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Submission Number: 56
Submission ID: 8124
Submission UUID: a35b95a3-24f7-44d5-a6f4-24bbdaab644e
Submission URI: /form/elder-sage-application
Created: Fri, 01/09/2026 - 12:56
Completed: Fri, 01/09/2026 - 12:56
Changed: Fri, 01/09/2026 - 12:56
Remote IP address: 75.168.128.202
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Webform: Elder-Sage Application
Submitted to: Elder Sage Application
Steve
Hartwig
shartwigmpls@gmail.com
6125011403
{Empty}
November
25
1965
I've been in men's ministry and church leadership for a couple of decades. I believe God has anointed me with discipleship as a core quality. I have a passion for seeing others grow - always have. I've acted as a mentor for a number of men over the years - of all age groups. Being a spiritual mentor or shepherd seems to be a natural fit for me - something I enjoy and something I've invested in for 20 years or more.
I was a part of the recent Allies group that started last fall. I was quickly impressed by the authenticity and transparency of the men involved. These were guys dedicated to their own growth and the growth of others. They were wise, yet humble. They were bold in their speech, but sensitive and thoughtful. The chemistry seems right. Being around guys who truly want to grow in their relationship with Jesus is very appealing to me.
I was a part of the recent Allies group that started last fall. I was quickly impressed by the authenticity and transparency of the men involved. These were guys dedicated to their own growth and the growth of others. They were wise, yet humble. They were bold in their speech, but sensitive and thoughtful. The chemistry seems right. Being around guys who truly want to grow in their relationship with Jesus is very appealing to me.
My parents were married for almost 60 years. Their marriage served as a model for me. There were 5 children in our family and I'm the only believer. My wife, Karen, and I have been married for 34 years. We have 3 adult children. We are dedicated to living for Jesus and with Jesus on a daily basis. We do many things as a married couple that encourage our spiritual growth. Karen and I tend to operate more often as a team rather than two individuals creating their own tracks. We lead a neighborhood Bible study together in the summer. We have the gift of hospitality and enjoy cooking for friends and family.
Part of the inaugural Allies group in the fall/winter of 2025. Quickly admired many of the men engaged in this program for their wisdom, maturity in Christ, and authenticity. Had a great experience with my small group. Became very close with our leader, Rusty. Have plans to stay connected with him. Enjoyed the book and workbook. Found it challenging and convicting - forced me to think about some important spiritual truths I had been avoiding.
July 17, 1979. Backpacking trip in Montanta. 13 years old. I had been contemplating ending my life. I told myself, "Go on this trip and then you can end things when you get back." Jesus rescued me from all of that. I came back a different person. Love began to occupy my heart for the first time. Initially, it felt strange. I didn't know what to make of it. I became passionate for studying and knowing God's Truth. God did something else phenomenal: He surrounded me with several elder sages who discipled me. Only one was younger than me, but much wiser. I had several people positioned almost on all corners of my life, helping me in the early stages of my faith, clarifying truth and answering questions. There was nothing I did that drew these people to me. It was all God.
The beginning of my faith seemed to set the stage for most of my journey since. I've always been hungry to know more, to see faith as a marathon and not a destination. I've learned to see and measure progress in my spiritual maturity. I've been able to help others with this as well. Not knowing how we're doing in our faith is a bit like going on a roadtrip and having no idea where you are or where you're going. An important aspect of discipleship is gaining some bearings and understanding about the quality of your journey: what's working, what's not working, what issues need to be tackled? God put me on this type of track almost right away in my journey. It's what I've known. It's something I enjoy helping others with.
The beginning of my faith seemed to set the stage for most of my journey since. I've always been hungry to know more, to see faith as a marathon and not a destination. I've learned to see and measure progress in my spiritual maturity. I've been able to help others with this as well. Not knowing how we're doing in our faith is a bit like going on a roadtrip and having no idea where you are or where you're going. An important aspect of discipleship is gaining some bearings and understanding about the quality of your journey: what's working, what's not working, what issues need to be tackled? God put me on this type of track almost right away in my journey. It's what I've known. It's something I enjoy helping others with.
