December 20, 2006
 
 A Christmas Wish from New Orleans
 
 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest
 on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal
 Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of His government or of
 peace.”  ~Isa. 9:6-7a
 
      What a promise!  What a Savior!  What a Hope!  This year has been life altering,
 challenging, draining, inspiring and sobering in so many ways.  I’m still learning to lean
 into the Father … depend on the Holy Spirit … treasure the Son … and live to the hilt in
 every situation I believe to be the will of God.  I have seen the visible display of the
 hand of Jesus and observed the church really being the church.  I’ve been thrilled to see
 Trinity not only survive but take significant steps to being all we are called to be. 
 I’ve met some 6,000 volunteers from 36 states and 6 countries who are choice servants of
 God.  I’ve got a kindred spirit with pastors around the country from Bethel in North
 Dakota, to Forcey and Grace in Maryland, to the Bay Area Chinese Bible Church in
 California to Arlington Heights in Illinois, and all of the hundreds of others that are
 too numerous to mention.  I am a thankful man.
 
    Donna, Jonathan and I will arrive in Maryland to be with family and friends on December
 24.  On December 30 we will have a reunion with many Pennsylvania teams at Hershey
 Evangelical Free Church at 6:00 p.m., and I will be preaching at their three services on
 the 31st.  We will travel back to New Orleans on New Years Day.
 
    I am praying God’s best for all of you this Christmas.  May light with no darkness fall
 along your path.  May love without fear or bitterness be in your heart.  May truth without
 falsehood fill your mind.  May the presence of the spirit of God fill you with joy.  May
 Christ be kept strong in Christmas.  May the grace of God strengthen you all.
 
 Betting the Farm on God,
 
 Michael

December 10, 2006
 
 Praise, Prayer and Provision
 
 Praise:
 
 1.   At our Tuesday evening meeting a group reported leading a person to Christ and another
 man was so moved he is praying to see if God wants him to move here to be part of our
 Compassion staff.
 
 2.   Yesterday, Donna was working with a person in need.  Practically the woman needed
 washing machine detergent to take care of her family’s clothes.  Donna walked passed
 Trinity’s welcome center and there were 6 bottle of detergent that mysteriously appeared. 
 No one else knew the need.  God provided through somebody!  Was it you?
 
 3.   Churches have been quite creative in raising the needed funds.  The women’s ministry at
 Village Church of Barrington (Illinois) held an auction to benefit the “free store” at
 Trinity Church in Covington.  Businesses and individuals in the community donated items
 and joined in the bidding.  The church raised almost $20,000, which the free stored used
 to provide necessities at no cost to Katrina victims. 
 
 4.   Here was a letter that came in from a team member.  Scott Lundeen of Urban Impact
 dubbed these incredible servants “chronically cheerful”:
  
 “I have never worked so hard, been so tired, or felt so good about being tired.  I think
 the same is true for all 15 of us who traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild homes for
 people struggling to rebuild their lives…  Of our group, there were 3 police officers, a
 mail-lady, a concrete contractor, a chemist, one who gave dialysis, an art/advertiser, 2
 ministers, and some of us are retired.  All gave up their vacation time. Looking back, the
 most memorable part of the trip was being surrounded by chronically cheerful people. 
 Despite all the hard work, everyone had fun as they gave their time and effort to the
 Lord’s work.”
 
 5.   A church in Chicago just purchased new pews.  They wanted to give their old ones to us.
  We didn’t know of a need but told them to send them down.  This had to be a God-thing. 
 The pews arrived on a really big truck.  Someone from Hershey was in the city near the
 17th Street canal and discovered a church that needed them.
 
 6.   Jeff, a nine-year-old from Nebraska, sent us a donation of pennies, nickels, and dimes
 he saved up to help New Orleans.  Thank you, Jeff.
 
 Provision Requests:
 
 Mark Lewis, our Compassion director, put the following Christmas gift list together:
 Can your church help put Christmas under the tree all year long in Louisiana?  Consider
 these giving opportunities to help those who have gone so long with so little after
 Katrina:
 
 •   *$10 for a day’s worth of mask, goggles and gloves for one person doing gutting.
 •   *$50 for drywall joint compound to repair three rooms of a flood-damaged house.
 •   $100 for paint to prime-coat a flood-damaged house.
 •   $250 for a month’s worth of gas for one pickup truck.
 •   $500 for new electrical wiring in a flood-damaged house.
 •   $800 for a month’s worth of paper/plastic products and disposable supplies for volunteer
 teams.
 •   $1,000 for a month’s worth of supplies for the Free Store outreach, making daily needs
 available to those in Covington who are still getting back on their feet.
 •   $12,000 per home-to adopt a flood-damaged house, providing all the materials needed to
 repair it.
 •   $20,000 for under-supported, long-term staff who are making it all happen.
 •   $300,000 for long-term EFCA Crisis Response/Ministry Center building at Trinity
 Church-to be used for storage as well as a staging area for future disaster responses on
 the Gulf Coast.
 •   $4 million for an urban-ministry center for Urban Impact in New Orleans.
 
 I could add:
 
 •   Money for Mark Lewis to come up to full support.
 •   Money to pave our parking lot at Trinity for the first time.
 •   Money to continue our Katrina projects.
 
 Prayer Request
 
 1.   We are still looking for a children’s pastor.  Our search team has had four candidates
 make it to the level of bringing them to Trinity.  We continue to wait on the Lord’s “yes”
 for our ministry.  If you know of any contacts for us, please encourage them to send a
 resume to Trinity Church.  Pray we do not get weary in the process.  Many church leaders
 are telling us this is the hardest position to fill.
 
 2.   Pray for work teams.  We had almost a full house last week and will be almost to
 capacity again the week after Christmas, but many weeks at the beginning of next year are
 wide open.   Pray people will realize that much still needs to be done.  God’s hand is
 still at work.  Why not plan to travel to Louisiana this spring?  Create a team from your
 church, or join with other churches, and contact us to schedule a trip.  You’ll be part of
 changing lives and experiencing the church being the church.
 
 3.   Tyndale Publishing House is looking at my book today.  Potentially the book would be
 picked up with a wider distribution.  Pray.
 
 4.   Pray we have courage as a church to obey Jesus.  It is always easy to want to be safe,
 status quo; sanitized, inward looking and formulaic kinds of Christ followers who want to
 keep the problems of the community at a distance and share holders happy.  Pray for us to
 continue to take the higher road.
 
 “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and
 well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out,
 and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow – what a ride!’”  ~Peter Sage
 
 “There are people who prefer to say ‘Yes,’ and there are people who prefer to say ‘No.’ 
 Those who say ‘Yes’ are rewarded by the adventures they have, and those who say ‘No’ are
 rewarded by the safety they attain.”  ~Keith Johnstone
 
 “We are the first generations of man that actually expected to find happiness here on
 earth, and our search for it has caused such unhappiness.”  ~Peggy Noonan
 
 Betting the Farm on God,
 
 Michael Sprague

November 22, 2006

Thanksgiving in New Orleans

I have prayed for about thirty years now that during one season of my life I would get to
experience an Acts 2 time of revival.  One reads in scripture and in Church history about
these supernatural times, and the only conclusion is that these seasons cannot be
manufactured but come from the unique move of the Holy Spirit accomplishing divine
purposes.  Daily, it seems I am getting a glimpse of the hand of God.

I was in awe Sunday throughout our services.  The Sunday before Thanksgiving has become
our traditional all-church sharing service.  This year was electrifying.  The testimonies
gave glory to God for His supernatural interventions.  The “man from the woods” shared how
he was living in a tent until he came to Trinity three weeks prior.  Now he is part of a
family of believers.  Another man told how he got saved while camping in the woods.  Some
people read scripture.  Others recounted God delivering them from Katrina.  One man stood
on his foundation of faith even though his wife tragically died this past year.  A mom
told how her daughter got out of drugs and asked for prayer for a younger daughter who is
still tempted.  We continued to hear these types of stories all morning long.  We prayed,
praised and thanked God.  It does not get any better than this.

The hand of Jesus is visible through teams and at Trinity.

1.   A team member named Steve from Hershey, PA came to New Orleans with an interesting
assignment.  His 9-year-old granddaughter had packed a gift backpack with goodies for some
little girl in our community.  How would he ever find the right girl to give this to? 
Steve worked all day and at night was very tired.  Resting, he sat next to a visitor to
Trinity.  This lady happened to work at a school.  Steve asked, “Do you know of any
9-year-old girl who needs a special touch of a backpack?”  She thought of just the child. 
A little 9-year-old girl rode out Katrina with her family.  The water rose and rose and
into the attic they went.  They had to cut their way out through the roof and swim to a
boat.  Terrified, this little girl had not been the same since.  The girl was now a member
of our community, and in a new school.  She rarely said a word.  The backpack was perfect.
 The name of the girl who gave the gift was ... what do you think ... GRACE.

2.   God continues to give favor with the community.  One team from Yosemite, CA went into a
store in New Orleans.  The store clerk said, “What church are you with?”  “Trinity” was
the answer.  The clerk said, “Oh, that is a wonderful church.  It is doing so much.” 
Later they were in Wal-Mart on the Northshore and a clerk said, “Are you with Trinity?  We
know that church.”  Good rumors abound.

3.   The blessings of heaven are coming our way.  Many of you know about our lack of a sign
on Hwy. 190 identifying the church.  We have tried for 7 years to secure a sign, but to no
avail.  Repeatedly land owners, mayors, and highway administrators have rejected our
requests.  This month, Coles Rental World moved into a new facility on Hwy. 190 down the
street from our church, and gave us permission to put up a sign.  That same week the lady
at the end of 10th Street changed her mind and gave permission to put up a sign.  Seven
years – no sign – now maybe two signs?  Yea, God.

4.   The God of the re-supply is still at work.  On Monday an 18-wheeler pulled in and
restocked our free store with goods spilling into the hallways everywhere.  Poor people
line the halls from 1-4 pm daily to receive and then God re-supplies.  Yea, God.

5.   Someone made a set of church pews available to us.  What would we do with these?  God
knew.  We met a group of Christians who needed ... pews.  Wow!

6.   Last week I got an e-mail from a team member who found the experience here
“incredible”.  She was in “awe” (her words) of what God was doing.  She recounted her
experience and then wrote, “I have a question, however, as a baby Christian, I had not
heard the expression before of an Acts 2 church until you mentioned it, and I have read
about it in your book and on your website.  What is an ‘Acts 2’ church?  Are there any
books that specifically talk to this?”  I joyfully referred her to my favorite passage in
the Bible (Acts 2:42-47) that tells the story of an Acts 2 church.  PTL!

7.   To date we have seen 504 teams, 5,925 volunteers, and 230,596 man hours invested in
God’s work here!

Please pray that we would be like the Acts 2 church.  Our calling is not to be a safe,
comfortable, sanitized, inward looking, status quo, formulaic band of Christ-followers who
strive to keep members happy and keep the problems of the community at bay.  This is not
our dream.  It is to see the gates of Hell pushed back by the power of Jesus.  It is to
raise up fully devoted followers of Christ.  It includes risk-taking, faith, unshakable
devotion and a consuming focus on the voice of God.  It is to glorify our Father in
heaven.  A friend, Aimee Barrios, sent me this quote from the late Mike Yaconelli:
"I don’t see much terror today among followers of Christ.  I want to know what
happened to the bone-chilling, earth-shattering, gut-wrenching, knee-knocking,
heart-stopping, life-altering fear that leaves us speechless, paralyzed, helpless, and
glad.  The terror I am speaking of is a mix of wonder, awe, fear, and worship, all
happening at the same time.  I am beginning to wonder if we modern followers of Christ are
capable of being terrified of God… We have defanged the tiger of truth. We have tamed the
lion... The tragedy of modern faith is that we no longer are capable of being terrified…It
is time for Christianity to become a place of terror again; a place where God continually
has to tell us, "Fear not"; a place where our relationship with God is not a
simple belief or doctrine or theology, but the constant awareness of God’s terrifying
presence in our lives. The tame God of relevance needs to be replaced by the God whose
very presence shatters our egos into dust, burns our sin into ashes, and strips us naked
to reveal the real person within. The Church needs to become a gloriously dangerous place
where nothing is safe in God's presence except us. Nothing--including our plans, our
agendas, our priorities, our politics, our money, our security, our comfort, our
possessions, our needs… Our world is... longing to see people whose God is big and holy
and frightening and gentle and tender... and ours; a God whose love frightens us into His
strong and powerful arms where He longs to whisper those terrifying words, "I love
you."

Betting the farm on God,

Michael

November 9, 2006

Extravagant Generosity

“Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running
over; they will pour into your lap” (Luke 6:38).

“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1
Tim. 6:18).

“Sharing then with all, as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:45b).

“For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses
would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales; and lay them at the apostle’s feet;
and they would be distributed to each, as any had need” (Acts 4:34-35).

I have prayed for almost thirty years now for an Acts 2 experience in ministry – at least
for a season.  I am being blown away by the generosity of spirit among the people of God
that is unmistakably the heart of God is down-right contagious.

1.   People are giving in extravagant ways so ministry can happen, or so that people’s needs
are met.  Today, a person stopped me and said he was impacted by the cycle of blessing he
heard and observed.  He wanted to get in on the cycle, so he took some of his money and
took a group of God’s people out to lunch.  Someone else had some excess money and wanted
to find out how the Compassion staff could be supported.

2.   This week I saw generosity first-hand par excellence while speaking at Bethel Church in
Fargo, North Dakota.  I was washed in love and kindness from a church that has lavishly
supported us, prayed for us, and sent teams our way.  Pastor Doug Anderson has personally
made a huge investment in my life, and I am forever grateful for his wisdom,
encouragement, and prayer.  I was totally fired up after each service and found special
delight in seeing 300 college students on fire for the Lord.  I loved talking with two of
the young people who had come to Trinity to work.  These two were assigned to the same
work team during the day.  They continued to talk by night – all night.  They are now
engaged!  I tell you, this place is changing people’s lives.  The spirit of God is alive!

3.   Our teams are made up of choice people who exude a generosity of spirit.  Last week,
one team brought cases of Bibles.  A few team members would go out late at night to
fast-food places or Wal-Mart and ask the late night shift if they wanted copies.  Open
doors abounded!

4.   This week we saw the fruit of the efforts of a Wisconsin team.  Months ago, thousands
of plumbing supplies were donated to us.  The challenge was to get the supplies from
Wisconsin to Louisiana.  A Wisconsin team accepted the mission.  Through prayer, letters,
calls and persistence they discovered a trucking company that donated the drivers and the
trucks to deliver these supplies.  Everything was delivered everything this week.  Glory
to God!

5.   Did you know that Trinity has a mission team in the southwestern part of North Dakota
this week?  Mark Lewis discovered a farming region of this state that has suffered severe
drought for several years.  Their “Katrina” experience has been long, hard and
devastating.  Our Trinity team worked with several North Dakota churches to bring an
entire town together on Wednesday night for the purpose of prayer and encouragement.  They
took many gifts to extend the love of God to a people who need love and rain!

6.   My book just completed the third printing.  Amazing!  I had largely given up on the
book project at least for anytime in the near future.  God raised up Pam Reed to get my
writings published, funded, and promoted.  This is God!  All of the proceeds are being
poured back into the work here.  Pam is continually designing ways to get the word out. 
God has opened up doors on Moody radio.  We even have a potential door on Dateline NBC. 
If you need a book as a Christmas gift, copies can be purchased at the church office for a
donation of $15.00, or by writing to Trinity Church, P.O. Box 351, Prospect Heights, IL
60070 (add $5.00 to cover the cost of shipping and handling).

