The David Alliance

The David Alliance  TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  Garth Heckman  *Joy starts with focus not feelings. Happiness depends on what happens… so you have to do the work to make good things happen. *YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO PERFORMING, AND CIRCUMSTANCES.      Falsely accused (Emotionally abused), Beaten (Physically abused in public to humiliate)  Locked away from everyone in the deepest part of the dungeon… Most likely where the raw sewage flowed. (Socially abused) Chained (Mentally abused and in stocks) Archaeological evidence from sites like the gladiator barracks at Pompeii - torture racks.  **AND AT MIDNIGHT: Why Midnight Singing Is Even More Remarkable Than It First Appears   Put the whole picture together: Paul and Silas had been publicly stripped, beaten with rods by state lictors, thrown into the inner prison (the most secure, likely darkest and most miserable section), and their legs forced into a device specifically designed to maximize ongoing physical suffering. And at midnight — the point of deepest exhaustion and vulnerability — "they were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (v. 25).   THESE WERE NOT QUIET MURMURINGS - The Greek word for "singing hymns" here is hymneō — the same root behind our English "hymn" — meaning they weren't just murmuring quiet comfort to themselves; they were audibly, deliberately worshiping, loud enough that the entire prison population was listening.     **Look at all that is HAPPENING to them. Happiness is based on what Happens. It is called “happenstance”.   But Spiritually they still knew where they stood. They still experienced joy.  *Joy starts with focus not feelings. Happiness depends on what happens… so you have to do the work to make good things happen. *YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO PERFORMING, AND CIRCUMSTANCES.  Vs. joy which focuses on the outcome not the current circumstances.   Joy is best served with friends. Go to an amusement park with no one??? Why?    Isolation kills joy

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman Military city,  MOB RULES:did not want to hear what they had to say… the crowd was blind with rage… they should not have been beaten until trial as Roman citizens.    *Joy starts with focus not feelings.   Happiness depends on what happens… so you have to do the work to make good things happen. *YOU BECOME A SLAVE TO PERFORMING, AND CIRCUMSTANCES.      Falsely accused (Emotionally abused), Beaten (Physically abused in public to humiliate)  Locked away from everyone in the deepest part of the dungeon… Most likely where the raw sewage flowed. (Socially abused) Chained (Mentally abused and in stocks) Archaeological evidence from sites like the gladiator barracks at Pompeii - torture racks.  **AND AT MIDNIGHT: Why Midnight Singing Is Even More Remarkable Than It First Appears   Put the whole picture together: Paul and Silas had been publicly stripped, beaten with rods by state lictors, thrown into the inner prison (the most secure, likely darkest and most miserable section), and their legs forced into a device specifically designed to maximize ongoing physical suffering. And at midnight — the point of deepest exhaustion and vulnerability — "they were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (v. 25).

The David Alliance TDAgiantslayer@gmail.com Garth Heckman The story of Moses is one of the most honest depictions of human insecurity in ancient literature. Despite leading a nation out of slavery and receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses spent much of his life convinced he was the wrong person for the job.   His story offers powerful insights into how inadequacy works, how purpose unfolds, and what it actually means to lead.   Key Lessons from Moses' Insecurity   Inadequacy Is Often a Skill Issue Overestimated, and a Calling Underestimated   When you overestimate the skill needed in comparison to the calling underestimated you will never feel adequate.    When God called Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3, Moses immediately pushed back with five distinct excuses:   "Who am I?" (Identity/Worthiness) Im seen as an enemy to many as I grew up under Pharaoh and in his house. I am seen as a murderer I am seen as a person who ran away   Past Failures do not disqualify you from your future mission.   "What shall I say?" (Lack of Knowledge)     "What if they don't believe me?" (Fear of Rejection)     "I am slow of speech and tongue." (Perceived Physical Limitations)     "Please send someone else." (Pure Resistance)     Thoughts:  Moses focused entirely on his own inventory of skills, while God was focused on His own capacity.      The lesson is that calling rarely demands pre-existing perfection; it demands willingness.     **You might say “why not me God” - He most times will answer… you said No.   Your perceived disqualifications are often just the baseline from which growth happens.       The Lesson: Growth doesn't eliminate feelings of overwhelm— Feeling inadequate at a new level of responsibility isn't a sign that you failed; it's a sign that you're operating outside your comfort zone, which is where real impact occurs.   3. Isolation Amplifies Insecurity; Community Relieves It When Moses felt isolated he was given Aaron When overwhelmed he was given Jethro      5. You Can Finish Well Without Seeing the Final Result MOSES SAW THE PROMISE LAND - BUT WAS NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER IT.    You might just be the great set up for someone else's future mission.      Do you want to feel adequate - or more than enough? To feel more than enough:  Learn something new in Christ every day.  Test God out in new situations every day. Focus on the end game. Remember who you are is who you attract, so become like Christ and attract people like Jesus into it.

The David Alliance  TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com Garth Heckman *****If you don't have control over your thoughts, then you don't have control over your feelingsDr Richard Bander founder of NLP     2. His Grace Overcomes Your Weakness When you feel inadequate, scripture teaches that your insufficiency is actually the canvas for God's power. Paul asked God to take away a deep struggle, but God answered:   "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." — 2 Corinthians 12:9   "there's a well-known story, often told about…" Ignacy Jan Paderewski — the famous Polish concert pianist. A little boy who just started taking piano lessons is taken to his concert by his mother… he sneaks up on stage and begins to play chopsticks… the crowd aghast - But Paderewski sneaks up behind him and says keep playing and then weaves a beautiful song behind it.    THE INSIGHT - YOU GOTTA BE WILLING TO GET UP AND PLAY.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com Garth Heckman It is easy to feel inadequate when we measure ourselves by our own strengths, skills, lifestyle or limitations. The Bible directly tackles this feeling by shifting the focus from our own sufficiency to Christ's completeness in us.   Scripture never promises that we will be enough on our own, but it repeatedly promises that Christ in us makes us more than enough.   The Bible expresses this truth across four primary themes:   1. You Are "More Than Conquerors" "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." — Romans 8:37   The Greek word used here is hupernikaō, which literally translates to “super-overcomers"   We win in the end… Heaven, eternity with God.     THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM **You might secretly think - yeah but I want to be superabundant NOW -  There is nothing wrong with that… but also realize it does not make you happy. REFRIGERATOR BOX     2 Peter 1:3 — God's divine power has granted us everything required for life and godliness. 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. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. From epithumeo; a longing (especially for what is forbidden) -- concupiscence, desire, lust (after). epithymía (from 1909 /epí, "focused on" and 2372 /thymós, "passionate desire") – properly, passion built on strong feelings (urges). These can be positive or negative, depending on whether the desire is inspired by faith (God's inbirthed persuasion)   *****If you don't have control over your thoughts, then you don't have control over your feelingsDr Richard Bander founder of NLP

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman Facebook - Faceblah Instagram - InstaSHAM actual filters that show reality TikTok - Ticked off    INTERESTING INSIGHT TO THE SEEDS PARABLE: Luke 8:14 The cares of the world choke out Gods seed and you quickly no longer believe    Cares GK - Mer-im-nah  what the world holds as important.  Choke GK Soom-pnee-go  choked off by having the wrong identifications…  Imagine straining your neck looking at everything the world has in front of you… you strain your neck so twisted you choke yourself to death.    A woman had an epiphany standing in her 4.5 million dollar home… IT'S JUST A REFRIGERATOR BOX. HERE IS THE TRUE INSIGHT - WHEN WE FEEL LIKE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH (TO COMPLETE US), THEN WE TELL OURSELVES “WE ARE NOT ENOUGH” - WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE ILL EQUIPPED TO DO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO DO.    It is easy to feel inadequate when we measure ourselves by our own strengths, skills, lifestyle or limitations. The Bible directly tackles this feeling by shifting the focus from our own sufficiency to Christ's completeness in us.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com  Garth Heckman Excess    On a scale of 1-10 regarding your abilities…  Do you have enough of what it takes to live a fulfilling life? 10 being the perfect life 1 being a complete and utter debacle. BUT HERE IS THE REAL TEST… WHAT WAS YOUR SCALE YOU JUDGED YOURSELF BY?    You are more than enough - you have excess in your abilities.    THE PROBLEM?  In a culture fueled by highlight reels, endless scrolling, and the quiet fear that everyone else has life figured out, feeling "not enough" is practically the modern default.   How to never feel like you are enough!  - 1 Constantly compare yourself to other people's highlight reels  - 2 Base your entire worth on external validation  - 3 Chase perfectionism, especially online  - 4 Isolate yourself with your struggles  - 5 Let one bad moment define your whole identity

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman   Point 4:  Pain Trains, It Doesn't Just Test Greek: γυμνάζω (gymnazo) — Hebrews 12:11: "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained (gymnazo) by it."    Samuel 30 - David has been on the run for 14 years from King Saul… now they get sent packing from the Philistines… “not good enough”. They get back to camp and all of their wives, children, goods, food everything was taken by the Amakelites.  His men have had it… they want to stone him. V. 6 But David found strength in the LORD THIS IS DAVID IN TRAINING -  HE found strength   And he wrote Psalm 13 Psalm 13: 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. 4 Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don't let them rejoice at my downfall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me   This verse is from David in the midst of his final crushing painful experience running from Saul…   He is ready to give up… his life. Literally… I'll just let them kill me!    But he goes to God… seeks his guidance. - what should I learn from this pain… They go and kill the Amalekites and not only get everything back but more….   HERE IS THE POINT HE WAS ONLY MONTHS AWAY FROM BEING KING!     What is around your corner of pain?

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman Point 4:  You get a candle as a gift… you could care less until the electricity goes out and you need it… its a seemingly useless gift until you realize it's not… it gives you light… the lights actually go on!   That's pain… it seems useless until it allows the lights to go on.    God Redeems Pain He Didn't Cause Greek: πάθημα (pathema) — general word for suffering (Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 1:5) — often used for suffering that simply happens to someone, not suffering they chose.   But God will use it for his Glory in and through us.    Joseph  Joseph was  Last - youngest Loathed - hated by his brothers Lied about - Dad he was eaten by a lion Labored as a slave Lured - by Bathsheba  Libeled - accused by Bathsheba  Labeled - still just a prisoner  Lost - Lost in the system  Lapsed -  forgotten by the Butler in prison Left -  left for dead… until Pharaoh had a dream LIVING - LIVING THE DREAM - LITERALLY!      THE JOSEPH PRINCIPLE — "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20).     METHOD MAN WHEN SOMEONE SAYS TO YOU “IM GONNA BRING THE PAIN” - laugh and say “yeah, and I can't wait to see what God does with it!” 

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman PAIN REVEALS WHAT IS INSIDE US!   When you are attacked, Embarrassed Mistreated Diseased Falsely accused Persecuted Afflicted THIS IS HEAT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE MADE OF… IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN PROVE YOU!      There is a well known story… that is probably more myth than fact but proves a great point. The greeks would carve out statues… if they cracked or chipped they would cover them up with marble dust and wax… the problem was when it got to hot the wax would melt and you might end up with a grotesque looking statue…. how many people have been in that situation. They looked great until the heat came… and then.  Ugly!        Point 3:  Pain Builds What Only Struggle Can Build Greek: ὑπομονή (hupomone) — not passive waiting, but active endurance — literally "remaining under." It's the word for a marathon runner in the middle miles, not the person sitting quietly in a waiting room.   You choose to go through the pain.  -  Abraham is told to sacrifice Isaac. He gets up early in the morning to do this. Are you willing to get up early for pain?    -  Can God trust you with pain?    God may call you to do something and you know it will cost you pain.     -  Can God trust you with pain?

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman   SHAD SHACK BENNY  You may not understand the pressure… but you can trust God to use it to produce something amazing. THE GREATEST STATEMENT OF FAITH UNDER PRESSURE WAS DAN. 3:18 -  Oh King our God can save us… but even if He doesn't we will not bow… TO THE PAIN   Point 2 Pain Proves What's Genuine Greek: δοκίμιον (dokimion) — James 1:3 says "the testing (dokimion) of your faith produces perseverance." The word comes from the world of metalworking: when a shopkeeper "proofs" gold, he's establishing whether it's genuine — not creating value, but revealing value already present, or exposing what was fake.   Illustration: Stradivarius violins are prized in part because of the dense, slow-growth wood used to build them — wood that grew during an unusually cold, harsh period in Italian and Bavarian Alps. Trees that struggled through decades of brutal winters produced tighter growth rings and denser wood, which is part of why those violins carry a tone modern instruments still can't replicate. The hardship in the wood's history is literally inside the sound. THE SOUND THE VIOLIN MAKES PROVES THAT IT HAS BEEN THROUGH THE PRESSURE AND STRESS! When you are looking for a true friend, mentor, marriage partner etc… ask them what pain have you been through? What did you learn… and if it is about the situation, or the person who caused it… be careful. BUT IF THEY TELL YOU WHAT THEY LEARNED ABOUT THEMSELVES… THAT MEANS THE PAIN WAS GOOD FOR THEM. 

