Zion Boot Camp
December 4-6, 2026
“How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
Isaiah 52:7
Men:
As Isaiah 52:7 declares, here’s the question: “Does God reign in your life?” That is such a great question for all of us to ponder deeply.
A man can say, “Your God reigns,” and still live as though his comfort, schedule, fears, appetites, and ambitions are really on the throne. Homes, vacations, money, careers, sports, hobbies, kids’ activities, retirement plans, and endless busyness can all become competing kingdoms if Christ is not truly ruling our hearts.
Make sure to read, “The Wasted Years” below………
PHOTO ABOVE
Note: This same view of “The Watchman” is just a short walk from the hotel.
Men, I’ll share more details in the weeks ahead, but for now I’m simply asking you to open your calendar and block out December 4–6, 2026 for Zion Boot Camp. It is going to be a tremendous weekend, and I hope to see you there. Please be praying for Zion…..
Men of Zion 2025
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
The Waitress and the Ph.D.
The waitress above, Robyn, is headed to eternity in heaven and the Ph.D. Hydrogeologist, Todd, is currently headed to an eternity in the Lake of Fire. (Note: I grabbed his photo from his LinkedIn account).
Robyn, is a waitress at Peg’s Glorified Ham. After I paid my bill, I said, “I have something for you if you’d like to have it.” But before I could even explain, she saw the tracts and said, “I have those!” She was already very familiar with Ray Comfort and Living Waters, and she was genuinely excited that I was using those tracts.
What followed was an amazing conversation. Robyn turned out to be a strong believer, full of joy and evangelistic zeal, but also shared her journey to Christ through dark valleys and an attempted suicide. Then she introduced me to another waitress, Megan, who was also a serious Christian and eager to share Christ. Then, before I left, Robyn asked me to talk with the bus girl, Joanna, who had been raised Catholic, and I was able to share my testimony with her and went through a few pages of Steps To Peace With God. I walked out of that restaurant super encouraged. It was one of those moments where you realize God has His people scattered everywhere.
As some of you might recall, my wife and I visited our son and family in Carson City to meet our newest granddaughter. I will share more about that trip in a later letter. On the return flight home from Reno to Las Vegas I did what we usually do when we fly. I booked my wife in the aisle seat and myself in the window seat. Since they announced the flight was full, I was asking the Lord who He was going to put me next to. A man started to sit down in the middle seat, so I said, “Why don’t you take the window seat?” He did, loves the window seat, and that opened the door to an almost hour and a half conversation.
I don’t even know how to condense our time together. Needless to say, I asked Todd all about himself, his work, and his background…. super interesting and has been all over the world! As we flew from Reno to Las Vegas, he looked out the window and pointed out various geological formations, explaining some of the science behind what we were seeing below and is an expert on aquifers.
After about 40 minutes, I pulled out some of the gospel material I carry and asked if I could share something with him. He is definately not a believer, but was very respectful and willing to listen. He had looked deeply into Sufism and the idea of cultivating a deeper inner life, and he also said he believes there could be an intelligent Designer because so much of what he has studied and experienced could not simply be explained by chance.
That opened the door for me to talk about the scientific aspects of the Bible, the reliability of Scripture, and even the staggering odds of fulfilled prophecy. He was especially interested in those statistics. We talked for most of the entire flight and ended on a very positive note.
A good friend later suggested that I send Todd the documentary The Story of Everything. That was an excellent suggestion.
So there you have it……. two very different conversations. Robyn, a God-fearing waitress and very evangelistic. Todd, a highly educated secular man who thinks deeply about stuff. Please pray for Todd that when he receives my note, he will watch the documentary and that the Hound of Heaven will knock him to the ground!
I apologize for the length of my interactions……
Overwhelmed and Overjoyed…..
Grateful slave to King Jesus,
Dan
Men:
“Do you see an emphasis on keeping the commandments and salvation by grace as mutually exclusive concepts?”
The Path to Eternal Life – Red Book Day 171
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
(1) Eph 2:8-9 (2) John 3:36
Letter from Lee & Miltinnie Yih
Men: There is so much meat to chew on in this short note from Lee & Miltinnie. By the way, how many of you can share your testimony in 15 seconds? If your handing out tracts in Sam’s Club or Home Depot, you will learn how to do it in short order🤠
ENLARGE The Map or click on the message
Above BIBLE verses
NOTE: GangQiao (John) Wang, mentioned in the note above, will be speaking at our Zion Boot Camp on Dec 4-6.
