BIG NEWS!! …CARSON TO BECOME GTD's NEXT CEO BY 2028 & STACY TO BECOME A PROGRAM DIRECTOR!!!
(PART 2 of 4) HOW GOD IS TURNING MY "GREAT DEPRESSION" INTO GTD'S "GREAT SUCCESSION"
PART 1: "THE INJURY"
PART 2: "NEXT MAN UP"
PART 3: "PREPARING FOR A WINNING SEASON"
PART 4: "BUILDING A DYNASTY"
PART 2 - NEXT MAN UP (OUR JOSHUA MOMENT):
Keeping with the baseball analogy from PART 1...
In baseball, if you are not a starter then you are sitting on the bench until you get an opportunity to play. It's called "riding the pine" (the bench used to be made out of pine wood), and most competitors don't enjoy it because they are eager to play. They have talent. They have skills. They have potential. All they are missing is the opportunity. In baseball, just like in most team sports, there are back-up players and developing players that are always training & practicing for that one moment when an opportunity arises and they are called upon to get off of the bench and go onto the field. Quite possibly the most famous replacement player in MLB history went on to become one of the greatest players of all time. His name is Lou Gehrig. He replaced starting first baseman (and 2-time Yankees' home run leader) Wally Pipp due to a bad headache (of all things!). Lou Gehrig made the most of the opportunity and went on to set the record for the most consecutive games ever played in MLB history (2,130) becoming one of baseball's greatest Hall-of-Fame legends and earning him the nickname of "The Iron Man". The Yankees' bench went deep. You never know what kind of greatness may be riding the pine until an opportunity arises. GTD's bench goes very deep. We have some of the best, most talented, Jesus-loving people in this ministry. We have 10 or more "Lou Gehrig's" ready for a starting position. My recent injury (see PART 1 of this series) has revealed to me that it's time to let our Lou Gehrig's start playing greater roles. It's time to start passing the torch. This is our Joshua moment when Moses passes the torch to Joshua after Moses' "injury" (Numbers 20: 1-13). I'm beyond thrilled to announce that I'm beginning a 2 year process of passing the torch of my "starting position" as CEO to Carson. Like Lou Gehrig replacing Wally Pipp, Carson will take this team to greater heights and greater impact. For several years God has been preparing Carson and using him to make a big impact in GTD as my volunteer and paid staff. Carson started helping me when he was around 10 years old. He is now 23. He knows this ministry backwards and forwards. He is our Joshua! Stacy will become one of our key Program Directors. God has used Stacy in this ministry for more than 17 years. Everyone loves these 2 guys! The 2 most common questions people eagerly ask me are: "Is Carson going to run GTD when you retire?!?!" and "Is Stacy coming on the next trip?!?!". They are 2 of our most beloved GTDers! In addition, Andrew Pieper will become our Asset & Equipment Coordinator as he trains for a future Program Director position. I'm actually getting in communication with several GTDers about becoming a starting player. It's amazing how God has already put an inner passion to be more involved with GTD into several of the people I have reached out to, and there are many more I still need to reach out to. Carson, Stacy, & the rest of the young guns are the right people to lead GTD into the next 30 years! By the grace of God, after the 2 year transition I will still stay intimately involved as a Program Director building our Caregiving Support Group, Discipleship Program, reviving our DestiNATION Program, overseeing our Administration responsibilities, running some events, helping on some events, and playing a key role on our Board of Directors helping to supply our "starting players" with the needed resources to succeed. And yes, to everyone's joy, Laurie will continue to be a key Program Director in GTD overseeing our Costa Rica Mission Trips & Prosperity Program. But, Lord willing (James 4:15), I will be handing the steering wheel over to our future CEO by January 1, 2028. It may not take 2 years to accomplish a healthy succession plan, but I'm ready to go that long if needed. There is something in my spirit that is stirring with excitement... God is up to something very special... I obeyed God and started building this ministry in 1991 for 5 years then in 1996 we started running events. On January 1, 2026 (in a few weeks) I will celebrate 30 years of running GTD. It's time to usher in a new "Joshua era". God will use our "Joshua's" to take this ministry into the Promise Land =). I ask everyone who loves GTD to celebrate with us and pray for Carson and the next generation of GTD starters!! More updates to come. Part 3 "PREPARING FOR A WINNING SEASON" will be our next update =). God is up to something very special =)
PART 1: "THE INJURY"
PART 2: "NEXT MAN UP"
PART 3: "PREPARING FOR A WINNING SEASON"
PART 4: "BUILDING A DYNASTY"
PART 2 - NEXT MAN UP (OUR JOSHUA MOMENT):
Keeping with the baseball analogy from PART 1...
