Dear Friends,

I am eighty-three years old and for some time I have been thinking more about the future and the continuation and expansion of Wholeness Ministries. Reaching the younger generations of men and women with the message of healing and freedom and encouraging them to actually do the things that Jesus did has long been a passion of mine throughout all my years of ministry.

Most ministries that are centered on one person end abruptly when that person finishes their time of ministry. Fortunately, I am still in good health and have no intention of retiring. But what if the work that you have partnered with me on could continue and be multiplied into the next generations? It is YOUR legacy as well as mine to see Wholeness impacting the next generations for many years to come!

Some of you are aware of my passion for training and mentoring young men. For those of you who are not, let me give you a picture of the importance this plays in my life. In the late 1980’s while at a Vineyard Conference in Anaheim, California I was given a prophetic word by a man I trust that I would be leading an army of young warriors into battle and that we would be involved in a life and death battle to take back what Satan has stolen. This warfare will help bring in the reign of the Kingdom of God. At the time this sounded far out there for me, so I put it on the back burner. However, over the last several years I have spiritually fathered and mentored young men that I’ve watched grow into mighty warriors for God. Also, in the ensuing years the original prophecy was confirmed by other prophetic words from people who knew nothing of the earlier prophetic word.

One of my long-time supporters and travel companions has been David Anderson, whom I met in 2006 at a healing retreat in Denver. After a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit and transformative healing from severe trauma and physical limitations, David immediately began volunteering with Wholeness which has continued to this day. David’s life-long friend Derrick Steele also had a powerful encounter with Wholeness in 2008. Both David and Derrick have traveled and taught with me extensively through the years.

Derrick and David have a ministry called The Warriors Path (thewarriorspath.org) whose mission is to raise up a new generation of young men who choose to live primarily in the Kingdom of God that Jesus ushered in and whose desire is to emulate Jesus in thought, word and action and to do the things that He did.

Though they both live in other states, David in Denver and Derrick with his wife and children in Michigan, they currently volunteer their time to help Wholeness Ministries. One idea we are talking about is to incorporate everything that Derrick and David have been doing with The Warriors Path into a new dimension of Wholeness Ministries, while still maintaining all the praying for healing, training, equipping, counseling and mentoring men and women that is the focus of our ministry. To that end, my hope for the upcoming years is to bring them both on board as full-time paid associates. We are praying that they will be able to raise their own support for this to happen. I believe that if Wholeness Ministries is to continue into the future David and Derrick can take this work to the next generations.

We are just in the talking stage regarding this so I would ask you to join me in prayer as we continue to talk and pray. We will of course be seeking God’s direction for Wholeness Ministries in the future. I am excited as I think back over how God brought these two young men into my life. They both caught the vision for Wholeness Ministries and along with me want to see it continue as we know this is a vital work in equipping those interested in, “Learning to Do What Jesus Did.”

Thank you for your prayers and support.

God bless,

Mike

“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 have recently been reading I & II Kings in the Old Testament. It struck me how many times these kings who started out so well, ended in such disaster. Early in the history of the nation of Israel King David’s role was to establish God’s kingdom over the nations and fulfill the promises of Abraham. As King David was growing old he recognized the need to name a replacement. About that time David’s son Adonijah decided to make himself king in place of his aged father.

Then Nathan the prophet went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her. “Do you realize the Adonijah has made himself king and our Lord David doesn’t even know about it? If you want your son Solomon to sit upon the throne you must go tell King David what is going on.” As soon as King David heard about this, which was confirmed by Nathan the prophet he decided to have Solomon immediately crowned as King to succeed him.

Solomon asked God for wisdom and began to rebuild the temple. So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth. People from every nation came to visit him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.

So what went wrong? The Lord had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations around them because the women they married would lead them to worship their gods. Solomon insisted on loving them anyway and sure enough, in his old age they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the Lord his God, as his father David, had done. This was the beginning of Solomon’s downfall and was repeated over and over again by numerous kings after him.

After Solomon’s downfall Israel was split into two kingdoms: Northern Israel and Southern Judah. There were some good kings such as Asa and Joash who followed the Lord God only and rid the nation of all pagan worship. But the majority of them were evil in God’s sight and merely followed the example of their father’s before them committing the same sins.

However, as I was reading this I noticed that there were some kings that started out well and followed the Lord God. The problem was that though they were clearly instructed by God not to allow any pagan worship for some reason they compromised their faith and allowed some worship of other gods to continue. This was their downfall. Compromise!

