Executive Director's Blog

Who We Are

Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock - August 2010

Jonathan Dow

ss14 Just two weeks ago, more than 1,400 people attended the Aldersgate conference in Charleston, WV. Many expressed a strong sense of the presence of God and experienced His tangible touch emotionally and physically. We celebrate this move of God and pray that there would be lasting fruit in the lives of the adults, youth and children upon whom God unleashed the transformational, equipping power of His Holy Spirit.

It’s easy to feel close to God and to vow a lifetime of obedience to His promptings at an event like the Aldersgate conference where the intensity of God’s presence is particularly tangible. The challenge is: when we get home and face our everyday circumstances, will we still pursue that same closeness with God? In Jeremiah 30, the prophet asks, “Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?” That question is a challenging invitation for a life-time commitment to daily pursue an “on-growing” relationship with God, regardless of our circumstances.

God lovingly reminded me how much He wants to have that kind of a relationship with me through an experience with my dog. While I am hesitant to share a “Dog story” two months in a row, I will take the risk to share what God showed me.

sophie2 Two years ago, our family adopted a black lab mix named Sophie. A rescue from the local humane society, Sophie is loving and gentle. One of the ways her gentleness is reflected is that when she encounters a door that is ajar, she will not push her way through it. One morning, I was having my quiet time in a chair in our bedroom. As I was reading Revelation 3 and inviting God to reveal any “lukewarmness” in my own life, I heard the familiar clicking of Sophie’s toenails on our hardwood floor in the hallway. Because the door was cracked open, I could tell that she was approaching the bedroom. When the clicking stopped, I glanced up and saw that she was just sitting outside the door. Looking right at her I gently said, “Come on Soph.” She didn’t move. “Come here pup,” I said to her a little more animated. Again, she just sat.

It was an interesting scenario. I could see and hear Sophie, and she could see and hear me, yet, she would not push open the door. Here was this one who wanted to be with me, and yet, would not force her way in.

After a few silent moments, I decided to get up and open the door. As I approached, she immediately stood to her feet and wagged her tail. I opened the door, and in she came. At my invitation, she jumped up in my chair and I ruffled her fur and rubbed her head. She responded by licking my hand. She then jumped down and settled contently by my chair.

ss19 I went back to reading Revelation 3, thinking about what had just happened. I paused at verse 20: “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” I was humored at first, and then was cut to the heart by the truth told by my actions. Here I was, so quick to respond and open the door to a dog, and yet painfully aware that there have been numerous times that I have been content to sit lukewarm, unresponsive to a loving, gracious God who was gently knocking on the other side of a door in my life. The missed blessing? Deeper intimacy with God. The missed opportunity? A chance for fresh impartation of divine clarity, eternal perspective and supernatural all-sufficient grace for the journey. The reality is that I forfeit much when I choose to not respond to God’s knocking.

I confessed my unresponsiveness to God asking His forgiveness for resisting Him and forfeiting His grace. I then invited Him to have access to every area of my life. Perhaps there are areas of your life that are closed off to God. Regardless of how the doors were closed, God’s invitation to you and to me still stands… Child, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to you and fellowship with you, and you with Me.

ss10 I believe that challenge also applies to ARM as we co-labor as ARM Family Partners. We must be devoted to be close to God - with every facet of the ministry accessible to Him. We can’t afford to forfeit God gifts of divine clarity, eternal perspective and all-sufficient grace. Would you join me in praying that if there are any doors upon which God is knocking, that we would be responsive and swing the doors wide open to the fullness of His transformational, equipping power? There is much ahead and we don’t want to miss a thing that God wants to do in ARM and through ARM as we seek to equip individuals and churches to minister to the world in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Who Let the Dogs Out? - July 2010

Jonathan Dow

As I was preparing to speak at the Renewal Breakfast at the Holston Annual Conference last week, the Lord reminded me of an incident that took place a few years ago. Pam and I were awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of ferocious barking. I listened for a moment and heard two different dogs whose loud barking was interspersed with growling.

