Preparing Your Young Adults To Be Biblical Leaders “€“ With David Pate: Do you want your 15 to 19-year-old to grow deeper in their faith and stronger in their Christian worldview while creating new friendships and having fun? Tune in to learn about an exciting opportunity for leadership growth at High Point Camp!

Air Date: 02/04/2020

Guest: David Pate

On-air Personalities: David Barton, Rick Green, and Tim Barton

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Transcription note:  As a courtesy for our listeners’ enjoyment, we are providing a transcription of this podcast. Transcription will be released shortly. However, as this is transcribed from a live talk show, words and sentence structure were not altered to fit grammatical, written norms in order to preserve the integrity of the actual dialogue between the speakers. Additionally, names may be misspelled or we might use an asterisk to indicate a missing word because of the difficulty in understanding the speaker at times. We apologize in advance.

Faith in the Culture

Rick: This is WallBuilders Live and if you wonder what WallBuilders means, it comes out of the scripture in Nehemiah, “€œArise and rebuild the laws that we may no longer be a reproach”€. If you don’t have those walls, you were destroyed as a nation. It was required for the strength of a nation. Same thing today. You got to have the right foundations. You’ve got to have the right principles in place. And so David Barton started WallBuilders several decades ago with that very purpose and that calling in mind to rebuild the walls, to rebuild the foundations, to rebuild the principles, to put them back into the culture. Put those principles back in place that made America the greatest modern nation in history. And I’ll tell you, it”€™s had a huge impact.

The number of people that have ended up running for and serving in office or educating their family or voting or getting involved because of WallBuilders has been phenomenal. So we’re very thankful that the Lord has given our ministry a chance to have that kind of impact. And we thank you for coming alongside and being a part of that. You can go to our website today @ wallbuilderslive.com and even joined the team in a greater way. You might want to grab some of our programs and share them with your friends and family. Be a force multiplier in that way. Spread the word. You might want to go to the contribute button right there at WallBuilders live and make that donation one time or monthly. It helps us to reach more people and have more of an impact. Just to be blunt, just to be really straight forward with you, this is a listener supported program.

This Doesn”€™t Happen Without You

This does not happen without you. We need listeners out there that are willing to send in those contributions to help us continue to do what we do and to help us reach more people, train more people to do the work we do with pastors and legislators and young leaders, all the different things we’re doing to invest in the culture and to prepare a new generation to accept the total freedom and protect it on their watch. You get to be a part of all of that by visiting our website today @ wallbuilderslive.com.

My name is Rick Green. I’m a former Texas legislator and America’s constitution coach and I am here with David Barton. He’s America’s premier historian and the founder of WallBuilders. Tim Barton is with us. He’s a national speaker and pastor and President of WallBuilders and all three of us are very grateful that you’re listening today. All right, David and Tim, we are going to have David Pate with us later in the program, had him on the program several times over the last few years and we’re very passionate here at WallBuilders about making sure we’re raising up leaders. We’re really focused on kind of that Psalm 78 thing of making sure we’re teaching our young people, telling them about God’s role in our history, telling them and preparing them to be able to defend biblical principles.

And so there’s several programs that we encourage young people to consider. Summer is not that far away. People are beginning to make plans. So later in the program, David Pate is going to talk to us a little bit about high point and the three weeks that they’re going to have available for that leadership training this summer.

Think Generationally

But David and Tim, you know, you guys know how I feel about this. I think one of the most important things we can do, not just fight the battles of the day. We got to be thinking generationally. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Tim: Yeah. One of the things that I really appreciate about a high point and disclaimer, David Pate and I have been friends for years. We actually attended this camp together when we were in elementary school. So I’ve known David for almost 30 years. He is a very good friend. He works with us at WallBuilders. But he’s now runs their camps. They have a camp for third through ninth graders. It’s called Burchill. And that’s where he and I met. That’s where I was a counselor for years. After I left Burchill, they started the high school leadership camp and what they recognize, and they had so many kids coming to this third through ninth grade camp, they got introduced to Jesus.

