I could tell many stories about my life changing week at training camp, but one theme that encapsulates it all is the word bold.
The definition of bold is: (Of a person, action, or idea) showing a willingness to take risks; confident and courageous
In the beginning of training camp this word became my theme for the week. Whether it was being bold to have a willingness to meet the strangers that soon would become my family, or to have boldness to believe God was using me, God used this word to allow me to see things in people and in myself that I never sought possible.
What I learned at training camp was that boldness doesn’t mean that I have to be willing to step out on my own. What it means is that I need to have the courage and the willingness to trust that God has the power. Seth Barnes, founder of Adventures in Missions, puts it into perspective by talking about living an epic life:
“People discount the possibility of living an epic life for a variety of reasons. “I don’t want to stand out or call attention to myself.” “I am not that gifted,” etc. But we are not the point. The point is that God created us to depend on him and to see what can happen when we are operating in his power. When that happens, then limits get lifted.”
Being bold in God’s eye’s is depending on him. We live in a society that says dependence is showing weakness and that being dependent is wrong and if you’re dependent you won’t be successful. And if you depend on someone they will just let you down. That is why being dependent on God is risky and why it takes courage. But if we take that risk, jump and be BOLD the limits on God, on us, and on others then become lifted. And what God can do in our life and through our life becomes limitless.
It was the second night and this truth hit me hard. I put limits all around my life but, every day from that point forward God kept removing the limits that I put up and I was doing things I never thought I would be doing. Two things stood out. One: God was giving me words for people and I had the boldness to go and pray over them. That is not normally me, but I trusted what I thought he was laying on my heart and God moved within me. The second thing was I was invited to be a team leader. Now if you asked me before training camp week if I ever saw myself becoming a team leader I would have laughed and said “ya right”. I wanted to go on the race to sit back and learn how to be a leader from the background. But like I said early God was removing the limits I put on myself. As I sat in the meeting they talked about our roles as team leader and I felt my grip tighten and my heart beat faster. I was doing what I all ways do when I knew I had a lot of responsibility. I was pushing God away so He wouldn’t mess this up. And for the first time in my life I heard God say you can’t do this without me. You need to rely on me. And when I heard my grip loosened, my heart calmed down and I knew I was right where I needed to be. God broke walls down and I began to truly believe that God wants to use me.
I learned at training camp that it is worth everything to be bold and to take a risk on Him. It might be difficult and I might get it wrong but, he desires us to depend on Him. I have no idea what God is going to do in this year but, I know that it will be limitless.
On a final note I want it to be clear that being bold doesn’t mean you have to do it without fear, it means willing to step into the unknown being scared shitless and believing He is there.
Love you all!
Joe
P.S. also here is my new big family (squad) and my new smaller family (team). From left to right it is Michael AKA Sully, Victoria, Hannah AKA Brownie, Katherine AKA Kat, Holly, and Devon. These are the lovely women and man that I get to grow and live with for the next month, the next 11 months, or anything in between. Please be praying for us. Pray for unity for our team and that we will walk in boldness into each place we go into.
