Fourth of July Update

WARNING this is very long but then it covers much territory.

Parts of this will be woven into the fund raising presentation.

Parts will be worked into my autobiography.

The autobiography will help me enroll long term advisers and major donors.

There is a summary at the end under the heading UPDATE.

There are 3 prayers under the heading PRAYER.

SHELTER

Thankfully I found a WIFI connection in a downtown city park.

And the security guard gave permission to use the electrical outlet.

That is how I could get this to you today.

On the way walking there I passed a Starbucks that was closed for the holiday.

My stay at the homeless shelter last night was better than the last time.

I did sleep better yet there was much coughing by many men all night.

The huge industrial fans made for a breeze and a hum.

Several times during the night I needed wipe the outside of my nose.

It had a minor itch that may have been from the dust, mildew or germs.

I needed to use my nasal spray several times during the night.

I had lots of heavy mucus.

I had never needed to do that anywhere else I have slept.

The facility is clean and orderly.

The residents keep it clean by rotating chores.

But you cannot mop the air.

It is a nice enough provision for this time of major transition.

I expect to stay there again tonight.

I appreciate your prayers for my health.

And pray for the security of my laptop.

Of the hundreds of men there I have seen one other laptop.

More than a few of them are currently drug addicts.

The laptop could be stolen and pawned for drugs.

God has connected me with a sponsor for the next 2 nights at Motel 6.

That is a huge blessing and right on time.

May the Lord bless all supporters in this life and in eternity.

PIONEER

I have gotten more feedback about advising me to seek a job right away.

That might be a big issue for some and a non-issue for others.

I will address this subject here from several more perspectives.

Then I need to just move forward.

Long ago I heard a person say there are basically two kinds of Christians.

There are the settlers and there are the pioneers.

Like during the Westward Expansion it was the pioneers that went first.

Those were the few and rugged ones.

They went where no other white person had gone before.

They made reports about the good and the bad of what they encountered.

Then later came the settlers who came to set up homesteads.

Their farms and ranches led to the need for trading centers.

Some of those at the crossroads led to the growth of towns and later cities.

What we see today is the long term fruit of such pioneers as Lewis and Clark.

There were far more settlers than pioneers.

That is understandable.

They had a very different worldview.

The settler wanted stability, security, family life, predictability, minimum risks, etc.

The pioneer was driven to go explore the unknown frontiers.

The long term purpose was to blaze a trail that the settlers would follow later.

If you have not guessed I see myself as a pioneer.

I know that my calling centers around harnessing communication technologies.

These are proven business tools used online and offline.

But what makes the ministry unique is the innovative combination.

And the ones to be served are those in severe poverty.

Especially I seek to serve subsistence farmers, orphans and rural pastors.

They survive on less than 2 dollars a day.

Most do not have running water, toilet, electricity, Internet or medicine.

But a little practical education distributed through a community library will transform lives.

Our educational modules will address some of the greatest needs in the remote communities.

Lessons about the basics of agriculture and animal husbandry will provide more food.

The food will feed the families and the surplus will be sold to raise the standard of living.

They will buy medicines, improve their housing and send their children to better schools.

Lessons about the basics of literacy will pave the way for them to access other written works.

The initial aim is at the libraries of orphanages.

The lessons will be for both the children and the teachers to teach better.

According to the Bible, God has a big heart for orphans.

Other libraries and those who are not orphans will benefit too but that is secondary.

Lessons about the basics of Christianity will greatly aid rural pastors.

These leaders can never afford to go to Bible college or seminary.

We can distill the basics and provide great Bible reference materials.

By equipping them then we will be helping them reach their circles of influence.

That will gradually lead to untold numbers of converts and disciples for decades.

We will gradually work out ways to request and process the feedback from the fields.

We will make improvements based on their comments, suggestions and questions.

This will involve starting with a base of lessons in English.

Then those will be translated into major and minor languages.

This is a well-rounded approach to missions.

It includes the body, mind and spirit.

Jesus said as you have done unto the least of these you have done unto me.

Matt 24:34-40

I submit to you that those we will serve are among the least of these.

SURRENDERED

One of the books that influenced me most is Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.

The subtitle is Knowing and Doing the Will of God.

God brings me back to reread the parts I highlighted every few years.

One way Henry says to know the will of God is to review your past.

Notice what God had done to get you to the current conditions.

He calls those spiritual markers.

So here is a review of some of my spiritual markers related to surrender.

God extended His tender mercies to me during my drug rehab in 1975 to 1976.

The Lord opened a door for me to recover from my addiction in a Christian community.

This was long before rehab centers or sober houses.

