Saturday meeting from 7:00am to 9:30am. Story is the language of the heart. We use Stories to wake up men to the astounding life that is IN Christ Jesus.
And we nail everything back to the Scriptures.
It’s not a prayer meeting… but we pray as God’s Spirit prompts us. Come and see.
Band of Brothers (BANDO) communication to the Four Streams Partners Community for the week of January 26, 2021
You’ve read Wild at Heart. And you’ve hungry to discover if this journey of Battle, Adventure and Rescuing the Beauty is all that it’s cracked up to be.
It will require Risk and Courage. You are looking to deeply know your IDENTITY and the VALIDATION of the Father. It is not a SAFE Journey. And you will need a Guide. Come and See what is in store for your Good Heart this November Weekend!
Author Note: I love 'The Far Side' so much and this image specifically that I plan on keeping it as the icon for our BANDO Event.
HISTORIC NOTE: Until his life's identity was further clarified, Robin Hood spent several years robbing from the rich and giving to the porcupines. ~ Gary Larson, The Far Side
2019 has come and is almost gone. Summer is languishing and Autumn is almost here. And Moses prayed,
Psalm 90:12 [Full Chapter] So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
From Season to Season, BANDO rolls forward. We meet EVERY Saturday of the year unless weather or some unusual event prevents it. Why? We meet
a) to connect with God and
b) to connect with other Men on their Kingdom Journey.
We meet at BIS Benefits, 1230 UPPER HEMBREE RD, ROSWELL, GA 30076
As we continue 2019 we will explore the question, "What is Christianity supposed to do to a Man?"
But there is another question which begs a response and I hope I can adequately give language to such an answer. First, the question:
"What the heck is BANDO?"
Four Streams Partners, Inc has been officially conducting BANDO since the Spring of 2009. That was the year that we received our official 501c3 IRS designation as a non-profit. BUT, BANDO had been going on for 8 years - unofficially - prior to its formalization into an official organization. So what?
4Streams Partners began, primarily, as a ministry to take men away from their everyday habitat and away into 'wilderness' for a specific Men's Retreat. We started by partnering w/ Ransomed Heart ministries and facilitating retreats similar to the 'Wild at Heart Boot Camps' conducted by Ransomed Heart (although we named our retreats differently, as requested by RH).
Since that time, we have conducted 75+ weekend retreats for Men; many of them born from Wild at Heart; others birthed by our love of Waking the Dead, all things C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, Neil Anderson, Tim Keller, George MacDonald, John Eldredge... and many others.
All that to say that our current version of BANDO is to continue the JOURNEY that we begin every time we immerse Men in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. BANDO is fun; intensely spiritual; overtly non-religious (read that, 'not like a typical church service'); rooted in prayer; born of our love for the Scriptures; highly interactive; different every week. Men report week after week that they leave BANDO with a sense that the God of the universe has demonstrated love for them and connected - individually - with them on their unique Journey.
One of our key men says - so powerfully and simply - that BANDO is “God in Action”.
Maybe that helps - a little - to describe what happens every Saturday morning in Alpharetta GA at BANDO.
The Kingdom is the Major Theme / the umbrella over everything we say and do at BANDO.
RESTORATION, Calling, Becoming Wholehearted Men, Living like a Son and not an orphan... these are the Big Ideas that we dip into each week. And each week is different. Who knows how God will help us tie a Big Idea to Scripture? And which great story or film clip will we use to best illustrate something that becomes so Real that more and more men become increasingly aware that they can invite Jesus into those mundane moments throughout the week and find... More LIFE? Who knows? Come and See.
The Mission Statement of Four Streams Partners:
To Awaken Men to More Life through a Transformational Relationship with Jesus
Why a Golf Tournament? Why a Fundraiser?
4Streams Partners is made up of many Men - like you! We do not intend to become a large organization but we DO want to impart the ’DNA of 4Streams’ to faithful Men in the 4SP Community.
Our deep hope is that as Men receive More of the LIFE of Jesus, they can expand the footprint of 4Streams Partners to their own sphere of influence. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Creating safe, life-giving environments & events is a priority for us and it takes resources to provide opportunities for Men to take a thoughtful look at the really Good News of the Kingdom of God. We get to cooperate with God in His Isaiah 61 mission of ‘setting captives free, healing the broken-hearted and opening prison doors to Men who are bound with all varieties of chains’.
We have functioned in this Role as a ministry to Men since 2009 at God’s initiation. We love what we get to do. And you, in large part, are our ‘Why’!
Your Opportunity to Play a Role:
What?: The 2nd Annual 4Streams Partners Golf Fundraiser
When?: Monday, October 16, 2017 Start Time: 1:00PM
Where?: Windermere Golf, 5000 Davis Love Dr, Cumming, GA 30041
History: Last year fifteen golfers played a Modified Shotgun (Best Ball)
Tournament. The golfers played for free.
