From Wilderness to Builderness

The wilderness has always been where I found myself. A soldier. A wanderer. A seeker. It was my home for years—a place of solitude, trial, and revelation. In that space, I learned to endure, to survive, to fight, and ultimately, to fall. But it was also where I was found by the One who saves.

Four years ago, I entered a new kind of wilderness, not one marked by combat or geography, but by the terrain of my soul. Jesus brought me here. Not to punish me, but to train me. This was not the wilderness of wandering—it was the wilderness of becoming. A place where He would tear down my pride, my illusions of control, and my false sources of strength. He left me with one truth: Apart from Me, you can do nothing.

I learned and I am still learning, step by painful step, to abide. To live in the vine. To root my hope, faith, and purpose in Him. In John 15, Jesus spoke directly into my heart: Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.

For four years, I remained. Four years of rebuilding. Four years of being pruned by the Master Gardener. Four years of learning to love as He loves, of trading the wilderness of self-reliance for the builderness of servant-hearted leadership, four years of building with the builders here at Built to Lead. And now, for the first time, I find myself entrusted with the sacred calling of building into someone else who is going to become a builder themselves.

This is no small thing.

Building begins with belief. As a disciple of Jesus and a builder, I believe every life has infinite worth because every person is made in the image of God. But it doesn’t stop there. To build into someone means seeing them not just as they are, but as they could be. It means holding up a mirror to show them their inherent dignity, strength, and God-given potential—and then helping them take responsibility for building that into reality.

This is what Jesus did with His disciples. He took men like Peter, who was impulsive and afraid, and shaped him into the rock upon which He would build His church. I am learning to do the same with those God brings into my life.

I see it now: the transformation from “Wilderness to Builderness”. It is no longer about surviving. It’s about creating. About bringing order to chaos, meaning to struggle, and purpose to pain. To build a life of meaning – one must first construct the core – your worldview, purpose and principles. From there, you build character that reflects those truths, develop the competence to execute them, and create a culture of accountability and love.

I have done this very hard work myself, and now I’m going to guide another through it. I am building into someone who will become a builder. I see their potential, not yet realized but unmistakable, like a house waiting to be framed.

The process is messy. Building always is. There are doubts, frustrations, and setbacks. And for Jim Gant, there have been many, many tears. But I hold fast to the truth that Jesus gave me in the wilderness: Apart from Me, you can do nothing.

Building is both humbling and empowering. It requires sacrifice, patience, and a willingness to be misunderstood. But it also fills me with joy. It reminds me that my life has meaning beyond myself, that I am part of a greater story. An EPIC story.

This journey is not about creating followers; it’s about creating leaders. It’s about equipping someone else to take the framework they’ve been given and use that to build into others.

As I write this (with some of those tears rolling down my face), I know that my journey is far from over. The wilderness is still within me—it always will be. But so is the call to build.

In The Legend of Bagger Vance, written by my dear friend Steven Pressfield (who also wrote the forward to the Becoming Built to Lead book), there’s a moment when Junuh is reminded that his authentic swing is not something he has to create; it’s something he has to find. The same is true of this work. Builderness is not about mastering some new technique or skill. It’s about becoming who I was always meant to be: a disciple of Jesus, a builder of others, and a reflection of His love.

The wilderness taught me how to fight. Builderness is teaching me how to build. And I now see that the two were never separate. They were always part of the same story—a story written by the Author of Life Himself.

Thank you, Sacred Band, for all of your love, your guidance, your patience – and most of all – for ‘modeling the way’.

Together We Transform – always, ALWAYS TOGETHER.

In God’s grace and Jesus’ embrace,

Jim
1 COR 3:9-15

9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

“Jim, I believe in you…You belong with BTL.”