Many years ago, I was in a coffee shop with some people from work when a rough looking man comes over to our table and asks to talk to me. I didn’t recognize this man, and was unsure what I was about to get myself into. The rush of thoughts and fears started to dart across my brain. What is he going to ask of me? Did I do something wrong? How am I going to get out of this conversation? What are my colleagues thinking about me right now?
He began to speak and tell me his name and that he had been in jail recently and he was there the night that I spoke at a jail chapel service. He just wanted to thank me and the ministry I was with for reaching out to the men in the jail and sharing the love of Christ with them. He said that God was changing his life and that he was staying out of trouble and that he appreciated people like me who were willing to serve God, even at a jail.
Even after he spoke to me I still didn’t register his face or could remember much of what I said that night in the jail. But that didn’t matter, what mattered was God used me to impact that one person. I was humbled by our conversation and have prayed since then that I will have other opportunities to impact an individual’s life, whether it be through speaking, writing, mentoring, teaching, or just coming alongside another person who needs a little guidance.
But I feel directed by God to go deeper in my own spiritual life. I want my words and guidance to others to come from a rich, Christ-centered life experience and not just be helpful words. I want others to see God’s work in my own life and be inspired, not because of me, but because they will see that God can be a vivid, present, and powerful force in one individual’s life.
To go deeper I am pursuing an 18-month journey in spiritual growth called the Apprentice Experience. Through this experience, I will grow in my understanding of God, develop capacities for Christ’s transformation in my life, understand how community is used by God to develop growth, and practice exercises that will draw me closer to God.
I can’t have this amazing opportunity without your help. Please partner with me by donating and helping me be the type of person that God can use to impact others.
In addition to all the great content that this experience will provide on the blog, I am providing donation gifts for all donors who give more than $25. These are really cool gifts that will push you to grow up in your spiritual life. See below.
At least $25 – The Grow Up Playlist full of songs that have helped me in my spiritual life.
At least $50 – A sample chapter of an eBook I worked on a few years ago called More of Christ, Less of Everything Else.
At least $75 – A resource pack full of the list of tools that I use to grow closer to God.
At least $100 – A short eBook that I am creating called the Devotional Lives of Famous Christians.
Grow Up Blog 