"Special" Boys

He'd never seen anything quite like Shane

Paul has been a Christian Service Brigade leader in his local church for 16 years. During that time he’s seen pretty much everything you can imagine when it comes to boys. He’s seen star performers, debilitating shyness, human loudspeakers, rambunctious and all points in between. However, he had never seen anything quite like Shane. “We were running a bus into town to pick up boys to come to our Brigade meetings,” explains Paul. “We had some rough boys. I was always stopping the bus to regain order. Shane was the worst of the bunch. He bullied other boys and really caused a lot of trouble.”

Shane had a difficult home life. There was a lot of abuse and Shane endured his share. Shane’s mother would even bring him to Paul’s house when his father couldn’t control his anger. She realized he was safer in the home of his mentor, than the home of his father.

Shane’s response was to act out in every possible way. Bullying, disrupting activities and making other boys uncomfortable. A day of reckoning awaited. Read more on Brigade Leader Magazine...

Telling The Truth: A Sneak Peek Into Our Next Valor Issue

He Couldn't Argue with the Chocolate ... But He Did

Free Subscription to VALOR Magazine for parents
Sign up Free

By Carol McLeod

As the mother of three boys who have grown into uncommon men, I must say, there is nothing like a sprouting, determined boy to challenge the wits out of an otherwise sane woman! When a mother meets an infant son for the first time, the atmosphere is charged with an assignment from heaven itself! But as the spritely little boy grows into manhood, moms often loses focus and forget the importance of our heaven-birthed commission.

One of our sons had a problem telling the truth. Our little boy was known for exaggeration, story-telling and complete deception. My pastor-husband and I had sought diligently to make our home a haven where truth was valued and where integrity mattered greatly. How could we have a son who was so truth-impaired?!

Ryan's Story: I Lost a Brother But I Found a Savior

We're sharing Ryan's story below because it is such a great example of how God used the mentoring and leadership experience he received in Battalion to prepare and inspire him to christian service.  

"Growing up, I didn’t have much guidance or discipline. My life seemed as if I didn’t have much purpose at all. My parents loved me even through their divorce, but we never had the genuine love of God in our family. That love wasn’t given to me when I was a child. 

One afternoon, when I was 12 years old, I received the news that my brother had been accidentally shot. He was dead. That event changed my life. It seemed so tragic on the surface. Yet when I look deeper, I can see how God used my brother’s death to
bring me to himself.

Heralding Christ

Many organizations that emphasize an achievement process have a top honor to recognize those who have dedicated themselves to the organization and it's program. We thought we'd take a quick moment to tell you about our top honor, the "Herald of Christ."

A young man cannot begin the steps to receive this honor until he is 16 and must complete it before his 21st birthday. We require the minimum age of 16 because we believe that by that time a young man will have been buffeted by the winds of temptation and the world enough to begin to reveal his level of commitment, not to Christian Service Brigade, but to Christ and His kingdom.

Here, in brief, are the requirements for completing the Herald of Christ internship:

Before He Can Start

Prior to starting the herald of Christ internship a young man must also have completed the entire discipleship program of Explorer, Trailblazer, Guide, One star, Two star, and Three Star. By doing so he will have been equipped and demonstrated a life founded on biblical knowledge, disciplines, and leadership. So before he begins the HOC he will already have:

500 young men with torches .... N-Counter 2016

500 young men with torches ... normally a scary thought
was actually one of the highlights of the N-Counter 5 years ago
and has now become an unforgettable tradition.
Find out more: ww.csbncounter.org

Young men and their leaders from CSB Battalion units in 10 or more states, will be gathering at the end of April for N-Counter 2016.  This event comes just once in a Brigadier's middle and high school career.  This large multi-regional event will bring new experiences, with outdoor activities, worship and interaction over the biblical theme, Press On.  N-Counter 2016 will be held for one weekend in southeastern PA.  It's open to current Battalion members as well as Brigade alumni. You are welcome to come see what is happening in Christian Service Brigade today!  All who are interested in helping make this a successful event, can find out more about N-Counter 2016 at ​www.csbncounter.org

 

The Difference Between Pizza and Psychology

An interview with Kevin Dekam

In this interview Kevin Dekam, our new Regional Director for the greater Michigan Area, talks about the difference between his Psych degree and a large pizza, his ministry to those in emotional trauma, his family's time in Africa, and why he's excited to now be serving with Christian Service Brigade.

BC: What was life at home like growing up?

Kevin: Pleasantly unremarkable, safe and stable. Free from the crises and brokenness that seem to define the lives of many men.  I was raised in a Christian home by loving parents in a safe community.

BC: What vision did you have for your life starting out and when/how did that change?

Eastern Great Lakes Region

If you are passionate about ministry to men

With Scott Haima's appointment as the new CSB President, the position that he had as the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Director needs to be filled. If you believe you may have an interest in this position and may be willing to locate to Western NY learn more about what the Regional Director position requires and the gift/skill set needed here.

View The Job Description...

Service!: Our Newest Stockade Module

Service is Christian Service Brigade's middle name.  It is also an important part of Jesus' life that He modeled for us to follow.  This Module will teach the boys the "why" and "how" of service, encouraging them to take on an attitude of Servanthood.  This Module will also help the boys to focus on being a servant in their own homes.  The final meeting should be used as a large group Service Project.

This Stockade Leader’s Guide has a corresponding Outpost Adventures Guide that contains several Achievements the boys can do at home, or as part of a small group in their post meeting. These two resources are designed to work together to give your boys an exciting, spiritually-balanced learning experience. Make sure you have a Service Outpost Adventures Guide on hand for each boy, as several of the Post Meeting activities use pages from this guide.

Purchase the leaders Guide...

Purchase the Outpost adventure Book...

Meet Our New Shop Manager

Diane Blair: Serving the Servants

Helping you serve starts with us serving you. We are serious about making your online purchasing experience a pleasant one. So we're happy to introduce you to Diane Blair who will be managing all of the orders through the brigade shop. She loves to serve so if there's anything you need from the shop just let Diane know.

Visit the Brigade Shop...

Managing Tech. and Design for CSB

Bob Britton: Perfect Blend of Artist and Geek

God is blessing us with an amazing array of men and women to help us meet the fast growing needs of our ministry. One of our newest members is the passionate and multi talented Bob Britton. With over 20 years of software development experience Bob brings a much needed expertise to help us build the tools our leaders need. Bob also brings a wonderful design eye that he is excited about using to help us in our graphic design efforts.

The picture of Teddy Roosevelt above is one of Bob's more recent works.

Take A Look At Bob's Art ...