Kris Vallotton • July 30, 2021

God Wants to Give You Life Skills Not Just Ministry Skills

A CONVERSATION WITH DANO MCCOLLAM

We were made to have connection and community; the need has been built into our DNA. God created Adam and with no time wasted created his partner Eve — that they wouldn’t be alone was part of God’s original design. On my journey in becoming a prophet, I noticed my lack of prophetic community. It was extremely challenging to not have a company of prophets surrounding me!. Not only because I felt alone in my process, but because there was actually a deep need to be surrounded by other prophets and be sharpened by my peers. 

 Along my journey, I began to meet other prophets and recognized the immense enrichment this brought to my calling. My good friend and prophet Dano McCollam has been an incredible leader in cultivating and stewarding a prophetic community. If you have followed my ministry for very long you may know of Dano because he and I founded the School of the Prophets together over 16 years ago. When I met Dano he did not consider himself a prophet even though I saw it written all over him. Dano explains that he counted himself out of being a prophet because he had a preconceived idea of what a prophet was supposed to look like. He had placed the role of a prophet in a box without realizing there are many different shapes and sizes in the call of a prophet; every prophet’s assignment and calling is unique. Now Dano is an acknowledged prophet, teacher, and leader with a unique and diverse prophetic ministry scaling beyond the four walls of the Church that impacts society in very practical ways. He has founded the ministry Prophetic Company that trains, equips, and provides a healthy prophetic community for prophets and prophetic people all around the world. 

Dano has been a continual support, strength, and significant voice in my calling and life. I am excited to share with you a conversation I had with him this past week on the call of a prophet, cultivating prophetic community, and our ability to train people in the prophetic.
( You can listen to my whole conversation with Dano here )

CREATIVE WAYS GOD SPEAKS TO US

How did you know you were called to the office of a prophet? 

 You told me, Kris! I remember you called me up and asked me if I wanted to start an intensive training school for prophets. I told you I am not a prophet, but I have a few things I could teach on at the conference. It was actually not until the second year of the conference that the call on my life became very clear to me when another prophet called me out from the stage. He began to explain to me what my ministry was, and acknowledged me as a prophet. I think it was initially hard for me to adopt the idea that I was called to the office of a prophet because I had a preconceived idea of what a prophet was and I counted myself out because I did not look like that. I realized that there are different flavors of prophets with different calls and assignments on their lives. 

 I began to realize the idea that I had in my head was not actually what the call of a prophet was. I had thought a prophet’s whole ministry was based on judgments and filtered through doom and gloom. But, then I heard you speak on the difference between an Old Testament and a New Testament prophet . I began to realize that a New Testament prophet’s ministry was of reconciliation — while yes, we believe in warnings, judgments are not in line with reconciliation. 


 You have developed a global prophetic community. What inspired this and how have you seen this impact the world? 

 Yes, about seven years ago I saw a shift in the prophetic — I heard the Lord say, “We are shifting from building prophetic celebrities to prophetic communities.” Now what I mean by that is from now on prophets would equip the saints in the gift of prophecy so that prophetic communities would begin to flourish. It became apparent through scripture that the healthiest times in the Bible were when there were prophetic communities. There are multiple examples of this from Elijah and Elisha who went to Bethel and said we should stay here since there are other prophets. We saw in 2 Samuel 20 that there was a group of prophets prophesying and anyone that came into their atmosphere also received a grace to prophesy. It is obvious that prophets are meant to live in a company of prophets. 


Is teaching and training people how to prophesy Biblical? 

 Yes, there is no doubt that training prophets and prophetic people is Biblical. It is the prophet’s responsibility to equip the saints (Ephesians 4:11-13). How does a prophet do this? He teaches and trains others to prophesy; to walk in the gift that has freely been given to them through the power of the Holy Spirit. No, prophets cannot give the gift of prophecy, but they can help facilitate the gift. 

 One of the greatest examples of this was King David’s 24/7 prophetic training in worship school (1 Chronicles 25). The whole emphasis was to train people how to prophesy with their voices in songwriting and with instruments. As Believers, we know in part and see in part (1 Corinthians 13:9). When we live in community we have a greater and clearer view of what God is saying. When we talk about the School of the Prophets and training prophets we are talking about training people to recognize the voice of God. The challenge is never to get God to speak; He is always speaking. The challenge is recognizing it and choosing to obey. The Lord does not speak one-dimensionally; we must learn the multidimensions in which He speaks. The rate of your obedience determines the rate of your acceleration, but if you are not aware of how He speaks it makes it more challenging to respond quickly. The point of prophetic training is to learn to recognize the voice of God so we can respond quicker in obedience and with prophetic training we receive protocols that leave room for accountability that ultimately provide a healthier prophetic community. 


