Fellowship and Food with Nancy Campbell
Recently I was invited to speak at an Above Rubies Family Retreat in Panama City, FL. What a weekend! Families were blessed, moms were encouraged, dads were equipped, children instructed, and each individual life was changed. My family and I were especially blessed to connect with so many other families who are dedicated to bringing their children up with a strong foundation of truth. By the end of the retreat, many of the attendees had observed that the presentations I gave on Unshakable Faith were foundational to the practical application messages on the family given by Colin and Nancy Campbell. And they are absolutely right.
Kim W. – This was my tenth Above Rubies Retreat to attend, and it was by far the best… Listening to Eric made me really want to equip my family to engage our culture with the truth, and hearing Colin and Nancy share further inspired me that God wants strong families praying and displaying the truth to the world around us.
Unshakable Families
Just like so many foundational truths in the Book of Genesis, the family is under serious attack in our culture. I believe this attack can be traced back to an unbiblical worldview on origins. Evolution can’t explain the purpose for the family. What would cause early hominids to create institutions like marriage or government? In classrooms, TV programs, museums, and National Parks all over the world, children are programmed to believe that they are nothing more than animals; a form of highly evolved primates. Moral relativism has become the prevailing mindset, leaving no basis for determining truth or error.
Jessica P. – Absolutely loved [the retreat]! Apologetics, Genesis and the family go hand in hand! After all, it’s from Genesis that we are given the first instructions for the family unit and the foundation for all of Scripture. And if we are doing nothing else, teaching nothing else, our children should be raised with the knowledge and ability to defend their faith!
Tanya and I with Colin and Nancy Campbell
Genesis paints a stark contrast to evolution. After God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground we read the only “it is NOT good” found in the Creation Story. Subsequently, Eve was created and presented to Adam, who immediately verbalized the very first wedding vows; not with the guttural grunts of a Neanderthal but with the eloquence of intelligence.
Throughout the rest of Scripture, we see repeated emphasis placed on the family and its role as a pivotal building block of society. (See Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:1, Genesis 21, Deuteronomy 6:6, Psalm 127, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6)
Jennifer K. – Having the foundations of the first marriage laid, tied together perfectly with the Campbell’s messages on the purpose of the man, the woman, and the family. Then furthering this connection was tying together apologetics with the preaching of the gospel, the main purpose of the family. Loved it!
Personally, my favorite part of our beach retreat was listening to the various testimonies given by parents and children as they reiterated the truths that were being taught and showed the practical outworking of them in our daily lives.
Melanie R. – I loved spending an entire week surrounded by Holy Spirit filled believers. This week really reminded me of the power of worship and prayer within the body of Christ. Not only that, the fun that my boys had running around with the other kiddos was priceless. It was just what we needed.
Singing “Unshakable Kids” for the parents
In addition to sessions for the parents and families, we were thrilled to add an Unshakable Kids Camp to this year’s retreat! Our very own Mary Jo had fun teaching the children through Scripture, Science Experiments, and the Unshakable Kids song.
Joanna L. – Camp was A BLAST!!! All of us kids enjoyed the experiments and had fun learning the Scriptures and Song. Mary Jo did a fantastic job teaching us to be UNSHAKABLE KIDS!
Because family is the first institution ordained by God, as well as a picture of Christ and His Church, our families should be nurtured and protected. What a joy to spend the weekend with so many families dedicated to doing just that!
Truth vs. Error Experiment
Jill M. – Like Peanut butter and Jelly, [Creation Today and Above Rubies] went together perfectly! I loved it!
Are you passing on God’s Truth to the next generation? It is my desire to see every parent equipped and every family strengthened with Unshakable Faith in the God of the Bible.
For God’s Glory–
