Playing "small" does not serve the world!

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,

but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,

gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give

other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela

When the prophet, Jeremiah was just a boy, God called him to be a prophet who would be used as God's demolition & renovation team in His generation.  Read about it in Jeremiah chapter 1!  There is a command that God spoke to this child that has always grabbed my focus;   


"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them." Jer. 1:17

God was looking deep into Jeremiah's heart and calling out courage & greatness.  He knew what He had woven into the fabric of this young man.

What about us?  Could it be that part of our nagging frustration, anger and depression as a generation is because we ignore God's call to "Stand up and be His messengers with courage and a belief that we are His plan to release His kingdom wherever we go, bringing Him up close to every one we meet?"

Watch this challenging video featuring Leslie Nease from "Survivor: China".  She recently spoke to the students at KBM's Deep Camp www.deepcamp.com

 I challenge you to read 2 Peter 3-11.  Focus in on verse 3;"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."   Through a relationship with Jesus Christ we are made sons and daughters of God able to take a stand in our generation. 



We are waiting for you to embrace the greatness of who you are as a child of God!

Some pics from "The Experience" in the DR and Haiti

for full album of Haiti & DR pics from "The Experience" team

"The Experience" on to next stage of their Journey today!

The team has completed an amazing two and half weeeks in the DR and Haiti. They are heading back to the USA today.  Check out a great vid here: Haiti Experience Slideshow



Our son, John is having an amazing summer jumping into the first phase of "The Experience"... a year-long  
 (2 phase) discipleship program for young adults offered through Kingdom Building Ministries  The next stage of "The Experience" is The Deep Camp Stage where the team will be investing their lives in high school students and continue to learn from KBM mentors.  Deep Camp 2011

Developing mad skills in "Spiritual Multiplication"

 

 

BATON PASSING

 

More than ever before we need men and women who reach out to younger Jesus followers in order to coach & launch them into a 24/7 life of ministry in Jesus Name.  At KBM we call it, "baton passing".  Check out KBM "baton passing" tips for user friendly help in making that critical connection. 

God's unexpected "Father's Day" gift to me...

I was standing in the doorway of the Kidzworld games room on Father's Day Sunday morning.  I was volunteering in the Children's Ministry that my wife Linda directs.  The kids sometimes call me Mr. Linda (I actually told them to call me that).  I had just finished handing out the "Crazy Cash" for the wild mob to go and spend at the store located at the far end of the games room.  Standing there in my V.I.P. T-Shirt (Very Important Panda)... The theme for our upcoming Kidz Camp is "Pandamania"... not looking very tough... when one of the boys walked up to me and delivered an incredible Father's Day present.  While the other kids were playing he had created the "My Dad" book in the pictures above.     

He is a young boy, 7 or 8 years old.  A wonderful woman from our church adopted him and his sister sometime in the past few years.  He looked straight at me and said, "I don't have a dad, so I wanted to give this to you!"  I was speechless as I received the small handmade book from him.  All I could do was to ask him if I could give him a hug and he accepted.  So, I wrapped my arms around him for a few seconds and then he was off to play. 

You can see that the dad in his picture is frowning.  On the next page which you can't see, it reads "My Dad is" and then there is a blank where the boy had filled in "my friend".  My prayer is that the Lord will use me in his life as a "Jesus following" man who is a true friend to him so that his thoughts of what a father is will change to happy ones and will stir up feelings of gratitude because the Christian men in his life have stepped in to fill the "dad" gap in his life!  

I know that God sent him to me as a wake up call.  In that little exchange was an invitation from The Father asking if I would join Him in being a father to the fatherless. I have tucked his simple little book in my prayer journal to remember to keep him on my heart before God and I don't think I will ever forget this Father's Day gift.  

I should probably post Part 1 of the Maasai Project The Prequel - Haha

 The Epic story begins...

Part 3 of The Maasai Project (Unusual Soldiers) The Crazy Story continues

In 2009, this ordinary young man, Caleb from Nebraska connected with a Maasai brother named Simon to see what God would do if they just walked in simple obedience... check out parts 1 & 2 as well. 

