Only a month and a half after returning home from a year abroad with The World Race and a few days ago I found myself once again at Training Camp. Talk about things coming full circle. However, this time around I was there not to be ushered into the WR family, but to usher others in. The others I'm talking about aren't a group of homeless and ragged wanderers from LOST plodding through the jungles of what could have been the greatest television show ever, but they are a group of people from FOUR different countries coming together to see what happens when you risk for a year and allow God to take you waaaaay outside your comfort zone. The others that I'm talking about are the one and only…
D Squad!!!
In January, this INCREDIBLE group will head to Central America to start their World Race, and I get to go with them!! Talk about being blessed! I will be leading the D Squad for the first four months of The Race, helping them, loving them, empowering them and guiding them. My role will be to minister to the nations by pouring myself into this group, and equipping them in every way I can to be Christ to those in need. It is something I am not taking lightly and is something I consider an incredible honor and privilege (especially after getting to know them this past week!)
Let me just tell you about this group….they are people who have demonstrated they can take risk for the sake of something greater than themselves. They have demonstrated they are able to hear God's voice, and to SPEAK IT OUT. They have demonstrated great faith through their bold prayers (a man's eyes were healed when some D Squad folks prayed for him!) They have demonstrated a willingness to communicate and to speak truth in love in order to sharpen one another and encourage one another. They have demonstrated an incredible ability to be joyful in all circumstances regardless of rest, how much they've eaten, etc. In short…they are absolutely incredible, full of LIFE and LOVE and they will be POWERFUL witnesses and change agents of Jesus to those in need. Get ready to be blown away by what God will do through them.
Before I just ramble on and on about how fantastic this group is, I'd love to introduce you to seven of them. While some may say D Squad only has seven men, I'd say D Squad is blessed to be served by seven POWERFUL men. Please take a moment to get acquainted with them (in no particular order):
Mark Rowdon is a man full of life, laughter and joy. That joy is indeed one of his strengths and will be a gift to everyone he comes across next year. It's not just regular joy, not mere happiness, but a deep, steady joy that springs forth from a soul who is no longer in captivity. It's a rejoicing joy. Mark is a POWERFUL man who not only spreads Christ's joy through his words, but spreads it by simply being around people. If you spend time around Mark, somehow your spirit will just know God loves you. Powerful stuff.
Ryan Miller is a man who understands and values the need for Christian men to rise above the "norm" of men of the world. He knows that male leaders in God's kingdom have a demand placed on them to be men of action, men of self-discipline and men who always strive for more and for better. Ryan is a POWERFUL man humble enough to learn from anyone regardless of what titles they do or don't have. He is a man on a pursuit not only to strengthen himself in Christ, but those around him as well. He is a man who will bring change not just to those who don't know Christ, but also those who do. Powerful stuff.
Wes Vickers is a man of wisdom, plain and simple. He doesn't speak without thinking first. He doesn't act without intention. The man understands that his thoughts, words and actions can and do make an impact on those around him, and he wants that impact to be of incredible worth to those on the receiving end. He's also a man of strength who doesn't let his circumstances dictate his outlook or responses. He is grounded on his foundation in Christ, and allows others to find strength in that same place. Wes is a POWERFUL man with a voice and strength that carry weight because he doesn't use them lightly. Powerful stuff.
Chase Glantz is a man of integrity and heart. Don't tell him something can't be done, not because he'll argue, but because you'd be wasting your breath. He is a man who does what he says and expects the same of others. He is a man who says when the going gets tough, the tough get going. He is a man who would go back into battle to rescue an injured companion, risking himself on their behalf. Chase is a POWERFUL man of purpose and drive, with a strong and caring heart. He's the guy you'd want in the foxhole with you…not just because you know he'd have your back, but he'd keep you laughing most of the time as well. Powerful stuff.
Nathan Hatton is a man who finds the supernatural to be more natural than anything else. He knows Holy Spirit and is not afraid to be considered a weirdo or "fringe" Christian for pursuing life alongside of Holy Spirit, no matter what it may look like. He is a leader in demonstrating what our lives may look like when surrendered to the unpredictability of Holy Spirit. Nathan is someone who can bring balance to a situation because he's also very level headed and won't get caught up in the moment when his attention is needed. Nathan is a POWERFUL man who wants others to experience in Christ what he himself has experienced. Powerful stuff.
Dan Loghry is a man who lives as a servant leader. If you can't find him, it's probably because he's working behind the scenes, making sure everyone and everything is taken care of. He clearly grasps the concept that no job is too small or dirty for even the "greatest" of leaders. He is a man whose character speaks for itself, and usually not by speaking at all. Dan is a POWERFUL man who walks the path laid before him with confidence in his God who he trusts not just to help in times of need, but to be his breath and fill him with life every time his lungs take in air. Powerful stuff.
Hugh Roberts is a man who brings peace and a sense of calm wherever he goes. He is incredibly full of life and loves to engage life to the full, yet he isn't overpowering. Rather, he is someone who demonstrates power in a "less is more" kind of way. He's a man who would rather listen than be heard and who respects and loves people as individuals, not as people. Hugh is a POWERFUL man who walks to the beat of his own drum, and who encourages others to get out of their own box now and again, bringing change to those who encounter him. Powerful stuff.
These are the men I am privileged and honored to walk with during this season. These are the men who are stepping out of their comfort zone and risking for something greater than themselves. These are men who are rising above the norm believing they have something to offer the world that cannot be found anywhere else. These are the men answering God's question, "Who shall I send?"
Each one brings something unique to the table, not simply among themselves, but for the whole of D Squad as a family. When talking together as a unified front, these seven POWERFUL men will bring a POWERFUL God encounter to those they meet. Get ready, here come the men of D Squad!
I cannot wait to join them in the journey ahead.
(All photos courtesy of Robin Quinn Brooks. Thanks Robin! You rock!)