7.   Our free-store thrives on generosity.  From 1-4 pm each day, people line up down our
hallway.  Bags of groceries go out.  How do we get re-supplied?  It happens through a
spirit of generosity in God’s people.  Teams often bring groceries that were collected at
their church back home.  Many people who come through the free-store hear about the
Savior.

8.   The truth is:  you can’t out give God.  Praise the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Betting the farm on God,

Michael

PS – We still need a children’s pastor.  Any ideas out there?

October 30, 2006

Challenges in New Orleans

On Saturday, the first major survey of churches in our region was released.  The numbers
give us the big picture of recovery in the faith community.  As of July, more than half of
the 800 churches in New Orleans and Plaquemines Parish are still closed, and nearly
two-thirds of the churches in St. Bernard Parish are still closed.  Overall, in the metro
New Orleans area, about 60 percent of the churches have re-opened, though many are now
located in new, rented locations.  Here’s a sampling by denomination:


Baptist, 652 congregations, 47% not operating
Non-denominational, 102 congregations, 48% not operating
Catholic, 146 congregations, 23% not operating
Methodist, 63 congregations, 29% not operating
Church of God in Christ, 54 congregations, 74% not operating
A.M.E., 13  congregations, 46% not operating
Evangelical Free, 2 congregations, 0% not operating


Franklin Avenue Baptist Church is a good example of a well-known New Orleans Church. 
Their pre-Katrina congregation was 8,000.  Their post-Katrina congregation averages 1,
700.  Their building suffered $6-$7 million damage.  Flood waters were 8-10 feet high, and
the roof was damaged.  The pastor meets with the remnant of people still in the area
either at a church in New Orleans, or one in Baton Rouge.

In our St. Tammany Parish, 13% of the churches are closed, including 7 in Covington and 2
in Mandeville.

A couple of months back, the elders of Trinity Church conducted an evaluation of our
Compassion Ministry. This included prayer, a survey of the congregation, and dialogue. I
asked the elders to make another one year commitment and then re-evaluate at that time.
They, however, felt led to make an indefinite commitment to the work of Compassion. The
visible hand of Jesus is so strong that it is unmistakable. We are attempting to engage a
greater percentage of our people in the work. We are continuing to house and deploy about
100 people a day at Trinity Church and position 50 people a day to be deployed from Castle
Rock. That’s 150 people working a day!

Friends, I believe my greatest learnings from this whole venture may be yet to come. One
of the things the Spirit is pressing on my heart is to learn what the urban/suburban
church relationship should be. I have lots to learn; yet, I am eager. I strongly believe
that if we at Trinity merely clean up our backyards and our immediate community and forget
the needs of the poor, seniors, and the city, we will end up damaging ourselves.

The city of New Orleans is paralyzed in many ways. There has been so much destruction.
This is the hour for the church to be the church. If we honor Jesus in this, the impact
can be great. If New Orleans can be built on a foundation of Jesus Christ, with good
rumors about the church floating around everywhere, then it can happen anywhere! One of
the city planners in New Orleans was flying into Armstrong Airport and happened to sit
next to a team member. This leader was not a Christ-follower, yet knew of the efforts of
Trinity Church and exclaimed that no other church had made such a difference in the city.
It is not the words that I am after, but the realization that lives that we would never
have touched before are now our friends. 

In talking to Mark Lewis of Compassion Ministry, we have concluded that there is a
definite commitment of teams on the Northshore for at least one more year, and three years
in the city. Certainly the work of the city will go on for ten years.

Some people wonder whether it is worth it to rebuild the city.  Many shake their heads in
bewilderment, wondering which kind of government there is in New Orleans.  Some wonder why
everything is not fixed up.  Some think it is all fixed up and we have moved on.  Some
don’t care or some new challenge has overtaken this one.  I am not called to fix things,
and certainly don’t have all the answers to complicated questions.  My calling is to be
faithful to the calling of Jesus.  People are being changed one heart at a time.  If you
do that long enough, a community can be impacted.  My goal is to keep my hand to the plow.
 These are the greatest of days to be alive.

Pray:

1.   Friday, I will travel to Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Fargo, North Dakota and have
a wonderful open door of ministry with my friend, Doug Anderson.  Pray for me as I speak
to pastors, college students, their Katrina ministry team, and to the congregation.

2.   Pray for us at Trinity as we still search for a children’s pastor.  The process is soon
to hit the one-year point.

3.   Pray for us as we need wisdom and provision to sustain and balance the ministry of
Trinity and teams.  This is a huge undertaking and we thank God for the privilege of
service.

4.   Pray for us as we try to provide and pay for the infra-structure of ministry - new
building, new parking lot, new Compassion building, sewage system needs and renovations.

5.   Thanks for all the interest in my book Stories from Katrinaland.  Books are available
at Trinity for a $15 donation, or $20 when ordered from:  Trinity Church, P. O. Box 351,
Prospect Heights, IL  60070.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

October 14, 2006

Do You Need a Miracle?

Last Thursday a fellow Christ-follower stopped by the house and said, “Michael, I have a
birthday gift for you.”  I was presented with a carnation and a “Happy Birthday.”  My
friend continued, “Michael, four years ago you preached on God being a miracle working
God.”  I vaguely remembered that at the end of a Sunday service I invited the congregation
to come up front to pick up one of the carnations which had been placed on a set of
tables.  The carnation was to be put in a prominent location as a reminder to pray for a
miracle by a miracle-working God.  I had said, “When you get your miracle, return your
carnation to me.”  At this point, I was now very curious.

The story … “Michael, I put the carnation on a mirror and have prayed daily for four years
because I needed a miracle.  My daughter was not walking with the Lord.  I especially
didn’t like her friends.  I’ve prayed for four years.  My daughter started walking with
the Lord and wants to join a Bible church.  She still has those old friends, but she is
talking to them about the Lord.  I got my miracle and here is your carnation.  I don’t
need it anymore.  Happy Birthday!”

More story … “Michael, I have another birthday gift for you.”  She presented a second
carnation to me.  “Even though you said to take one carnation, I took two.  I needed two
miracles.  My son wasn’t walking with the Lord, either.  I prayed for four years for my
son.  He is now growing in the Lord, joined a church, and will be baptized on Sunday. 
Happy Birthday!”

What a great birthday gift.  There is nothing better than rejoicing in a changed life. 
It’s true - He is able to do superabundantly beyond all we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20). 
Do you need a miracle?  Let’s pray for each other.  We certainly need one in New Orleans.

Pray:

1.   Pray for a spiritual revolution and revival in the New Orleans region.  Nothing is as
important as people being introduced to Jesus Christ and then being discipled.

2.   Pray for our endurance in the ministry.  Groups have resumed and church ministry is
flourishing.  It is an exciting time.  300 came to our church dinner on Wednesday night
and then attended Awana or one of our Wednesday evening Bible studies.  Twenty-some were
baptized Sunday.

3.   Pray for my leadership in setting priorities, vision, building staff, shepherding,
caring for my family, and loving Christ.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

October 6, 2006

Redwood or Squash

A while back I remember feeling like I was losing strength.  In fact, I felt a little beat
up and overwhelmed.  Maybe you can relate.  God provided a gift after a speaking
assignment.  My first day off yielded a walk in a redwood forest.  Some of these redwoods
were 2500 years old … meaning some were around when Jesus walked on the earth.  The size
was incredible.  It was the kind of upward gaze that leaves you with a crick in your neck.
 Redwoods can grow to 360 feet tall and some are 16-18 feet in diameter.  Together, these
fabulous creations created a canopy that resulted in a cathedral feel in the forest.  In
this church, there was a vibrancy of flora, sunrays, fog rising up, birds whistling,
squirrels playing, yet a stillness that compelled attention to the voice of God.

What would God speak to me, I wondered.  I reveled in the tenacity of a tree that could
survive 25 centuries.  I admired the thick bark that created an almost fire-proof shell. 
My initial reaction was that it seemed nothing could hurt a redwood!

How wrong I was!  The end of my journey in “redwood land” concluded with a downed redwood
with its inner rings exposed.  This tree was illustrative of every tree in the forest. 
Some rings showed years of great growth.  Others revealed years of drought.  There was a
spot that revealed an almost devastating fire and another spot that revealed a lightning
strike.  The tree revealed the ups and downs of life.

How true in our lives.  If one could look inside at the rings of our lives much would be
revealed.  Our stories may include tragedy, hardship, suffering, loss, grief and sadness. 
The rings may likewise show times of growth, prosperity, gladness and fruitfulness.  It is
interesting how often suffering is the instrument God uses to prompt a growth spurt.

God is at work growing us up.  It’s hard to speed up the process if our goal is His goal. 
If you want to take a shortcut – just remember, He can grow a squash in 6 months.  It
takes a long time to grow a redwood.  Your choice – redwood or squash.
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  ~~James 1:2-4
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have
been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious
than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in
praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  ~~I Peter 1:6-7
Praise God for the hammer, the file, and the furnace!  ~~Rutherford                       
                            

It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply. ~~A. W.
Tozer


“But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”  ~~
Job 23:10

When God wants to do an impossible thing, He takes an impossible man and crushes him. 
~~Alan Redpath

“I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all
your alloy.”  ~~ Isaiah 1:25

Life on earth would not be worth much if every source of irritation were removed.  Yet
most of us rebel against the things that irritate us, and count as heavy loss what ought
to be rich gain.  We are told that the oyster is wiser; that when an irritating object,
like a bit of sand, gets under the “mantle” of his shell, he simply covers it with the
most precious part of his being and makes of it a pearl.  The irritation that it was
causing is stopped by encrusting it with the pearly formation.  A true pearl is therefore
simply a victory over irritation.  Every irritation that gets into our lives today is an
opportunity for pearl culture.  The more irritations the devil flings at us, the more
pearls we may have.  We need only to welcome them and cover them completely with love,
that most precious part of us, and the irritation will be smothered out as the pearl comes
into being.  What a store of pearls we may have, if we will!  ~~Dick Seume

A young minister once asked an older man of God to pray that he might have more patience,
as he realized this was his great lack.  The aged man knelt and began to pray that God
would send trouble and difficulties upon the youth.  Finally the younger brother tapped
the older minister upon the shoulder, and whispered: “You must have misunderstood me; I
asked that you would pray that I might have more patience, not more trouble.”  The answer
was:  “Remember, the scripture says: ‘Tribulation worketh patience’ (Rom. 5:13).  That is
the only way!”

Stories:

1.   Our follow-up ministries are finally kicking in.  Many people who are helped through
our teams are now visiting and attending Trinity.  Sunday night, Wanda was baptized. 
Donna and Jonathan were part of a team that gutted her home.  Frannie, our associate cook,
has come to know Jesus and was baptized as well.  20-something people told stories in the
waters of baptism of how they met Christ.

2.   Teams are coming again after a 3 week absence.  It is amazing the sacrifice of so many
to be here.  One young woman told about the extreme jobs she took on to pay her way. 
Amazing!

3.   New Orleans is hurting in many ways.  30% of the city was in poverty pre-Katrina. 
1,836 were killed in the storm.  Half of New Orleans is still gone.  The Saints are back
(3 and 1, not bad!).

4.   We are far from full on our calendar.  There are lots of spots open for your team to
join us.  There is so much to do.

5.   We still need a children’s pastor.  A great opportunity for the right person.  Our new
building just opened up and is awaiting a leader.

Betting The Farm On God,

Michael

September 20, 2006

Michael Sprague’s Book Published

God continues to amaze me.  He is able to do superabundantly beyond all we can ask or
think.  This certainly is true with the published of my book, Stories from Katrinaland.

Actually, I signed a contract with a company many months ago to write a book.  I was
assigned a ghost-writer to help, and the company had a rigorous deadline schedule.  In
their practical marketing analysis, the book had to get out as quick after Katrina as
possible.  My goals were quite different.  First, I wanted to tell the stories of the
visible hand of Jesus in our community so He would be glorified.  Second, I wanted people
to realize that Jesus and His Body, the Church, are the hope of the world.  Truly, there
is nothing like the church when the church is operating well.  The church can do what the
government, FEMA, or educational organizations can’t do in the midst of a crisis.  Third,
I wanted to give my attention to pastoring.  Writing a book was way down on my list of
priorities.  The people of Trinity Church and our community were my top priority as a
pastor.  Amicably, the book company and I parted ways as we had different priorities and
time tables.  The canceling of the book contract was, in many ways, a relief.  It was
freeing to not have the pressure and/or distraction from pastoring.

God, however, had a different plan.  He moved the heart of a writer/editor named Pam Reed
who serves the Lord at Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church near Chicago, Illinois. 
Pam and her church followed closely the work at Trinity.  She was moved by the Holy Spirit
to take the letters I had written and compile them into a book, complete with pictures and
a Navigator gospel illustration.  A real book!  Who would have thought!  Many thanks to
Pam.  In addition, Pam provided the funding for the first printing and is handling the
distribution.  Am I blessed, or what?  Anyway, I don’t know if anyone will want a copy,
but this press release has the information on how to get a copy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Special to Christian NewsWire

The real story of relief efforts along the Gulf Coast in response to Hurricane Katrina has
not made the headlines, but it has been faithfully recorded by a local pastor on his
website. Now Michael Sprague’s open letters chronicling the relief efforts headquartered
at Trinity Church in Covington, Louisiana, where Sprague serves as senior pastor, have
been published in printed form in the new 153-page book Stories from Katrinaland: God

Responds to Disaster in New Orleans.

The church’s own compassionate service to the community has been augmented
by the work of more than 5,000 volunteers from 36 states and six countries, to date,
through the coordination efforts of the Evangelical Free Church of America, which
established Trinity as its regional response hub early last September.

Sprague’s letters tell stories brought back by volunteer teams who camp out at the
church and spread out to various areas of the Northshore as well as in the City of New
Orleans, working in the city with Urban Impact and Castle Rock ministries. While
clearing brush and cleaning out houses, the teams have ministered to the spirit of people
who have lost everything, by worldly standards, and have brought the gospel alive by
showing the love of Christ in deed as well as word.

The church converts its worship center each week into both a campground for
volunteers and a “free store,” offering bottled water, ice, food, and a variety of other
necessities with the help of donations from across the country. The congregation also
operated a free daycare center to ease the burden of local business people in the weeks
immediately following the devastating storm.

The soft-cover book published by Mall Publishing, Highland Park, Illinois, is
available for a suggested donation of $15, plus $5 shipping/handling. Mail checks/money
orders to Trinity Church, P.O. Box 351, Prospect Heights  IL  60070-0351. All proceeds
will be used to support the continuing compassion ministries underway at Trinity Church. 