This is likewise a major issue with much of the church in America today. We are willing to compromise much of our core beliefs. We have heard it said, “There are many ways to God.” Really? That’s not what scripture says. It’s okay to live together without being married, because we love each other. Really? That’s not what the Bible teaches. Same sex relationships and even marriage are acceptable. Really? That’s not what the Bible says. When the Gospel is presented even it is watered down so as to not offend anyone of other faiths.

So, what will happen if we continue to compromise our core beliefs? I believe we could see our nation go the same way many of these nations did in the Old Testament. A little compromise here and there and before long we have slid into a nation that no longer honors our Lord God. In the United States we have printed on our money, “In God We Trust.” If we look closely at our nation and how many are living this way, I don’t believe for much of the nation that is true.

So, what should we do? If we truly believe God’s word is truth and our desire is to follow God without compromise we must demonstrate the kind of love our Lord Jesus demonstrated to those around him. We are called to love them but that doesn’t mean to love everything they chose to do or the choices they make on how they want to live. Love is gently and graciously showing people by our words and actions how their ways of living and thinking can lead to destruction and death. We must lovingly show them how following God can lead to a life under the blessing of God, and one that will bring them into a relationship with this good and gracious God for eternity!

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

Before You Get Here, 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 many Christians today.

Chapters include: The Importance of Forgiveness, The Traps of Unforgiveness, A Look in the Mirror, I Will Never, Harmful Words and Harmful Connections, Let Yourself Be Loved By God, The Recovery of Intimacy, and more.

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.

Check out our whole catalog at THIS LINK.

Dear Friends,

When I originally wrote “Learning To Do What Jesus Did” in 1996 I had no idea how far reaching that book would be. I sometimes wonder just how far the book goes and the places it is used. In addition to English, it is in Spanish, Korean, Hungarian and is obviously used in those countries that speak that language. But as I think back over the years of how it is utilized and the ways it is passed around I remembered a couple of stories that encouraged me.

From Prison to New York
I received a call from a pastor in New York. He and his wife were invited to a conference in San Diego. When they arrived in San Diego a man who was a former prisoner at the prison in Tracy, CA, met them at the airport and drove them to their destination. In February of 1996 a team and I had conducted two ministry events at this prison, and the prisoner had received a copy of my training manual.

At some point during the weekend, he said to them, “God told me to give you this training manual.” They returned to New York and the wife began reading the chapters on Inner Healing and Deliverance in the manual. The Lord freed her up from depression and brought Inner Healing and Deliverance as she prayed through the prayers printed in the manual. She was so transformed by this that they are using it in their ministry in Jamaica Queens, N.Y. to the homeless, the children, and the youth.

Retreat Center-Eastern Europe
We had a three-day retreat at a Catholic Retreat Center about 90 miles from Budapest. They invited people from all over Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia who serve in church leadership positions. They were surprised when over 100 responded! At one point some of us were sitting around discussing how interesting we thought it is that Hungarian was the first language into which this book has been translated. One of the men said to me, “Mike, many people don’t know this, but Hungary is pivotal in what happens in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, although we have many books on religious topics there is nothing like this book in this entire country and its effect will be widespread.”

As the retreat ended I was standing outside and watched many of them put the manual in their backpacks, and getting on their bicycles, or walking to the train station to return to their towns and villages. I believe I heard God say to me, “Michael, look how this manual is leaving here, you have no idea how far it will go.” It was very moving for me personally.

How does this apply to you? This story is about one book that I’ve written and its impact. What about those people you have come alongside and helped over the years by giving of your time? You may have no idea how that impacted their lives. Or that note of encouragement you wrote to them just at the moment it was needed?

For those of you that have children and grandchildren, do you realize the influence you have in their lives and the lasting impact on what they may end up doing in the future with their lives? Or what about that ministry that you help support. Don’t ever think your life does not have significant meaning. Think back over your life and be encouraged over the influence you have had that will last far beyond your life.

God bless,

Mike

“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,

Recently I was at a retreat with some friends. It was one of those times when we could pull away, relax, have some fun, and allow the masks we wear to slip a bit. Men, it seems, by nature are very competitive and in many ways just little boys in men’s bodies. We had a significant amount of free time and I noticed that most of the men were busy doing something active during that time. Basketball, bike riding, golfing, fishing and paintball warfare were the sports of the day. A few would slip off for a walk, take a nap or visit with friends.

