If you said to me six months ago that I would go to Poland to assist leading a menALIVE weekend, I would have laughed. For a start, I don’t speak Polish and surely there is someone better equipped that could go!
This journey started 2 years ago when Michal Piekara who lives near Krakow, contacted Robert Falzon through the menALIVE website. Robert and Michal formed a friendship over that time that sowed the seeds for this event.
Michal is a missionary in the true sense – he has a great heart for the men of his country and beyond and has served in this way for nearly 20 years. I am proud to say he is now a brother!
When Robert asked me to go it seemed that the timing was right as it lined up with some business travel and also my plans to attend the Alpha Leadership Conference in London. In fact, you could say that God’s timing is always perfect. We needed a small team to go with us, Shayne Bennett a long-time supporter of menALIVE just happened to be in Ireland on mission and was available to join us. But I was still concerned, as with most events with menALIVE I know the culture and the context. Going to Poland I felt I knew very little of what to expect. Mat Wolnicki’s name came to mind, from our Canberra Team. As you can guess by his name, he is Polish and I felt strongly convicted that he should join us. So now we had a team of three to join Michal and his team.
Together we met on Zoom leading up to the event and the excitement started to build for all of us. The Holy Spirit was at work leading us with the program development. We had 200 men coming and Michal asked me to speak a word of encouragement to their leaders on the Friday night before the event started. In preparation for this event before leaving Brisbane I asked the Emmanuel Community to pray for me at the end of the Sunday mass. Pat Keady had a word for me, his sense was that Sheaves of Fire were going to spread through Europe. I thought that this was a good place to start with my encouragement for the leadership team.
Below is what I shared – the wording is important!
A Word of Encouragement for the Leaders
“Before I came to Poland I attended mass and was prayed for by the community
One of the leaders Pat Keady, a man I highly respect said to me he saw sheaves of fire spreading through Europe from this event setting hearts on fire.
The word sheave is not a word I was familiar with. So I had to look it up.
In Scripture, sheaves symbolize harvest, blessing, and God's provision. A sheaf is a bundle of grain gathered after the harvest, representing the rewards of hard work and God's abundant care. The Bible often uses sheaves to convey spiritual truths about faith, reward, and divine timing
Another woman whom I also respect said she felt that God is paving the way for you making the pathway clear.
Is this meant to be Gods Divine timing for renewal? A fresh commission for you men attending this weekend. A call to stand and say yes. To surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit and God leadership in your life?
If you are like me you may feel more like Jonah. Remember he was called to Nineveh. He avoided this until it was impossible not to.
You may say I am not qualified; I am not a talented speaker, I am a sinful man!
My history is full of mistakes and why would God use me?
Jesus chose stinky fisherman - unqualified men. Why? Because the power of the Holy Spirit would be obvious in them. Men who would not be self-reliant but reliant on God.
Peter after 3 years of walking with Jesus still denied him 3 times and he was with him the flesh!
It is easy to feel disqualified - that is OK! Many times I feel disqualified too.
I need the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit - I depend on it.
This weekend yours are the hands and feet of Jesus that will proclaim the good news.
You might say “But I am not giving a talk!
So much of the ministry I see in weekends like this happens in small ways - a conversation that you might have while in a line up for a meal or as you sit with someone during a meal.
Often we say before a weekend like this that we come few a few loaves and a few fish and trust that God will turn it into a feast. God is generous and abundant. Did he provide enough for the 5000?
No he provided more as it says in scripture that there was food left over.
I often wonder what did they do with that extra food? I imagine that they would have taken it home to feed others.
As we received this weekend let it be abundant so there is much to take home to our families and friends.
A seemly ordinary conversation that becomes profound through the grace of the holy spirit in that moment. So, I encourage you to be sensitive and be led by the Holy Spirit this weekend.
When you walk into a room for a meal or a presentation ask - the Holy Spirit to lead you were to sit and who to sit with. See what happens as you fine tune this listening.”
As I prepared this encouragement, I needed to hear it myself, I am a stinky fisherman, I feel unqualified and need to rely on the Holy Spirit. As i shared these words with the men about the Sheaves of Fire, they lit up as the same word had been given to them 4 years earlier. God can use even this stinky fisherman to bring hope and encouragement!
Having Mat Wolnicki on our team was a blessing. He was able to translate for Shayne and I and speak to the men in their own tongue. Mat’s humility shone through and his sessions had great impact. Even though we had booked separate flights to Poland, we ended up on the same flight, in the same isle and were able to sit together. Having this time together was a gift. On the nine hour fight to Singapore we found we shared many common interests! Serving together in mission and the building of brotherhood is as rewarding as the mission itself.
There were many moments of profound healing and conversion witnessed on the weekend. We changed the program as the Holy Spirit led us. This happened even on the 6-hour car journey from Krakow to Bydgoszcz, when we decided to change the opening session – a real exercise in trust! Another change was allowing more time for reconciliation – it was expected many of the men would have attended reconciliation before the weekend as preparation – however when the sacrament was offered more than 100 men lined up. At one stage one of the priests made an announcement – he said, “I will stay and hear confession until the sun rises if I need to!” What a great ministry.
During the ministry time on Saturday night men were offered the chance to receive prayer and a father’s blessing. This was a profound moment as I witnessed many men letting go of past hurts and being healed and affirmed. One man came for prayer with Shayne – he was a big polish guy with a beard; Shayne placed his hands on his shoulders and the man dissolved into tears and sobbed as Shayne hugged him. A powerful moment that will stay with me, seeing a man set free!
So menALIVE is now launched and alive in Europe. This was not the result of a strategic plan and a desire to build an international footprint, but a humble yes. Here we are Lord! Send us. A move of the holy Spirit has its own energy and vitality as people’s hearts are transformed with a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ.
So I continued to be challenged, to say yes and trust in the Holy Spirit who is always at work.