About Blue Fire Legacy
Our story of how God has been molding us and strategically placing us, sets the backdrop for why Blue Fire Legacy was founded. Through a journey of healing, Christ has redeemed our struggles and hurts so that we can assist others as they work through their life challenges. In Christ, we have the strength to live triumphantly.
Credit Mark Henslee
Our Purpose
Igniting the Body of Christ to Live in Fullness of Purity and Power
As the Body of Christ we are to live in His fullness. In other words, we are to be filled to the utmost capacity with Christ, His character and His abilities.
To live in fullness of purity is not to have a checklist of do’s and don’ts that we follow religiously. While holy living will be an outflow of our life, it results from living like Christ. To accomplish our goal we must consciously choose to think and act according to the example that Christ gave us. Christ’s central purpose was to do the will of the Father.
"So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[a] does, that the Son does likewise." John 5:19 ESV
For us to live like Christ, we must align our purpose with His. We must make doing the Father’s will our priority. How do we know the will of the Father? We must be in communion with Him.
In our world, it is easy for us to think that what God is telling us to do is also what He is telling every other Christian to do. To some degree there are common instructions, but there can also be great differences. While we are all to share our faith with others, we are not all called to go into foreign countries to reach the lost. It is important that you hear from God what He wants you to do and then do it.
We endeavor to come alongside believers to encourage and challenge them to walk in Christ-likeness, utilizing one-on-one counseling and group training to provide tools and accountability. It is our desire to help others exercise and grow their faith while deepening their intimacy and communion with God.
Credit Mark and Dallas Henslee
Our Mission
Coming Alongside...to Encourage Each to Live in the Fullness of Who and What GOD has Called and Gifted Them to be
Blue Fire Legacy accomplishes its God-given purpose by coming alongside Christian pastors, churches, missionaries and mission organizations to encourage each to live in the fullness of who and what God has called and gifted them to be. This is accomplished through providing individual Biblical counsel, organizational consulting, small group training, study materials, and conferences.
Ultimately the Lord is the source of all fullness. It is through His direction and strength that we operate. Our goal is that each person and organization we work with reaches their full potential. We see that as living out the Great Commission and their calling in the righteousness of Christ, through the power of His shed blood, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, in intimacy with the Father.
Credit Dallas Henslee
A Glimpse of How Blue Fire Legacy Started
Mark and Dallas have each held various church roles individually and together since they were teenagers. These roles included filling positions such as custodian, children’s choir leader, nursery coordinator, sound tech, Sunday School teachers, small group leaders, worship leader, flag ministry coordinator, associate pastor, church planter, and lead pastor. They have been members of churches in multiple evangelical denominations serving as lay leaders, which allows them to better minister inter-denominationally.
17 Years in Fountain, CO
The Henslees moved to Fountain, CO in 1999 with 3 small children, no established housing, and no jobs. Why? Because they felt God was asking them to be associate pastors for a new church plant being started. The lead pastor of that project went back to pastor the sponsoring church just a few short months after the Henslees left everything behind to move to Colorado. Despite the abrupt change, God was gracious and provided a good job for Mark and a nice home for the family.
As children, youth, and young adults, God was shaping us for this work.
They lived in Fountain for 17 years and ministered there in various capacities during that time. A majority of their ministry experience was obtained within the bi-vocational realm. The Henslees also spent time in God’s “surgical theater,” “recovery ward,” and His “spiritual boot camp” while living in Fountain. There was even a 54-week period of time that they spent being homeless nomads after leaving the Fountain area. Reflecting on each of these experiences, it is easier to see how God used each of them to prepare Mark and Dallas for ministering to ministers.
Establishing the Ministry in Westcliffe, CO (and now expanding to Texas)
The Lord not only provided ministry property in Westcliffe, CO, but He also provided a house for the Henslees' personal needs. The house in Silver Cliff, CO doubled as the ministry office, as they held appointments in person and through video conferencing within the confines of the house. This modular house has now been sold, and the subsequent two years were spent ministering from Blue Fire Legacy's 5th wheel trailer, which afforded them better opportunity to come alongside ministers that cannot come to us for whatever reason.
