We all travel this planet for a short time. In that time we work, we love, we hurt, and we die. We toil in life to obtain the things that keep us alive. We love in life to find enjoyment and happiness to remove the sting of that toil. We hope throughout all of our existence that our experiences during this short lived journey meant something somewhere, to someone. The expectation is that our life will either climax to meet our dreams, or transform into an eternal state of bliss. However we are not the subjects of our existence, instead we are the objects of one creator and subjected to Him. This truth is the genesis of real Hope.
Our world is consumed in the darkness night, waiting for the dawn. In this night we long for change. We long for someone or some movement to lead us to a world free from war, famine, poverty, and personal torment. We long for something to give purpose to the strivings of our life besides the standard cycle: learning, working, resting then dying. We yearn for something to answer the questions of our heart when we lay awake in bed at night. The questions humanity tries to hide by making money, consuming substances, and partaking in endless forms of entertainment. Questions like “Why am I alive?”; “Why is life filled with so much pain?”; “What is the meaning of life?”
The questions are the fruit of poor human leadership. Leadership tainted by sin and evil that has progressed since Adam. Men and woman who have held governmental positions over the last 6,000 years who have misused their God rented authority for their own gain. Leaders who have failed to lead their subjects in giving glory to God by obeying His law. Because of this oversight, humanity has been in a spiral of unrest. Wars have ensued as power hungry leaders struggle for ownership of the Earth and its glory. Poverty has spread like a disease crippling many, as rulers use their talents to enslave others to their lust and greed. Yet in all of this, there is a place in the universe where a man was always intended to rule our planet in righteousness and justice. That place, that man, and His throne are what we are waiting for, longing for, yearning for. They are the dawning of a new era for humanity. Their arrival gives us exodus from the night, and entrance to the day.
The place better is known as Heaven, and the man as Jesus the Christ. Soon and very soon there will be a ceremony in heaven, just before it makes it’s decent to join the Earth forever. At that event there will be a scroll, the title deed for the Earth. Whoever possesses and opens that scroll, owns the Earth forever. Whoever opens it must be wise enough, humble enough, and kind enough to break open the scroll’s seals to cleanse the Earth and pronounce judgment on it. With great zeal, and great fervor those seals purge the Earth of it’s wickedness and sets in motion God’s restoration plan. So glorious will that ceremony be as we will watch the final point in the story of humanity in this age.
Though all of this sounds quite epic, as if it should be scrolling up a screen as an orchestra plays some sort of concerto that would cause one to expect the Death Star to slowly fade up in the corner, I assure you this is not a Sci Fi novel. Heaven is a created structure that is really coming down out of the sky to rest on Earth. God is really going to make His eternal AND physical home on our planet forever. No human imagination in history could have conjured up this imagery. Therefore I digress.
Jesus having been fully God made Himself completely man, while never suspending His deity. He joined His own creation, so that He could interact directly with us forever. Only He can own that scroll. Only He can rule our Universe in justice because ONLY HE proved Himself worthy by proving His humility, meekness, and kindness by shedding His blood for all of Humanity. Only His government of peace will grow endlessly because He’s committed to not only restoring the Earth, but allowing Humanity to have part in ruling it with Him forever.
We wait not only for a righteous ruler to restore our lives, but also give to us the eternal purpose of giving Him glory. Our world gets restored and we get to function as the rulers of (not minions of) creation that we were always intended to be. For those who love Christ the future only holds for us Hope and opportunity. For those who can’t see past their human angst and reject Christ, the future remains terrorizing.
If we are waiting for a human movement of unity to overcome the evil plight we’ve been battling for 6,000 years, we will be found wanting. If we are waiting for the human spirit to triumph and cause our race to overcome the wiles of lust, greed, ego, and arrogance that have beat it down in the past, we will be found wanting. If we are waiting for a revolution in politics to change and better the way we govern the planet, we will be found wanting. Only one man is qualified to own the scroll. Only one man has proved himself worthy. Only one man can restore all that we are. He is God and man, and there is no one like him inside or outside of creation. We define existence by him. We define truth by Him. We live for Him. We die for Him
We wait for Him.

