Part 8 of THE RIGHT NEXT STEPS Series
A Couple on God’s Assignment
We get to tell a story this week about a young couple in a unique time in their life when they took a powerful RIGHT NEXT STEP.
Ben and Jenna had just graduated from college and were awaiting their next assignment since Ben serves our country in the Army. They were still living in a college town though they were no longer attending college. The couple had been active in their school’s chapter of Valor, a ministry of Cru for those serving in the military, and a mentor there connected them with The Noble Man Podcast. Both of them dove in and started listening. Jenna loved the episodes, especially for women, but she enjoyed them all because she saw that men’s issues affect everyone. Often the couple would relisten to episodes together, discuss them, and purchase any resources mentioned.
In September of 2020, we started our podcast series on sexual integrity. It hit Ben hard. By God’s grace, he had not personally had to battle the issue, but he began to see how much it was affecting the individuals and culture all around him. The next series on the podcast was on discipleship. When he heard the two back-to-back, Ben knew what his RIGHT NEXT STEP needed to be and determined to use the time he had in this season of waiting to invest in guys around him on this topic.
Even though they were between assignments, they were still on assignment.
He put the word out through Valor with a time and location for any guy who wanted to come and find a safe place to have open discourse about the struggles and challenges they face regarding sexual integrity. Jenna was 100% on board, supporting Ben and ensuring he had a place to meet that would value the privacy of the guys who came.
Overall, he estimates they had about 20 guys, all military in some form. Ben knew his time there would be limited, but he wanted to leave the guys with the means to be open and honest with other men, look to the Bible for answers, and pray for one another. He saw them go from a place of apathy, hopelessness, and frustration to being willing to fight for sexual purity.
Now, as all these young men receive their next assignments, they will go with the tools to fight and the power to fight it with other guys.
A Thin Thread Connection
The only reason we know about THE RIGHT NEXT STEP they took as a result of listening to The Noble Man Podcast is because of a thin-thread connection they have with Mike and Stacy’s son Zach.
There is an old song in the vaults of Christian music – before it was really even considered a genre – called “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” by Ray Boltz. The premise was a man who went to Heaven and was approached by individuals who were there because of many small acts of sacrifice he made on earth. He never knew the impact of his giving or serving until he reached Heaven. As some of the lyrics go,
“One by one they came
Far as the eyes could see
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices made
Unnoticed on the earth In Heaven now proclaimed.”
It’s a scenario out of the songwriter’s imagination, but those lyrics reflect stories like that of Ben and Jenna. While we are on this earth, we will never know the impact they have had on the lives of the young men they met with who are now headed to be scattered worldwide.
We want you to hear stories like theirs because it is your giving that makes them possible.
Without our partners and generous donors, there is no podcast. The doors of our ministry remain open by God’s favor through you. In your generosity, you are the hands and feet of Jesus.
Thank you for your prayers and support this year! Would you now pray about two things?
- Would you consider giving an end-of-year donation to Noble Warriors?
- Would you also consider becoming a monthly partner if you are not already?
We have put before you our need to bring on more staffing to fulfill what we believe God wants us to do in 2022. We know we are not alone in this, and we thank God with every remembrance of you! (Philippians 1:3)