And the camp is an evangelism one, the Burchill ranch camp is an evangelism based ranch camp. So you get a ride horses and go-karts, you get a cute pellet guns and they have essentially a big mud hole pond that they pour some chlorine into the swimming hole. It really is sanitary. I’m making it sound kind of weird, but what we discovered is that so many of the kids who were coming there, they were learning about Jesus.

Training for the Transition

They were having these kinds of God moment, they would then go to their high schools and they would get caught up in kind of some, what we would consider now normal high school behavior, high school life. And that there was a little heartbreaking watching some of these kids that you’ve invested in, you’ve poured into, you’ve loved on them to now kind of get pulled away from what you had seen in them.

And what we discovered is that there really wasn’t a good transition for them to be able to go to the next level in their life from being someone who was poured into to learning to be someone who now is leading others. And we thought we need to help do something, kind of that help segue these kids. And so David Pate and I had both done a lot of worldview, a lot of apologetics. It’s been a passion for us. And then certainly as David’s been leading this camp for years and years and years, he’s a phenomenal leader with kids. He does so well. He’s so anointed. So gifted, working with young people and kind of the birth of high point was it was to help high school students learn to be leaders and influencer in high school.

So not just go to school and the influence, but how can you as a Christian be a leader? And part of being able to be a leader is you have to have more understanding about certain situations and circumstances and issues and others because you can’t lead someone in areas that you don’t know anything about.

High Point

So a lot of what happens at High Point is they bring in various speakers to come and address specific issues. But it’s also almost like a ropes course kind of scenario where there’s a lot of activities engaged in helping to draw leadership out of people. And the idea is to help high school students learn to be leaders in their high school as leaders of faith. So it really is something that is helping students go to the next level.

And I’ve never seen anything better at helping students get to that next level from being people that are poured into, to now being leaders, pouring into others. High Point has been the best thing around. And that’s why every summer I’m so excited to be a part of it.

[05:44]

Rick: We’re huge, huge fans in the Green family, all four of my kiddos had been through it. I can’t say enough good things about him. We Love High Point and the impact it had on my own family and strongly encourage parents. Listen up. Stay with us through this break. You don’t want to miss this opportunity. Young people out there that are listening, listen close. You’ve got an incredible week ahead of you this summer if you pay close attention and you get signed up. So stay with us. David Pate from High Point when we return on WallBuilders Live.

Moment from American History

Tim: This is Tim Barton from WallBuilders with another moment from American history. America is a special and unique nation. The average length for constitution in other countries is only 17 years, but we’ve had ours for over two centuries and our 4% of the world’s population produces 24% of the world’s gross domestic product. And every year we produce more inventions in technology than the other 96% of the world combined. In 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville of France came to America, traveled the country, and in his famous book, “€œDemocracy in America”€ reported, “€œThe position of the Americans is therefore quite exceptional. And it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one”€. This is the origin of the phrase American exceptionalism and affirms that America is unique because of the distinctive ideas on which we have been based, including inalienable rights, individualism, limited government, and the importance of religion and morality. For more information about American exceptionalism, go to wallbuilders.com

Rick: Welcome back to WallBuilders Live. Thanks for staying with us today, David Pate back with us from High Point. David, always good to have you brother.

Guest: Great to be here, Rick.

Rick: I love what you guys do. Our longtime listeners have heard me brag about you guys for years, but the impact that you had on my own family and each of my four kids, I just can’t say enough and I want parents to listen today. I want young people, you know, if you’re in your teens, listen today, this can be a life changing program for you. So David, let’s talk about High Point and what you guys do. You’ve got three sessions coming up this summer and we want people to start planning.

