Street Faith

We’ve talked a lot over the last three seasons about strategies to help YOU advance God’s Kingdom in YOUR territory. Your sphere of influence. But one of the biggest obstacles we all face in this is understanding who we really are in Christ. How much influence do we really have? How we see ourselves is a critical part of what we believe we’re called to do. Do we see ourselves as just one more voice in the crowd? One lone individual among millions? Or do we see ourselves as God sees us? Redeemed? Gifted? Called? Sent? Walking in authority? Filled with world changing power? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead? With this episode, we want you to begin seeing yourself as saturated with the power of God…Resurrection Power…for NOW!

This podcast exists with one purpose in mind. To help YOU advance God’s Kingdom in YOUR territory. Your sphere of influence. But as we continue to gain new listeners, the question continues to come up, “How do I get started? What can I do in my own town? Business? Circle of friends?” And that question brings us back to something we discussed early in Season One. “Mountain Climbing for Beginners”. Getting started as a Kingdom influencer in your own sphere. Your own “cultural mountain”. Now what if we told you that YOU have the power to change your little piece of the world, regardless of the context, circumstances, or the people around you? What if we told you that you can walk into any group and any situation and bathe it in the power and presence of God? That’s what this episode is about. Kingdom influence… and the Power of Prayer. Prayer walking. Prayer walking your work. Your real-world life. Getting started….right where you are.

Is it possible that the character of an entire region can be shifted because of the existence of one small group of people? A church? Your church? Mine? If the community of authentic Jesus followers has the responsibility to advance God's Kingdom right where they are, the region where that church is situated should be experiencing Kingdom driven transformation simply because that group of believers is there, being who they're called to be and doing what they're called to do. Our regions can and should look different because of our existence. Because of the presence and power of God living in us and through us. Now. This is the topic of conversation as we celebrate our 2018 Anniversary and kick off Season Four, "Created and Called for Now!"

People are catching a vision for the Presence of God and His Kingdom in the streets. God is doing  extraordinary things in the nation of Kenya...things that can happen around the world. Listen now and let their story inspire you to be who you're called to be and to do what you're called to do, right where you are.

Many of us use the coming of a New Year as an opportunity to reflect and refocus. To refine our vision for moving forward. As we look ahead into 2018, we would like to start the year off with some questions that will help you do just that. And we would like to wish you abundant blessings as you walk with Jesus and pursue His Kingdom…every day in every way…right where you are. So what is your focus for 2018? Are you a parent, child, doctor, lawyer, cop, factory worker, farmer, janitor, teacher, artist, scientist, etc…who just happens to also be a Christian? Or are you a Christian who happens to be a parent, doctor, farmer, etc??? Who are you? At root? How do you define yourself? What one core reality defines and informs and colors everything else about you? These are the questions that launch the second part of our latest conversation with Dan Clites. A conversation that looks beyond being Christian in name and toward being Christian at root. Beyond being also Christian…and toward “Being A Radical Christia

When we discuss the relationship of our faith to the real world, how often do we still refer to our “secular” jobs or our “secular” activities? We say that Jesus is Lord of all, but we continue to talk (and think) in ways which demonstrate a lingering suspicion that there are certain areas of life in which God is really not that interested or involved. Whether because of our own perspective or because of growing public pressure on believers to keep their faith “in its place”, we persist in living as though some parts of life are sacred and some are not. And to an ever increasing degree, our public life is seen to be some sort of spiritually neutral territory and the sacred is relegated to private spaces and specifically “religious” gatherings. In our conversation with returning guest Dan Clites, we explore a different perspective. One in which the redeeming power and lordship of Jesus Christ really does lay claim to all of life, abolishing the sacred/secular divide. The Kingdom of God doesn’t allow for mu

In Luke 9:62, Jesus makes a statement that bothers a lot of modern readers. They don’t get it. As various people offer their excuses for not immediately following him, he finally says, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Most readers today just think that he was strongly emphasizing the singular demands of following him, but then most readers today have never driven a tractor or plowed a field. It requires concentration. Undivided attention. To drive in a straight line, your eyes need to be fixed on where you’re going, not where you’ve been. If you look back there’s a good chance that you’ll pull to the right or left. And if the row you’re tilling swerves, even slightly, it effects the entire field. If you want to work the field and do it properly, you can’t spend time looking back. And, according to Jesus, this is what it’s like with the Kingdom of God. Today’s episode of Marketplace Kingdom features the second half of our most recent interview w

