Dear Friends,

I was reading this morning in Ephesians 2:1-10 when I came across this word, “workmanship” which jumped out at me. Ephesians 2:9.10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advanced for us to do.” I immediately wanted to know exactly what that meant and how it would affect me. The definition I found was; “The art or skill of a workman; also the quality imparted to a thing in the process of making it.” Following this definition then we know first of all that the skill of the workman, God, is as good as it gets.

Furthermore, in the process of creating us he imparted to us through the Holy Spirit his very presence as it says in 1 Cor.3-16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you?” And 1 Cor. 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” And also in 2 Cor. 6:16 “For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”

These scriptures are clear that we are created by God and unique among all of creation. Created for an intimate relationship and “Created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I trust that this helps remind you as it did me that we are unique and special to God. And we should never take that for granted. It is so easy as we function daily with whatever life throws at us to slip into feeling as if there is nothing unique about us.

Some time back I came across a piece written by a Catholic priest named George Maloney. It helped remind me how special I am. I trust as you read it that it will do the same for you.

The Gift of Yourself by George Maloney

“We do tend to take ourselves for granted. Reflect: There was a time when you did not exist, but there will never be another time when you will not exist. Yet in the mind of God, in His love for you, you always existed, for He had an idea in His mind that was you from all eternity. There was never a time when God was not thinking of you. He cannot love you more tomorrow than He loves you today and has loved you yesterday. Of all the billions of creatures possible that never saw the light of existence; you were chosen by God to be, to exist. And when in time He brought you forth, when on that certain day you became a human being, when this divine thought of God became incarnated in you, you were destined by God to go on living with His own eternity. You are never to cease to exist. What gratitude should there be for the gift of existence that makes your life so uniquely full of meaning, God-meaning, compared to other creatures destined by God only to be an aid for you to attain eternal life? Ponder prayerfully all the gifts of God wrapped up in your creation: your faculties of intellect, will, imagination, memory; your senses, so marvelous, so intricate and mysterious. You are made in God’s image and likeness through your ability to think, know and love.” George Maloney, Alone With The Alone, Pg.194

Thank you for your prayers and faithful support of Wholeness Ministries. You are much appreciated. I pray for you daily in my time with the Lord.

God bless,

Mike

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD!

I’ve received some very encouraging feedback on my new book. It is filled with over 150 testimonies of miraculous healings I have personally witnessed. Give it a read. You will be encouraged to see how God is still moving powerfully today.

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

“Learning To Do What Jesus Did” is available on YouTube.

In addition to the 9 DVD series being available through Wholeness Ministries you can now watch the entire series on YouTube. The book, an excellent training manual, has been taught around the world and is available in English and Spanish. You can buy the Book, CD’s or DVD’s at the Wholeness Shop.

Learning To Do What Jesus Did (9 parts)
Available on Youtube

Dear Friends,

As I write this letter I want to continue with the theme we have been looking at more closely this year and that is the Second coming of Christ and the Rapture of the church. Though we don’t know the day nor the hour we do know it is going to happen. I believe the two big questions we need to consider are; “Are you living in anticipation of that day when Christ returns?” and “Are you ready?”

I strongly believe we are living near the end of recorded history as we know it, and that we quite possibly will see Christ return during our lifetime, I believe we are living in one of the most challenging times in the history of the world, and that we need to be looking to the future as a time filled with exciting possibilities. People today are looking for something real in their lives. They have tried alcohol, drugs, sex, power, money, possessions, and religion, finding all of them ultimately unable to fill the void which only God can fill. While we are seeing in our country an overall rapid decline in morals, an increase in crime and violence, the deterioration of trust in the political leadership of our nation, the breakdown of families and many of the values that have made this country so great, we are also seeing a fascinating change taking place within the church body.