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  Garth Heckman  OUR WORLD IS BUILT ON ONE PREMISE AND ONE PREMISE ALONE: HOW TO AVOID PAIN! EVERY ADVERTISEMENT, POST, SPEECH, BLURB, NEWSCAST… Bottom line its about avoiding pain.  A life without pain is not joy… it is numb.    "We think the goal is a life with no pain. But a life with no pain isn't joy — it's just numbness wearing a smile.”   When I busted my toe… went in to the doctor joking…  When they started stabbing my toe with a red hot needle I was quiet… the nurse said “well it must not hurt that much for you”.  My wife quickly replied “oh no, it hurts… when my husband is in pain he doesn't say anything”.    IS THAT YOU TODAY? When I'm in pain I don't say much.   -  How long has this been going on?  Well your friend with their fancy persuasion Don't admit that its part of the scheme I Can't help but have my suspicions  Cuz I aint quite as dumb as I seen     -  When Ryan was born I almost lost Kim and Ryan… just nights before on a Sunday I was at the altar giving God everything… no matter what - even my unborn son… that night in the hospital I went out in the hallway and prayed… God I didn't really mean it.    Pain isn't just endured — it's productive, when surrendered to God.   Big Idea Pain is not evidence God has abandoned you — it's often the very mechanism He uses to complete you. Point 1: Pain is Pressure, Not Punishment Rom. 5:3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.   Pile of leaves at the cottage…  “Eddy call the fire department”   Greek: θλῖψις (thlipsis) — translated tribulation, trouble, affliction, anguish, persecution, burdened — the word literally carries the image of being pressed or squeezed under weight. Paul uses this exact word in Romans 5:3 — "we also exult in our tribulations (thlipsis), knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance." Thlipsis isn't God's disappointment in you; it's pressure applied toward something, not punishment for something.   Illustration: Diamonds form under extreme pressure and heat, deep in the earth, over millions of years — carbon that never faced that pressure stays soft graphite, useful for pencils, never for jewelry. The pressure isn't the interruption of the diamond's story. It is the diamond's story.   **No girl swoons over a boy kneeling down and proposing with a pencil. 

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman Insight C: The Necessity of Falling and Dying (Kokkos) In John 12:24, Jesus states: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain (kokkos) of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." The Sermon Point: Burial is not the end; it is the beginning. The Greek Nuance: A kokkos is a singular, isolated kernel. Unbroken, it has a shelf life of years but remains entirely alone. Only by being "buried" in the dark, breaking open, and surrendering its structure can its inner life be released. Application: This is Jesus predicting His death, but it's also a template for discipleship. Our greatest impact doesn't come from protecting our lives, but from our willingness to lay them down. What feels like "burial" in our lives is often God "planting" us for a harvest.   WE HAVE A DREAM - a seed - we don't just let it die… we understand the process. In the real world, we get the seed, we find fertile ground, we dig a hole, we bury it, we water it, we expose it so sun, we keep bugs away, we fertilize it…  but in that process is still death - it has to die! The seed surrenders unto death - it must die. We must die to ourselves. We must be willing to say “ok God I have done everything I can, plant, water, fertilize, weed… but I also trust you to do whatever you want… if it dies, I trust you”.     Deep inside the Arctic Circle, carved into a frozen mountain on a remote Norwegian island, sits the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It is built to withstand earthquakes, nuclear war, and rising sea levels. Inside, there are over a million seed samples from every corner of the earth. They are kept in airtight, triple-ply foil packets at a constant temperature of minus 18 degrees Celsius. Why? To keep them perfectly safe. To keep them from changing. To keep them from dying. It is a masterpiece of human preservation. But here is the paradox of a seed: As long as a seed is kept safe, dry, and preserved, it is completely useless. A seed is not designed for a high-tech vault. It is designed to be thrown into the dirt, rained on, broken open, and utterly destroyed. Its safety is its starvation; its burial is its birth. The Transition: "Many of us live our lives like spiritual seed vaults. We spend all our energy keeping ourselves safe, comfortable, and controlled. We avoid the dirt of sacrifice, the darkness of suffering, and the pain of breaking. But Jesus did not call us to be preserved; He called us to be planted. Today, we are going to look at why God often takes what we love most and buries it—not to destroy it, but to unlock its true potential..." You can't just simply hang on to a seed, a dream, a goal, a vision and just expect God to use it. You have to take a step of faith, plant it and hope it dies so that only God can make it grow! 

The David Alliance  TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com Garth Heckman   The Singular Seed of Promise (Sperma) In Galatians 3:16, Paul makes a massive grammatical and theological argument based on a singular noun: "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ." The Sermon Point: The Old Testament was not pointing to a demographic, but a Deliverer. The Greek Nuance: Paul uses the singular sperma. In Hebrew, zera (seed) can be collective (like "sheep" or "hair"), but Paul utilizes the Greek singular to show that the entire covenant of Abraham was funneled into a single focal point: Jesus. ONE PERSON - ONE SEED - ONE DEATH - “ONE MULTIPLICATION” = FOR ALL Application: Because we are "in Christ," we inherit the promises not by genetic pedigree, but by being joined to the ultimate Sperma. Furthermore, 1 John 3:9 says God's sperma (divine seed/DNA) now abides in us, meaning we carry the family likeness of heaven. The Hook: If you've ever stood at the base of a Giant Sequoia in California, you know it is a humbling experience. These trees can grow to be nearly 300 feet tall, 30 feet wide, and can live for over 3,000 years. They are absolute titans—so massive that a single branch can be larger than the trunk of a standard city tree. But if you were to hold the seed of a Giant Sequoia in your hand, you would be shocked. It looks like a tiny, papery flake of oatmeal. It is about a quarter of an inch long, and it weighs a fraction of a gram. It is almost weightless. If you dropped it on the ground, you would never find it. Yet, wrapped inside that microscopic, fragile speck of dust is the genetic blueprint for a giant that can withstand wildfires, outlast empires, and tower over the landscape. The Transition: "The Kingdom of God works on the exact same principle. God loves to hide massive, landscape-changing futures inside microscopic, easily overlooked packages. Today, you might feel small, unnoticed, or insignificant. But you need to understand that the power of your future is not determined by the size of your current starting point, but by the design of the Seed inside you..."

The David Alliance Garth Heckman TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com   In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8) and the lesser-known Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29), Jesus uses sporos. The Sermon Point: The power is in the seed, not the dirt. The Greek Nuance: In Mark 4:28, Jesus says the earth produces crops "by itself". The Greek word used there is automati, from which we get our word automatic. Application: The farmer's job is simply to plant and get out of the way. We often exhaust ourselves trying to "produce" spiritual growth, but spiritual transformation is an automatic, organic result of God's Word being allowed to dwell in a healthy heart. Some seed was eaten, some burned up, some choked out, some on good soil. It's not your job to choose which soil… its your job to plant.  And point 2…  THE DIRT DOESN'T CARE WHAT YOU PLANT.   In the 1960s, archaeologists excavating Masada—the ancient mountaintop fortress in Israel—discovered a small jar containing a handful of date palm seeds. Carbon dating revealed they were 2,000 years old. They had survived the Roman siege, the fall of Jerusalem, and two millennia of scorching desert heat. They looked like shriveled, dusty, dead pebbles. In 2005, scientists decided to do an experiment. They took those ancient seeds, hydrated them, treated them with organic fertilizer, and planted them in the soil. To the amazement of the scientific world, one of those seeds sprouted. Today, that plant—named "Methuselah"—is a thriving, fruit-bearing palm tree. For 2,000 years, the life inside that seed didn't rot, didn't evaporate, and didn't expire. It was just waiting for the right soil. The Transition: "When Peter says we are born of 'incorruptible seed' through the living and enduring Word of God, he is telling us that God's truth has an eternal shelf life. It doesn't matter how dry your life feels, or how many years you think you've wasted. When the living Word of God finally hits the soil of a receptive heart, life willbreak through

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  The seed is the Process   Working for Harold Busse at Busse flowers… Hyacinths bulb… I did what he said and it actually grew. When I told him a few weeks later he looked at me as if I was the dumb kid!    Harold Busse THERE IS ALWAYS A PROCESS YEAR AFTER YEAR   A process is simply a predictable, repeatable series of steps designed to achieve a specific outcome.   The Bible talks about processes… there is always a process behind biblical principles.    But we can miss the idea behind process when we read scripture because it uses words like SEEDS. SEEDS IN SCRIPTURE are seen as The word of God - planted Faith  The Kingdom Giving and Tithing The Covenant of Christ body Our personal body and spirit AND THERE IS GOOD SEED AND BAD SEED     3 Types of Greek words used for Seed Sporo - the actual physical seed Sperma - the actual DNA of a seed as in the lineage Koh-Kos - The single seed with massive potential    2. Three Deep Theological Insights for Your Sermon Insight A: The Mystery of Automatic Growth (Sporos)   18th and 19th centuries, wooden sailing ships left European ports to pick up heavy cargo (like tobacco, cotton, or sugar) from the Americas. To keep the empty ships stable on the journey to America, sailors filled the hulls with "ballast"—tons of local soil, gravel, and river stones dug up from European riverbanks. When the ships arrived in ports like Philadelphia, Boston, or Portland, sailors dumped the ballast onto the waterfront to make room for the cargo. Hidden inside that soil were millions of European seeds. This accidental conveyor belt introduced famous weeds like the Common Dandelion, 

TDA The David Alliance Garth Heckman   The transition to adulthood has changed dramatically. Between the rapid rise of digital technology—which often replaces face-to-face community with screens—and the shifting structures of family and labor, the traditional "scripts" for how to grow up as a man have largely been dismantled. To build a healthy, successful, and purposeful life today, young men should focus on five critical areas of awareness, backed by sociology, psychology, and modern research. 1. Redefining Purpose Beyond the "Sole Provider" Role For generations, the default script for masculinity was simple: be the primary financial provider and protector. As women have rightfully achieved rapid economic and educational progress, that old script has evolved. Many young men now struggle with feeling obsolete or "optional" when they are no longer expected to be the sole breadwinner. Young men need to understand that their value in a family and in a relationship is deeply personal, emotional, and cooperative—not just a paycheck. "The state of feeling unneeded is literally fatal. The best protector against despair is realizing that the world needs you." — Richard Reeves, President of the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM) Modern success means learning to be an equal, emotionally present partner and co-creator of a stable home, rather than holding onto an outdated, isolating provider model. 2. Transitioning from "Digital Retreat" to Real-World Agency With the rise of smartphones, immersive video games, online pornography, and social media, it has never been easier to escape the discomfort of real life. Researchers note that while young women struggling with mental health often report higher rates of internal anxiety, young men are more prone to "checking out" entirely—retreating into virtual worlds where they feel a false sense of control. To combat this, young adults must cultivate a mindful, active relationship with technology. The Wise Use Tech Plandeveloped by mental health professionals suggests the Three T's for managing tech: Tracking: Consciously observing how much you use your devices and how you feel afterward. Telling: Sharing your habits and feelings with trusted friends or mentors to build real-world accountability. Tuning In: Asking yourself if you are using screens to escape boredom, social anxiety, or the hard work of building a life. Success in the physical world requires stepping outside the screen, embracing the discomfort of real-world interactions, and taking active ownership of your daily life.

THE DAVID ALLIANCE TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman CATCH THIS:  Because the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, you become the mobile temple of God. The cosmic river of life no longer flows from a building in Jerusalem; it flows out of the deepest, most central part of your converted being.     Rheousin (ῥεύσουσιν) – "Will Flow" The Literal Meaning: This is a continuous active verb meaning to stream, to gush, or to flood heavily… ALWAYS FLOWING ALWAYS FRESH       The theology here is clear: Believers are not meant to be reservoirs that store up grace; we are meant to be pipelines that distribute it.   4. Practical Applications: Living the Outflow If the koilia (the core) is filled with the Spirit, it must result in a rheousin (a gushing flow) into our everyday environments. Here is how that applies practically:     WHAT THIS MEANS 1. Shift from "Consuming" to "Overflowing"   2. Radical Environmental Transformation (The Ezekiel Effect) WHERE EVER WE GO THINGS ARE GONNA GET WET!    3. Cultivating Emotional Integrity at the Core (Koilia) Because the river flows from the koilia—the seat of our emotions and deepest hidden spaces—it means our inner world matters immensely. If our inner core is clogged with bitterness, unexpressed anger, or anxiety, the outflow gets restricted.         James 3:11,12 can bitterness and fresh water come    Inconsistency reveals a problem - not with the source, but within the choice of which source to work from.  Its all about control - not the source The tongue… the mind - must be renewed. The river of life …the inner being of a man.    So we see two things at work in us… We can block the River - choosing to not obey We can poison the River - thought life   How to poison a river? Satan can't read your mind…  I can… every time. - you are going to think about chocolate ice cream…  NOW: I bet you are thinking about chocolate ice cream!  THEN: I attack you for thinking of chocolate ice cream. That's how satan works.        Practical Application from Scripture To keep the River flowing freely: - Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25). - Be filled with the Spirit continually (Ephesians 5:18). - Obey His leading, pursue holiness, and fan into flame the gift of God (2 Timothy 1:6). - Repent quickly when we grieve or quench Him.

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman The New Testament / Messianic Connection In Christian theology, Jesus directly applies this imagery to himself and the Holy Spirit. In John 7:37-38, he stands up at the Feast of Tabernacles—a festival focused heavily on water rituals—and cries out: "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." The ultimate fulfillment is seen as the Gospel and the Holy Spirit starting as a small movement in Jerusalem and swelling to bring spiritual life to the "dead" places of the entire world.     John 7:38 reads: “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” To fully capture the weight of this verse, we have to look at the explosive cultural context in which Jesus said it, the radical imagery of the original Greek, and what it actually looks like when this "living water" breaks out into daily life.   1. The Theological Context: The Water Libation Ritual Jesus doesn't whisper this statement in private; he shouts it on the final, greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles(Sukkot). During this 7-day festival, the High Priest led a massive procession down to the Pool of Siloam, filled a golden pitcher with water, and marched back to the Temple. As the crowds waved palm branches and sang the Hallel (Psalms 113–118), the priest poured the water out onto the altar.   On the eighth day, the water pouring stopped—symbolizing that the desert wanderings were over and they had reached the Promised Land. It is precisely at this moment of silence, when the water ritual ends, that Jesus stands up and shouts that He is the true source of that water. He is claiming to be the rock in the desert, the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple, and the source of the prophetic river.   2. Deep Dive Into the Greek Text Two specific words in the original Greek completely change how we visualize this verse. Koilia (κοιλία) – "From Within Them" The Literal Meaning: In older translations (like the KJV), this is translated as "out of his belly." Koilia literally refers to the abdomen, the womb, the innermost core, or the seat of human appetite and emotion.   IT WILL CHANGE YOU DEEPLY FROM THE INSIDE OUT… **The man who hit his thumb with a hammer who was filled with joy “I didn't swear… I didn't swear..!    The Theological Depth: Jesus is making a startling anatomical shift. In Ezekiel's vision, the river flowed from the physical threshold of the Temple. Jesus says that for the believer, the river flows from their koilia—their absolute innermost core.     CATCH THIS:  Because the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, you become the mobile temple of God. The cosmic river of life no longer flows from a building in Jerusalem; it flows out of the deepest, most central part of your converted being.