Set the Trajectory of Their Lives

But this is just, it’s a great fun time for them. But I’m telling you for all four of my kids, it literally set the trajectory of their lives. I’m telling you, it had that much impact on them spiritually, emotionally, just their outlook on life. So sorry for the long set up bro. I hate it when hosts take up the interviewee’s time, like I just did, but I just cannot say enough about High Point and how positive of an impact it’s had on our family has been.

Guest: Well, I appreciate all of the accolades and I’ll tell you in a time where people are so negative about the next generation, we couldn’t be more excited. We absolutely love mentoring. We love seeing the next generation learn and come alive and get to know Christ in a whole new way that religion can never teach them. And we just, we absolutely love what is happening at High Point and can’t wait for this summer. Like you said, we have three different weeks, June 22nd to the 27th, a couple of weeks in June and end of June and beginning of July. But if you go on our website hpoint.org, you can see some of those details, but our focus is on leadership and a biblical worldview. John 8:32 says, “€œYou’ll know the truth and the truth will set you free”€. But we can’t be set free from the truth that we don’t know.

Rick: That”€™s right.

Teens Latch Onto the Truth

Guest: And we are seeing young people, specifically 15 to 19 year olds when they hear the truth, they latch unto it and it’s not boring. And so they want to be leaders. They want to go back and make an impact because that truth resonates inside of them. I believe God created all of us to want to know him. And when we get to know him, it is so powerful in our lives.

Rick: You know, David, I got to point this out because when you talk about they want to know it and they’re hungry for it and that it’s not boring. Most people out there think of these topics as boring and that their 15, 16, 17, 18 year old is not going to be interested in that sort of thing. Let me just give you an example. My youngest son, at the first time he went to High Point, I would have, and look, you know, I run a youth leadership program and we are just very different from you guys in terms of how we do what you know, what our focus is and part of why I tried to get all the students that come through our program to go through your program is the emphasis you have on these subjects and the spiritual aspect as well.

But anyway, my son came home from High Point with a notebook full. This is not a kid that takes notes. He’s more like I was sitting in the back of the room, you know, mind wandering on other things in class and yet he came home with a notebook full of notes on topics that I would have never thought he would have paid attention to that.

Their Attention is Captured

I mean we’re talking geopolitical topics, we’re talking, issues of life and issues of spirituality and good versus evil and all of these things. I’m telling you parents, somehow in David, I don’t know who gets the credit because I don’t know how long High Point has been around but somehow, the formula for how you do the week somehow captures the attention of 15, 16, 17, 18 year olds and gets them to focus in. The speakers that you have, the worship evenings, all the things that you do, the fun games, somehow it works and I’m just telling you, I’ve seen the evidence.

[10:58]

Guest: Well, it’s obviously a God thing and I don’t know Rick, if we just are selling young people short and not expecting enough out of them or if we’re boring in the way that we present it. But we have found that young people love the challenge and they’re excited when you present it in a certain way and it’s the same truth. It’s just presented in a way that they love it. And like you said, we have powerful worship sessions that challenge them to go deeper with Christ as well as leadership and biblical worldview. And we have a lot of fun. I don’t want to throw the fun out of there. We have a lot of fun, so many friendships and connections. I know that all of your kids have met friends, people that because of social media now they can continue to connect with and be friends with. And I’ll tell you, as we’re talking about fun, we’re going to be adding wakeboarding this year to High Point. So 15 to 19 year olds, come learn leadership, biblical worldview, get close to Christ and wakeboard at the same time. I think that’s a good formula.

The Spiritual Aspect

Rick: What about old men like us with you know, bright white, tire Belize, is that going to scare kids off if we go do the wakeboarding?

Guest: I think it might.