The world we live in is troubled and hurting but I am seeing throughout our nation people gathering together for the express purpose of interceding in prayer for our Pastors, Churches, Cities, States, and our Country. They are humbly on their faces before God, repenting and asking Him what He would have us do. I am seeing here in Bakersfield, across the country, and in other parts of the world, Pastors and Priests, Elders, Deacons, and the laity, coming together to pray and build relationships with each other, regardless of denominational affiliation. I am seeing the walls we have built around our churches to protect our “flock” begin to crumble, bringing with it the exposure of jealousy, envy, and competition which has so often kept us divided. I am seeing the hand of God shake the church as He moves among us in ways we don’t understand.

I believe God is calling us to a new level of commitment and intimacy, where He will no longer allow us to “play” church, we must be The Church of Jesus Christ in all its fullness. His hand is moving over the church in the United States, and around the world. As He does this, we are coming face to face with the reality of how complacent and bankrupt we have become both individually and corporately.

God in his mercy and grace is waking us up from our slumber, equipping us for warfare, and calling us back to intimacy in relationship with Him, which releases power and authority in our lives. I hear, read, and observe among the young people of this generation, a hunger for God as they gather by the thousands to seek Him. As they gather He touches them and uses them in powerful ways to bring their generation into the Kingdom of God.

How are we to live if indeed that Great Day is upon us? It is to live with a sense of urgency that the time of His return is imminent. In Romans13: 11-4, Paul wrote, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

So, do we sit back and wait, or do we take up our marching orders to share God’s love to the ends of the earth while there is still time? W are living on borrowed time, so if you aren’t ready, get ready. There are any number of passages that encourage us how to do this and they can best be summed up like this; Be Patient, Stand firm, Meet together, Encourage one another, Be consistent, Be merciful, Do what is right, Stay in God’s love and share His love with the world you.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of Wholeness Ministries.

God bless,

Mike

BEFORE YOU GET HERE

Deal With The Garbage That Oppresses You Now!

BEFORE YOU GET HERE: BAGGAGE TO DROP ON YOUR WAY TO HEAVEN

Why wait until heaven to be freed of the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you? God wants you to face those burdens now, on this planet, and through the power of specific prayer be freed from them. My book, subtitled Baggage To Drop On Your Way To Heaven, is a guide to assist in discovering freedom from the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you.

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Before You Get Here

If you have a copy don’t forget that they make great gifts. Consider giving one to a friend.

“Learning To Do What Jesus Did” is available on YouTube.

In addition to the 9 DVD series being available through Wholeness Ministries you can now watch the entire series on YouTube. The book, an excellent training manual, has been taught around the world and is available in English and Spanish. You can buy the Book, CD’s or DVD’s at the Wholeness Shop.

Learning To Do What Jesus Did (9 parts)
Available on Youtube

Dear Friends,

I’ve received some very encouraging feedback on my new book. There are so many stories to tell that I put them down in a book titled, Riding Shotgun With God. This book is filled with stories of the miracles and the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing that I have seen over the last 27+ years of ministry. If you haven’t ordered a copy and read this book yet, do so, as it will encourage you and increase your faith and expectancy. The book is just a snapshot of some of the incredible experiences I have had. I look forward in the coming years to many new and exciting things that our God will reveal about Himself.

You can order “Riding Shotgun With God” directly from the Wholeness Store at THIS LINK.

Recently I read in one of Brennan Manning’s books about Father God’s love for us. He said, “I love you as you are not as you should be because you’re never going to be as you should be.” Did you get that? YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO BE AS YOU SHOULD BE! All of us without exception live with this nagging feeling that we should be something better than we are. We are convinced that in order to be this something, if we do those things that we should, we will then be worthy of God’s love. We have thoughts like, I should read my Bible more, pray more, spend more time with God, go to church more; I should, I should, I should. We are convinced that if we do the “should’s” then we will be loved by God because we will be what we should be. These actions will make us worthy of God’s love.

It is difficult for us to grasp that God loves us even when we are unlovable, inconsistent, irritable, incompetent, irrational, inconsiderate, and a pain in the neck. We have been conditioned to believe that when we are kind, giving, loving, patient with those we don’t even like, then we are worthy to be loved by God. If we’re not, we’re not. The Bible says to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt. 22:37-39) If we don’t love ourselves we’re certainly not going to be able to love our neighbor. And many of us don’t love ourselves because we feel that we are not worthy to be loved because we are not what we should be.

