Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
10/25/2023
What Exactly are the Roots of your Life?
Although a Christian is sanctified in Christ through baptism, the actions tell whether or
not the roots are being properly nourished.
Similar to a huddle being a vital part of each football play, if you don’t go out and slap someone on the side of the head, nothing happens!
My brothers the root of Christianity is to “. . . love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
We don’t do that in a pew or men’s group or a football huddle…even though it is part of the foundation. We need ACTION.
I stood in the front row of a weekend men’s retreat listening to Dr Tony Evans and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy. It was a time of worship as I turned round to see 1500 men worshiping,
crying, searching for a deeper meaning in life.
I literally saw roots growing beneath the tiered auditorium.
Roots of change and repentance, roots crying out for water to grow deeper… roots of enlightenment, encouragement, and fellowship, but surely roots of hope, maybe for the first time or the first time in a long time, that the Holy Spirit was calling us home.
I could see in the spirit of so many who sensed their roots growing deeper
and with that a hope that this time, with the help of other men and the Holy Spirit
it would be a different outcome.
A faith that they could stay the course. That they were not in this alone and if I can just trust God, walk in what we heard, and commit ourselves to align ourselves with others, we could take the high ground in our lives and marriages and find the place God has called us to…
to be the men that God sees in each of us.
I was looking forward to this Man Event. My birthday was the next day and I felt my gift from God was when I turned around and saw a vision of so many of you and so many of those men, stepping into the deeper waters of spiritual growth.
I could literally see their roots growing deeper… feeding them, strengthening them with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit
that this time they moved from the shallowness of the dirt by the side of the road
where the birds came and ate the seed…
to the fertile ground of change, in Matt 13:9
I saw so many trusting God to guide them to be real men before God. I saw them stepping into a commitment to join a huddle, a community. To not just be able to count on other men on a team but to be a rooted part of that team where they needed you too. in whatever or how little, it was you had to give
Roots are a symbol of a growing faith.
I saw this billboard and it said: You find your purpose in the Marines! And I thought what is that purpose?… what does that mean?… Honor – God and Country? Those are all good things!
They are committed to giving up their life if necessary. How many Christians would do that for you even though it was Jesus’s example?
How many would give up a Monday night football to be at a men’s group or a church event? To have another’s brothers back.
To not just go and be a part of a huddle but go out and hit someone with your faith.
Hit someone with your kindness… your Grace … your generosity with Christian servanthood.
Putting the head coach of the team’s purpose (Jesus) before your glory and your needs.
Love the lord your god with all your heart, and soul.
You’ll get your glory as you cross the finish line. As you score that win.
But your purpose is to come out of that huddle hit someone with the fruit of your spirit And win the day. Win that life… Win eternity for a lot of struggling and lost people
Your family… your kids, your neighborhood… church and they change your county, your state and it changes a country…
because you went into a huddle to collect yourselves as a team but then you all went out
and started demonstrating the Power of the HS… The Power of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit… That he directs through you…. And you and every one of you.
Many of you went this last weekend and were blown away, many of you wished you had or could have… but we carry that same fire here in our hearts.
The fire and power of the Holy Spirit is the spirit of change. You can be a part of that.
By saying so. I’m ALL IN… Can you say that with me with heart? I’m all in!
And then go out and hit someone with the fruit of your Spirit!
