship can also come from a disorderly environment.  Recently, I read a secular book called ‘The Tipping Point’ by Malcolm Gladwell.  During a dissertation on how the physical environment can effect violent crime, Gladwell speaks of an interesting theory proposed by two criminologists named James Q. Wilson and George Kelling.  In their hypothesis called ‘The Broken Window Theory’, they state that:

“Crime is an inevitable result of disorder.  If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge.   Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. ”

Then as Gladwell correctly points out, “This is an epidemic theory of crime.  It says that crime is contagious – just as a fashion trend is contagious – that it can start with a broken window and spread to an entire community.”

Now, I would argue fiercely that crime is not a result of disorder, but rather of our sin nature.   The natural default mode of a heart that does not know God is destruction.  This is clear.  However, I would agree with these criminologist in the sense that disorderly environments can only contribute to disorderly conduct.

How does this relate to your family worship times? One thing I’ve learned through our short years of doing family worship is that effort should be taken to prepare the environment for God honoring worship.  If your living room is a mess, your kids are hungry, and your wife is ticked off at  you, chances are worship time is gonna be pretty rough.  However, if you’ve taken proper steps throughout the evening to prepare the family for worship time, I believe that God can be honored in your efforts.

Below I’ve made a short list of ideas you can consider during the hours leading up to your worship time.  As always, please know that my list aren’t exhaustive, and there’s a good chance I’ve got something wrong.  I’m a parent just like you, seeking to honor God through the daily successes and failures of child rearing.  May God be glorified through our efforts to worship him!

1.  Make sure the family has it’s physical needs met
2.  Pick up the room in which you plan to have family worship
3.  Ask your kids to use the bathroom before worship begins
4.  If there is any division in the family, resolve it before you worship
5.  Make sure all toys are put away and out of reach
6.  Have your songs and teaching picked out before you sit down

Finally, and most importantly, make a conscious effort to ask God daily to captivate your families heart and mind during family worship!

pansy – a weak or effeminate man or boy…

The definition I’m using here is not the part about being effeminate, because I believe there are many men who squander their families money and are not effeminate.  They buy manly things like paint ball guns, 4wheelers, car stereos, and iPhones.  None of these things are bad… In fact, I have several guns and a nice cell phone.  The point isn’t what they purchase, but when and how they purchase it.  If you prioritize big boy toyz over being in bondage to debt, you are a weak man (or boy), and you must strengthen your resolve for leading your families finances.

We live in a culture that is in dire financial straights.  The Consumer Reports Money Book states that the average household debt in America is more than $38,000.  If this isn’t startling, consider this: the ‘normal’ American family has $8,367 in credit card debt that they carry from month to month.  On average, these families are paying 18.3 percent in interest on that balance each month.  A few short steps in quick math will tell us that pansies who lead their families this way will expect to pay $1,000 in interest each year.

Have I offended you yet? Are you ticked at me because I’m calling some of you reading this a pansy? Honestly, I hope you do get offended.  In my life, there has been little changes in the areas of my weaknesses until I’ve been sufficiently angered about my current pattern of living.  Two years ago I realized that I was 40 pounds overweight.  In regards to my eating, I had become a typical American.  I was eating more than what my body required to satisfy my stomach and fulfill my gluttonous lust.  It wasn’t until I looked in the mirror one day and was sufficiently convicted that I began the process of glorifying God through healthy eating and exercise.  Over the course of the 4 months following that memorable day in the mirror, I lost 40 pounds and ran several half marathons to keep in shape.

I’m not writing to evoke emotion alone, but to rather challenge men, fathers, and husbands to stop being so weak in your resolve for Christian living.  Counter to what the culture may represent, it is not ‘Christian’ to be gluttonous, perverted, impatient, selfish, hateful, or envious (Gal 5).   To be a man is to trust in Christ as your only hope against the plight of our flesh, and stand firm against the temptations of becoming a nominal American male pansy.

I recently finished a book by Dave Ramsey called ‘Financial Peace’.  In his book, he gives 7 simple steps to overcoming debt and living in financial freedom.  If you are burdened down by your current financial position, I recommend this book for educating yourself on manly financial stewardship.  No longer should we be satisfied with the cultural norm of living in bondage to debt.  Rise up Christian men and stop being financial pansies.

So… why should this matter to you? Within our cost calculator, you’ve probably noticed that meals were a significant part of the FamilyCamp cost. Like all camp ministries, Windermere makes a large portion of their income from food.  However, food is now something that can be completely optional for your family.  You can either eat meals in the Windermere cafeteria (which is very good by the way), or you can bring your own meals and save a TON of cash.

How much is a TON?

Let me give you an example… If you have a family of five, this is what it would look like:

2 adults + 3 kids staying in economy housing, eating meals in the Windermere cafeteria = $420, compared to only $192 if you bring your own meals.

So, if you were having a hard time affording camp, you could save around $150 by purchasing and preparing your own meals (already figuring that it would still cost some money to purchase your own food before camp).

