“Shoot him out of a cannon, Lord!”

Uhh…what?

“Shoot him out of a cannon, Lord!”

A YLI board member prayed those exact words after the three hour board presentation I delivered many years ago; during which I almost certainly exhibited more exuberance than expertise. The phrase was unfamiliar to me at the time, and quite honestly, I wasn’t sure if I concurred with a plea to God that I be Shot Out of a Cannon. As exciting as it sounded, I remember sitting there eyes closed and head bowed imagining various landing scenarios.

Also, in those early years, Jim Moye Sr. introduced me to Dr. Henry Blackaby, author of the book, Experiencing God. When I say Jim Sr. introduced me, I don’t mean that he gave me a copy of the book. No, no. Mr. Moye had me drive 45 minutes north through Atlanta traffic in the darkness of early morning to his house, and then drive him 60 minutes south through Atlanta traffic for Dr. Blackaby’s 7AM Bible study. Mr. Moye walked me up to Dr. Blackaby who shook my hand and spoke a single sentence, words that I’ve never forgotten. A year later, Mr. Moye paid for me to travel to Monrovia, Liberia as part of a group that included Dr. Blackaby. Inside Monrovia’s new soccer stadium, I gave a talk to pastors in which I challenged them to give more leadership to younger leaders. Immediately after my talk, Dr. Blackaby went to the podium for his keynote, smiled in my direction, and commented on the arrogance of younger leaders! He was right and I knew it.  

On February 10th, Dr. Henry Blackaby entered into his eternal life of Experiencing God in fullness. I can’t imagine the joy he’s experiencing right now. I only spent time with Dr. Blackaby three times, but each time he had a word that became part of my walk with Christ. Like Mr. Moye, Dr. Blackaby was a kind of spiritual grandfather to me, and he shaped the foundation of YLI’s ministry from day one.

The essence of the Experiencing God book is that God is already working in the world. We have just one job: draw close to Jesus, listen for the leading of His Spirit, and then join God in what He is already doing. This process falls into the “simple, but not easy” category. Following Jesus often means stumbling through trials and suffering as He leads us on the way to life and joy. As we teach in YLI Basic Training, the practice of hearing God and joining him is a lifelong enterprise; and it’s for every follower of Jesus, not just professional ministry people.

The desire to Experience God led to the birth of  Young Leaders International in 2001, and has guided YLI over the last 16 years in which I’ve had the privilege to steward the work. Thank you, Dr. Henry Blackaby!