GARTH Heckman TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com The David Alliance  1. The Message in a Bottle from the Canadian Wilderness In the early 2000s, a young boy living near a small, unnamed tributary stream in the remote wilderness of northern Alberta, Canada, dropped a plastic bottle containing a note into the water. The River Highway: The small stream trickled into the Athabasca River. From there, the current carried it into Lake Athabasca, which feeds into the Slave River. The Slave River then flows into the massive Mackenzie River—the longest river system in Canada. The Ocean Arrival: The Mackenzie River emptied the bottle into the Arctic Ocean, thousands of miles north of where it started. The Final Twist: But the journey didn't stop there. Caught in the Arctic's churning currents and shifting pack ice, the bottle traveled through the Northwest Passage, drifted down past Greenland, and entered the Atlantic Ocean. The Discovery: Nearly 15 years later, the heavily weathered bottle washed ashore on a rugged beach in Scotland, roughly 4,000 miles away from the quiet Canadian stream where it began.       Ezekiel's temple river vision, found in Ezekiel 47:1–12, is one of the most powerful and visually vivid passages in Hebrew prophecy. Writing while exiled in Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple, Ezekiel is given a visionary tour of a magnificent, restored future temple. The climax of this tour isn't a piece of furniture or a ritual, but a miraculous, life-giving river that alters the geography of the land.   1. The Trickle from the Threshold Ezekiel sees water trickling out from under the south side of the temple threshold, flowing eastward past the altar. It starts as a mere trickle, an unlikely source for a massive body of water. 2. The Supernatural Expansion The divine guide leads Ezekiel eastward alongside the water, measuring the distance and checking the depth at four distinct intervals: 1,000 cubits (~1,500 feet): The water is ankle-deep. 2,000 cubits: The water reaches the knees. 3,000 cubits: The water is up to the waist. 4,000 cubits: It has become a massive, deep river that cannot be crossed on foot—a river deep enough to swim in. THOUGHT: The MORE the River grows the more it is in control. The River is going to go where the River wants to go… you ain't going to stop it.    The Miracle: What makes this expansion supernatural is that no tributaries or feeding streams are mentioned. The river grows exponentially entirely on its own, flowing straight out from the presence of God.

TDA The David Alliance Garth Heckman What's the best fighting advice you have ever been given… mine?… Avoid confrontation at all costs even if it means running away. Better to be out of breath and look foolish then out of breath because your dead.  the second best piece of advice Practice responding to an attack more than practicing how to attack back   We have been talking about hagah - or focus, attention and meditating. As the scripture says its chewing on something until you absorb it deep into your actions. Not just your mind, but your actions…  And why is it so important? Because we are at war… and a good soldier knows you practice warfare until it becomes who you are.    If you face just one opponent and you doubt yourself, you are already outnumbered. Dan Milman     There are more people with no training whatsoever who successfully defend themselves through sheer Will and indignation- than there ever will be trained martial artists, who get attacked and successfully defend themselves. Tony Blauer self defense legend

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman  The 10-Minute Hagah Protocol Phase 1: The Setup & Intercept (Minutes 0–2) Before you can fill your mind, you have to cut off the digital firehose. This phase applies the "cognitive friction" principle to lower your brain's baseline stimulation. Step 1: Leave your phone in a completely separate room. Sit at a clean desk or chair with zero digital screens in your line of sight. Step 2: Use a physical Bible or a single piece of paper with your chosen verse written on it. Do not use a phone app—the temptation to switch tasks is too high. Step 3: Close your eyes and take three deep, slow breaths (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 6). This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing your heart rate and preparing the prefrontal cortex for sustained focus. Phase 2: Selection & The First Taste (Minutes 2–3) Pick a single, high-impact verse. Do not try to read a whole chapter. You want a single "morsel" to ruminate on. Good focus options: Proverbs 4:25, Psalm 46:10, Philippians 4:8, or Joshua 1:8. Step 4: Read the verse out loud, slowly, three times. Pay close attention to punctuation and the natural rhythm of the words. Phase 3: The "Muttering" & Deep Encoding (Minutes 3–7) This is the core of Hagah—the active rumination. You are going to verbally and mentally circle the text. Step 5 (The Accent Shift): Repeat the verse out loud under your breath (literally muttering it), but shift the emphasis to a different word each time. Example with Psalm 46:10: "BE still, and know that I am God." (Focus on the command to halt movement) "Be STILL, and know that I am God." (Focus on the internal quiet) "Be still, and KNOW that I am God." (Focus on deep, unshakeable certainty) Step 6 (Deconstruction): Pick 1 or 2 core words from the verse and dissect them. Ask yourself: What is the exact opposite of this word? What does this word look like in action on a stressful Tuesday afternoon? Phase 4: Intercepting the Wander (Continuous) Your mind will wander during Phase 3. This is normal and is actually the precise moment your attention is trained. Step 7 (The Catch and Release): The moment you realize you are thinking about an email, a project, or a notification, do not get frustrated. Frustration triggers cortisol, which breaks focus. Acknowledge the thought, mentally say "Not right now," and immediately speak the verse out loud to pull your attention back to the anchor. Phase 5: Personal Integration & Close (Minutes 7–10) True Hagah must translate from intellectual processing into real-world application. Step 8 (The Bridge): Formulate one concrete sentence tracking how this specific verse applies to the rest of your day. Example: "Because I know to 'be still,' I will not check my notifications between my 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM deep-work blocks today." Step 9 (The Seal): Speak the verse out loud one final time from memory, close your notebook, and transition directly into your primary task for the day while your brain is operating at peak focus. Why This Works Scientifically By speaking the text under your breath (muttering), you are engaging dual-coding theory. You aren't just processing the text visually; you are processing it auditorily and kinesthetically (through the physical movement of your vocal cords). This drastically increases the cognitive workload dedicated to that single truth, effectively starving peripheral distractions of the mental energy they need to pull you away.

Garth Heckman TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com The David Alliance  To understand how to train your mind using these two approaches, we have to look at their fundamental mechanics. While modern secular mindfulness and Biblical meditation (Hagah) both aim to quiet a scattered mind, they achieve it through completely opposite movements: one focuses on emptying, while the other focuses on filling. Here is how the ancient Hebrew concept of Hagah works and how it contrasts with today's popular mindfulness practices for building cognitive focus. The Root of Hagah: Active Rumination In Western culture, the word "meditation" often conjures images of complete silence, stillness, and clearing the mind of all thoughts. The biblical Hebrew concept is entirely different. The Translation: The Hebrew word הָגָה (Hagah) literally translates to "to mutter," "to growl," "to chew," or "to ruminate." The Imagery: It is famously used in Isaiah 31:4 to describe a young lion growling over its prey. It is also the word-picture of a cow chewing its cud—swallowing food, bringing it back up, and chewing on it again to extract every ounce of nutrient. The Practice: In Joshua 1:8, when God commands Joshua to "meditate (Hagah) on this Book of the Law day and night," he isn't telling him to sit in silent contemplation. He is telling him to under-the-breath mutter, speak, and mentally chew on the text continuously throughout the day so that it shapes his immediate actions. Hagah vs. Secular Mindfulness: The Core Differences While both practices strengthen the prefrontal cortex and improve attention regulation, they navigate the internal world through different frameworks:

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com Garth Heckman The digital world is explicitly engineered to capture and fragment our attention. Dr. Gloria Mark, a leading informatics researcher at the University of California, Irvine, tracked digital behavior and found that the average attention span on a single screen has plummeted from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds today. When your focus breaks, it doesn't just snap back. It takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully return to a deep focus state after a single interruption because your brain gets caught in "intervening tasks." To train your brain to resist this friction and rebuild sustained focus, apply these three science-backed strategies:     Yes, absolutely. While the ancient world didn't have smartphones, the human struggle with a scattered mind, anxiety, and competing priorities is timeless. The Bible addresses the concept of focus extensively, using ancient terminology like singleness of heart, guarding the gates of the mind, and fixing one's eyes. Scriptural wisdom aligns remarkably well with modern cognitive science, framing focus not just as a productivity tool, but as a discipline of the mind and spirit. Here are three distinct clues and frameworks the Bible provides on how to focus. 1. The Principle of the "Single Eye" (Eliminating Divided Attention) In the New Testament, Jesus explicitly addresses the danger of a divided mind. The ancient concept of focus was often tied to vision—what you allow your eyes to linger on dictates your internal state. The Scripture: In Luke 11:34, Jesus states: "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy [single/focused], your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy [bad/divided], your body also is full of darkness." The Clue: The original Greek word used for "healthy" or "good" in many translations is haplous, which literally means single, uncomplicated, or unfolded. Conversely, the word for "unhealthy" or "bad" (poneros) in this context implies being double or divided. The Takeaway: The Bible warns that if your vision is fragmented by too many competing inputs, your internal world becomes chaotic. It tells us that true focus requires a single, undivided gaze. 2. Guarding the Gates of the Mind (Active Filtering) Just as modern psychology tells us to limit notifications to protect our working memory, Biblical wisdom commands us to set up strict boundaries around what we allow into our consciousness. The Scripture: Proverbs 4:25–27 provides direct, actionable instructions on attentional control: "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left..." The Clue: This is a classic Stoic-like scriptural command for attentional filtering. The Bible recognizes that distractions ("the right or the left") are constantly pulling at us. Proverbs 4:23 pairs this with the ultimate reason for focus: "Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." In ancient Hebrew psychology, the "heart" (lev) represented the mind, will, and intellect. The Takeaway: Focus is a defensive act. You must actively filter out the noise of the periphery to protect the trajectory of your life. 3. Capturing Thought Loops (Taking Cognitive Control) A major enemy of focus in a digital age is the endless loop of mental chatter, comparison, and anxiety. The New Testament provides a aggressive model for dealing with rogue thoughts rather than letting them run wild. The Scripture: In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul writes about the mental discipline required in leadership and faith: "...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." The Clue: The phrase "take captive" (aichmalotizo) is a military term meaning to capture at sword-point or take as a prisoner of war. The Takeaway: The Bible instructs us not to be passive consumers of our own thoughts or digital feeds. When a distracting, anxious, or irrelevant thought enters your mind, you are told to arrest it immediately, evaluate it, and intentionally redirect your mental energy back to what matters. The Ultimate Biblical Focus Filter: If you want a modern-day checklist for what should pass through your attentional filter, Philippians 4:8 lays it out perfectly. It tells us exactly where to anchor a scattered mind: "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman   Here are ten things most people don't know about the real Colonel Sanders: 1. He was not a military colonel The title "Colonel" was strictly honorary. It was bestowed upon him twice by the Governor of Kentucky—first in 1935 and again in 1950—as a recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine. He took the title seriously, though, eventually bleaching his beard white and adopting the iconic string tie and white suit full-time.   2. He got into a fatal shootout with a business rival While running a standard gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, Sanders got into a fierce dispute with Matt Stewart, a rival station owner who kept painting over Sanders' highway signs. When Sanders caught him in the act, a shootout commenced. Stewart shot and killed a Shell gas company executive who was with Sanders. Sanders shot Stewart in the shoulder. Stewart was convicted of murder, effectively eliminating Sanders' local competition.   3. He was fired from a dozen different careers first Before finding success with chicken, Sanders had a chaotic resume. He was a railroad blacksmith, a steam engine stoker, an insurance salesman, a ferry boat operator, and even practiced law in Arkansas. He was ultimately barred from his own legal practice after getting into a physical fistfight with his own client inside the courtroom.   4. His first restaurant success was ruined by an interstate highway By the 1940s, Sanders had built a highly successful physical restaurant and motel concept in Corbin. However, in the early 1950s, a new interstate highway bypassed the town entirely, obliterating his customer traffic. He sold the property at a massive loss, was left broke, and lived off his 105-dollar monthly Social Security check while reinventing his business.   5. The pressure cooker was his secret weapon In the 1930s, pan-frying chicken took about 30 minutes—far too slow for a restaurant service. Deep frying dried it out. When the commercial pressure cooker was invented to cook vegetables, Sanders brilliantly modified it to fry chicken using oil under pressure. This reduced the cook time to just 9 minutes while keeping the meat incredibly juicy.   6. He was legendary for his explosive profanity Despite his grandfatherly appearance, Sanders had a notoriously fiery temper and a mouth like a sailor. He was known to unleash massive, incredibly creative streams of swear words if things weren't done to his standards. He once admitted, "I used to cuss something terrible. I was a master at it.”   7. He fiercely sued KFC after selling the company Sanders sold the American operations of KFC in 1964 for 2 million dollars but stayed on as a brand ambassador. As corporate executives began tweaking the menu to cut costs, Sanders grew furious. He famously went on late-night talk shows calling the new gravy "wallpaper paste" and the chicken "a damn fried dough ball." When he tried to open a competing restaurant named after himself, corporate sued him, and he countersued them for 122 million dollars. They eventually settled out of court.   8. He delivered his first child himself During his early, cash-strapped marriage to his first wife, Josephine, they could not afford a doctor when she went into labor. Sanders successfully delivered his firstborn child himself at home.   9. He wore the white wool suit year-round Once he adopted his famous look, he committed to it entirely. He wore a heavy white wool suit in the winter and a lighter white cotton suit in the summer. He refused to be seen in public wearing anything else for the last 20 years of his life.   10. He was a massive philanthropist who gave away his fortune Because he knew what it was like to be destitute, Sanders spent his later years giving away the vast majority of his wealth. He funded massive scholarships, bought medical equipment for hospitals, and adopted dozens of orphaned children overseas through charities, right up until his death at age 90 in 1980.           Sermon: Unfinished Business Text: Joshua 14:6–14 Focus: The life of Caleb Introduction: The Tragedy of the Settled Life There is a massive difference between finishing a task and quitting out of exhaustion. Too many people wrap up their lives, their careers, their callings, and even their faith long before God ever intended them to stop. They settle into a comfortable valley because the mountain looks too steep. They trade their calling for a couch, confusing the end of a season with the end of their purpose. But the Kingdom of God has no retirement plan. It only has a graduation plan.   Dog Impetuous is an adjective describing someone who acts quickly and impulsively, without thinking carefully about the consequences. It refers to rash, spur-of-the-moment actions often driven by sudden emotion rather than thoughtful planning. In a more literal or literary sense, it can also describe something moving with great force or violence     Numbers 13: (the first half of this chapter is all true… even the part about the enemies… its all true - But why does God say about their report?    29The Amalekites live in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.” 30Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!” 31But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!”…       How do you maintain that kind of raw, kinetic power after forty-five years of hardship?   Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb has a different SPIRIT/attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.   DIFFERENT = HB Ak-aihr - follower of the Lord, “other mans spirit” They gave a bad report… it was the truth..   STAY HEALTHY… THE BEST IS YET TO COME AND YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT.

