We recently connected with Andy Blakeslee and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Andy, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
You can often locate your purpose by finding the intersection of competence and passion. In order to find this intersection, ask yourself these two questions.
What are you good at?
and
What do you like to do?
After answering those two questions, you will have better idea to see what you are good at and where you want to go. Then the third question to answer is the following.
What is something that really bothers me?
Leaders create solutions to problems. Often, a vision for your life is lurking right in front of you in the form of a problem or area of frustration. Some refer to this burden or problem area as a “Holy Discontent.”
Vision and purpose for your life can be found by tapping into this area of “Holy Discontent.” Do not quickly dismiss areas that ruffle your feathers or cause you distress. Oftentimes, that uncomfortable feeling or ‘discontent’ is something that God wants to use in and through you to make the world a better place. When a leader can look for a solution to an area that normally brings frustration, that leader will discover incredible passion and capacity to work on this solution. Vision is often birthed out of adversity. By looking for small changes to existing challenges, one might discover a path forward to live life to the full.
I found my purpose by paying attention to those things that bothered me while developing a self awareness as to what I do well and trying to diagnose what I do well. That sounds simple. But, when you are good at something … often times you are the last person to realize what it is that you do so well. You tend to think that everyone can easily do what comes easy for you to do.
My example is a fish in water. Fish can swim very good. But, because they live in water and swim 24/7, they may not be aware of this simple reality … they can swim very good. What is it that you do so well … you may not even be aware that you do it easily?
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
In 2010 (nearly 20 years ago), God put a desire in my heart to help pastors in the 20 poorest countries of the world. I was watching (virtually) a global evangelism conference called Lausanne in South Africa. During that conference, I sensed that God wanted me to do something to help pastors in the 20 poorest countries of the world.
I grew up as missionary kid. My parents were missionaries in Ecuador, South America. I watched them live by faith month by month. And, as a result, I said I would never be a missionary. Being a missionary took too much trust in God for monthly provision. I wanted to make some money!
My parents moved to Dallas, Texas when I entered 8th grade. I played basketball and received a full ride academic and athletic scholarship to play basketball at Dallas Baptist University. I was not very good my freshman year, but by my senior year, I improved a lot and was named captain and MVP of the team. Following college, I entered the corporate world in the field of Corporate Finance. I enjoyed my career … until the season changed!
I went through difficulties personally as my wife of 11 years divorced me. At the time, we had 4 beautiful children ages 10 to 4. After a couple years working in corporate America as a single Dad, I sensed God was leading me to a different season of work. Along the way, God showed me several signs that He was in fact leading me to quit my job and begin to trust Him for not only my financial support month by month, but to trust Him for my emotional needs on a day by day basis.
I grew up on the mission field as a missionary’s kid. I said, “I will never be a missionary.” And, now I was a missionary. Guess what I found out? I learned two things. Be careful when you say you will never do something! And, second, I learned that when God calls you to do something, he will give you a joy and passion to do it!
God has given me tremendous joy and peace as I confidently walk forward towards what I sense He is directing me to accomplish.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Faith, Positivity, and Selflessness are three ingredients that will almost always provide meaningful results! Faith is the ability to believe that something is possible when that thing is not yet visible to be seen! Positivity is simply looking for the good in people and things instead of looking for the bad. Selflessness does not mean to never think about yourself, but it certainly does mean to think about yourself less than you think about others. Too many people in this world are consumed with themselves.
Everyone’s favorite subject is themself. Well, what if we could train ourselves to be interested in caring for and helping others? If we can do that, then, we can help people with their absolute most favorite subject … themself! And, when we think of others, guess who we are not spending too much time on? Ourselves!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Three resources have played outsized roles in helping me as a leader. The Bible, Crown Financial Ministries’ Small Group Study, and The Master’s Program.
In 2010, I committed to read the entire Bible in one year. Since then, I have read the whole thing at least 7 times now. Think about it. The Bible is unquestionably, the greatest book ever written. Why should we rely on others to read it and tell us what they think is important? I wanted to know what it said from cover to cover. In the book of John chapter 1 verse 1 we see the following. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If you go to the first verse of the first book, Genesis 1:1 we see the following. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The best way to grow is to start at the beginning! God was at the beginning. In John, God is referred to as “The Word” The Bible gives us a lot of his words. In a world that continues to blur the differences between personal self centered opinions versus truth … it is important that we understand what is true.
Beyond the Bible, the Crown Financial Ministries Small Group Study really helped me grow in my relationship with God. The study was so impactful in my life, I am currently re-purposing that curriculum to use in Tanzania, Africa. The title of this new 10 week small group study is called, “Safari to Financial Freedom in Christ.” We will begin teaching this material to Tanzanians in 2024. I’m super excited to share this transformative resource with people who are so desperate to improve their lives.
The third resource that had a meaningful impact on my life is The Master’s Program. The Master’s Program is a 3 year leadership development program that was founded by Bob Shank. Bob operated a billion private family business and he served as the Sr. Pastor of a large church for 8 years. He is uniquely qualified to speak to leaders whether they be in the marketplace or in the ministry world. Through that 3 year program, I learned that I was a leader. As the youngest of 4 children in my family, I never thought of myself as a leader. But, through The Master’s Program, I discovered my leadership giftedness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.HeresLifeAfrica.com
- Facebook: facebook/HeresLifeAfrica
- Other: Ministry Address: Here’s Life Africa c/o The Hope Center 2001 W. Plano Parkway #3435 Plano, TX 75075