Standing is a verb. When the waves and winds of opinion and persecution come and beat on us and our faith will we stand? When the hatred and rage fuming in the hearts of those who have rejected Christ is being directed at us who love Jesus, will we stand? When the ideas of our time tell us that Jesus is one of many ways to enjoy eternity will we stand? Only if we are found as lovers of the absolution jesus and the Word that He embodies.

Before we stand, before those waves and winds come and beat at us, are we surrendered to the grace of God and through that surrender loving and obeying His commands? Is it real in our hearts? Do we take our faith seriously. If we surrender to the ability of God and His word they, not our own ability, will guarantee that we stand are are not moved.

“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling.” Jude 24

He is able, willing and faithful to give us all we need to stand in this age. All that remains is our action. Our daily decision to pick ourselves up from the apathy and lethargy of sin and its ways. We just have to stand. He’ll hold us up.

That is the current status of the Hensley household. As what could be called the busiest and craziest summer I’ve ever encountered, without exaggeration, has finally come to an end. As most know I have the privilege of ministering to a couple thousand teenagers every summer. This summer we had the same overwhelming response to the messages as most years. Most teens committing to start bible studies and prayer meetings on their High School campuses. A lot of one on one discipleship happening where teens left free from bondage with hearts healed and a game plan to pursue Christ at home. Though that alone would be enough to walk away from the summer with incredible testimonies of god’s power, it seemed evident that the lord was doing more this summer. It seemed that not only was he calling them to be faithful Christians, but he was also commissioning them as messengers of His gospel.

A few months before the summer I woke up in the middle of the night hearing the Lord say with clarity “I am raising up Samuels in a day when the word of the Lord is rare.”  Going into the summer that phrase kept repeating in my spirit as I prayed. The interpretation is simple enough, the Lord is raising up a young generation to testify of Jesus in a day when Jesus is becoming a scarce focus in our culture and in some places even the church.

Halfway through the summer I ministered at a conference in Houston Texas, that is one of many to come called the Elijah Revolution. I had the opportunity to preach and minister with a man I’ve always considered to be a role model for my life in Lou Engle. His faith for God to change our nation through prayer stirred my heart. Whether back stage where he would begin weeping over this current generation’s need for God, or on stage where he called the teens in Houston to fast and pray and give their lives on behalf of the gospel, his love for God and faith to see God transform hearts provoked me. I saw hundreds of teens in Houston crying out for their peers in prayer long into the night.

I encountered God in Houston while ministering to that group. Coming home with 400 teens waiting for me in Kansas City, I felt like the Lord gave me a greater grace and anointing to call this generation to take their love for Jesus to the place of prayer and begin to transform their regions through prayer and preaching the gospel. My first night back I was supposed to preach and had a great message on Revelation 5 and our eternal destiny planed for the night. I felt that phrase the Lord spoke to me months before echoing in my spirit. ”I am raising up Samuels in a day when the word of the Lord is rare.” I gathered my leadership team and the 50 counselors that serve all summer with such faithfulness. I told them I was going to cancel the service and the special activity we had planned for that night and were going to pray as a camp instead and see what God does. I figured we at least would be able to get the group to pray for 2 hours or more and then maybe I’d preach still if things fizzled out.

We started praying and instantly I and most in the room begin to feel the presence of God. I felt an increase of faith and the delight of the Lord as if he’d grant us anything that night. We cried out for the youth of America, for President Obama, our government, our parents, families and friends for 6 hours. I kept waiting for different teens to disengage and start getting tired. However all 450 teens in the room stayed engaged into the midnight hour.If you’ve ever done youth ministry, this is a miracle.

For the rest of camp you could see in the faces and in the conversations teens were having in the cafeteria that many had been awakened that night. Prayer is the most powerful tool we have, not only because things happen when we pray but prayer in itself is like a seminary. It reveals to our hearts the heart of God. It takes our perspective of  life and world and ailigns it with God’s. When we partner with him in prayer it tranforms our hearts to trust God for our wants and needs and gives us a vision for the people in our life and world.

Since the teens have all gone home my inbox on Facebook has been flooded with testimonies of teens who are leading prayer meetings on their highschool campuses and having their peers get saved, delivered, and begin giving themselves to Christ. Teens are already beginning to fill their churches with young people as they are dragging their friends to church and telling them about Jesus.