Garth Heckman The David Alliance  TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  th grade… lets make a snowman… just a huge snowball… we push it up a large hill… lets roll it down and see how fast it can go… Im going to let it roll over me at the bottom… BIG MISTAKE. IT PICKED UP MOMENTUM, SUCKING UP EVERY PIECE OF SNOW IN ITS PATH… FASTER, BIGGER, FASTER, BIGGER….        Introduction: God Has Always Been Moving Momentum. It is the principle that a body in motion tends to stay in motion.  In physics, it is a law.  In the kingdom of God, it is a promise.        God Is the Source of All Momentum The Spirit Moved First   The very opening of Scripture shows us a God in motion:   "In the beginning-MOMENTUM- God created-MOMENTUM- the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering-MOMENTUM- over the waters."  — Genesis 1:1–2 The Hebrew word for 'hovering' is rachaph — it means to flutter, to brood, to move with energy and intention. This is our God. He does not wait passively. He moves first. He initiates. Momentum in the kingdom always begins with Him, not with us. You did not choose momentum. Momentum chose you.   Once the world was formed it was called to multiply and be fruitful = momentum!      In him is the momentum… where is his Spirit leading?  "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself."  — Exodus 19:4       WHAT IS GOD SAYING… I BUILT MOMENTUM TO CARRY YOU OUT OF EGYPT. The build can be hard, the waiting, the build up… But when they left - they were begged to leave, given treasure, given favor, provided miracles of crossing the red sea!      The eagle does not flap its wings furiously —  it spreads them wide and rides the thermal currents. The question is not: 'How hard am I working?' The question is: 'Am I in alignment with what God is already doing?   An eagle will carry its young on its wings after pushing them out of the nest…  Not only that they will remove the soft lining of the nest to get them to step out…  IF THEY DON'T THEY WILL PUT THORNS IN THE NEST… The eaglet will be forced out only then to have the mother fly with it, catch it if need be and teach it to catch the thermal waves of momentum.  Maybe things are uncomfortable because God is trying to move you into momentum. 

TDA The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com   Corinthians 1:27-29: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."     Right after using these three words, Paul caps off his thought in verse 28 with a fascinating Greek phrase: ta mē onta, which literally translates to "the things that are not" or "the non-existent things." God literally takes people and things that the world treats as if they don't even exist—social ghosts, invisible people, tiny crumbs—and uses them to bring to absolute nothingness (katargeō) the heavy hitters of society. It is the ultimate biblical paradox: God uses the "morons," the "powerless," and the "nobodies" to rewrite human history.

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com The David Alliance Garth Heckman Common Patterns Across Preparation for the ultimate purpose. OR AS I LIKE TO THINK OF IT WHAT THESE WAVES PRODUCE AS MY FREQUNCY - Obscurity and delay built character: Long "preparation seasons" stripped self-reliance and taught waiting on God. - Suffering produced empathy and reliance: - Skills and context were strategic: God repurposed their vocations/cultures (shepherding, fishing, scholarship, administration, tentmaking) rather than erasing them. - Failures were not disqualifiers: Denial (Peter), murder plot involvement indirectly (Paul, Paul shouting at the High Priest), family dysfunction (Joseph/David) became part of their testimony. - Positioning: Experiences placed them exactly where needed (Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, Paul on Roman roads, Ruth in Boaz's field). - Ultimate purpose was bigger than comfort: Their lives advanced God's redemptive story—preserving Israel, establishing kingship, prophesying, building the Church, and pointing to Jesus.     Purpose Disruption follows purpose.  ie. God created the earth and sin entered. God calls a person and disruption enters,    If our purpose does not end in people it's empty of true fulfillment!     1 —  Purpose is simple. It is given to us by God. But is fulfilled thru your gifts, talents, passions, abilities, (these are different waves that create the frequency of your life)       2. Purpose has nothing to do with perfection - but rather in motion - continually moving forward in Gods purpose.   3. The sum of your interruptions, roadblocks and daily grind fulfill your purpose more than the grand scheme, dream or goals you achieve.   4. "Your unique gifting, passion and quirks were engineered for friction and addiction. What do I mean? Your purpose will cause friction for some. Your Purpose will be your addiction… you can't give up.   Joseph told his brothers his dreams. This wasn't just a young boys blunder, but a confidence and stubbornness born out of his purpose.       5. "Your purpose might look entirely invisible to the world." Culture tells us that impact is measured by volume, dollars, visibility, likes and applause. A divine perspective, however, measures weight differently.    

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@gmal.com Garth Heckman So what am I talking about today?  But we get our gifting, our passions our talents and our purpose all confused. What is what? Gifting is a natural ability. Athletics, singing, math, Art Passion is something we love doing. Performing, creating, teaching, playing Talents are typically something we have practiced to achieve.  And sometimes these all weave together for the perfect storm.    But none are the sum total of our purpose!    The Bible doesn't give just one single sentence for a person's purpose;  it unfolds it like a grand narrative with a few core pillars.    OT and NT a person's ultimate purpose is generally broken down into three main relationships:    -  your relationship with God,    -  your relationship with others,    -  and your relationship with the world around you.   1. To Know God and Bring Him Glory MGLG At the very foundation, the Bible states that humans were created by God and for God. Your primary purpose is to be in a relationship with Him and to reflect His character to the world.   Reflecting His Image: In Genesis 1:27, it says humans are made in the "image of God." Think of this like a mirror—our job is to reflect His love, justice, kindness, and creativity into the world. Bringing Him Glory: MGLG -The prophet Isaiah quotes God as saying, "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Isaiah 43:7). BOTTOM LINE: LOOK LIKE GOD AND MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD       2. The Twin Pillars: Love God, Love People When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment in the entire scripture was, He simplified the entire Old Testament law into two direct actions. This is often looked at as the "Ultimate Summary" of human purpose.   MATTHEW 22:37 The first commandment Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and spirit. Second greatest is to lover your neighbor as yourself.        3. Cultivate the World (The Cultural Mandate) Purpose in the Bible isn't just spiritual; it's also practical and action-oriented. Right at the beginning of the human story, God gave mankind a specific job description regarding the earth itself. In Genesis 1:28, humans are told to "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." This is often called the Cultural Mandate. It means humans are designed to be stewards—caretakers of creation. Your purpose includes taking raw potential (whether that's land, a business, a family, or a talent) and cultivating or literally squeezing everything out of it to help life thrive. 4. Walking in Unique, Prepared Good Works   the Apostle Paul writes about how Gods purpose intertwines with our purpose which is good works.  We are uniquely crafted for specific contributions to this world.   "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." — Ephesians 2:10   The word used for "handiwork" or "workmanship" in the original Greek text is poiema (where we get our word poem). The Bible views your life as a unique masterpiece designed to carry out specific good deeds that match your exact strengths, personality, and experiences. Does "Handiwork" Tie into "Good Works"? Thematically yes, strongly: The verse's logic flows from identity (we are God's crafted masterpiece) to purpose (created for good works God pre-planned). Being God's poiema equips and orients us toward the erga agatha. Good works are the outworking and goal of His creative work in us—not the cause of salvation, but its fruit (tying back to vv. 8–9).   Picture this: His work in us, created us for his works through us to fulfill his purpose.      Handiwork vs. Good works in Eph. 2:8,9 Two different words. Gods work is a masterpiece Our work is a labor. ONE IS OUR IDENTITY THE OTHER IS OUR ACTIVITY     Life experiences we see in scripture and the real world.  Their life experiences were not random or wasted but formed the precise preparation, character development, skills, relationships, and credibility God used for their callings.** The Bible shows a consistent pattern: God shapes people through seasons of obscurity, suffering, failure, cultural exposure, and incremental faithfulness long before the "big moment." These experiences built humility, dependence on God, specific competencies, empathy, and strategic positioning.     David (1 Samuel 16 – 2 Samuel) **Key experiences**: Rejected by His father born illegitimate, Shepherd boy overlooked by family, given menial jobs, trials by lion/bear protecting sheep, anointed privately as future king, served Saul as musician/warrior, faced Goliath with past faithfulness as proof, 13 plus years as fugitive hiding in caves from Saul, attracted misfits and losers, forced to work with the Philistines his enemies.    - **How it prepared him**: Learned how to deal with rejection and turn to God. Shepherding taught leadership, courage, and reliance on God (Psalms reflect this). Defeating Goliath came from tested faith in small battles. Wilderness years forged trust in God's timing (refusing to kill Saul), developed military strategy, and created a loyal following. These equipped him to unite Israel, establish the kingdom, write worship that endures, and prepare the way for the temple/Solomon. His "rejection" years were kingship training.

Garth Heckman TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com The David Alliance  Can opener What is it? How do I use it? Where do I use it? Why do I use it?      My Natural gifts are leadership, communication,          (Preached when I was 14, spoke for Mayor Pawlenty, spoke infant of 20K- never nervous) My physical gifting is balance, strength, I could skate, ski, snowboard great for a husky kid My Spiritual gifting is Evangelism, Apostleship, Preaching/teaching, giving My Soul gifting is creativity, music, poetry - written 100's songs, books for Hal Leonard My Mental gifting is prolonged focus, grind, discipline AND AN IDGAF ATTITUDE These are all waves… but when they tune into the frequency that God has for me it intensifies my life in His purpose.    **BUT HANG 3 PICTURES ON A WALL… NEVER!          Liars club and old show - What's this for? What is its purpose. David Letterman got his start here…    When I tested in high school it said you should be a professional clown, a comedian or an actor/singer. I guess I'm all three today.   I took a test when I was in my late 20's at a conference. Basically it took questions and pictures of your formative years and helped you weave insight into your gifting… My Storie board growing up helped me understand that I was doing exactly what I should be doing… But none of these told me my purpose.    Mark Twain is widely credited with the famous quote: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.   a 1970 sermon by the Rev. Ernest T. Campbell at the Riverside Church in New York.

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Gravity  -  You can't beat it. Client lost 265 pounds… Box jump 2 inches… to 20 inches.   You can't beat gravity… but you can improve.   Eph. 3 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.   Look at the dot of an “I” in your bible. That is the sun, it holds 1 million earths Our current earth is the galaxy it lives in THERE ARE PLANETS OUT IN OTHER GALAXIES THAT ARE BIGGER THAN OUR GALAXY.      Paul is essentially praying that his listeners will do the impossible: to intellectually comprehend something that is inherently beyond intellectual comprehension, all so they can be entirely consumed by the divine.   He is telling you to try to beat gravity… you won't but you can experience it greater and greater.      A teacher in bible college put it this way… Describe to someone what the ocean is who has never SEEN THE OCEAN AND NEVER experienced anything liquid.     God calls us to grasp how wide, long, high and deep his love is… knowing we never will fully grasp it.      But the attempt is clear: ALWAYS FOCUS ON GODS LOVE FOR US!        When you focus on Gods love 3 things happen in your life!        - 1. Sin We don't have a sin problem,  we have a knowing God problem.     Knowing His Supreme love keeps us tender and sinless - think of the time you were most whipped in love. I can. Kim and I were dating and she was in the car leaning forward fiddling with the radio. I was outside standing behind my car filling it up with gas. I looked at my buddy Pele and said can you believe that girl loves me? I literally could not fathom it… He looked at me in disbelief and said “it makes no sense”. **But what if he then said “how many times do you think she will let you fool around  with other girls… how many times will she let you smack her around, lie to her, steal from her, gossip about her… etc… I would have had a mental breakdown and sparks shoot from a short circuit in my head… that would make no sense to me. Knowing God's love keeps us from asking how far can I go in the world...     Satan will take your sin, your past, your guilt and try to make you feel like a servant. ITS CALLED SIN CONCIOUS   John 14:31 If you love the father you will obey his commandments. Love God = the fruit is obedience.   *if you focus on the commands you will be religious and guilt ridden and sin conscious.     You will fall into the trap of trying to push yourself away from your sin Using willpower Discipline Rules Accountability    What did Joseph say when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife? He remembers the 7th commandment: Thou shalt not have adultery… NOPE!  