This was part of an Episcopal church in Houston Texas.

The Episcopal way includes heavy emphasis on submission to the Lordship of Christ.

I got that drilled into me for 18 months before I graduated from there.

Submission to trust and obey the Lord Jesus Christ daily is how I have done life since then.

A few years later I was a member of Lakewood Church in Houston.

At that time the pastor was John Osteen.

He died suddenly and his son Joel Osteen is now the pastor.

John Osteen had been heavily involved in missions.

He had lots of missionary housing for missionaries visiting the USA.

I heard many amazing stories from the mission field.

Those were independent faith based missionaries.

They did not go from a mission agency.

They did not have a Bible College or seminary degree.

But they did have lots of results.

They just went where God led them and did what He said.

During the times I attended those services I always sat near the front.

When there was a call to surrender to missions I went forward.

I did that dozens of times.

I met with the missions director many times.
We focused on Romans 12:1,2
1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

He prayed earnestly for God to guide me to my mission field.

I moved to Dallas in 1985 believing this was my mission field.

There has been hardly any fruit here but lots of hardships.

When I was a house manager at the sober house I drove residents to 12 step meetings.

Most of the time I stayed there and l learned much about recovery.

I heard of lives that had been changed by working the 12 steps diligently.

That inspired me to work the steps myself.

One small part that relates to today is Step 3.

It reads as follows.

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.

And there is a Third Step prayer related to this.

It comes from page 63 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me and do with me as Thou wilt.

Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

Take away my difficulties that victory over them may bear witness

to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love and Thy Way of Life.

May I do Thy will always!

Related to this is Step 7 that is as follows.

Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

Here is the 7^th step prayer that is from page 76 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.

I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character

which stands in the way of my usefulness to you & my fellows.

Grant me strength as I go out from here to do Your bidding. Amen

Another prayer in the Big Book is the simplest,
It is just, "Thy will be done."
I have prayed that many hundred times.

I mention those prayers in this context because I have been praying them often.

I began that habit months ago.

Sometimes I pray them both out loud three times.

My intention in that is to connect with each word and phrase.

I want this for myself.

You are invited to pray these for me.

I challenge you to pray these for yourself daily.

My big idea in all this about surrender is to say that is core to my life.

I believe I am totally surrendered to know and do the will of God.

And I renew that surrender often.

All this sincere advice to get a job right away does not resonate inside me.

I know that all my mind and heart are surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I respectfully set that advice aside for now.

VOICE

When I read the Bible I come to know that Jesus Christ is my Good Shepherd.

In John chapter 10 I believe it says I can hear the voice of God.

I have been with Christians that think this is normal.

Others think it is impossible.

Some are not sure.

Many have that experience but do not admit it.

I know that a person can rely only on that and go off track.

It is essential that they Word of God is the main source of guidance.

Some say that prayer is not a one way street.

Instead it is a dialogue.

I agree with that.

I believe I have been hearing and following the voice of my Good Shepherd.

That includes not just the last 2 weeks but for more than 3 decades.

WISDOM

If you have been around me long you know that I often request prayers for wisdom.

I seek the wisdom from God.

The book of James says God will provide it.

The book of Proverbs says that is the highest thing to seek.

I have prayed for it and I have requested prayers for it.

I believe God has given me wisdom many times and ways.

I believe that the vision for ministry is the fruit of that wisdom.

I have complete confidence it will succeed because it is wisdom from God.

SOLO

Another factor that is relevant at this time is the fact that I am single.

I have been engaged three times to three different women.

I broke the engagement one time.

Obviously the woman broke it the other 2 times.

The point here is that I have one mouth to feed.

I do not have the responsibility of the care for a wife or children.

I can afford to take risks would not if I were married with children.

And I grant you that the course I am on is risky.

In the same way this ministry is all of my concern.

I have not needed to change diaper, check homework, enforce curfews, etc.

Launching and leading a ministry is all I have wanted since 1977.

That is when I first felt the call of God on my life.

In the Bible Paul and Jesus say that singleness is good if used for the kingdom of God.

AGE

I find myself at 61 years old.

I feel as young as I did in my 40s.

But I have dentures, reading glasses and a grey beard.

I had injuries to my neck, back and ankles that restrict some activates.

I am clearly aware with each passing day I am getting closer to my last day.

That last day could be soon or much later.

The scope of the vision God put on my heart is huge.

It will take many years to complete.

I am eager to get started.

I do not want to delay.

A kind of delay could be getting a full time job.

Then I would dig myself out of this financial hole.

Then maybe I will have the time and energy to pursue the dream.

I have done that more than a dozen times over the decades.

More often than not with a job I had little time or energy.

