First Name: Jose
Last Name: Gonzalez
Email: jgonz47606@yahoo.com
Mobile Phone: 248-697-6837
Address:
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Birth Month: December
Birth Day: 14
Birth Year: 1954
Why are you interested in pursuing this initiative?:
I am drawn to what I see in the Zoweh ministry. I am an older man of 70 years. I seek to connect with men’s ministries that focus on men being transformed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to be who God intends them to be by our heavenly Father. From what I see, Zoweh is this type of ministry. God called me to the ministry ten years ago, after I turned 60. Since then, He has led me on a journey of growth, restoration of my masculine soul, and an ever-deepening relationship with Him as my Father. Taking me on a step-by-step journey these past ten years, with the past three years being the most intensive and intentional.
It started with stepping through a Wild at Heart men’s group study that helped me step into deep wounds for healing and the addressing of sexual strongholds that I had in my life. The journey took me through Wild at Heart boot camp, internships at two different churches, experiences with severe illnesses, ultimately leading me to return to school and complete seminary by the time I turned 70 this past year. Three years ago, the Lord brought a ministry, Marked Men for Christ (MMFC), into my life that has been transformational in healing my deepest spiritual wounds from childhood physical and sexual abuse, and subsequent addictions. Since retirement in 2022, the Lord has brought men’s ministry opportunities into my journey of answering his call to full-time ministry. I lead and co-lead men’s small groups in my church, I participate in staffing events and small group leadership with MMFC, I am involved in ministry support and small group leadership with an area homeless shelter transition center for homeless men getting back on their feet, I also work with a third church in their prison ministry, teaching at two prisons, The Lord has filled my weekly schedule with these areas of serving. My ministry call is to mentor others.


Tell us about your family::
My sister and I grew up as Army brats. We grew up away from our original home in Puerto Rico in military bases across the US, in Europe, and in Okinawa. Our parents were Evangelical, Christian Missionary Alliance Christians. Wherever we were stationed, our parents took us to gospel preaching churches in the local community. Both of us went to a Christian university before setting out into adulthood.

What is your experience with Zoweh events and/or resources?:
I met a now close brother, Dave Kyser, about a year and a half ago, who was new to one of my church’s men’s groups that I am involved in. We quickly connected because of our shared faith and desire to mentor men. I introduced him to MMFC, and he introduced me to Zoweh and gave me a copy of The Heart of a Warrior, which I am now involved in reading and participating in the Thursday morning Eastern Zoom.

How did you first connect with Jesus in a personal way?:
During my sophomore year in high school, at the age of 16, I realized that I only had head knowledge of Christ but that I did not know Him as my Lord and Savior. I was attending an after-school student Bible study led by a ministry called HiBA Clubs (High School Born-Againers Club). We were studying the Gospel of John, actually memorizing it along the way. While reading the ninth chapter of John, I read the words of the blind man’s confession that I had read many times before but this time the Holy Spirit used it to profoundly cause me to realize I did not know Jesus as my Savior; verse 25, “He answered and said, ‘Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.’” It was March 16, 1971, when I repented of my sins and gave my heart and life to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To this day, this verse resonates with me, and the memory of the event fills me with joy, the same boundless joy I experienced that awesome day.

Tell us about a time when you shared your Jesus story.:
Last week, in one of my men’s groups, I shared how Jesus literally saved my life at 16. I had attempted to commit suicide because of physical and sexual trauma I had experienced as a child and teen. Although my parents were Christians, we did have some severe dysfunctionality in our family that I carried into my adulthood, and my dad beat me severely as a child. Six months before being saved, at the age of 15, I was hitchhiking into town from home and accepted a ride from some men in a van who drugged me and raped me. Jesus literally, physically, and spiritually saved me.
I pushed down and carried these things into my adult life. It was in a small men’s group setting with men who helped me a few years age, also at Wild At Heart boot camp, and later at a MMFC weekend event that, layer by layer, I received healing, step by step, by taking Jesus into that place and memory and asking Him for healing, forgiveness of my abuser, forgiveness of my anger surrounding the event toward my abusers and anger towards God because I had blamed Him for having allowed it. This childish response of blaming God, I had harbored along with the wound. My Jesus story is about the saving journey that has been the healing journey of my life and the fearless freedom I have in Christ. Especially in the past four years, where I have experienced being a son who is delighted in by my heavenly Father. I am astounded that my journey of recent years is reflected in what I have been reading in The Heart of the Warrior.


Explain your familiarity with the following terms: wounds, vows and agreements.:
Wounds are events that hurt and damage our hearts and spirit throughout life. They can come from physical acts of abuse, words of anger, degradation, shaming, neglect, oppression, bullying, and the like. Vows, in the context of being wounded, are self-agreements we make in response to wounding events. Like, “I will never say that again,” or “I will always avoid this or that,” or “I am not good enough, or smart enough, or good enough to be loved,” or “I will never be enough, so why try?” These are just a few examples of vows, and I relate to them as vow-agreements.

