A significant part of Destination God training will be in learning and applying certain moral values. These would be:
The value of friendship: Before the completion of Destination God training, it is expected that a person will make and cultivate at least one new friend. By cultivation I mean it is expected that this new friend will experience close, personal interaction; receive cards, letters, or emails "just because"; be prayed for and with on a regular basis; and the two will remain in contact after the program is over, even if one or the other moves away. This could be with someone else at Destination God or, preferably, with someone who was met and ministered to through the course of Destination God.
The value of need: By this I mean not being 100% self-reliant. Someone at Destination God should delay satisfaction from time-to-time. Do not try to meet all your own needs immediately. This is one reason the discipline of fasting is so important. Through fasting we willingly give up control over meeting certain needs to allow God to work in us. I, personally, am trying to develop a pattern of fasting 40 days a year. In order to "tithe" my food, that would mean giving up 36 and-a-half days of meals. So I just rounded up to 40, which is 3 days per month, plus one extra per quarter. Eventually, it is probably a good thing to go 40 days at one time, at least once.
The value of laughter: OK, I know this one seems odd to be included here, but we have to take time to "smell the roses". Ministry is not "all work and no play", or at least it shouldn't be. In fact, ministry can happen while we play. And sometimes the one being ministered to during play is ourselves. Relax. Don't be so serious all the time. But be aware that God still wants to use you, or train you, in those times.
The value of money: Or, better yet, the value of the value of money. It doesn't just grow on trees you know. Make a budget. Keep to a budget. Pay off debt. Cut up credit cards. Give, save, spend -- in that order. To often we go into debt trying to have everything at once. And even those who know better than to incur debt will sometimes spend more cash than necessary. Let yourself go without some "things". Bet you'll find you don't miss them. I suggest starting with a 10-10-80 plan. Tithe 10%, save 10%, and responsibly use the remaining 80%.
The value of work: Hard work does a body good. Does a soul pretty good too. And not all work do you get paid for (but we'll cover that one in a moment). Life does not owe anyone a living. The government does not owe anyone a living. That is why it is called "earning a living".
The value of learning: Study hard. Study often. Study well. One key component of Destination God will be study. Sometimes that study will be self-directed; study what seems interesting to you to study. At other times we will direct it. Someone completing Destination God will have studied every major Bible doctrine and a significant amount of apologetics, in addition to other topics. And you should leave Destination God with more books and computer programs than you came with. Of course, I think you should do that as matter of course on your own anyway.
The value of health: A most overlooked value is that of good health. Those of you who know me know I am a little behind on this one, but I'm trying. If you are currently not losing or gaining weight, but are not happy with your current body composition, add 30 minutes of exercise daily. While not being perfect, it has drastically helped me not to drink caffeine. And (except for a few "lapses"), Karen and I have almost totally given up refined sugar and flour. Still eat out too much, but working on it.
The value of selflessness: As was mentioned above, not all work should you expect to get paid for. Find someone to help, and help them. Do it as anonymously as possible. After all, it?s not selfless if you are seeking to draw some tangible benefit from it. And look for the "little things" too. Maybe you see an elderly couple in the car behind you at Wal-Mart, so you pass up the primo parking spot you were aiming for so they can get it instead. Look hard, opportunities will abound. And eventually you won't even need to look hard. It will become second nature to see them.
And that is the point of this part of Destination God training, for the practice of these values to become second nature.