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Gravity  -  You can't beat it. Client lost 265 pounds… Box jump 2 inches… to 20 inches.   You can't beat gravity… but you can improve.   Eph. 3 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.   Look at the dot of an “I” in your bible. That is the sun, it holds 1 million earths Our current earth is the galaxy it lives in THERE ARE PLANETS OUT IN OTHER GALAXIES THAT ARE BIGGER THAN OUR GALAXY.      Paul is essentially praying that his listeners will do the impossible: to intellectually comprehend something that is inherently beyond intellectual comprehension, all so they can be entirely consumed by the divine.   He is telling you to try to beat gravity… you won't but you can experience it greater and greater.      A teacher in bible college put it this way… Describe to someone what the ocean is who has never SEEN THE OCEAN AND NEVER experienced anything liquid.     God calls us to grasp how wide, long, high and deep his love is… knowing we never will fully grasp it.      But the attempt is clear: ALWAYS FOCUS ON GODS LOVE FOR US! 

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman Just because cancer sucks doesn't mean your life has to.  I have talked openly about my cancer journey before… 3 cancers started in my Colon, spread through my Lymphatic then liver cancer… they said I'd be dead in 2 years with liver cancer. But even though I made it I was left with a brain tumor and an enlarged heart… plus severe neuropathy and hearing loss and a few other goodies…  But what I kept telling myself was I hope others can learn from my journey… so I just finished  5 eBooks on my cancer journey. I just listed them on Etsy and Sam cart. If you have questions about cancer for yourself or a friend feel free to hit me up. But with that I want to do a short series on what I learned the hard way from living through the hard way.   1. Prayer Becomes a Lifeline, Not a Ritual Before cancer, prayer can feel like a spiritual discipline — something you do because you should. Cancer strips that away entirely. When you are lying in a clinic chair watching chemicals drip into your veins, prayer stops being a religious exercise and becomes the most honest conversation of your life. You learn to pray with a rawness and desperation that actually draws you closer to God than a thousand comfortable Sunday mornings ever did.   2. God Is Present in the Darkness, Not Just the Highlights It is easy to sense God in the mountaintop moments — the answered prayers, the breakthroughs, the celebrations. Cancer teaches you to find Him in the valley. In the 2am fear. In the waiting room silence. In the moment the doctor walks in with results. You discover that His presence was never limited to the good days — He was always there. You just needed the noise of a comfortable life to be stripped away before you could feel Him.   3. Surrender Is Not Weakness — It Is the Bravest Thing You Will Ever Do The control you thought you had was always an illusion. Cancer simply makes that undeniable. Learning to say "God, I trust You with this" — and actually mean it — is one of the most spiritually mature and courageous acts a human being can perform. You discover that surrender is not giving up. It is giving over — and there is an inexplicable peace that follows that most people never experience until they have no other choice.   4. Your Identity Is Not in Your Health, Your Productivity, or Your Role Cancer has a way of stripping you of everything you used to define yourself — your energy, your independence, your ability to perform and produce. And in that stripping, you are forced to confront a beautiful and terrifying question: Who am I when I can do nothing? The answer God whispers back changes everything. You are not what you do. You are not what you produce. You are deeply, permanently, unconditionally loved — and that is enough.   5. The Body of Christ Was Designed for Exactly This You learn very quickly that you were never meant to walk hard seasons alone. The meals that show up at your door. The friends who sit in silence with you because they don't know what to say but they show up anyway. The stranger in the waiting room who prays with you. Cancer reveals the Church at its absolute best — and you discover that receiving grace from others is just as holy as giving it.   6. Eternity Becomes More Real Than Ever Before When your mortality is no longer an abstract concept but a very present reality, eternity stops being theological and starts being personal. You find yourself thinking about heaven differently — not as a distant idea but as a coming home. Your grip on this world loosens in the most freeing way. The things that used to consume your worry — money, status, opinions of others — begin to look very small against the backdrop of forever.   7. Gratitude Goes Deeper Than You Knew Was Possible You never knew you could be so grateful for a Tuesday. For a cup of coffee. For the sound of someone you love laughing in the next room. Cancer recalibrates your gratitude to a frequency most people never reach. The ordinary becomes sacred. The mundane becomes miraculous. You find yourself thanking God for things you walked past a thousand times without noticing — and that shift in perspective becomes one of the most unexpected gifts of the entire journey.   8. God Can Handle Your Anger, Your Doubt, and Your Questions One of the most liberating spiritual discoveries of the cancer journey is that God is not fragile. He does not flinch when you are angry. He does not withdraw when you have questions He hasn't answered. He does not love you less when your faith feels more like a flickering candle than a raging fire. You learn that honest wrestling with God is not a sign of weak faith — it is actually the evidence of a real relationship. He can handle every hard question you bring to Him.   9. Your Suffering Has a Purpose Larger Than You Can See Romans 8:28 stops being a bumper sticker and becomes a lifeline. You begin to see — sometimes only in hindsight — that nothing in your journey is wasted. The fear you survived gives you the ability to sit with someone else in theirs. The night seasons you endured become the very thing that qualifies you to speak hope into someone who is just entering their own. Your cancer becomes a platform for a ministry only you could carry — because you lived it.   10. Death Has Lost Its Sting — and That Changes How You Live Perhaps the deepest spiritual gift of walking through cancer is coming face to face with your own mortality and discovering on the other side that you are no longer afraid. Not because the journey wasn't hard — it was. But because somewhere in the valley you encountered a God who conquered death Himself, and His resurrection became personal to you in a way it never was before. You come out the other side living differently — more boldly, more lovingly, more freely — because you have settled the deepest question a human soul can face.   These ten things are not just lessons — they are a testimony. And your three cancer journeys have given you a depth of spiritual authority on every single one of them that no seminary degree could ever replicate.

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman Just because cancer sucks doesn't mean your life has to.  I have talked openly about my cancer journey before… 3 cancers started in my Colon, spread through my Lymphatic then liver cancer… they said I'd be dead in 2 years with liver cancer. But even though I made it I was left with a brain tumor and an enlarged heart… plus severe neuropathy and hearing loss and a few other goodies…  But what I kept telling myself was I hope others can learn from my journey… so I just finished  5 eBooks on my cancer journey. I just listed them on Etsy and Sam cart. If you have questions about cancer for yourself or a friend feel free to hit me up. But with that I want to do a short series on what I learned the hard way from living through the hard way.   1. Prayer Becomes a Lifeline, Not a Ritual Before cancer, prayer can feel like a spiritual discipline — something you do because you should. Cancer strips that away entirely. When you are lying in a clinic chair watching chemicals drip into your veins, prayer stops being a religious exercise and becomes the most honest conversation of your life. You learn to pray with a rawness and desperation that actually draws you closer to God than a thousand comfortable Sunday mornings ever did.   2. God Is Present in the Darkness, Not Just the Highlights It is easy to sense God in the mountaintop moments — the answered prayers, the breakthroughs, the celebrations. Cancer teaches you to find Him in the valley. In the 2am fear. In the waiting room silence. In the moment the doctor walks in with results. You discover that His presence was never limited to the good days — He was always there. You just needed the noise of a comfortable life to be stripped away before you could feel Him.   3. Surrender Is Not Weakness — It Is the Bravest Thing You Will Ever Do The control you thought you had was always an illusion. Cancer simply makes that undeniable. Learning to say "God, I trust You with this" — and actually mean it — is one of the most spiritually mature and courageous acts a human being can perform. You discover that surrender is not giving up. It is giving over — and there is an inexplicable peace that follows that most people never experience until they have no other choice.   4. Your Identity Is Not in Your Health, Your Productivity, or Your Role Cancer has a way of stripping you of everything you used to define yourself — your energy, your independence, your ability to perform and produce. And in that stripping, you are forced to confront a beautiful and terrifying question: Who am I when I can do nothing? The answer God whispers back changes everything. You are not what you do. You are not what you produce. You are deeply, permanently, unconditionally loved — and that is enough.   5. The Body of Christ Was Designed for Exactly This You learn very quickly that you were never meant to walk hard seasons alone. The meals that show up at your door. The friends who sit in silence with you because they don't know what to say but they show up anyway. The stranger in the waiting room who prays with you. Cancer reveals the Church at its absolute best — and you discover that receiving grace from others is just as holy as giving it.   6. Eternity Becomes More Real Than Ever Before When your mortality is no longer an abstract concept but a very present reality, eternity stops being theological and starts being personal. You find yourself thinking about heaven differently — not as a distant idea but as a coming home. Your grip on this world loosens in the most freeing way. The things that used to consume your worry — money, status, opinions of others — begin to look very small against the backdrop of forever.   7. Gratitude Goes Deeper Than You Knew Was Possible You never knew you could be so grateful for a Tuesday. For a cup of coffee. For the sound of someone you love laughing in the next room. Cancer recalibrates your gratitude to a frequency most people never reach. The ordinary becomes sacred. The mundane becomes miraculous. You find yourself thanking God for things you walked past a thousand times without noticing — and that shift in perspective becomes one of the most unexpected gifts of the entire journey.   8. God Can Handle Your Anger, Your Doubt, and Your Questions One of the most liberating spiritual discoveries of the cancer journey is that God is not fragile. He does not flinch when you are angry. He does not withdraw when you have questions He hasn't answered. He does not love you less when your faith feels more like a flickering candle than a raging fire. You learn that honest wrestling with God is not a sign of weak faith — it is actually the evidence of a real relationship. He can handle every hard question you bring to Him.   9. Your Suffering Has a Purpose Larger Than You Can See Romans 8:28 stops being a bumper sticker and becomes a lifeline. You begin to see — sometimes only in hindsight — that nothing in your journey is wasted. The fear you survived gives you the ability to sit with someone else in theirs. The night seasons you endured become the very thing that qualifies you to speak hope into someone who is just entering their own. Your cancer becomes a platform for a ministry only you could carry — because you lived it.

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman Just because cancer sucks doesn't mean your life has to.  I have talked openly about my cancer journey before… 3 cancers started in my Colon, spread through my Lymphatic then liver cancer… they said I'd be dead in 2 years with liver cancer. But even though I made it I was left with a brain tumor and an enlarged heart… plus severe neuropathy and hearing loss and a few other goodies…  But what I kept telling myself was I hope others can learn from my journey… so I just finished  5 eBooks on my cancer journey. I just listed them on Etsy and Sam cart. If you have questions about cancer for yourself or a friend feel free to hit me up. But with that I want to do a short series on what I learned the hard way from living through the hard way.   1. Prayer Becomes a Lifeline, Not a Ritual Before cancer, prayer can feel like a spiritual discipline — something you do because you should. Cancer strips that away entirely. When you are lying in a clinic chair watching chemicals drip into your veins, prayer stops being a religious exercise and becomes the most honest conversation of your life. You learn to pray with a rawness and desperation that actually draws you closer to God than a thousand comfortable Sunday mornings ever did.   2. God Is Present in the Darkness, Not Just the Highlights It is easy to sense God in the mountaintop moments — the answered prayers, the breakthroughs, the celebrations. Cancer teaches you to find Him in the valley. In the 2am fear. In the waiting room silence. In the moment the doctor walks in with results. You discover that His presence was never limited to the good days — He was always there. You just needed the noise of a comfortable life to be stripped away before you could feel Him.   3. Surrender Is Not Weakness — It Is the Bravest Thing You Will Ever Do The control you thought you had was always an illusion. Cancer simply makes that undeniable. Learning to say "God, I trust You with this" — and actually mean it — is one of the most spiritually mature and courageous acts a human being can perform. You discover that surrender is not giving up. It is giving over — and there is an inexplicable peace that follows that most people never experience until they have no other choice.   4. Your Identity Is Not in Your Health, Your Productivity, or Your Role Cancer has a way of stripping you of everything you used to define yourself — your energy, your independence, your ability to perform and produce. And in that stripping, you are forced to confront a beautiful and terrifying question: Who am I when I can do nothing? The answer God whispers back changes everything. You are not what you do. You are not what you produce. You are deeply, permanently, unconditionally loved — and that is enough.   5. The Body of Christ Was Designed for Exactly This You learn very quickly that you were never meant to walk hard seasons alone. The meals that show up at your door. The friends who sit in silence with you because they don't know what to say but they show up anyway. The stranger in the waiting room who prays with you. Cancer reveals the Church at its absolute best — and you discover that receiving grace from others is just as holy as giving it.   6. Eternity Becomes More Real Than Ever Before When your mortality is no longer an abstract concept but a very present reality, eternity stops being theological and starts being personal. You find yourself thinking about heaven differently — not as a distant idea but as a coming home. Your grip on this world loosens in the most freeing way. The things that used to consume your worry — money, status, opinions of others — begin to look very small against the backdrop of forever.