Pam Reed, editor, 847.373.7375 (Arlington Heights, Illinois)


Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

August 30, 2006

A One Year Reflection

Yesterday, August 29th, was the one year anniversary of Katrina.  I got the
aerial perspective of New Orleans as I happened to be flying into Louis
Armstrong International Airport.  I saw lingering “blue” tarped roofs and
thousands of FEMA trailers.  When I finally got out of the airport, I looked
right above my head as Air Force One flew directly above me as it was preparing
to land.  It’s nice to know the President cares about us.  The USA Today
newspaper in my hand revealed:

•    “In New Orleans … A year after Katrina struck, just 29% of public
schools are open, and only 17% of city buses and streetcars are operational.  A
mere 23% of childcare centers and 50% of hospitals are open, the Brookings
Institution reported earlier this month.
•    “In Iraq … Over the past two years, U.S. forces have renovated 11 of 20
hospitals, built 834 out of a projected 847 schools and increased power
generation to 1.3 million of a targeted 1.7 million homes, according to the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
“Of course, the work in war-torn Iraq has gone on longer than the rebuilding of
New Orleans.  But it also has happened in the midst of a civil war that has
taken the lives of an estimated 10,000 Iraqis in the past four months.  Even a
simple task in Iraq often becomes a life-threatening adventure.
“Yet back in New Orleans, the recovery has been painfully slow, as Irvin and
others can attest to.  Even after steady doses of criticism directed at all
levels of government, large parts of the city still resemble a war zone.”  (USA
Today, August 29, 2006, 13A).

Another article,

“The first major attempt to probe survivors’ mental status found that about 15%
of residents of the counties and parishes struck by the storm, or 20,000 people,
have depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of
mental illness, twice as many as before.
“About 11% now have severe mental illness, compared with 6% before the
hurricane.  Nearly 20% said they had mild to moderate mental illness, compared
with under 10% before.
“Yet fewer people reported they were considering suicide than before the storm. 
The finding didn’t entirely surprise researchers, who say people can be
remarkably resilient when they have to be.
“’Suicide rates always go down in times of war … People pull together,’ says
Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School, who led the study published online by
the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
“The finding seems to conflict with reports that New Orleans’ suicide rate
tripled.  But in an event such as Katrina, the vast majority of those who may
have contemplated suicide may be less likely to act on it because they realize
they are part of something bigger.  Conversely, those with suicidal thoughts who
don’t have others with whom to share the disaster experience may be more
inclined to kill themselves.  So the findings are not inherently inconsistent,
Kessler says.”

“Among other findings:
•    Almost half of people who didn’t evacuate said they wanted to leave,
but couldn’t get away.
•    Seven percent had to be rescued, had a brush with death, or were
assaulted.
•    Almost 90% said their experiences helped them develop a deeper sense of
meaning in life.  More than 75% said they had become more spiritual or
religious.”  (USA Today, August 29, 2006).

There are pockets of hope and pockets of sadness for sure.  One year out I’ve
learned to lean into hope and bet the farm on God.  In the midst of the
devastation, the visible hand of Jesus continues to be unmistakable.  Two more
stories:

1.   Sunday, I got to speak to Grace Community Church in Fulton, Maryland and
observed their special Katrina Sunday.  From start to finish they recounted the
deeds of the Lord related to their teams and Katrina through testimony,
multimedia and song.  At the end of the service they committed to send team each
month to New Orleans for the next year.  76 people signed up for teams in one
day and 19 more had to confirm which date they could commit.   Later in the day,
Stephen and Beth Shields, Grace’s Katrina coordinators, had many e-mails from
people interested in joining a team.  Wow!

2.   His name was David.  I met him at church last week after sharing our story
of  Katrina.  There was no way he was going to show up at church.  He’d only
been to church three times and the fourth wasn’t likely.  His girlfriend aborted
their child the night before, to his horror.  The relationship ended, not that
it was spectacular to begin with.  The pain was excruciating and almost
debilitating. 

Yet something moved David to go to church.  The Holy Spirit, I presume.  “The
Comforter” often does His best work at times like this.  The salve of the Spirit
was applied to the nicks, scars and the open contusions of David’s inner man
through the stories of God in Katrina-land.  There is nothing like hope when you
have none.  There is nothing like the knowledge God can bring good from bad,
life from death and beauty from ashes. 

David wondered, “Why do I look for life in other people and things?  I guess I
need to find my life in Jesus and let Him take care of these other things.”  He
left saying, “I need to bet the farm on God.”

There is hope for New Orleans because Jesus is here.  It is so vital to have the
view from above.  Leith Anderson in his book, When God Says No, says:

“In 1994, television networks featured the fiftieth anniversary of the allied
invasion of Normandy, called D-Day.  They rebroadcast actual film footage and
commentary from decisive battle.  The advantage of a fiftieth anniversary is
that viewers know who won; the original films, radio tapes and commentaries
could only report current events and future hopes.

“Part of the anniversary celebration was a reenactment by former soldiers who
took part in the invasion.  The celebrations were likely the last public
expressions of memories for men now in their seventies and eighties.  Some wore
their half-century-old uniforms.  Others parachuted out of vintage aircraft to
relive old moments of fear, courage and glory.

“One telecast ran two interviews.  The first was with a soldier who fought the
battle on the ground.  ‘I was convinced there was no way we could possibly win,’
he reported.  The other interview was with a pilot, who saw a much wider view of
the conflict.  ‘I was convinced,’ he said, ‘there was no way we could possibly
lose.’” (When God Says No, pp. 56-57).

When we radio to God, “there’s no way we can possibly win,” God radio’s back,
“there is no way we can possibly lose.”

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

August 25, 2006

NOTE: I will be speaking this Sunday, August 27th, at Grace Community
Church in Fulton, Maryland (1/2 mile from Route 29 on Route 216W at 9:
15 am and 11:15 a.m.; and at Forcey Memorial Church, one block off of
Route 29 at 2130 E. Randolph Road, Silver Spring at 6:00 p.m.

The Power of God Unto Salvation

Last Sunday I illustrated the gospel message from an encounter I once
had with a group that wasn’t necessarily going to be friendly to my
topic of “Jesus Christ and the Bible”. Indeed, in the room there were
people with leanings toward many world views and religious
backgrounds. They would have little understanding of “Why the human
condition was so desperate” and “Why a savior was so necessary.”
Without understanding their need, they would probably be rather
uninterested in a solution.

I decided to engage them in a thought provoking exercise. I asked them
to think about this question, “Outside of biblical figures, who were
the worst and best persons who had ever lived?” The worst person was
easy for the group. Who do you think they said? … Hitler. It was
unanimous. The best person question created quite a discussion.
Someone yelled, “Ghandi”. Others immediately chimed in with “Martin
Luther King”, “Mother Theresa” and “Billy Graham”. One person even
said, “My mother”. I said they needed to narrow it down to one
person. After a long discussion they settled on … guess … Ghandi.

I said, “Let’s set up a goodness scale 1 to 10. Hitler is a “1” and
Ghandi is a “9”. They agreed that none of their candidates for best
person was perfect. Next, I asked the group to put themselves on the
Goodness Scale based on how they’ve lived their life. I encouraged
them not be too hard on themselves. No one would be down with Hitler
but probably none of us would be up there with Ghandi, Mother Theresa
or Billy Graham either. How good are you, I asked. What’s your
number? It was fascinating. There were 4’s and 5’s. Some 6’s and 7’
s. One guy said, “I’m a 7.5.” He was the best guy in the room, at
least by his self analysis. I had one more question for the group. “
Where does God draw the line when He decides who goes to heaven and who
goes to hell?” There was silence in the room. They were thinking
now. They were contemplative and all ears. Secretly, they were hoping
I would say a number just under their self analysis number. They
longed now for a God who would grade on the curve. I held back a
little and let the significance of the question sink in. Finally, I
gave the answer. The Bible says for a person to merit heaven … to
merit a personal relationship with God … to have earned eternal life, a
person has to be … a perfect 10. This brought a gasp from the room.
Instantly, the question arose as who can be saved? Is there any hope?
Bingo!

In understanding the bad news, they were ready for the good news. What
we could never do for ourselves, God made possible through Jesus
Christ. His Son died on a cross for our sins so that, through faith in
Jesus, we could stand before a holy God, not on our merits, but on the
merits of His Son, Jesus. By placing faith in Christ, our sins would
be forgiven and we would receive spiritual life and eternal life.
Think of it – a personal relationship and peace with God comes through
faith in Christ, not by our works or religion. Jesus said, “I am the
way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through
me.” (John 14:6)

At this meeting, many trusted Christ. The same thing happened Sunday
when I shared this story at Trinity. If you haven’t trusted Christ and
are still relying on your own good works and righteousness, I urge you
to abandon the performance plan and trade it in for the Jesus plan.
The works salvation plan is sinking sand. The grace plan is God’s
offer to you. Listen to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, He
sent His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not
perish but have eternal life.”

Betting the farm on God,

Michael

P.S. Another woman who was at Trinity Sunday came into the church this
week and accepted Christ. Praise the Lord! She went from room to room
throughout the entire building telling people what had just happened.
Sounds like the woman at the well, doesn't it? She was at church on
Wednesday night and had to tell everyone there. 

August 21, 2006

Katrina:  One Year Later

Some interesting statistics about Katrina victims came out today in a USA Today
poll (August 21, 2006):
• 16% - say that their lives are back to normal one year later
• 56% - say their kids under 18 have been negatively affected by the storm
• 25% - have not moved back
• 20% - have moved back but believe they may need to move out again
• 14% - are currently unemployed
• "those who say they are experiencing a great deal or quite a bit of …”
o anxiety - 27%
o trouble sleeping - 26%
o depression - 23%
o "difficulties in marriage or other family relationships" - 18%

• Top 5 Most Difficult Things to Deal with Since Katrina:
1. damaged property
2. financial problems
3. mental or emotional sate
4. "getting our lives back on track"
5. "no longer having a job"

• Top 5 Types of Help Most Desired to Recover from Katrina
1. $
2. help with damage or contractors
3. more FEMA help
4. "a place to stay"
5. a job

Our own stats here at Trinity look like the following:
• # of volunteers:  5,458
• Volunteer work hours:  206,350
But statistics can’t really tell the story.  The real story is being written in
my own heart and hundreds of others in the custom designed ways of Jesus. 
Here’s one example of a life marked by Jesus recently: 
“I have to confess that I really didn’t want to go on this trip.  I only went
because my husband, Bob, wanted me to go.  I had no expectations about the trip,
no plans of reaching out to anyone or being moved by what I saw, but what I
experienced, changed my life.  I will never forget the gratitude of the people
we met.  Everywhere we went they would go out of their way to come and thank us.
 I was overwhelmed by the devastation and how widespread it was.  I was shocked
by the FEMA trailer stories that so many people wanted to share with us.  But I
was truly blessed on Super Friday.
“I am not a compassionate person; I keep to myself and try not to get involved
with other people’s problems.  What I experienced on Super Friday changed that. 
I saw a 3-year-old girl helping to haul out her family’s personal belongings to
the curb.  I met Jarrod, a young black man with dreadlocks down to his waist,
and I confess that if I had run into him anywhere else, I probably would have
crossed the street to avoid him.  He was working by himself, gutting his home on
the street we were cleaning.  I went right up to him and we talked.  He didn’t
know he could get help from your organization so I gave him some phone numbers. 
I called over a couple more team members and we gave Jarrod a Bible and prayed
with him.  He was so grateful.  Every time I think of him I weep.  I seem to be
doing a lot of that lately!
“I believe God is working in me to change my heart and my attitude.  I hated to
leave Covington and I pray that God will make it possible for us to return soon
and stay longer.  As much as we desire to be with you, helping in New Orleans,
we feel that maybe we aren’t ready yet.  We are praying that God will prepare us
to do His work now that He has opened our eyes to the need.
“I just wanted to share a little of our week, there was so much more . . . thank
you for allowing me to share this and to serve.  No, thank you!”
These God stories are being written day-by-day.  They do not stop.  This morning
I met a woman whose home in Abita Springs was gutted by one of our teams. 
Actually, my wife and son were part of the team.  This lady has had a personal
encounter with Jesus Christ and is now attending Trinity with a friend.  Her
life, though difficult at times, now includes the Lord and a church family.  The
visible presence of Jesus is operating here, building us.  This building is not
always in the way we envisioned it, but it is for our best.  C. S. Lewis put it
this way in Mere Christianity:
“I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald.  Imagine
yourself as a living house.  God comes in to rebuild that house.  At first,
perhaps, you can understand what He is doing.  He is getting the drains right
and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on:  you knew that those jobs needed
doing and so you are not surprised.  But presently He starts knocking the house
about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.  What on
earth is He up to?  The explanation is that He is building quite a different
house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an
extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.  You thought you were
going to be made into a decent little cottage:  but He is building a palace.  He
intends to come and live in it Himself.”
A few items of information to close:

1. Katrina Sunday is this Sunday.  August 29th will mark the 1-year anniversary
of Hurricane Katrina.  Hundreds of churches across the country will reflect on
God’s faithfulness.  A DVD has been produced to promote the ongoing, urgent need
for teams, financial support and prayer.

2. As the fall approaches we have many openings for teams to help us rebuild the
broken community in Louisiana.  Would you pray we get filled up once again in
the fall?

3. A wonderful servant from Arlington Heights Evangelical Church has edited my
letters and done the work of turning them into a book to be published any day
now.  Wow!  I never expected that in the midst of my schedule.  I am thankful. 
More information to come.  I’ll have some copies soon, and it will be available
through Amazon.com.

4. Jonathan is back at Baylor University starting school today.  I drove a cargo
van to Texas to get his bedroom furniture into a four-bedroom duplex that six
boys will share.  Pray for him if you get a chance.  Pray for Donna, too!  She
was a little weepy in leaving her boy once again.  I told her, “Now she will
have more of me!!”  That didn’t seem to help.  We are back in the empty nest
again wondering what adventures are in store for us this year.

Betting the farm on God,

Michael

July 24, 2006

Incredible Teams:  God’s Choice Players

My apologies again for not writing much lately.  I am just trying to keep up. 
This week, a pastor was trying to call me and located my number in a directory. 
Unbeknownst to me, two of the digits of the phone number had been transposed. 
When he called and asked for me, he discovered the number was to a psychiatric
ward.  He told the nurse “sorry” but commented that I probably felt like I
needed to be there at times.  Pray for strength, wisdom, endurance and rest.

Having just had our 5,000th volunteer has caused me to be filled with incredible
gratitude.  5,000!  That’s God at work!  5,000 choice, wonderful servants.  The
stories are endless ... Acts 29.  Let me convey a few stories that I recall from
the last few days:

1. A woman named Janice, who was unemployed, wondered, “Should I go?”  She was
so nervous about New Orleans.  The night before the team was leaving, God seemed
to say, “You need to go and help those people.”  After ministering, she said,
“Now it has changed my life!”  In fact, Janice took her first steps to quit
smoking this week.  We rejoiced with her.

2. Two team members trusted Christ last week.  Glory to God.

3. One man commented this morning that he had never seen a building being used
so much for God.  We really are the church of the stained carpet.  In fact, he
made an interesting request.  He asked that when we eventually replace the
carpet, he would like a piece of the stained carpet to place in his trophy case.
 A trophy of Grace!

4. A New York team has pow-wowed for some time now to impact their community. 
During their week here, they experienced the open doors that come from “serving
evangelism.”  While working at a house, they talked to homeowners, mailman,
mother, uncle, the niece, and others.  Servanthood opened the door.  They worked
with people and become part of them.

5. One woman talked to God about ministry and helping our community.  She felt
God said, “No, if I wanted New Orleans fixed, I could fix it.  If I didn’t want
this to happen, it wouldn’t have happened.  You are not doing this for Me, I’m
doing this for you.”  Teams continue to talk about God’s transformation of
teams.

6. A Nebraska team told about their church receiving a significant trust five
years ago.  They struggled on what to do with the money.  Finally, they decided
to put it into people and chose to put the money into sending teams to New
Orleans.  Their challenge has been to practice 1 John 3:18, “Little children,
let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”  Thank you
God.