We know that living out a Kingdom life requires authentic biblical faith. And we know that Biblical faith calls us all to a faithful stewardship that involves much more than simply our money. It involves seeking practical ways to demonstrate Christ's love and lordship in every area of life and every sector of society. Guided by the Holy Spirit, it involves employing clearly biblical principles, and discovering ways that the good news really can be good news…right where we are! But in our real lives in the real world, we all need a little encouragement. A little help keeping perspective. A little hope. Why do we do what we do? Why do we do it the way we do? In the details. In the day to day. Our friend Dirk Ailts returns as our featured guest for the next couple episodes of Marketplace Kingdom. Dirk is US Outreach and Strategies Leader for Steward Leader Ministries, a truly unique global ministry engaged in raising up leaders and influencers to advance the Kingdom of God and transform lives, cultures and na

We are just over a week from leaving for TEN DAYS IN KENYA! Dave Huizenga and DJ Swanger will be bringing Marketplace Kingdom strategy to hundreds of leaders at a special conference in the metro Nairobi region…preaching, teaching, and conducting large and small group sessions. The message of the transforming power of God’s Kingdom and His presence in the streets is going on the road and taking to the streets of Kenya, and we want you to have a part in it, praying and offering support. When the request came in to share with this group of leaders face to face in Kenya, how could we refuse? We’ve recorded a brief Special Update explaining the impending trip, and how you can help. Please listen, and join with us in this crucial work. Thank you!

There was a time during Elisha’s ministry when Israel was constantly being raided by neighboring kingdoms. Sometimes by small bands of mercenaries and sometimes by entire armies. 2 Kings 6 contains the dramatic story of one such raid and God’s direct intervention. The king of Aram had assembled his army and invaded Israel, targeting a key city just north of the capitol. Strategically, they outnumbered the locals. They were better equipped and victory was a certainty to any logical observer. From the vantage point of a mountain overlooking their encampment, Elisha’s servant saw no good options. He saw the city completely surrounded by infantry, horses and chariots. Despairing, he asked Elisha, “My lord, what shall we do?” “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elish

None of us wants to be viewed as "abnormal"...right? And yet, in our world today, society's idea of what's normal seems to be a constantly moving target. For some it means playing it safe. For others, it's all about keeping up with the latest. It varies depending on who we're talking with and what's trending at the time. But maybe we need to take note of what Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn  once wrote. "The trouble with normal is it always gets worse."  Maybe we're not supposed to be "normal". Is it normal to chop a hole in the roof of someone's house so you can bypass a crowd and get healing for a friend? Is it normal to scramble out of a boat in the middle of a stormy lake and try to walk on water to get to Jesus? Is it normal to try to feed five thousand people with five bagels and couple smoked herrings? God seems to think normal is overrated. Maybe we're supposed to be living lives that cause people around us to wonder...and ask "Why???" With this in mind, we want to continue our conversatio

Friends, we’ve been talking a lot in recent weeks about training and releasing Christians to be truly…radically Christian in their day to day lives…right where they are…in every relationship and every sphere of influence. Our guest for the next couple episodes is a friend and kindred spirit who is doing just that. Dan Clites is the church planting coordinator for Lutheran Congregations in Missions for Christ. Dan is passionate about the Kingdom of God advancing beyond the walls of the church, and he’s pioneering some strategies that are making that vision a reality in the very DNA of churches across North America and breaking into regions around the world. In this conversation, Dan invites us act up right where we are…seize the opportunity to be who we’re created to be in Christ…and Live a Questionable Life.

I love my church. I love the people, the worship, the contagious sense of God’s presence and the abandoned crazy in love with Jesus atmosphere. And I love that my teenage son loves it too. We were talking over a truck stop lunch after church a couple weeks ago and I asked him why? He said, “It makes me want to worship. And it makes me want to listen to the sermons. They’re real. They remind me that God is real…But mostly it’s because when people come up and ask you how you’re doing, they really want to know. If you’re happy, they’re happy with you. And if something’s bothering you, they really listen. Then they want to stop and pray with you…right then and there.” When it comes right down to it, isn’t that what being God’s people is really about? Jesus spent most of his time talking about the Kingdom of God. And when his listeners asked what that meant, he told them stories…about real people living real lives doing real things just like them. Then he showed them what the Kingdom looked like by forgiving sin

The prophet Amos asked his hearers, "Do you really know what you're asking for when you call for the Day of the Lord? Do you understand the implications? Do you understand the impact that God's reign will have on how you live your own lives?" We today could be asked the same questions. We talk about advancing God's Kingdom, and we pray...sometimes with little thought..."Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." But do we really know what we're asking? Do we really understand what the Kingdom of God is and the transformative, disruptive power we're asking God to release into our world and our lives? This is the focus of this episode of Marketplace Kingdom. We hope it helps you as you seek to live and move in the name of Jesus and the power of His Spirit, disrupt the way things are, transform your world, and advance His Kingdom right where you are!

