Timothy Group Blog

Staffing isn't all command presence and barking orders.

I first learned about CHALLENGE when I chauffeured a younger brother (Joel) to CHALLENGE in 2009. He had heard of the program through a friend, and after getting a taste at Basic he promptly returned for Extreme and Staff Training all in that year.

My first CHALLENGE, the year after, I was blessed to have all 3 of my younger brothers and my father joining me. I participated in the last two events run under the TeenPact organization (Basic and Extreme) and there were 40+ recruits in my Basic class. At 21 I was somewhat old for Basic, and (living at home at the time) was in that transitional period where I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do with myself and was a little apathetic toward my place in the world. Through one week at CHALLENGE Basic (and another week shortly after at Extreme) I gained an emotional education that can't be translated to words. I learned to detach and think analytically while under pressure; I learned to read my squad mates, to help deconflict and bring the team together; I learned to "move with a purpose" and give constant "attention to detail." I also learned leadership as an assistant squad leader. From that position I not only made decisions and gave direction, but I supported and counseled my squad lead by "leading up the chain of command" as Jocko Willink says in Extreme Ownership. Layered together with this practical leadership training was God's word and guest speakers who shared how God had worked in their lives on the battlefield, in business, and in their families. From all of this I was inspired with an understanding of the Creator's hand in all of our work, and his purpose in all of our struggles. I left that first week physically tired and mentally drained. But my soul was invigorated, and I wanted more.

After graduating Basic, and then Extreme and Staff Training (CST), I went on to volunteer with the Timothy Group for the next decade in various capacities. I also participated in additional training with the Timothy Group in emergency medicine, scuba, and additional staff training. Through these experiences I was continually tested, once running until my legs literally gave out under me, and later completing 2 scuba certifications with chest pains that later were assessed as a collapsed lung. In 2017 I developed and launched my own training events for the Timothy Group (Armed Defender or AD-Tac C and AD-Tac H) based on training I had pursued outside the organization.

As I write this at the end of '21, we're planning the next AD-Tac H, CHALLENGE: Basic, a new staff selection course, and other events for an even wider audience. If this country has ever had a greater crisis of manhood and womanhood, I am not aware of it. We need leaders, and everyone is called to lead in some way. Christ is the answer, the truth is in his word.

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Clearing space with a buddy is very complex and requires both training and experience to master. Partway through a 3-day training event a couple students get a taste of what that might look like by working to cover each other's flanks and keep their training handguns pointed in the safest direction possible, all while finding the correct angle and lighting technique. Over time with proper repetition the pauses get shorter and the communication more automatic.

Like several hundred young men before and after me, I found CHALLENGE and the Timothy Group at a time when I needed a means to focus and orient myself in my Christian walk as I was coming into my own as a man. I have been honored to give back to the ministry over the years.

The Timothy Group has always been a volunteer, non-profit organization. In recent years various leadership members have had to step down to pursue other callings, and at one point the decision was made to close down completely due to lack of availability at the organizational level. In God's providence my full-time employment allowed me the flexibility to step up, and with the blessing of my predecessors I assumed responsibility for the Timothy Group and the CHALLENGE program in 2019. Since then we've been battling covid and our fractured communication lines (our email list was lost in the transition) to continue getting our message out - robust manhood based on the word of God.

So where do we go from here? We're laboring to keep putting out regular content via social media, the website, and (soon) our new email list. In 2021 we fell *just* short of our registration goal for CHALLENGE partially due to a covid spike affecting some of our recruits at the last minute. If you're interested in CHALLENGE in the spring or know someone who should be there, send us a message or leave a comment. The more likes/shares/comments from our supporters the more people will see what we're about.

Micah Ferrill

Director - The Timothy Group, inc.

The CHALLENGE motto of "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam" (I will find a way or make one) is attributed to Hannibal just before crossing the Alps with his army and elephants (a feat thought to be impossible) to invade Rome. It invokes a mindset of determination and dedication to the mission at hand. If you are sure of the mission, be willing to move heaven and earth to accomplish it regardless of the difficulty. At CHALLENGE recruits may be tasked beyond what they perceive themselves capable of. Over the course of the week they will learn that not only are they individually capable of far more than they realize, but that they and their team can truly accomplish any task God sets before them.

"There is no try. Only do." - Yoda

At one point we put out a video promoting our flagship event, CHALLENGE. One of the comments I received from that video was from a guy who argued that our comparison of military discipline to the Christian walk was invalid. He asserted that it was purely an Old Testament concept and therefore not applicable to the New Testament church. I gave counterexamples from II Corinthians and II Timothy to which he responded (I'm paraphrasing), "See! Those are Old Testament verses!" In fact, they are not. This guy needed to read his Bible more, starting with the table of contents.

If we skip the full knowledge that can be found in the Bible and reduce Christianity to "be nice," we shouldn't be surprised to find adult children in the pews and tragically even in the pulpits at times. Have a reading plan. Read your Bible. All of it.

Hebrews 10:19-25 is a beautiful passage that's not just giving rules to live by (though it does that), but a reminder to Christians of the wonderful grace and privilege we've been given by adoption in Christ. Why WOULDN'T we go to the Lord's house?

It's also instructive as to some of the purposes of the church and how we should relate to our fellow believers. "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..." (examine yourself), "...let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works" (invest in building up God's people). Too often we treat the church like our 15 minutes of faithfulness for the week and not as the training grounds for the army of the living God.