What Your Outpost Did This Week.

Southern Muslims attack differently than Western Muslims??

Thursday we went up to Lead Mine Conservation Area and scouted it out. Shot a AR 15 about 90 rounds. Then went to two Amish stores and checked them out. Then went back to base camp and hung out. At 7:00 am I got out of my tent and checked the road. The freezing rain was indeed the start of a ice storm that was projected to hit us... I told the other guys to get up and put on their clothes and just leave their gear in their tents (not pack it up) and throw it in the vehicles. We made it up that hill I was concerned with after sliding through the creek bottom...GRIN! Made it home in good shape and another fun adventure under our belt.

Our District Scout scored a survival knife, metal match, gas canister and a jute tinder tube. Those that stayed home and didn't come due to the pending doom and gloom ice storm... well they got to watch tv. A lot of TV.

Having to work outside in this stuff for 38 years has made me keenly aware of weather and what it looks like and that besides what the majority of people need to do is stay home.... with a little common sense you can still enjoy nature and the out of doors. Most people just need to stay home as they don't have much sense... but for those that do have some horse sense...there is all kinds of adventure awaiting.

Saturday morning we met at our District FCF Exec. Our District Scout was there and our SW Div VP was there...both young men that I had the privilege to mentor in Ranger Ministry. It's a lot of work but it's worth it.

Mark Jones

joecool wrote:

Claymore wrote: I wound up arranging a "Church Security Seminar" training class

Any chance it's on paper or digital? I'm sure that it's fine-tuned for your neck of the woods, but there's got to be good stuff in there for any location.

We were given a Pre-Class Homework Assignment by the Police Department: do review the statistics of Church Violence at the following site:

http://www.carlchinn.com/

Now he is selling books ($12.00/cheap), but there is also a lot of information that he has posted on the site.

Good luch!

Claymore wrote:statistics of Church Violence at the following site: www.carlchinn.com

Thanks, Claymore!

No problem.  

I think that I'm going to order his book, too.  The class gave us a lot to think about - like if there is a visitor that you are unfamiliar with, seeing if there is a new vehicle with anti-Christian (walking fish) bumper stickers in the parking lot.

About 9 days after the class, there was a stranger hanging around in the church on a Sunday afternoon, while the youth group was practicing.  The Pastor approached him, and he said that he was looking for work, painting.  His license plates didn't match where he said that he came from (in the South, the county of the vehicle's registration is often on the plate).  The pastor said that he had a different accent, olive features, and dark hair.

His vehicle was a plain white van.  From my experience, I know that Gypsies like white vans and white pickup trucks.  The local Police Department was called to check this guy out.  When he saw the Officer come into the front door of the Foyer, he bolted out the other side, into his van, and not to be seen again.

We enjoyed a neat Winter Outing last night and today. Loads of fun and learning. I showed them "Real school" firecraft the way it was done "not with char cloth" but with a tinder box and punk wood. They were impressed with the tinder box and the tinder tube jute wax flavor... both with metal match and flint and steel with tinderbox. A couple got them going with char cloth..but mainly tinder box.

It was a fun day.

Mark Jones

Well I had 2 weeks scheduled that I was not going to be teaching in Rangers....just there to help.  1st week went with out a hitch and I left early after opening.  2nd week.  No show.

So instead of finishing up on the firesafety merit.  We started making FCF slide in back rest chairs.  All out of red oak that hasn't been planed yet.  It's only been sawed at a saw mill.

We got a good start on these and the stack of wood went fast.  The sides of the chairs are only 3" wide but they are curved and it takes almost a 1x8 to cut them out of.  A 1x10 would have been perfect but this is oak...

What a mess to clean up.  The older boys were here and they made short work out of the clean up.  

Will get some pictures.  

Mark Jones

This past week, we read Matthew 24: 38-44, where Jesus said that we shall not know when He will return, and that it will be as a Thief in the Night, when the Household Master does not know when he shall arrive.

We talked for a while about what that means, and how, not only may the Rapture come at any time, but that you could be standing before God at any time from an accident (we just lost a High-School Boy from a car accident, this past week).

