In the last blog, we shared that receiving Christ is a free gift from God, but there is a cost to follow Jesus. Not only must we be prepared to take our cross and follow Jesus, but we must own our Kingdom assignment from the Lord.

When the Lord is instructing Joshua and Caleb to possess the land that has been promised to the future generation, He tells them that every place that their feet hit shall be theirs. God tells them to take as their own cisterns they didn’t dig and homes they didn’t build, and that He will give them cities in marvelous and miraculous ways. They had to possess the faith to own their Kingdom assignment regardless of the circumstance and the fact that there were still giants in the land. There was a fight to be fought and they were His servants.

We must all realize that there will always be giants in the way when it comes to owning what the Lord has promised to do through us for His glory.

I wanted to share with you the following message written by Dan Trippie, Senior Pastor of Restoration Church in Buffalo, N.Y., which partners with H.I.S. BridgeBuilders Ministry.

Genesee and Moselle

How far does a neighborhood extend? At first thought this might seem like a simple question, one to be measured in blocks and street numbers. Yet, the subjectiveness of such a query tells us more than we might care to know. Does my responsibility end with the homes adjacent to mine or do I have culpability for that which extends beyond? I set out to answer this question on a stroll down Genesee and Moselle.

 Bertha and I began our walk the morning after the Eastside saw its twelfth shooting. Security cameras once again told the familiar story of a black teen shot in the back. For seventeen years the streets whispered hopelessness, now paralysis confirms the ugly message for yet another young man.

 Greg was the first neighbor to approach us as we walked out the community center doors. Quickly he darted up to me. “Are you a person of influence?” he adamantly asked. “Am I?” I thought. Our church is small and we have little resources so how do I answer such a question? Yet before words were formed in my mouth, my polo shirt and khakis created reality for Greg. “You a reporter? Or an investigator?” he demanded to know. “Neither,” I replied, “I am just a pastor.” “Good, you are a person of influence!” he retorted.

 Anger and frustration swiftly boiled to the surface as he recounted the night’s event once again. “He was shot in the back!” Greg’s long commitment to community watch and neighborhood activism seemed to be futile against the backdrop of yet another Eastside shooting. For thirty years I have watched an exodus from my community. Now, I’m just tired. Greg’s eyes told the story. Our conversation was only but a few minutes, yet during this interplay I learned what it is like to watch the things you love ravaged before your very eyes. With emptiness on his face Greg described what life used to be like on this beautiful street canopied with elegant elm trees. Bertha’s glance signaled it was time to continue the stroll.

 We set our journey north as my tutor educated me on the needs of the neighborhood. “Over here we could have a garden, there a playground, maybe that house could be used for women needing a fresh start…” With eyes ablaze, Bertha described what could be and should be amidst dilapidated and abandoned buildings. Her ability to see what she wanted, and not what actually was, inspired my question. “Bertha, what will it take to change this neighborhood?” Her smile turned flush as her eyes darted across the street, “Let’s go talk to those guys.” Before I knew it, she had set our feet across the street toward a rundown house where there sat three men all with cellphones pasted to the ears.

 “Good morning boys!” Bertha declared, as we approached the lopsided porch. I could feel the blood in my veins speed up and my feet tense for what might be a rapid retreat. To my surprise however, all three men with a reverential fear ended their cellphone conversations. Almost simultaneously they laid down their phones, like soldiers surrendering in battle. They afforded to Bertha the type of maternal respect offered by a young child to his mother.

 “Gentlemen,” Bertha said, “my friend and I would like your input. What does this neighborhood need?” All eyes suddenly fixed on me as if to say, “What do you care?”  The answers they gave were more to do with testing than substance. “Sumthang for the kids,” “knock down them old houses” and “build something nice.” Although the answers seemed smug, it was with careful dictation that Bertha recorded every idea as if each were a ground-breaking thought.

