Have you ever wondered how people get involved in Dunamis or how it has impacted their life and ministry?
As a regular series on here, we’ll share “Stories of Dunamis.”
These first hand stories will help you know what Dunamis is about, the blessings of attending a local Dunamis Project Track, and occasionally how to get more information on attending a Dunamis Project near you.
Read more about PRMI board member and teacher Mary Sterenberg’s experience with Dunamis, interviewed by Cindy Strickler.
Why Dunamis?
Cindy: I’m Cindy Strickler, the director of PRMI, and I’m here with Mary Sterenberg who is one of our board members. Mary, you’ve been involved with PRMI and with Dunamis for a long time, what brought you to your first PRMI event?
Mary: It was my pastor, Pastor Tom Swerenga, and he had been coming to Dunamis in Michigan for a couple of years and he felt that he needed to invite some other leaders from the church and I was the first one that he invited.
The Teaching I Didn’t Know I Needed
In me, I think that the Lord had been preparing me for a long time because I hungered and I thirsted for more of God, abut I didn’t know what I was missing.
This teaching on the Holy Spirit was not something that I learned in my church growing up or in my family–even though it was Godly and church-going and so on, I hadn’t learned who the Holy Spirit is and I longed for something but I didn’t know what.
Dunamis is Solidly Biblical
So when my pastor invited me to this and he told me a little bit about it–that I would learn about the person of the Holy Spirit–I was really intrigued. So I went that first time by myself and I was forever changed.The teaching was so solid Biblically, which was very important to me, that’s very important in my church tradition, and there was nothing weird in terms of theology. It was all solid, so I resonated with it right away.
And also knowing that my pastor was there and my father was there, my father being a pastor himself, that gave me a lot of confidence to know that this wasn’t some kooky thing that I was getting roped into but it was really solidly Reformed, which is the background I come from, and solidly Biblical.
Power for Healing and Ministry
So I felt that confirmation and the Spirit was poured out on me right away at that first Dunamis. I began to have dreams during the night even while I was staying out at the conference center and the Holy Spirit used those dreams to bring me healing of some memories from my past.
Then, during the teaching times, I was soaking it in like you couldn’t believe and in the prayer ministry times I was receiving so much healing and over time I just kept going–I loved it, I went every six months, and I’ve never stopped actually, I keep going.
Cindy: You keep going, and now you’re a teacher!
Inspired to Give Back
Mary: Yes, so first of all I was receiving a lot of gifts when I went–the spiritual gifts–and I was receiving a lot of healing, and then I began giving back. I began serving on the prayer team and then on the teaching team and the board, so it’s been an ongoing journey for me.
Come and be Changed!
I love PRMI, I love Dunamis, I love the Holy Spirit, and he was the one I was missing–that relationship with him and with his power. His power is for us today to help us in our ministry and to be able to do what Jesus Christ has asked us to do–to be his hands and feet on the earth and bring the gospel to all nations.
It’s been an incredible journey. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. So come! Dunamis is life changing and it will give your life meaning and give you power to do what God called you to do.
The Next Step
Cindy: Mary, thank you. So if you’d like to know more about when a Dunamis Project is going to be offered near you and how you can access this teaching, visit our events page.