I made little progress slowly.

I got discouraged, depressed and despairing.

Since 1988 I have wrestled with death wish thoughts.

Sometimes they are few and sometimes they are many.

I have called the Suicide Hotline hundreds of times.

It always got down to I did not want live because my dream was suffocating.

I do not want to go back to those dark days.

Granted living at a homeless shelter is not the best life style.

For now I am willing to accept this hardship.

This is just a temporary stepping stone.

I have a plan I think is from God that has His wisdom.

I trust the Lord to deliver me and put me on a path to do my calling.

The Indiegogo crowd funding platform is central to moving forward.

INCOME

I want to bring up a small but important point.

The comments I have gotten have been all about me getting a job.

But is that the real issue?

Yes it is true that most people get income from jobs.

I have not lived only on my paycheck since 1998.

I have had a part of my income since then on donations.

What if the option to live in the garage apartment had happened?

There was that possibility but it did not come together.

If it had happened and I was there then would I need a job too?

What if the crowd funding takes off fast and I have plenty of money.

Do I still need to get a job?

I heard more reassuring news from the Marriot connection today.

My housing need will be met but I just do not know when that starts.

And that source might help with my living costs for the ministry to get started.

JULY 4

I am writing this on July 4 in a park in downtown Dallas.

Let me consider, “What does freedom mean to me today?”

I have the freedom to write this and publish it.

I do not need have it censored like in communist countries.

I do not have to have it approved by the Roman Catholic church like centuries ago.

I have the freedom to travel to the cities and countries I listed.

I have the freedom to invite people to assemble in those cities.

I can cast the vision and we can pray in the name of Jesus.

I have the freedom to fall flat on my face.

I have the freedom to learn from my mistakes.

I have the freedom to pursue my dreams.

I have the freedom to succeed and pass on funds to other ministries.

I have the freedom to boldly proclaim the simple gospel online and offline.

I have the freedom to provide discipleship training materials online and offline.

I have the freedom to deny the call of God on my life.

I have the freedom to live a carnal life and try to ignore the Holy Spirit.

But with that freedom of choices come consequences that would not be pleasant.

I have the freedom to do what it takes to trust and obey the Lord Jesus Christ daily.

I have the freedom to take risks while seeking first the kingdom of God.

I do not have the guarantee of staggering results quickly.

By faith I know that what I sow that is what I will reap.

As I sow bountifully I will reap bountifully.

God is sovereign and He controls the final results.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ my works will be evaluated.

I will be justly judged and generously rewarded in eternity.

If there are not lots of visible fruits like my time in Dallas I can know He knew my heart.

CONCLUSION

There is a saying that goes, “Is it better to love and loose or not to love at all?”

Well I have loved and lost.

I have attempted to launch a ministry many times and failed.

Does that pattern of my past determine my future?

Some of the feedback I have gotten has implied that.

If I am doomed to repeat my past, then where is hope?

Recall that those who received Jesus in the gospel accounts sought His grace.

They knew that without Him healing, helping, delivering, providing there was no hope.

I recall those testimonies of missionaries that got me hooked on missions.

Those were major demonstrations on the grace, goodness and provision of God.

I am not committed to following an anemic Jesus that cannot answer prayers.

I walk with the risen Lord who has commissioned me to go make disciples for Him.

I know this has been long and wordy.

Let me give you a sound bite.

What will happen soon is the birthing of a new breed of missions agency for this Digital Age.

It will not happen overnight.

If you come back and read this next Fourth of July you will see that is what happened.

UPDATE

Last night went well at the homeless shelter.

I will spend tonight there also.

Please pray for my health.

Pray for the security of the laptop.

God connected me with a sponsor for Motel 6 the next 2 nights.

Pray for God to bless my productivity in the coming days.

PRAYER

These three daily prayers are coming from my heart and experiences.

These are how I would pray and request others pray for me.

Each day brings different challenges, insights and opportunities.

Different parts of the Word come alive to me.

I seek to share these with supporters as they are fresh.

Also I could later repackage these in the format of an ebook.

I believe I could sell those ebooks for 1 to 3 dollars.

That could be a steady and growing source of income.

Also I already have lots of original psalms that are ready to publish.

Before I got suddenly fired and evicted I was overcoming technical obstacles.

I love to write such materials and I want to share them with others.

I believe that during the coming years the sale of ebooks will be a growing income stream.

God grant me Your wisdom from above to effectively use these digital communication tools in order to advance Your kingdom both online and offline.

Lord Jesus Christ may I accept, love and respect all those You send into my life.

God give me a burden for those that You want me to reach with the gospel message.

Shalom