The conversation was again short as these men obviously had more pressing business. But the continued glances they offered my way seemed to coincide with the question possessed earlier. Greg wanted to know if I could help, these young hustlers questioned whether I would dare. Thus begins the classic collision of faith and works. I set out to find how far my neighborhood extended left only to find boundaries are not measured by geography but awareness. I have walked, now I know. I have heard, now I must decide. I have seen, now how must I act?

Questions concerning neighbors have always haunted the religious. Jesus illustrated this when he told the story of a man stripped, beaten, and left for dead. As I walked the Eastside neighborhood last week, an ancient parable came to life. Homes stripped of families, activists beaten down by defeat, and young men who will either be dead or imprisoned, hold a strange resemblance to the story of a man walking to Jericho. The question of where my neighborhood extends is no longer at hand, the question now shifts to the complexity of how do I use my two denarii? (Luke 10:25–37).

It was interesting how the hospital where we were receiving treatment had signs up that prohibited filming. I did not see the signs and when a security guard asked my videographer whether he had permission to film, he said, “Yes, from Pastor Mike with Chemo Church.” The guard seemed satisfied for this Chemo Ward was now our church that the Lord had graciously placed us in this season to extend His compassion.

We were careful not to break any rules placed over us but that did not hinder us from accomplishing what God had put on our hearts to do. What if all Christians owned their assignment from the Lord for their office building, community, school or city? The Lord has placed these Chemo Wards in my heart as my own. When I visit the Chemo Ward in Houston, the nurses provide me a room and say, “Pastor Mike is here,” and they direct me to certain patients they know who need prayer.

In the same manner, when I am called to inner city communities, I begin to see them as my own. Even though I do not live there, the residents are my family because of our shared faith in the Lord. I know that the Lord has called me to restore urban communities globally for His glory.

It is His glory that He longs to make known through our obedience. Only the Lord can bring hope and complete restoration. We are simply His messengers and servants. To me, the key is owning the ministry that God has given you, wherever He has placed you in this season of life.

Our country is not going to be changed until each Christian does his or her God-given part. In Nehemiah, the wall that had been in disrepair for decades was miraculously built when Nehemiah owned it as his God-given assignment, and the people of the nation of Israel each built their part of the wall by their own homes. Throughout the Scriptures, God speaks of the plans He has for us and that our faith is dead unless it works. It is God who works in you, to will and to work for His good pleasure.

“… for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

— Philippians 2:13

When God reveals His vision, you are the provision. Quit waiting for someone else to own what the Lord has given you. God’s glory is at stake and the world is dying and decaying because we are not willing to pay the price to follow Jesus.

Chemo Church, Life Lessons 3 . . . and a Medical Update

So often in the church today, especially in America, we hear in the preaching of the Word the offer of eternal life … that we are saved by grace through faith, not of works.

While our entry into the family of God through Jesus Christ is a free gift of God for all who believe, we must remember that there is a cost to follow Jesus. The Scriptures are filled with exhortations from Christ to take up your cross, deny self, lay down your nets, and follow Him.

The cost to follow Jesus is first a call to take up our cross and follow Him. It used to be that in my own walk with God, the cross of my choosing was a gold and silver ring with a cross on it. Purchased for my birthday at Neiman Marcus, it was designed by the Greek jeweler Konstantino. Many people purchase James Avery jewelry with crosses on them, and some people even buy diamond encrusted crosses and crosses made of fine stones. Many of us have crosses of every size and shape and design covering a wall at home. It’s as if the more crosses we put in our homes and wear on our hands and necks, the more holy we are. I will be the first to admit that I like taking up these crosses, and raising my hand in the sanctuary with my gold and silver cross ring to praise the Lord.

But the last three years of battling stage 4 lung cancer and 20-plus years of urban community ministry with H.I.S. BridgeBuilders have taught me about a completely different cross to carry.

Jesus asked His Father if there was any way other than the Cross for Him to bring redemption to man. The answer was clear—He endured the Cross, with the joy of knowing that His sacrifice would lead to our eternal life for the payment of our sins.