I said, "So, if you were the Head of Household, and you KNEW that the Thief was coming, what could you do?

I got a variety of good answers:
"Lock your door."
"Wait for him."
"Set up a Trip-Wire."

I said, "Those are all good answers.  How about.... (I then opened a green fiberglass Hard-Case) Get out your Night-Vision?"

"Oh Yeah!

So we had fun talking about Night-Vision Theory, then we turned off the lights, fired up the goggles, and passed them around the room.

I need to come to your outpost. I want to play with some night vision stuff!

We started the sculpture merit a couple weeks ago. The boys all seem to like it so far. I gauge the effectiveness of a merit by how it holds their attention. If they're asking to go outside and play, then the merit isn't going well. Tonight they all worked right up until it was time to go without a word about going outside. I call it good.

Claymore wrote:http://www.carlchinn.com/

Now he is selling books ($12.00/cheap), but there is also a lot of information that he has posted on the site.

I went to a Church Security seminar led by Carl Chinn a few years ago. Good stuff!

Our outpost did.......wait for it....... NOTHING!

ccm2361 wrote:

Claymore wrote:http://www.carlchinn.com/

Now he is selling books ($12.00/cheap), but there is also a lot of information that he has posted on the site.

I went to a Church Security seminar led by Carl Chinn a few years ago. Good stuff!

Is the new pastor down with "carrying" in church?

ccm2361 wrote:Our outpost did.......wait for it.......  NOTHING!

Wow Chris we're running the same activities!

My faithful 2iC restarted Royal Rangers as event based only at this time not meeting weekly. He's in charge of it. I decided not to get back into it.

I've got scores of computer files for Ranger this and Ranger that. One of these days I'll have to delete them off the computer. It'll be sad, though.

RRCmdrBennett wrote:

ccm2361 wrote:Our outpost did.......wait for it.......  NOTHING!

Wow Chris we're running the same activities!

My faithful 2iC restarted Royal Rangers as event based only at this time not meeting weekly. He's in charge of it. I decided not to get back into it.  

Well, I don't know the situation at your church, or your "2iC"...................

That being said;

I've heard a visiting preacher say, "When the men in your church don't do their jobs in leadership, the women will take them over, so don't be surprised or complain about what you get............."

The same may be said about our positions in Rangers............ If we advocate our duties to the Youth Group Pastors/Leaders, don't be surprised or complain when it is not Rangers, anymore.

Dan and Chris and Joe and a lot of the rest of the church. Even me.
True words! Guys get involved. Lead. We must do what we know to do. Our kids are that important. Spend the time now where it makes the most difference. The longer we wait or sit on our hands the more folk will bust hell wide open. Take heart and give it your heart. If your church doesn't want to do Rangers find one that will. When a RR program is done right it grows the church with souls that are saved!

My heart aches for you guys. Give that old smoldering log a kick and fan it back to flames. If you don't have the gumption for it keep asking God to give you the gumption. I remember I spent 4 months of Wed nights in the prayer room asking for prayers for the RR program... One day they said you have the heart for this ministry take charge. When God is in it and He is helping it GROWS!

Our church lost our Pastor. GPH Church. Numbers down from 2000 to 1000. Money is getting short and budgets are being cut back. Rangers and Mpact are the only two ministries that have not taken a hit in numbers...why....core families are involved in Rangers and Mpact. Folk that are involved in these ministries don't change from one fade to the next. Just day in and day out working with our kids and youth and men and women. Discipleship grows a church.

Make it grow. Ask God to help you.

Mark Jones
p.s. I have taken a few lumps these past 2 months from various men in leadership. It's part of humanity it happens. I grumbled for a couple of weeks and then God started working on me. You know we can't out give Him. He is proving it to me daily.

Claymore wrote:

RRCmdrBennett wrote:

ccm2361 wrote:Our outpost did.......wait for it.......  NOTHING!

Wow Chris we're running the same activities!

My faithful 2iC restarted Royal Rangers as event based only at this time not meeting weekly. He's in charge of it. I decided not to get back into it.  

Well, I don't know the situation at your church, or your "2iC"...................