I have been so blessed to be apart of the move of God this summer. All around the nation I’m hearing testimonies of God beginging to raise up teenagers to be messengers of truth. I ask that you join me in praying for them. God is raising up young messengers  to testify of His son in a time in our nation where the word of the Lord is rare. Jesus is the reason why I’m alive. My ambition is that in all my labors of ministry the result is that the name of Jesus becomes great.

————————

Quick Update: For those that may be reading this update for the first time, Carrie and I serve as missionaries. We do not receive a salary for the work that we do.

Even our camps and conferences run at cost so as to be able to allow as many teens to attend as possible. This means our income is purely donations based.

I heard one of my favorite preachers John Piper say recently “There are go-ers and there are sow-ers, if you can’t go SOW!” So our ministry is based on those “Sow-ers” so that we can continue to labor on behalf of the next generation and serve the prayer movement.

Right now we have 3 prayer needs and invitations for you to give:

• We will be traveling to Phoenix, AZ for the month of October for the purpose of support raising and speaking at various churches. Please pray that this is not only a fruitful time for us in ministry but financially.
• We are in the process of wanting to adopt. We want our home to be a haven for the homeless. The cost of adoption is extremely high.
• We are behind on most bills and in need of money to repair our second car. We need about $4,000. to get our heads back above water. Please pray for us in this as we need to take care of this debt in order to be able to adopt. Pray and consider giving both to the immediate need but also sowing monthly.

3 ways to help:

Pray- As I stated above this is a powerful way to partner with us.

Invite- As a preacher I’d love to come to any church or ministry and serve in any way I can. This both can can us grow our network of supporters but also give us an opportunity to witness what God is doing in other areas.

Invest- Partner with us through finances. We are in need of both one time gifts and monthly commitments to donate.

2 ways to invest:

To donate ONLINE click here:

If you would like a tax deduction for your donation, make the check out to: IHOP-KC and mail it to:

Support ATTN:

Zack Hensley

3535 E  Red Bridge Rd

Kansas City, MO 64137

I believe it’s content had something with marshmelows and my desire to travel Europe.

Over the years I stayed consistent with at least a post once a month. Until 2006 when I decided to jump into the pace of daily blogging. The first couple months were easy, I had a ton of creative ideas and opinions in my arsenal. But once they were expressed I had to work hard to dig up new things to write about. I started going to other blogs, writing posts commenting on their ideas. Before I knew it I was getting around 300+ views a day, and at least 20-30 comments a post.

I started getting connected with the ideas and creativity I always knew were inside of me, I had just never had a stage to work them out.

Then I met a girl. I worked hard to get her to date me. She said yes, then again, then finally “I do”- and I forgot what I blog post was. Every once in a while a faint memory of blogging would rise to the surface and I’d indulge in its memory by contributing a few posts here and there. However I never accomplished that glory that I once had in expressing thought and creativity through the written word.

Today I want to announce… that I have finally remembered what a blog post is. Does that mean I will start blogging again? Maybe, but I refuse to make promises.

For now, hello. Blogs are cool.

We live in the night our epoch, waiting for the dawn. In this night we long for change. We long for someone or some movement to lead us to a world free from war, famine, poverty, and personal torment. We long for something to give purpose to the strivings of our life besides the standard cycle: learning, working, resting then dying. We yearn for something to answer the questions of our heart when we lay awake in bed at night. The questions humanity tries to hide by making money, doing drugs, alcohol, and endless entertainment. Questions like “Why am I alive?”; “Why must life be filled with such pain?”; “What is the meaning of life?”; “Why must I live under rocks?”

The questions are the fruit of poor human leadership. Leadership tainted by sin and evil. Men and woman who have held governmental positions over the last 6,000 years who have misused their God rented authority for their own gain. Who have failed to lead their subjects in giving glory to God by obeying His law. Because of this oversight, humanity has been in a spiral of unrest. Wars have ensued as power hungry leaders struggle for ownership of the Earth and its glory. Poverty has spread like a disease crippling many, as rulers use their talents to enslave others to their lust and greed. Yet in all of this, there is a place in the universe where a man was always intended to rule our planet in righteousness and justice. That place, that man, and His throne are what we are waiting for, longing for, yearning for. They are the dawning of a new era for humanity. Their arrival gives us exodus from the night, and entrance into the day.