Walking through chemo wards with an IV in my arm and a tower of chemotherapy changed the way I walked. It was not a secondary issue, making sure that while I was ministering the tower was attached and functioning properly. No, the weariness that I felt and the side effects were all planned to help me identify with the needs of those around me, the fellowship of suffering that built a bridge of Christ’s love to those battling cancer.

The cross that Christ is speaking of is a weight that will take all of your focus to balance and carry in His strength to advance the will and glory of God. It is not convenient or comfortable, but it costs us greatly. The disciples each gave their lives or were exiled, left their families, and laid down their professions to follow Jesus. His Church today has been given the same call—to take up our cross and deny self and follow Jesus.

What dream or vision has God given you that will require your full focus and attention to accomplish … and will cost you greatly? What hardship or illness has been entrusted to you? Whatever it may be, it is your cross to bear, to die to self and to advance His Kingdom. Don’t run from your cross, but rather, embrace it with joy for the eternal impact that is waiting through your life. Turn what the enemy has intended for evil into good. Use what appears to be the end, to be the end of self and the beginning of the Lordship of Christ and all that He has planned to give us … abundant and eternal life.

Chemo Church, Life Lessons 2

This past week, we returned to MD Anderson to do follow up scans from our seven weeks of chemo and radiation. Since leaving Houston, the Lord has opened many doors of opportunity for us to advance the work that God began there. There are three young men from the Third Ward who have been on my heart and in my prayers, as to how we could walk with them in ministry. A wonderful friend of the ministry, whose wife is a volunteer with the ministry, read our Blogs about Chemo Church and the Third Ward and asked to meet with me to discuss the ministry to the inner city of Houston. We met for over an hour and it was clear that an incident that happened in our community, where his wife’s purse was stolen at a community outreach had a great impact on him and awakened his heart to the ministry opportunity in Houston where he has been in business for years. Two brothers, who are involved in our children’s ministry, were able to convince the person who took the purse that it was wrong to steal, and returned the purse to his wife with nothing missing. Our volunteer was overwhelmed by the true spiritual change that is taking place in Bonton, where several years ago the purse would have been long gone. He said he would help fund the ministry in Houston and would use his influence with other business men of that city to be a part of what God had put on his heart for their city.

If we had not been obedient to go to Houston, despite the clear direction of our Doctors in Dallas and many well meaning friends, this work of God in the Third Ward would not have been birthed. The Board of H.I.S. BridgeBuilders voted unanimously to add Houston, Texas as our seventh city of focus for our ministry. The three young men from The Third Ward attended our City Summit (a gathering of staff from all our cities) and spent three days in my home while here. They said this was the first time in their lives they had ever traveled to another city for the Lord. Our staff and team ministers to inner cities across the country are still looking for that one young man that is going to be the change agent for the Lord, after 6 or 7 years of ministry, in several of our cities. It was after 13 years of ministry that Velma and I finally found Rodrick and Clifton here in Dallas. It is a miracle to meet three men who are committed to Christ and the Word of God. We are deeply humbled by the work of Good Hope Baptist Church and Pastor Cofield for their investment in these men’s lives. They have dreams and tremendous leadership abilities, but just needed someone to walk with them as they follow Christ. We are thrilled to be a part of their families in Christ and are expectant of all that the Lord has planned.

We are getting emails and calls from people across the country who want to be a part of Chemo Church in their own hometowns. We are working on how this will work and are praying about next steps. I spoke to a wonderful young lady in California who is going to begin Chemo Church in the Chemo Ward at her doctor’s office. She is already doing amazing ministry during this season of her great need. We are going to collect funds for Chemo Church through H.I.S. BridgeBuilders. These will be designated and distributed to our partners around the country who commit to pray for the patients and staff, show compassion, and give the gift of Christian resources and funding where needed to help with immediate needs. We are working on connecting these patients and staff to our counseling ministry, so that we can have continued contact with those in their season of great need. The Lord has taught me many things during this season and I am going to be doing another series of Blogs entitled Chemo Church…Life Lessons. I am prayerful that you will continue to join me on this journey as I share different stories of people around the country and their amazing faith.

