Men's Weekend Away

The beautiful flowers which I received from my husband after the Christian Men's Camp he attended

A couple of weekends ago, my husband attended a Christian Men’s Camp about 150 km / 94 miles from home. Now, if this was two years ago, you wouldn’t have caught him going to a mens' gathering for a whole weekend where the focus is on God, where men learn to die to self;

"I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2: 19b & 20;

where men are led in how to come to know Jesus as their personal Saviour;

"But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." 1 John 1: 9)

and where men are shown how to apply Godly principles to their daily lives.

"We are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct and devotion to God." Titus 2:12.

Previously in February 2007 my older son invited my husband to a Christian Men’s Camp at the same venue. He went along dragging his feet and muttering audibly about being forced to do something against his will. I held my breath. Instead of travelling in the bus with the other men from here, he’d gone on our BMW motor bike while my son rode our Harley Davidson. In my mind I expected him home before midnight. (Oh ye of little faith!) Instead, after the first session that first night, (on his 56th birthday!) he met the Lord in a wondrous way and happily spent the whole spirit-filled weekend with 150 other men.

He came back a changed man...

For the more recent weekend I’m posting about, he was one of the first to book his place at the camp. Our younger son also attended, taking a young man who had grown up in front of us, along with him. My husband is now proud to say he has been to this camp with both his sons. Men being men, you never actually hear what happened at the camp. Nevertheless, I don’t need the facts; I can just see the Holy Spirit manifest in my husband. This time he was an “old hand” attendee and kept saying how wonderful it was to have gone again.

Apparently on Saturday evening after the session, the men were all preparing for bed (those from our town shared a dormitory) and one guy said he was stopping at the supermarket in a town they had to go through on the way home the next day. He was going to buy his wife a huge bunch of flowers. Of course, all the other men agreed that this was a wonderful idea; they would do the same.

They stopped at the supermarket at midmorning on Sunday and no trouble to the older-married men: they duly sent my son (married a year only) and his single friend in to buy almost a dozen bunches of fresh flowers. The friend later told us women (while we were all enjoying a braai together here at our home), that the till operator looked at them strangely and he could almost read her thoughts. Either they were very popular young men or they were in a whole bunch of trouble back home!

To all married women reading this post, if you are walking the Christian life alone, never, ever give up; never stop praying. Above all, always respect your husband and accept his authority. (Why? because the Bible tells us so) You don’t have to be a doormat, rather be a doorway for him to use when he is ready accept the the Lord. "In the same way you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over by watching your pure and godly behaviour." 1 Peter 3: 1-2.