If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”. Isaac Newton
“Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” ― Albert Einstein
What are your dreams? What would you love to become? What would you like to do? How would you like to help others if all the limitations were taken off you? Think as far back as you can remember. Start with your earliest memories, perhaps when you were 5 years old. Think over the years.
Hello, I’m Kenneth. I’m a family doctor, Bible teacher, and coach. Above all, I’m a Christ-follower, husband, and father of three amazing boys.
I consider myself one of the most fortunate people in the world. Even though I grew up as an underprivileged child, many of my dreams in life have been fulfilled or are being fulfilled right now.
For example,
- I always wanted to be a physician. As far back as I can remember, from around 5-9 years, I always wanted to be a doctor. Today, I am a doctor in the USA. Every day, I go to work full of joy at the opportunity to contribute to and positively impact people’s lives.
- I always wanted to be a Bible teacher. I always felt called both to medicine (to heal the body and mind) and to teach God’s word (to bring healing to the whole person). Today, I have a thriving teaching and writing ministry that reaches hundreds to thousands of people every month through our blogs, YouTube, and other social media channels. I’ve also been privileged to write five books (and counting), earn a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Spiritual Growth (the ministry equivalent of a medical degree), and serve as a missionary. I currently teach leadership, biblical spiritual growth, and orphan care at Servants University.
- I always wanted to serve the poor, especially orphans and underprivileged children. That is probably because I grew up suffering like many of them. I wanted to impact other people’s lives and serve them. In addition to my patient care, through our foundation, we have gotten to serve thousands of orphans in Cameroon, placed children in families, and trained many leaders through Servants University.
- I always wanted to be married to a God-fearing woman and have a Christ-centered family. I’m married to my beautiful wife Ellen and have three children. Within our first few years of marriage, Ellen and I read through the Bible five times from cover to cover and have continued to study it together and build our marriage and family on it. Now, every Saturday, with our kids, we spend two hours doing family Bible study. From time to time, we have been privileged to mentor other couples and help them grow in Christlikeness.
- These are just a few of the dreams that God has fulfilled in my life.
I feel that I am walking in my calling and living my dreams—even though I still desire for God to use me even more.
But how did an underprivileged child from a small village in Cameroon come to achieve all these dreams and do so much? How did this child who dropped out of grade school because the family couldn’t afford ten dollars, whom many thought would amount to nothing, get to achieve these dreams?
Someone may say, I worked hard, I was an intelligent child, and so forth. While it takes hard work and growing one’s intelligence, I think the secret to my success is pivotal people who stepped in to help me.
Pivotal People
We often talk about pivotal moments, those turning points that changed our lives. That opened doors for us and took us to the next level. You know, without pivotal people, I’m convinced that I will not be where I am today.
The pivotal moments in our lives are caused by pivotal people. I can look back and see a handful of pivotal people in my life. My life would never be the same without them. They helped open doors for me. Others helped me stand on their shoulders so that I could see further into my future, into my potential, and take hold of it by faith, believe it, and work to accomplish it.
Look into your lives, who are the pivotal people that helped you become who you are today?
We all have them; it doesn’t matter if you were born in poverty or in a king’s palace. We all have pivotal moments and pivotal people.
It’s been said that when God wants to bless us, he sends a pivotal person into our lives.
For me, I had two types of pivotal people: Child sponsors and Leadership developers.
How Child Sponsorship Changed My Life
I grew up as an underprivileged child in a small African village. My father died when I was nine and the family plunged into poverty. I dropped out of grade school because my mother couldn’t afford $10 of school fees. We didn’t have consistent access to medical care and so forth.
Child sponsorship helped change my life by helping pay my tuition and providing an opportunity for me to go to school. Without an education, I would not be where I am today.
For the orphans we serve, child sponsors help provide basic human needs like a home to stay in, food and clothes for those who need it, life-saving medical care, and an education.
You know, without child sponsorship and leadership development, I’m convinced that I will not be where I am today.
How Leadership Development Changed My Life
The second category of pivotal people that have transformed my life and helped me get to where I am today are leaders who have provided leadership development for me and helped me grow in my personal and group leadership skills.
While sponsorship provided my basic human needs, certain leaders took an interest in me, came to my level, took me into their circle of influence, and inspired and empowered me to become the best that I can be. They empowered me to dream big and to achieve my full potential. My child sponsors helped me to stay alive and keep going. My leadership developers helped me start living and wanting to keep going on. Child sponsorship gave me a handout that I terribly needed. Leadership development gave me a hand-up.
When I think of pivotal people who developed me:
- I think of teachers who saw something special in me and helped spur me on. One of them took me in to live with him so he could mentor me for a few years.
- I think of my half-uncle who sacrificed tremendously for me and treated me as his son, let me live with him also for a few years, and modeled how to be a generous man for me.
- I think of many other leaders whose books, sermons, and messages have lit the fire in me and spurred me on.
Everybody needs pivotal people who would help develop them to reach their full potential.
I want to be a pivotal person for you
As our foundation continues to sponsor orphans and underprivileged children and developed leaders through formal education with Servants University, we have seen that we can use the power of the internet, YouTube, and the rest of social media to help many people on their journey to living the life that God wanted them to live. In addition to writing articles, books, and creating videos, Ask Dr. Kenneth is a program that we are offering that allows people from all over the world to benefit from the experience that God has given our team.
If you have any questions that will help you live life to the fullest, we want to help you answer them.