Medically, I can share that last week as we prepared for this week, I was feeling very good and increased my weights during my workouts. I try to workout at least 5 times a week, focusing mainly on cardio and light weight training. My back became very sore and I was extremely uncomfortable as we drove to Houston for my niece’s high school graduation. By Sunday night the pain had intensified greatly and the enemy was using it like a fiery dart, to tell me the cancer had spread to my spine, and it was absolutely one of the darkest nights of my soul. I wept with my wife and said I couldn’t go on and that we just had to kneel by the bed and beg our Great God for Mercy. Clearly, in this moment of extreme weakness, I was strengthened only by the Lord. The next day was Monday and we determined to call, MD Anderson and try to move my scan to Monday instead of flying back on Thursday, as had been previously planned, because the Oncologist only sees patients on Friday. We called and asked to speak to our amazing Doctor, who is over the Proton Radiation center. We asked if the scheduler could get us in to see him on Tuesday and do our scan on Monday, following our meeting in the Third Ward. If any of you have dealt with a huge hospital like MD Anderson, you know it is not likely you can schedule these things around your mission trip to the Third Ward, and ask the Doctor to see you the day you need to see him. The scheduler politely informed us that it would be almost impossible to schedule and that our Proton Radiation Doctor does not see patients on Tuesday. I simply said please ask, and continued to pray for Mercy. About two hours later she called me and said, “you must believe in miracles, because the scan was scheduled for that afternoon and the Doctor would see me Tuesday morning, on the day he doesn’t see patients.” I bowed my head and remembered the verse, that God never gives us more than we can bear and that He gives Mercy to whom He chooses. We did our scan, but still had a great sense of doubt and spiritual attacks that day. That night, Mike Buster, our Executive Pastor and a true brother and Barnabas to my life, flew to Houston to go with us to the Doctor appointment. He knows me well, and asked how I was doing. I told him that Laura and I were both exhausted and holding on to Jesus. It was his presence that reminded me of each of you, who have been like the four friends who carried their friend to Jesus and broke through the roof, so that they could bring their fiend to Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, He healed the lame man. So often when you are in a fierce spiritual battle, it is the faith of friends and family that carries you to Jesus, and believes Him for the miracle you so desperately need. Too often we feel guilty when we are weak or worn out from the battle, but it is at that moment that Jesus and His Church are there to sustain you and carry you to the finish line. The next morning the lies were still flying from the enemy that the cancer had spread to my spine, and there was a great sense of darkness all around me. When we met with the Doctor, now 36 months after being told I had 8 to 18 months to live, he finally told me that everything looked great and there was NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER!!! I bow tonight on my knees before God and say Hallelujah, what a Savior!! In my weakness, when I decrease, Jesus increases! I want you to be encouraged to be needy, for there is a God who can meet your every need. Stop being anxious and get on your knees and simply cry out to God for Mercy!!! Thank you all so much for praying for me, my family, and the ministry of H.I.S. BridgeBuilders, which by the way was in great financial need this last Monday as well, and when we begged for Mercy, the Lord laid it on the heart of an amazing woman of faith to give us a gift of $25,000, because the Lord had been speaking to her the last several weeks in prayer!!

We will be posting Chemo Church…Life Lessons beginning next week. Please let me know how we may serve you or pray for you in your time of need. To God be the Glory for the great things He has Done!!!

Thank you for following me on this journey of faith. I would like for you to have the opportunity to follow the amazing ways God is moving. Please make sure to follow our ministry by visiting www.hisbridgebuilders.org to find out more about the work being done at H.I.S. BridgeBuilders.

This past week marked the end of our treatment at MD Anderson, I will return in six weeks for a CT Scan. We are humbled and amazed by God’s continued goodness and grace to us during this battle. There is no question that the Lord led us to Houston and this treatment for a totally different reason than we were expecting. Often in the Bible we see instances of ordinary people having an unexpected faith in a season of great need. For example, Gideon being called out by God in a season of great need for the nation of Israel and Esther being willing to risk her life for her people. In every instance, there are the casts of thousands who pray for, invest in, provide for and walk with each of these ordinary people to see an extraordinary work of God.

