Ricki Lee Brooks

The father of three. The grandfather of five (and hopefully more in the future). Ricki is a pastor, missionary, speaker, and youth advocate. Over fourty years ago, Ricki and his wife, Vanita, wrote down their mission statement for life. Here it is... Our mission in life is to love our Lord, one another, and our children more and more every day and to help as many as possible to do the same thing. Since then much has changed. The children are grown and growing. Many people have heard the life-changing news of Jesus Christ and are falling more in love with the Savior. And, sadly, yet triumphantly, Vanita is now with the Lord. One might think the passing of his beloved would change the mission statement. It has not. After losing Vanita at the hands of a drunk driver, Ricki has often said, "Without her, I feel less effective, but not less impassioned. Helping people love the Lord is the greatest privilege on earth, because, in the end, our purpose was never just about us...it was and is all about Jesus.” Whether talking with an individual on a park bench, leading a small seminar, or speaking to a large audience... whether the topic is specific to an organization or general and universal to the human condition... Ricki finds that people wrestle with similar issues: who am I, why am I here, is there more to life? Failing to answer these questions inevitably leads to SID (spiritual identity disorder). It pushes individuals into drift mode and organizations toward a loss of corporate purpose. Facing this kind of adversity can be either a positive challenge or a negative pitfall for both individuals and organizations. Ricki's desire is to help people move toward the positive by finding and following Jesus.