Brief Personal Update

In the past three and a half years, my life has gone through some dramatic and significant changes. I praise God for where I am today, even though the pain of the journey was great. I can honestly say that I have found a new love for the Lord, my wife, my ministry, and life in general. If I had known in 2006 where I would be today, and the sense of joy and personal fulfillment I currently experience, I would have celebrated. But in the midst of my valley, all I knew was despair and hopelessness. But God, who is a Redeemer, turned my sorrow into joy and has restored all that I had lost due to my sinful, immoral behavior. Even in recent weeks, God has done exceedingly above my expectations in restoring relationships and the opportunity to recover what had been lost.

Currently, I minister in two different prisons each week. I teach Bible classes and minister to the inmates one-on-one. I have three guys, who were formerly the biggest drug dealers on the east side of Kansas City, attending my Bible studies. I could have pastored a church in Kansas City for a 100 years and never reached them. But God has sent me to them inside the prison walls. I minister to at least 200 inmates every week. I have found more fulfillment and joy in ministering to those in prison than I ever found in preaching at conferences around the world, preaching on several radio stations, and "hob-nobbing" with Christian celebrities. I say - somewhat tongue-cheek - that all friends these days are felons, ex-felons, or preachers.

Sundays I lead a house church made up of those who stuck with me during my darkest hours. Their support for me, both emotional and financial, is beyond what I can express. In addition, I have been involved in a 12 step recovery group for over 3 years that has been a significant help in my life. On top of that, God gave me a new friend over 3 1/2 years ago, a retired Army chaplain by the name of Sam Sanford, who along with my long-time comrade, side-kick, and covenant brother, Dr. Al Sarno, is my "Battle Buddy." I can not fail to mention the importance my friends like Dennis Cole, Jim Cox, and Howard Cordell have played in my life over the past 3 years. They stood with me, and confronted me, in the journey.

On Christmas eve last year, our youngest daughter, Meagan got married. That makes June and I "empty -nesters," which quite honestly we enjoy. We have four great children,three great sons-in-law and a great daughter-in-law, and three tremendous grandchildren. Through our painful journey, June and I have grown closer together. God is so redemptive.

I believe that God has brought me through all that I went through, in order to bear witness to to those in the "valley of darkness" of His unconditional love, His amazing grace, and His redemptive purposes.