“How’s that?”, you say?
In return, each golfer customized our sample letter (also in this packet)
to send to 50+ friends. The approach was much like that of a short
term mission trip or a Walk-a-Thon:
“Would you support me as I support a ministry that is making a big
impact on the lives of Men? I am a beneficiary of this organization &
I love the effect of it on my life. That’s why I feel proud to ask my
closest friends and family members to support them financially.”
Young Life's Sharptop Cove - Jasper GA
"You've put a good face on it. Right now, everything looks pretty good. You are surviving. And yet you're haunted by a sense that 'something More is needed'. What is it? You're doing all the right things. You're navigating the potholes. It's a little bumpy... but it's working. Or so it seems...
But when you quiet yourself and turn off that 'Internal Editor' for just a few moments, you know that you something is ERODING. You know that you are doing everything possible to arrange for happiness... or at least a little relief from the daily onslaught. And then it comes to you...
"I'm doing everything I can. I'm exhausted. I'm even doubling down. People in my world think I have Life's answers. What if they find out that I don't? What if I'm found out to be LESS than I had hoped? What then?"
“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.” ~ C.S. Lewis
What's true in our very driven world is also true of the human being. Things wear down. It's true of our bodies. It's true of our souls. And it's true of our spirits. To step out of 'survival mode' and into a place where your heart can actually THRIVE, something has to change.
"Now may God himself, the God of peace, make you pure, belonging only to him. May your whole self—spirit, soul, and body—be kept safe and without fault when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. 24 You can trust the One who calls you to do that for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NCV)
'Desire reveals Design and Design reveals Destiny' ~ Anonymous
You have probably been searching for a way to live the life that God designed you to live. If you are like many men, you have taken appropriate personality profiles, spiritual gifts tests and life inventories that you have found helpful -- for a while.
But two weeks later, the insight you gained from every one of those assessments pales when you ask the question, "But what is my place in the Great Story that God is writing?"
In a world that is ruled by drivenness and busyness, we often default to some form of resignation and continue to put one foot in front of the other. But God promises (Psalm 32:8), "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go".
Come join us in the mountains of North Georgia with men from different parts of the country. Join in the quest to receive insight from God - both directly from Him and through other men. There is no other experience like this where you can dive deeper into your own design and have the time to process what God is telling you...
For Men. Located in Brevard, NC at one of Young Life's newest properties... Why do men come? Lots of reasons. But the Primary Reason that Men are willing to invest the time, energy and money to attend is they want More LIFE. Everybody seems to promise More LIFE (ever watched any informercial?).
But if you remember, Eden is closed. When Adam chose Eve over God, they were barred from the Garden. God left 'a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life'. We're not getting back in... and yet something in our deep hearts keeps searching for what Eden represented.
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
This 'RESTORATION of all things' (in ACTS 3) speaks to us of God's better way. Yes, a better home; better agreement; better destination is what God is calling us to... As C.S. Lewis wrote, “For God is not merely mending, not simply restoring a status quo. Redeemed humanity is to be something more glorious than unfallen humanity.” ~
So we will be exploring the Hope of the Coming Kingdom. It MUST be central to our Hope for More. Jesus insists that we are to 'seek first' this Kingdom. And in His model prayer, he instructs us to declare something powerfully stunning: "Kingdom of God, Come! Will of God, Be Done... on earth just as it is in heaven."
The Kingdom of God is certainly a Mystery. It is safe to say that the 46 parables that Jesus told are all - in some way or another - his 'bait' to draw us to ask Him MORE about this Kingdom. Come and Join Us!
Life is a rapidly moving stream. It takes skill, strength and ... a lot of practice to navigate difficult streams and still have Fun doing it. Sure, the first few times might feel like you're 'white-knuckling it'. But practice. Real Training to become the Man God designed you to become. That brings wholeness. And holiness. Notice I didn't say 'perfection'. That's not the goal. We're after living wholeheartedly.
Do you think long term? or short term? There is value in both. We MUST live in the Present Moment. We must ALSO understand that our Journey is a marathon, not a sprint.
In a world where Productivity & Efficiency are King, today's Man crams as much activity as possible into any 24-hour period. To think long term - to think about the coming decade as a Grand Partnership with God - seems almost heretical.
But for a Tall Oak tree to flourish above the surface of the earth, it must establish a robust root system. To support something as weighty and beautiful as a Giant Redwood tree, Time and Nature cooperate with God to do the hidden work of sending the tap root deep into the soil.
It takes time to begin to sense the rhythm of God's Heart. It takes even more grace, time and energy to cultivate our own unique way (given by God) to set our gaze on His face (remember that we live in 2 worlds; one we Can see and one we don't see as readily) and LET our hearts get into the same rhythm as His.
