Monday, August 26, 2013

Webinar Training Videos

The training videos below are great resources for training new men and for sharpening your skills no matter how many years you've been leading a CSB ministry in your church.

Brigade Principles: Will help you grasp the core vision of CSB Ministries - discipleship. Without this concept being carried forward, you are "just running another program." Click here to view

Stockade Leadership:  Will cover the elements of the Stockade meeting and achievement, and will include the all new Stockade materials. Click here to view

Battalion Leadership: Will cover the elements of the Battalion meeting, achievement, and leadership development. Click here to view

reVision Update

Please note that we believe the dates below to be accurate but that they may change. This is to be
Draft Cover of the New Trail Guide
used as a helpful guideline but contact your Regional Director if you have any questions.

Also, if you are a man with expertise in a particular interest area and would like to see that interest area developed into a module please contact us. We'd love to consider your ideas!

BrigadeConnection@csbministries.org


Current Revision Schedule:
Modules re-edited and reprinted, including the Outpost Adventures and new covers (available in store - at the printer August 9):
  • Flight (Faith)
  • Team Sports (The Church)
  • Bikes & Boards (Friends)
  • Woodworking (Holiness)
The four core Achievement guides are currently being redesigned and should be at the printers by Tuesday, August 27:
  • Builder Trails 1
  • Builder Trails 2
  • Sentinel Trails 1
  • Sentinel Trails 2
The following modules are completed and are in the cue for final draft and design (once the core books are done):

Saturday, August 17, 2013

CSB growing in Zambia!

View the pictures I took

God is moving on the African Continent


For the past 4 years directors passionate about Brigade's message of discipling men, have traveled yearly to the beautiful country of Zambia to work with the incredible men serving in Christian ministry there at the invitation of a missions  organization that saw the need for a ministry to men and CSB's unique ability to meet that need.

The first three years have been spent in building a network of pastors, establishing relationships, and casting a vision alongside local Zambian churches for how the ministry could look in a Zambian culture. This year's goal was to begin to train the trainers so that what has become known as the "EAGLES" ministry could begin to grow vibrantly and organically in the hands of Zambian leaders. Below is a short summary of their trip. We are speechless at what God chose to do, far exceeding our wildest expectations!



"Ron Rynd, Norm Tacklind, Harold Browne and I returned August 1st to Zambia to assist churches there in their ministries to men and boys. Our goal this time was not only to train new men and assist new churches in starting EAGLES programs, but also to begin to establish a Zambian leadership team that would be able to take the reigns of the ministry. The trip certainly had it's trials and difficulties, beginning with a leadership meeting that did not produce any of the results we had hoped for. I was scheduled to lead this key training session that we had come for but in a frustrating twist of providence ended up getting hospitalized with an infection the night before my session. Yes ... in a Zambian Hospital! As you might imagine that's a whole other story but you can see some pictures here

The men who took my place came back home deflated having accomplished nothing of what we had hoped. Maybe we've learned something of how God works by now because we chose not lose hope. God waited until the the last day of our 3-day training conference where we  spontaneously decided to challenge the men there with the leadership content we'd tried earlier in the week with the other men. We were blown away by the men's response and the ownership they took of the ministry!  

By the end of day three committees had been formed a the urging of the Zambian attendees, made up of all Zambian men: an administrative committee, a curriculum development committee and a leadership training committee. For those of you not familiar with much of African culture this initiative and ownership of the ministry is often unusual. What an encouragement to see such progress in the Zambian ministry!

Praise the Lord for bringing the men this far. Please continue to pray for the leaders in Zambia. While we were sad to leave, we were greatly encouraged by what we saw while there and we are confident that the Lord is using this ministry to strengthen men and boys in Zambia.

Serving Christ with you,
Brian Stebick

I was Sure I'd Made an Enemy

Summer Camp Can Be A Strange Place
More proof  that boys desire men to challenge them to be men of God


I learned quickly that “intense” was not a big enough word to properly describe Carson. Nope, I discovered Carson’s intensity early and uncomfortably during the second game we played at our Southern California boys camp. Apparently the only tools you need to squeeze the character of a boy are a few well aimed balls and the promise of dodgeball glory that rests like a crown upon the head of the last boy standing.