Fortunately, our worth is not based on our actions. In reality we are all unworthy of God’s love. Even if you think you’re worthy, you’re not. The very idea that you are worthy is preposterous. We are broken people with weaknesses and character defects. This condition is best described as being fully human.

The Good News is that we have been redeemed. Thomas Merton wrote, “God is asking me, the unworthy, to forget my unworthiness and that of my brothers, and dare to advance in the love which has redeemed and renewed us all in God’s likeness.” (Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, pg.71)

If you can accept that you are loved as you are and not as you should be then you will begin to accept that God’s love for you and His choice of you will define your worth. You are radically and irrationally loved by God because you are His beloved.

Thank you for your prayers and faithful support of this ministry. You are much appreciated.

God bless,

Mike

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD!

I’ve received some very encouraging feedback on my new book. It is filled with over 150 testimonies of miraculous healings I have personally witnessed. Give it a read. You will be encouraged to see how God is still moving powerfully today.

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

Dear Friends,

Life is serious business. There is often little time for joy in the pressure of meeting life’s demands. After all, we must be responsible and people who run around happy all the time obviously don’t understand the problem or are not concerned about anyone or anything but themselves. What immediately comes to your mind when you think of Joy? Often we confuse happiness with joy. But happiness is dependent on circumstances, people, or success. Joy is deeper. It is a condition and not dependent on life’s circumstances. It is the gift God gives, often when things are the worst. What is a “gloomy Christian” but a contradiction in terms? What or who can make you grim? What makes life fall in for you? What circumstances throw you into an inner panic?

On the night before He was crucified Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete,” John 15:11. Think about that! He knew that in less than 24 hours he would be hanging on a cross and He is talking about Joy! In the first 10 verses he talks about the Conditions of Authentic Joy – ABIDING IN HIM. When I looked up abide in the dictionary, one of the definitions was, “to remain stable or fixed in a state; to conform to.”

He talks about vines and branches. The branches must remain in the vine to bear fruit. They can do nothing apart from the vine. They are dead wood, connected to the vine but fruitless. The branches that do remain, he prunes so that they may bear more fruit. If you bear fruit you show yourself to be His disciple. What this chapter does is begin to bring a realization that we are loved, cherished, valued.

Why is there so little Joy? We are confused about how the Lord loves us. We are hung up with the idea that his love means smooth sailing. Tranquility means blessedness! We assume if life falls in on us, God is punishing us, or we must have done some terrible sin, or He has turned his back on us. We often miss the fact that those who are called and chosen are subjects of reconciliation and renovation. In renovation there is a pruning process that goes on. Cherished-pruning can be painful but it results in greater joy and productivity. He prunes out of our lives anything which will keep us from him and being effective for him. Think just now about what in your life would fit in that category. He doesn’t send the rough circumstances but he uses them. He gives us the power to choose what our attitudes toward them will be.

Earlier I said the key was abiding. But what is the key to abiding? Surrender! Joy is His special gift to people who submit life’s problems and perplexities to Him for his intervention. You can become bitter or blessed, hardened or softened as clay available for God to mould as He desires. So true joy comes with surrender, abiding, prayer, and listening.

“Joy is the realization that nothing can happen to us that the Lord cannot use for an experience of grace and new growth”

I recently heard from a gentleman in another state who has been using our material quite successfully to lead people out of bondage into freedom and healing. It is always exciting and encouraging knowing some of what I have written is bringing freedom to people I will probably never meet.

God bless,

Mike

BEFORE YOU GET HERE

Deal With The Garbage That Oppresses You Now!

BEFORE YOU GET HERE: BAGGAGE TO DROP ON YOUR WAY TO HEAVEN

Why wait until heaven to be freed of the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you? God wants you to face those burdens now, on this planet, and through the power of specific prayer be freed from them. My book, subtitled Baggage To Drop On Your Way To Heaven, is a guide to assist in discovering freedom from the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you.

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Before You Get Here

If you have a copy don’t forget that they make great gifts. Consider giving one to a friend.

“Learning To Do What Jesus Did” is available on YouTube.