Come. Join us this weekend. Let's encounter Him together.
Come and check out a novel night w/ a bunch of like-minded men. What would it be like to put yourself in a position to SHARE both Friendship & Mission with some new friends you haven't yet found? Our nudge to you?? Come and See...
That would be Chachi Averitt and this trip is about far more than fishing. Although if you have watched the movie, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, you'll have a picture of the kinds of places you'll be if you decide to join us.
Four Streams Partners is joining Chachi for this adventure beginning July 10 and culminating the following weekend. We'll depart from Cleveland, TN late on Friday afternoon and return the following Weekend (so that means you'd only need 1 FULL WEEK off).
CONTACT US for more details. The cost is $1,000 for Everything (only $750 if you have all the necessary gear). Six or seven men in a 15-passenger van on an EXPEDITION to the wildness of Montana.
If this sounds like something you want to do & need to do, you'll need to handle PAYMENT immediately. Once you CONTACT US, we'll put you in touch with TRAIL Ministries so you can take care of payment details.
Weekly Band of Brothers gathering. Meets every Saturday morning in John's Creek, GA.
In the April 7, 2015 edition of The Wall Street Journal, writer Elizabeth Bernstein states... "How we construct personal narratives has a major impact on our mental well-being; beyond looking on the bright side"
“The spiritual life cannot be made suburban. It is always frontier and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.”
We believe this WSJ article is true - or at least partly true. God is writing a Much Larger Story than we realize. Life does come to us as a Story and not like an IRS 1040 form (or is that too close to home right now?). Who knows what happens when the next Page is turned?
The pull is to live a selfish, small story that is only about 'me and my personal welfare'. And it seems to work for many. Ultimately, when we live in a self-created, smaller, 'off-Broadway play', we lose heart and miss the entire point of the gospel - this Great Story that God is writing.
It is often Disruption that Wakes Us Up. We need something like smelling salts to move us away from sleepwalking through life. It takes energy. It requires intentionality. And men who choose to take responsibility for their own journey of growing up into Christ will find great benefit in joining other men on the Journey.
An Apple iPad Air Commercial from 2014 frames this idea so well with a voice-over from Robin Williams and the film, Dead Poet's Society. And '...the powerful play goes on and you can contribute a verse."
In John, chapter 1, Jesus is approached by two disciples of John. They are intrigued by John's cousin and they approach Jesus with their hearts in their throats. All they can mutter is, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" He is so Kind. He knows they don't have any idea Who he is or what He is about. He simply responds, "Come and see."
This is a great weekend to "Come and see." There will be breathtaking beauty in the surroundings. You will have opportunities to try your hand at skeet shooting. There will be gatherings of men, modern parables that draw you into a much larger Reality (aka 'counter-intuitive movie clips'), time alone with God, more opportunities to hone your shooting skills on a handgun range, smaller groups to process what you're experiencing, ... and much, much more. Come and See.
This Saturday is the 3rd of 4 Saturdays between now and Boot Camp in May where we will be inviting Every Man in the BANDO Community to TRAIN with us. Our Location is our usual one:
BIS Benefits
At Westside Center 10745 Westside Way Alpharetta, GA 30004
It is Extended BANDO because we will be meeting from 7:00am until 1:00pm (Lunch included for all who stay past the usual 9:30 conclusion).
Who can participate in Extended BANDO?
These TRAINING sessions (this one and the last one in April) are open to every man in the 4Streams Community. We are hoping to Train and Take 50+ Coaches with us to Strong Rock Retreat for a life changing weekend.
What if I can't stay past 9:30?
That's fine! We'll take a short break and re-convene for our Coach Training time. I'll get a list of all who plan to stay so we can have lunch brought in. We understand that people have busy lives... and it's OK if you can't stay.
What if I have never been to a Weekend Retreat w/ 4Streams?
Doesn't matter. We think that training our team of men in this community in the What? Why?and How? of Coaching on a Weekend will benefit every man for the rest of his life. If you haven't been on a Wild at Heart Boot Camp of some kind before, you'll want to come to this one -- as an Attendee. And we hope that you'll still want to take advantage of being trained to listen to God and to another man's story during our Extended BANDO training days.
Why do we TRAIN? We invest time and energy into 'growing up in Christ'. We have been given an unusual opportunity to expose men to the "More LIFE" that Jesus talks about in John 10:10. The payback is amazing. And it takes intentionality.
This is, perhaps, my favorite scene from the HBO Series, Band of Brothers. Prior to the Battle of the Bulge, Captain Dick Winters expresses the mindset of Easy Company as they realize that they are surrounded by enemy troops. Come see what we mean...
We are Paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded.
