STORY OF IMPACT
Dear Strong Disciple friends and supporters,
It is the great privilege of my life to serve in this vital ministry work. Your eternal investment in God’s kingdom work through Strong Disciple is having a wonderful impact on men’s lives. Your love, generosity, support, and prayers make it possible for me to serve these men. I am extremely grateful to each and every one of you.
I hope this testimony story will greatly encourage your heart as it did mine.
Pastor Mark has had a voice in my life from my youth. I was always captivated by his authority, approachability, and the all-consuming passion he has for God and people.
For several years in my twenties I turned my back on God. One evening the Lord spoke to me more clearly than I had ever experienced before, “When you seek me with all of your heart, you will find me… I will make myself known to you.” It cut me to the core and set my life in a whole new direction.
I discovered Pastor Mark’s messages on Strong Disciple and began faithfully listening to them. They became these loving bolts of lightning in my life, piercing through a whole lot of wrong thinking and pulling back the clouds of cultural Christianity so I could see a clearer view of Jesus. I would wake up early and listen for hours and hours to Pastor Mark’s messages. Rivers of tears pouring down my face…I would get off work and listen for hours more. A hunger for spiritual truth was planted in me, and Pastor Mark‘s messages most resonated with the heart behind the voice that called me.
I would play Pastor Mark’s music album “Medicinal Spirit” over and over again on repeat at night. One night while listening to that album I had an encounter with Jesus and experienced the love of God for the one sheep who had gotten itself lost, the love of my Creator who is a friend of sinners. A deep root of darkness was pulled from my heart that night and His love won me over. I share this to simply show how God was using Pastor Mark’s faith and devotion to touch the life of someone he knew nothing about.
Since that time, Pastor Mark has been a constant companion to me through his messages and his email correspondences. As I’ve listened to hundreds of messages over and over again. A day does not go by where some phrase, story or illustration Pastor Mark gave in one of his messages jumps to my mind and gives me inspiration to do the next right thing. For example, two that are frequently on my mind: “Sin is love’s greatest opportunity,” or “The measure of our success is our care for other people.”
In this most recent season of my life, I’ve made some very poor choices. I opened up to Pastor Mark about this last year and I’ve never experienced such a remarkable display of grace, kindness, and truth. In my darkest hour, Pastor Mark’s care for me didn’t turn or diminish, if anything it was amplified. Pastor Mark has really sought to understand me which is a very rare quality in a man. The timing of his personal emails, phone calls, and Thoughts Provoking articles have always been uncanny and spot on.
Pastor Mark has prayed for my family every single day now for many YEARS! There have been many times when I’ve broken down and wept thinking of that brother rising before the sun to intercede for people like me. To me, he embodies 1 Corinthians 13 more than any other person I’ve ever met. Pastor Mark hasn’t given up on me at times when I’ve given up on myself. This kind of love and friendship means more to me than anyone could possibly know. It is the Love of God that casts out our deepest fears. To be known in truth and accepted at our darkest hour is like dropping a nuclear bomb on the enemy of our souls.
Pastor Mark, on behalf of my family, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your Strong Disciple ministry! I count myself one of the most fortunate people on earth to have your godly influence in my life. -TR
Dear friends, I thank God every day for the privilege to serve Christ through this ministry. He deserves all the glory for it is his divine grace and power that work through me and this Strong Disciple ministry.
With tremendous gratitude for your faithful, generous support.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