 What are prophetic finders?

 I felt the Lord as me: “Dano, what would prophecy look like as a life skill and not just a ministry skill?” I began to pursue ways that we can use the prophetic for non-Church-related needs. In the exploration, I began to have a burden for missing children. I remembered that in 1 Samuel 9-10 they called in the prophet Samuel when they were missing donkeys. The mandate of Jesus Christ is that He came to seek and to save that which is lost; not just who is lost, but that which is lost. Therefore, there is an anointing for anything and anyone that is lost to be found. We began to experiment with that by praying over missing children’s posters. Someone on our team received information about one of the children that were missing for over two years. The reality of finding a missing child after two years is very rare. We weren’t quite sure what to do with the information that our team member had been given by God, so we just began to declare it. It was so crazy, but two days later that child was found.

 This is what led me to speak with the senior leadership team at our church — their son was the police chief who was willing to meet with me. I asked him what it would look like if we were to actually help the police find missing children. He gave us a list of guidelines and protocols, but then told us there are actually two children in our county right now that are missing — one of them has special needs and needs medication in the next couple of hours. We began to pray and ask the Lord for a word, for clues, and insight. One of the girls on our team began to receive clues about where these two children were. She began to describe a green house she saw on a street that starts with J and is somehow connected to someone who claims to be a family friend. Right then and there the police chief called the parents and asked if this was a possible lead. Long story short, yes they had a friend that lived in a green house on a street that started with J, and both children were found within 24 hours. This was the start of prophetic finders and hundreds of circumstances where we have worked with the legal system to find missing people and to help solve crimes. 

 I hope Dano’s stories inspired you and reminded you that there are so many amazing unique and multidimensional ways God is speaking. In closing, my prayer for you is that you become more aware of the creative ways God is communicating with you. May the voice of God in our lives become the leading voice for change in this generation, giving us unique strategies, and creative solutions. 

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Character and Gifting: Favor with God and Favor with Man

By Kris Vallotton • March 5, 2025
Have you ever felt called to a spiritual role but struggled to find your place in it? Perhaps you've experienced a divine moment where God revealed a prophetic gift in your life, yet you found yourself wondering why others don't seem to recognize or acknowledge it. This tension between divine calling and human recognition can be one of the most challenging aspects of walking in prophetic ministry. I've spoken with countless individuals who believe God has called them to be prophets, yet they feel frustrated when church leadership doesn't immediately recognize their office. They often share powerful testimonies of divine encounters or prophetic words that confirmed their calling. But here's the beautiful truth I've discovered: authentic spiritual authority requires both divine appointment and human recognition. Scripture shows us that even Jesus "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52). This powerful verse reveals an important principle – spiritual authority flourishes at the intersection of Heaven's approval and earthly recognition. The Bible offers us profound wisdom about this journey of walking out our prophetic calling. Let's explore three essential principles that can help you navigate this path with grace and wisdom. 1. Understand the Process Between Anointing and Appointment King David's story provides one of the most powerful examples of the gap between divine calling and public recognition. When Samuel anointed David as king, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him powerfully – yet David didn't actually become king for fourteen years! During that time, he served faithfully, developed his character, and waited for God's timing. The journey between your prophetic calling and your public commissioning is not an accident – it's divine design. This season of preparation builds the character, wisdom, and spiritual maturity needed to carry the weight of prophetic authority. Just as David was anointed three times – once by God through Samuel and twice by the people – your prophetic gift may require multiple confirmations. Remember that if you have favor with God but not yet with leadership, pushing for recognition prematurely can lead to painful experiences. As Proverbs 18:16 reminds us, " A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. " Allow your gift to create the space for your ministry rather than trying to force open doors that aren't ready to receive you. 2. Avoid Self-Promotion and Political Maneuvering It’s important to realize that even though your gift is what gets you into the room, your character is the thing that keeps you there. There's a stark warning in Scripture about gaining influence through manipulation rather than divine timing. Absalom, David's son, shows us the danger of winning people's hearts through flattery, false promises, and undermining leadership. He created a following by positioning himself as more accessible and understanding than the established authority. In today's social media age, the temptation toward self-promotion has never been stronger. We can easily build platforms that elevate our image above our character. But true prophetic authority doesn't come through marketing yourself as an expert – it comes through humble service, consistent character, and divine timing. James 4:6 reminds us that " God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. " When we push for recognition prematurely or through manipulation, we may gain a position but miss the protection that comes with proper promotion. Like Joseph, who shared his prophetic dreams prematurely with his brothers, our lack of wisdom can create a much more difficult path to our destiny than God intended. 3. Embrace the Preparation Process The weight of the prophetic office is both invisible and substantial. I've witnessed many genuinely called individuals crumble under the pressure of premature promotion. The apostle Paul wisely instructed that leaders " should first be tested and then let them serve " (1 Timothy 3:10), and warned against laying hands on anyone hastily (1 Timothy 5:22). True preparation for prophetic ministry involves more than just having accurate prophetic words. It requires developing spiritual maturity, biblical understanding, relational wisdom, and emotional health. If you sense a prophetic calling on your life, embrace the preparation process with patience and humility. Serve faithfully where you are. Allow trusted leaders to speak into your life and development. Study the Scriptures diligently. And remember that the process between the promise and the palace is not just necessary – it's a gift that prepares you to succeed when your time comes. My prayer for you is that you would find peace in God's timing for your prophetic journey. May you grow in both favor with God and with people, allowing the Lord to develop in you the character needed to carry His voice with integrity. Let me be clear- the path to your prophetic purpose isn't just about reaching a destination – it's about becoming the person who can faithfully steward the authority that comes with it.