7. One team has found itself almost daily getting food and other things from
Wal-Mart.  They have an interesting approach to reaching out.  They bring a
Bible with them into Wal-Mart.  While waiting in the check-out line, one of the
team members discovers the name of the cashier and uses the wait time to write
the person’s name and a note in the front of the Bible.  When it is check-out
time, they place the Bible on the conveyer belt along with the rest of their
goods.  The cashier tries to scan the Bible a couple of times, and then asks,
“Is this your personal Bible?”  The answer is “No, it’s yours.”  The team member
then presents the Bible to the cashier, and shows them their name in the front. 
Every Bible has been received with delight and astonishment.

I’ll stop here.  More stories to come.  If you didn’t read my July 21st letter
about the Katrina Project and the need to schedule teams, please check your
e-mail or read the letter at www.trinitychurchonline.net.

Betting the Farm on God,
Michael

P.S. I’ve got an egg-sized knot on my ankle from rolling my foot while playing
basketball.  I guess I’ll have to slow down now! 

July 21, 2006

Important Updates from Trinity Church

This has been my longest stretch between writings.  Sorry.  Between on-boarding
staff, opening a new building, running teams, and planning for our fall launch
of ministry, it has been some run.  There are two huge areas I want to alert you
to for prayer and participation.

#1 - Katrina Project
Everyone on our team is rallying around the Katrina Project.  The Katrina
Project will center around calling churches throughout the country to set aside
time in their services on August 27th, the one year anniversary of Katrina, to
remember, pray and take up a special collection to rebuild New Orleans both
spiritually and physically.  A special 5-minute DVD is being filmed next week
for churches to utilize.  This DVD will go out automatically to all EFCA
churches.  If you would like a copy to show in your church (non-EFCA churches),
please e-mail me your address or your church’s address and we will get one out
to you.  Please, please help us by asking your pastor or missions committee if
they can dedicate a few minutes on August 27th for prayer, DVD and a special
offering.  Let me know if you can serve as a point person in your church to help
with the Katrina Project.  Thank you.  Springing out of this Katrina Project
will be great intentionality also in envisioning and training teams that come
our way in the coming days.  Materials are being prepared to make for a
life-changing week that will impact and serve your home church and create a
kingdom worldview.

#2 - Need for Teams
We have now scheduled 5,000 volunteers.  PTL.  The need is still great.  We have
been 120 strong at Trinity the last few weeks, and Castle Rock is full. 
However, Mark Lewis tells me that no teams are scheduled for August
20th-September 16th.  I know this is a tough time with school resuming and
summer finishing.  Is there any way you can help.  If so, please call Mark in
the Compassion Office at 985-893-0218.

Thank you for not forgetting us.  I’ll get some new stories out in the next
couple of days.  It continues to be amazing what Jesus is doing.

Betting the Farm on God,
Michael

June 21, 2006

Basketball/Katrina/Michael/Glory to God

Many of you know that my favorite sport is basketball.  I'm cheering for Shaq
and the Heat this week in the NBA finals, but have already experienced the
thrill of the game myself.  Jesus is visibly at work on the northshore of New
Orleans as well as the basketball court.  For several years now I have been on a
basketball team that takes the sport seriously - sometimes too seriously.  I
play with some great guys from the community, but our team is notorious in the
league.  We lead the league in technical fouls.  One time one of our guys wanted
to beat an opponent up in the parking lot after the game.  The guy he wanted to
punch out was a guy in my church.  I walked out to the car with the guy to help
protect him.  Another time, things got so out of hand that the referee called
both teams to mid-court and chewed us out and threatened to toss everyone out of
the gym.  I could almost see the heading, "Local Pastor Arrested in
Basketball Brawl."  I've wondered, "Should I stick with this or give
it up?"  A delight in the game, and hope for these guys compelled me to
continue.  Over time, I have been able to share with each one.

A couple of months ago, to my surprise, one of my teammates showed up at
Trinity.  After the service I met with him, and he trusted Jesus.  Wow!  He has
been at Trinity with his wife and eight (yes eight) kids ever since.  He is
growing and hungry for God's Word.  Last week he took a week of vacation from
his job to be a basketball coach at Vacation Bible School.  Kids got saved in
his group.  He brainstormed with our VBS director about how we could start a
monthly basketball camp for 5th - 9th grades.  It is in the works.

In our new building, before the vinyl flooring was laid, we wrote on the floor
the names of people we wanted to see saved and occupying our new facility.  On
that special day, I remember praying for our community and my basketball guys. 
I'm amazed!  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. 
I can't wait to see what God will do next!

Praise:

1.   Thanks for praying for our grand opening of the new "Family Discipleship
Center."  The month of "open house" has gone so well.  Lots of
visitors!  Twenty-something kids trusted Jesus as Savior.

      This Sunday we have a power-team coming in from Katy, Texas to share the
scripture with the kids.  These "Commando's" for Jesus will break
books, tear phone books in two, repel from heights and share their stories.  The
furniture for the building seems to arrive daily and the grass was laid today. 
I thank God for the gift of this special building.  Our desire is to use it to
"help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ."

2.   I continue to thank God for our teams.  We have 100 more volunteers this week
- Choice People!  One couple last week celebrated their 25th wedding
anniversary.  They had the option of going on a cruise or working here all week,
gutting houses and talking to people about Christ.  This dear couple chose to
join us.  Thank you, Chris and Sue Hart for your compelling devotion to the
Savior.

3.   Churches continue to send teams and practice great creativity in resourcing
the ministry.  One church got a donation of two trucks of hats and had a
"hat sale" to raise money to continue the work with Compassion. 
Another woman just donated a trailer and raised $4,000 from her hometown to give
to Compassion to go along with the trailer.  Praise the Lord!

Thank you for not forgetting us.  We truly are partners with people in 36 states
and 6 countries.  What a display of the Body of Christ.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

P.S.

Pray for the rest of the guys on my basketball team.  I'll keep you
posted!

June 1, 2006

Acts 29 Stories and Urgent Prayer Requests

If you have been to Trinity on a team you know that sharing nights can be sooo
good.  There is nothing like recounting the deeds of the Lord!  Tuesday night
was one of the best.  The stories of God are still being written.  It's like
Acts 29!

Stories:

1. Becky from PA has been here 4 times to help!  One of the things she learned
from a previous visit was to "take this home with you."  At home, she
bumped into a woman in K-Mart who was walking around in a daze.  Her home had
burned down the night before.  She had no money and needed a ride home.  But,
she also needed a booster seat for her child.  Becky bought the woman a booster
seat and took her and her 3 children to the motel where they were staying.  The
woman said, "No one has ever been so nice to me."

2. A team of 8 came from Grace Community Church in MD to spend the week
following up on people that Trinity has reached out to in the past.  An
86-year-old Louisiana woman had previously had three or four teams help her at
her house.  195 trees had been taken off her property, and her yard still looked
like a war zone.  This new team visited her and she assumed that since the
services were provided, it was now time to pay up.

They said, "We do not want your money.  We are here for the love of
Christ, representing Trinity Church.  Trinity Church wants to love this area,
and cover it with the love of Jesus.  They talked about her relationship with
Jesus Christ.  This team volunteer said, "I have been studying the Bible
for 28 years.  I have never heard a community talk about the church like we were
in the 1st century ... talking about Christians because they love so much …
people talking about Trinity Church.  'Oh, those people from Trinity' … good
rumors."

3. A lady named Jessie visited a person who lived with all kinds of Confederate
flags surrounding his home.  (Jessie is a beautiful, zealous Christian black
woman.)  When she saw all of this, God whispered, "I'm in charge of this,
not you."  The man at the house came out with a long beard, a pony tail,
jeans, a wife-beater t-shirt and a confederate belt buckle.  God whispered,
"This is all about Me."  What a conversation it was!  Jessie and the
man were both from the south.  The man had 2 heart attacks and couldn't take
care of his roof.  Trinity fixed it for him.  Jessie and her partner prayed for
this man and left a Bible and a Wal-Mart gift card.  He welcomed them to return
and then said to Jessie, "Can I give you a hug before you leave?"  God
worked!  Jesus tears down walls.

4. Angie from Oklahoma attends Oklahoma Fellowship E. Free Church.  Before
coming, her team went through an evangelism class.  Upon arrival, Angie
volunteered for kitchen duty.  On Tuesday, during the day, a young woman from
New Orleans came into the church.  God whispered to Angie, "Has someone
shared the gospel with her?  Someone should share the gospel with her.  Are you
going to share the gospel with her?"  Now the only other time Angie tried
to share the gospel with someone, the person wasn't interested.  This time the
woman trusted Christ!

Prayer Requests

1. June 4, 11, 18 and 25th is our big open house to the community for our New
Family Discipleship Center.  15,000 square feet of space will be used for Great
Commission enterprises.  The community has been invited through 10,000 mailers,
newspaper ads, and personal invitations.  Pray for the salvation of many and the
possibility of connecting unchurched families to Trinity.

2. Pray for hundred's of details that need to be completed in finishing the
building by Sunday.  We are running out of hours.

3. The schedule for June is as follows:

June 4:  Children - Jubilee Gang - high energy multi-media ministry
experience
Adults - Steven Mosley, One-man drama (Rick Warren's Drama Pastor)
June 11: Children - Gene Cordova, Ventriloquist
Building Dedication
Community Picnic
June 12-16: Vacation Bible School - Mega Sports Camp
June 18: Children - VBS Sunday
June 25: Children - Commandos! USA - high energy power team imparting God's
message

4. Pray that we find the right Children's Pastor.  The Search continues.  We
have added 2 of the 4 staff needs, one is on the way (pray for the sale of a
house), and the Children's Pastor is still in process.

Thank you for praying.  We have worked for 3 plus years for this Grand Opening. 
May Jesus be honored!

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

May 15, 2006

Crack Pots for Jesus

What a difference eight months makes!  Back in August, I was gearing up to
re-launch our new ministry year with a full staff and a new building right on
the horizon.  The Elders had just unanimously approved my 70-page strategic
plan.  We were ready to roll.  Oh, how the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit - must have had fun with my plan of operating from strength.  What a good
chuckle they had over “Michael’s plan”.  They decided they could do better! 
Exceedingly better!  Included in the revised plan was their desire to teach me,
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power
may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

Oh, how I needed to learn that God often uses cracked pots rather than fine
china.  I can now relate well to Judges 7.  Remember the time Israel was invaded
and oppressed by the Midianites at Harvest time?  Year after year rolled along
until Gideon raised an army of 32,000.  That’s a lot of men until you realize
the Midian army was as thick as locusts and their camels could no more be
counted than the sand on the seashore (7:12).  The enemy army was at 135,000. 
Gideon’s inexperienced troops were outnumbered 4 to 1.  God said, “Gideon, you
have a numbers problem.”  Gideon was glad God saw this too.  However, God said,
“You have too many troops.  Have a troop reduction.”  Wow!  A special waiver was
offered to opt out of battle and 22,000 men opted out.  Now Gideon’s army was at
10,000, and he was outnumbered 13 to 1.  God again said, “Gideon, you have a
numbers problem.”  I’m sure Gideon was thinking, “God, I don’t know if I want
your help anymore.”  Sure enough, there was another troop reduction from 10,000
to 300.  Now they were outnumbered 450 to 1.  If you read the text carefully, it
appears that the “geeky” guys were left and not the “Navy seals” types.  The
only guys left were the ones who lapped water like a dog.

Isn’t this God?  Often when He does something big, He stacks the odds against
Himself so the credit will go to Him alone.  Gideon and his 300 were stripped of
everything and needed to learn to depend totally on God or perish.  They were
learning a God-confidence based upon His sufficiency rather than
self-confidence.

God’s promise, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon.  God has
given the Midianites and the whole camp into our hands.  Arise”  (7:14-15a). 
Their God-confidence oozed.  The 300 were divided into three companies of 100. 
Weapons were issued - trumpets (rams horn), a clay pot, and a torch to hide in
the pot.  In the darkness of the night, they circled the Midianite camp. 
Suddenly, 300 clay pots smashed, 300 torches pierced the night, 300 rams horns
blared, and 300 voices shouted, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.”  Panic
seized the Midianites as they stumbled out of bed.  Confusion reigned and many
were trampled.  All fled!  The truth:  The power is not the clay pot, but in the
One who resides in the jar!  In the midst of the brokenness of the cracked pot,
the light of God shines brightest.

I’m  learning that God often uses weak, broken pottery and seldom uses fine
china.  Rather than operating from my plan of strength, God wanted me to learn
His sufficiency in the midst of weakness.  He stripped away my props quickly:

Empty nest
Evacuation
House damage/trees down
House unlivable
Church scattered
No offerings
Hurting people
30% of church gone
Elder Board changes
4 staff positions short
Parent’s move
Postpone fall furnishings campaign
New building pledge system collapse
Building program

God took away the props and stripped away some encumbrances, man-made
securities, self-reliance and self-effort.  He took me through the refiners fire
and pruned the dead wood because He insists our spiritual life and strength come
not from our sufficiency but His.

I am not who I used to be.  I’m lighter and realize I am alive in the cause of
Christ.  Jesus always makes a way that includes streams in the wilderness,
beauty out of ashes, life out of death, and joy after sorrow.  “For me to live
is Christ”  (Phil. 1:21a).  How beautiful was Sunday morning as worship tables
displayed cracked pots and candles lit.  Each one who attended was equipped with
a flashlight.  At one point we turned off the lights and I asked Trinity folks a
series of questions:

1.   If you’ve experienced “desert times” and seen God faithful, turn your light on
2.   If you’ve had job loss or job troubles, yet today you are working, turn your light on.
3.   If burdens were crushing you this year, and you couldn’t carry them on your own, yet He carried  you and you are still in the game of life, turn your light on.
4.   If you have become a Christian this year, or rededicated your life to Him, turn your light on.
5.   If you’ve had a major financial blessing, turn your light on.
6.   If you are weak, but know He is strong, turn your light on.
7.   If God has used you over the last eight months, turn your light on.
8.   If you identify with cracked pots imagery, yet know the power is not the pot, but the one in the pot, turn your light on.

You should have seen the hundreds of little lights that were shining in darkness
Sunday illustrating the sufficiency of Jesus.  Hallelujah!  Amen.
 
PRAISE & PRAYER:

1.   Praise:  One man said, “I wondered why I was coming (to church), now I don’t want to leave.”

2.   Teams still pour in weekly, though two weeks ago the Compassion staff had their first “down” week since Katrina hit.  They deserved the rest.  Pray for Mark, Jenn and all of the team.

3.   Pray for the wonderful teams

A man who was committed to coming injured his hand, and was not even able to
open a Bible, told a team member he thought he broke his hand and his New
Orleans visit was questionable.  The entire team found out and asked the church
to pray.  That night, while getting up in the middle of the night, he tripped on
the bone of his 125-lb. dog and fell down onto his hand and heard a big pop.  He
moved his hand and found it was all better.  Canine Chiropractics or Divine
Provision?  The man served in New Orleans all week.

A lawyer, back for the second time, commented how he finds life so different in
the midst of disaster response.  People operate out of being at the same level
as servants rather than a hierarchy.  He finds that to be a display of what
heaven will be like

4.   Pray for a million details in finishing our new Family Discipleship Center in preparation for our four weeks of Grand Opening during the month of May.  There is a still lot to do, and the construction company is not finished yet.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

April 30, 2006

The Jesus Movement

Lately, I have been asking questions of the early church that might radically
influence the Jesus movement today.