Tell us about a significant wounding moment that you experienced.:
I have had two extremely abusive events in my life before turning 16. I will address my deepest wound of physical and emotional abuse from my father as a child in my formative years. My parents believed in corporal punishment. But what I experienced at the hands of my father was severe beatings, done in anger that sometimes turned into rage. As a child, I rarely wore shorts in the summer because my mom did not want others to see the black and blue bruises on my legs. I was beaten severely for any infraction, or for getting a grade lower than a “B,” or if I either did not move quickly or obediently enough. Being too loud, too late, or interpreted as disrespectful. Mind you, I was disrespectful from time to time, especially as I got older, like any other kid. My dad was frustrated by me, always comparing me to my sister and how I was not as good as her, etc. (BTW, she and I are very close and always have been.) I felt rejected, unloved, hated, orphaned, lost, ashamed, and fearful. I hated my father, distrusted any authority figure, and did not have a concept of God as a loving father. I was alone, on my own, and later determined to be a lone wolf self-made man. 
And upon getting married and starting to have children, I realized that I was acting out the same anger and abusiveness I had received from my father and was becoming the man that I hated. With the help of a more mature Christian brother, I confronted my dad about the abuses and told him I forgave him. This was after not acknowledging him for over 10 years; I was then 38 years old. My dad was hurt by this and, in turn, did not acknowledge me for over two years. And then, finally, at the age of forty, my dad sought me out, and we asked and gave each other forgiveness. We spent the next thirty years before his passing as loving father and son. It was rocky at first, and there were layers to undo, but we got there over time. We were able to give my children and grandchildren an example of a loving father-son relationship. I cannot express the overflow of emotions that, when, at 45 years old, for the first time in my entire life, I heard my father say to me, “I love you and I am proud of you.”


Explain your personal familiarity with spiritual warfare.:
There are many ways to address this; I will take an Ephesians 6 perspective. Recently, some of my MMFC brothers and I led a men’s small group Saturday morning breakfast men from a few area churches through a book on spiritual warfare, The Full Armor of God, by Larry Richards. The study takes you through each of the elements of the armor of God and how individually and collectively they represent God’s armor against spiritual attacks in all the areas of our personal lives, family lives, communities, etc. And that it is in being fully clothed in the armor, armed with the Word of God (sword), that we wield prayer in the offense and defense of the many ways that Satan and his demons attack us and our lives. Especially in intentionally living lives as the warriors we are called to be by the Father. We know that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. And that we need to be aware of our thoughts, agreements made even in thought, that every thought needs to be examined, and its subsequent action or agreement. I hope I am not coming across as too shallow here by trying to be succinct. Knowing how to pray, lead, help, love, and strengthen brothers, family, and fellow Christians as a warrior for the Lord is part of all this. Let me know if I need to go further into this, because this is so core to living as a Christian man.

Give an example of how you have heard from God.:
There have been ways that I have heard and continue to hear from God. They are all vivid and real. I cherish them. Like the day of my salvation, they are etched into me. The day of being called to the ministry, in a dream, is vivid and a long story. So I have decided to answer this question with a short example. 
I have mentioned previously that the past four years have been the most intensive in my ministry calling, 10 years ago. What happened at my very first MMFC weekend event, I served in over 13 since then, the Lord helped me pour out all of the anger, shame, and unforgiveness over the sexual abuse I still had wounds from since the age of 15. I mean everything. He helped me pour it all out so He could pour in His healing and love in its place. He led me to go to seminary. His voice has been clearer in my heart and with certainty. I went to seminary because He told me I needed more study. Before the MMFC event, I would earnestly ask the Lord to show me the ministry of His calling. His answer was, “You are not ready yet.” Upon entering and pursuing my master's, He told me, “Now you are on the right path.” Upon graduating this past year, He has told me that He will show me what full-time ministry I am to do. I am waiting on Him for this. He has filled my schedule with the various ministries I am involved with. I know with certainty He will settle this for me; I must continue to wait on Him. Meanwhile, I have had an almost inexpressible joy of knowing that I am a delighted-in son. I don’t know how else to explain it. I just feel the Lord picking me up as I have my own children and grandchildren and just loving on them and delighting in them. That’s what He has been doing with me the past four years. And much more…


Have you had any training in listening and/or engaging in another man's story?:
My graduating major in college was in Bible, and I received a lot of training in speaking, preaching, sharing, and leading. But it was only by being mentored by other men that I learned to seek training and help in learning how to engage in another man’s story. On how to disciple others, I also learned from books, such as Wild At Heart, and led subsequent studies, using wildatheart.org supportive materials. In seminary, I also participated in ministry preparedness. In my previous internships, I interned in pastoral ministry, learning to engage with others in compassion, patience, and love. MMFC has training that I have also taken, called GUTS with God, and this training teaches how to facilitate men who need to do soul work, help with addressing issues, and facilitate spiritual help by listening and engagement. In short, I am a one-on-one kind of guy and enjoy the blessings of some great friendships.

Which of the following books have you read?: The Heart of a Warrior, Waking the Dead, The Screwtape Letters, The ​​Sacred Romance, Wild At Heart, ​​Fathered By God, Captivating, Mere Christianity
How did you discover the Elder-Sage Initiative?: Another Elder-Sage
What is the best time to call you?: Between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. If I don't pick up right away I may be in ministry, please leave a message.
Reference
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First Name: Dave
Last Name: Kyser
Email: davekyser@yahoo.com
Phone: 904-631-2926