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman Books available here:  https://garthheckman.mysamcart.com/the-faith-based-cancer-manual/#   I have talked openly about my cancer journey before… 3 cancers started in my Colon, spread through my Lymphatic then liver cancer… they said I'd be dead in 2 years with liver cancer. But even though I made it I was left with a brain tumor and an enlarged heart… plus severe neuropathy and hearing loss and a few other goodies…  But what I kept telling myself was I hope others can learn from my journey… so I just finished  5 eBooks on my cancer journey. I just listed them on Etsy and Sam cart. If you have questions about cancer for yourself or a friend feel free to hit me up. But with that I want to do a short series on what I learned the hard way from living through the hard way.   1. Prayer Becomes a Lifeline, Not a Ritual Before cancer, prayer can feel like a spiritual discipline — something you do because you should. Cancer strips that away entirely. When you are lying in a clinic chair watching chemicals drip into your veins, prayer stops being a religious exercise and becomes the most honest conversation of your life. You learn to pray with a rawness and desperation that actually draws you closer to God than a thousand comfortable Sunday mornings ever did.   2. God Is Present in the Darkness, Not Just the Highlights It is easy to sense God in the mountaintop moments — the answered prayers, the breakthroughs, the celebrations. Cancer teaches you to find Him in the valley. In the 2am fear. In the waiting room silence. In the moment the doctor walks in with results. You discover that His presence was never limited to the good days — He was always there. You just needed the noise of a comfortable life to be stripped away before you could feel Him.   3. Surrender Is Not Weakness — It Is the Bravest Thing You Will Ever Do The control you thought you had was always an illusion. Cancer simply makes that undeniable. Learning to say "God, I trust You with this" — and actually mean it — is one of the most spiritually mature and courageous acts a human being can perform. You discover that surrender is not giving up. It is giving over — and there is an inexplicable peace that follows that most people never experience until they have no other choice.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman VERY FAMILIAR STORY -   *TIED TO MY NOTES TODAY   THE BUILD UP and DEMISE OF ISRAEL    THE PEOPLE WANTED A MAN OVER GOD (They wanted a King)… Here is an old quote: when more than one votes… you can assure its the wrong decision. It wasn't a King that was truly the problem -  BUT RATHER following a man, that was the problem. It was the peoples desire to follow a King over a prophet who followed God.      ***No one voted a prophet in.         ****People choose a King, God chooses a prophet.    Saul offers false sacrifices Saul chooses to disobey Gods orders to wipe out the Amakalites  Saul becomes erratic and tormented by demonic spirits  Saul now operates out of fear  *Israel and the army now saw their enemies the way their leader did - IN FEAR.   The battle of David and Goliath was never really about David and Goliath. It was the culmination of Israel's spiritual decline under Saul, and the first visible sign that God had already been at work preparing a different kind of leader — one after His own heart.       1 Samuel 17 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!”     David's arrival on the battlefield was jarring precisely because of the contrast. He was young, unarmored, and inexperienced — but he carried something the entire army had lost: a reference point for who God was.         David doesn't call out the enemy, he calls out his tactics… His weapons of choice.  WHY?      In 1 Samuel 17:45, David identifies a three-fold physical threat.  In John 10:10, Jesus identifies a three-fold spiritual threat. They map onto each other in a way that shows how the enemy operates:   | Goliath's Arsenal (1 Samuel 17:45) | The Thief's Mission (John 10:10) | The Spiritual Parallel    -  The Sword.  |  To Steal   | Goliath relied on his sword to strip Israel of their land, their freedom, and their identity. The enemy wants to rob you of your peace and purpose.    The Spear.  |   To Kill | A spear is designed for a direct, fatal strike. Goliath's   Literal goal was to end David's life; the thief's goal is total spiritual death.   The Javelin   |   To Destroy   |  A javelin is thrown from a distance, bringing unexpected, widespread ruin. The enemy aims for complete devastation of your life and relationships.    The Core Contrast: Flesh vs. Spirit The real tie-in between these two passages is the **source of victory** that both David and Jesus point to. Both stories set up a stark contrast between reliance on worldly power and reliance on divine power.    * **David's Answer:** Right after naming Goliath's weapons, David says, *"But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts."* He acknowledges the physical threat but completely bypasses it by relying on God's authority.    * **Jesus' Answer:** Right after naming the thief's three-fold threat, Jesus says, *"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."*     Bears and Lions can't call you out. They can't mock you, cast verbal jabs and doubt at you.      Historical Context His defiance of Israel's armies was also a taunt against their God. Your problems, issues, fears, is a taunt against God!   Goliath's relys on human technology, political position and physical power.   David invokes God's character and power, not his own resources. This echoes the idea that God's name represents His active intervention (similar to Exodus 3 or the Psalms).     It wasn't the weapon David had it was the Worship.  Slingers were common;   -  Tribe of Benjamin 700 warriors ambidextrous        -    Sling a stone up to 95 MPH              -   At over 200 yards…  They were so confident they would inscribe words on their stones… MINE WOULD BE “ROCK ON”      David contrasts Goliath's weapons with the invisible but superior heavenly host. This title appears frequently in prophetic books but here underscores early recognition of God's military sovereignty. "Whom you have defied [cheraf-ta]": The verb charaf means to reproach, taunt, or blaspheme. Goliath's challenge is personal against Israel's God, making this a theological battle, not just military. YOUR PROBLEMS ARE A THEOLOGICAL PROBLEM…  i.e. Your problems are a “who is your God Problem”       Do you know who my father is?   - a. No   - b. Yes and I don't care   - c. Yes and I will leave you alone BUT WHAT IF THE QUESTION WAS THIS IN THAT SITUATION… “I wonder who my father is?”     Jehovah Jireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה) "The LORD will provide" — revealed when God provided a ram as Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. Genesis 22:14. Jehovah Rapha (יְהוָה רָפָא) "The LORD who heals" — revealed after God sweetened the bitter waters of Marah for Israel in the wilderness. Exodus 15:26. Covers physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Jehovah Nissi (יְהוָה נִסִּי) "The LORD is my banner" — declared by Moses after Israel's victory over the Amalekites. A banner was a military standard — the rallying point in battle. Exodus 17:15. God Himself is the flag Israel fights under. Jehovah Shalom (יְהוָה שָׁלוֹם) "The LORD is peace" — spoken by Gideon after encountering the angel of the Lord and fearing he would die. Shalom is not just the absence of conflict but wholeness, completeness, and flourishing. Judges 6:24. Jehovah Rohi (יְהוָה רֹעִי) "The LORD is my shepherd" — the opening of Psalm 23. One of the most intimate names — depicting God as the one who leads, feeds, protects, and restores. Jehovah Tsidkenu (יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ) "The LORD our righteousness" — a prophetic name pointing to the coming Messiah who would be the righteousness of His people. Jeremiah 23:6. Deeply connected to the New Testament doctrine of justification. Jehovah Shammah (יְהוָה שָׁמָּה) "The LORD is there" — the name given to the restored Jerusalem in Ezekiel's vision. Ezekiel 48:35. God's presence dwelling permanently with His people — echoed in Revelation 21 with the New Jerusalem. Jehovah Sabaoth (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת) "The LORD of Hosts" or "The LORD of Armies" — one of the most frequently used names in the prophets. It pictures God as the commander of vast heavenly armies. Used powerfully in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Malachi. Jehovah Mekoddishkem (יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם) "The LORD who sanctifies you" — Exodus 31:13. God as the one who sets His people apart and makes them holy. Sanctification as His work, not ours alone. Jehovah Gmolah (יְהוָה גְּמֻלּוֹת) "The LORD of recompense" or "The God of vengeance" — Jeremiah 51:56. God as the one who repays — both in justice against enemies and in vindication of His people.   The Compound El Names El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) "God Almighty" or literally "God of the mountains" or "the all-sufficient one." First used with Abraham in Genesis 17:1 when God renewed His covenant. It speaks of God's absolute sufficiency — He is enough for every need. El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) "God Most High" — used by Melchizedek blessing Abraham in Genesis 14. It emphasizes God's supremacy above all other powers, rulers, and so-called gods. El Olam (אֵל עוֹלָם) "The Everlasting God" or "God of eternity" — Genesis 21:33. He has no beginning and no end. Time exists within Him, not the other way around. El Roi (אֵל רֳאִי) "The God who sees me" — spoken by Hagar in the wilderness after she fled from Sarah. Genesis 16:13. One of the most tender names — God seeing the forgotten, the marginalized, the one who thinks they are invisible. El Gibhor (אֵל גִּבּוֹר) "Mighty God" — Isaiah 9:6, in the famous messianic prophecy. One of the titles given to the coming Messiah — pointing directly to Christ. El Hannun (אֵל חַנּוּן) "The gracious God" — Nehemiah 9:31. God whose grace prevents Him from completely destroying even a rebellious people.   New Testament  Abba (אַבָּא) "Father" — an Aramaic term of deep intimacy, closer to "Daddy" than formal address. Jesus used it in Gethsemane. Paul says believers are given the Spirit of adoption by which they cry "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15. Emmanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל) "God with us" — Isaiah 7:14, fulfilled in Matthew 1:23 with the birth of Jesus. Perhaps the most staggering name of all — the eternal God choosing to be with humanity in flesh.     Why This Matters Each name was not invented by theologians — it was revealed in a moment.  God didn't introduce Himself as Jehovah Rapha in a lecture. He revealed it when Israel was thirsty and the water was bitter. He revealed Jehovah Jireh when a father was about to lose his son on an altar. The pattern is consistent throughout Scripture: Every name of God was born out of a human crisis that God personally entered. That means the names are not just theological categories — they are a record of God showing up. And for anyone studying or teaching these names, the invitation is not just to know them but to discover which name corresponds to the specific place of need you are standing in right now.       Lets end on this:  1 Sam. 17:40 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. WHY FIVE STONES? Because Goliath had 4 brothers!  Ishbi-Benob, Saph, Lahmi AND SIX FINGER FRANK     …THERE WILL ALWAYS BE GIANTS… But who is your God? He is the one who crushed satans head and gives us the victory!    CALL ON HIS NAME AND HE SHALL ANSWER. 

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman    Bears and Lions can't call you out. They can't mock you, cast verbal jabs and doubt at you.      Historical Context His defiance of Israel's armies was also a taunt against their God. Your problems, issues, fears, is a taunt against God!   Goliath's relys on human technology, political position and physical power.   David invokes God's character and power, not his own resources. This echoes the idea that God's name represents His active intervention (similar to Exodus 3 or the Psalms).     It wasn't the weapon David had it was the Worship.  Slingers were common;   -  Tribe of Benjamin 700 warriors ambidextrous        -    Sling a stone up to 95 MPH              -   At over 200 yards…  They were so confident they would inscribe words on their stones… MINE WOULD BE “ROCK ON”      David contrasts Goliath's weapons with the invisible but superior heavenly host. This title appears frequently in prophetic books but here underscores early recognition of God's military sovereignty. "Whom you have defied [cheraf-ta]": The verb charaf means to reproach, taunt, or blaspheme. Goliath's challenge is personal against Israel's God, making this a theological battle, not just military. YOUR PROBLEMS ARE A THEOLOGICAL PROBLEM…  i.e. Your problems are a “who is your God Problem”       Do you know who my father is?   - a. No   - b. Yes and I don't care   - c. Yes and I will leave you alone BUT WHAT IF THE QUESTION WAS THIS IN THAT SITUATION… “I wonder who my father is?”     Jehovah Jireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה) "The LORD will provide" — revealed when God provided a ram as Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. Genesis 22:14. Jehovah Rapha (יְהוָה רָפָא) "The LORD who heals" — revealed after God sweetened the bitter waters of Marah for Israel in the wilderness. Exodus 15:26. Covers physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Jehovah Nissi (יְהוָה נִסִּי) "The LORD is my banner" — declared by Moses after Israel's victory over the Amalekites. A banner was a military standard — the rallying point in battle. Exodus 17:15. God Himself is the flag Israel fights under. Jehovah Shalom (יְהוָה שָׁלוֹם) "The LORD is peace" — spoken by Gideon after encountering the angel of the Lord and fearing he would die. Shalom is not just the absence of conflict but wholeness, completeness, and flourishing. Judges 6:24. Jehovah Rohi (יְהוָה רֹעִי) "The LORD is my shepherd" — the opening of Psalm 23. One of the most intimate names — depicting God as the one who leads, feeds, protects, and restores. Jehovah Tsidkenu (יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ) "The LORD our righteousness" — a prophetic name pointing to the coming Messiah who would be the righteousness of His people. Jeremiah 23:6. Deeply connected to the New Testament doctrine of justification. Jehovah Shammah (יְהוָה שָׁמָּה) "The LORD is there" — the name given to the restored Jerusalem in Ezekiel's vision. Ezekiel 48:35. God's presence dwelling permanently with His people — echoed in Revelation 21 with the New Jerusalem. Jehovah Sabaoth (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת) "The LORD of Hosts" or "The LORD of Armies" — one of the most frequently used names in the prophets. It pictures God as the commander of vast heavenly armies. Used powerfully in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Malachi. Jehovah Mekoddishkem (יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם) "The LORD who sanctifies you" — Exodus 31:13. God as the one who sets His people apart and makes them holy. Sanctification as His work, not ours alone. Jehovah Gmolah (יְהוָה גְּמֻלּוֹת) "The LORD of recompense" or "The God of vengeance" — Jeremiah 51:56. God as the one who repays — both in justice against enemies and in vindication of His people.   The Compound El Names El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) "God Almighty" or literally "God of the mountains" or "the all-sufficient one." First used with Abraham in Genesis 17:1 when God renewed His covenant. It speaks of God's absolute sufficiency — He is enough for every need. El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) "God Most High" — used by Melchizedek blessing Abraham in Genesis 14. It emphasizes God's supremacy above all other powers, rulers, and so-called gods. El Olam (אֵל עוֹלָם) "The Everlasting God" or "God of eternity" — Genesis 21:33. He has no beginning and no end. Time exists within Him, not the other way around. El Roi (אֵל רֳאִי) "The God who sees me" — spoken by Hagar in the wilderness after she fled from Sarah. Genesis 16:13. One of the most tender names — God seeing the forgotten, the marginalized, the one who thinks they are invisible. El Gibhor (אֵל גִּבּוֹר) "Mighty God" — Isaiah 9:6, in the famous messianic prophecy. One of the titles given to the coming Messiah — pointing directly to Christ. El Hannun (אֵל חַנּוּן) "The gracious God" — Nehemiah 9:31. God whose grace prevents Him from completely destroying even a rebellious people.   New Testament  Abba (אַבָּא) "Father" — an Aramaic term of deep intimacy, closer to "Daddy" than formal address. Jesus used it in Gethsemane. Paul says believers are given the Spirit of adoption by which they cry "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15. Emmanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל) "God with us" — Isaiah 7:14, fulfilled in Matthew 1:23 with the birth of Jesus. Perhaps the most staggering name of all — the eternal God choosing to be with humanity in flesh.     Why This Matters Each name was not invented by theologians — it was revealed in a moment.  God didn't introduce Himself as Jehovah Rapha in a lecture. He revealed it when Israel was thirsty and the water was bitter. He revealed Jehovah Jireh when a father was about to lose his son on an altar. The pattern is consistent throughout Scripture: Every name of God was born out of a human crisis that God personally entered. That means the names are not just theological categories — they are a record of God showing up. And for anyone studying or teaching these names, the invitation is not just to know them but to discover which name corresponds to the specific place of need you are standing in right now.

