In February a group of young men from Liberty Baptist braved the icy journey and sub-zero temperatures for our annual winter manathon. For more about the concept of “The Manathon” you can look at these posts.

Where we went: Wells Lake in Faribault

What we did:

• Dug snow shelters
• Camped out in the snow
• Cooked over campfire
• Explored new terrain

What we focused on: A true man…

• Grows up- Luke 2:40,52
• Steps up – Luke 3:23
• Stands up – Luke 4:1-13
• Looks up – Luke 5:15-16

Some of the pictures:

The Men

Digging the snow caves

Eating Bar S Franks around the fire

The Sub Zero morning

Cheesy Squirrel Stew

Collapsing the Snow Caves

BackFlip

Uncle Ron guiding us across the lake

Me: “Hey everyone, put your hands over your head for the next picture.” Everyone does and I push them over when the pictures is taken. Priceless.

Next time you have the opportunity to camp out in the snow, remember the words of the world record holder for consecutive bee stings, Jim “Buzz” Smith, “It’ll [be] swell.”

Manathon Series: Where we went, What we talked about, What we saw

Meal time during a Manathon is a mini adventure in itself. Each cooking and consuming portion is a mixture between the reality shows “Fear Factor” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” If you are a picky eater, you may want to bring along a few granola bars.

In the past we have experimented with different types of wild game that I am able to get my hands on. My father-in-law, who writes over at www.bowhuntingroad.com, has supplied us with bear sausage and other wild game. A friend donated venison for chili one winter manathon. To the pot we have also added grey squirrel, and this summer, snapping turtle.

Not all meals are that “gamy.” In the Boundary Waters we have several staples around which we build every meal:

1. Sausage from Menards (it comes in pound packages that you can buy for $1. Tough to beat)
2. Oatmeal
3. Dehydrated potatoes
4. Rice
5. Pancakes
6. Hot Chocolate

Take one, or all, of those elements and you can make any breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Normally we pack in a package of Bar S Franks for the sentimentality factor since it is never considered a true activity until we pull out the “cheapest package of hotdogs manufactured.”

The goal is not gormet, but with the right grease fire or hail storm, any meal can be memorable.

Manathon Series: Where we went

________________________________________

We had four main sessions during the week, each of them revolving around the manhood principle – “A true man expects a greater reward, God’s reward” (taken from Robert Lewis’ “Men’s Fraternity”).

We approached the principle from the angle of the final goal by studying John 18:1-11. In this short passage we can see how the ultimate goal of Jesus Christ was how he remained strong in the face of incredible trials. He had many options in various circumstances, but he chose only those which would lead him to his final goal.

The application of the lessons was the formulation of the “Man Plan.” Each guy filled out a portion of this plan each lesson:

“In order to arrive at the end of my life and consider it effective and meaningful, I will need to have accomplished/gained/done/etc. _____________________. This is my final goal, and right now my current location reveals that in order to reach that, I need to ___________________. Before me I have these available options ____________________________. I am going to take this option, _______________________, and begin by ___________________________.”

In addition to our studies in John 18, each young man also presented a biographical sketch of an influential man of history such as George Washington, Jackie Robinson, Eric Liddell, William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Chuck Colson, and Martin Luther. They had to read a chapter in Eric Metaxas’ book, “7 Men” and then compile more information from other sources. We focused on the goal of the individual’s life, where they began, what obstacles they faced, and what possibilities they passed on in order to achieve their goal.

I think we had a good mix of Bible study, teaching, and contribution. The guys did a great job at presenting their biographies.

Last week we went on our second manathon to the Boundary Waters.

 Sunday night we left from Liberty Baptist after the evening service and headed north. Up through Duluth, followed the north shore, took a left on the Sawbill Trail. We pulled out a tarp and sleeping bags someplace in the woods about 1 am and got some sleep. Temperatures dropped into the thirties, which neutralized themosquitoes, but not thespiders. Seems like they wanted to snuggle.

The sun came up Monday morning and we had hot chocolate and oatmeal for breakfast. Picking up our permits at Sawbill Outfitters, we quickly got our gear loaded and started the long paddle. Our goal was Cherokee Lake. We paddled and portaged, paddled and portaged. We divided the crackers, sausage, and cookies for lunch, all of which was inhaled by the guys.Sometime in the afternoon we got to our campsite. The guys set up tents, collected firewood, and prepared supper.

The same trip was repeated on Thursday morning as we got up early, packed all the belongings and worked our way back home.

Ten of us men traveled up north to camp out a few weeks ago. Our destination was Pillager, MN. Growing up, my dad, brothers and I built a small cabin in the woods to use as our retreat center on a piece of land owned by a friend. Over the years we hiked, canoed, climbed, explored and camped out in every season, in every type of weather, and all with the same results – we had a great time.

We hiked back into our campsite and got to work on the important stuff. We cut wood, built a fire, and started cooking (the first two were just to get to the third). We cooked potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and chuck roast in tinfoil packets directly on the coals. The only problem we faced was accidentally getting coals in the packets, which makes for interesting biting.
After we ate we took a midnight hike and watched the stars from a ridge and then discussed God’s interest in our lives. Praying together before we went to bed we had to stop to let the wolf howling to calm down.

We then laid out the tarp, struggled into our sleeping bags (some more than others since it was there first time in a mummy bag), and went to “sleep.” Again, I think the howling of the wolves frightened the guys with the rabbit fur hat – and rightfully so.