Rick: I’ll avoid. All right. Let’s talk about the spiritual aspect of it too. You know, and I’m sorry to keep coming back to my personal experience on this, but I think about my kids and how I grew up in the church, all of those things. But really for the first time in their life, I think, well I know from the stories, truly connecting with the Lord and coming home with a real relationship, not just religion or church or reciting the right things. They came home with a real relationship and heart change. And I’m telling, I know parents out there, if you’ve got that 15, 16 year old and you’re going, man, what happened? All of a sudden I feel like they’ve gone through the atmosphere and it’s, you know, we used to have a problem. There’s no connection here. There’s something about what happens at High Point that softens the heart. Speak to David and how important that is.

Guest: Well, you know, we have to be patient with young people because you, me, people listening, we all had to have our own personal moment where we chose Jesus for ourselves. And at High Point, you know, we try and encourage them to have that moment if they have it, so where it goes from the seed that parents are planting to where, because they have to water their own seeds just because the seed is falling on the ground in their lives, going to church or being mentor by their parents or wherever it might come from.

Owning Faith

The seeds are there. But young people, what we try and do is just provide that moment to say, you know, at some point you have to choose them for yourself. It can’t be your parents Jesus. It can’t be your churches Jesus or you know, your school or your mentors or whatever.

And so our challenge to them is, do you know him for yourself? Do you read the Bible for yourself? There’s a study that just came out that talked about when people read the Bible four times a week, not one, not two, not three, but when it’s at least four times a week, that is life changing. They make different decisions. And so it’s through the different challenges that we have with them throughout the week, connected with fun that they were seeing young people for the first time in their lives, decide, this is who I want to be this is how I want to live my life. And I think we’ve got to be patient. We’ve got to be patient with young people because you know, they’re just coming of age, 15, 16, 17, 18, they’re really becoming an adult and wanting to make adult decisions and following Christ is an adult decision. Not that you can’t make a decision at a young age, but you really see at their age that they’re ready to do that.

Rick: Hpoint.org is the website, has a lot about, you know, what happens at camp that week, you know, what you need to prepare for. Costs are like extremely inexpensive. I mean, we’re talking a couple hundred bucks here for a whole week of incredible activities. And you said three weeks, the dates, you guys have June and July, I think, is that right?

Plan for June

Guest: In this last two weeks of June, first week of July, three different sessions for 15 to 19 year olds. We’re located centrally right here in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and which is basically high school and college freshmen. It’s kind of those 15 to 19 year old ages. But yeah, you could see pictures and videos on the website @ hpoint.org.

[14:53]

Rick: David, I get, you know, as I’ve said at the beginning, it’s had a huge impact on our family. I challenge listeners right now, get on the website, plan the summer, plan one of these week, get your young people there. You know, the mentorship is incredibly, you mentioned the friendships and our kids just, you know, I think it was last weekend we had a house full of high point grads that came down to Dripping Springs, Texas to hang out with my kiddos. And you’re right. I mean, it’s lifelong friendships and the mentorship is incredible. And I will say this to those parents out there that are like Kara and I were, extremely reticent and hesitant to send your children off and interest them to others. I’m just giving you a personal testimony both from my family and from the Barton family of the impact and the positive experience that happens at high point. These folks do a phenomenal job and they’re folks you can entrust your kids to. In fact, one of my kids ended up doing your one year program, your leaders Academy and again, just an incredible impact. David, we love you guys. We challenged people to go, three great dates. So you got three weeks to choose from this summer. Hpoint.org is the place to go, get signed up today. David, appreciate you, brother. Have a great 2020.

Bring a Speaker to Your Area

Guest: Thank you so much Rick. I really appreciate you.

Rick: That is David Pate. Stay with the folks. We’ll be right back with David and Tim Barton.