Gathering my "Plan A" Coaching Prayer and Financial Support Team

I am so excited about gathering a support team to work with me in fanning the flames of God's "Plan A" kingdom laborer movement.  Based in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, Canada, I am serving as a "Plan A Coach" with Kingdom Building Ministries   My crucial first step is to create a support team of prayer & financial supporters.

God has called me to invest myself over the next several years in helping high school and young adult students launch into a life of 24/7 ministry regardless of where God places them or into whatever occupation He leads them.  My responsibilities will be; creating online resources, writing for the KBM blog and training teams, local churches and individuals to live "Plan A" lives through KBM's training division called The Laborer's Institute

Is God calling you to join with me in this ministry?  Would you consider serving with me as a Prayer and/or Financial Partner? My goal is to gather 100 partners who will give between $10-$100 on a monthly basis or who will give a one time gift as they feel led.  As this is my full time ministry involvement I am responsible to raise my total annual salary.  I am praying that He will stir up the desire in you to serve in whatever you can to support what He is doing to raise up a generation of young "on fire" kingdom laborers. Here are a few steps you can take:

• Contact me to let me know that you want to join the team in prayer and/or financial support: email: dlamos@kbm.org, phone: 1-506-647-1600 or Dan Lamos Facebook Page
• Make a monthly pledge or a one time gift of $10 - $100 or another amount by clicking the "Online Giving Kingdom Building Ministries" link on the right column of this page, visit  Financial Support  or mail a cheque made payable to "Kingdom Building Ministries" to me at 403 Hampton Road, Quispamsis, NB Canada E2E4V5.

 2011-2012 is going to be an exciting launching year for this ministry and I hope you will be a part of it. Our young adult son, John is currently on "The Experience" with KBM.  You can follow their regular updates at Laborers Institute Blog   Subscribe at the top of this page to receive regular blog updates in your inbox.
Let me know how the Lord is leading you and I would be so glad to hear that you want to be part of this team.  May we live to see more of His kingdom and more active kingdom laborers launch into their destiny in Christ. Can't wait to hear from you!

Grace & Peace,
Dan Lamos

Has God lit a fire in your heart for the youth of our world?

Has God called you to make a difference in launching His people into lives of meaningful service to Him in the everyday world? 

With all of my heart I believe that God has rekindled aan ancient fire and is fanning the flames of a worldwide kingdom laborer movement.  Young and old are waking up to remember that they are God's "plan A" for reaching the world with the good news of Jesus Christ and His kingdom amongst us.  Every Christian is called to be a laborer!! (Matt. 9:35-38)

With a strong commitment to awaken laborers and launch them into a life of 24/7 service, I have joined the staff of Kingdom Building Ministries as a "Plan A Coach".  

    
God has called many others to this same mission.  Maybe He has called you to give yourself to this movement as well.  Your heart longs to see a "rising up" of Christians who see every person they meet and every place they go as an opportunity for God to move "up close" and bring people into His kingdom.  

If that is your heart, would you let me know?  In the next few weeks I am going to be gathering a team who will pray and support this "Plan A" initiative as we move together to raise up and launch many young laborers into a life of bringing in His harvest. You can reply in several ways, comment on this post, email me at dlamos@kbm.org, call me at 506-647-1600, or see me on facebook facebook.com/dlamos

If you will let me know that this same fire is stirring in your heart, I will reply with some suggestions on how  we can work together.  Praying for you and can't wait to hear from you!! - Dan  Check out this video featuring Dwight Robertson (founder of KBM)

The Maasai Project - More amazingly crazy video on Caleb and Simon's partnership!

As I watched this video I was shaken and moved deeply over what God can do if we smash the old containers and really jump over the edge to be the light in our world!  Unusual Soldiers

Get creative! Smash the little box labelled "ministry"

I love the story of "James the Roofer"! It captures the essence of a movement that is rising up around the world.  May the streams of kingdom laberership swell to become great rushing rivers that flood their banks and break apart the boundaries we have built to define "ministry"! Fan the flame in your own heart!

