Life Change
"The only hope of a decreasing self is an increasing Christ." F.B. Meyer
Greg Dempster entered our ministry during a season where the leadership had just experienced a moral failure and our congregation needed healing and direction. Greg stepped in to use his extraordinary gifts of counsel, guidance, and discernment with our team which allowed us to move forward as a church. Not only has he encouraged our team as we pursue Jesus together, he came alongside me personally as a leader with prayer and what I can only describe as Spirit directed wisdom. It has helped me see the calling of God more clearly for my life and cleared debris from the past so I can lead to my full potential.
Brian Blum
Lead Pastor
Frontline Community Church
ChristLife has been a lifeline for me these last few months. God is bringing healing to how I view myself and how I view Him. I've been in full-time ministry for 30 years and thought I had a handle on these things. It's opened up a whole new world for me, where I have nothing to prove, nothing to gain, and nothing to lose. Slowly, I'm changing from the inside out. I thank God for connecting me with this ministry.
Dwight Beal
Pastor, musician
Holland, MI
I have quite a bit of training, in my old age, as pastor, counselor, and mentor to ministry leaders. I thought Christ Life would probably be a repeat of previous learnings. Was I wrong! My wife and I found God deep at work when we went through the Christ Life experience. We found God bringing us to a deeper identity in Himself and more healing and change of perspective in how we viewed hurts from the past and even how we viewed ourselves."
Retired pastor, counselor, mentor to ministry leaders
My experience with ChristLife has been life-changing. God worked through this ministry to help me navigate through past pains and identify sources of distortion in my life, which contributed to some my dysfunctional behaviors. Consequently, I have begun to experience freedom from the pressures of a performance-driven life. These pressures included the need to measure up, the need to be accepted, as well as, the need to be right. Currently, I’m experiencing the rest that God provides when I abide in Christ. I am rediscovering the joy of trusting a Savior who treasures and loves me unconditionally.
Samuel Moffett
Senior Pastor
House of God Family Life Ministries
Through working with ChristLife, I have discovered the reality of God’s safety. I’ve learned the reality of Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and they are safe.” I am safe in the strong refuge of God. Learning this truth has released me from the pressure to perform, need to achieve, striving to prove myself, anxiety over being “less than”, fear of not measuring up to others’ expectations. Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Gal.2:20) I have learned this truth in my own life: I am no longer just "Brian Smilde," now I am "Christ in Brian Smilde". Knowing the truth of my identity has been liberating and transforming. This ministry has been a graceful help to me in my journey of becoming anchored in Jesus Christ.
Brian Smilde
Senior Pastor
Immanuel Reformed Church
Grand Rapids, MI.
Let me tell you briefly how God has been using ChristLife in my life. As a pastor, when your joy is gone, and it seems God is too, this is a hard thing to tell others. I thank God I've had a few trusted leaders over the years in the church I serve who have been willing to listen to me, but even then, how much do you say? How much can they handle hearing? Will they really accept me, or will they just feel pressure to somehow "fix" me?Also, what do you say when you don't even know how to describe what's going on inside your dark frightened heart? It's especially confusing when you often tell people about the love God has for them... but deep inside you're convinced that God doesn't care for you, and is generally just disappointed with your life. For years this has been my struggle but something's been changing as of late... God has been using ChristLife to help me unravel lies about myself that I've entertained for decades. Wounds heal slowly, but my heart is quickly becoming alive again. I'm learning that Jesus really does like me and wants me to stay with him (John 15). I'm experiencing Him love me and in return, I am starting to learn how to love those around me again. I'm crawling out of my fear and into His presence. God really does love me– not the best version of myself, but me.
Over the years I've often prayed for these things, read the right books and have shared some my struggles with others. Some of these things have given me insight and a small measure of change, but never the real freedom I've needed. The pastoral leaders of ChristLife know how to listen. They listen to God and his word on your behalf. They listen to who you are and what you say about life, yourself, and God. Then they are used by God to help you untangle the lies and delve into the truth you need in order to connect with God again. I'm slowly returning to God, believing that because he's for me, and because nothing will ever separate me from his love I have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to fear. Glory be to God!
Bob Manuel
Co-Pastor
Crossway Community Church
ChristLife's guidance along the journey of self-awareness and healing has given me hope that God can restore the brokenness in my life. I’m still learning how to work through the dysfunctions that cause me chaos but my meetings with Greg recalibrate me and allow me to sense what it’s like to dwell in God’s tent. Greg’s passion for Christ is contagious and his desire to help other Christian leaders work through their wounds will only make them better leaders.