Currently, Mark and Dallas have transitioned from living and ministering solely from the 5th wheel trailer to using it for dedicated ministry circuits. They now reside in South Texas in the home God provided.
The Henslees visit Colorado as possible, however, they now spend much of their time in Texas, or on the road between ministry assignments. Legacy Heights is still set aside for building the future retreat center and is used for spiritual renewal by those who live locally that make appointments to do so.
Additional Staff
In 2024, the Lord saw fit to add to our staff and Jarrod McGuire joined us. He and Mark divide the counseling load for our male clients working in individual sessions. Jarrod lives in Indiana with his wife and children.
Mark Henslee
Gifted with both business and ministry acumen, Mark ministered as a lay leader while pursuing and completing a Master’s Degree in entrepreneurial accounting. He successfully established and grew his own public accounting practice in Colorado Springs, CO. Mark worked for many years as a bi-vocational pastor and CPA. However, when God called him into full-time ministry, Mark left the professional accounting world behind.
He has served on various boards and has an eye for creative solutions. Mark completed ICIT (In Christ’s Image Training) Level 2 and continues to be a scholar of the Scriptures. Mark started Heritage of Praise Fellowship as a non-denominational congregation with his wife Dallas in September 2002. They continued to minister in this bi-vocational setting for six years.
Mark enjoys teaching and purposes to make his sermons and workshops applicable to life today, while maintaining a fidelity to the inerrancy of Scripture. God has given him the ability to balance care for people, teaching, and administrative gifts in a space of exercising his faith over circumstances.
Photo credit: Henslee, created in Canva
Dallas Henslee
Obtaining a familiarity with ministry from both the perspective of being a preacher’s kid and minister alike, Dallas has operated in her giftings in various capacities over the years. She returned to school to obtain a master’s degree in counseling, provided pro-bono counseling services for a church based clinic in Colorado, and opened a private practice in Colorado in 2008 which she left behind to enter full-time ministry. Her spiritual giftings combined with her years of experience in the field have proven to be valuable to her clients.
Dallas completed ICIT (In Christ’s Image Training) Level 2 and engages with non-credit online courses available through Dallas Theological Seminary in addition to engaging in specialty topics of training in the counseling field. She offers clinically informed, faith-based counseling and pastoral care to missionaries, ministers, and vocational Christian leaders. Dallas also enjoys teaching and leading others in worship whether through voice, instruments, or flags.
Photo credit: Henslee, created in Canva
Jarrod McGuire
With a heart for shepherding, after attending Bible college, Jarrod has spent over 20 years in vocational ministry, including 12 years as a missionary overseas. He was a part of church planting and working himself out of a job, as he helped raise up nationals to oversee and run the church. While overseas, Jarrod helped create ministries that reached out to the community. Jarrod has helped disciple all ages, within different cultures. He has served in various roles within the church, from children’s ministry to youth group to assistant pastor and lead pastor. Jarrod and his family have done foster care for over 10 years, learning many invaluable lessons in caring for those with trauma. Whoever it may be, Jarrod loves to hear people’s stories and help them see Jesus in their stories.
Jarrod enjoys getting to share the love of Christ with youth while coaching sports. He finds God’s joy in going for a jog or gazing at the stars in the night sky and being nerdy, swinging his lightsaber around. Jarrod and his family find themselves in the Midwest providing soul care for missionaries.
Our Board
The ministry board meets regularly for prayer and business meetings. These individuals work behind the scenes to keep us on track and speak into the growth of the ministry. We appreciate their valuable insight.
Hello, we’re Juan and Yvonne Contreras. We’ve been proud members of the Blue Fire Legacy Board since 2018.
Yvonne currently serves as Secretary and has recently taken on the role of leading the Prayer Warrior Newsletter that she greatly enjoys.