Prison ministries. An inmate shouted from the audience, "Tell us your story." I wasn't ready for that request, but I jumped in. I told the Montana story and the one Christian in the group who God put there for a specific reason. His name was Frank. A friend of mine, but I didn't really know about his faith until that trip. I had tried to read the Bible many times before, but none of it made any sense to me. It literally sounded like gibberish. After coming to Christ, I could then read the Bible and understand it. I became glued to God's Word. For some unexplainable reason, I packed a pocket Bible to take on that trip. Everything was weighed and measured. Our pack weight couldn't exceed more than 45 lbs. I remember socks and underwear being left behind at the camp. Why that Bible remained can only be explained by divine providence.
Been through this process over the past year or two. Dove into deeply with a couple of friends - one who is very educated in brain science and many of the leaders teaching on healing that can be gained from the understanding and confronting our wounds, vows and agreements.
Rarely do you find a person who wasn't wounded in some fashion during their childhood. Wounds often come from one of our parents, but they can come from other sources as well. A couple of coping mechanisms we have hard-wired into us is creating vows (unrighteous, unfortunate vows) tied to our wounds. When a vow is made, an agreement often follows. For instance, my wound was that I was unwanted. I vowed that I would no longer have a need to be wanted. Through that, I made an agreement with myself that I was indeed unwanted. Wounds derive from unfortunate trauma events (either A-type or B-type trauma). Vows and agreements in this context are based on lies that we've accepted about ourselves. These often lead to strongholds. Marcus Warner, Jim Wilder, Adam Young, Dan Allender and others have processes in place to help individuals to reverse/cancel the vows, agreements and strongholds. Like many processes, there are good ways to execute and bad ways. Knowing the right way is important.
Rarely do you find a person who wasn't wounded in some fashion during their childhood. Wounds often come from one of our parents, but they can come from other sources as well. A couple of coping mechanisms we have hard-wired into us is creating vows (unrighteous, unfortunate vows) tied to our wounds. When a vow is made, an agreement often follows. For instance, my wound was that I was unwanted. I vowed that I would no longer have a need to be wanted. Through that, I made an agreement with myself that I was indeed unwanted. Wounds derive from unfortunate trauma events (either A-type or B-type trauma). Vows and agreements in this context are based on lies that we've accepted about ourselves. These often lead to strongholds. Marcus Warner, Jim Wilder, Adam Young, Dan Allender and others have processes in place to help individuals to reverse/cancel the vows, agreements and strongholds. Like many processes, there are good ways to execute and bad ways. Knowing the right way is important.
I was abused by one of my brothers - the one closest in age to me. It wasn't sexual abuse, but physical and emotional abuse, augmented by persistent manipulation. The manipulation continued until about 10 years ago. This scenario is a bit tricky to describe. My brother desired to have physical, mental and emotional control over me. He is a gifted liar; always has been. When I would report an incident of abuse to my dad, my dad didn't seem to care too much that I was being hurt. He may have thought I was exaggerating. My brother was good at fabricating stories and making them believable. I've sure my dad believed both of us to some extent and likely thought I just needed to toughen up. However, I took his indifference as a lack of interest and care for me. This became a stronger belief in my mind when my brother tied me to a tree in the middle of the woods with a dog chain. I was about 8 years old. It was late, well past our bedtime. I remember fearing for my life. Then, surprisingly, I heard footsteps. At first, i thought it was my brother coming to make sure I hadn't gotten free. Those footsteps belonged to my dad. He untied me and we quietly walked back home. I asked him, "What are you going to do to Paul?" Whatever he said didn't instill much confidence that Paul would be punished. I never knew what was said or if my dad said anything. I do know that my brother's narcissistic tendencies have only increased over time.
This incident left me feeling unwanted and unvalued. I remember no follow-up and no reassurance that my brother would not treat me that way again. The abuse continued.
This incident left me feeling unwanted and unvalued. I remember no follow-up and no reassurance that my brother would not treat me that way again. The abuse continued.