1. How did an obscure, marginalized Jesus movement become the dominant faith of
the western world in just a few centuries?

2. How did Christ-followers convince people they weren't vagabonds, gypsies or
involved in a cult?

3. How did the Christian community in the first century go from being one,
one-zillionth of the population to 56% of the Roman Empire?  That is a growth
rate of 40% per decade!

4. How did they grow so rapidly with no power, soldiers, weapons or buildings?

5. How did they turn the world upside down in spite of persecution - thrown to
the lions in the coliseums, arrests, pressure and scattering (1 Peter 1:1).  The
believers lived in catacombs, pup tents and caves.

How did they do it?  In 1 Peter, I found Christ-followers:

"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts,
which wage war against the soul.  Keep your behavior excellent among the
Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may
on account of your good deeds, as they observe them; glorify God in the day of
visitation."
1 Peter 2:11-12

I. Lived a New Kind of Life

While the first century world had long stopped listening to believers, they
still watched them.  What did they see?  Here are a few examples:

A. Rome was a hierarchical society with people divided into rigid classes. 
Everything reinforced the caste system.  Clothes showed what class you were in. 
I know it's hard to imagine a culture where clothes reflect someone's status,
but in the Roman culture it was true.  What happened in the Jesus movement? 
Masters would serve slaves.  Slaves would eat first.  Slaves would weep.  There
was never a community like this.

B. In the ancient world, was it better to be born a boy or a girl?  A boy!  One
historian writes, "Exposure of unwanted female infants (the practice of
just abandoning them until they would die outside somewhere) was legal, morally
accepted, widely practiced by all social classes in the Greco-Roman
world."

Here is a letter that I just read this week.  It was written during the first
century by a Roman husband to his wife.  Apparently, she was pregnant.  This is
what he writes, believing himself to be a good husband:

"Know that I am still in Alexandria.  I beg you to take good care of our
baby son.  If you are delivered of a child before I come home, if it is a boy,
keep it.  If it is a girl, discard it.  You have sent me word, "Don't
forget me."  How could I forget you?  I beg you not to worry."

The Jesus movement came along and treated women differently … valued …
treasured … respected and all life was sacred.  Little girls and boys were
prized.  It is no wonder women flocked to the church.

C. Several times in the early church there were massive epidemics.  One wiped
out one-quarter of the population of cities in the Roman Empire and another took
one-third.  The Roman writer Dionysius says of the fear in the population,
"They pushed sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into
roads before they were dead and treated unburied corpses as dirt, hoping to
avert disease."

What did Christ-followers do?

They took people in.  They cared for the sick and dying.  They did this
sometimes at the cost of their own lives.  There was never a community like
this.  The result was a church of irresistible influence that became a catalyst
for change.

Sheldon Vanauken said, "The best argument for Christianity is Christians;
their joy, their certainty, their completeness.  But the strongest argument
against Christianity is also Christians - when they are somber and joyless, when
they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are
narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."

II. Do Good Deeds as a Way of Life

1 Peter 2:12 "… on account of your good deeds, as they observe them,
glorify God in the day of visitation."

Isn't this the way of Jesus:

Matt. 5:16                 They may see your good deeds
Luke 6:31-35 Love your enemies, do good to them
Acts 20:35                 It is more blessed to give than to receive
Romans 12:20-21 Overcome evil with good
Gal. 6:9-10 Let us do good to all people
Eph. 2:10                 Do good works
2 Thess. 3:13 Do not grow weary of doing good
1 Tim. 6:17-19 To do good, to be rich in good deeds
Titus 3:8                 Engage in good deeds
Titus 2:11-14 Eager to do what is good
Heb. 10:24                 Spur one another on to love and good deeds
1 Pet. 3:13                 Eager to do good

III. Do Good Deeds as a way of Life among Skeptics

Historian Will Durant said this:

"Never had the world seen such a dispensation of alms as was now organized
by the Church … She helped widows, orphans, the sick or infirm, prisoners,
victims of natural catastrophes; and she frequently intervened to protect the
lower orders from unusual exploitation or excessive taxation.  In many cases,
priests gave all their property to the poor … others devoted fortunes to
charitable work.  The church or her rich laymen founded public hospitals on a
scale never known before … Pagans admired the steadfastness of Christians in
caring for the sick in cities stricken with famine or pestilence."

Isn't this what is needed today.  We live in an age of skepticism and cynicism. 
We say, "Everyone has an angle" or "There is no free lunch."
 We think everyone is hyping, selling or spinning.  This is where Christians and
good deeds come in.  It is by stealthy, radical acts of service that shock
people.  These free expressions of compassion don't grab the headlines, but
change lives.  The church of the first century was at its best, in the shadows,
underground, quiet, humble, yet totally counter cultural.  You couldn't keep
people away.  It was what everyone was looking for.

Isn't that true today?  Our Kingdom weapons are brooms, rocks, visits, listening
ears, open hands and generous hearts.  The church is not just a "religious
services provider" whose job is to make sure everyone in the church is
happy while everyone else is going to hell.  Rather, we gather on Sunday as the
Body of Christ and then are turned loose on Monday to practice good deeds in the
world.  Like it or not, we are "living epistles" read by all men.  The
truth is "people don't go where the action is, they go where love is."
 Jesus said, "All men will know you are my disciples by the love you have
for one another."  A visual aid prepares the listener to hear the truth. 
Right?
 
IV. Share your Hope

1 Peter 3:15 says, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always
being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for
the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."

As we live in a new way and practice good deeds, God will open doors.  There is
the opportunity to share Jesus.

This is the plan that allowed early Christians to turn the world upside down. 
Jesus is burning it into my heart that this is His plan for our days as well. 
Let's have at it.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

April 22, 2006


You're Not Crazy!

You're not crazy!  These are words our teams need to hear.  Our team volunteers
have now exceeded 2,700 and have logged in 110,000 man hours.  There were 142
last week.  Wow!

Over the past several weeks, the volunteers have included a high percentage of
college students.  Some of these students have given up the beaches of Florida
for New Orleans.  They gave up fun in the sun to gut homes.  Narcissism has
given way to activism.  These young adults are about the cause of Christ.  They
are not crazy!  I am so encouraged by hundreds of college students.

Our volunteers have given up vacations to be in the devastated Gulf Coast. 
Often they drive across the country, sleeping a night or two in a church
basement or a Motel 6.  At Trinity, they sleep on a stained carpet on the floor
with 80 others and choose to work all day in the heat.  They get back to Trinity
tired and drenched with sweat.  Yet, they are not crazy!

Volunteers constantly tell me that their lives are turned upside down.  In
losing their life, they find life.  In giving, they receive.  In dying, they
find they are really living … some more than they ever have in their entire
lives.  These volunteers are making a difference.  Beauty is coming out of
ashes.  Where sorrow resided at night, joy is coming in the morning.  Our
volunteers are not crazy!

Our Wednesday night services have been electrifying lately.  A week ago, it
seemed that every team brought their worksite homeowner to the service.  Imagine
- broken, devastated people who lost virtually everything.  Yet, an army of
volunteers had been with them for the week.  Volunteers and homeowners stood to
their feet and exclaimed joy, hope, and thankfulness.  The sharing could have
gone on all night.  These volunteers are not crazy!

One homeowner said, "Before Katrina, I was worth two million dollars.  Now
I am worth nothing.  I wish I were dead."  A team member thought about
saying, "Don't be afraid.  The Lord sees you."  Instead he said,
"We are here to help you."  35 team members arrived and blew this man
away.  During a prayer meeting at the end of the day the homeowner prayed,
"Help me, Lord, with my unbelief.  Give me faith to believe."  The
team volunteer said, "Sometimes Mike, people have to see the Lord before
they can hear Him."

One team said, "The mission of New Orleans has restored PASSION and
compassion to the entire congregation of Faith Evangelical Free, Woodruff,
WI."  They are having community events (with local media coverage) to
re-tell the stories of what God did in New Orleans.  The team needed a truck to
get a huge amount of donated bathroom home accessories from Wisconsin to New
Orleans.  Where would the truck come from?  They heard the story of my
desperation early in Katrina when I told my associate, "Go into Covington,
look for the first 18 wheel truck driver you see, and tell him that God needs
your truck!"  If you remember, God provided the truck in two hours.  This
team stepped out in faith, called a truck owner, and God provided a truck.  God
is awesome!  "The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth
that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" (2
Chronicles 16:33).  Amen?  Amen.

Pray:

1. Pray for me.  I am just keeping my head above water.  The opportunities are
incredible.  However, being short-staffed is stretching.  We are voting on a
candidate Sunday and diligently interviewing others.  Pray for strength, wisdom
and endurance.  Thank God for what He is doing despite our weakness and
limitations.  God often uses the weak things of this world.  He has one weary
pastor right now.

2. Pray for our strategic planning this week on the future of our Compassion
ministry.  This is so important.  I believe our souls will be damaged if we get
out of the Katrina ministry before God's timing.  If we fix up our own homes and
neighborhood and then forget about the poor and the city, we will not be about
God's heart.  Pray for us as we continue our commitment to being the church of
the stained carpet for the long run.

3. Pray for resources to continue the work.  We need $50,000 for furnishings for
our new building and over $500,000 to pay off our new building.

4. Pray for a massive mobilization effort over the next 30 days to prepare our
family discipleship building for effective service - self-help, painting,
playgrounds, projects, decorations, etc.

5. Pray for our month-long open house for the entire community during the month
of June.  Our desire is to reach out to the Northshore with the love of Jesus. 
The community is white unto harvest.

The June schedule is as follows:

June 4:  Children - Jubilee Gang - high energy multi-media ministry experience
Adults - Steven Mosley, One-man drama (Rick Warren's Drama Pastor)
June 11: Children - Gene Cordova, Ventriloquist
Building Dedication
Community Picnic
June 12-16: Vacation Bible School - Mega Sports Camp
June 18: Children - VBS Sunday
June 25: Children - Commandos! USA - high energy power team imparting God's
message

6. Pray for revival in the Gulf region and at Trinity Church.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

April 7, 2006 

Calling all Prayer Warriors 

   Over the last 6 months I have feasted upon and been sustained by the God of Exodus 17. The people of God faced a great challenge in their confrontation with the Amalekites. Joshua and the men engaged them while Moses went up to the hilltop to raise his hands in dependence upon God. Oh, how he must have prayed. While his hands were raised, the battle went well. When his arms drooped, the mission was hindered and the enemy made inroads. Two friends came to his rescue and lifted his arms. The victory was secured. 

   Here in Covington our arms often droop. We covet your prayers. Prayer is the battle because the prevailing power of God flows through prayer. Prayer turns the tide. Prayer is "the slender nerve that moves the Arm of Omnipotence." It's such a mystery but God works through praying people. Prayer accomplishes what hard work, tenacity and strategy can't. I wonder how much money has been given, lives that have been changed, people saved, hearts softened and territory taken from the evil one because believers have undergirded us in prayer. Please don't forget to pray. 

Prayer requests for Trinity Church: 

1. Prayer for the unprecedented opportunity to reach our community for Christ. Ask God for boldness, courage, and wisdom in reaching out to a needy people who hunger for hope. 

2. Pray for church members who are attempting to re-emerge from disaster. Many have no discretionary time and are stressed. Children too! Pray for strains on marriages. Pray for many warriors who serve others above themselves. 

3. Pray for a weary staff. Being four staff short causes all to do double and triple duty. Pray for strength, endurance, and patience. 

4. Praise God that candidates are on the horizon to fill these positions: 

   a. Stephen Lay from Dallas Seminary will be candidating this Sunday for the Pastor of Adult Ministry position. 

   b. Becky McLain chose to accept the position for follow-up ministry. 

   c. Fred Hoffman has become our bookkeeper and probably our administrator. 

   d. We have some wonderful candidates now for the Children’s Pastor. 

5. Pray for the completion of our new Children’s building. The construction company will move out in a couple of weeks. The entire church needs to be mobilized to finish turning the shell into a home by May 13. 

6. Pray for the grand opening during the month of June when we invite the Northshore Community to visit with us. Each Sunday will include a major children’s event including storytellers, puppets, ventriloquist, Commando’s (brick-breakers, tear phone books, etc.), balloons, prizes, picnics, etc. These celebrations will enable families in the community to check out what God has provided. Our desire is to connect people to Jesus and a local church so that moms and dads can be supported and children can have one of the best hours of their entire week. Our focus is on Discipleship and Evangelism. Our mission is to develop fully devoted followers of Christ. 

7. Pray for labors to work with our massive workdays and for an expanded army of volunteers to work with every aspect of Children’s Ministry. 

8. Pray for resources to continue to serve Jesus. Katrina has brought about uncertain times. Pray for $50,000 needed for furnishings. Our Capital Campaign fund for our new building has been greatly hampered by Katrina. We are praying for wisdom in how to handle this and the provision of over a half million dollars. 

9. Pray for preaching messages coming over the next four months. 

   a. Two weeks will focus on our vision for Trinity and Compassion. 

   b. The week after Easter will be on “Decoding the DiVinci Code." 

   c. I will then begin preaching a series going through The Book of Luke and looking at Jesus. My favorite person to preach on! In fact, if you want to get to know God - look at Jesus. 

10. Pray for our continued interaction with teams - 130 were here last week and more have come this week. These are choice people. Pray for clarification of our mission, depth in our partnerships, money to not grind to a halt, and wisdom that will allow for longevity. 

   Here is a letter that illustrates the continued work: 

   Dear Michael, I just want to encourage you and the church with a brief testimony from a couple in Chalmette. When we arrived I asked the owner as to how he was doing. He replied, "Before Katrina, I was worth 2 million dollars. Today I am worth nothing. I wish I was dead." 

   I was about to say, "Don't be afraid, the Lord sees you." Instead, I said, "We're here to help you. It's going to be okay." Later that day, three more groups showed up to work on his house (about 35 people) plus the "wiener wagon". The owner could not believe that so many people cared for him and his family. Later that day, we prayed as a group and the owner prayed, "Help me Lord with my unbelief. Give me faith to believe." 

   Sometimes Mike, people have to see the Lord before they can hear Him. And sometimes it takes a whole church. The scriptures encourage us "to let our light shine that people may see our good works." The church's efforts and outreach for many Katrina households has been nothing less than a miracle. 

   Mike, the Lord sees the church's efforts and hearts to come alongside and be the hands and feet of Jesus joining churches throughout the nation and the globe to step into their boats as to say, (Mark 6:51). To give grace through works to the people of Louisiana for it is in the church's efforts the Lord is able to calm their storm and calm the seas and the winds that tear their faith and hearts that they may believe. Keep up the good work of sowing seed for the Kingdom He loves you. The Lord is faithful and there to amaze. Take courage. He sees your efforts. Don't forget the loaves. 

   A word for the church; share it joyfully. The Lord is our Shepherd. 

