My Story

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit my new blog. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and explain how Repairers of the Breach came to be.

I grew up in the small town of Blanchard, OK. I am the fourth generation of the Wilson family to live in this area, so our roots go pretty deep. Something else that goes pretty deep in the Wilson family is a strong work ethic. My great-grandfather and his father were both ranchers. My dad and granddad made their careers in the home-building business. With work ethic being so valued through my family history, it was understood that even as kids, my younger brother and I were expected to work hard and "make a hand." And we did. Brushhogging, construction site cleanup, tree trimming, brush hauling, and fence building were just a few of the multitude of skills I was taught and practiced. But as I grew older, I realized that the invaluable experience that had just come naturally to me was very rare among the young men of my generation. Very few had the opportunity to develop the work ethic, learn the skills, acquire the character, and make the money that I had.

But this was not the only training I was receiving. In the mid-1990s, my dad transitioned from home builder to full-time minister. Beginning in our living room, we started the Bible Study Center, a church which grew to a size that required its own facility within two years. Dad teaches the Bible in a very expositional, in-depth manner. Sometimes he teaches through an entire book (e.g. Romans, Ephesians, Philippians) or maybe a doctrinal study (e.g. The Deity of Christ, Baptism, God's Will). Because he teaches so thoroughly on Sunday morning, and discusses what he is studying with me throughout the week, I have learned an enormous amount about the Bible, about Christ, and about the Christian walk. But then the same thing began to happen. I realized that as a teenager, I probably had the equivalent of a seminary master's degree. But young men at churches all across the nation, were not receiving in-depth teaching of the word of God. They had a few beliefs that never developed into convictions, and their faith typically crumbled by the time they left home.

This understanding was further reinforced by another development in my life. Through the ministry of Dr. G. Thomas Sharp of Creation Truth Foundation in Noble, OK, I became familiar with the evidence for biblical creation. My curious and analytical mind, which had driven me to read dozens of science books as a kid, but had always been confused by why all of them taught evolution, was finally satisfied. There was a logical, scientific, and reasonable defense of the Bible's account of creation. I started reading creation science books and even started teaching classes at church. Through the materials I read, I discovered that young people all over had the same questions I did, but never got the opportunity to have them answered. I expanded my teaching to a local homeschool group, and even had the opportunity to speak at a church in Great Falls, MT.

All of these events were creating in me an strong urge to teach and to disciple and to share what I had learned with other young people. But what would be my focus? How would I do it? My original thought was that I would go into full-time creation ministry like Dr. Sharp. After graduating a year early from high school in 2006, I enrolled in the online Biblical studies program at what I thought was a conservative Christian college. But after one year, I found the biblical teaching was very weak and much was contrary to what I believed. Further, the extra-biblical courses (e.g. sociology) were taught from a strongly humanistic perspective. Frustrated, I left the college and spent the summer in prayer trying to decide what to do next. Because I still felt I needed a degree to pursue the ministry, my dad suggested civil engineering. It was a very science-related field, but I would not have to worry about running into flawed theology, or evolutionary philosophy. I applied and was accepted into the program at the University of Oklahoma.

Several things began happening at the same time from that point forward. First, I started feeling very drawn to making a career in civil engineering. It appealed to many of my interests. I began to almost forget about my earlier passions, and set my mind to becoming a licensed professional engineer. I studied hard at my classes, kept my GPA above 3.75, sent out resumes, attended career fairs, and was even hired as an intern this summer. But while I was pursuing what I thought would be a much easier path in life, God had other plans. He began using the time I was spending in college to refocus me and redirect me to whole new ministry I never saw coming.

Looking back, its very hard to see the chronology of events and how they were working together, but God was doing something great. It started with my Engineering Practice course when I was introduced to the concept of entrepreneurship. In October 2007, God gave me the idea to do a camp for young men in the spring to teach work ethic. I had long been able to develop friendships with boys several years younger than myself (another way God was working) so I took some of them and taught them the skills, principles, and character that I had learned. While I was driving back and forth to school, I listened to talks from Vision Forum's Entrepreneurial Boot Camp (which emphasized a family-based model), as well as The 200 Year Plan, along with several talks on Manliness. Courses I took at school in American history and Greek philosophy got me to thinking about very complex concepts and showed me how much I enjoyed exercising my mind in that way. The political climate in our nation was really grabbing my attention and I became involved in campaigns and staying up with the news. I was becoming fascinated with new concepts, new ministry outlets, new ideas to research, and so many things that I wanted to share.

At the same time, I was becoming more and more disenchanted with a career in engineering. Over this past summer, I began spending a lot of time in prayer and counseling with my dad about what I should do. The idea of mentoring boys was becoming very strong. I began teaching a series at church on manliness, and the response was incredible. I could see a very powerful need. I also saw that this ministry was something I was passionate about. I wanted to take everything I knew and would continue to learn about work, the Bible, politics, thought, science, history, etc. and train boys in the lost art of manliness. By the end of the summer, I knew this was without a doubt what God wanted me to do. I withdrew from OU, and made the decision not to resume any college education, but instead to self-educate as I had done through much of my homeschooling. I do not believe that college is necessary for success as it is often made out to be. What I do believe, is that God is faithful to those who trust and obey Him. I have decided to focus on this ministry and with God's help to develop it into something that will bring glory to Him, and have an impact on the lives of perhaps thousands of young men.

As you now realize, the path through which this ministry was developed was long and complicated. But I as I look back over it all, I am in awe of the providential hand of God. Even when I did not realize it, He was working in my life in mighty ways to prepare me to do His will to advance His kingdom. I humbly await what He has in store next. This blog will be a place for me to chronicle how He is working and how He is using the ministry of Repairers of the Breach for His glory. I will also be sharing with you thoughts, observations, and information on topics relevant to this ministry.

Thank you for reading,

Colton Wilson