In addition to the 9 DVD series being available through Wholeness Ministries you can now watch the entire series on YouTube. The book, an excellent training manual, has been taught around the world and is available in English and Spanish. You can buy the Book, CD’s or DVD’s at the Wholeness Shop.

Learning To Do What Jesus Did (9 parts)
Available on Youtube

Dear Friends,

I was recently reflecting on my life and thinking about what I had done with what God had given me. During the 1960’s I was in my mid twenties, going to college in San Francisco and living on a sailboat in Sausalito, CA. I was in a good place in my life. I had recently finished my four-year commitment with the Air Force, was living in a beautiful part of California and had my whole life ahead of me. The future looked good. I had asked Jesus to come into my life at the young age of 12. When I was growing up the church my family attended was what we referred to as “hell fire and brimstone” preaching that scared me into getting saved because I didn’t want to end up in hell. Though I had accepted Jesus into my life as a young boy it was now 12 years later and my walk with the Lord was somewhat shaky. Much of how I was living during this time was not honoring to Him.

There was a point when I began to question if God was even there, much less interested in my life. I found it hard to reconcile my faith with what was going on around me during those turbulent 60’s. I was living in the San Francisco bay area in the midst of the peace and love hippie generation. There were protests regarding the Vietnam War, there was a strong anti-establishment movement, and we had just witnessed the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

During this period of my life I began to write poetry. I had a somewhat jaded view of life so much of the poetry I was writing was a reflection of what was going on around me. Never in my journey I had ever considered being in full-time ministry. My goal was to get a good job, make lots of money and enjoy all that went along with that. It is now 60 years later and I was reading over some of the poetry I had written during that time. This one poem surprised me because what I had written during that time was certainly not a reflection of what I wanted to do with my life. It’s called “One Life To Live”.

One Life To Live
For what I want that pleases me
If I wallow in that deceiving mire
Of worldly pleasure and desire
I fear there waits consuming fire
To punish me and my desire

Two roads to take which shall it be
The one that pleases only me
One’s long and wide and can be fun
But what about when it is done
Does there only wait the fire of hell
At the end of a road that’s built so well

The other road is rough and narrow
Why should I go that way
There’s so much work and sorrow
I’ll have to learn to pray

But then I think why shouldn’t I
At least there is a reason
For life and love and clear blue sky
That makes me laugh and makes me cry

Now that I know what I’m to do
I’ve got to go and get it through
‘cause when they lay me ‘neath
the sod
They’ll know I’ve lived my life for God

When I read over this poem I’d written when in my mid 20’s it seems to me that subconsciously I was already deciding as a young man to live a life that would be honoring to God. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time God was preparing me for a life devoted to full-time ministry. I found this experience stunning in that God in his loving providence let me do what I wanted with my life until I reached a point where I was not satisfied with what I was experiencing as a result of my choices. What initially drew me toward ministry was that my wife and I were helping with the college youth at our church and I was finding that much more fulfilling than my work.

Have you thought about your life and how much God’s hand has directed decisions you’ve made and steps you’ve taken? It’s fascinating to think back and reflect on how God has directed, provided and protected each of us. Try it, you may be surprised at what you learn about your one life.

God bless,

Mike

WHY NOT WASTE TIME WITH GOD
Moving Beyond A Superficial Relationship With God To Live In Intimacy With Him

IT’S ABOUT RELATIONSHIP!

God wants to hang out with you. We so often feel as if we must be doing something even when we are with God that it’s difficult for us to grasp that He wants to be our friend. In order for deep friendship to develop there are times when we must spend time together doing absolutely nothing but being together.

This book will help you understand that, but only if you apply it will it help you live it. Everything in this world fights against time alone with God. Everything in God longs for time alone with us. Why would you possibly choose to be influenced by the former?

“This book frames spiritual growth with God’s heart, given in his Son and validated by His Spirit. This book demolishes our excuses and defenses against divine intimacy. This book is for those willing to have a fresh self-encounter and a fresh God-encounter,” Dr. Don Williams

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Why Not Waste Time With God or call 661-833-2920.