So blessed to see God moving!

We continue to rejoice at the incredible things that God is doing through our speaking ministry. He has been so faithful! Here are the highlights from March, April and May:

The Wapak Church- Wapakoneta, Ohio

I was invited to speak at The Wapak Church for a Saturday breakfast as well as two Sunday services. On Saturday morning, Pastor Jason put together an event called “Porn and Pancakes.” It was open to the community and people from several churches attended. The event was designed to deal with the issue of pornography directly and people came out to learn more about how to get free and stay free. My friend Sean Ardizzone also came with his company, ArkCybr, to share about the resources they offer. I shared some of my story as well as several important principles I have learned over the years. We had several questions that came in from the attendees which we took time to answer. It was a great event.

On Sunday, I shared a message about not allowing the fire of God in our lives to fade. That morning, as I was getting prepared, I had a random thought about the three little pigs story. I shrugged it off as a silly illustration, although it tied into what I planned to preach that morning. While I was preaching, the story came back to me again, so I shared it despite the fact it seemed like a ridiculous illustration. After the service, a woman came up to me and she was in tears. She shared how her family had been devastated by a tornado a couple of years back. During that time, the Lord spoke to her from the story of the three little pigs. She pulled out her phone to show me what she had written during that time. It was exactly the same idea I gave in my sermon! She said, “I’ve never heard anyone reference that story from the pulpit.” I assured her that was the first time that had ever happened. I was reminded at how personal and loving God is. The way He was able to bring that to my mind and give me the boldness to share it just for that one woman reveals His nature as a loving Father. It was a great weekend of ministry in Wapakoneta.

Pure Life Ministries Residential Program- Dry Ridge, Kentucky

I was able to minister at the Pure Life Ministries residential program three times in March-May:

March: The Both-And God

I shared a message from Nahum 1 about the two sides of God’s character: His fierce wrath toward sin and His indescribable mercy toward repentant sinners. Both of these themes can be found in Nahum’s prophecy against Ninevah. I encouraged the men to cry out to God for His mercy, as He is willing to forgive and restore even the most broken of sinners.

April: Holy Spirit Night

I did a teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and talked about how my personal relationship with the Holy Spirit has drastically impacted my life over the years. At the end of the teaching, we had a time set apart for seeking the Lord. After praying for many men, we had a rich time of worship and the presence of the Lord was evident among us. I’m grateful for how the Lord ministered to our hearts that night.

May 4: Yahweh: The Perpetual Planner

I shared from Jeremiah 29:11, one of the most popular verses of the Bible. However, I gave the context surrounding that promise and explained how it did not look like God had good plans for Israel at the time they would have heard this prophecy from Jeremiah. The men in the program can relate because they are also experiencing a kind of spiritual exile in Pure Life Ministries. Despite how things might look in the natural, God has an amazing plan for them if they will allow Him to do what He wants to do in their lives.

International Trip- Nicaragua

We had a memorable trip to Nicaragua in March. This was my third time ministering in that country and God was faithful as always to show up and do what only He can do. We brought over 200 copies of The Crucified Lifestyle in Spanish and held pastor’s conferences in several areas to provide this resource for their ministries. We also held some outdoor meetings, ministered in churches and did some evangelism in local communities. I posted a full report about the trip with pictures that you can read here.

Bethel Christian- Beavercreek, Ohio

I’m so grateful for a great weekend of ministry with Pastor Dan Brown and the amazing congregation of Bethel Christian Assembly of God in Beavercreek, Ohio. I was invited to speak at their men’s prayer breakfast on a Saturday morning. I shared a message from the book of Nehemiah about the need for men to rise up and make an impact for God in our families and communities. Several thanked me for the challenging word.

On Sunday, I was part of their missions convention. I preached a message about Jesus being the Savior, Healer and Deliverer today just as He was 2000 years ago. I shared many testimonies of how God is continuing to move in salvation, healing and deliverance in America as well as overseas. Afterwards, we had a time of prayer at the altars. One young man in particular testified that the pain in his hand and back went away immediately as we prayed. Others received prayer for various physical and spiritual needs as well. God is so good!