In this journey of cancer, I am living proof of the fervent prayers of the righteous that availeth much. Many in the Bible class I teach at Prestonwood committed to pray through the night for me. I asked them to pray specifically that the Lord would be glorified by my lack of side effects and that I would be able to minister while I was in Houston. My Doctor called me “the poster child for Proton Radiation and Chemotherapy”. He said that I sailed through the treatments and the technicians said they were all talking about my case, and how incredibly well I did. To that I say, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fire but they did not burn, so that all who saw them would know that their God, whose name is Jesus, was the Giver of this amazing gift of undeserved Mercy.

The money that has been given for my care, and more importantly for the funding of Chemo Church, proves not that I am more valuable than any other soul, but that God is our provider. The many who came and held up my arms in the midst of the battle were the very hands and feet of Christ. They motivated me to stay on mission and not sit and think about myself. The Lord has birthed in my heart a great understanding that I was fearful of many things as I began this journey. God showed me favor and filled me with faith through your prayers, provision, partnership and the Word of God. Many of you sent scriptures at just the right moment that were living water to my parched soul. Each of you spurred me on to do the work God has called me to, whether in the inner cities of the world, or in a Chemo ward with those battling cancer. The Lord sustained me with an unexpected faith because of your faithfulness and His goodness. Please know that each day I am growing more aware of my inability to do anything apart from Christ and the body of Christ. I am prayerful that you will continue to walk with me In this journey of faith called life.

During my second week of treatment, the waitress at a restaurant I go to, told me that she was engaged to a man from Finland and that she was a Christian, I was thrilled for her and gave her a book and a little extra money for her upcoming wedding. She then began to share how her fiancé was searching to know Jesus personally as she did. I asked her to bring him to me so that we could talk. During my last week of treatment, I met him at her restaurant. I had purchased a study Bible for him and placed it in his hands and described how their marriage had to be built on a sure foundation of faith. Shortly after this I had the joy of sharing the Gospel with my new friend who prayed to receive Christ as his Savior. Every two weeks while I was there a soul met Jesus, whether in the hospital, the third ward, or a restaurant. If there is no one you are specifically praying for, investing in, and preparing to share the gospel with then you will miss the joy of seeing souls saved who desperately need Jesus. God has reaffirmed His priority and purpose for His people during this season of Cancer. Can you imagine what would happen if every Christian had one name on their heart to pray for, invest in, and be prepared to share the Gospel with. Revival!

I want you to read an amazing testimony from dear friend, Richard Chamberlain, who is an amazing Chef and owner of two great restaurants here in Dallas. He is also helping Velma fulfill her dream to have a restaurant, “Velma’s Kitchen and Catering” in the inner city, in our community that God is transforming daily through H.I.S. BridgeBuilders.

“Dear Mike, I can’t tell you how inspired your chemo church has been to me and the people I have shared it with. So much so, that the lord led me to speak to a very close chef friend of mine who has prostate cancer. He received Christ on our way to do some fishing this past Sunday. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to you and to the Lord for this incredible blessing. If you are up to it and have time in the near future, I would love to get the three of us together so you can share more about what it means to be reborn. Thank You Brother, Richard.”

We had many amazing encounters in the Chemo ward as we said good bye for now. We are headed back in early June for my test and also to spend more time in the Third Ward. I ask all of you who have been our faith partners in this journey to partner with me in faith in three ways: (1) join our prayer ministry for H.I.S. BridgeBuilders and Chemo Church by sending your e-mail address to manderwald@hisbb.org. (2) I ask you to prayerfully consider funding the ongoing work of Chemo Church by donating through our website at www.hisbridgebuilders.org or sending a check to H.I.S. BridgeBuilders, 2075 W. Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75208 (3) I ask you to pray for the person or persons who are to continue the work in Houston in both the Chemo Ward, and H.I.S. BridgeBuilders.

