My Testimony, Calling, and the Early Years of Me and My House Ministries

Raised in Atlanta, in an alcoholic home, I was a wanderer. Having pursued idols of basketball, academic success, and fleshly hedonism, I was unfulfilled. At age 27, the “American Dream” was the last hope that came to mind, if only I could meet the right girl, have kids, and settle down. Jennifer, whom I had started to date, invited me to attend church with her family. I accepted, selfishly, just to make a good impression. I had absolutely zero spiritual curiosity nor any exposure to Christianity. In April 1995, one month later, my blind eyes were healed through the Scripture, “Be imitators of God therefore as dearly loved children.” (Eph 5:1). Over the following weeks I experienced our loving Father in heaven had transformed my heart, filling me with new desires including a burning desire to have my life impact people eternally. 

The end of my IT job soon came into view as my employer revealed the company was bankrupt. The simple, daily prayer of my heart became, “LORD, my life is yours. Whatever you want to do with it, just show me.”  After about 30 days, early one morning the Lord intervened in my life, in time and space. My soul was arrested by the words of Matthew 10:27, “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the rooftop.” Somehow I knew instantly, without any shadow of doubt, the LORD was calling me into full-time ministry. As most in the IT department decided to leave, the Spirit was impressing upon me, “Be still and know that I am God”. I was offered 25% extra salary to remain. In 1997, I was given severance and I left to grow closer to Christ and seek His will about ministry. Believing cutting expenses was wise, I moved back with my parents. Here I was, a 30-year-old man, living in my parent’s basement, with no girlfriend, and no job. Most would say, “Loser!”, but life had never been better! Everyday I was with Jesus, filled with joy, peace, and hope.

The next 3 years were amazing. The Lord healed me of alcoholism, immorality, sports addiction, and unforgiveness. I built relationship with my parents for the first time. My mother saw the joy of the LORD in me, began reading through the Bible each year, and attending church. There were many moments sharing my heart with my dad, sometimes resulting in conflict.  But the Lord ended up drawing both my parents to faith in their 70’s! 

My heart was focused on growing closer to Jesus and volunteering with the homeless and with ministry to children living in apartments.  I made zero income those years, just living off the $30,000 I had saved from my IT job. As the Lord worked in the apartments, both my heart and the number of children grew rapidly (from 2 to 30). Soon I was driving a van, picking up kids for church on Wednesday and Sunday, witnessing to parents, and seeing the Lord save many. Finally, the Lord brought all the pieces together, bringing a lawyer incorporate Me and My House Ministries, Inc., pro bono, as a non-profit, and giving us the use of the apartment complex clubhouse as a ministry center. I sent out ministry support letters detailing what was happening. Just as that $30,000 bank account was hitting zero, the Lord began to provide through the first ministry contributions arriving. After 1999, the Lord continued to provide as we worked and loved the poor and nations in these modern day villages. We met physical and spiritual needs through after-school programs, ESL classes, children’s church, sports ministry, prayerful visitation, and bold evangelism.   

I learned some really valuable lessons over the years (many through failure):

• As we love and help children, the Spirit opens doors to parent’s hearts.
• The gospel, shared humbly through personal testimony, is powerful and used by the LORD to really transform people’s lives.
• Discipleship, not conversion, must be the goal. People need Christian community to mature.
• Each apartment community is a modern day village, with unique culture, and needs its own local church that reflects the village. Think missions… the village church in the village.
• I am merely one part of the body and absolutely need the other parts, with other gifts, to function.