As I followed the sound, I realized that the dogs were on our front porch. I carefully opened the interior door and peered through the storm door glass expecting to see them fighting one another. Instead, the dogs were pacing in front of our glider, staring intently underneath the seat, growling, barking and snarling. I carefully slipped out the door… shoe in hand. Bending down to look under the glider, I discovered a terrorized little cat pressing itself as close to the wall as it could.

My attention turned back to the dogs. Wielding my shoe, I yelled “Get out of here” and stomped my foot. They stopped, looked up at me, took a last look at the cat, and then bolted off the porch. I then tried to gently coax the petrified cat out from underneath the glider. After several attempts, it still wouldn’t budge. So, I went back to bed, disappointed with my lack of success.

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As I reflected on the predicament of the cat, I couldn’t help but think of I Peter 5:8 that illustrates our adversary, the devil, as one who prowls around seeking whom he may devour. The imagery was clear to me: as we seek to step out in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, sometimes we find ourselves like the cat – faced with two snarling, growling dogs named “Fear” and “Intimidation.” In his book Breaking Intimidation, John Bevere writes, “The objective of intimidation is to restrain you from action, and coerce or force you into submission. Intimidation wants to overwhelm you with a sense of inferiority and fear. Once you’ve retreated into submission, either knowingly or unknowingly, you are a servant of the intimidator.”

I wanted to encourage you today that if you’ve been “the cat under the glider,” there is freedom and release in the name of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive our thoughts to make them obedient to Christ.” Fear and intimidation are pretenses that set themselves up against our knowledge of God. Like the dogs on our porch, the enemy growls and barks lies seeking to restrain us and coerce us into submission.

God’s invitation is to wield the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. James tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. “Dogs” of fear and intimidation are driven away as lies are replaced by the Truth of God’s Word. The Truth is that “God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Paul tells us in Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors through him who loves us in the face of “all these things.” In Jesus Christ, you are a powerful conqueror!

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Not only does this apply to us individually, but I also believe it applies to us as we co-labor in Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. We celebrate that God has fueled courage and boldness to keep in step with the Spirit as we pursue His call to equip individuals and churches to minister to the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we take Spirit-led risks together, fear and intimidation can show up on our porch. As a ministry, we are seeking to walk in our God-given authority, and to invite the Holy Spirit to expose any areas where we are vulnerable to making decisions under the deceptive influence of those “dogs.” Let’s agree together praying Psalm 139:23-24 corporately: Search us, O God, and know our hearts; test us and know our anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting.

Now, for the rest of the story. First thing in the morning after the dog experience, I went to check on the cat. I was delighted to discover that the cat was gone: free from “Fear” and “Intimidation.” That experience has been a poignant reminder to be diligent in prayer, attentive to the Holy Spirit and to be faithful to thank God for freeing all of us for joyful obedience to Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. Hallelujah!

A Dangerous Prayer: “Lord, If You Open the Door, I Will Go” - June 2010

Jonathan Dow

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Two and a half years ago, I prayed a simple prayer. A safe prayer, I thought. Ministering at a church in Detroit, the Liberian pastor said to me, “You need to come to Liberia.” Honestly, I thought he was just being polite. But then he said it to me again, privately this time. I was quite doubtful about the whole thing, but, I whispered a prayer: “Lord, if You open the door, I will go.” Two years later, God opened that door, and as the door opened, He gently reminded me of what I had committed.

What follows is what happened on that trip to Liberia… along the journey, my little “safe” prayer became a dangerous prayer: not because of physical danger, but more because God lovingly took me out of the safety of my comfort zone and changed my life.

Liberia is a country of 3.5 million people. Over 1 million of those residents live in the capitol city of Monrovia which lies on the coast. The country is in a recovery process after two civil wars destroyed the infrastructure of the country. There are minimal public services and the rebuilding process is understandably slow. The city of Monrovia is currently experiencing 65% unemployment.