Tim: Hey, this is Tim Barton with WallBuilders and as you’ve had the opportunity to listen to WallBuilders live, you’ve probably heard the wealth of information about our nation, about our spiritual heritage, about the religious liberties, about all the things that makes America exceptional. And you might be thinking as incredible as this information is, I wish there was a way that I could get one of the wall builders guys to come to my area and share with my group, whether it be a church, whether it be a Christian school or public school or some political event or activity. If you’re interested in having a wall builder speaker come to your area, you can get on our website @ www.wallbuilders.com and there’s a tab for scheduling and if you’ll click on that tab, you’ll notice there’s a list of information from speakers bios to events that are already going on and there’s a section where you can request an event to bring this information about who we are, where we came from, our religious liberties and freedoms. Go to the WallBuilders website and bring a speaker to your area.

Rick: Welcome back to WallBuilders Live. Thanks to David Pate for joining us. Be sure to check out Hpoint.org. We’re going to make it real easy. If you’re used to go on our website, wallbuilderslive.com, right there today, you can click right over and you find out more information about High Point. We highly recommend you consider going this summer. And Tim, I’m trying to, he did say 15 to 19, is it 15 to 18 or 15 to 19?

Tim: 15 to 19 and they do take sometimes exceptions because it is really for high school. So if there’s a 14 year old who’s a freshman, that is permissible. But they take it up to 19. So there are, oftentimes there are freshmen in college who are just again, kind of helping that transition, Biblical worldview, biblical foundation. But generally 15 to 19. So high school students, freshmen in college is kind of the age range that they target.

Rick: And it is, I mean, he talked about it, you mentioned it at the beginning of the program. This is not, they’re not just sitting in a classroom. This is a fun time. I mean, I know all four of my kids, just incredible time, lots of great activities, friendships that you know, to this day are some of their best friends. And really iron sharpening friendships, you know, people that want you to get to know the Lord better and are there with you through tough times, all of those things. I mean, it’s the kind of thing every parent should want for their kid and we highly encourage folks check it out.

An Important Foundation

It’s important to get the foundation too. You know, Tim, I mean you teach on worldview at High Point. A lot of times these kids haven’t heard most of those things. These are new subjects to them and yet they’re just soaking it up yet.

Tim: Yeah. It’s really is crazy that, I mean, you mentioned in the interview that you would have kids who go to this camp and they come home with a notebook full of notes and you’re going, what are the world? Right? Like I couldn’t get you to take notes in school and now you’re taking notes at camp. This is crazy. But it’s because what we talk about is very relevant. It’s very practical for them. We talk about things that we know that they’re dealing with in high school every single year before High Point camp happens. There’s a group of us that get together and say, okay, what are the cultural issues that we know are happening right now? What are the conversations that we know that are happening right now and how can we equip them to think biblically and speak biblically in those conversations, in those situations? And so what we are addressing is very much culturally relevant for where they are in life and because it’s relevant for them, it’s so engaging, they’re interested, they’re paying attention because they’ve had these conversations. And for many people, for many of these students, they don’t know even what to say in some of these scenarios, and I know right? Probably right now there’s some homeschool parents listening and going, well, my kids just, they haven’t dealt with that.

Impossible to Fully Shelter Them

Okay. Let’s be honest for a second. If your kids have any friends at church their age, they’ve had some of these conversations, whether you feel like they have or not, right? We live in a culture. Our kids are much more aware than we give them credit for sometimes, and we think they’re much more sheltered than generally they are. And even though maybe right that some parents I’m imagining, right? They’re saying, well, you know, we only give our kids so many hours on their phone or it’s locked or they can’t do this or that. I get it. I mean, I understand that maybe you have protected them from all this kind of stuff, but if we want them to be leaders, right? Maybe they haven’t had to navigate these situations yet, but if we want them to be leaders of the next generation, they need to know how navigate these situations.

So whether they’ve had these conversations already, whether they’ve been inundated with this already or whether it’s something they’re going to have to deal with in the future. We want to prepare students to be leaders of the next generation, which means one of the things that we talk about often is the Bible mentions right from the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 liters and they understood the signs of the time and they knew the best course for Israel to take.