Our journey with Mark and Dallas began in 2017 when we met them while stationed in Colorado Springs. They were leading a small group at our local church, and little did we know, this was a divinely orchestrated connection.
Mark and Dallas have become dear friends and, in many ways, our spiritual mentors. Through our partnership with them and Blue Fire Legacy, we’ve witnessed the miraculous power of a living God. We’ve seen God answer countless prayers and have observed the sacrifices they’ve made in their calling. Their journey has not been easy, yet their unwavering faith and commitment have been truly inspiring.
We are confident in their unique calling and the vital work they’re doing with Blue Fire Legacy. Having observed their dedication and the grace on their lives over the past seven years, we are honored to serve alongside them and the Panariso family. We wholeheartedly support their vision and direction for Blue Fire Legacy and are excited to be part of this incredible team.
Credit Yvonne Contreras
Juan and Yvonne Contreras joined the board in 2018. Yvonne serves as the board secretary.
Zack and Natacha Panariso joined the Board in 2023. Zack serves as the Board Treasurer.
Credit Dallas Henslee
Prior Year Highlights
2024 Ministry Happenings
2022 - 2023 Ministry Happenings
2021 Ministry Happenings
2021
Big Year--Living On the Road
- We added two board members, and held our first Board retreat.
- He provided an administrative assistant.
- He provided a 5th Wheel Travel Trailer.
- He provided a beautiful truck to haul the 5th Wheel.
We are now fully mobile as we are living and officing in the ministry's 5th Wheel. Guess we're now officially "nomadic home-missionaries."
2020 Travels
Coast to Coast
Work in Bangladesh - March 2019
Around the World in 18 Days
Traveling Ministry
As you can see from our work in Bangladesh, one arm of our ministry is traveling to those of you who cannot get away, whether due to working bi-vocationally with little to no time off or limited finances. We can come to you. In these circumstances, we provide consulting and pastoral care for immediate issues and stressors, as well as, for reconciliation and strengthening your ability to continue ministering effectively.
A key differentiator of Blue Fire Legacy is that God has asked us to come alongside. We serve by coming to you. We are able to make better observations when joining someone in their normal routine.
The Ministry's Truck and 5th Wheel
To facilitate traveling to ministers within the continental United States, Blue Fire Legacy has a truck and 5th wheel trailer which permits us to take our home and office on the road. Having our home with us when we travel to minister means we are not a burden to those we are coming alongside and provides a means for our re-energization at the end of each day.
Of course such vehicles require fuel, insurance, and maintenance. If you designate a gift towards the ministry vehicles, that's where your money will be used.
Biblically Based Teaching
Blue Fire Legacy works primarily as a proactive and preventative care ministry as well as working on healing past wounds. Should crisis counseling be desired, we may refer you to another organization which specializes in this type of care for ministers.
Blue Fire Legacy offers Biblically based teaching in a variety of formats - itinerant pulpit supply, conferences, and seminar/workshops, in addition to coaching, consulting, and pastoral care for ministers.
Sometimes inner healing work is required. Sometimes your local congregation needs to be exhorted to care for each other more selflessly and better support you as their pastoral staff. In other words, we can say the hard things that you may not be able to say from behind the pulpit. Each church has its own culture and concerns that arise out of that established culture. We will be sensitive to the dynamics present rather than attempting to impose a generic, cookie-cutter approach.
Retreat Center
Looking forward, there are plans for a retreat center, a place you can come to be refreshed and refilled through creative and practical arts. The exact timing of starting and completing the retreat center is still unknown. Our first step is to improve the building site by providing excavation work, septic, and adding a pump to the well. Additionally, we'll need to run electricity and water to the parking site for the 5th wheel. We anticipate these improvements to cost between $30,000-$45,000. In adherence with our no debt policy, the retreat center development will begin when sufficient funds are available to complete the first of two buildings. See below for a more in depth description of the vision for the retreat center at Legacy Heights.
Credit Dallas Henslee
Credit Dallas Henslee
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