God is so good! Can I get an “Amen” or “All the Time”?
I met Dr Deb Waterbury about fifteen years ago when she was on staff at a local Tucson church, and I was presenting the vision of citywide unity as pursued by 4Tucson. Our friendship has grown since then, with many points of contact, such as radio interviews over books we’ve written, and the launch of The Answer biblical counseling center and many subsequent blessings through people I’ve referred there and personal use. When we formed J17 Ministries eight years ago, Deb was one of the first people I invited to serve on our board of directors, which she did that first year.
The question is not "what should I do?", but
"who should I empower?"
And now…
I’m thrilled to announce that she’s joining our staff as Director of Operations. I remember so well a conversation we had several months ago, and the Eureka I experienced through her simple sentence. “Whenever I encounter a new invitation or opportunity, my first question is never, ‘What should I do?’ but ‘Who should I empower?’” For forty-five years, my leadership direction has been the opposite - “God, what are you inviting me to do here? The answer is yes.” Over the last twelve months, God has made it painfully and beautifully obvious that my “doing” mentality had to dramatically shift to an “empowering” mentality. “Doing” means I’m always the bottleneck. “Empowering” means multiplication.
The mental retraining has been constant, necessary, and challenging. God needed me to learn new leadership pathways, and while none of us enjoy it, most of us recognize that any significant new learning is accelerated more by our mistakes than our successes. And… God is so good! He knew we needed a leader for whom empowering leaders and teams, and working herself out of a job, was natural. Muscle memory! For me it’s been trial and error, three steps forward and two back. Necessary, but exhausting. The acceleration God is inviting us into requires experts in addition to novices!
To infinity and beyond…
Deb will not only help us level up with our Tucson team, but will be a vital partner as we hurtle toward 2033. Deb will be part of our national speakers team as the vision is cast in cities across the US. She’s working directly with Olivier Fleury, Mark Williamson and the JC2033 international team, offering some of the same training and empowering tools that we need locally. You can tell from her bio below that her gifts will benefit the Kingdom at multiple levels. God is so good! He knows exactly how He’s made each of us, the good works He’s called each of us to do, and the exact right timing for how all the pieces fit together. It’s breathtakingly exciting!
Changes and more
If you haven’t checked out our website’s About page recently, you might want to. We’ve had several changes recently with our board and team. The opportunities to engage have never been greater, and so many more are imminent. Stay tuned for several more exciting announcements in coming months, as God keeps connecting pieces and “Better Together” opens up new panoramas.
Dave Drum, Founder
Meet the Team
Name and Role with J17 Ministries: Dr. Deb Waterbury, Operations Director
About: I'm married to retired Lt. Col. Jeff Waterbury, and I have two married sons, Miles (Marisa) and Spence (Eloise). They reside in North Dakota and Connecticut, respectively. I have a wonderful dog named Grace. My hobbies are work, according to my husband, but I also love writing and teaching.
What do you enjoy in your free time?: Hahahaha! I guess I work.
What drew you to be part of Jesus' Prayer in John 17?: I am excited about working with my good friend, Dave Drum, on all the beautiful things in J17, as well as the global mission of JC2033.
What excites you most about what God is doing through J17?: I am most excited about the way God is unifying the Body in this time, right in the midst of such immense polarization. Isn't it just like God to make us so sick of being polarized that we are ready for real unity?
Favorite Scripture or life verse: Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (CSV)
One fun or surprising fact about you: Johnny Cash is my cousin.
