The ChristLife name.

Jim McFadden was a fisheries biologist, the Dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan, and the foremost expert on the Brook Trout (for all of my fellow fishing friends)! Jim was also one of the primary leaders of the Word of God Community in Ann Arbor, Michigan, along with Dr. Ralph Martin and others. Jim has now gone on to be with the Lord.

Jim and Dave Nodar regularly presented conferences on the Good News of transformation in Christ and offering training seminars on how to effectively pray for physical healing during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Jim was a key support to Dave as he moved towards shaping what would become ChristLife.

During a time of personal prayer, Jim felt the Lord wanted this ministry to be called ChristLife. He felt the Lord wanted our name to be very clear about our focus; not have some ambiguous name for the ministry, but one that pointed explicitly to Christ and what He wanted us to impart to those we served. The Scripture passage he received during prayer was Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." The Christ life lived by grace in the certainty that Jesus loves us and gave Himself for us.

The ChristLife logo.

While ministering frequently in Poland during the 1990’s, Dave Nodar noticed an amazing painting in a retreat center outside of Krakow. The image was painted by a Catholic artist for a renewal community. The community’s name was, Ephphatha, from the Gospel narrative where the Lord spoke a word of healing to the deaf and mute man saying, ephphatha, “be opened.” (Mark 7:33-35). The artist focused on the emergence of the Lord at the time of his resurrection. Be opened! Dave asked for and received permission to use the image as our logo for ChristLife.

The image is an amazing icon. It is Trinitarian and represents the cross and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It shows both the shadow of the cross on the floor, the glory of the Father shining on Jesus and the body of the Lord representing the form of the Holy Spirit dove.