We all have heroes, some well-known, some not, but we all have our own personal ones. When I helped at 'Refresh' – a late night street ministry in Rugby we were sometimes out till 4am and we acquired 'Superhero' nicknames, our family in Christ contains Batman, Robin, Roy of the Rovers, Angel of Rugby, Dr Who, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman! I have many friends who I see as heroes, they carry Christ's strength in spite of their own human weaknesses making them super-humans in my eyes.
My heroes are ordinary men and women, living out their God-given destiny by courtesy of an extra-ordinary God and they give me inspiration that each one of us can live the dream God has given to us.
My first childhood hero/heroine was from the film "Inn of the Sixth Happiness", I watched it as a small child and even then God was locking a dream, a promise in my heart. The inspirational story of Gladys Aylward "The small woman with a great God", this London maid had a God-given dream in her heart to go to China, told by the mission society she was unqualified, in 1930 she funded her own passage on this perilous journey, she had a heart for the people and especially the orphans. When the Japanese invaded in 1938 she led 94 orphans over the mountains to safety despite being injured herself, this was just one of her many God-given appointments.
More recent heroes - Norman & Grace Barnes – Authors of 'Destiny Calls – Living your Dreams' they inspire and challenge with their life story, an ordinary London couple with an amazing God, now in their 70's they live on the South coast. 'Tell me your dreams and I will tell you the future'.
Simon Guillebaud, Victoria Saxby, Corrie ten Boom, Cathy Hemsley, Horatio Spafford, Jo Gunton-Jones, Dannion Brinkley, Dawn Austin, John Newton, Margaret Gurnett, Heidi Baker, Sheila Bridge, Johnny Cash….. my hero list is exhaustive! One of the primary activities of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual is to awaken them to the God of possibilities within them. All my heroes are ordinary men and women with an extra-ordinary God.
One of the Refresh team, my brother in Christ (aka Batman), picked me up from airport 'arrivals' in 2009, I was on a real spiritual low. As I came through 'nothing to declare' and opened the doors I looked for him, there were the usual taxi-drivers and chauffeurs holding signs for 'Mr Johnson' etc…. as my eyes scanned the masses I spotted him, he was holding a cardboard sign and on it he had written my Refresh name… "Wonder-Woman". I laughed uncontrollably, I thought how disappointed others would have been expecting to see "Wonder-Woman" only to have me arrive and claim to be her; but that is how God sees us and his promises enable us To Boldly Go……To Infinity and Beyond!
"Be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy; always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light". Colossians 1:11-12 [New Living Translation]
Dawn Milward
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