Welcome

 

STORY [circa 1999] – In Danny’s words

In search for my gifts and calling, I met with one of my old youth pastor’s, Dan Monteverde. We sat across the table from each other at "Coco’s" in San Diego. The day was full of possibilities. We chatted about life, family, and ministry. As I shared some of the things that God had put on my heart, Dan took his napkin and started to put some marks on it. After I finished telling him some ideas about reaching our youth with the message of Christ, he pushed the napkin across the table. It was a little soggy, but it had nine dots on it in the form of a square. He asked me a simple question, but it had a profound impact on my life. He simply asked, “Where would you put the tenth dot?” I thought for a second about his teachings in the past. At first, I thought maybe he was joking, or it was some kind of puzzle, but deep within me I knew he was trying to teach me something. After contemplating the possibilities, I put a dot clear on the other side of the napkin. Then Dan said, “You have a tenth dot ministry. You’re ideas don’t fit with the other dots."

I knew I didn’t usually think within the box. The areas of ministry that I am interested in are "tenth dot ministries". If somebody else is doing it and it works for them, I want to find something totally different that works for me. Why should we have ministries that look the same? If there are no distinctions, then why not just have one ministry? In the church, where God has unleashed His creativity, we have become stale. We are in constant search of how others are doing ministry. We do not look for a unique way that God wants to use our gifts and our calling, but instead we look to the big church, we look to the acclaimed ministries, and then we fail to understand why God doesn’t bless us as we imitate others instead of being led by Him.

When you develop a tenth dot ministry, you have to allow Jesus to lead you. Tenth dot ministries don’t just happen, they are intentional. Calculated. Planned. It is not merely following the call, but developing the unique gifts we bring to the table to follow the call. It happens as we put into practice the very teachings that God has impressed upon us. It is when we look, that we will see that the field is ready for harvest–but how you will harvest is the untold mystery. Will you use a basket? Will you use a tractor? Will you create some new way of bringing in the harvest? Time will tell.

 

PURPOSE

Tenth Dot Ministries is designed to nurture the soul through daily devotionals and other resources. The online world is filled with information. We want Tenth Dot Ministries to be a place that is less about information and more about transformation, which takes place as you spend time in God’s Word. It is easy to jump on our computers first thing in the morning to begin conversations with other people around the world–but then we forget to converse with our Maker.  Our prayer is that you will spend time with God and His people through this online devotional. May God allow you to be transparent with the Tenth Dot community and help you to become the man or woman that He has designed you to be. 

 

VISION

Our hope is that we will help others develop Tenth Dot Ministries. Think of Noah. He had a Tenth Dot Ministry.

         God- "Go and build a boat!”

         Noah- "What’s a boat?"

         God- "Never mind that. There is going to be a flood!"

         Noah- "What’s a flood?"

Noah couldn’t follow any other patterns. He had to follow God into the unknown. So many people are called by God into the unknown. We want to be a voice of encouragement to those who are in the process of developing Tenth Dot Ministries.

This "voice of encouragement" could happen in a number of ways. Some of the ways that we have thought of is through developing online resources, a magazine, books, and conferences.

 

DANNY RAY

Danny Ray is the founder of Captivators, Upright Illusions, and Tenth Dot Ministries. He has a passion to share God’s transforming message in visual ways. Danny has become a favorite guest speaker and performer for hundreds of ministries, churches, and organizations around the world. These include Youth Specialties, Hawaiian Island Ministries, Lipscomb University, Costa Mesa Calvary Chapel, Spirit West Coast, and scores of others.

Danny is the author of "The Wonders of God: A creative approach to creating a fun filled event for your youth ministry". Danny earned a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and spent 10 years in youth ministry. Danny is a member of the world famous "Magic Castle" in Hollywood, CA. He has been featured in newspapers, radio, TV, and has shared the stage with many people including David Crowder, Candice Cameron (DJ from "Full House"), Nick Cannon from MTV’s "Wild ‘N Out", and Jars of Clay …just to name a few.

Danny has a unique way of making people laugh, blowing their minds, and interacting with audiences. His passion to share God’s Word is so evident in everything he does. He has a knack for creating innovative presentations of the Gospel, no matter how large or small the audience. Look for Danny’s new DVD called "Effortless Illusions". You can also enjoy his numerous performances on his "AMAZED" DVD. It has been viewed by audiences around the world. He is currently working on several short films packed with great messages for Tenth Dot Ministries.

Danny lives in Southern California with his wonderful wife and three amazing children (Brian 10, Spencer 8, and Caroline 4 years old).  

 

JOE CASTANEDA

Joe has joined the writing and vision team for Tenth Dot Ministries. Joe has served in full-time youth ministry for 14 years.  The past 9 years of service have been at Bethany Baptist in Salem, OR where he lives with his wife, Traci, and 3 young children.  Joe’s passion for teenagers and local church ministry have made him an effective pastor, counselor, teacher and mentor.  Living close to Corban College has given Joe the opportunity to pass on his experience and wisdom to youth ministry majors and other students at the college.  Joe is a passionate communicator with both adults and teenagers.  He has used the gifts of speaking and writing to impact those in the local church as well as groups around the world.  His writing and speaking style is humorous while being solidly grounded in God’s word and is therefore a powerful tool for reaching people of every walk of life.