Viv Grigg - Influences

No-one creates new paradigms out of nothing. We all stand in the flow of God's history and it may be by wisdom we can build new fields by integrating the thoughts of the wise from through the ages and by the Lord leading usn to good men and women who will take us under their wing.

I encountered Jesus early and my life has been a search for him.  As a child, I read hundreds of missionary biographies, many from OMF.  The key one was of Kagawa of Japan.  These framed my theology and understanding of the necessity of incarnation, Jehoveh Jireh, the necessity of a focus among the poor and the nature of people movements.  My theology of the Holy Spirit had been framed from the Keswick movement (From the holiness movement that preceded Pentecostalism) and a godly Baptist pastor, Walter Lang, who still prays for me.

 

I spent many years going up into the mountains alone for hours in prayer during my teenage years.  What God spoke to me during those times he has done.  I read Andrew Murray's, Ministry of Intercession, and other books on prayer a chapter a day for about ten years.  All has come out of prayer.  

 

I went to the mission field when 24, after graduating in engineering, getting a teaching diploma and teaching learning challenged kids for 6 months (wonderful training).  I had spent 5 years in rigorous training with the Navigators through this time, under the mentorship of Warren Mason, mastering most of the New Testament, memorizing a few hundred passages of scripture and learning to evangelise, disciple, build teams, lead conferences and ministries on the university campus.  These skills have always been the core of my ministry.

 

Chuck Hufstetler of SEND International mentored me in churchplanting.  Gene Tabor in the core elements of discipling and indigeneity.  Gene Denler taught me how to preach.

 

Years later, Luis Bush mentored me in global networking. Assissi, Xavier, and other preaching friars gave me the genius of Servants. Brueggeman's theology of the land and rest has been seminal as have been his and Abraham Heschel's understanding of the prophetic.  John Wimber has enabled me to anchor my experiences of the work of the Holy Spirit into a theological framework.

 

Bands of wonderful colabourers have been my constant moulders, as have many saints in the slums.