Antioch Church- Lebanon, Ohio

We had a great men’s event with Antioch Church in Lebanon, Ohio. I teamed up with Pure Life Ministries to do this event together. I love being in a room filled with spiritually hungry men worshipping the Lord. The times of worship and fellowship were such a blessing.

Pastor Nate Danser from PLM opened up the conference on Friday night with a message about how the enemy uses the things of this world and fleshly lust to try to keep men from truly pursuing the Lord. He encouraged the men to develop a rich life in prayer that can insulate us from the temptations all around us. Afterward, we got together in small groups to share what God was speaking to us personally.

I shared the second message on Saturday morning. I talked about what it meant to be a seeker of the Kingdom of God and how that should affect our priorities. A half-hearted Christian experience that is mostly lived out only on Sunday morning is not what Jesus had in mind when He shared in Matthew 6:33 about seeking God. We had the men write down on a note card the answers to three questions about their current spiritual state. They then got together in small groups, shared something from their card and prayed for one another.

The final session on Saturday was a joint session that Pastor Nate and I shared. We each talked about two spiritual disciplines. He shared about prayer and Bible study and I talked about fasting and worship. We ended with a Q&A and then closed out the conference.

It was a wonderful weekend in the presence of God. We got a lot of feedback from the men that they had been challenged to press into their spiritual lives. It was so refreshing to be with men who are willing to set aside their weekend in order to grow spiritually.

Snack Cart Ministry- Dayton, Ohio

We took the snack cart out and hit the streets of downtown Dayton. Our first encounter with a woman at an intersection reminded me of how much people are craving God’s love. We prayed a simple prayer with her, and she began to cry and said, “I really needed that.”

I was also reminded about how complicated people’s lives can be. As I had many conversations, I realized that everyone’s journey through life has put them into situations that make them the person they are today. Some have experienced incredible challenges with family relationships, sickness, suicide, addiction and a host of other setbacks in their lives. Our team listened as they shared and then we offered Christ. As we prayed for many, we trusted that the Lord would use the encounter to bring them closer to Him. Our job is to sow the seed and He is the one who will bring the harvest. We handed out 50 copies of the Gospels along with our Romans Road cards. It was a great outreach.

Bridge the Gap- Cincinnati, Ohio

I had the privilege of taking a team from my home church to serve at one of Bridge the Gap’s dinner churches in downtown Cincinnati. Hundreds of people came out that night to receive clothing, a hot meal and hear the preaching. James and Letha Turner do an awesome job and are making a big impact in the Cincy around and beyond. I spoke to one man for quite a while before my time to share with everyone. He had some interesting views about the Bible and religion. Ultimately, he said he was “cool with Jesus” but wasn’t convinced that Christianity was different from some of the other religions. I got called away from that conversation to speak to the crowd.

I shared about a ten minute testimony and Gospel presentation. It can be loud and rowdy during the speaking, but several people had their eyes locked on me, including the young man I had talked to. When I gave the altar call, several people responded to give their lives to Christ and that young man was one of them. Afterwards, he told me that when I was speaking, he could feel something tugging on his heart. We had an opportunity to minister to several others in prayer. I’m grateful for how the Lord revealed Himself to several people that night.

Pure Life Ministries Annual Conference- The Ark Encounter

This year’s theme was “Watch and Pray,” and came from Jesus’ words to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. I was one of five speakers who shared on the topic of watchful prayer. Each session of the pre-conference and conference were a powerful reminder to make sure that we are maintaining a healthy prayer life. I shared a message called “Time to Wake Up.” I wrote a full article about the conference that you can check out here, including a link to that message. It was a convicting and encouraging weekend to be sure!

Calvary Assembly- Willoughby Hills, Ohio

It was great to be back with Pastor Dan and his congregation for their Global Impact and Unity Sunday. They do these a couple of times a year to keep the church focused on their mission outside the walls of the church. They had a worship team made up of multiple nationalities and we worshipped in several languages. I then shared a message that was burning on my heart about the value of a soul. God demonstrated how important the souls of people are to Him by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die to rescue our souls. I reminded the church of our responsibility to prioritize reaching people for Jesus in our personal sphere of influence as well as through prayer and supporting missionaries around the world. It was a great service, and we were blessed to be a part of it.