   A brother that cares 

   Thank you dear friends for prayer. I asked a friend this week, “Am I crazy for being involved in all we got going on?” Without your prayers I would be in a heap, buried, undone, and ruined. The job is so massive yet Jesus is so able. It is amazing what He continues to do though weak, limited, frail people like us who make things up one day at a time. Keep praying for us semi-cracked vessels who desire deeply to be poured out for him. Our hearts register deeply with this passage: 

   "Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you." 2 Corinthians 4:1-12 

Betting the Farm on God, 

Michael

March 29, 2006

A Financial Request and More Stories of Grace

   I have never been a fundraiser and perhaps never will be.  I don't know that I
ever want to be a fundraiser.  I am simply a pastor of a local church, in the
middle of the finest movement of the Spirit of God that I have ever seen.  One
of my dear friends, and now colleagues in ministry, is raising support to
provide for his family to continue to help lead the work of outreach here in the
Gulf Region.  I am referring to Mark Lewis, our Crisis Response Director for
EFCA-Compassion.  If you have been to Trinity, you know Mark as our Field
General, Mastermind of the operation and the man who loves Christ and teams.

   Mark and his wife, Denise, were faithfully serving Jesus in Pennsylvania when
Katrina hit.  Mark was an engineer, and Denise a stay-at-home mom with their 3
wonderful kids.  Mark called Jim Snyder of Compassion Ministry and was told,
"I need someone in Louisiana tomorrow."  Mark's one-week trip to
Louisiana turned into a long-term, life-changing opportunity!  Mark and Denise's
passion to help people impacted by disasters had been growing for some time. 
Since 1993, this couple has participated in crisis response ministry following
floods in the Midwest, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, an earthquake in Turkey,
a devastating tornado in Campbelltown, Pennsylvania, Hurricane Ivan and now
Hurricane Katrina.  For an equally long time they prayed for the EFCA to start a
crisis response ministry.  In fact, Denise wrote an undergraduate thesis on this
very topic in 2000!

   I can tell you the call of God is upon their lives.  They are choice players in
the Kingdom and are bearing incredible fruit.  In Luke 16:1-10 Jesus tells a
story about how the children of light should practice shrewdness with money in
accomplishing Kingdom exploits:

"Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich
man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his
possessions.  "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear
about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be
steward.'  "And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my
master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I
am ashamed to beg.  'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the
stewardship, they will receive me into their homes.'  "And he summoned each
one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you
owe my master?'  "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to
him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  "Then he said
to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of
wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  "And his
master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the
sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of
light.  "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the
mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the
eternal dwellings.  "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful
also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous
also in much."  (Luke 16:1-10)

   I cannot think of an investment that has greater Kingdom potential than
strategically investing in helping Mark and Denise Lewis get up to full
missionary support.  They are currently at 25% support.  Would you pray about
this opportunity?  If you are associated with a church with a missions
committee, would you ask them about the possibility of the church adopting the
Lewis family?  Mark can be reached at:  The Lewis Family, 1183 Springwater
Drive, Mandeville, LA  70471; phone:  717-439-3138; e-mail:  mlewis@efca.org.                              

You can e-mail me as well if you need further information.

Stories

   I continue to be amazed by the life change that the Holy Spirit is doing in the
lives of team members:

1.   Tonight, I had dinner with a 24-year old long-term volunteer.  He told me
that the Lord has been speaking into his heart these words, "Take it home
with you."  This is a recurring message that is supernaturally being
impressed upon teams - that the tangible expression of the love of Christ
practiced here can be a way of life back home.

2.   One church has had 20% of their church come on work teams so far.  This
short-term experience is revolutionizing hearts and strategies back home as God
is giving incredible energy and ideas for "compassion ministry" in
their own backyard.

3.   Many teams are returning home and starting "compassion ministry" in
their churches.  They simply assemble teams who go out in Jesus' name and help
people in their own personal "Katrina's".  In so doing, God often
opens up doors for the gospel.  How simple!  How biblical!  How compelling!

4.   A woman approaching 70 said, "I have never been on a mission trip my
whole life (until last week).  Her woman's group raised money to send her.  She
brought plenty of Vicoden and Ben-Gay.  She made an outstanding contribution to
our food services ministry.  You should have seen her smile!  How compelling!

5.   One team went to Walmart.  It was closed, but they discovered the night
security man.  This 24-year old was reading Acts, but didn't understand what he
was reading.  (This reminds me of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8.)  They
helped him understand Jesus and invited him to Trinity.  How compelling!

6.   In our service on Sunday, we showed pictures of a home destroyed by Katrina
and then rebuilt by teams.  The best thing was the couple who lived there has
joined Trinity Church and stood to meet the church body.  Tears flowed
throughout the Worship Center.

7.   One woman who came with a team in October prayed and prayed that the lessons
learned at Trinity could be transferred to her community back home.  This
included ministering to those involved in drugs, gangs, fights, etc.  Back home
she started practicing Servant Evangelism Outreach.  She paid the price … God
prepared her … She prayed dangerously … God pried everything out of her hands so
that there was nothing left … except Him.  Yet, God worked miracles in the
church and part of a closed down mall was given to them to extend the works of
Compassion - rent-free!

8.   Last week we sent out teams from Trinity.  130 people strong, mostly college
students on spring break were sent out into the area to work.  Someone in the
community commented, "You people are everywhere."

9.   A team member bumped into a man at Home Depot who had roof damage from the
hurricane.  The team member suggested that maybe his team could come over and
repair it for him for free.  The man in the store said, "That won't be
necessary.  A team from Trinity Church is coming over in the morning to fix the
roof."  Christians on teams are everywhere!

10.   One man came down with a work team in January.  While gutting a home, he
felt God challenging him to make himself available to Him for whatever He calls
him to do.  He went back home and God called him to run for City Council in his
hometown of 50,000, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.  He says, "Some days,
I am scared to death."  Yet, he is stepping out in faith.  Pray for him. 
The vote is on April 4.  Wow!

Please pray.  It makes the difference in the work of God.

1.   Pray for us as we hire a Follow-up Director and a Pastor of Adult Ministry. 
It looks like God is providing.

2.   Pray for us to discover who is to lead our Children's Ministry.  Pray for a
Pastor/Director.  We are in need of leads and God's direction.

3.   Pray for us as we near completion of our Family Discipleship Center.  It's
getting close!  The contractor will be done by April 16th.  The grand opening
for the community is June 4th.  Pray for planning, provision and outreach
potential.

4.   Pray for my son, Jonathan, as he finishes up his first year at Baylor
University.  It is a big transition from high school to college.  Pray Jonathan
discovers God's vocational calling in God's perfect time.

5.   Pray for wisdom on whether I should write a book about what God is doing
here.  Many are suggesting this.  Is this God's will?  Do I have time?  How big
a priority is this?

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

March 17, 2006

Lessons I’m Learning 6 Months After the Storm

One of my earliest set of reflections on Katrina six months ago was entitled
“What I Learned Today.”  I haven’t forgotten those early lessons of surrender
and faith.  Now after a half-year I can say that Jesus continues to teach me
lessons in the arena of faith.  The scripture and my own journey reveal Gods
ways:

I. An Initial Call

God is in the business of giving out assignments, tasks, adventures,
partnerships, or whatever you want to label them.  It is simply His calling. 
The call came to Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Rahab and to you and me. How
often do his callings involve easy assignments?  Never!  This shows that God
does not put a high premium on comfortable lives. (Comfort will come in heaven.)
 My calling is to do God’s bidding with the people I love as Pastor of Trinity
Church with a mission to build fully devoted followers of Christ on the
Northshore of New Orleans in the midst of the greatest natural disaster in the
history of the United States.  I didn’t choose this.  God called. What is your
calling?

II. Our Response

When God calls, normally people don’t say, “God, will you super size my call?” 
Normally the response includes some measure of fear:  fear of failure,
inadequacy, etc.  Wasn’t that the case with the ten spies who wanted to go back
to Egypt because there were giants in the land?  Moses, as well, had plenty of
excuses when God asked him to go to the most powerful man on the planet and say,
“I want to take your labor force.”  There are days that I have felt the same.  I
am well aware of our giants.  Some days I ask, “Am I crazy?  Will I survive?” 
It seems overwhelming some days with four staff short, shepherding hurting
people, preparing the launch of a new children’s building, juggling a
financially complex time of capital campaign and furnishings for ministry,
running teams, holding together a ministry that has so many families moving out
of the area, running Pastor SEARCH teams and trying to strategically reinvent
the ministry.  How about you?  Have you got any Giants like I have?  Who is
saying, “It's not possible.  We’ve never done it that way before.  I won’t let
you.  Let’s go back to Egypt.” 

III. Assurance

Fortunately, God never says to fearful people, “Never Mind.”  He gives
assurance.  The number one command in scripture is “Fear Not” (366 times) and
often the words “for I am with you" are attached.  Joshua was told,
"Be strong and courageous for I am with you.”  Paul heard, “Do not fear, go
on speaking, do not be silent, I am with you.”  The psalmist said, “Yea though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou
art with me.” I can't tell you the encouragement of God’s tender assurances that
come daily through His Word, prayer, God sightings, people and His still small
voice.  Whatever you struggle with today, Jesus knows your name and your need
and He is able.

IV. Decision Component

Life often reduces down to a decision point of Faith or Fear.  Faith? or Fear? 
Do you know what I mean?  Moses had to decide whether or not to step into the
Red Sea and Joshua experienced the same decision at the Jordan.  Would Caleb
take the hill country controlled by the giants? At Trinity we have to decide
daily if we want to go back to being a nice, comfortable suburban church or will
we fulfill our calling in this our generation.  Last night someone said, “You
aren’t the church of the stained carpet, but the church of the smelly socks.” 
Daily we have a choice - Faith or Fear.  By faith, we are choosing to bet the
farm on God.  At times we shake on the Rock but the Rock does not shake under
us.  Are there any amen's out there?

Let me ask you, “What would you do, build, launch, give, start or stop if fear
were not holding you back?  Where is God prompting you to launch out?  Where do
you need to bet the farm on God?  God plays no FAVORites only FAITHorites.  By
the way, if you find yourself doubting and are asking “How can I have more
faith?" the answer isn’t to try harder or to beat yourself up.  Think of
the solution this way - suppose someone said to you, “I find myself doubting Old
Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.  I’m not sure Old Faithful can be
trusted.”  Your advice wouldn’t be “just try harder,” but rather “just hang out
with Old Faithful.  Get to know Old Faithful” and because Old Faithful is
faithful, the better you know it, the more you trust it.  The same is true with
God.  The key isn’t to muster up our own faith, but to get to know God better. 
Since God is faithful, the more you know Him, the more you will trust Him. 

V. Changed Life
  
Every time someone says "Yes" to God there is life-change … courage
gets a little deeper, joy gets a little broader and you find Jesus is so
amazing, sufficient, surprising and irresistible. There is no one like Jesus. He
is so approachable … refreshing … countercultural … and so controversial. As you
give your life away, you find life. This is what I see in Trinity people and
teams all the time. I see those who are stepping out in faith are having their
lives turned upside down. They are alive and living the adventure.  I see it
with my eyes everyday.

I love the example of Henrietta Mears, who had an amazing ministry as Christian
Education director at Hollywood Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, California. in
the 1930's-1960's.  She was one who mentored and influenced Bill Bright {Campus
Crusade for Christ}, Dick Halverson {Chaplain of the U.S. Senate}, Roy Rogers
and Dale Evans and Billy Graham.  It was said that 500 men went into the
ministry because of Miss Mears. At one time she was so frustrated there was no
good Christian material to use in church that she started "Gospel
Light" publishing house. She thought her region needed a retreat center in
the San Bernardino Mountains.  She found a plot of land and believed God for the
money.  She had none.  God provided. At the end of her extraordinary life people
asked Miss Mears, "What would you do different in your life if you had it
to do all over again?" She said," I would trust Christ for more!"
 I love it.  Let's live that way.

Pray for us as we bet the farm on God. We are trusting God for the following
critical areas.
 
1. Over half of the Compassion leadership team will be leaving next week.  These
have been 1-3 month volunteers.  Pray for long-term volunteers.  These are
critical.  Can you give us one month?  Three?  Six?  A year?  Is God calling
you?  This is critical.  Pray!

2. Pray for four new staff for Trinity Church.  We have a potential candidate
coming in this weekend for the Associate position.  I have extended an offer for
one of our other positions.  Pray.

3. Pray for a strategy meeting with John Gerhardt and Castlerock on Monday and
with Jim Snyder and the EFCA Compassion team the next week.  Our partnerships
matter!

4. Pray for our new building opportunities and renovations.  There are so many
open doors.  We are going to have to mobilize the entire church to get the
building ready.  The builder will be out by April 16 and our Grand Opening for
the community is scheduled for June 4th.

5. Pray the God of all provisions gives us wisdom how to provide for our
ministry.  This is the most strategic time we have ever had to reach our
community!  Pray for people to give generously.

6. Pray for revival, renewal, revitalization and Jesus to be lifted up!

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael
 

March 9, 2006

Important Prayer Requests for New Orleans

This morning I had the distinct privilege of attending a prayer meeting and
luncheon with Billy Graham and his son, Franklin, in preparation for this
weekend's "Celebration of Hope" crusade in the New Orleans basketball
arena.  It was inspiring watching a courageous, yet feeble warrior come to the
pulpit using his walker and aided by his son.  With an exceptionally keen mind,
he communicated a message of hope.  Billy Graham said, "I'm devastated by
what I have felt and seen."  He said he hadn't called his wife because as
of yet he was not emotionally capable of doing that.  Such is life in our area. 
Yet, this elder statesman reminded us that, "Out of disaster will grow a
new New Orleans" because the city needs moral and spiritual renewal.  In
the midst of our mayor's race (22 candidates) Mr. Graham is praying that God
will become the mayor of New Orleans.  He reminded us that just as God
multiplied blessings on Job, so He will do that for our area.  He also said,
"Jesus is no security against storms, but He's the perfect security in the
storm."  Would you pray for us this weekend?

1. Pray for Billy Graham's "Celebration of Hope" Saturday night at
7:00 and Sunday afternoon at 4:00.  Pray for hope to abound and many to come to
faith in the Lord Jesus.

2. Pray for our four staff positions to be filled.  We have a candidate coming
this weekend to be interviewed for our children's pastor position.

3. Pray for Mark Lewis, our Compassion Ministry director.  Mark is a choice
leader and has been a wonderful friend.  Most of our 2-4 month volunteers are
returning home soon and we do not have people to replace most of them.  Would
you give one to twelve months to the work?  Do you know anyone who can make this
kind of commitment?  Please pray.

4. Pray for many leaders who are weary this week.

5. Pray for our follow-up of many new people who are being reached out to
spiritually.  Praise the Lord for those who are trusting Christ and getting
connected.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael
 

February 24, 2006

Sorrow in the Evening, Joy in the Morning

There are a lot of stories told and testimonies given at Trinity Church these 
days.  Last night was no exception.  A man named Clarence gave praise for the 
work team from Minnesota that cleared up his home freely, lovingly, diligently 
and in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Yet, he also revealed his family's tragedy.  
His missing 22-year-old nephew was found the day before, shot in the head, 
maimed and burned.  His charred body was found in his SUV.  So much pain, yet he 
stood before us all, giving glory to God and expressing his hope in Jesus even 
though the funeral was the next morning.  Pray for Clarence!

The Wednesday before, a member of a work team from PA expressed his mixed 
emotions about New Orleans because of all the negative reports he heard prior to 
his arrival.  He pictured a complaining people with a handout mentality.  God 
placed him in the 9th Ward for the week, the hardest hit area in New Orleans.  
(Donna and I saw it for ourselves last week!)  Far from the media's portrayal of 
the truth, he discovered all week long a people who had lost everything yet were 
working hard and were hope-filled and praising Jesus though their suffering was 
great.  One man he worked with had been a drug addict prior to Katrina, but made 
a choice in the aftermath to choose the path of honor and care for his family.  
Katrina was bad, but God is working it for good.  He said, "Michael, you 
have to get the real story out to what is really happening."  How God is 
working through this will not be portrayed on your television sets.