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com The David Alliance  Garth Heckman The battle of David and Goliath was never really about David and Goliath. It was the culmination of Israel's spiritual decline under Saul, and the first visible sign that God had already been at work preparing a different kind of leader — one after His own heart.       1 Samuel 17 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!”     David's arrival on the battlefield was jarring precisely because of the contrast. He was young, unarmored, and inexperienced — but he carried something the entire army had lost: a reference point for who God was.         David doesn't call out the enemy, he calls out his tactics… His weapons of choice.  WHY?      In 1 Samuel 17:45, David identifies a three-fold physical threat.  In John 10:10, Jesus identifies a three-fold spiritual threat. They map onto each other in a way that shows how the enemy operates:   | Goliath's Arsenal (1 Samuel 17:45) | The Thief's Mission (John 10:10) | The Spiritual Parallel    -  The Sword.  |  To Steal   | Goliath relied on his sword to strip Israel of their land, their freedom, and their identity. The enemy wants to rob you of your peace and purpose.    The Spear.  |   To Kill | A spear is designed for a direct, fatal strike. Goliath's   Literal goal was to end David's life; the thief's goal is total spiritual death.   The Javelin   |   To Destroy   |  A javelin is thrown from a distance, bringing unexpected, widespread ruin. The enemy aims for complete devastation of your life and relationships.    The Core Contrast: Flesh vs. Spirit The real tie-in between these two passages is the **source of victory** that both David and Jesus point to. Both stories set up a stark contrast between reliance on worldly power and reliance on divine power.    * **David's Answer:** Right after naming Goliath's weapons, David says, *"But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts."* He acknowledges the physical threat but completely bypasses it by relying on God's authority.    * **Jesus' Answer:** Right after naming the thief's three-fold threat, Jesus says, *"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."*

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman VERY FAMILIAR STORY -   *TIED TO MY NOTES TODAY   THE BUILD UP and DEMISE OF ISRAEL    THE PEOPLE WANTED A MAN OVER GOD (They wanted a King)… Here is an old quote: when more than one votes… you can assure its the wrong decision. It wasn't a King that was truly the problem -  BUT RATHER following a man, that was the problem. It was the peoples desire to follow a King over a prophet who followed God.      ***No one voted a prophet in.         ****People choose a King, God chooses a prophet.    Saul offers false sacrifices Saul chooses to disobey Gods orders to wipe out the Amakalites  Saul becomes erratic and tormented by demonic spirits  Saul now operates out of fear  *Israel and the army now saw their enemies the way their leader did - IN FEAR.   The battle of David and Goliath was never really about David and Goliath. It was the culmination of Israel's spiritual decline under Saul, and the first visible sign that God had already been at work preparing a different kind of leader — one after His own heart.       1 Samuel 17 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!”

TDAgiantSlayer@gmail.com The David Alliance Garth Heckman

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman Are you able to ask for directions? Why do men get made fun of for not asking for directions… I have never had a problem with asking for directions… but I guess some men do. Hmmmm weird, but anyway there is a myth out there called    The Myth of the Maverick Gentlemen, let's be honest about something. For most of us, asking for help doesn't just feel uncomfortable. It feels like an admission of weakness or defeat. We've been conditioned to believe that a real leader is a lone warrior—the man who has all the answers, carries all the weight, and never, ever shows a crack in his armor. We look at asking for help as a white flag. We think it means: "I am not strong enough. I am failing." But I want to challenge that today. Keeping your mouth shut when you are drowning isn't leadership. It's pride. And biblically speaking, isolation is the most dangerous position a man can put himself in. Look at the life of Moses in Exodus 18. Moses was the ultimate leader. He led millions of people out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and spoke to God face-to-face. Talk about a resume. But Moses fell into the trap of the "Maverick." He was sitting from morning until night, trying to judge every single dispute for the entire nation of Israel by himself. He was carrying the whole weight on his own shoulders. His father-in-law, Jethro, watches this play out and gives him a brutal reality check in Exodus 18:17-18: "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone." Notice what Jethro didn't say. He didn't say, "Moses, you lack vision." He didn't say, "Moses, you lack character or anointed power." He said, "The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone." Even the most anointed, powerful leader in the Old Testament had human limitations. Moses' value didn't drop because he needed help; his leadership capacity expanded when he accepted it. He appointed capable men to share the burden, and only then did the nation thrive. Men, true biblical leadership is never about independence; it is about interdependence. God did not design you to be a solo operator. Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." When you refuse to ask for help—whether it's in your marriage, your business, your mental health, or your spiritual life—you aren't protecting your leadership. You are starving it. You are cutting yourself off from the strategic reinforcement God has placed around you. Asking for help is not a failure of leadership; it is an act of strategic ownership. It's looking at the mission and saying, "The mission is more important than my ego. Winning the battle matters more than me getting the credit for doing it alone." Let's drop the lone-wolf act. Real strength is having the courage to look a brother in the eye and say, "The work is too heavy today. I need another strand in the cord." That's not weakness. That is how kingdoms are built.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  Garth Heckman Driving with Kim in the car when we were first married. I pulled a gun on a guy in a corvette!  I was on my way to Youth Group - I was the youth pastor.   Judges 6  11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” 13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”         1. He Was Living in Poverty and Oppression For seven years, Israel had been brutally oppressed by the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern peoples. The oppression was so severe that the Israelites had abandoned their homes in the valleys to live in dens, caves, and strongholds in the mountains (Judges 6:2). The invaders would sweep through the land like locusts, destroying crops and slaughtering livestock. The text notes that Israel was "brought very low" because of Midian. Gideon wasn't a wealthy noble or a ruling judge; he was a victim of a devastating, nationwide economic and military siege.   2. He Was Hiding in a Winepress When the Angel of the Lord finds Gideon, he is threshing wheat in a winepress (Judges 6:11). Why this matters: Wheat was traditionally threshed in an open, elevated area (a threshing floor) so the wind could blow away the chaff. A winepress, however, was a pit dug into the ground or carved into rock. Operating out of fear, survival and panic.     3. He Was From an Insignificant, Idol-Worshipping Family   4. He Was Battling Deep Skepticism and Grief Gideon's immediate reaction to the Angel's blessing ("The Lord is with you, mighty warrior") is not pride, but bitter skepticism. He looked at his current reality and concluded that God had abandoned them:   The Irony of the Title When God calls Gideon a "mighty warrior," Gideon is: In hiding (not in battle) Doubting God's presence (not acting in faith) Belittling his own status (not displaying courage) The title was prophetic. God was not validating Gideon's current resume; He was naming the potential that He was about to unlock through His own power.       When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon in Judges 6:12 and addressed him as a "mighty warrior" it was a statement of what God would do through him, not a description of who Gideon currently was.   He saw what he would do - which in turn is who he would be - in turn is who He really was in Gods eyes!      Can an egg fly? Can a puppy protect you?  Can an acorn shade, protect and feed thousands of animals? Can a spark destroy city?    We see an egg - God sees an eagle! We see a puppy - God sees the Rottweiler that attacked the sex predator who ran into the Childs yard.  We see an acorn - God sees The Foret de Trancais 26,000 acre forest We see a spark - God sees the Chinchaga fire burning 4.2 million acres.    Do you think when Jesus saw the disciples arguing over who would be the greatest, when Peter would deny him, when Thomas would doubt him, when they would not understand simple scripture, when they could not heal a boy, or worried over storms, food or religious leaders… HE SAW THEIR STORY! You will all be so committed and change the world so powerfully that they will need to Kill you to stop you! And you will be honored to give your life for me!      How does Jesus see us? We are salt We are light We are friends We are secure in him We have overcome the world We will do greater works then Jesus We will have rivers of living water flow out of us We will tread on serpents, scorpions, nothing will hurt us We are plugged directly into him He is always with us We will crush the serpents head We are the head and not the tail We wear a robe of righteousness We are more than conquerors    EVEN WITH THE DISCIPLES… JESUS WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IN THEM - BUT NEVER REJECT THEM OR GET ANGRY AT THEM OR SHAMED THEM. Rather he would Ask a question Correct their perception And never reject them.      2 Kings 6 The King of Aram is mad and thinks there is a traitor. It is Elisha… Go kill him.  -  14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. 16 “Don't be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.      -  Its right there!  What is? Your answer - it's right there. You just can't see it.  **Yesterday I was praying and seeking Gods wisdom on finances… he pointed to my kitchen table and showed me a stack of money… he said its right there. You just can't see it… but its there.     You might think you can't see it because you are in the dark… no you are not in the dark, you are in the preparation phase which can feel like the dark.   The Chinese Bamboo Tree (your example) Spends the first 5 years growing almost nothing above ground while developing a massive, deep root system. In the 6th year, it can grow 80–90 feet in just 6 weeks.   The Saguaro Cactus Grows extremely slowly — often only 1–2 inches in the first 10 years. It can take 30–40 years before it even grows its first arm. Then, once established, it can live 150–200 years and reach 40–60 feet tall.

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  #The brotherhood manifesto #TripleCsurvivor  Taking up your cross" is often viewed through a lens of submission, but when analyzed through the mechanics of character and endurance, it reveals itself as a high-level feat of internal power. Here are three talking points on why this act represents the ultimate expression of strength: 1. The Mastery of Volitional Suffering True strength is rarely found in the absence of pain, but rather in the voluntary adoption of responsibility despite it. Most people spend their lives fleeing discomfort or seeking the path of least resistance. To "take up a cross" is to consciously choose a difficult path for the sake of a higher purpose. It requires a level of psychological and spiritual fortitude that far exceeds mere physical exertion because it involves silencing the primal instinct for self-preservation in favor of duty. 2. The Weight of Integrity Over Ego The "cross" often represents the heavy burden of standing for truth, even when it is socially or personally costly. It is easy to be "strong" when the crowd is cheering you on; it is a monumental feat of strength to carry a conviction that makes you a target. This represents the shift from external validation to internal alignment. It takes more "lifting power" to carry the weight of one's principles through a storm of opposition than it does to follow the momentum of the status quo. 3. Absolute Discipline of the Will In any high-performance endeavor, the greatest enemy is the "inner quitter"—the part of the mind that seeks comfort when the load gets heavy. Taking up your cross is the ultimate exercise in willpower over whim. It is a daily, repetitive commitment to a mission that offers no immediate physical reward. This type of endurance builds a "moral callus," transforming a person from someone who reacts to their environment into someone who purposefully shapes their character through sustained, disciplined action. This concept suggests that the strongest person in the room isn't necessarily the one with the most power over others, but the one with the most po

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com The David Alliance  Garth Heckman   The Busy Man's Substitute     There is something about a man that would rather build something than bow to something. Give a man a mission and he'll work himself to exhaustion. Ask that same man to sit quietly in prayer for thirty minutes and he'll suddenly remember seventeen things that need to get done first. We are, by nature, doers. And somewhere along the way, we convinced ourselves that doing things for God was the same as being with God. It is not.   The Scripture "But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.'" — Luke 10:40–42   Now before you say "that's a story about women" — slow down.   Martha is every man who has ever stayed busy for God while quietly avoiding intimacy with God. She wasn't sinning. She was serving. She was working hard, doing good things, keeping everything moving. And Jesus gently called it a distraction.   The Honest Truth About Why We'd Rather Work 1. Work gives us something to show for ourselves. Prayer produces nothing we can photograph, present, or point to. You can't put thirty minutes of quiet conversation with God on a report. But a new ministry program? A mission trip organized? A church built? That's something. That feels like proof we matter. The hard truth is that a lot of what we call "work for God" is really work for our own sense of worth. We need to feel productive. We need to feel useful. Sitting in silence with God doesn't feed that hunger — it exposes it. 2. Work keeps us in control. When you're managing a project, you hold the pen. You make the calls. You set the timeline. Prayer requires the opposite posture. It requires you to come to Someone greater than yourself, admit you don't have all the answers, and wait. For a man wired to lead and fix and solve — that is genuinely uncomfortable. We don't like waiting. We don't like not knowing. And prayer, at its core, is an act of surrender. 3. Work keeps us from the conversation we're afraid to have. Here's the one most men won't say out loud: sometimes we stay busy because being still means being honest. And being honest with God means the real stuff surfaces — the fear, the failure, the sin we've been managing around, the doubt we've never admitted to anyone. A project never asks you how you're really doing. God always does.   The Deeper Problem When a man substitutes work for prayer, he doesn't just miss out on rest — he starts running on his own fuel. And a man running on his own fuel will eventually hit empty at exactly the wrong moment. Every great project built without a foundation of prayer is just a man's plan with God's name on it. Moses didn't lead two million people through the desert on strategy. David didn't defeat Goliath on confidence. Nehemiah didn't rebuild the wall on project management skills. Each of them had one thing in common before the great work began — they had been alone with God long enough to know it was His work and not theirs. The work they did for God flowed out of the time they spent with God. That order matters more than most men realize.   The Gut Check Ask yourself honestly: When was the last time I prayed longer than I planned for a project? Do I know God's voice — or just His assignments? Am I building His kingdom or building my reputation inside His kingdom? If God called a halt to every ministry project tomorrow, would I still have a relationship with Him — or would I have nothing left to talk about?   The Invitation Jesus didn't say Martha's work was wrong. He said Mary's choice was better. The better thing is not always the bigger thing. Sometimes the most powerful thing a man can do for God's kingdom is close the laptop, silence the phone, sit down in a quiet room and say — "I'm here. Not to report. Not to plan. Not to ask for anything. Just — here." That kind of prayer doesn't feel productive. It doesn't look like much from the outside. But it is the one thing that turns ordinary men into dangerous ones. Because a man who knows how to be with God is a man God can trust with the work.   Closing Prayer Lord, forgive me for the times I mistook my busyness for faithfulness. Teach me that You want my presence before You want my productivity. Still the part of me that needs to perform — and grow the part of me that simply needs You. Amen.   "Be still and know that I am God." — Psalm 46:10