We flew into the capitol city and stayed in the 12th Street United Methodist Compound for both the first and the last night of our stay. Surrounded by block walls and guarded 24 hours a day, the compound only has electricity from dusk to dawn.

Our main mode of transportation was a van that was provided to the compound by the United Methodist Program Operation Classroom. Because of the number of team members, we also travelled with a taxi. This also proved to be a blessing because the manuals for the events we were going to lead had only made it to Monrovia, so we had to transport them ourselves to the city of barnga, pronounced "Bonga." This was the first of numerous surprises along the way!

The following day, we departed on our journey to the Gbarnga School of Theology. Driving out of the city, it was an verwhelming experience to look out the window and see a literal sea of people who were trying to earn a living selling products to travelers. Pedestrians and people riding motorcycles darted in between the cars that were creeping along the road.

The further we went out of the city of Monrovia, the worse the roads became. So much, in fact, that our taxi ended up with a flat tire. Stopping to repair the flat and to hen find a place to repair the flattened tire ade the 116 mile trip take about 6 hours. Along the way the paved road became a crumbling path with deep potholes and ruts. We would often have to drive beside the paved road on paths made by vehicles avoiding the damaged road. We were thankful for a skilled driver who knew the road well who kept us safe.

We eventually arrived at the Gbarnga Methodist Mission on which the St. Johns Methodist Church sat: the site of our three seminars. There are numerous one-story buildings scattered throughout the campus including a school, guest house, guard shack, library and homes for staff. Much like the whole country, this campus is also in the ecovery process as this was the site of the headquarters of the resistance in the second civil war. The large agricultural project that included a fish farm and rice paddies that assisted in producing revenue was destroyed during the war.

Only one well on the campus is working. The afternoon we saw it, there were children filling up numerous vessels. In the mornings we would see folks carrying freshly filled containers. It was a beautiful example of servanthood to see individuals who would graciously go through so much work to get water that they themselves would never use.

The room where we stayed was at the back of the library. The blue barrel in the restroom contained the water with which we bathed and flushed the toilet. The tank on the back of the toilet was purely ornamental! While we were teaching our sessions, the barrel was filled with water each day - a refreshing sight after sweating all day.

We were deeply grateful that after the first night we were given a fan. Even though it was hot, the movement of the air helped immensely in being able to rest a little better. We had a generator that provided power from about 7 pm to 7 am. The remainder of the day there was no power. Next to the tires on the van, that little blue generator was one of the most prayed-over pieces of equipment on the campus!

The sessions began Wednesday morning in the sanctuary of the St. Johns Methodist Church. It was very humbling to find out that some of the pastors had walked for 14 hours to come to these sessions. They were very appreciative of their brothers and sisters who they said, "Crossed that Atlantic" to be with them.

Beginning with a couple of songs and then a devotional, the local District Superintendents welcomed everyone each day. We then would proceed into teaching. After the first day we discovered that although the participants understood English, we tended to speak too fast or them to comprehend at times. So, some of the D.S.'s and the pastors graciously offered to translate for us. We were blessed by their willing sacrifice. Some of them were very literal in their translation, even when we were teaching on one of the postures of prayer being that of laying prostrate before the Lord!

The participants were engaged and eager to learn. Along with the times of teaching, we had small groups and prayer stations as well as opportunities for prayer ministry. Each of the team members combined their teaching with testimony of how God has been at work in that particular area of their lives. God used the vulnerability of the team members to connect with the participants.

I felt particular grace and empowerment as I taught. Where I thought it would be difficult to work with a translator, I found it most enjoyable. Though it was my first time, I was blessed by the affirmation of the team leader who said one would have thought that I had done that hundreds of times before. That is a clear answer to your prayers! One of my other requests was that of relating to the participants. God answered that prayer as well allowing me to use simple things like a water bottle and a large chair to explain a concept. There were moments that the translator was cut short by the response of the people who immediately understood. The Holy Spirit was translating! Again, that was the Lord answering your prayers.

