Craig & Gail Docksteader
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The names Craig & Gail Docksteader are probably not very familiar around the
world or in The Netherlands. They are from Canada and I just recently came in
contact with them. Somewhere in 2003 I left my old Church and joined a Church in
Gorinchem, which I visited for several years. I remember that the worship leader
there had one song that he really loved, and he sang it a lot. That song was
called “I see a warrior” and it also became one of my favourite songs because it
is so anointed. Although I searched several times on internet to find more songs
of the person who wrote that song, I never was able to find it. The only thing I
knew was that it was recorded in Toronto, Canada, during the Toronto Blessings.
The song was part of a CD called “Warrior Bride”.
A couple of months ago I tried to search again in order to find the person who
wrote the song, only this time I was able to find him. It turned out to be Craig
Docksteader, a worship leader who was also leading worship, together with his
wife, during the Toronto Blessing. When John Arnott (senior pastor of the what
was then called “Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship”, now called “Catch the
Fire”) heard the song, he was so touched by it that he asked Craig if he wanted
to record the song for a CD they were making. The song was eventually recorded
on the "Warrior Bride" CD, released all over the world, and ended up in The
Netherlands as well, where some charismatic Churches still sing the song “I see
a warrior”. We feel very privileged to have Craig and Gail Docksteader as our
guests during The Heart of Worship Conference 2012. During the conference they
will lead worship and teach about worship in spirit and in truth.
- Robin Prijs
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Someone once said, "It's not what you say about your life, it's what your life
says about you." We hope that our life will tell you that we deeply love God,
that we love His people, and that we love to see His kingdom come.
Our journey to where we are today was not what we were expecting. Twenty-six
years ago, when Gail and I were married, we were young, in love with God and
with one another, and anticipating that the life we had begun together was only
going to get better. By that, of course, we meant that not only were we going to
continue to grow together in our walk with the Father, but that the things He
had given us to do would continually grow in fruitfulness, influence and impact.
We were pastoring at the time, working alongside another couple in a small
church on the Canadian prairies. Gail and I led worship together, loving the
presence of God and longing for His glory. We saw no reason to think anything
other than that the road ahead was going to be relatively smooth and enjoyable.
Instead, we found ourselves on a journey of learning to trust the Father through
unexpected challenges and changes. We found that often the Father does not
choose to remove us from difficult situations and circumstances that arise in
life. Whether caused by our own lack of wisdom, or whether they occur through no
fault of our own, He allows these challenges to shape our heart and our desires
so that He truly takes first place in our lives. We were ready for a straight
line, from here to the finish line, but instead, he allowed us to meet up with
our own weaknesses, our own inadequacies, and our own failures. All so that we
would learn to seek Him first and rely on His strength rather than our own.
But through it all we found Him to be faithful. In our sickness, He brought
healing. In our struggle, He brought freedom. In our darkness, He brought
direction. In our lack, He brought provision. Through it all, we have found that
the joy of the journey is not where you are, but who you're with. And nothing is
better than journeying with the Father.
We are delighted that our journey with the Father is now bringing us to the
Netherlands for the Heart of Worship Conference in March 2012. We are
anticipating a strength of unity in worship that ushers in the presence of God.
We anticipate that as our hearts respond to Him, we will find His kingdom
increasing in our lives. We expect to see lives changed, bodies healed, chains
broken, destinies revealed, hearts encouraged, relationships restored, finances
released, and more. All the things that happen when the King is ruling in our
midst.
Yet as we come together, it will not just be for what God wants to do in our
lives, it will also be for what God wants to do in the land. The Netherlands
needs a move of God, as does Canada, America, and all the nations of the earth.
Our heart is not just for a good conference, but for a preparing of the land for
what God intends to do. As we respond to God, and the longing of our hearts
mingles with the longing of His heart, we prepare a place for Him to rule in our
midst. We prepare a place for Him to come. And come He will.
- Craig and Gail Docksteader