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  Garth Heckman Point 1 — Your Voice Creates Identity in Those Who Have Never Heard Their Name Called Right One of the deepest wounds of fatherlessness is not just the absence of provision or protection — it is the absence of being named. A father's voice is the first place a child learns who they are. When that voice is gone, the void doesn't stay empty. The street fills it. Culture fills it. Peers fill it. Trauma fills it. When a man speaks affirmation, correction, vision, and truth into a young person's life — especially a young man who has never had that — it is not a small thing. It is reconstructive. You are not just encouraging someone. You are building an identity that was never built. "The tongue has the power of life and death." — Proverbs 18:21 Words from the right man at the right moment can redirect an entire life trajectory. Don't underestimate what it means to simply say — "I see you. I believe in you. You have what it takes." Many young men are starving for exactly that sentence from a man they respect.   Point 2 — Silence Is Not Neutral — It Is a Decision With Consequences Many men stay silent because they feel unqualified. They think — "I have my own issues. Who am I to speak into someone else's life?" But in a fatherless generation, a good man's silence is one of the most destructive forces in a community. When men don't speak up — in homes, in churches, in neighborhoods, in the lives of boys watching them — those boys don't experience a neutral environment. They experience abandonment again. The absence of a voice teaches its own lesson: "You are not worth my words. You are not worth my time." "And I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap... but I found none." — Ezekiel 22:30 God is not looking for perfect men. He is looking for present ones. Men willing to stand in the gap. The bar is not perfection — it is availability. Your broken, imperfect, still-being-sanctified voice is infinitely more powerful than a polished silence.   Point 3 — Your Voice Has a Generational Reach You Cannot Fully See Most men who step up to speak into a fatherless generation will never know the full weight of what they did. You may pour into a 14-year-old boy for two years and feel like nothing stuck — and then that boy becomes a 30-year-old father who raises his children differently because of something you said that he never forgot. This is the nature of generational impact. You are not just speaking to the person in front of you. You are speaking to everyone they will ever raise, lead, or influence. The ripple goes further than your eyes can follow. "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children." — Proverbs 13:22 That inheritance is not just financial. It is verbal, moral, and spiritual. Every word of truth, every moment of correction wrapped in love, every time you call out greatness in someone who couldn't see it themselves — that is inheritance. That is legacy. And in a generation starving for fathers, one man with a willing voice can father hundreds without ever being their biological dad.   Closing Charge to Men You did not choose the generation you were born into — but you were placed here on purpose. The fatherlessness around you is not just a social statistic. It is your assignment. Open your mouth. Speak life. Show up. The generation coming behind you is not looking for perfect men. They are simply looking for men who stayed.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  Garth Heckman 1. Discipline over Impulse: * Weakness is being a slave to your temper or your ego. Strength is having the capacity for fury but the character for peace. The man who cannot control his temper or ego is not free—he is owned. Every outburst hands your power to the moment, the person, or the slight that triggered it. Real strength is keeping a loaded gun in your holster. You retain the capacity for fury (which earns respect when needed), but you keep the character to choose peace. That choice is what separates the slave from the sovereign. Impulse makes you predictable and weak. Discipline makes you dangerous and free.   Discipline Over Impulse: The Strength of the Sovereign Man   Introduction There is a lie our culture has accepted — that the loudest man in the room is the strongest. That the one who strikes first, speaks harshest, and bends to every impulse is somehow powerful. But Scripture tells a different story. True strength was never about what you can do. It's about what you choose not to do.   Point 1 — The Slave and the Sovereign "Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." — Proverbs 25:28 A city with no walls isn't free — it's exposed. Vulnerable to any enemy that wanders by. The man who cannot govern his temper or his ego is the same. Every outburst is a breach in the wall. Every reaction hands your power to the person or moment that triggered it. You think you're expressing strength, but you're actually being owned — by your emotions, by your circumstances, by whoever knows which buttons to push. The slave obeys every impulse. The sovereign chooses his response.   Point 2 — The Loaded Gun in the Holster "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." — Proverbs 16:32 Restraint is not weakness. It is disciplined capacity. There is a profound difference between a man who is peaceful because he has no power, and a man who is peaceful because he has mastered it. One is gentle by default. The other is gentle by decision. God isn't calling us to be toothless. He's calling us to be trustworthy with teeth. The lion doesn't prove itself by attacking every creature it meets — its restraint is part of what makes it formidable. Keep the capacity for fury. Earn the character for peace. That combination commands respect in a way that raw aggression never will.   Point 3 — Impulse Makes You Predictable, Discipline Makes You Free "A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel." — Proverbs 15:18 When you live by impulse, you become readable. Anyone who wants to manipulate you simply needs to poke the right nerve. Your anger becomes their weapon. But the disciplined man is unpredictable in the best way — because he doesn't respond, he decides. He separates the stimulus from the response and in that space, lives his freedom. This is what the fruit of the Spirit is really describing in Galatians 5 — self-control isn't listed last because it matters least. It's listed last because it holds everything else together. Love, joy, peace — none of those survive without the man who can govern himself.   Conclusion The world will tell you to let it out, follow your heart, say what you feel. But undisciplined men don't build anything lasting — not families, not legacies, not kingdoms. The sovereign man understands that every time he chooses discipline over impulse, he reclaims a piece of himself that the moment was trying to steal. You were not made to be owned by your emotions. You were made to rule them — and in doing so, to be trusted with far greater things.  

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com      #The brotherhood manifesto #TripleCsurvivor    Canker sores   Mark 6:10 Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”   1. Release Responsibility — You Are Called to Deliver, Not Convince   Jesus draws a hard line: You are responsible for faithful delivery, not forced results.   The disciples were sent to preach, heal, and proclaim—but not to argue people into belief. When rejection came, they weren't told to try harder… they were told to move on.   Core truth:   Rejection of the message is not failure of the messenger.   This protects you from:   Emotional burnout Needing validation Over-investing in resistant people   Application (especially for you as a leader/coach): You can preach truth, coach men, build movements—but you cannot make a man receive it. Some people are assignments… others are distractions.   2. Refuse Contamination — Don't Carry What You Were Never Meant to Keep   In Jewish culture, shaking dust off your feet was symbolic: “I will not even carry the residue of this place with me.”   Jesus is teaching:   Don't carry rejection into your next assignment Don't let offense poison your spirit Don't let one closed door affect your next open one   Core truth:   What you carry forward will either fuel you or infect you.   If you don't “shake it off,” you'll bring:   Bitterness into your next conversation Hesitation into your next opportunity Distrust into your next relationship   Application: Every leader must develop the discipline of **emotional clearance**:   Release the offense Drop the disappointment Refuse to rehearse the rejection   You don't need closure—you need clean feet.   3. Recognize Judgment — Rejection of Truth Has Consequences   Jesus says something intense: It will be **worse than Sodom and Gomorrah for those who reject the message.   That means:   Rejecting truth is not neutral Ignoring God's invitation is a serious decision Accountability increases with exposure   Shaking the dust wasn't just emotional—it was a testimony:   “You had your opportunity.”   Core truth:   Light rejected becomes judgment received.   This gives weight to your mission:   What you carry matters What people do with it matters even more   Application: This should produce:   Urgency in your message Clarity in your communication Peace in your departure   You don't leave bitter—you leave **witnessing**.      Closing Statement (Sermon Punch)    “I will not beg where I was sent to bless.  I will not carry what tried to bury me.  And I will not stay where God said move.”

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com      #The brotherhood manifesto #TripleCsurvivor      Acts 14 19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 1. Persecution is Real, But God's Purpose is Greater Paul faced brutal opposition—Jews from previous cities followed him, stirred up the crowd, and stoned him, dragging his body outside the city gates thinking he was dead. This shows the cost of bold gospel preaching. Yet Paul's story reminds us that opposition does not equal defeat. God can sustain His servants through physical danger, rejection, and apparent failure. Application: When you face pushback for your faith—at work, in relationships, or in culture—remember Paul. The same God who preserved him is with you. Difficulty doesn't mean you missed God's will; it may confirm you're on the right path. 2. The Strength of Community and the Power of Getting Back Up After the stoning, the disciples gathered around Paul, and “he rose up.” The text doesn't say an angel appeared or a dramatic miracle was described—simply that faithful believers surrounded him, and he got back on his feet. This highlights two powerful truths:   We need each other. Isolation makes recovery harder. God often uses ordinary acts of faithfulness (gathering, praying, encouraging) to bring supernatural strength.   Application: Don't try to endure hardship alone. Surround yourself with disciples of Jesus, and be the kind of person who runs toward the hurting instead of away from them. God specializes in raising up what the world writes off as finished. 3. The Mission Continues—Don't Stay Down The very next day, Paul got up, went back into the city (the same place that tried to kill him), and then traveled on with Barnabas to Derbe. He didn't quit, hide, or take an extended break. His resilience propelled the gospel forward. This is a picture of relentless obedience. The enemy's best shot wasn't enough to stop God's plan. Application: What “stoning” have you experienced—failure, criticism, health issues, betrayal? Paul shows us the next faithful step is often just getting up and taking the next step in obedience. The mission is bigger than our wounds. Keep moving forward. Key Takeaway for the Whole Passage: Faithfulness to Jesus doesn't guarantee safety, but it does guarantee that God can turn even stoning into a stepping stone for greater impact. Like Paul, may we rise up, lean on the community of believers, and keep advancing the gospel no matter the cost.

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com      #The brotherhood manifesto #TripleCsurvivor      Two mistakes in a mans life… caring about what everybody thinks… and Not caring about what anybody thinks. Both are extreme traps… What if you cared about what certain men in your life thought… men who were involved in a deep spiritual walk, men who were committed family men, men who were not ashamed of the gospel? What if you cared what they thought?    Men in todays world can make the mistake of looking for everyone's approval or not caring about anyones approval like personal autonomy. both have dangers. Can you give me a few talking points on this subject?Here are some clear, balanced talking points on the tension between seeking everyone's approval versus caring about no one's approval (extreme personal autonomy). Both extremes are common traps for men today, and both carry real dangers. You can use these as notes for a conversation, podcast, article, or self-reflection.   1. The Approval-Seeking Trap (People-Pleasing)   Modern culture (social media, corporate environments, dating apps) rewards constant validation-seeking. Likes, shares, and "being nice" get rewarded in the short term. Dangers: Loss of self: You slowly abandon your own values, goals, and boundaries to avoid conflict or disapproval. Resentment buildup: Constantly suppressing your real thoughts leads to quiet frustration and eventual blow-ups or burnout. Weakness signal: People (especially women and other men) subconsciously lose respect for men who need universal approval. It reads as low confidence and low status. Manipulation vulnerability: You're easily controlled by bosses, partners, friends, or social pressure.   Extreme version: The "nice guy" who finishes last because he has no spine.   2. The "I Don't Care What Anyone Thinks" Trap (False Autonomy)   This often comes as a backlash — "I'm sigma," "I'm my own man," "society is lame." It feels empowering at first. Dangers: Social isolation: Humans are tribal. Complete disregard for others' opinions cuts you off from feedback, alliances, and opportunities. Blind spots: No one is 100% objective. Rejecting all input means you never correct course on bad habits, poor decisions, or character flaws. Arrogance and immaturity: It can mask insecurity or emotional stuntedness ("If I pretend I don't care, I can't get hurt"). Practical failure: Career, relationships, and reputation suffer when you alienate everyone. Even high-agency men need sponsors, mentors, partners, and networks. Extreme version: The lone wolf who ends up bitter, alone, and wondering why life is so hard.     3. The Healthy Middle Path: Selective Approval + Inner Sovereignty   Strong men care deeply about the opinions of a small, high-quality circle — not everyone. Whose approval should matter? Your own (first), then people you respect: mentors, close friends with character, family worth keeping, romantic partners who have earned it, and competent colleagues. Whose approval should not matter? Random strangers online, low-character people, ideological enforcers, or those who don't have skin in the game with you.   Key principle: Internal locus of control combined with reality-testing. Judge yourself primarily by your own standards and results, not feelings or popularity. Use selective external feedback as data, not as your compass.   This builds real confidence: You're not fragile to criticism, but you're not delusional either.   4. Practical Advice for Men Today   Build a personal code or mission that is non-negotiable. When your actions align with it, external noise loses power. Practice "strategic disagreement": Be willing to politely say no or hold an unpopular view when it matters. This earns respect faster than constant agreement. Develop thick skin through exposure: Lift weights, take cold showers, face rejection deliberately (e.g., cold approaching, sales, public speaking). Emotional calluses help. Audit your relationships: Distance from chronic critics who drain you; invest in reciprocal relationships where honest feedback flows both ways. Remember biology and reality: Men are wired for status and competence more than constant emotional harmony. Chasing universal approval often clashes with masculine drive.   5. One-Liner Talking Points You Can Drop   "Seeking everyone's approval makes you a slave. Caring about no one's approval makes you a fool." "The mature man doesn't need the world's permission — but he isn't too proud to learn from worthy sources." "True autonomy isn't 'I don't care.' It's 'I care about the right things, from the right people.'" "Approval addiction is quiet self-betrayal. Total detachment is quiet self-sabotage." "Respect is earned through integrity and competence, not through people-pleasing or edgelord posturing."