One of the many highlights of the event was when those who had never known their earthly father were asked to stand. Eight people stood. One of the team members then asked fathers over the age of 40 to come up front. They were instructed to speak words of the Father's blessing over those who stood. The pain on the faces of the fatherless was deep. The power of God's touch on their lives was evident as one of the female pastors began to cry. Keep in mind, this is a generation of people emotionally numb from the abuses of war. Also powerful was when a team member stood as a representative and asked their forgiveness for the things done to them in the civil war. The participants took the opportunity very seriously and God's healing grace was present as they poured out their hearts in expressing forgiveness.

After we introduced the use of streamers and banners as a tool in expressing our hearts to God, the participants eagerly joined in. The freedom they were beginning to experience was expressed through their worship.

After the sessions, participants would head back to where they were spending the evenings and the team would head back to the guest house. This guest house became a hangout for the local children who were grateful for the bubble gum that one of the team members had brought. They also liked to play soccer beside the guest house.

Public education is not free in Liberia. If a child does go to school it is because the family paid the tuition or someone sponsored the individual to go. One of the children came to the session asking for prayer that he would be able to go to school.

On Pentecost Sunday, the team split up to preach in local churches. I went to the Richard E. Dunbar United Methodist Church. The church met in a wooden and block structure with a thatch roof. It has been a temporary building for 10 years as they are in the process of building a new church building right beside it. Because many in the village only make $1 a day, there are not a lot of excess funds to invest in the building fund. We had a precious time of prayer standing in the new building thanking God for completing the project so that more people in the village could be reached and discipled. The church was extremely gracious, making me their pastor for the day and giving me full authority (even giving me the pastor's gavel!) They gave me a beautiful shirt and were very appreciative of the message. After the service they had a congregational meeting. After that meeting, I went back to the home of the pastor. Sitting in the shade of a mango tree, I had the opportunity to meet his family and to ask questions about the meeting.

We had two opportunities for the participants to share testimonies. One participant said, "I never thought white people would come in unity." He went on to express that e experienced the presence of God saying. God has done something in my heart." Another shared that he had stayed up until 3 am weeping and finally awoke his family sharing all that God had done in his heart during the seminar.

One expressed that he learned how to pray. Another told us that he was a farmer and that he had a worker who was attacked by a neighbor. The farmer shared that he had learned how to love his neighbor and has sought to reconcile in the love of Jesus instead of taking the attacker to court.

One testified that his feet had been hurting and could barely walk. After he was prayed for, he said his feet were getting better and he could walk much more easily. Another shared that he had been disappointed with some circumstances in his life. He testified that he was deeply touched by the fact that people would come from far away and share God's love. He felt like God as expressing His love to him by sending us.

One shared that he learned that there are many ways to pray and that God is most powerful. Another shared that he was grateful and committed to teach others from the manuals that we brought. He said that these things would "be taught forever and ever and would remain in the church."

The second time we offered testimonies more people shared. One testified that God encouraged him to move into what He was calling and thanked God for changing his wife's heart who now wants to go into ministry together. Another shared that God had lifted heaviness from her and that her joy had been restored!

One shared that she had been experiencing depression and that our coming made her realize that God loves her. "God is true and wonderful to His Word." She went on to say that she felt God as she was prayed for and "woke up with a great feeling" in her legs and could now "walk effectively." Another shared that she had been sick for a long time and after prayer ministry woke up the next morning feeling so much better.

One expressed thanksgiving for the "unity of black and white" and that there was nothing "doubtful" in the teachings. Another shared that "My heart was tied down with burning." She expressed that she felt relief when we prayed for her and that she "feels young again." One shared that she felt equipped to know how to pray for others. That very morning as she was getting ready to come, a snake bit her child. She prayed for the child and the child's symptoms went away!

Many others expressed that they experienced a physical touch from God; in the legs, in the stomach and in the heart. The last person asked for continued prayers that her rheumatoid arthritis would completely be gone.