4 Lessons After 50 Years of Marriage

By Kris Vallotton • February 12, 2025
Kathy and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year, and we’ve been together for 54. We’ve experienced highs and lows together and built a life I never imagined possible! Over the past 50+ years, we’ve learned a few things that I want to share with you to help your marriage thrive!  Know when to sacrifice pleasure for the pursuit of joy. Kathy and I have learned when to sacrifice pleasure for the pursuit of joy; this is the discipline of laying down your life for another. A practical example of this is when people find out we have horses. They say, “Oh wow, Kris, you have horses!” My response to them goes something like this, “No, I don’t have horses. Kathy has horses. I only pay for the horses.” Their next question for me usually is, “Don’t you like horses?” To which I respond, “No, I don’t like horses, but I like Kathy.” You see, I get a lot of joy out of doing what Kathy wants to do. I am willing to sacrifice my own pleasure to pursue what develops joy in our marriage. It’s not one-sided, Kathy does the same for me. 2. Forgiveness restores the standard. If you’ve been in a relationship for any length of time, then you know the honeymoon phase doesn't last forever. The person that you love and cherish at the deepest level is the same person that will stretch, challenge, and offend you. I learned this lesson years ago when my kids were teenagers. I became angry with Kathy in front of them and treated her disrespectfully. An hour later, I apologized, and she forgave me. Colossians 3:13 tells us that “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive". The truth is, forgiveness restores the standard of holiness in us and through us. 3. It’s not bad if your spouse thinks differently than you. Men and women think differently, and this is metaphorically demonstrated in the way they were created. Please understand what I am trying to communicate here. I am not at all trying to dishonor either gender. I know that women and men are equally intelligent. When Kathy and I got married, I didn’t understand marriage or women at all. I was so ignorant that it wasn’t even funny. I just had no value for Kathy’s opinion, while we were making decisions, when she refused to produce the facts for her conclusions. She often prefaced her statements with phrases like, “I feel like...,” “It troubles me that...,” “I don’t feel good about that...,” and so on. But what I learned over time, as many of my great decisions began to turn into mistakes, was that her “It feels like” or “This troubles me” were often a lot more accurate than the so-called facts! As the years have rolled on, I have learned to invite the rest of me, and my other half, my wife, into all of my decisions. And she has learned the same thing. We were made to be together. We are one flesh, a mystery that continues to unfold with time. 4. Vision gives pain a purpose. It is my conviction that we are living in a generation perishing for lack of vision. This is evident in many different areas of life, but I also see it in marriages. Having a vision for your marriage will help you persevere through the harder seasons that you’ll face together. Many years ago I had a vision where I was standing next to this elderly gentleman and could see him perfectly, but the man could not see me. The older man was surrounded by children and grandchildren telling stories about the family's history, lineage, and favor with God. In the vision he said, “And all of this began with your great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather.” I looked up and above the mantle of the fireplace and there was a huge portrait of Kathy and me! The Lord spoke to me and said: “You are no longer to live for a ministry—you are to live to leave a legacy! Your children’s children’s children are depending on you leaving them a world in revival. From this day forward, you will live for a generation that you will never see. You are to have a one-hundred-year vision so that you can build from the future.” This vision of our future helped us in developing a strategy to apprehend God’s goals for our lives, and it was the fuel that kept us going in the harder seasons. Consequently, from that day on, we began to build from the future, as the Lord had said. Let me be clear: you don't have to have a literal vision like I did, but you should have a vision and a direction for the future! ​​Your marriage isn’t just about you, it’s about the generations that will follow. The truth is, the way you love, lead, and fight for your marriage today is building a legacy for your children and their children. So take time with your spouse, dream with God, and dream with each other. Get a vision for your family’s future! The breakthrough you experience now will impact the generations to come.

