Greg Stier
7 min read ⭑
“In John 15, Jesus said, ‘Apart from me you can do nothing.’ So I make it my goal to remain in reliance on him every moment of every day. Walking in dependence on the Spirit has made every day an adventure. He opens the door almost every single day to have a gospel conversation with someone new.”
Greg Stier is a husband, father, evangelist, author and speaker. He’s also the founder of Dare 2 Share, a ministry that helps empower youth to share their faith with people they encounter daily. He has authored more than 20 books and is passionate about helping every teen hear the gospel from a friend.
Greg takes some time to share how the seeds for his Dare 2 Share ministry were planted in his heart at a young age. In this interview, he reveals what it was like to grow up in a family of bodybuilding “thugs” and the transformation that happened when they encountered the grace of Jesus. He also shares practical tools he uses every day to help him abide in the Holy Spirit, even in the middle of a hectic schedule.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
My favorite restaurant is an Italian one in North Denver called Parisi. I love it for several reasons. First of all, it serves amazing and authentic Italian food. Their “pizza salad” with chicken is my favorite. “Pizza salad” may sound weird, but, believe me, it’s delicious. Another reason I love Parisi is this: it was started by and is run by true Italians who were actually born and raised in Italy. You hear their accents as you move through the restaurant, which only adds to the experience. The last reason I love this place is because it is located in the neighborhood I was raised in as a kid, and it was a wild, wild place. In the late 60s and 70s, much of North Denver was run by a branch of the mafia named “the Smaldones.” At the time, North Denver had the highest crime rate in all of Denver. There were some truly terrifying memories I had growing up here. But the crime and danger of my old stomping grounds was balanced out by the amazing food. Although the area has now been gentrified and is much safer, Parisi reminds me of the old days that, of course, come with some crazy stories of violence, redemption and pasta.
Josh McCausland; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So, what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?
Having been born and raised in Colorado, I’m a big, big fan of hiking in the mountains. There’s nothing like heading to the Rocky Mountains for a day and taking a trail up to the top of a huge mountain, which can range from 10,000 to more than 14,000 feet high. It’s exhausting physically and breathtaking emotionally. There are a lot of beautiful places in the United States, but Colorado is simply majestic. For me, hiking a steep mountain trail not only provides an excellent workout (I call it God’s stair stepper), but it gives me time for solace, silence and reflection. There’s also a little danger element to it, which I like. After all, the Rocky Mountains are filled with bears, mountain lions and territorial moose, all of which we as a family have encountered during our times in the mountains.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
I was raised in a family full of bodybuilding, tobacco-chewing, beer-drinking thugs. Three of my uncles were competitive bodybuilders. My cousins were powerlifters and bodybuilders. As for me? I was a skinny, scrawny, scared and scarred kid. Think of me as “Young Sheldon” in the hood. I didn’t crack skulls; I cracked books. I didn’t fight gangs; I fought insecurity. I remember once, when I was six years old, getting humiliated in a way that marked me for life. It was Christmas morning, and my very big family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, everyone) was there. Right after we had opened presents and right before we were going to have lunch, my Uncle Dave announced, “Hold on everyone! I have one more present. It’s for little Greg.” He gave me the present, and I opened it. It was a girl’s doll. To be honest, I thought it was a mistake. I said, “It’s a girl’s doll.” He said, “Yeah, I figured you didn’t have a dad, so you probably like to play with dolls like a little girl.” I shoved it back in his stomach and said, “I’m not a girl!” As everyone laughed, it stung like no other memory in my memory bank. That moment was my kryptonite. That moment began my search for identity.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
When a hillbilly preacher nicknamed “Yankee” reached my toughest uncle with the message that Jesus died in his place for his sins and that through simple faith in Jesus, he could be forever forgiven for every sin, everything began to change in my family. One by one, my tough uncles, aunts and cousins put their faith in Jesus. One by one, they were transformed from street fighters into street preachers. When I was 12 years old, I was trained by Yankee to share the gospel. I was hooked. Soon after, I began to lead my neighborhood friends to Jesus and had the deep privilege of leading my own Ma to Christ when I was 15 years old. Witnessing the radical transformation of my family is the reason I founded Dare 2 Share 33 years ago. Since then, I have had the privilege of equipping millions of teenagers and youth leaders across the United States and around the world to share the good news of the gospel with those around them. I love to inspire and train young people to share the same good-news message that transformed my bad-news family.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?