A while back, I took the opportunity to visit the church of a pastor with whom I'd been talking. That Sunday he poured out his heart from the platform. He shared a vision for the transforming power of the presence of God moving through their congregation, healing lives and moving people out of the seats and into the streets. The Holy Spirit was palpably present and many were quietly moved to tears. But when he finished and invited people to come forward to pray with members of the ministry team, almost no one did. Many told him afterward how “touched” or “moved” they were by his words, but then quickly left. Others were silent, thoughtful, even struggling…but made their way to the doors and parking lot. Two days later we met for coffee. When I asked for his thoughts on why so many were touched but so few responded, he was quiet for a long time. Finally said softly, “No one has ever given them permission to want more! No one has ever given them permission to be desperate.” How often have you been given pe

We’ve had an amazing year so far, engaging with friends and listeners from nations around the world. We’ve been involved in both large and small conference settings, teleconferencing, and one-on-one conversations with folks who are moving beyond the walls of the church and bringing the message of God’s Kingdom to their cities and regions in Kenya, Ghana, the Gambia, Germany, India, and China, as well as here in North and Central America. And we’re excited about what we’ve learned from these discussions and how they are shaping our efforts going forward. With all this in mind, we’re opening our fall series of podcasts with a prayer, that you would be released to be who you’re called to be and to do what you’re created to do. Here and now. It’s time! Join us for this conversation: “Released Where You Are!”

When we think of reaching unreached nations with the gospel, we usually think of countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Nations with people groups in remote and undeveloped regions, or closed countries whose governments are hostile to Christianity. But there is a another people group that has been largely ignored by church outreach and missions agencies. Scattered around the globe, they number some 240 million, and less than one percent are Christian. They are the expatriate community. Diplomats, educators, researchers, business people, industry innovators, technicians and global corporate support personnel. People and families living and working in places other than their nations of birth. These distinctive international communities present a unique opportunity to bring the transforming power of the gospel and God’s Kingdom to people who are hard-wired to be ambassadors to every sphere of influence in nations and cultures around the world. Our guest on this episode is Kyle Tromanhauser, a pion

In this powerful conversation, we learn about a growing movement of faith and action that is changing lives and impacting whole regions around the world. Fueled by an understanding that biblical faith calls us all to a faithful stewardship that involves much more than simply our money, this movement is seeking practical ways to demonstrate Christ's love and lordship in every area of life and every sector of society, from the US to rural and urban Central America, Africa and India. Locally led, guided by the Holy Spirit, employing clearly biblical principles, and discovering ways that the good news really can be good news…right where you are! Our guest is our friend, Dirk Ailts, US Outreach and Strategies Leader for International Steward, a truly unique global ministry engaged in transforming lives and cultures by raising up leaders and influencers to advance the Kingdom of God and impact lives, cultures and nations through the gospel and the message of biblical stewardship. Dirk’s message? Keep it simple and

Much of what passes for news today plays on people’s fears. It appeals to their personal desires and agendas. And yet in Matthew 6:27-33, the Lord Jesus says, “ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’For the Gentiles (or pagans) eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Even as Christians, our prayers are often dominated by our personal concerns and fears. But according Jesus, this is the way pagans pray. On the other hand, He taught us to pray and focus on a different priority. The Kingdom. “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” That is the focus of our conversation this installment of Marketplace Kingdom. This is our second episode with Charles Kim, diversity coordinator for Christian Reformed missions, prayer leader

In discussing strategies for understanding and engaging our world biblically, one theme that comes up over and over is the centrality of prayer and the presence of God. As Christians, there is no part of life that doesn’t need to be bathed in prayer. There is no area that cannot be redeemed and transformed by the power of Christ and the present work of the Holy Spirit. Charles Kim shares this vision in a big way. Charles is a former pastor, church planter, and director of Korean ministries for the Christian Reformed Church, and is currently moving into the role of diversity leader for the denomination’s combined home and world missions agency. Charles’ efforts organizing and leading prayer summits over the last five years has placed him in the forefront of awakening a passion for prayer in churches and regions all across north America. He joins us on this episode to talk about that passion and about the national prayer summit being held in Los Angeles on March 27, 28, and 29. We hope you’re encouraged by