Thanks to each of you who are tracking with our ministry, praying as we go and supporting us financially. Jesus is rescuing men and women out of their sin, setting people free and doing what no human can ever accomplish. We are humbled to have the opportunity to serve the Lord and we are super grateful that you are part of our journey!

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A wake-up call for the bride of Christ.

The 2025 Annual Pure Life Conference was a rich time of ministry, as people from all over the nation and even other countries came together at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky to seek the Lord. One of the blessings of the conference was being able to connect with many people who I haven’t seen in years, including some I was in the program with in 2011 as well as friends from the Netherlands and Brazil. What a joy it was to connect with like-minded believers who want to live their lives for the glory of God.

The theme of the conference was “Watch and Pray.” A lot of attention was put on establishing and maintaining a vibrant prayer life so that we can thrive in our spiritual lives despite the atmosphere of the world around us. I emceed the Pre-Conference on Thursday and Pastor Jeff and Rose Colon were the speakers. They spoke about the importance of establishing our marriages and families in prayer and the Word of God. After their speaking sessions, we had a Q & A and the three of us answered several questions regarding how to go deeper in prayer as individuals, couples and families. The whole Pre-Conference was a call to grow closer to the Lord and to separate ourselves from the world around us.

Pastor Steve Gallagher preached the first session of the conference on Friday morning. His message was about a believer’s intimate relationship with the Lord. He talked about the fact that you can have a religious experience, but you cannot have a true spiritual life without a personal relationship with God. He encouraged us that our relationship with God must be nurtured, like any human relationship. We were all called into a deeper walk with God, which is a necessity for the Christian today.

Pastor Dave Leopold spoke during a session for men based on Luke 17 and Genesis 13 and 14. He shared about Abraham’s friendship with God and exhorted us to make sure we have our own friendship with the Lord. It tied into the morning session and was a continued invitation from the Lord into the rich relationship that He wants with all of His children.

The title of my message was, “Time to Wake Up!” I shared from the story of the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus told them to watch and pray that they might not fall into temptation. (Matthew 26) Despite Jesus’ multiple admonitions to stay awake and pray, they failed to do so. My message drew out some of the reasons why the disciples were unable to fight off sleep, and applied them to the modern church of our day. If we are not diligent and sober in our walk with the Lord, the same thing that happened to the disciples can happen to us. We need to press into the Lord with everything we have so that we can keep our spiritual eyes open and make an impact in our generation. (you can watch the full message at the link below)

Pastor Nate Danser shared the first message on Saturday. He shared four points on the topic of prayer. He said that God’s will is that each of us become less like ourselves and more like Jesus. In contrast, the devil’s will for us is that we do whatever seems right to us. It is through intimate prayer that the battle between these competing forces is fought and overcome. He encouraged us to make prayer the foundation of our spiritual lives so that we can avoid going our own way.

Pastor Jeff Colon gave the final message called, “There is a Wedding Coming.” It was based on the parable given in Matthew 25 about the bridegroom coming for the bride. He admonished us to make sure that we always have the oil of the Holy Spirit in our lamps, a lesson the unwise bridesmaids learned the hard way. We need to have a sincere, whole-hearted devotion to the Lord so that we will be ready when He does come. It was a powerful ending to the conference and we all left with a fresh desire to press into the Lord through prayer.

That evening, we attended the Alumni and Friends banquet. There, we received updates about the ministry’s impact over the last year, saw a video that shared three powerful testimonies of men who are walking in freedom after going through the program, and worshipped with the Pure Life Ministries residential choir. As always, it was a moving experience for me to remember when I was a student singing in the choir. What an amazing work the Lord has done in my life! I’m personally very grateful for Pure Life Ministries, because God used their program in an incredible way to set me free from my bondage and restore our marriage and ministry. For more information about Pure Life, please visit their website at: www.purelifeministries.org

https://youtu.be/B2MI4QbfSo4