Long before I was in full-time ministry, I was a full-time roofer. I did this as my trade for eigth years. As a roofer I learned the secret of being fueled by the Holy Spirit, which I still put into practice today. Every day I make a declaration of dependence on the Holy Spirit. Every hour I have an alarm set to vibrate on my smart watch to remind me to get filled with the Spirit. In John 15, Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” So I make it my goal to remain in reliance on him every moment of every day. Walking in dependence on the Spirit has made every day an adventure. He opens the door almost every single day to have a gospel conversation with someone new.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?
My regular routine is to get up at 5 a.m. and spend the first hour of my day reading God’s Word and in prayer. It’s these 60 minutes with God that set the pace for my day. As I read the Bible, certain passages jump off the page and convict me and convince me of something that needs to be addressed in my spiritual walk. It’s after my time in the Word that I often journal a prayer to God addressing that area straight to the Father. I’ve been doing a version of this routine for over 45 years. Another spiritual routine that I love to do as often as possible is prayer walking. It’s my goal to go on a 15-, 30-, or 60-minute prayer walk every day just to pour out my heart to God.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources—lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?
There have been three books that have deeply shaped my spiritual journey. The first is “The Grace Awakening” by Chuck Swindoll. Having been reached by and raised in a legalistic church, this classic book helped me break the chains of legalism and learn what it meant to truly grow in grace. The second book is “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret” by Dr. Howard Taylor. This book unpacks the secret of what it means to live by faith in the Son of God. It showed me how to stop trying, in my own strength, to build my faith in God and simply look to the Faithful One in calm assurance. The last book that has deeply shaped me is “With Christ in the School of Prayer” by Andrew Murray. So many spiritual blessings are unclaimed in Christ because we have not seized them on our knees through prayer.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.
I love using the PrayerMate app. It’s a simple app, but it allows me to list all of my prayer requests to God under different categories. On my prayer walks, I open it up and pray through the lists I have made on the app. PrayerMate makes it convenient. Plus, it’s free!
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Right now, I’m super pumped about the Radical Like Jesus campaign that God seems to be kicking off. I just wrote a book called “Radical Like Jesus” that gives 21 snapshots of the life of Jesus from the time he was 12 years old until the time he sent his disciples out to make disciples of all nations. Every chapter comes with a challenge that readers take before they read the next chapter. It’s designed to accelerate obedience-based discipleship, not just taking in more content. In addition to the book, I’m kicking off a “Radical Like Jesus” podcast, where more snapshots of the life of Jesus are explored and more challenges are given. My prayer is that, as we crank out these podcasts, more and more Christians around the world are activated in their faith and become, well, radicals like Jesus!
Greg’s passion to see teens come to know Jesus and to help them share their faith with friends is remarkable. Before he was in full-time ministry, he learned the “secret of being fueled by the Holy Spirit” while working a roofing job. During that time, he cultivated the practice of daily declaring his dependence on the Holy Spirit, and it has stayed with him through the years. How does the Holy Spirit fuel you in your workplace, home, school and relationships? Dependence on him, as Greg says, makes life an adventure. How is God inviting you into the adventure of new levels of dependence on him today?
Greg Stier is an evangelist, author, speaker and founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries. My favorite roles, though, are husband to Debbie and father to Jeremy and Kailey. I’ve had the privilege of writing more than 20 books (including my memoir, Unlikely Fighter, and my most recent book, Radical Like Jesus). I’ve had the honor of training millions of teenagers to clearly and confidently share the Gospel with their peers. I’ve been interviewed by CNN, Fox News, Christianity Today and Focus on the Family. I won’t stop until every teen everywhere, all one billion of them, heard the Gospel from a friend.