First off, the physical realm is not the entirety of God's creation. God and His angels do exist, but they exist in the spiritual realm. Lucifer fell from heaven and took a third of the angels with him - the angels that were assigned to him. Lucifer has been renamed Satan or the devil and he has many demons serving as his helpers. Lucifer's complaint with God was not that Lucifer wanted to be God. That is a common misconception. Lucifer became green with envy when he heard of God's plan to make a new being: man and someone in God's image. This would move the angels down the ranks by one notch. The hierarchy would now be God, man, angels, animals and the earth. Lucifer has never gotten over his rage. He specifically seeks to take things away from man, kill man, and even destroy mankind. The horrible, tragic things that have happened to man throughout history have those fingerprints on them every time. Satan's work is not random. it is specifically targeted against man. Satan works harder to defeat the faithful followers of Jesus. If you're a bench-dweller and don't do much for Christ, Satan isn't going to spend much energy on you. But, if you're active and effective in your kingdom-building work, he's likely going to come at you hard. Active followers of Christ need to be hyper-aware (head on a swivel) of Satan's schemes. They are often subtle. He often attacks your spiritual strengths that can put you in a tailspin of discouragement and self-doubt if you're not careful and tuned into an attack from the enemy.
As Christ-followers, we need to be able to discern between good spirits and evil spirits. Persistent studying of Scripture, prayer, fellowship and attunement to what's happening in the spiritual realm is enormously important. Not having these things engaged is like an aircraft carrier going into a warzone with their radar off. Speaking truth (knowing God's Word and speaking it out loud) is one of our greatest weapons. Ephesians 6 gives a good description of our armor. Shoes of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, etc. are all important. We should never assume Satan is resting or giving up. We should always be prepared for battle.
As Christ-followers, we need to be able to discern between good spirits and evil spirits. Persistent studying of Scripture, prayer, fellowship and attunement to what's happening in the spiritual realm is enormously important. Not having these things engaged is like an aircraft carrier going into a warzone with their radar off. Speaking truth (knowing God's Word and speaking it out loud) is one of our greatest weapons. Ephesians 6 gives a good description of our armor. Shoes of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, etc. are all important. We should never assume Satan is resting or giving up. We should always be prepared for battle.
I often hear from God. It's mostly non-audible communication, but it's clear words of instruction that usually catch my attention because they carry an unexpected quality. I recently had plantar fasciitus. I was listening to someone praying on a podcast when they mentioned this: "Someone is suffering from plantar fasciitus. It's being caused by a deficiency in your diet." A couple days later, I asked the Lord, "Was that word for me?" He said, "Yes." I then asked, "What's missing from my diet?" He said, "Lemon." I said, "Lemon?" He said, "Lemon." I went to the fridge in search of lemon juice. All I could find was lime. I pulled it out and made some lime water. I heard God say, "You know that's lime." I said, "I know." End of conversation.
A couple of days later, I was still suffering from the pain in my feet - not able to do the things I wanted to do. I heard the Lord say, "Go to the store and get some lemon juice." I did. 12 hours later, my pain was gone. It returned the next day. I knew what I had to do. For several months, I was reminded of God's mercy and kindness every time I mixed a glass of lemon water. Each day, I may have felt the onset of the pain as I was prompted to drink some lemon water. Almost immediately, my pain was gone. There was something missing from my diet.
A couple of days later, I was still suffering from the pain in my feet - not able to do the things I wanted to do. I heard the Lord say, "Go to the store and get some lemon juice." I did. 12 hours later, my pain was gone. It returned the next day. I knew what I had to do. For several months, I was reminded of God's mercy and kindness every time I mixed a glass of lemon water. Each day, I may have felt the onset of the pain as I was prompted to drink some lemon water. Almost immediately, my pain was gone. There was something missing from my diet.
Yes. This is probably an area, however, where some specific coaching would be helpful. I've heard a number of stories from men that I've mentored, befriended or led in Bible studies. In general, I think I'm a good listener. I think I'm capable of pulling out Scripture references to provide context. Encouragement is something that comes easily to me. However, having some formal training in this area would be good for me.
The Heart of a Warrior, The Screwtape Letters, Hearing God, Bondage Breaker, Victory over the Darkness, Wild At Heart, Mere Christianity
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