Day 12
A New Beginning
“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally He will cause justice to be victorious. And His name will be the hope of all the world.”
Matthew 12:20-21 NLT
I arrived at Champions Church a broken man, feeling like a failure who’d lost his purpose and had no sense of direction. You must understand that three years earlier I had failed in a major way and, in my shame, had drifted from the Lord and forsaken the Church in its entirety. My days were spent going to work, making music, performing around the country, taking drugs and other things I won’t mention here. I was born-again. I knew the Lord. I had a call on my life that I and other people recognised but by all intents and purposes, I was a prodigal.
Then, I arrived at Champions and for some reason everybody was buzzing about this approaching men’s conference - MANKIND. I have to admit I wasn’t interested at first. I’d never been comfortable being in a gathering of only men due to a deadly concoction of insecurity, vulnerability and a sense of danger so I simply said “count me out”. On top of that I was happy to simply attend church a few times a month, do a little bit of serving and leave it at that. I didn’t want to spend a whole weekend with these people. But there was another voice in me (as well as the ones around me) spurring me on saying “you’re going”. So eventually I folded, bought a ticket and went along.
And that decision altered the trajectory of my life until this day.
I arrived tentative, still on the periphery of the men’s ministry, not knowing many names and without strong relationships, bar one - the person I came with. But the Lord met me there. I found that men of all ages would take the time to get to know me with genuine interest. The fellowship was sincere and without judgement. It was just a gathering of ordinary men spending time together in the presence of the Lord and that’s all He needed to move powerfully. Surrender and unity. Whilst the Word in the meetings was powerful and enriching - it was rubbing shoulders with these guys where the true transformation happened for me. This was Church. And whilst Church (not Champions) had hurt me, God was using Church to heal me!
A key moment for me was speaking with Pastor Caleb just outside the ranch building. Somehow, the conversation had become about my fears and I had told him that I was afraid of growing up to be like my dad, who hurt my family and I in a major way and was absent from my life from the age of 11. His next words still echo into everything I do today - “Why don’t you become a legacy starter?”. Oh, I can, by the grace of God, decide to be different? I can actually rise out and above these wounds? I can forgive my dad for all his failures? I can forgive myself? And just like that, my freedom journey began.
All of this was the Lord’s doing. You see, God is a Mighty Warrior and Almighty God, none compares to Him and yet, when it comes to dealing with us, His beloved, He is gentle and kind. He saw my wounds and brokenness and, as the scripture says, He did not crush and discard me. Instead He took me in and restored me, not to what I was before but EVEN BETTER.
But this could only happen as it did because I decided to say “yes” to attending this most incredible conference. So, if you’re reading this and are still on the fence, I encourage you to jump off said fence and onto the side that says “yes”. You will not regret it. If you are already attending, then I encourage you to get excited and expectant. Bring your joy, your pain, your wounds and shame, and lay it all down before Him. He will restore you in and through Christ.
See you there!
“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally He will cause justice to be victorious. And His name will be the hope of all the world.”
Matthew 12:20-21 NLT
I arrived at Champions Church a broken man, feeling like a failure who’d lost his purpose and had no sense of direction. You must understand that three years earlier I had failed in a major way and, in my shame, had drifted from the Lord and forsaken the Church in its entirety. My days were spent going to work, making music, performing around the country, taking drugs and other things I won’t mention here. I was born-again. I knew the Lord. I had a call on my life that I and other people recognised but by all intents and purposes, I was a prodigal.
Then, I arrived at Champions and for some reason everybody was buzzing about this approaching men’s conference - MANKIND. I have to admit I wasn’t interested at first. I’d never been comfortable being in a gathering of only men due to a deadly concoction of insecurity, vulnerability and a sense of danger so I simply said “count me out”. On top of that I was happy to simply attend church a few times a month, do a little bit of serving and leave it at that. I didn’t want to spend a whole weekend with these people. But there was another voice in me (as well as the ones around me) spurring me on saying “you’re going”. So eventually I folded, bought a ticket and went along.
And that decision altered the trajectory of my life until this day.
I arrived tentative, still on the periphery of the men’s ministry, not knowing many names and without strong relationships, bar one - the person I came with. But the Lord met me there. I found that men of all ages would take the time to get to know me with genuine interest. The fellowship was sincere and without judgement. It was just a gathering of ordinary men spending time together in the presence of the Lord and that’s all He needed to move powerfully. Surrender and unity. Whilst the Word in the meetings was powerful and enriching - it was rubbing shoulders with these guys where the true transformation happened for me. This was Church. And whilst Church (not Champions) had hurt me, God was using Church to heal me!
A key moment for me was speaking with Pastor Caleb just outside the ranch building. Somehow, the conversation had become about my fears and I had told him that I was afraid of growing up to be like my dad, who hurt my family and I in a major way and was absent from my life from the age of 11. His next words still echo into everything I do today - “Why don’t you become a legacy starter?”. Oh, I can, by the grace of God, decide to be different? I can actually rise out and above these wounds? I can forgive my dad for all his failures? I can forgive myself? And just like that, my freedom journey began.
All of this was the Lord’s doing. You see, God is a Mighty Warrior and Almighty God, none compares to Him and yet, when it comes to dealing with us, His beloved, He is gentle and kind. He saw my wounds and brokenness and, as the scripture says, He did not crush and discard me. Instead He took me in and restored me, not to what I was before but EVEN BETTER.
But this could only happen as it did because I decided to say “yes” to attending this most incredible conference. So, if you’re reading this and are still on the fence, I encourage you to jump off said fence and onto the side that says “yes”. You will not regret it. If you are already attending, then I encourage you to get excited and expectant. Bring your joy, your pain, your wounds and shame, and lay it all down before Him. He will restore you in and through Christ.
See you there!