Brian’s Coming Alive!

Legacy Shepherding Ministries, Inc. – Randy’s March Update

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Gil Bailie

Brian Steck has been coming alive in many ways, including in his heart.

Brian is a 24-year-old leader of a 20something missional community and a small group of men.

We’ve been meeting for just over a year.  During which time, Brian has stepped into a mentoring role, investing in other men one-on-one.

Here are some words from Brian:

“When I began meeting with Randy, I was hesitant.

“Most people would have considered me a loving person, but I soon realized that my heart was cold.  I had a complete lack of emotion toward or against anything.

“As we met, I learned that Christ experienced full ranges of emotions, and that if I were to ever love others like Christ, I would need to at least be able to relate to their pains and joys – not just be a stone that could mentally process the ideas of emotions.  I needed to really feel them.

“This began a journey that brought me to tears and tender joy more than I have felt in at least a decade.

“As the concrete heart of mine began to crumble, a heart of love began to show.

“Then God started to use Randy to direct me to those around me who needed the same.

“Men have started to come out of the cracks (and others I have hunted down) that need to experience God in a much more honest and full way.

“Lives around me are changing.

“God is on the move, and He is doing a great thing here.

“My life has been changed, firstly by Christ, but primarily via Christ working through Randy.

“To God be the glory. I am coming alive.”

 

Brian is coming alive!  Including his heart and his emotions.

I once heard that we process all our emotions, from grief to joy, through the same internal circuits.  The way our wiring works, we can’t selectively choose to feel only some emotions.  If we shut down one emotion, all the other emotions get shut down with it.  So if we shut down or attempt to numb our feelings of sadness, anger, and fear, we inadvertently shut down or numb our feelings of happiness, excitement, and tenderness.  We’re left not feeling fully alive.  We’re unable to fully feel the highs, because we refuse to fully feel the lows.

I think part of the journey for all of us is opening up every part of ourselves to God – to invite him into every aspect of our being and to let go of control.

We need to allow God to enter in and love each part, heal each part, and use each part of us however he chooses.

One part that Brian needed to open up to God was his emotional world, his heart.

On his journey of emotional transformation, Brian has honestly admitted where he’s at and he’s been very courageous in submitting his emotional life to God.

Brian has been allowing God’s resurrection power to bring his deadened emotions back to life and to use those re-awakened emotions in the redemption of others.

Being more fully alive emotionally is allowing Brian to enter in more fully with people and be present with them in both their pain and joy in a way that brings about transformation.

Recently, Brian told me that he warned a young man who feels emotionally numb, that if he started on this transformational journey, there was no going back.  Brian told this young man that sometimes he wishes he hadn’t taken the red pill (a shout out to “The Matrix”).

Coming alive has been painful, and scary because he doesn’t know how deep the rabbit hole goes.  At times, it has been exhausting facing some of the feelings that were stuffed in the past.  Feelings that were the reason he shut down in the first place.

But at other times, when Brian sees what God is doing through his aliveness, it feels worth it.

And when he feels happiness, excitement, and tenderness to fuller degrees than he has in a long time, it feels worth it.

When I see Brian becoming more loving, I believe it’s worth it.

Brian was a really loving man before we began this journey, but now it’s beginning to come out of a different place, a transforming place where it’s less of a duty.

It’s coming more out of being and desire.

Coming alive emotionally is allowing Brian to love with all his HEART, soul, mind, and strength.  True love is coming out of his true ALIVE self.

Brian is currently meeting with several men one-on-one, giving away what he has been given.  He has a growing heart for this type of ministry.

This amazing, young shepherd is loving people, including myself, really well.  I’m very proud of him.  I foresee him leaving a wonderful legacy.

Please pray for Brian and the others as they face their issues that force them to be dependent on God and surrender everything to him.

Pray that they will become more loving on the journey, and that they’ll pay it forward, investing in others who will also pass it on.

Thanks for your support!  You are bringing about life-change in the next generation.

In His love,
Randy

PS  Speaking of coming alive.  My roommate and I have been allowing our inner artists to come more alive by painting pictures.  We are painting on cardboard (it’s free and less intimidating than canvas) with acrylique paints (for easy cleanup).  Here’s my latest (and best):