Another family graced our doors last week and they were so moved by the help 
they got that they arranged for the whole story to be told in a leading article 
today in the Times Picayune newspaper.  The man runs a Girl Scout camp in our 
town and had a daunting task of acres of clean-up.  The man had given up on 
church and dabbled with Buddhism over the years.  At first he was totally 
skeptical of our team, but soon discovered they were as genuine as they come.  
In the newspaper article he said, "I'm not a big church person, but I think 
I've changed my mind.  These were really sweet people … they didn't ask for a 
thing.  I'm not used to that."  The newspaper heading read, "Ranger is 
blown away by group's generosity."  Seeds were planted.  Pray for Mike and 
his family.

Here is another story from a team member that blows me away.  This dedicated 
servant drove 23 hours to Trinity and then had to turn around 2 days later to 
drive 23 hours back home because of a death in the family.  She struggled … Why, 
Lord, after just 2 days?  Here's what she wrote:
"When we returned we prayed….and prayed…and prayed…seeking answers…
"My journal from our trips to Louisiana had one recurring theme…thank you 
Jesus for allowing me to understand what you truly meant by the 'church.'  Thank 
you Jesus for helping me to realize that the church is a family, not a building. 
 When we returned it became clear that where we live is seriously lacking for 
ministry.  We have to drive 30 miles to Waushara Community Church as there are 
no outward focused churches in our area.  They are all, as our pastor would say, 
'arguing over the color of the carpet.' People are broken, sad, lonely….and most 
of all….hungry for Jesus.  We started calling around to look for a group of 
people to pray about this situation as there are several local churches 
currently experiencing fallout.  The bulk of the population is either unsaved or 
in great spiritual need.  
"I pushed…'Lord…I don’t want to leave….I love my church!'  It became clear 
that he was preparing us.  Before we knew it the situation seriously escalated.  
We started calling on families.  We got, 'what are you doing Sunday…can you meet 
Sunday????'  This Sunday we have nearly thirty people meeting in our living 
room.  Our senior leadership at church is seriously investigating an EFree 
Church Plant in our area.  Praise God for the unknown, praise God for the 
unsaved as they are future servants of Jesus, Praise God for all He is 
everyday." 
I'm undone by this.  God is working in such powerful ways and I hear stories 
like this everyday.  One church in St. Louis has started a new ministry in their 
town after serving for a week at Trinity.  Entitled, "Simply Service", 
this ministry is dedicated to reaching lost people for Jesus Christ by doing 
very specific, unskilled tasks such as raking leaves, cleaning homes, and manual 
labor.  In the process of "Simply Service" God does His work.  Yeah 
God!  Way to go Kristen and St. Louis E. Free!

A team from my home church, Forcey Memorial Church in Maryland, returned home 
after spending two of their days gutting a home without getting to meet the 
owners who were still out of the area as evacuees.  Upon their return home to MD 
they got a call from the grateful homeowners who wanted to express thanks.  The 
Forcey team discovered this refugee family was now living in … Maryland, not far 
from Forcey.  A grand meeting of the team and the family is being planned.

Pray for revival in New Orleans and the Gulf region.

As you can tell from the stories, there is so much pain, yet God is present.  
There is sorrow at night, but joy comes in the morning.  As  Paul put it in 2 
Cor. 4:8-12, 16-18, "we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; 
perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but 
not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the 
life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are 
constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus 
also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death works in us, but life in 
you  … Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet 
our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is 
producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we 
look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for 
the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are 
eternal."

Please pray for:

1. The weary.  This is everyone, everyday.  Pray for Donna as she feels the 
effects of Katrina, especially at this time.  The demands on her life are 
rigorous and she has many friends moving away, including one very special 
friend.

2. Pray for our four new staff needs.  We are bringing in a candidate for our 
Children's Pastor/Director position soon.  Pray for God's wisdom.

3. Pray for the multitude of decisions we need to make as we bring on a new 
building, figure out how to pay for the building and furnishings, and reach out 
to our community.  Praise God for the Hershey Evangelical Free Church who has 
agreed to co-lead our summer VBS with our team.

4. Pray for revival in New Orleans, the Northshore and the Gulf region.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

February 21, 2006

Urgent Request for Prayer and Help for Trinity Church

I am convinced that Trinity Church is where it is today after Katrina because 
of the prayers of the people of God, like you!  We may be weak, limping and 
weary, but we are advancing in the cause of Christ and experiencing the 
sufficiency of His grace for teams, provisions, encouragement, and fruitfulness. 
 

I now need for you to pray for a very urgent need for four staff positions to 
be filled.  During the aftermath of Katrina, I rejoiced that God used the 
Trinity staff in an extraordinary way.  The dedication, camaraderie, zeal, 
heart, and dependence on Jesus were the best I have ever seen.  I tremendously 
enjoyed my friends on my staff.  Many of you have been part of Trinity or 
Compassion teams and know the wonderful staff members I am talking about.

God, in His wisdom however, has taken several staff members to new mission 
fields:
• Steve Olsen, our Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries, has just accepted a 
Senior Pastor position in a church just outside of Houston.
• Joycelyn Romero, our Operations Director, secretary, and “everything else” 
leader has relocated to Austin, Texas with her family.
• Barbara Oden, our Bookkeeper, has relocated to Memphis, because of some 
incredible opportunities in her adventure of faith.  
• Suzanne Cole, our part-time Children’s Director, has graciously stepped out of 
her position to allow a full-time pastor or director to lead our thriving 
children’s ministry.  Suzanne felt led by Jesus to do this and is still very 
active helping us get into our new children’s building. 

I love each of these people and miss each one.  They are choice servants in 
God’s Kingdom (I guess Texas must be a bigger mission field than Louisiana, for 
God to move so many over there!!!). 

Would you pray for the following four positions to be filled and pass the word 
to potential applicants to send us a resume?  You may know of some seminary 
students graduating, pastors who are looking for a change or a talented lay 
person who would be perfect for the job.
 
1. Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries

Trinity Church is a growing, vibrant, grace-centered, Evangelical Free Church of 
about 700 Christ-followers.  The candidate must love Jesus and be a strong 
leader who is able to lead, train, and motivate volunteers and oversee a wide 
array of adult ministries spanning small groups, men’s, women’s, discipleship 
and care. This family oriented community is located on the Northshore of Lake 
Ponchartrain, where you will find some of the best schools in the state. Better 
yet, we are experiencing revival, renewal, and an 



Acts 2 kind of experience in the aftermath of Katrina.  A 15,000 square foot 
educational building will open in April.  If you have been hearing the “still 
small voice” say “I’ve got a new adventure for you” please apply.

2. Pastor of Children’s Ministry

Trinity Church in Covington, LA, is a contemporary EFCA church with an average 
attendance of 700.  Of this 700, 140 are children from birth through sixth 
grade. We are looking for a dynamic, creative, fun loving person who is 
passionate about Jesus and able to create environments that are irresistible to 
children and their parents. The ideal candidate must be able to cast vision, 
recruit, train and mobilize volunteer staff. A new $1.5 million dollar state of 
the art children’s building will open in April 2006.

3. Follow-up

This is a position of assimilation and care that will last over the next year or 
year and a half to follow-up spiritually on the hundreds of contacts Trinity 
Church and Compassion teams have had in the community in the aftermath of 
Katrina.  This person will need to equip, envision, and raise-up teams to assist 
in the process of outreach, follow-up, care, and enfolding new people into the 
local church.

4. Operations/Bookkeeping

This person will handle bookkeeping, oversee building and grounds as well as 
interface with Compassion.  We are praying whether this will be a full-time 
position or two part-time positions.

I preached yesterday on Joshua 14.  Caleb at 85 years old said “I want to take 
on the giants in the hill country.”  This faithful servant saw an opportunity 
not an obstacle, God, not the giants, and chose to walk by faith not fear.  The 
result was Caleb entered into the Promised Land for the glory of God.  At 
Trinity, we have giants to tackle, mountains to climb, and obstacles to 
overcome.  We have had no other choice than to bet the farm on God.  This is one 
more opportunity to see His provisions and boast in God’s faithfulness.  Please 
pray and, send us qualified applicants, and I will keep you informed.

Betting the Farm on God,
Michael

February 12, 2006

Signs and Wonders

“And they were continually devoting themselves to …prayer.  And everyone kept 
feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the 
apostles.”  Acts 2:42-43

In Henry Blackaby’s book Experiencing God his mantra is, “Find where God is 
working and join Him there.”  We are trying to do that and His fingerprints are 
everywhere.

1. This week a team from Pennsylvania was given the assignment of helping a 
woman named Georgia.  They had a sizable job considering the devastation of 
Katrina on this woman’s property.  They diligently cleared trees and debris, but 
were stopped by an enormous uprooted stump that they were unable to remove with 
chainsaws.  While returning to work on Georgia’s house on the 2nd day, they got 
delayed by a raised drawbridge as they were crossing over Lake Ponchartrain.  
Waiting three cars in front of them was a man with a “Bobcat.”  Could that be 
God’s answer?  Was this a divine appointment on the middle of the Causeway?  Was 
this attempt foolishness or faith?  Who would know unless someone stepped out in 
faith.  A man got out of their vehicle and went up and knocked on this man’s 
window, told them their dilemma, and asked for help.  A few hours later he 
showed up at Georgia’s house.  At the sight of the size of the stump he told the 
team that it was impossible to pull up the stump.  The team knew this was a 
God-thing and they said, “You pull and we will pray this humongous stump out.”  
He pulled with the Bobcat and it came right out.  Yeah God!  A FEMA truck was 
right down the street hauling away debris.  The team raced down the street and 
said, “We prayed for you and here you are.”  FEMA came and took all of the 
debris away from in front of her home.  Georgia was presented with a clean yard. 
 Good story?  …  The best is yet to come.  The team got to know and love 
Georgia.  They told her about their friend, Jesus.  She trusted Christ for her 
sins.  She had been searching for some time.  I got to meet her Wednesday as she 
attended the service.  Yeah God!

2. On Wednesday night another guest attended.  I spoke on the topic of “Why 
Heaven is Better” from Philippians 1:21.  After the meeting one of the teams got 
to talking to their guest (they had worked at her home) and she found salvation! 
 Transformed lives are God’s greatest signs and wonders.  Yeah God!

3. A few weeks back, my wife Donna and son, Jonathan, gutted a home in Abita 
Springs.  The owner of the home has now become Donna’s friend, and she is 
attending Trinity Church regularly.  In fact, Wednesday night her son, and 
uncle, who hasn’t been to church in ages, came to the service.  The uncle said 
he’d be back.  Yeah God!

4. I met with the children’s pastor from Hershey Evangelical Free Church this 
morning.  He told about praying for Trinity and the community here and asked God 
what he could uniquely do to assist in God’s work.  Immediately after praying 
that prayer, he received an e-mail from Mark Lewis, our Compassion director, 
asking if he could help Trinity with VBS this year since Trinity lost their 
Children’s Director.  Bingo!  He had his answer, and we met today to start the 
coordination of his volunteers with those of Trinity.

5. These stories could go on and on.  They don’t end.  Last night I shared with 
the teams how in Exodus 17 Joshua was sent into the valley to fight the 
Amalakites while Moses went to the hilltop to lift his arms in prayer to God.  
While his arms were lifted high, Israel prevailed, but when his arms drooped, 
the enemy made inroads.  You know the story how Aaron and Hur came alongside of 
Moses to keep his arms raised and there was great victory.  At the end of the 
meeting a pastor brought 8 men forward and raised my arms and prayed for me and 
Trinity.  Amazing, yet this is what is happening at Trinity Church.

At times our arms are very tired, yet people from all over the country are 
praying for us, sending resources and teams.  Because of all of you, and the 
power of God, we are prevailing in the work.  Here are some stats on the groups 
we have scheduled over the past few months:

Castle Rock
• Teams:  51
• Completed Work Requests:  286
• Outstanding Work Requests:  35
• Volunteers:  785
• Work Hours:  23,230

Trinity Church

• Teams:  153
• Completed Work Requests:  834
• Outstanding Work Requests:  432
• Volunteers:  1,898
• Work hours:  72,810

Sorry I haven’t written in the last 2 weeks, but this only leads to one more 
story.  A few weeks back, Donna and I were strong in spirit but weary in body.  
We went for a walk and commented that it would be helpful if we could get a 
little break.  When we got back to the house, I checked my e-mail.  A new friend 
from a Chinese Bible Church outside of San Francisco asked if we could come and 
speak at their 4 services and if possible stay a few days for a little R&R.  We 
took Pastor Steve up on his kind offer and met his wonderful church family.  
They allowed us to see the area and behold the beauty of God’s creation in that 
area of the country.  We returned refreshed, rejuvenated, and thankful.  We even 
look forward to teams of Chinese believers join with us in the work of New 
Orleans.  God is good.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

January 27, 2006

Bridge-Building

It is an amazing time to be preaching at Trinity Church to our dear people, 
guests and teams.  Despite so much hardship and heartache, the family of God is 
so responsive to the Word of God.  Last Sunday, I preached from Acts 10 on 
“Bridge-Building”.  In the passage, we encountered the beloved disciple, Peter, 
with a great big plank in his eye.  His blind spot was a deep seeded prejudice 
against Gentiles.  Peter was brought up this way.  The lens of the Great 
Commission to go to the whole world was simply the Jewish world for Peter.  In 
this, he was content and yet blinded to the bigger call of God.  We discovered 
that God was about to do quadruple by-pass surgery on Peter through an encounter 
with Cornelius.  God orchestrated events so that Peter had a choice.  He could 
keep the plank in his eye or die to self.  This was a defining moment.  If Peter 
built a bridge, it would cost him – ego, pride, reputation, etc.

You can imagine what friends around him would say if he invited Gentiles into 
his home.  (“Did you see what I saw?”  “What’s this neighborhood coming to?”  
“Pretty soon they’ll all be moving in!”)  Peter chose well and went with the 
Gentiles.  I wonder if he thought, “Hey, these are human beings!  Normal guys … 
we have a lot in common … I was wrong … Why have I been afraid all of these 
years?”  All of this led to the conversion of Cornelius and his family, but the 
biggest conversion was the transformation of Peter to be a bridge-builder.

It seems like God is still in this transformation business.  In our two 
services about 10 people raised their hands signaling they prayed to trust 
Christ.  In addition, I had a small wooden plank and a pencil put in every 
bulletin.  At the end of the service, I invited people to write on the plank any 
blind spots to being bridge-builders, or lack of love God had revealed to them 
during the service and then come up and put the plank at the foot of the cross.  
Person after person made their way up front.  Great numbers of people??  On the 
planks were words like:  fear, judgmentalism, legalism, prejudice, labeling, 
pride, ego, and attitude.

Katrina means “cleansing” and that is what God is doing in me and in others.  
He is cleansing us for His purposes.  One man said, “Michael, you didn’t have 
enough planks for me to write down all of the stuff I needed to.”  God was 
freeing him up one step at a time.  As we left Trinity, we were all primed to 
step out of our circles of comfort, build bridges to those around us and tell 
others about our friend and Savior, Jesus.  Jesus is building His Church in the 
devastated region of New Orleans.

