Rekindling History
"Concerning all acts of creation and initiative, there is one elementary truth- that the moment on definitely
commits oneself, then Providence moves too." Goethe
"In April of 2002, after a tough few months in Dallas, TX and some even tougher months before that in Washington DC, I (Shannon) had hit rock bottom in my life. I had grown up in the church amidst a strong Christian family (for which I am extremely thankful!), but during my twenties, I drew away from God, deciding that I could live with one foot in my own controlled world and one foot in God's Plans. It didn't work so well, and to ease the internal dissonance, I slowly began pulling the 'God leg' over into my world (yeah, real smart, huh). Things got worse, including hurting others, drug use, a DUI and an abortion. It all culminated in Dallas where, dejected and introspective, I came to two conclusions: first- I was in no way happy with my life or where I was. I felt I was not living up to the potential I had. Second- I could only hold myself accountable for where I was in life. I had no one else to blame and no real excuses to give; my own selfish desires and decisions had led me here. It was at that single point, when I was humbled and broken, that God stepped in and we had a serious heart-to-heart. He asked me how 'my way' was going and I said 'not so good'. He then asked if we could try it 'His Way' again and I gratefully and enthusiastically said yes. Once re-committed to God, one of the first things He directed me to do was to find and pursue my Calling, and over the next several months, He began to show me that He has hand-crafted me, with all my strengths and weaknesses, to encourage people to find and purse their calling.
"Thus the idea for REKINDLING was born. And I can only give God full and solo credit for it. In the beginning, REKINDLING focused on people finding their calling in life and the Know Thyself program was developed. Later, as Mark 12 really hit home with me, I realized that our calling is third in importance after worshiping God and serving others (but that all three were intertwined in amazing ways). That three-fold goal of REKINDLING is still the core goal today (love God, love everyone else and love yourself) and it has grown in depth. God has shown me the principles of Eternal-Internal-External, Be-Do-Have, the 7-fold Life and the Spectrum. They each have a very real, applicable and practical touch to them that rings of truth and simplicity. Also, as many of my friends considered themselves Atheist or Agnostic, and as I myself struggled with doubt about trusting in the Bible and some unseen God, I began researching heavily those very topics. And to my wonder, I found that there is an incredible amount of evidence, both in Nature and the Scriptures, for the reality of God and His Authorship of the Bible. My belief in God is now founded on both Faith and Reason, and it is a solid foundation indeed. Mesmerized by what I was discovering, REKINDLING's most popular analogy, the 7-stage Journey (with the valley, shores, boat and sky) formed. And on it went, and on it goes, as God teaches us more lessons and analogies about how to live the abundant Christ-centered life that He wants for all of us.
"As for structure, it was in the summer of 2005 that I decided to put all this to the test, and I formed a small group of about ten believers (in all stages of their faith) to meet for a one-year long class that would jump into this idea of an intimate and passionate relationship with the Creator God and what it means for our everyday lives. By year-end, while we only had three of us left (thank you Jay and Mandy!), all of those Rekindlers were impacted by God in some way. (To this day, I still try to keep in touch with all nine of them via email and phone.) We took that guinea pig class and learned from our successes and failures, and re-developed it into the 7-fold structure that we have today.
In 2007, I decided that I wanted to devote myself full-time to REKINDLING and pour myself and the knowledge gained into any who would have it; to any who wants more out of this life and wants a peace and excitement about the life to come. And thus, Rekindling Ministries the 501c3 Biblical educational non-profit was formed. We are now pursuing grants and funding, marketing our activities in the local DC area and establishing small groups, prayer events, mission trips and more! We are at your service, eager to teach our many workshops. So if you would like us to come teach at your church, small group or organization, let us know!
"If, as you read this, you feel God whispering to you, or some of what is said here resonates within you, than I beg you and encourage you to join our ranks and become a Rekindler, stirring up your passions again for this life and the one to come!