Tim Ellens
Calvin College
I met Greg Dempster in 2016 at a wedding party of a mutual friend. Greg’s love for people and His passion for Jesus was instantly recognizable. A few months later we got coffee. I remember telling Greg at a local Starbucks, “I see evidence of Christ in you that I don’t see in enough church leaders. Too be honest, I don’t see enough of it in myself.” Over 2017, Greg agreed to meet with me regularly throughout the year. God filled experiences in the area's of Awareness, Core Longings, Dysfunctional Emotion, and Healing have had a profound impact on my life. I’ve been leading worship full-time for over 10 years. Greg has helped me experience the True Jesus in a way I never have before. I'm stepping into this new year with a renewed sense of purpose and renewed passion for Jesus. I am beyond grateful for ChristLife Ministry. Greg is one of the most dynamic Christian leaders I have ever met. ChristLife Ministries has an impact on my life beyond measure.
J.P. Dutton
Worship Pastor
Port City Church
3387 Heights Ravenna Rd
Muskegon, MI 49444
231.767.5246
The Spirit has used ChristLife Ministry in powerful ways in my life and in my ministry. God has helped me gain awareness of how my past influences how I see the world and how I see Him. Jesus is bringing healing to my soul by helping me understand that I haven't seen the world or God objectively but rather through the lens of my past. As I gain a clear distinction between my past and understanding who the true Jesus really is, I've begun to change. I’m beginning to experience God‘s love for me instead of just cognitively knowing that he loves me. The church in the US desperately needs to find healing from our past wounds so that we can experience the real Jesus and his immeasurable love for us. I am so grateful for Greg and all the ministry that the Spirit of God is doing through the ChristLife team.
Licensed Christian Counselor, Grand Rapids MI.
At the heart of every Christ follower is a call to surrender to God. To obey this call is not only noble but necessary. But when surrender is left undefined, the pursuer is left embarking on a journey without a map, and the result is passionate wandering with more frustration than joy. ChristLife helps you discover the map that God has already created, and to make sense of who we are to Him. It brings clarity to our past, our purpose, and our pursuit. Well, that's what it's done for me. I'm decreasing, and He is increasing… It's been an amazing journey!
Jay Jones
Senior Pastor
The Pentecostals of Kentwood
Kentwood, MI.
My whole life I've based my worth and value on my performance. I'm finally beginning to learn to base my value on what God says about me. As a result, my anger is starting to diminish as I no longer feel as much of a need to manage people's perception of me. I'm learning to come out of my chaos and into the presence of the true Jesus.
Jesse Hornburg
Worship Leader
Although we both grew up in Christian homes, went to church faithfully, did all the things people that follow Jesus were supposed to do, we were struggling with our marriage, with rebellious children, and in our relationships with God.
ChristLife Ministries has helped us see that we had a distorted perspective of life and identity that had grown out of the way each of us had been raised. As my husband began to experience Gods healing, I would often find him diligently reading the scriptures. This began to soften my heart and prompted me to begin to do the same. Through this process, we began to realize how an intimate relationship with Christ is the foundation for all else. We had spent so much time looking at what was wrong with our marriage that we forgot to work on ourselves. Focusing on loving God has caused me to keep my eyes on what God is calling me to in our marriage. It is incredibly freeing!
There were days I wasn’t sure we would make it. But, by keeping my eyes focused on Jesus, letting my expectation be in him, I am able to say that I have more respect for my husband than I ever have in our almost 22 years of marriage. Chasing after Jesus is the manliest thing he could have ever done.
The Spirit is doing a work through ChristLife, a refreshing work. We now understand the verse, “In his presence is fullness of joy.”
Christian business owner and wife, Grand Rapids, MI.
The journey towards wholeness and healing is an incremental process and one that takes time. Often, we need the wisdom of spiritual guides to help us walk this road. The work of ChristLife has had a profound impact in my life. This teams wisdom, insight, and sensitivity to the Spirit of God has served me on my journey and brought to light areas of woundedness in my that needed healing. ChristLife has faithfully walked with me as I have grown freer and more complete in the love of God. I unreservedly recommend this ministry to you.
Brian Miller
Pastor
Grand Rapids, MI
The time I have spent with ChristLife has been extremely rich and fruitful. We’ve not only spent time studying the Word and applying it to our lives, but the team has also been very intentional about walking us through our own personal healing journey. We all carry wounds and pains with us, but I’ve learned that few of us ever work through those hurts and realize how they’ve affected our lives and relationship with God. What I have gained has been invaluable and something I not only encourage others to go through but something I apply to my life on a daily basis.
David Doerner
Teaching pastor
Frontline church
Grand Rapids, MI.