This reminds me of the guy who told me a little while back about his encounter 
with a waitress at a restaurant.  This Christ-follower was with a Christian 
friend and the waitress was a young girl with multi-colored hair and piercings 
in many places.  As he put it, “it looked like she was fishing and her tackle 
box exploded.”  Got the picture?  When the girl left the table to get the 
drinks, this man conveyed his disgust to his friend.  To his surprise, his 
friend responded, “Do you believe lost people matter to God?”  Gulp.  Uh.  Have 
you been there, too?  I have been.  When the waitress returned to the table the 
friend called the waitress by name and said, “The two of us are Christians and 
we are going to pray and bless our meal.  Is there anything we can include for 
you?  The girl with the metal piercings in many places got real tender and said, 
“Yes, I’m getting married this coming weekend.  Pray that my marriage would 
last.”  What a way to build a bridge.  The man telling the story learned a lot 
about God’s heart.  God was doing surgery on his heart, too!

I am blown away daily with what Jesus is doing in our midst:

1. I just got an e-mail from the college team from the St. Louis E-free Church 
that served over Christmas break (Hi Erin and Kristen!).  These young zealous 
adults discovered the “power of God through simple service.”  They saw the 
example of ministry through action.  On January 29 they will be telling their 
story to their church and how they desire to start a “compassion ministry” for 
the neighborhoods surrounding the church.  As Kristen puts it, “I am very 
encouraged that my church was so moved by a bunch of punk-kids who decided to 
give up their Christmas break to serve.  It is quite humbling in this sense, 
seeing that God used us to inspire my whole, enormous church -- to spur them on 
to something more.  Surely God has used the weakest to make the church 
strong!!”

2. One friend told me he got a wonderful gift for Christmas from his daughters.  
They knew wanted to return to Trinity to help.  They gave him $200 to handle 
expenses in Louisiana.

3. One e-mail from a man stated that outside of his wedding day and the birth of 
his children, the time at Trinity was the single greatest experience of his life 
and the most fulfilling thing he has ever done.  He has a gaping hunger for 
what’s next.  Don’t you love it?  Do I hear any “Amen’s” out there?

4. Here are reflections of one team:

“The landscape is stunning:  Neighborhood after neighborhood filled with houses, 
now abandoned, almost all with waterlines at least halfway up the walls, parts 
of roofs missing, sometimes still bearing the red spray-painted markings left by 
rescue workers in boats, debris still scattered randomly on roadsides and in 
yards.  Trees fallen on houses and cars, still untouched four months later.  
Cars, trucks, buses—exteriors dented and pierced, interiors fuzzy with 
mold—parked at crazy angles in odd places or sandwiched together like sticks of 
chewing gum or wrapped around overpass pillars. Virtually everyone we talked 
with in New Orleans said they had lost everything. 
  
“The very proposition of our team’s work is preposterous.  We enter someone’s 
home and go through their drawers and closets and shelves.  We drag all their 
personal belongings and household furnishings out into the front yard, throwing 
it all into a huge pile.  Then we take sledge hammers and crowbars to the walls, 
systematically destroying the inside of the house, leaving only a skeleton of 2 
by 4 studs. 
 
“This is not about houses.  This is about people.  When you’re out in the 
neighborhoods and you see people, stop what you’re doing and approach them.  
Tell them who you are, why you’re there.  Listen to their stories.  Weep with 
them.  Hug them.  Find out how you can pray for them, and then circle up and do 
it. 
  
“Each member of the Chatham team has left a special mental snapshot in my mind.  
Lucy approaches a couple of ladies who are stopping traffic for a heavy 
equipment operator smoking a cigarette, pulls them all into a prayer circle with 
the whole team, and we pray with them and for them.  One of the ladies declares 
Lucy a ‘woman of God.’   
  
“Emily walks out of a house that we are gutting, sits down and says, ‘This is 
really emotional.’  She and Zach take a walk around the block to talk to 
neighbors they spot across the back yard, and come back exhilarated at having 
ministered to a total stranger.  When we go out to eat one night, Nikki, a 
waitress herself, notices a waitress who is wearing obvious signs of fatigue and 
worry and stress, strikes up a conversation and tries to encourage her.  She and 
Stephanie volunteer to pray in the circle we often form in front of houses.  
  
“Matt and Ron are relentless warriors of grace, quietly leaving behind a trail 
of simple acts of kindness.  Matt gives one of his own tools to an appreciative 
homeowner, whom he knows will need it.  As we clean out the vehicles, Ron walks 
around asking, ‘Do you have any trash I can take care of for you?’  Saying 
goodbye, four strapping young college guys from Mizzou surround Ron and squeeze 
him into a collective bear hug. 
  
“Crossing over Lake Pontchartrain on our last trip out of New Orleans, Matt and 
I read from Proverbs, talk about our families, ponder the churning waves and the 
city lights beyond them, and try to comprehend our experience.   Honestly, the 
contrasting images of utter despair and hope offered are still too much for me 
to take in completely.  It’s enough now simply to know that God knew this day 
would come and go, and that through it all, from the ashes, He is again speaking 
beauty and grace.”

5. I spent Wednesday – Saturday of last week in Minneapolis at a Ministerial 
Conference with 400-500 pastors in the E-Free Church.  It was amazing to have so 
many say they are praying for us and are not going to forget us.  What a comfort 
and joy.  I love partnering with churches across our country.

6. We have had teams from 29 states and Canada join us.  Last week, we had our 
first team member come from Paris, France.  Wow!  Only God!

These stories can go on and on.  The reason for the stories is … God!  I can’t 
explain it all, but God has graciously done something very special.  He is doing 
it and he deserves the credit!

A few things to pray for:

1. Pray for hurting people in our region who are dealing with the grief, loss, 
depression, and chaos of living in a devastating city.  The suicide hotline in 
our area used to handle 100 calls a day and it is now getting 900 a day.

2. Pray for my church staffing needs, especially that God would provide a 
children’s pastor or director and an operations person, ASAP.

3. Pray for the resources to provide furnishings for our new children’s building 
that is scheduled to open April 1.  We did not have any money set aside to 
furnish the building and were planning to run a mini-capital campaign in the 
fall.  Katrina interrupted all of that.  I don’t know where the funds will come 
from, but despite my uncertainty on this, I’m betting the farm on God once 
again.

4. Pray for Mark Lewis who leads our compassion staff and for new leaders for 
our men’s and women’s ministry.

Betting the Farm on God,

Michael

January 17, 2006 

Dying to Live 

As each year begins I usually ask God for a verse to focus on during the New Year. The verse this year is 1 Corinthians 15:31b - "I die daily." I don’t think I am going to like this verse …Honest…. but I think I’ll like the fruit. I have been meditating on Jesus’ call to die to self. 

• Matthew 16:24,25- "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall loose it; but whoever looses their life for my sake shall find it." 

• John 12:24 - "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it only remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." 

Jesus is telling me that I need to die in order to really live. This dying begins with: 

my ambitions 

my rights 

my control 

my comforts 

my hopes 

my traditions 

my self-interest 

my politics 

my agendas 

my selfishness 

my greed 

my pride 

my self-sufficiency 

my image 

God demands that real life flow out of abiding in Him rather than from my own strength. 

Katrina means cleansing. I believe that in many ways it has been a cleansing not only for New Orleans but for me. He is shaking things up from top to bottom. He is getting rid of the junk in my life … cleaning house … torching what needs to be burnt. He is stripping away the excess baggage and I am traveling lighter than I was before. The change has been great, and I’m having to die to certain things and in some cases grieve certain losses. It is amazing to think what has happened in four months. 

1. We entered into the empty nest days before Katrina as we dropped Jonathan off at Baylor. 

2. For weeks we functioned in total survival mode making up life one day at a time. 

3. We are adjusting to the financial challenges of paying for college, which all of you know is not cheap. 

4. Trinity Church has had so many people scatter and many people move away. Being a relational person this is a challenging dynamic in my life. I estimate 30% of the church family has been dispersed. Thankfully God is refilling the ministry with many newcomers. 

5. I have lost three staff members due to Katrina or God’s new directions. These positions need to be filled. Our full time Compassion staff has swollen to about sixteen, which positions us to make a huge investment in the community. 

6. With my parents moving and encountering their own health challenges, it put me in another season of life. 

7. Our new building is coming on line April 1 and a new elder board is coming together for the first time tonight. 

8. Our house is still under construction. We are ahead of many, but these projects seem to go on for a long time. Things are so chaotic I have a card table set up in my bathroom and now I do all my writing and sermon prep there. I'm NOT kidding!!!!!!! This is life in New Orleans. 

Change is everywhere yet all these areas provide an opportunity to practice dying to self. The result is there is something very alive in me. The Spirit is making a way. God makes streams in wastelands. Jesus brings beauty out of ashes. There may be sorrow at night but joy comes in the morning. God is the master at bringing resurrections out of deaths. Yea God! 

Is there any area you need to die to? Any area you are grasping and need to let go? Any area you are: 

Pushing       Fearing 

Pulling         Forcing 

Manipulating         Demanding 

Clinging       Tired 

Grasping      Wound Up 

Stressing      Holding onto 

Exhausting 

Any area you need to die in order to live? 

Betting the farm on God, 

Michael

January 10, 2006

Morbid, yet beneficial…for me

"He is no fool to give up what he can not keep, to gain that which he can 
not lose."   Jim Elliot
"Only one life, will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will 
last."
"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his 
soul?"

I have a spiritual practice that I enter into annually on January 1 that propels 
me into the New Year.  It is a bid morbid for some but it is beneficial for me.  
It is an exercise in counting and remembering the brevity of life.  Every New 
Years Day I read Psalm 90.  In part this Psalm says:  "As for the days of 
our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years … so 
teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of 
wisdom." (Ps. 90:10, 12)

In my Bible I have marked for many years now how many days I have left if I live 
to be 70 years old.  I do the math and it helps me to remember life is brief, 
too valuable to waste.  The Psalmist says to learn to count by numbering our 
days.  My days are certainly dwindling.  Back in 1994 my record reveals I had 
12,410 days left, to age 70.  This January 1 my math tells me I only have 8,030 
days to age 70.  I may not live another day of course, but if I live out a 
normal life span, the psalmist tells me to remember how short life is in order 
to make the most of my one and only life on this side.  Morbid … I know … but it 
works for me.  

Each January 1, I also evaluate the prior year and put a plan of growth together 
for the coming year.  I enter 2006 with a sense of great anticipation.  Life for 
me is nothing short of amazing.  Despite the challenges, God’s blessings 
continue to flow and my life is rich with family, friends, and opportunities 
that I cherished.  Jesus is more compelling, inviting, and mysterious than ever. 
 The Word of God is this wild, untamable, uncensored, living book that rocks my 
world, and fills me with direction and life.  These days I am trying to drink in 
every moment and seize each day by squeezing out of it all the goodness God 
intends.  The stakes are high and the ride will be breathtaking at times in 
2006.  There is nothing like the adventurous life in Christ.  I trust you will 
find the same in this new year.  

Pray for our relief effort as we enter into 2006:

1.  Our full-time Compassion staff is up to about 16.  These are committed, 
choice servants who have committed 3-12 months to work at Trinity in our 
Compassion office.  What an answer to prayer!  Pray for all the transition and 
training of the new staff. To God be the glory.

2.  Pray for a follow-up director for our relief effort.  I want to fill this 
position ASAP to capitalize on all the work in the community.  Pray as well for 
a full-time children's pastor or director for our ministry.  Does anyone have 
any recommendations?  It is a great opportunity for the right person.

3.  Pray for our resourcing of our new facility that is scheduled to open April 
1.  Katrina has put us way behind in our giving as pledge gifts have not come 
in. God is able.  Pray.

4.  Pray for revival.  A young man, 18 years old was in my office the other day. 
 God has broken him and he was so eager to trust Christ.  It was a work of God.  
He was in church Sunday and brought his entire family.  The same day he trusted 
Jesus another person came into the free store and was led to Christ.  This was 
the person's first opportunity to lead someone to the Lord.  I don't know who 
was more excited - the one who accepted the Lord or the one God used.  The 
answer was probably the angels in heaven who were celebrating.

5.  Pray for my staff. Pray for energy and perseverance.  They work so hard.  
You can pray for them by name if you check the webpage at 
www.trinitychurchonline.net

6.  Our second Trinity produced DVD of the work will be finished within the 
week.  You can go to our website and request a new DVD.

Betting the farm on God,

Michael

January 2, 2006

Amazing Teams

After returning from a Christmas break in Maryland with my family, I got to meet 
the other night with two large teams of predominately college students.  The 
groups were from Fargo, North Dakota and St. Louis, Missouri.  I was reminded 
what choice people God is sending us and how awesome college students can be.

1. A woman named Dakota illustrates the compassion and zeal volunteers have to 
serve God in our community.  Dakota had to travel quite a distance on Christmas 
Day to meet with the bus leaving Bethel Church, an EFCA church in Fargo.  As she 
traveled on a country road, her vehicle swerved, spun and then flipped leaving 
her semi-conscious, upside-down hanging from her seatbelt.  She remained there 
until police arrived.  The lead policeman wanted to take her to the hospital 
because she was disoriented.  Dakota maintained she had to catch a bus to do 
relief work in New Orleans.  Rescue workers sensed this mission was important.  
Being that tow trucks weren't available, at least quickly, on country roads on 
Christmas Day, the fire department was called to help right the flipped vehicle. 
 Twenty firemen responded to the call and enthusiastically got involved in 
helping get Dakota on the road to catch her bus for a 22-hour drive our way.  As 
Dakota's beat-up vehicle was pulled from the ditch, the firemen promised to call 
her every 20 minutes as she traveled to Bethel Church to make sure that she was 
alright.  Dakota knew God called her to our mission field and Jesus provided for 
her once again on Christmas Day!  This is the kind of volunteers we are 
getting.

2. One of the great things about Bethel Church was that their team was sent by 
their pastor, Doug Anderson, not only to serve in the community, but to help 
preserve and maintain our building at Trinity.  With 80-100 team members 
sleeping and eating at the building every day and ministry going on 24/7, you 
can imagine the beating it takes.  We haven't been dubbed, "the church of 
the stained carpet" for nothing.  While several Bethel teams went out, some 
stayed behind to clean our carpets and help at the church building!  What a 
display of love.

Thank you, Bethel Church.  You have a great group of college students.  If any 
of you know Doug Anderson, thank him for me.  God used him a few weeks back in a 
strategic way and now once again.  We promise to keep using the carpet everyday, 
but it looks very nice today!  It is our privilege and pleasure to use Trinity 
Church as a staging area for God to do His work in New Orleans with churches 
from 29 states and Canada so far.

3. Numbers of college students shared their hearts.  One freshman in college 
recounted how her spiritual life was drifting and now was renewed.  Another told 
how God opened the door to share the gospel and seeds were planted.  Another 
told how easy it was to share your faith when serving people for free in our 
ravaged city.  It inspired me to hear the zeal and devotion for Jesus in the 
lives of these college students.  Yeah God.

4. Please keep praying for our community.  Mark Lewis, our Compassion team 
director, shared about attending a funeral for a family member of someone he 
befriended here.  What stood out to him was that there was no one except Mark at 
the funeral home.  It dawned on him that all the person's family and friends 
were scattered across the country.  Imagine!  That's what people are facing 
here.  Life is chilling in many ways as people face enormous challenges.  Pray 
for the comfort of God upon this family.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Betting the Farm on God now in 2006,
It was worth it in '05.

Michael