As we gathered for our evening sessions there was much laughter, shouting, singing, and praising God. We sat rapt with attention as our speakers spoke about being a godly man, pulling off the masks that we all wear and the dangers of envy and comparison. As we came to the close of each session, God began to dig a little deeper and touch those parts of us that we hide away. Those parts that we don’t allow others to know about, that bring us shame, embarrassment and often leave us feeling defeated. It seems we are always looking for something to medicate our pain or satiate our passions. As men opened themselves up to the healing touch of Jesus, they found that He was enough, that only Jesus can bring lasting victory and peace, and that we can’t pull ourselves up by our own spiritual bootstraps when faced with the utter inadequacy of our willpower and the insufficiency of the self-made man.

When we discover that all we are, all we have, all we do must be centered in Jesus Christ we will understand that Jesus is all we need. When the Christians faced Rome, they only had Jesus. When Stephen was stoned, he only had Jesus. When Paul was whipped, ridiculed, and imprisoned, he only had Jesus.

I read this in Brennan Manning’s book, “The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus,”

“Living out of the center enables us to blend for a moment into a greater background than our own fears, to merely be still and to know that God is God. It means that I don’t figure out, I don’t analyze. I simply lose myself in the experience of just being alive, of being in a community of believers, simply knowing that it’s good to be there, even if I don’t know where “there” is or why it’s good.”

I have discovered in over 40 years of ministry in dealing with men that when Jesus becomes the “center” of all we do, He is all we will need.

Early in my ministry journey this flyer was given to me by a friend and when I read it the impact on my life was significant. I read it often as it clearly lays out how we are to live as we walk this journey with God. I was especially moved by what was written at the bottom of the flyer which begins with, “Let me show you what your life could have been like if only…”

Thank you for your prayers and support.

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

Before You Get Here, 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 many Christians today.

Chapters include: The Importance of Forgiveness, The Traps of Unforgiveness, A Look in the Mirror, I Will Never, Harmful Words and Harmful Connections, Let Yourself Be Loved By God, The Recovery of Intimacy, and more.

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.

Check out our whole catalog at THIS LINK.

Dear Friends,

There’s a story by Morton Kelsey about a man who came to the edge of an abyss. “As he stood there wondering what to do next, he was amazed to discover a tightrope stretched across the abyss. And slowly, surely, across the rope came an acrobat pushing before him a wheelbarrow with another performer in it. When they finally reached the safety of solid ground, the acrobat smiled at the man’s amazement. ‘Don’t you think I can do it again?’ he asked. And the man replied, ‘Why yes, I certainly believe you can.’ The acrobat put his question again, and when the answer was the same, he pointed to the wheelbarrow and said, ‘Good! Then get in and I will take you across.”

What struck me about this story is what we must ask ourselves about Jesus Christ. We say we believe in him, we depend upon him, we trust him, and we want him to be Lord of our life. We say that we want to spend time with him and do the things that he did, yet many of us are afraid to get into the wheelbarrow. Our faith is demonstrated not by our rhetoric, but by our actions. If we are not willing to step out and take leaps of faith we may be saying, “I don’t trust you.” Or, perhaps we are just admitting that we are weak, fearful human beings. Sometimes we are ready to leap into the wheelbarrow and sometimes we wouldn’t dare go near it. Is this wrong, no, this is human. Is it disappointing to God, no, because He knows we are going to fail, before we know we are going to fail. God could easily be saying, “I expect more failure from you than you expect from yourself.”

I believe the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ is very simple. He demonstrated it by proclaiming the Kingdom of God and by healing the sick. He said and demonstrated numerous times that we were to, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things (our needs) would be provided for.” He said, “Call to me and I will answer you.” He said, “Believe and you will receive.” He said, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers.” All this is wheelbarrow stuff ! We have to trust that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do.

When Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” I believe he meant now! That we can expect God’s kingdom to move into this kingdom on earth now. If we believe God still heals and provides today, that He can do again, over and over what He has done for thousands of years than we should have no problem trusting Him. Do you trust Him enough to get into the wheelbarrow?

Wholeness Ministries Birthday 41 Years Coming up!
Next month Wholeness Ministries will have been in existence 41 years. In 1984 after my exposure to the healing ministry of John Wimber at the Vineyard in Anaheim, CA I returned to First Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA and began to pray for the sick. It was during this time that I asked our Pastor Dr. John Lavender if we could name this ministry Wholeness Ministries. He not only said yes but was an enthusiastic supporter. I will always be grateful for his encouragement and support.

Sherrill Mahlum has gone home to be with her Lord. Sherrill was not only my sister-in-law but a dear friend of this ministry. Her gifts were obvious as she helped me with assorted administrative tasks as a volunteer for over 20 years! Administrative detail work is not my favorite thing to do. Sherrill handled the bookkeeping, shipping of our products and all those details that keeps things running smoothly. Her dedication and sense of humor will be greatly missed.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

God bless,

Mike

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

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