I am sustained daily by your love and prayers and want you to see the following video. I pray it will encourage you to be blessed with unexpected faith because of your time in the Word daily, your prayers for others and your desire to bring God glory.

This week I had the joy of having my son Michael, his wife Caitlin, my son Daniel, and my parents with me. On Sunday at a mall in Dallas, Grace and her friends were approached by a woman who was so impressed by their godly behavior that she gave them $100 in cash. The girls decided to donate that gift to Chemo Church. Later, that day the girls saw the woman again and told her they had given the money to Chemo Church. She was so moved that she decided to give them an additional $200 towards the ministry.

After completing my radiation treatment on Monday, I was told that I didn’t need to take any more Chemotherapy and that I could go home after I met with my doctor. There was no way I was going home, after seeing firsthand the tremendous need of the patients in the Chemo Ward. When the Lord brings you through your storm, it is a joy to be a lighthouse for others and show them the way.

When we entered the main hospital we prayed in the lobby for divine appointments and for God to open the door for ministry. The first time I went through the ward no one looked at me, and the door to minister appeared to be closed. I knew our work was not done, so I went through the ward again and, immediately in front of me was a couple from Prestonwood Baptist Church, who are battling cancer. They mentioned how they were trying to find me, but just didn’t know how. We sat and experienced an amazing time of prayer, which changed the entire mood as they encouraged us in our Chemo Church ministry. They went to their car while we were ministering to other families, and brought us a very generous gift for Chemo Church.

Later that day I met a woman who was there with a relative and had recently surrendered her life to Christ. She was struggling with being abandoned by someone she loved, and I had the joy of telling her that our Lord Jesus Christ will never leave her or forsake her. She began to cry when I gave her a book of God’s Promises, that she pledged to read on this new journey with the Lord. We then went to the chemo ward and I walked in just like I was a patient. We brought snacks for the nurses and gave each of them a book for encouragement. One of the nurses told me, “this is fuel for our spirits, so that we can continue to serve our patients.” My last visit was with a lady who has been battling cancer for ten years. She saw us with all the nurses and wondered what the celebration was about. When I shared my story and asked if I could pray for her, she said absolutely. After praying, she looked at her husband and said, “he prayed that I would be restored.” She then shared that recently she had asked God for a word and when she opened her Bible, she placed her finger on a verse that read, “Job is Restored”. She began to cry when I told her the name of our church being planted in the inner city this fall is Restoration Community Church. The more I shared with her, the more the tears fell, as she believed the word that the Lord was telling her, that He is Able to restore her body for His Glory.

I wanted you to read a word from my son Michael as well as from my Mom.

Michael:

In the Chemo Ward this week I had the honor of speaking with a lady from Denver, Colorado, who is battling stage 4 cancer. She had just finished her treatments and was waiting on her daughter to pick her up from the hospital. I could tell she was discouraged as she sat there slumped in her chair, head facing the ground; I could see the look of desperation in her eyes.

As I sat down next to her and introduced myself she looked at me in shock. I’m sure she was wondering why I was sitting next to her. As the conversation progressed and I found out more about this lady, I was blown away at how empty and hopeless she felt. As a believer, it is easy to become accustomed to the peace and grace of God and forget that those without Christ are in such great need of His peace, love, and grace. What a great reminder and lesson this week has been that the world is hurting and in great need of a savior. Most importantly as a believer, it is my job to share the hope of the gospel with these people.

Sandra-Mike’s Mom:

I have always sympathized with Jacob as he sorrowed over his lost son, Joseph; however, I can now also rejoice with him in his son’s restoration. As Mike planned to go to MD Anderson, the LORD told me that He had a mission for Mike in Houston. MD Anderson was the “slavery/imprisonment” God was using to get Mike to the place of special mission. This week God was kind enough to give my faith sight. I saw amazing ministry to staff and patients at the hospital, but even more I was allowed to see the storehouses opened and the famine-stricken residents of the third ward given the God-gift food of hope as pastors, business men, ministry and resident leaders met to plan a new work in Houston. The LORD also gave me a view of His additional plans for Mike as a godly nurse at the Proton Therapy Center prayed over Mike a prophecy and an affirmation: ” Pastor Mike, you are in the right place; God is giving you many more years of additional service for Him.” Take courage the right place for you can be in a cancer treatment facility, it can be in an economic disaster, or even in the sorrow of a broken relationship. “What the enemy meant for evil God means for good.” Our God is an awesome God.

