The Ryan Club

Lord, please grant me many more years.

This is a prayer I pray many times a day. Is it selfish? Sure. I want 50 more birthdays with Colton. I want to grow old with my wife. I want to see my grandchildren.

It's also missionally driven. I have a mentor of mine who started something called the "Caleb Club". It's modeled after the life of Caleb. As one of the twelve spies who scouted the promised land, Caleb came back with a positive report. Yes, he saw the giants, but he also saw the blessings. He had seen a vision of a new life for the nation of Israel and he trusted that God would deliver them over any obstacles in their way.

Unfortunately most of his comrades didn't have that vision. So Caleb was left to wander the desert for forty years while an entire generation died off so that a new generation of Israelites could fulfill God's purpose for their lives. The vision he saw earlier was able to sustain him while everyone around him died. When the time came, at the age of 85, Caleb was able to answer the call. We don't know when he died but we do know at 85 he was a great warrior that led the Israelites into battle. He fought giants and conquered the land with Joshua.

There are a few requirements to be a member of the Caleb Club. One must be over forty, and have a vision so grand that it will take forty years to accomplish.

I want to be a part of the Caleb Club. I want to be 40, and I want to be 85. I want to see everything God could do through me in 60 more years. However I'm starting a new club until then. It's the Ryan Club. Anybody at any age can join. Here's the deal.

I don't know how much time I have left on this earth. I do however have an increasing sense of urgency and pressure that God is doing an incredible work in and through me. I don't know what it looks like, but when I think about everything God has for me to accomplish in my life I feel overwhelmed.

I don't know how God could do all this in a normal lifetime. However if God is going to call me home sooner than later, and his plans will be fulfilled, this is going to be one crazy ride.

So the Ryan Club only requires that you feel burdened by God to do something so big that only He could accomplish it, no matter how much time you have.

When I think about my life and the legacy I may leave, I often think if I had more time I could do more. That's not true. The reality is God can fulfill more in one second of my life than I can in a lifetime. So while it scares me to think that He might be able to use me most effectively in a short time, it's incredibly exciting to think about what that would look like.

God please give me many more years, but more importantly, give me a vision so grand that I don't know how to accomplish it! Are you willing to join my club?