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I’ll start with my end-point for this little ramble; We should not run after great men, but rather discover what they were running after. In Hebrews 13 we are told to remember our leaders who spoke to us the word of God, to consider the outcome of their way of life, and to imitate their faith. Their faith.

When I studied contemporary music, my saxophone lecturer used to say that the highest compliment anyone could pay you was to imitate you and “copy your licks”. Copycats are compliments, he said.

I find myself resisting formulas, and some have interpreted it as an irritation with the “big guns”. So, I’d like to clear something up. I really like Mark Driscoll. I also really like Timothy Keller and John Piper. (I’m mentioning these names because they are all coming to South Africa in 2010 for the first time and I’d love you to go and hear them) I think these men have added, and are continuing to add, much needed help and clarity, courage and examples with their lives.

As a matter of fact, I could do better than that. Let me thank them properly.

Dear John Piper, I’d like to write how we crossed paths, and what it meant to me. You’ll never read this, but that doesn’t matter. My good friend and leader Nick Davis lent me his copy of “The pleasures of God” for some April holiday reading in 2003. I remember our newborn baby boy. I remember the Mpumalanga province. Most of all, I remember the daily times I spent reading “pleasures”. My heart melted. I was taken deep into the greatness of a joyful God. It was like “an idea who’s time has come”. God’s Spirit ministered to me. I had waves of grace wash over me as I realized  my moralistic approach in my christian walk. By the time I got to the third last chapter, I started crying tears of joy while I was reading, right until the end. A paradigm was shifted. An introduction to the sovereign God of grace and pleasure set me on a journey of great discoveries in the true gospel of Jesus Christ and living in a high view of God.

In the middle of 2006, I came across Mark Driscoll on the internet on “desiringgod”, because I was doing a study on the effects of postmodernism on Christianity at the time, having read about 50+ books on the topic. Initially, I liked his common sense, his way to get things across, his irreligious approach and his commitment to the word, to Jesus and all of that, with a confidence that was refreshing. I thoroughly enjoyed his insight and honesty in “confessions of a reformission rev”. Then, I decided to attend New Frontier’s conference where Driscoll was going to be a guest speaker. I was deeply impacted by his gift of courage. After the thursday sessions of the conference, I went for a long walk on the not-so-pretty brighton seaside. Driscoll’s ministry shook my insides. I was so moved towards God, not by the details of what He preached about, but by the courage he did it with, which convinced me that he was not double-minded, but had committed himself to please God and God only. Mark Driscoll, you showed me something. Thank you. If you were a girl, I’d hug ya.

Oh, and shortly after I was introduced to Mark Driscoll, I found Tim Keller. And what a gift that was. Dear Tim, probably in my deepest moment of crying out for a meta-narrative for life and ministry, for the trump card of all meanings, I came across your first lectures on Christ-centeredness when I was missing in the seas of organizational expansionism. Everything came into focus. I bought your “counterfeit gods” yesterday, and will have to wait till Monday before I read it. Thank you. Maybe, I’ll get a chance to have a laugh with you in the afterlife. From the depths of my heart, I’m cheering you on in Manhattan, from my town, Pretoria.

I could do the same with many other heroes who played a huge part in my understanding of God; David Wells, Dudley Daniel, CS Lewis, R.T. Kendall, Michael Eaton, Charlie Spurgeon, Whitefield, Ravi, Oswald Chambers, Os Guinness, Motyer more recently, Schaeffer, Lloyd-Jones, Luther, Augustine, you know, the list continues…

Here is my point, or rather, here is RT Kendall’s point; If you try to reproduce other’s “anointings”, you will only end up with their eccentricities. And of the list of eccentricities there is no end; dress codes, pet topics, intonations, preaching styles, habits, copying websites, and even ministry ideas are all up for grabs.
And here is my greater point! I serve a creative Creator, who loves authenticity because He thought of it first. God is more glorified with our feeblest attempts than with a perfect imitation.
Think snowflakes. Think fingerprints. Think retinas.
Now think churches. Now think of your ministry.

God deserves our best. He is so used to getting our worst sins, our confessions and our problems. We bring him all our cares and burdens, but we could also bring him our personalities and gifts, intentionality and ponderings. I know there is nothing new under the sun, but I’m sure God enjoys an original.

Driscoll, I salute your authentic faith. Go man, go! If you wanna see me, send me a DM on Twitter. I’d so love it. And I promise I won’t hug you.