The Wasted Years
by Ray Stedman
“The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening,
and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city…”
Genesis 19:1a
Men:
One of our brothers forwarded this message. It is a major thought-provoking article written by Ray Steadman over 65 years ago. This was his LIFE APPLICATION comment regarding this short 1 minute read:
In pursuit of worldly success, we can seriously damage the inner life of the soul. Do we need to re-assess our goals and invest our lives in eternal values?
READ the 1 minute article
NOW IF THAT GOT YOUR ATTENTION, SIT DOWN AND LISTEN TO – OR READ – HIS 28 MINUTE MESSAGE THAT HE GAVE ON GENESIS 19. IT IS SOBERING, CONVICTING, AND PROFOUNDLY NEEDED IN OUR DAY. REMEMBER, HE WROTE IT 65 YEARS AGO!!
READ or LISTEN to his 28 minute message.
Make sure you send this to your buddies
Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wrote the Bible verses
Genesis 9:12-19 on his hat while his team celebrated Pride Night.
I thought this was a great article from the Christian Post
It was originally a sign of God’s promise to postpone judgment on human sinfulness
Though Troubles Assail, and Dangers Affright
By John Newton
Listen to this short YouTube by Alistair Begg as he reads the words from the hymn by John Newton, who, as you know, also wrote the words to Amazing Grace
Watch On YouTube (2.5 Minutes)
Men:
Another great message. Take time to reflect on it….
Integrity Conquers Fear
“The commander of the officials said to Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.’ But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ‘Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence, and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.’ So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days” (Daniel 1:10-14)
People of biblical integrity tend also to be people with unashamed boldness
I love to read the biographies of great missionaries and other godly people whose lives reflect an uncommon commitment to Christ and whose boldness in the face of difficulties sets them apart from their peers. Daniel was such a man. From his youth he delighted in doing God’s will and proclaiming God’s Word with boldness. He shared David’s perspective in Psalm 40:89, “I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart. I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I will not restrain my lips, O Lord.”
In stark contrast to Daniel’s boldness was Ashpenaz’s fear. Although he thought kindly of Daniel, Ashpenaz feared for his life if Daniel and his friends were to appear pale and malnourished after he granted them exemption from the king’s special diet. So with characteristic wisdom and boldness, Daniel suggested a simple test designed to relieve Ashpenaz’s fears and prove God’s faithfulness. Tomorrow we will see the results of that test (v. 15). But for today I pray that you will have the boldness of Daniel as you take every opportunity to proclaim God’s Word.
Suggestions for Prayer
Like Daniel you may be facing a situation that requires a special measure of boldness. If so, ask the Lord to strengthen you as you set your heart on doing His will.
For Further Study
Read Ephesians 6:19-20; Philippians 1:19-20. What was the source of Paul’s boldness?
From Strength for Today by John MacArthur
Relationship Evangelism…. Ugh!
1 Thessalonians 2:8
“So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”
Don’t let the common philosophy of “relationship evangelism” steal your zeal. This is the idea that you must befriend people and build a relationship before witnessing to them. If you believe that, consider two questions. First, who are the hardest people to witness to? Isn’t it your unsaved relatives? Why then would we want to wait until we build relationships with people before witnessing to them? If we witness to strangers and offend them, we lose nothing. But if we have developed a good relationship with a person and offend him, we risk losing that relationship. Building relationships actually makes it harder to witness. The truth is, we often will use any excuse not to confront people with the offense of the cross, and building a rapport with them is less threatening than sharing the truth of the gospel.
The second question is, what happens to people if they die while you are taking the time to build relationships with them? There is no nice way to put it—they will go to hell for eternity if they die in their sins. They will end up in the lake of fire, so how can you even consider taking that risk?
So make it easier on yourself. Witness to strangers. Make it a way of life to witness to people you don’t know, and if you must build a relationship with them, feel at liberty to build for 3 or 4 minutes until the relationship grows, then share the truth, as you should.
“You need to be the living proof of your message by the way you live, but that’s not enough. Someone could watch you for the next fifty years. They are not going to say, ‘Joey is such a nice guy. I’ll bet Jesus died on the cross for my sins.’ They won’t figure that out. You have to tell them!” — Ron Hutchcraft
Tell Them!
“In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.”
~ Proverbs 14:26-27
There are a lot of helpless men out there!