God "up close" today... Help on "How to make a difference..."

Most of us really "get" the reality that God sends us every day into our ordinary routine to be the "light of the world".  But how? How do you "jump over the edge" to become a world changer by just being yourself in God. The following link will take you to an amazing source of help...  Help for passing on what you have...

Wake up before you miss the best part!!

All around us young men and women are waking up to their story in God.  It is unrehearsed... it is unpredictable... it is beautiful in it's vast range of wild colors and shapes and twisting plot lines.  And it all pretty much comes down to... "God I can't do this anymore"! Help me, please!!  

It has been said that "All religion is the human pursuit of God.  But, the beauty of the gospel of Jesus is that God has been pursuing us for a relationship from the very beginning." 

God's relentless pursuit of you will come in ways that are as beautifully unique as you are.  My son, Jeremy (featured in the video above) and I were talking recently and one of us said, "We talk all the time about how Jesus is the only way to have a deep friendship with the Father. But, maybe we need see the rest of the picture that the only way the Father couold truly have a deep friendship with us was through Jesus." Just look at the price He paid so that we could be united forever in His kingdom!  Whether you are making a mess of your life through empty wins or devastating losses... whatever you are running so hard to find... why don't you just slow down and let Him catch you and wake you up to your story in Him?       

Just who do you think you are?

Does it surprise you that that Jesus left His mission to save the world in the hands of a small group of people? I believe that He knew what He was doing. The Holy Spirit arrived in power about a month and a half after Jesus left the earth to return to His Father. Trusting that the Holy Spirit would inspire, empower and keep them connected they picked up on Jesus' vision of their culture... that the world around them was full of people who were like "sheep without a shepherd." Somehow they believed Jesus when He told them they were the light of the world. They were designed to lead others to really "get" that Jesus was the Shepherd their culture needed. What about us? You and I were designed by God to lead. I'm not talking about leading churches or businesses or organizations. I'm talking about embracing the fact that you are a God-designed leader in our culture. People all around you need you to lead. The question is where are you leading them? My prayer for us is that we will own our destiny as leaders and show those around us what it is like to know Jesus Christ and live in true freedom. The freedom that religion can't offer. May we have the courage to flesh out a faith journey that trusts Jesus presence and His ways in every unpredictable situation. He is ready to help us and I believe our best days are yet to come.

Awake at four o'clock in the morning!!

It was not a normal night for him. In fact, it was probably the most terrifying, life-altering night of his life!

Here is his story; "...the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?" The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!" (Matt 14 TM)



Incredible experience for Peter! "How long did this encounter last, anyway"? We view it now in imaginary slow motion. What an emotional ride it must have been! He went from believing in a ghost hovering over the water to trusting it was really Jesus. Next, for some bizarre reason he yelled out; "If it's really you, call to me to come out on the water." What!? Had he lost his mind? Well... no, he was just being Peter. And there he was... walking on the water while all of his speechless friends in the boat were looking on. Pretty Crazy! Rising to leadership... taking a risk... jumping off the cliff... But, then came failure and he sank.



How could he have fallen so fast? He stopped looking at Jesus. That's the problem. He lost his focus. We know now that he took his focus away from Jesus to the threats of the storm around him. Just like us many times, just when he was feeling awesome about himself, Peter found himself up against an impossible wall where all he could do is cry, "Help God!!"



Jesus shines in this story as a blazing light of hope for us. He knows we are going to fail in many ways, but he still loves it when we jump over the edge risking everything for Him! Don’t get discouraged and give up when you get in over your head in wild abandonment to His worldwide mission. If you will stay humble and let out your desperate cry… "Help!" He won't let you down.



Throw off all of your discouragement and fear. Launch out of the boat and grab your real mission with Jesus. Rip a page from Peter’s story and jump over the edge!