Before the final seminar, we traveled about 2 hours to the city of Ganta to visit another Methodist Mission. We saw a hospital that was 90% destroyed in the civil war that is now, six years later is operating again. It was extremely basic, but clean. The hospital has a school of nursing. One of the opportunities that the students have is to intern in the pharmacy. We also saw a school as well - all in need of resources. While we were there, we found out that the Mission just had to have their generator repaired to the tune of $9,000 US dollars. At the time one US dollar was valued at 70 Liberian dollars. They are in a difficult predicament that they cannot go without power for long periods of time when perating a hospital. Needless to say, it was an eye opening visit.

On the way back to the airport on our final day we stopped at a children's home. There were about 65 residents housed in what they called "Pods." Each pod contained a small kitchen, dining room, living room and bed rooms. The students lived as families with each pod having a house mother. We were able to walk through one of the pods and meet one of the house mothers as well as one of the instructors at the school that is a part of the complex. There are students at the school that are not residents of the orphanage. Their tuition then provides a little bit of income to offset the expenses. There is a consistent theme of gratitude, joy and love in each of the places we visited. The wall hanging that greeted us in pod we walked through summed it up: "My Lord is Real." God's presence has been so tangible in this place.

At the closing service with the School of Theology, team leader, Frank Billman exhorted the students to use the curriculum in their Sunday School classes, as sermon outlines and as outreaches. There are 160 pastors and lay people who have been taught, ministered to and challenged to take what they have learned into their churches to equip other leaders to carry on the message. Many of them expressed appreciation for having tangible curriculum that they can use, particularly keeping in mind that in many churches, it is only the pastor that has a Bible.

The team was able to present some laptops to the faculty of the school, choir robes to one of the pastors, a keyboard to another pastor as well as crayons and clothing to other pastors.

Was the trip worth it? The final words of the Dean of the Gbarnga School of Theology, Rev. Yatta Young, answered that question. "Rev. Dr. Frank Billman and members of the ARM team: You have impacted our lives and you will always be in our hearts because our lives have been changed significantly since we met. You have given us answers to some key questions regarding our Wesleyan heritage. From now on, our prayer lives will never be the same. Thank you for coming. You leave us with wonderful memories. We hope you are leaving us with fond memories in your heart. As you cross the Atlantic, continue to pray for us and we will do the same."

I wanted to close sharing a special experience that happened before I left. When I heard that many people do not have Bibles and saw the worn Bible of one of the D.S.'s, my heart was grieved. I felt a little guilty as I held my fairly new Maxwell Leadership Bible, complete with sturdy cover, highlighter and pen. Because the Bible I had was packed with leadership principles, outlines and examples of leadership throughout Scripture, I felt like it would be a great tool for one of the D.S.'s to have. I felt prompted to give my Bible to the D.S., Rev. David Bondo. I prayed for the "right" time to give it to him - laying a fleece before the Lord to say "If this prompting is You, I need You to set things up in such a way that I would know that it was You."

The last day, during the closing service, David sat down right next to me. I handed him the Bible and explained why I gave it to him. I told him that "You are a humble man of God and a leader of leaders. I believe God is going to use you mightily as you minister to your ministers." He was overwhelmed. He kept shaking his head in disbelief saying "Oh my, oh my," as he carefully held it. Joy was bubbling up in him and he could barely sit still.

Then an amazing thing happened. I mentioned early on to some individuals that I believed that part of our role in equipping leaders on this trip was to aid in the spiritual rebuilding of Liberia. I was stunned when the very first place that Rev. Bondo turned in his new Bible was to the book of Nehemiah! As he was reading the overview of the book and the leadership principles gleaned from Nehemiah’s actions, he kept rubbing his chin, nodding his head in agreement and saying "hmmm." What a perfect expression that God was accomplishing His purpose in sending us!

I know that God has impacted leaders who will, in turn, impact others in Liberia, Africa. I also know that God has impacted me. I am humbled that the safest prayer that I could ever have prayed became the most dangerous prayer I have ever prayed! I encourage you to pray it and see what God will do... "Lord, if You open the door, I will go."

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