In a few weeks, on November 1, is a liturgical holiday called All Saints Day...I only know this because Odin, my 6 year old son, was asking about Halloween and I decided to look it up. Outside of what Wikipedia says I'm only slightly more informed but the name reminded me of something we talk about at Boot Camp. Who are the 'Saints'? Let me tell you a quick story. Several weeks ago we got a kind of SOS from a dear friend and ally. Kevin and his team were leading a Boot Camp in MI and with about a week to go 'the cupboards were bare' so to speak. Registration was in the toilet and the enemy started to get up in Kevin's grill with the same kind of trash talk we've all heard before. "This is a waste of time." "Nobody cares." "You're all alone." "Your so-called 'ministry' is dead." Now in case you've never met Kevin – He's a saint. No really. I don't mean he's really nice or that he talks to animals. I'm talking about his title, his rank in the Kingdom of Heaven, the official God-given designation for one who walks with, and takes his strength from the Living God and the Risen Lord. The Bible repeatedly calls those people Saints. Not 'sinners saved by grace,' though of course that's true it is what we WERE, no longer what we ARE. Kevin is a saint who lives in a great company of other saints, and everyday he chooses to walk under the weight of relentless attack from the enemy or in the flood of Furious Love of his King. So Kevin, he did a very brave and wise thing: he called for reinforcements; he reached out or help. As it happened, when we got Kevin's note much of the Boot Camp NW team was together for a meeting. It was one of those moments where your heart knows the right thing to do but your head thinks it's stupid and resists. "Pray for him. Encourage him. Now." said the thump-thump-thump in our suddenly heated hearts. "Maybe he's right. Maybe this Wild at Heart thing has run its course." said our stubborn, lazy heads. It's funny how that lazy head voice grows stronger when we're alone but in this case the hearts won the day quickly and we went to war. Prayers. declarations, warfare - it was powerful. We then took a quick little iPhone video to send to Kevin right then and let him know we had his back. Depending on your point of view, that may seem like little more than a meaningless gesture. But if you truly grasp your identity, if you truly understand that we are ALL Saints, then you understand that it's something far more potent. To close the story started above, Kevin's camp went NUTS in the last few days before it started. In his own words, "We had 140 men at Hearts Alive & Free and it was an explosion -- an atom bomb destroying men's fig leaves and washing and healing wounds. This weekend was--wow, the best yet in my estimation if you can say that. They're all great, but this one was really special."