The Beginning

Soo, I'm not much of a blogger, but as I go to LeadTime this Fall I need somewhere to post daily prayer requests and keep people informed about what's going on. So let me use my first post to introduce you to LeadTime, Why I'm going, and what the Lord has already put on my heart for my time there. Bear with me as it may be a little long and rough still...



What is LeadTime? (http://www.douloscorp.com/leadtime/index.html )
LeadTime is a yearlong discipleship program for post-college men and women. LeadTimers may not know where they’re headed, but they know that they passionately love Christ and desire to prepare spiritually for whatever is next. LeadTime is not a Bible school or a seminary, although it includes both biblical and theological training. LeadTime class work is practical and applicable (including knowing God, knowing ourselves, and understanding ministry) and the main approach of the LeadTime program to shaping lives is through intense relationships, not just classwork. The object of LeadTime is for students to live in Christ’s model of discipleship serving alongside others as iron sharpening iron through mentoring, Biblical studies, and Christ centered ministry experience. LeadTimers live and grow in vibrant Christian community with close personal relationships where they effectively serve Christ. They study, laugh, work, worship, and hurt together. Leadtime students also live with and mentor troubled teenagers who are in a program called Shelterwood. Living with these teens provides a chance for hands on ministry and learning to love, confront, counsel, serve, and communicate the love of Christ to those who are hurting. Through such relationships with the Shelterwood teens LeadTime hopes to see God work in the teens lives to rebuild trust, integrity, communication, and new attitudes, but such fruit is really only a bonus of the LeadTime program. The main focus is what God will accomplish in the LeadTime students. Many say that it is likely to be the hardest year of my life, but by God’s grace, also the best.

How did I hear about LeadTime?
Immediately after graduation, during the summer of 2005, I looked into multiple Christian ministries and training programs that would help me to prepare for whatever the Lord had next for me in life. (I have loved missions since I was a child and want to be prepared for this, or other full time ministry here in the states – wherever I go and whatever I do, I know that it will be ministry, because I can’t separate any part of me from Christ.) I did not end up entering any of these programs in 2005, because the Lord had something else in store, but as I considered them LeadTime stuck out. It is a place where real discipleship occurs and where I would be poured into and trained while at the same time pouring into and training younger women. This biblical model of discipleship appealed to me and I also knew several people involved in the program who spoke very highly of it.

Why am I now going to LeadTime?
In September 2006 after over a year of living in College Station, being involved in ministry through my church here, and learning how to try and represent Christ while working a real job I got an e-mail from LeadTime asking if I was still interested in their program. At that time I was praying about leaving my current job and so I decided to send in again for an application. Well, come October, things were moving forward with getting someone else hired and trained to fill my position so that I could leave, and I was seeking the Lord on what I would do next. I started thinking again about LeadTime, but realized that I had never received the application from them that I asked for. One day while driving home I was asking the Lord if I needed to look more into LeadTime, or if the fact that I never got the application meant that he had something else in store for me. Well, when I got home I had an e-mail waiting from LeadTime asking again if I was interested in the program. Apparently, they never got my request for an application. I took that e-mail as an answer from the Lord and began the application process. I turned in my application and met some of the LeadTime staff in November, had a phone interview in December, and was invited to be part of LeadTime in January. I took a month to continue asking the Lord what he wanted from me, felt peace about his calling to LeadTime, and in February returned my contract to take part in the LeadTime program from Aug 2007 to Aug 2008. In March I found out that I would be living in Colorado, which just happens to my favorite place ever (there is also a program in Missouri). And Since April I have really been praying that the Lord would give me specific vision and purpose as he prepares me to enter the program.

What do I desire to see the Lord do in and through me at LeadTime?
Overall, I desire for the Lord to develop me as a leader. Although in my own flesh and fear I would rather step back and most of the time be silent, it is clear that if I am to follow wholeheartedly after Christ, just being a follower in the world is not an option. There is immeasurable need in all areas of our world for Christ to bring change and turn things upside down. Whether that is with rebellious and hurting teens, impoverished communities, dead and religious churches, nations that do not know Christ, or anything else, someone has to care enough to step up, speak up, and fight for the truth. Someone has to say, like Paul, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” After experiencing a hard and painful management position, in my flesh I said “Lord, I don’t ever want to be in charge of anything ever again”. But it doesn’t matter what I want; whatever my Lord wants is best and what I must do. And so I want to be equipped to be a Godly leader and to be prepared and willing to step up and speak up. The Lord has put it on my heart that at LeadTime I am to do this not only with the Shelterwood teens, but also specifically with my peers in the LeadTime program. I long to help my peers in LeadTime unite in prayer and dependence on the Lord. To encourage and teach them from my past experiences and failures and pull them along most of all in going hard after the Lord. In this process I desire that the Lord would break and humble me and make me more like him as a persevering servant. That he would replace everything in the way I communicate and do relationships that has been shaped by the world with how he wants me to do it, teaching me more and more to love like him. I know that for the Lord to use me and develop me in all these ways will require first and foremost that he draw me into deeper intimacy and heart knowledge of my Savior and a firm understanding of his Word. And that as he does these things he will strengthen my faith that it would not waver as I in obedience risk doing things that truly only God can do.





Hopefully that gives you a little background infromation and a place to start praying. I am so excited as August draws near and I begin building a team, you can definitely pray for all aspects of preparation and team building - specific requests to come.