In baseball, if you are not a starter then you are sitting on the bench until you get an opportunity to play. It's called "riding the pine" (the bench used to be made out of pine wood), and most competitors don't enjoy it because they are eager to play. They have talent. They have skills. They have potential. All they are missing is the opportunity. In baseball, just like in most team sports, there are back-up players and developing players that are always training & practicing for that one moment when an opportunity arises and they are called upon to get off of the bench and go onto the field. Quite possibly the most famous replacement player in MLB history went on to become one of the greatest players of all time. His name is Lou Gehrig. He replaced starting first baseman (and 2-time Yankees' home run leader) Wally Pipp due to a bad headache (of all things!). Lou Gehrig made the most of the opportunity and went on to set the record for the most consecutive games ever played in MLB history (2,130) becoming one of baseball's greatest Hall-of-Fame legends and earning him the nickname of "The Iron Man". The Yankees' bench went deep. You never know what kind of greatness may be riding the pine until an opportunity arises. GTD's bench goes very deep. We have some of the best, most talented, Jesus-loving people in this ministry. We have 10 or more "Lou Gehrig's" ready for a starting position. My recent injury (see PART 1 of this series) has revealed to me that it's time to let our Lou Gehrig's start playing greater roles. It's time to start passing the torch. This is our Joshua moment when Moses passes the torch to Joshua after Moses' "injury" (Numbers 20: 1-13). I'm beyond thrilled to announce that I'm beginning a 2 year process of passing the torch of my "starting position" as CEO to Carson. Like Lou Gehrig replacing Wally Pipp, Carson will take this team to greater heights and greater impact. For several years God has been preparing Carson and using him to make a big impact in GTD as my volunteer and paid staff. Carson started helping me when he was around 10 years old. He is now 23. He knows this ministry backwards and forwards. He is our Joshua! Stacy will become one of our key Program Directors. God has used Stacy in this ministry for more than 17 years. Everyone loves these 2 guys! The 2 most common questions people eagerly ask me are: "Is Carson going to run GTD when you retire?!?!" and "Is Stacy coming on the next trip?!?!". They are 2 of our most beloved GTDers! In addition, Andrew Pieper will become our Asset & Equipment Coordinator as he trains for a future Program Director position. I'm actually getting in communication with several GTDers about becoming a starting player. It's amazing how God has already put an inner passion to be more involved with GTD into several of the people I have reached out to, and there are many more I still need to reach out to. Carson, Stacy, & the rest of the young guns are the right people to lead GTD into the next 30 years! By the grace of God, after the 2 year transition I will still stay intimately involved as a Program Director building our Caregiving Support Group, Discipleship Program, reviving our DestiNATION Program, overseeing our Administration responsibilities, running some events, helping on some events, and playing a key role on our Board of Directors helping to supply our "starting players" with the needed resources to succeed. And yes, to everyone's joy, Laurie will continue to be a key Program Director in GTD overseeing our Costa Rica Mission Trips & Prosperity Program. But, Lord willing (James 4:15), I will be handing the steering wheel over to our future CEO by January 1, 2028. It may not take 2 years to accomplish a healthy succession plan, but I'm ready to go that long if needed. There is something in my spirit that is stirring with excitement... God is up to something very special... I obeyed God and started building this ministry in 1991 for 5 years then in 1996 we started running events. On January 1, 2026 (in a few weeks) I will celebrate 30 years of running GTD. It's time to usher in a new "Joshua era". God will use our "Joshua's" to take this ministry into the Promise Land =). I ask everyone who loves GTD to celebrate with us and pray for Carson and the next generation of GTD starters!! More updates to come. Part 3 "PREPARING FOR A WINNING SEASON" will be our next update =). God is up to something very special =)
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