4 Spiritual Disciplines to Propel Your Growth in the New Year

By Kris Vallotton • January 1, 2025
As we step into 2025, people are often thinking about engaging in the time-honored yet unspoken custom of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Many people jump on the opportunity to develop new healthier habits and pursue positive change with the start of a brand new year. Most New Year's Resolutions revolve around diet and exercise, finances, relationships, and hobbies or personal interests. New Year's Resolutions help by giving people a vision for when they endure the challenges that come with change. Losing 100 pounds or being more diligent with saving money isn't always easy and vision gives pain a purpose! All of these areas are important to focus on, but oftentimes we neglect spiritual topics when forming our resolutions. As we focus on building our physical lives and pursuing health and wholeness with the New Year, it’s crucial not to overlook our spiritual growth and well-being. I’m going to share four spiritual disciplines you can grow in this New Year, along with practical tips to help you follow through. Some of these may appear simple, but when practiced consistently over a long period of time, they can lead to deep transformation! 1. Bible Reading This should come as no surprise, but it can be very difficult to find time on a busy day to sit down and read the Scriptures. Some people have a hard time sitting and being still to read while others are bombarded by the busyness of their lives. I want to encourage you to prioritize your time in the Word this year - I make sure to read at least one chapter each day. It might mean having to sacrifice something. Perhaps it’s waking up earlier to have an extra 30 minutes in your routine. Try leaving your Bible open on your kitchen counter the night before, so you see it in the morning. Maybe you can bring your Bible during your lunch break and have a meal with Jesus. You can even listen to the Bible on audio for your morning commute! My encouragement is to start small and build the habit. 2. Prayer Personal prayer can look different to everyone. Some people have no problem praying for over an hour a day, other people have a hard time finding a moment in an entire week! The goal here is to make sure that we are staying in communion with God. There may be sometimes where you only have two minutes to pray in-between meetings or running errands. There may be other times where you have to go into your room, lock your door and pray in secret for an extended period of time like the Bible says. Let me be clear: the goal is consistent communion with the Father. Try setting reminders or alarms on your phone to go off at certain parts of the day. It doesn't have to be long. These reminders can be specific like, “Pray for my family member” or “Pray for healing for this coworker.” You can write them down on pieces of paper and stick them to the walls in your house. 3. Community This may not feel like a discipline, but one of the most challenging things that a person's spiritual growth could face is solitude. When God created Adam he said that it was not good for man to be alone. We were created for community and Jesus was often found doing ministry and life around a group of people except for the times where he went alone to pray. Stepping out into community can be challenging. Maybe you struggle with fear of rejection, not fitting in, or you're scared of how people will respond when they really begin to know you. If you find yourself being isolated, reach out to some people. Text a friend that you know and trust and share that you want to spend more time around people. If you're part of a local church see what kind of small groups they have to offer. Community is a key for growth in 2025. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” 4. Serving When Jesus was on earth he said in Matthew 20:28 that, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Serving was at the center of Jesus’ ministry. He met the physical needs of people by providing food miraculously as well as the spiritual needs of people by offering salvation to everyone who would believe. When we serve people we are like Christ. There may be people coming to your mind already who have a need. They could be in your church family, or a friend from school or work. It doesn’t have to be someone you know! Try paying for someone’s coffee in line and leaving them with some encouragement. There are so many ways that we can serve people and make them feel seen and loved. When they feel seen and loved, they are often very receptive to the Gospel. The power in these disciplines isn’t just doing them once, but in repeating them over a long period of time. As Zechariah 4:10 reminds us, we should not despise small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin. My prayer for you is that what would start as spiritual disciplines would grow into spiritual devotion. That you would find joy in these things and that they would draw you closer to the Father!
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