WELCOME TO THE BOOTCAMP CHALLENGE!

The Bootcamp Challenge is a a one to three-week challenge to go into training to strengthen your ability to deny yourself to take on the hills God has called you to as a man. There are eight possible Plans of Action below. Choose your top 1, 2, or 3 and work on one per week for each week.

1: BAND OF BROTHERS OPTION – We all know we do better together.  Try finding some friends to team with you in the challenge.  Create some incentives like losers buys winner sushi dinner,  etc.

ONLINE OPTION: You can also join guys online to make this happen. Go to the blog and sign up for a team and encourage others as they take on the challenge!

2: CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD

• The Challenge: Take 10 to 20 minutes five out the seven days this week and write a prayer to God. Try to make your prayer 5 to 10 sentences or statements. Remember – God doesn’t care about grammar or spelling. Below are some suggestions on what to pray and write about.THANKS & PRAISE –
  Specific thanks for who God is and how you have seen Him in your life (grace, forgiveness, power, trustworthiness, providence, etc.), what He has done for you, people in your family, who they are, people who impact your life, etc.REQUESTS –
  Prayer for the specific plans of the day, week, month, year, etc.
  Prayer for each individual in your family, that they might know Jesus, follow Him, grow in Him.
  Prayer that you may be the man God has called you to be.
  Prayer for your strategy on the hills God has for you.
• Theme Verses for the Week
  • Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
  • Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

3. THE WORTH OF A WIFE

• The Challenge: This week’s challenge is to honor and appreciate your wife for who God has made her to be. There are two pieces to this challenge:
  • Write down 10 character qualities or abilities you appreciate about your wife. Pray and thank God for each quality you wrote down each day this week.
  • Show your wife that you appreciate her beyond what you normally do five out of the seven days – write down what you do everyday. How did it go?
    • Ideas on how to appreciate your wife:
      • Send her a note / email
      • Compliment her for something she did
      • Do one of her chores for her
      • Buy something she likes
      • Use your imagination!
• Theme Verses for the Week
  • Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25
  • Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

4. THE IMPACT OF A DAD

• The Challenge: This week’s challenge is to give a specific word of encouragement five out of the next seven days to your kids. If possible, try to have your words of encouragements attach appreciation to a specific attitude, action or character quality portrayed by your son or daughter.

• • Examples of attaching specifics to words of encouragement – “Jack, I like your sense of humor.” “Joe, I appreciate you helping me out with this.” “Jane, that took some courage to apologize for that.”
  • Good words, but could have more meaning if more specific – “Jack, you rock!” “Joe, you’re a stud!” “Jane, you’re cool.”
  • Also, write down five character qualities you appreciate about each of your kids. That might help you in the encouragement category.

• Theme Verses for the Week
  • Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
  • Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

5. FOCUS ON THE TRUTH

• The Challenge: This week’s challenge is to put the theme verses above into action by reading the book of James, one chapter a day. To help focus, briefly answer the questions below after you read each chapter. Write out your answers to the questions using a journal, phone, or laptop – whatever works best for you. This challenge will take you about 15 – 20 minutes each day. Plan 20 minutes so you’re not rushing. Also, don’t do it front of the TV, etc. Find a place to get alone and focus.

1. What are the big ideas in the chapter?
2. What verse or verses caught your attention the most?
3. Write a prayer to God about why this verse caught your attention and how you hope to apply it (It doesn’t have to be more than 2 or 3 sentences – and remember God doesn’t care about grammar or spelling.)
4. Bonus Challenge (optional) – Do something so you read the verse two times during the day (put it in your calendar, write it on 3×5 card, email yourself, etc.)

• Theme Verse for the Week
  How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:9-16

6. THE POWER OF WORDS

• The Challenge: This week’s challenge is to give a specific word of encouragement five out of the next seven days to five friends or co-workers each day. If possible, have your word of encouragement attach appreciation to a specific attitude, action or character quality portrayed by the individual.
  • Examples of attaching specifics to words of encouragement– “Jack, I like your sense of humor.” “Joe, I appreciate you helping me out with this.” “Jane, that took some courage to apologize for that.”
  • Good words, but could have more meaning if more specific– “Jack, you rock!” “Joe, you’re a stud!” “Jane, you’re cool.”
  • Also, write down five character qualities you appreciate about each of your five friends and/or co-workers.
• Theme Verses for the Week
  • Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27
  • Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don’t not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

7. PURE H20

• The Challenge: This week’s challenge is all about building strength in self-denial. Five out of the seven days this week drink only water for your liquid intake. No soda, juice, coffee, beer, etc…
  • Read Philippians 4:8 or Mark 8:34 each day and ask God to help you put this verse into action.
  • Idea – Write it on a 3×5 card and put it in your car so you read it on the way to work.
• Theme Verse for the Week
  If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34

 8. MEDIA FAST

• The Challenge: This week’s challenge is about developing the ability to limit certain kinds of input in our lives. For five out of seven days this week go on a media fast. No audio or visual electronic entertainment. (TV, video, DVD, video games, internet, music, or radio.) Obviously exceptions can be made for any resources needed in your job.
• Theme Verse for the Week
  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Your Own Idea

• The Challenge: Make up your own challenges each day or each week using your own ideas or any part of the Action Plans listed. The goal is to develop our ability to deny ourselves so that we might band together with other men so that we might be man, husband, friend, father, son God has called us to be!