The place better known as Heaven, and the man as the Christ, Jesus. Soon and very soon there will be a ceremony in heaven, just before it makes it’s decent to join the Earth forever. At that event there will be a scroll, the title deed for the Earth. Whoever possesses and opens that scroll, owns the Earth forever. Whoever opens it must be wise enough, humble enough, and kind enough to break open the scroll’s seals to cleanse the Earth and pronounce judgment on all wickedness. Jesus having been fully God made Himself completely man, while never suspending His deity. He joined His own creation forever, so that He could interact directly with us forever. Only He can own that scroll. Only He can rule our Universe in justice because ONLY He proved Himself worthy by proving His humility, meekness, and kindness by shedding His blood for all of Humanity. Only His government of peace will grow endlessly because He’s committed to not only restoring the Earth, but allowing Humanity to have part in ruling it with Him forever.

We wait not only for a righteous ruler to restore our lives, but also give to us the eternal purpose of giving Him glory. Our world gets restored and we get to function as the rulers of (not minions of) creation that we were always intended to be. For those who love Christ the future only holds for us Hope and opportunity. For those who can’t see past the human angst and reject Christ, the future remains terrorizing. If we as humanity are waiting for a human movement of unity to overcome the evil plight we’ve been battling for 6,000 years, we will be found wanting. If we are waiting for the human spirit to triumph and cause our homeosapian race to overcome the wiles of lust, greed, ego, and arrogance that have beat it down in the past, we will be found wanting. If we are waiting for a revolution in politics to change and better the way we govern the planet, we will be found wanting. Only one man can own the scroll. Only one man has proved himself worthy. Only one man can restore all that we are. We wait for Him.

There will be no peace until He returns. Nothing will be fully restored until He comes. However if you are still stuck under a rock, there is hope that you’ll get out. Apart from that, we can only watch, and wait.

I'm Blessed by Maxwell... But please never make me read a book by him ever again!

I was blessed to grow up in a mega church where the leaders took stock in my life, and did all they could to help me succeed as a leader. As a 15- 16 year old I enjoyed every afternoon sitting in on leadership meetings, going to strategy sessions and being mentored by my youth pastor -who had taken a small dwindling youth group and built it into a beast. As blessed as I was, one part I hated were the reading and writing assignments. Every day after school they’d have me read and take notes on some leadership book. John Maxwell’s 1,564 laws of leadership (number sarcastically exaggerated), Stephen Covey’s 7 laws, Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins, Jim Collins, even Vince Lombardi- I spent much of my teenage years toiling through their books, tapes, and video series. Now nearly 15 years later am grateful, as I learned a great deal that I apply everyday. However and for that reason, I vowed to NEVER read another book on leadership again. Most leadership books I’ve read are clichéd, humanistic, self centered, and filled with endless, and shameless “Ra-Ra Ra” self motivation. So a month ago when my mom handed me this book, “Leader who Last” I did an eye roll that would’ve put Stephanie from Full House to shame. Never the less, my Mom has never given me a book to read that I’ve regretted, so gave it a shot.

Another reason I don’t like leadership books, is because they are a bit like weight loss books. They try to dress up their program like it’s new and unique, but at the end of the day they all say the same thing: Exercise and eat right. Kraft’s little book does NOT do that.

What struck me first is the endorsement in the beginning by one of my favorite Christian Leaders, Mark Driscoll. I’ve followed Driscoll for years, and knew that in his early years he had been a bit of a loose cannon, and not totally grounded. Then a couple years back calmed down, and his ministry and depth in teaching soared. In his endorsement, he credits Kraft’s mentor-ship to his turn around. Instantly I was hooked.

I tore through the book in about an hour and a half, and loved every second. Kraft started off with his philosophy that leadership born out of anywhere but the place of prayer, will ultimately fail. Leaders have nothing to offer the world apart from that which Christ provides. Prayer being our primary calling, leadership being our second. This blessed me. As every Christian leadership book I’ve read, NEVER emphasizes this enough. In fact that is why they are lacking as resources, and why the church is in the state it is. To quote Covey: “We have to keep the Main thing the Main thing” However I insert Jesus as the “main thing”.