This doesn’t mean that families aren’t encouraged to eat at Windermere, but rather that the FamilyCamp team is doing everything possible to assure financial barriers are removed so every family can attend this camp.  I believe whole-heartedly that Saint Louis FamilyCamp 2009 has the ability to completely shift your view of family forever.  God will use this camp to encourage singles, strengthen marriages, equip parents, and develop Christ-centered children.  To me, a dollar amount can’t be placed on this type of experience… I hope you’ll agree.

So what are you waiting for?  The next pricing break will end soon… Sign up today for Saint Louis FamilyCamp 2009!

I don’t have the words to accurately describe the impression this type of parenting makes, but thankfully a man by the name of Terry L. Johnson does.  In his writings of, “The Family Worship Book”, Johnson articulates these beautiful words that are seared into my mind daily:

“Children growing up with the daily experience of seeing their parents humbled in worship, focusing on spiritual things, submitting to the authority of the word, catechizing and otherwise instructing their children will not easily turn from Christ.  Our children should grow up with the voices of their fathers pleading for their souls in prayer ringing in their ears, leading to their salvation, or else haunting them for the rest of their lives.”

Thank you Daddy for the ringing in my ears! May it never escape me.

This video is of my 3 year old daughter.  May God make the ringing in her ears overwhelming!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I said,

Sorry bro… I gotta babysit my kids.

The contemporary definition of the term babysit is ‘to take charge of a child while the parents are temporarily away.’  Basically, what I had told my friend is that I had to do something that wasn’t my responsibility.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that embraces this language for our men.  When fathers watch their kids, they are temporarily stepping in for mom.  It’s not because they ‘want’ to, but because they ‘have’ to.  Compare this type of language to the challenge made in Deuteronomy 6 to parents.  Fathers were charged to teach their children about God while they sat at home, walked on the road, when they went to bed and when they woke up!

So fathers… as God changes our hearts may we change our language.  We don’t ‘have‘ to baby sit our kids, rather we ‘get‘ to teach, train, protect, love, and shepherd the blessings under our care.

We didn’t like the cliche phrase ‘early bird rate’, so we’re calling it reduced pricing for smart people.  If you’re planning on attending FamilyCamp in 2009, it would be very smart to sign up now versus signing up later.  Not only will you help us estimate attendance, but you’ll save some hard earned cash.

How much will you save?

Program fees will increase two times between now and camp.  Here is the fee breakdown…

December 1st – January 31st: $10 per adult / $5 per child (superduper smart)

February  1st – April 30th: $15 per adult / $10 per child (very smart)

May 1st – July 30th: $20 per adult / $15 per child (smart**)

**If you’re wondering how this last category is still smart…  while you missed the discounts, you’re still coming to FamilyCamp.  That’s smart!

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for FamilyCamp today! Your only out of pocket cost is the $100 deposit.  Your remaining balance can be paid when you arrive at camp.

Hope to have you with us in 2009.

JZ and the FamilyCamp team

As we’ve grown in relationship with our neighbors these last few years, one thing has become apparent.  Many of our new friends are hostile to the Gospel.  Not only do they reject Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, but they do it vehemently.  To give you an example: a few months ago I was having a conversation with a father on our street.  He was sharing with me how he was struggling to raise his son.  As I asked him questions, it became apparent that much of his struggle was rooted in his own anger towards his father.  Apparently, his dad had been very physically and verbally abusive, so he found himself struggling with these same traits.  After he shared with me, I assured him that he could discover a new way to raise his son through seeing God’s picture for fatherhood in the Bible.  As soon as the word “God” came from my lips, he interjected and said, “I like hanging out with you Jason… but don’t talk about God with me.”

This experience on our street has become common.  My neighbors will talk, but as soon as Jesus comes up, the conversation is over.  Many of you who are seeking to love your neighbors like my wife and I can deeply relate to this.  Sometimes I wake up and wonder if there’s any hope.  In fact, I’ve found myself doing this quite often lately.  It’s like I’ve begun to assess the “save-ability” of people.  What do I mean? As I’ve gotten close to non-believers on our street and seen their lostness, their anger, their hatred, and their hostility to God, I’ve begun to discern for myself if they are able to be saved.  Maybe you’ve done this too? You have a close friend or a loved one who you’ve reached out to for years, and it seems like the closer you get, the more you realize that it’ll be a MIRACLE if they ever get saved.

The reality is, salvation is a miracle.  I was reminded of this last week as I was studying the death of Jesus.  After the sky goes dark and the earth shakes, Jesus commits his spirit to God and breaths his last breath.  As this happens, we’re told of a Roman Centurion who is standing at the foot of the cross.  This man would have been a career soldier who oversaw the execution of many criminals.  In fact, it’s very possible that he lead the execution of Jesus from the point of his flogging to the nails being driven into his hands and feet.  His heart would have been hard… his appearance would have been rough… his language would have been foul… he would have been a lot like my neighbor. But as Jesus breaths his last breath, this man worships God by crying out, “Surely this man was the son of God!” (Matthew 27:45)

As I’ve reflected on this story, I’ve been reminded of this overwhelming truth.  If God can save the man who killed Jesus, then who can’t God save?

God forgive us of our doubt! Remind us today that you are mighty to save…