Understanding the Times

The thing about leaders that sets them apart and the challenges with students so often, what sets leaders apart is they understand the times, they understand the culture and they know what is happening, but then they know the solution, the answers, how to solve the problems in culture, and we’re always going to point to the Bible for that and what does this solution and is it a Bible, but we want to help kids know how do we have these conversations and culture? How do we think biblically, how do we engage?

But in the midst of it, they’re getting to hang out with friends who are feeling and thinking the same thing. People who love Jesus, people who want to have better relationships. Maybe they love America, right? Whatever it is, it is likeminded people. And so for a lot of these kids, they’ve never been in a place with this many people who think and feel and speak like them, who love and pursue God like them. So not only are they getting equipped, they’re developing these friendships and relationships that will in many cases stay with them their whole life.

Rick: And Tim, you said, whether it’s something they’re facing now or something they’re facing in the future, I would go a step further and say, no, they’re going to face it. It’s not a whether they’re going to face it, they will face it. So they need to be equipped for it. And this is one thing I think the military does very well. They take you through all sorts of scenarios of what might happen. We’ve got members of our family who had been deployed and they’re active military. There’s one that is about to be deployed with a brand new unit.

Knowing the Enemy”€™s Tactics

The army has stood up and what happens is to prepare them. They say, here’s every possible scenario you might face when you get down range. Here’s what the enemy might do, here’s the weapons they might use, here’s the tactics they might use. Here’s the languages you might hear. I mean they take them through everything so that, it saves their life and spiritually speaking, that’s what you want. So you can shelter your kids all you want, but at some point they’re going to face the enemy. You will never keep them from facing the enemy and you want them to be equipped and prepared. And that’s where High Point is.

Tim: And just to be clear, we are in favor of sheltering kids on some levels, right? We’re not trying to throw them out in the deep end of the secular culture and say, all right kids, good luck, we hope you make it. No, this is a very safe, protected environment where we can have honest conversations about what culture is dealing with and then what are the biblical solutions to that so that we’re helping kids know how to think biblically about what is happening in culture. So that just like the tribe of Issachar, we can be leaders who understand what’s happening in culture, but know the biblical response to solve those problems. Now, with that being said, it sounds very academic to know. That’s only a small portion of it. There’s so much that is outdoor activity. That’s relationship, games.

David: It’s academic. As long as you throw in the horses and throw in the go-karts and throw on the archery, throw in the riflery and all the other”€¦ It’s academic. Yeah. With all that stuff thrown in. Sure!

Your Kids Need This Place

Rick: I got to say guys, I mean, you know, some people would probably accuse me of being a helicopter parent or whatever and maybe too protective early on. I don’t care how much folks have protected or not protected. This camp will be good for him. I’m telling you, High Point, hpoint.org, your kids need this. It’s a place you can be confident in sending them to. They’re going to get the right worldview, they’re going to be strengthened, they’re going to have great relationships. I can’t say enough positive things about it and I already said it all with David earlier with David Pate earlier in terms of the impact on my own kids, firsthand account. Hpoint.org, do not miss the opportunity this summer and don’t think, Oh well I’ll wait until they’re at the end, you know, 18 or 19. No, you want them to go as soon as possible because I guarantee you they’re going to want to go back every year and they’re going to want to be a junior counselor as they get older anyway, so get on that website today, hpoint.org.

Preparing Your Young Adults To Be Biblical Leaders “€“ With David Pate

Folks, you’ve been listening to WallBuilders Live. Thanks so much for joining us today. Be sure and visit wallbuilderslive.com. There’s a button on there I want you to check out. It’s called contribute and yes, that’s where you come alongside us and you become a part of our team. You become a part of our support as a listener supported program. We cannot do this without you, and every time you donate, it means more young people are being trained. It means more pastors are going to pastors briefings, more legislators are getting training. More people are learning about the constitution. We’re helping to restore America’s constitutional Republic because of your support. Check it out there @ wallbuilderslive.com. Thanks for listening today to WallBuilders Live.