That being said;

I've heard a visiting preacher say, "When the men in your church don't do their jobs in leadership, the women will take them over, so don't be surprised or complain about what you get............."

The same may be said about our positions in Rangers............  If we advocate our duties to the Youth Group Pastors/Leaders, don't be surprised or complain when it is not Rangers, anymore.

Mark Jones wrote:

Mark Jones
p.s.  I have taken a few lumps these past 2 months from various men in leadership.  It's part of humanity it happens.

Yeah, people are people.

I have always tried to keep the attitude, "If you can't do the job better than him/her, keep your mouth shut and don't criticize."

I don't know anyone who works harder or does a better job than you, Mark.

Too many folks say, "Well, I don't want to do the job.  I just want to tell him how to do the job."

Thanks for the kinds words. There are so many folks that just keep giving their time and resources and the important thing is that we don't quit.

Folks will bust hell wide open. We are called to do our part.

Look past ourselves and the failed folks. Look unto Jesus for our strength and He will send the Holy Spirit to Help us. It's a pretty good deal!

Mark Jones

I keep being surprised by the things that I discover the boys like. We have been working on the chess merit for the past 2 weeks. For most of the boys, they are having as much fun as they did with firearm safety. I thought they were going to complain cause it was boring.

What do I know about fun?

Good idea!

Also, good idea for Winter and Rainy Days.

This week, for our Bible Study, we read 2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

After reading that with the guys, I turned off the light in the classroom, and turned on an infrared (invisible night vision) flashlight. I asked the boys if there was a light on in the room.

They were wise to me, after last week's class. They said, "Yes, there's a light on, even though we cannot see it, but we can see it with the night goggles."

I turned the lights back on, and said, "Yes. Just because we cannot see, hear, feel, touch, or taste it, doesn't mean that it is not there. You know from your experience, last week, that the light is there, and it is illuminating you, even if you cannot see it without help. The Spiritual World is like that. It is there, even if we cannot sense it, and it is more enduring than the world that we are in, now."

We looked at some higher quality (Gen I+ & Gen II) night vision.

Of course, after everyone else was allowed to look through the equipment, "Ranger Rascal" wanted to be special and get to use the gear again. He said, "I want to look at you through the goggles."

(Now understand that the image that you see through the goggles is GREEN.)

So I put the goggles on him, then I got real close, I put the infrared flashlight on my chin (shining up across my face), and yelled, "BWUAAAAA!"

He screamed like a little girl.

We continued the Sculpture merit this week again. For some reason the merit material didn't assign a project, but simply instructed the leader to explain the method (casting) and then give them time to finish up projects from previous weeks (carving 1st week, assemblage 2nd week). That seemed weird to me. What if, like our group, the boys finished their projects during that week and didn't have anything left??? Are we an anomaly outpost that our boys finish each week?

Anyway, I bought the materials and had the boys make a mold and a casting tonight. We did have to rearrange the evening with Bible merit time in the middle instead of beginning, but it worked great and they enjoyed it.

I bought plastic cups, a cheap chess set, and plaster of paris. First I had them coat their chess piece with mold release (petroleum jelly), then we poured plaster of Paris into their cups about halfway or more up. While still wet, they placed their chess piece in sideways approximately halfway (of the piece). Then we went onto Bible merit while that set up. After BM, we removed the chess pieces and that created the mold negative. Then they reapplied mold release to the dried plaster of paris. After that, we mixed more plaster and poured it in the cups to near the top. After that set up for a bit, we simply cut the plastic cup away and broke the two pieces apart.

They were left with a paperweight with a chess piece shape on the top. They all seemed very pleased with the project. Next week goes onto using modeling clay.

That is a cool thing. I always enjoyed plaster of paris. Used to go out and find tracks and make casts of them.

Working on FCF Chairs tonight. Using Red Oak. We have been in Ranger Derby mode for the past 2 months. So back to the woodworking merit tonight.

Mark Jones

Mark Jones wrote:Dan and Chris and Joe and a lot of the rest of the church.  Even me.  
Guys get involved.  Lead.  

Well....I'm am not out of Rangers by choice. I was told to shut it down.