I want to tell you a story about the first time I heard about “The Deeper life.”
It was an average day at the church where I worked and Daniel was often gracing us all with His presence. I was on staff as the Discipleship pastor and Daniel Henderson was the Prayer Pastor.
He was sitting in the hallway that day as I passed by. He didn’t really have an office (I guess we never thought that prayer guy needed an office)– so he found odd places to work, or should I say “Change the world from.” One of those was a chair with no arms and his lap served as the desk.
He was turning through a massive stack of paper, page after page, making some marks as he went along. Finally, he took the stack, placed it in a manila envelope and sealed it to make it mail ready.
We were headed out to grab lunch together and he said, “I need to drop this in the mail on the way out.”
“What is that?” I asked.
“Oh,” he started humbly, “It is the proof copy of my new book. I just need to send it back to the publisher.”
I have to be honest, not often do people say to me, Oh, it is just the copy of my new book… let me send it out the door and then we can grab lunch. But that is Daniel Henderson.
I don’t know a man more disciplined, focused or with higher capacity than this man. his life is an inspiration. So as we drove to lunch and he answered my simple question, “So what is the book about?” I realized there was no greater man to write this book.
“The Deeper life” is a life work.
In fact, I remember texting him something like this after I first read it – “Daniel, I think you can die now, you’ve created a life masterpiece. Most of us only dream of writing something this good… but please don’t die.”
I don’t know of another resource that is as power-packed with scripture to help a person find their theology, purpose and discipline all in one place. Every page is biblical and practical and the exercises are not just good, they are God-inspired.
Let me tell you: I love to think about my life about as much as I love to live it.
I have done a hundred life exercises to find my purpose, manage my time, evaluate my theology or maximize my gifts. I’ve hired coaches, been to classes and read many books about getting the most out of my life, for the glory of God.
You can ask my wife: it is not a rare occasion that she will come home to a living room full of flipcharts as I’ve (once again) created a strategic plan for my life.
Yet, there has never been a resource as powerful as this one to make me dig deep into the foundation of what I believe and who I am to build the pylons that day-to-day of my life hang on.
I was so sold on the 8Q process I personally paid to go through the 8Q coaching classes to be trained on how to help other people use this process well. Though I was trained for pastoral ministry and had been through hundreds of hours of biblical counseling training, I found this book so valuable I wanted to be able to take others through the material.
Over the last year, this has been a stable in my biblical counseling ministry. I have used it several times with individuals seeking counseling, couples who have claimed to have fallen out of love, and even incorporated it into my premarital counseling processes.
As a counselor, I can say, most if not all of the problems that come into my office started because someone lost sight of (or never had) a right view of God.
In one case, I had a woman who had been sexually molested as a child and taken advantage of many times in her teen, college and young adult years. She felt that her life was a disgrace and she was nothing more than used goods. Her marriage was on the rock, and no matter how hard her husband tried to help her she still felt helpless.
We started using the 8Q exercises in our sessions or as homework before our sessions. The results were astounding. She and her husband found where they had lost sight of who they were because they didn’t see God as he truly is. After a few months, she not only new what she believed, but who she was uniquely designed to be. She became a better mom to her two young kids and their marriage flourished. She also began serving in the church, helping young girls find their identity in Christ.
One last story…
Most of my counseling over the last few years has dealt with infidelity. I have had couples come to my office who have experienced broken trust as one or both of them have been physical with someone else outside their marriage.
After we do some repair of trust and rebuilding of boundaries, I then direct the couple or individual to this amazing book. We work through exercises methodically. Every time I find the healing and restoring that needs to happen to take place as their foundation is rebuilt and their understanding of their unique calling is identified.
I am telling you – and you already are sensing – this material is amazing! Not only will it change your life as it did mine, but you will find it is something that can help you as you help others see God and His will for their life.
Whether you use it with your spouse or kids, your small group or friends, your co-workers or in your ministry, you will find this to be one of the most practical and biblical resources out there.
So Daniel, while you may have created a life work here – don’t go dying on us. We need you and more resources like this! God is using you and your work for His greater glory. I love you, man, thank you for this book!
