Preface
Some people have asked me to relate the story behind The Forerunner, how it came to be, what is my past and present involvement. I hope to relate a short biography of my life since I became a Christian in 1985. “The Forerunner Manifesto” is a history of my ministry work. I have tried to be as transparent as possible here. I focus mainly on the positive because this is really my perspective, but I also tell about some of my struggles. At the same time, I have tried not to present myself as a perfect person living in a perfect world. I will also try to answer any questions that you may have.
The Forerunner Manifesto
It’s been said: “If you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get you there. But if you know where you have been, you have an idea of the road you need to travel.”
Most people encountering The Forerunner see it as a website that was started in 1996. In fact, the website is a privately owned yet related component to a non-profit group I started in 1994 called Media House International. From 1990 to 1993, The Forerunner was a small newspaper published eight to ten times a year under the auspices of Bob Weiner Ministries. From 1981 to 1989, it was a nationally distributed monthly publication of Maranatha Ministries. Few people today make the connection between the current ministry of The Forerunner and Maranatha Ministries since that organization ceased to exist almost 17 years ago. I was part of Maranatha from 1987 to 1989 and a member of three churches during that time: Amherst, Boston and Gainesville. I enjoyed the time I spent with my pastors. some of whom remain well-loved friends. In that short period of time, I made many other friends and ministry associates who remain close to me even today. Even though this was a brief time, the association with Maranatha was foundational to everything I have done since.
Where I am at in July of 2006
I currently live in Kissimmee, Florida. I am married to a Venezuelan woman and teach English in an urban populated public high school. I am a member of St Andrew’s Chapel, an independent Presbyterian Church pastored by R.C. Sproul. In my part-time, I am actively involved in Christian media projects, I manage a teacher’s softball team and I take an occasional graduate level English course.
I am sure you’ve heard the story of two men who were working construction and were asked what they were doing: One said, “I’m laying bricks.” The other, “I’m building a cathedral.” The point is that people often lose the glorious big picture by concentrating on the tough details.
A similar story might be told of one of The Forerunner’s former contributing editors, who laid aside his six-figure income in a major investment corporation to pursue ministry. After two years of frustration with church politics, he decided to pursue a seminary doctorate in biblical archaeology and languages. His ultimate goal is to teach at the seminary level in order to train ministers to preach the gospel. Last fall, I asked him how it was going. He said, “I don’t know because I haven’t learned much yet.” In the first stages, he is learning Greek and Hebrew and taking an Old Testament survey class. Many people lose their faith while squandering years in seminary because they get fed liberalism and never get an opportunity to participate in ministry and see lives changed. Having known this brilliant man for the past 20 years, I have great hope that he will rise above this “brick-layer” syndrome.
Similarly, I feel as though the last five years of my life have been wasted in this way as far as “Christian ministry” is concerned. In 2001, I was married for the first time and realized that I needed to teach high school again and build a stable career and family life. I know it was God’s will for me to take this time after living on a shoestring budget for many years as a single person. It has been a drastic change of pace, teaching in a public school and not being surrounded 100 percent of the time by Christian activists and missionaries. However, since January 2006, I’ve experienced a rekindling of the vision for The Forerunner. Partly this was because I spent some time redesigning the website and I came to think about where I have been and where in the world I want to go.
