Rick Fisher met Henry Blackaby in 2006, and the “Experiencing God” author became a friend and mentor.
“Henry had amazing insight,” Fisher recalled. “He looked at Scripture with fresh eyes and showed me things I’d not seen before in cursory reading. And he had passion for God’s Word and wanted others to share his passion, too. He was never mean-spirited but spoke the truth of God as he understood it.”
Fisher has been vice president of Blackaby Ministries International since 2012 after serving 18 years as a local church pastor. He now assists current president Richard Blackaby, accompanying him to the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove [N.C.] for “The Ways of God” seminar May 15–17.
Impact
The elder Blackaby died earlier this year at age 88, leaving a legacy that impacted Southern Baptists and members of many other denominations who profited from Experiencing God.
However, Fisher said Blackaby was not a writer like his son Richard.
“Henry taught these principles everywhere he spoke,” Fisher noted. “Lifeway [Christian Resources] enlisted Claude King to follow Henry and commit his teaching to print. Henry reviewed and edited, and Avery Willis of Lifeway was instrumental in getting videos of Henry’s teaching recorded. Over the past 30-plus years this material has circled the globe.”
Fisher said the workbook, published by Lifeway in 1990, was revised in 2007 and 2022, and Henry’s grandsons Daniel and Mike wrote a new youth edition of “Experiencing God” in 2022.
But Fisher said the most often-heard comment from those who met Henry Blackaby was not about his teaching but his personal interest in them.
“Many have shared that they gained more from 10 or 15 minutes of conversation when Henry would look them in the eye, listen to them and pray for them,” Fisher said. “Henry often said, ‘The last person in line might be a divine appointment,’ and he was most often the last one to leave the auditorium.
“I think his passion for ministry came from the fact that he never got over the idea that God chose to use him,” Fisher said.
Fisher now travels with Richard Blackaby and said the younger Blackaby also makes time for people.
“Richard is usually the last person to leave the premises since he believes in divine appointments, too,” Fisher said.
Production
The Blackaby team has produced a number of Bible study products including “The Blackaby Study Bible” in the Christian Standard Bible translation and “The Encountering God Study Bible” in the New King James version.
The ministry also sponsors a podcast, “Richard Blackaby on Leadership,” and a younger-themed YouTube video, “The Collision,” that deals with apologetics and culture. Henry’s grandson Daniel produces The Collision and manages the website (thecollision.org).
Fisher said the Blackaby ministry is non-profit, and like most non-profits its income is primarily from donations, resource sales and speaking engagements.
He noted the COVID-19 pandemic was especially challenging since traveling wasn’t possible and income fell.
“Richard contacted a donor to thank him for a timely $10,000 gift during those crucial months, and the man [said,] ‘I also meant to send $100,000.’ So another check arrived for $100,000 and we used these funds to sustain us in a difficult time.
“We couldn’t orchestrate this ourselves,” Fisher acknowledged, “and Richard reminds us to be good stewards of what God has given since what he calls ‘a God check’ is God’s provision, and we must be accountable for everything He places in our hands.”
The Blackaby Ministries International website is blackaby.org.
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