Mike-continues:

Thanks to the generous donations of so many to Chemo Church we were able to buy 30 all day passes to the Houston Aquarium for the children and their parents. The person I led to Christ at the hospital is going to continue to serve the children of Chemo Church when I go back to Dallas. We are praying fervently for the person or Church in Houston that will adopt this ministry as their own, to continue this work.

I cannot describe the joy it brought my heart to see my parents and my son go, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to so many in the cancer ward. There is a bond that cancer patients have that is much like a family. You are instantly placed in this band of brothers and sisters. This week as I walked with my biological family through MD Anderson and the Third Ward neighborhood, it was amazing to see these unique families all come together through the redemptive work of the Lord.

Our time in the third ward this week was beyond belief. The meeting has now grown from one to over 25 people gathering to pray, and ask God to completely restore this inner city community for His Glory. I had the joy to reconnect with a young man I mentored 18 years ago, Josh Allen, because his wife read this blog. He is now on staff of a great church in the Houston area. He actually interned for HISBB’s in Dallas and is very prayerful about how his church can be involved. The Lord opened the door for several amazing, kingdom minded business men to join us, as well as Pastor Cofield, the servant leaders of the community, and the guys from the streets whose lives have been transformed. I have watched as my parents, now in their 70′s, have taken in youth from the streets of San Antonio, and serve weekly in the inner city of San Antonio, and are in the process of taking back an entire block called HIS block for the Glory of God. It was a joy to see all of my children meet our new family here in the third ward. I stand in awe how God has already spoken to several of our friends in Dallas who are committed to the opportunity to serve in Houston and connect us to their friends here to help with this work. The community keeps saying “you being here is a direct answer to our prayers”!!

Cancer, Poverty, and Biological families are not something we choose to be born into, and yet in Christ when we choose to accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are set free from the hopelessness of poverty and cancer and born into the incredible family of God. It has been my joy to meet these new extensions of my family here in Houston. When Velma came into my life twenty years ago, living on welfare in the housing developments of Dallas, I had no idea how this woman of great faith would change the course of my life. She taught me how to pray and fast and gave me an incredible picture of a living faith. When her only child was killed in a drive by shooting I saw the body of Christ love her and wipe away her tears and daily the Lord sustained her. Through this great tragedy the Lord broke my heart for the least who are daily murdered and abandoned in our cities. We must protect the unborn but also the born who are being killed every day in our streets. Velma is my family and therefore whatever she is going through is my burden or my blessing.

These past weeks the Lord has added many new family members to my life whether they are in the cancer wards or in the Third Ward of Houston. What a tremendous joy it would be if we truly saw our brothers and sisters in Christ as our families. It is where the Acts church began and where the church in America needs to return. We have become too isolated and have compartmentalized church to a few hours a week. What would happen if every believer “had church” every day in every place with everyone we met? These past 6 weeks of living in a new city, removed from the comfort of my routine, has reawakened my heart to the pattern of living daily with a Missional mindset. I challenge you to daily build new relationships and have Gospel discussions with the ordinary people encounter. There is no doubt that as long as the Lord gives me breath in my body that I will pray and fast for the lives of precious families battling cancer and poverty.

We continue to be amazed at the sovereignty of our great God. Thank You, Lord for opening this great door of opportunity that would have never happened apart from this battle with cancer. My twin, Mel who serves as our City servant with my parents in San Antonio said that while he was reading the word about how the early churches were scattered through persecution, that he felt led to call me and share that this is exactly what the Lord was doing through our battle with cancer. With that in mind I truly do count it all joy for how the Lord is expanding His Kingdom through this amazing season!

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” 1 Pet. 4:19