A Word from Rocky

Greetings Fellow Influencers: Have any of you gone through a “Rip Van Winkle” stage in your life, when you closed your eyes, and suddenly your life had gone past you as you slept?  Well, I haven’t had it to that extent.  But, I see the last few months much like it. In mid December I had surgery on a troublesome leg.  The surgery was longer and more complex than was anticipated.  The rehab process has been similar, in that it likewise has been long, and painful.  What I thought would be only a few days of being sidelined and then back in the “game,” has, instead, been a forced time to “lie down in green pastures” by my Shepherd.   As many of you would do, I asked God why He took me out of the battle, when there is now so much opportunity to serve Him and especially since there is great need.  The answer was found in a little devotional book I read over 30 years ago.  Not all devotional books touch my heart like this one, and God’s word to my heart jumped off its pages when I read it.  I was then lifted to God’s perspective, rather than groveling with my own earthbound view, and it helped me understand what God was doing.  I’ll share it with you, for it might also help you as well: God has also reminded me the opportunities given Influencers as a ministry, are to be pursued in the strength and enterprise of our King, rather than the efforts of His men, which includes me.  Don’t get me wrong, we do play our parts in response to God’s invitation.  But, we do our part as a result of our strong connection to the Vine, and His instructions that flow through this vital connection.  Sometimes God takes us away into His intensive care so our connection to the vine can be strengthened, which has been the case with me.  In doing this, He breathes new life and insight into us, to prepare us for our journey ahead.  This period can often be disguised as “wasted time or meaningless,” until we get His perspective which is …. He just wants to get us alone with Him for a while, so He can love on us.  When we grasp this purpose, we then do not want to come down from the mountain, as was the case with Moses.  But the truth is, God transforms His man so he can walk in the valleys and to impact the people who live there.  Our mountaintop experience will one day be a permanent way of life, when He takes us to His kingdom.  Until that time comes, we live with and influence those who live in the valley, so they can see and embrace the King we serve. Nine years ago God birthed Influencers as a ministry for one purpose, which was to deliver a message to God’s family.  It was not then, nor is it now, about a ministry, a procedure, a formula, a discipleship model, or a strategy for reaching men.  Rather, it is a message from God to His family, telling us He wants us to come and abide with Him.  For some reason this message has been forgotten in His churches, and His family.  This message was the single most important instruction Jesus gave to His disciples before He was taken from them.  It is also the single most important instruction Jesus gives to His family today, for in it we gain all we need to find for ourselves a transformed life, a life that plays a strategic part in God’s Great Commission.  I’ll say it again.  It is the greatest instruction for God’s family today, and we have forgotten it!!  Little wonder this ministry is growing like a fast-moving virus, for we just deliver His message.  As a result, we are now invited to lands and languages none of us have ever even visited before.  Little wonder this movement grows across the nation, as we see thousands on men going through The Journey,and, in turn, experiencing transformed lives?  They are longing to hear this message from God!  We see and hear about these men constantly.  This is easy, for we know the number of Journey Groups starting, and the men are very vocal about what they are finding.  However, what we are not able to measure is the unlimited impact these men are having on their marriages, and homes, and churches, and businesses, and neighborhoods.  These men are making a difference, because Jesus is making a difference in them.  Yes, it is a message we carry that is given to us from God, and He has also inspired a model and curriculum that we use to take these men into this abiding relationship with their Lord.  This is why God has anointed this ministry, and why it is growing so broadly, and so quickly.  It is not because of a man, or men who lead this ministry.  It is because it is the King Himself Who leads it. God pulled me away for this important reminder the last few months.  I am glad He did, for I needed an adjustment in my perspective.  But, He also told me to get off the bench and put my helmet on, for He’s putting me back in the game.  Next week I will begin a new devotional series called, “Go With ME.”  He’s given me a lot He wants to say, and I can’t wait to share it with you.  Be talking to you next week. Rocky