Meet Dave Drum | Unity Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dave Drum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dave, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I’ve only recently begun to practically believe that all time belongs to God, not me. For many years I was a workaholic. In some seasons I’ve been lazy. For most of my life I had no good work/home boundaries, as I’ve often worked from home and almost always been my own boss. All of that has changed recently. I do work during work hours, and family/home during non-work hours. On the occasions when either one crowds into the other, that’s fine, because I’m regularly (many times a day) asking God, “What would you like me to do next?”

What should our readers know about your business?
J17 Ministries’ mission is to “Unite the Body of Christ FOR a divided world.” Our mission, as our name hints at, is to see the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17. The more and more divided the world gets, the more and more Jesus’ prayer for unity stands out like a candle in the midst of a dark room. Jesus’ prayer is primarily focused on His followers, that we would learn to love one another well, and God knows we haven’t done a very good job of that! If it was easy, Jesus wouldn’t have prayed for it. But it’s not an exclusive prayer at all, because Jesus knows that the world around us will benefit if His followers work together as a team, like different instruments in the same orchestra. Our unity in Him is so that we can love and serve the world around us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a native of Tucson, AZ, and except for four years of schooling in the Midwest, have lived my whole life here. I love our city! Some non-negotiables in a tour of Tucson: We’d have to have at least one meal at Eegees.
We’d have to take in a University of Arizona sporting event – ideally basketball.
We’d have to take a trip up Mt Lemmon. There’s more than a 7000 foot change in elevation from the Tucson valley to the top of Mt Lemmon, and you get to travel through multiple ecospheres on the way up, where it’s 20 degrees cooler at the top than at the bottom.
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum would be a great touristy spot to visit.
There are tons of great hiking and biking trails around the city.
Mostly, though, if it was my best friend visiting, I’d want to make lots of time just to hang out and catch up.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have two shoutouts. The first is Jesus, and specifically His prayer in John 17. I’ve discovered in the last couple of decades that my whole purpose in life is to work toward seeing Jesus’ prayer in John 17 answered any place I have influence.

The second is a book I’ve read in the last couple of months that has significantly changed my life, marriage, attitudes, etc. That book is “Living Fearless” by Jamie Winship. It’s unlike any book I’ve ever read… and I’ve read a lot of books!

Website: J17Ministries.org

Instagram: J17 Ministries

Facebook: J17 Ministries