The grandfatherly old man's polished shoes squeak. He dresses in gray suits. His ties cinch his powdery white face into his collar. He holds a Bible in his lap and exudes all the charm of old-fashioned religion — a most cleverly disguised mystic.
Henry Blackaby's book, "Experiencing God," was the "Purpose Driven Life" of its time. It has sold 4 million copies and been translated into more than 45 languages. But I have to admit my late-1990s read of the now classic Christian work left me flat.
It wasn't until I experienced Blackaby in person that I got something I hadn't before. Jesus' model was one of incredible intimacy with God, Blackaby says.
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-- Henry Blackaby |
People really ought to meet the living Christ when they meet us.
For Blackaby that means experiencing God in specific ways: based on Scriptural promises, he recognizes God's constant presence in his life; and he views prayer as two-way communication.
How does that work? Each time he opens his Bible he says he is face to face with God.
Maybe more people will get that this year with the 15th anniversary republication of, "Experiencing God." Blackaby's personal answer to the question of how to experience God seems to be: intentionality.
"The thing we're struggling with is to include God," Blackaby says. "You need to relate your life to [God] and let him do it through you."
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Business leaders by the thousands were attracted to the Lead Like Jesus event Nov. 18, 2004 in Louisville, Ky., where Blackaby spoke, along with other heavy hitters of both the ministry and business worlds. Most spoke about servant leadership as a good idea for both spiritual discipline and business growth.
"The world so needs a different leadership model," "The One-Minute Manager" Ken Blanchard said. "We've gotten so off track. [Jesus] was here to serve and we should do the same."
Blanchard's interest in Jesus' leadership model led him to create the Lead Like Jesus program in 2003. The program emerged from Faith Walk, a leadership training program launched by Blanchard and Phil Hodges, co-author of "Servant Leader."
But according to Henry Blackaby, who will co-host the April 29 conference in Pittsburgh, leading like Jesus is not really about leadership.
"It's not even about serving," Blackaby asserted, deflating what Blanchard had been articulating. "It's about Christ."
Blackaby's correction brought Blanchard forward in his chair. He seemed to become more energized from the reproof. He admires Blackaby for his Christian walk, he says.
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Authors, speakers and business leadership consultants, Henry Blackaby, left, and Ken Blanchard, right, discuss Christ and servitude. Photos by Tom McDonald |
Others do as well. John Ortberg listened intently as Blackaby described the way prayer can be two-way communication with God and how his prayers are answered through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
"When I open the Scripture I am face to face with God. The Holy Spirit brings me face to face with the immediate will of God." The future is the only mystery.
And Blackaby waits for each day to unfold anticipating answers to his prayers — whether they are decades of pleas for help or yesterday's request. Blackaby recalled that Zacharias and Elizabeth prayed for 60 years before an answer came through their son, John the Baptist.
For Blackaby, the habit of prayer is not so much a habit of talking as of listening, expecting, looking for answers.
Then there is change. "When God speaks, you need to make the immediate adjustments in your life," Blackaby says.
And there's something else to experiencing God. Blackaby says people that talk about what God tells them probably haven't actually heard from God. When God tells you something, he says, the sacredness of the message, the moving assurance of faith overcomes you and you cannot talk about it — at least not easily.
Vocalizing God's plans seems audacious. Anything without God seems overconfident, hubristic. Blackaby said of Jesus: "He is my life. Without him there's nothing."
He seeks intimacy with God and finds it, gives his life to God and God uses it. If Rick Warren says it's not about me, Blackaby says it's all about God.
What about the times God feels distant? Blackaby says God is always with us as a promise, but it is up to us to see him, to acknowledge him, to draw near to him — through faith.
"I never ask God to go with me," Blackaby says. "I thank him for going with me and I anticipate the experience."
There's one other thing Blackaby does — he exudes Christ from his person. It isn't his strict adherence to religion, but his profound, personal relationship with Jesus that impresses.
And that should be the case with all Christians, Blackaby says. It isn't really about serving or leading like Jesus, but letting Christ serve and lead through us. "People really ought to meet the living Christ when they meet us."