Carson is one of those 12 year old guys that is so naturally athletic that it’s nauseating. His blond frame is not big, but he’s all muscle, and every one of those muscles seems to know exactly what it should be doing and where it should be at just the right time. Throwing ... check. Catching ... Check. Contorting one’s body like a character in the “Matrix” who has fallen right from the pages of fiction and into our dodgeball court ... Check.

The problem with Carson was not his ability to control his body ... it was his unwillingness to control his temper.

Intensity is Good. Unbridled anger erupting from his mouth and scorching the other members of civil society around him was unacceptable. I also know that if left to take root this kind of anger produces husbands and fathers who disciple their families straight into a living hell by filling their homes and the hearts of those trapped within its walls with hopeless fear. The bruised souls and faces of women and children are just the fruit of the violence practiced when men were boys playing games. Games are training for life. Games reveal and they teach. And I was not about to allow this weed to begin growing in my presence without at least some attempt to weed it out while it was still small ... ish.

I called him out and warned him that he needed to immediately bring his anger under control or he’d end the game as a spectator rather than a victor. Either he didn’t believe me, or he forgot, or he just couldn’t help himself, but I only had time to take a few breaths and he’d already exploded in anger all over the court again.

His look of shock and hot indignation was almost laughable when it finally registered that I was serious that he’d be sitting the rest of that game. He threw the balls he held in his hands down in undisguised disgust. As he walked over to me I think it was only my relative size advantage that spared me from an untimely death. He was the kind of angry that can only be given birth by surging testosterone stoked into fury by a misplaced sense that a grievous injustice was being perpetrated upon his 12 year old person.

My heart sank. I knew he’d be upset but it was clear that more was at stake. I had just made an enemy. Any possibility of building a relationship with him was gone. His heart was now closed to my voice. I didn’t show it but I was really sad. I stood on the hillside. He sat at my feet about 6 feet away, breathing deeply, seething, and avoiding any eye contact. At that point I stopped paying attention to the game and I began to pray.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

A lesson from the garden: Don't Overwater

By Bob Nass

Pastor of Youth and Missions and Chief Ranger at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Yakima WA


Wendy and I love to garden and we've been enjoying the fruit of our labor this summer immensely.  One of the things that we've had to learn the hard way is how important it is to avoid over watering our plants.

You see, seedlings need a lot of water in the first few days of their lives, but after a few days or weeks they need to be be intentionally stressed or the plants develop all kinds of problems.  Over the years we've seen our share of blossom end rot and yellowed plants that have not thrived.  We've also had plants that have grown delightfully well, but when the wind blew or the intense heat came, things went south fast because they could not handle stress after being stress free for so long.

If you have not read "A Nation of Wimps" by Hara Estroff Marano, please do so today.  She makes an incredible case against over watering our kids that I think we all can learn from.

"Parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the bumps out of life for their children. However, parental hyperconcern has the net effect of making kids more fragile; that may be why they're breaking down in record numbers."

Monday, August 12, 2013

Big Training Announcement for CSB Churches in North America

To sign up for the training webinar:
http://www.csbministries.org/site/webinar.  

You can view the training videos anytime online here

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Saturday, August 24th, 2013

Plan now to have your leadership team meet together for this premier event. Our desire is to have all current and new churches participate.
  
Broadcast sessions will include...
  
Brigade Principles:
  • 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon EDT + ½ hour Q&A
  • This session will help you grasp the core vision of CSB Ministries - discipleship. Without this concept being carried forward, you are "just running another program."
Stockade Leadership:
  • 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. + ½ hour Q&A
  • This session will cover the elements of the Stockade meeting and achievement, and will include the all new Stockade materials.
Battalion Leadership:
  • 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. + ½ hour Q&A
  • This session will cover the elements of the Battalion meeting, achievement, and leadership development.
All participants will better grasp the foundational dynamics of CSB Ministries. Brigade leaders will