The Red Zone

The Red Zone (in Kevin’s Words):
“Seven years ago I started hanging out at a rundown apartment complex in my neighborhood. The local police had labeled it a ‘red zone,’ because it had the highest concentration of crime and poverty in the area.

“God showed me something different. I saw a neighborhood and a group of people loved by Jesus—a place where God was about to do something new.

“I will never forget the day God gave me a prayer and a dream for that community. The prayer: ‘Bring Renewal.’ The dream: To see God use ordinary people—good neighbors with the gospel in their hands— to do extraordinary things.

“What began as a prayer and dream, turned into a reality. Christians, from the church where I was a pastor, began moving into that community. Now, seven years later, the police have officially declared that apartment complex a “green zone” (a low crime area where neighbors can thrive).

“God began to whisper something else to me; ‘I am not done. I’ve got more in store.’

“What if God wants to bring renewal to more than just one apartment complex? What if God wants to invade the lives of the 230,000 people in the surrounding twelve towns? What if the original dream that God wants to use ordinary people to do something extraordinary is actually possible?

“Renewal Church is being built on that dream, to bring renewal for the glory of God and the good of the neighborhood. We are a church not just in a neighborhood, but a church standing with our neighbors.” – Kevin Sampson

The Red Zone Video:

Kevin’s Personal Red Zone:
Kevin is currently in the process of planting a new church – Renewal Church – in West Chicago.

When Kevin first came to see me, he had an excellent grasp of God’s Word, as many pastors do.  He obviously loved Jesus. As a young boy, he sensed God calling him to be a pastor.  He had two master’s degrees in: 1) Biblical Exegesis and 2) Historical & Systematic Theology (I don’t even know what those mean!), served as a missionary in Zambia, worked on the pastoral staff of a church for 8 years, and now felt called to plant a new church.  Plus, he’s fun to be around.  So why come see me?

I believe that Jesus knows each of us intimately.  He knows exactly what we need and He graciously presents it in His perfect timing.  The timing was right and Kevin was ready to address an area of his life (a rundown, poverty-stricken area) he’d avoided and hadn’t yet fully entered into, explored, and submitted to Jesus – his emotional life, his own personal red zone.  A zone where God needed to Bring Renewal.

This discipleship ministry tailors its growth plan to the individual and their personal developmental needs.  Through God’s guidance, Kevin has begun to explore his red zone and find renewal, which I know is going to bless his entire church, and perhaps the world.  Not exploring and inviting Jesus into the scary red zone of the emotional world has destroyed many pastors and many congregations.  Here’s what Kevin had to say…

Kevin’s Journey into the Red Zone:

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve hated when people asked me the question, ‘How are you?’ – when they really asked and actually wanted to listen to my answer. That’s when I got annoyed—not at them, but at myself.

“I could always navigate my way through small-talk, but when someone expected or needed me to go deeper, I had no clue what to say. I felt like a foreigner in a strange land. I was just trying to understand my feelings; I definitely didn’t have the skills to converse about them.

“When I started meeting with Randy a year ago, we began by talking about the inseparable connection between emotional and spiritual health. And it didn’t take long for me to figure out that if I wanted my spiritual life to matter, my emotional life needed to matter as well. But the question I still had to face was this: Did I even want to grow emotionally?

“My initial answer was no. I mean, I’m 37 years old. I feel connected to God. My marriage and family are doing well. I’ve been a pastor for ten years, and every year ministry continues to get better and more enjoyable. I am in the process of planting a church with a great team of people. I’ve always been able to connect well with others. It’s not like I am hitting rock-bottom or anything.

“But after meeting with Randy, I knew that I couldn’t live another day of my life with what felt like the emotional understanding and vocabulary of a kindergartner. If I couldn’t understand and express what was going on inside of me in healthy ways, I wondered how spiritually-healthy I really was. And if I truly cared about the great spiritual work God was doing in my life, I knew I had to take seriously my emotional health. Plus, why would I wait until things got worse in order to work on such a vital and significant part of my life? Why wouldn’t I want to grow in ways that could potentially unleash more grace and enjoyment of God in my life and potentially in others around me?

“I finally realized that I wanted to grow emotionally, and Randy has been the one to show me how. He’s helped me discover the specific ways I am emotionally wired. He’s helping me find the vocabulary to describe how I feel. And for the first time in my life, I am learning how to connect with myself and with the myriad of emotions that make up my internal life.

“Years ago, a friend and I hiked ten miles down into the Grand Canyon to camp at the bottom for the night. When we finally arrived, we were forced to turn around and go back because we didn’t have a permit or a reservation. Although our hike out was slow, unplanned, and exhausting, it turned out to be one of the most beautiful nights of hiking I’ve ever experienced. Working on my emotional life has felt a lot like that hike out of the canyon – slow, unplanned, and exhausting. But every time I stop to notice where I’ve come from and recognize the beauty around me, I am reminded that all the hard work has made my life and leadership even better.” – Kevin Sampson.

Will You Join Me?
Imagine what our world would be like if there were more people like Kevin who were willing to go into red zone areas the rest of us would chose to move out of!

I want to see more and more people like Kevin following God in bringing renewal to our world.   God can still do extraordinary things through ordinary people.  Let’s pour into and invest in the difference-makers, like Kevin, who are willing to give it a try.

Would you be willing to partner with me financially and through prayer to assist God in bringing about the renewal we all desire to see?  I believe your investment will make a difference in this life and into eternity.

Contributions are tax deductible!

In His Love,
Randy