Kraft breaks the book down into 3 sections:

Part One: Foundations
Chapter 1. The Leader’s Power (focus on prayer)
Chapter 2. The Leader’s Purpose
Chapter 3. The Leader’s Passion
Chapter 4. The Leader’s Priorities
Chapter 5. The Leader’s Pacing

Part Two: Formation
Chapter 6. The Leader’s Calling
Chapter 7. The Leader’s Gifts
Chapter 8. The Leader’s Character
Chapter 9. The Leader’s Growth

Part Three: Fruitfulness
Chapter 10. The Leader’s Vision
Chapter 11. The Leader’s Influence
Chapter 12. The Leader’s Legacy

Every chapter is short and precise with great analogies and stories. However I would not say that Kraft is a very good writer, nor presents anything all that new. Instead it’s the summation of a 70 year old man’s life time of wisdom in training leaders. Wisdom that we would be fools not to listen to. Wisdom that has not only intrigued me, but even refocus some areas of my life.

I am so grateful for this book. I hope to meet Dave Kraft one day and shake his hand in appreciation for his life in God. I am grateful for his diligence in helping young over zealous leaders like myself get a clear handle on the leadership assignment we’ve been given by God.

Though I’m still steadfast in my desire to avoid leadership books like a Romulan trying to go around the Neutral Zone. This particular book was invaluable. I highly recommend it.

To buy it now click here:

Beauty is such a relative word, it’s definition seems to change the better you know the subject it’s directed toward. Over the last 6 years of getting to know Carrie (my wife of 2+ years) beauty has always been the adjective I’ve used to describe her. However the definition of beauty has changed over the course of time.

My Beautiful Wife

When I first noticed her, I thought she was beautiful because I was attracted to her. She had bright piercing eyes, and a smile that gave me goose bumps. She carried her self with a courage and focused intensity that convinced me she could conquer the world. If ever we found our selves in the same room, I would find it hard to keep my eyes off of her. She was beautiful.

As the years went by and we transitioned from strangers to acquaintances, from acquaintances to friends. The definition of beauty changed for me again. It still referred to her outer qualities, but now also to the nuances of her personality. She actually cared deeply for people. Her intensity and courage was the fruit of a tender heart that wanted to love Jesus and to serve people. She was thoughtful, and faithful to people and didn’t judge them by their weaknesses but saw them for who they could be. She was beautiful.

As we transitioned from friends to being in love I discovered even more and my definition of beauty changed. I saw a woman whose sole ambition was to be faithful to the heart of the Lord. I got to see her quirks. The little idiosyncrasies that comprised a picture of her that not many had ever seen. The grumpy look on her face she’d wear when she got hungry. The glitter in her eye when I could tell she was thinking about me. The way she’d just let the tears fall off her face when talking about Jesus. She’d never wipe her eyes as if every tear that fell added to the well of devotion she had spent so many unseen hours cultivating. She was beautiful.

The day came in October 2008, when I stood in front of my comrades, friends, and family ready to vow my devotion and life to her. The Doors flung open as a band played the Doxology. In walked the woman I’d vow to spend the best and worst times of my life with. I wept in that moment out of gratefulness, and out of pure astonishment that I was really marrying the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was beautiful.

A year later I’d stand by her side as she labored giving birth to our little girl Natalie. She was so calm as she refused to take any pain medication. She was so courageous as she took deep calculated breathes to save her strength. Natalie was born, and I saw the woman I loved hold another subject for which I would get to define and apply the word beauty. Never had I seen a woman labor with such zeal and fervor as my wife. I was so proud of her. They were soo beautiful.

Carrie and our Beautiful little girl

Over the last two and a half years of marriage I have seen love for Carrie only grow and expand. As it grows, so does my definition of beauty. No woman could EVER be considered beautiful to me then my wife. Her beauty is matchless. Her worth endless. It doesn’t seem comprehensible that one day I’ll love her more then I do now, but as my definition of beauty changes so does my heart. I’m so blessed to be joined to this woman. I am literally the luckiest guy who has ever lived.

She is beautiful.

I could barely finish reading it as a fell to the ground weeping. It was like reading the mission statement of my heart. It was that moment that I decided that no matter the cost or sacrifice I was going to spend my life on behalf of the gospel for better or worse. My only ambition was to love Jesus and preach his gospel until I was dead from preaching. Though I’m still on the journey of living that out, it’s my goal none the less.

To this day, I think back to this statement. It changed my life:

” I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear! for “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” -author unknown