Homeless in Springfield MA

This image is from one year ago. The local newpaper follow our outreach team one Monday night on the streets in November of 2007. Today I found out that they ran the article again on Masslive.com but added audio clips taken that night while the reporter was interviewing us. Please visit and listen to the podcast. I was there and yet was touched by it. You can make a difference in somones life...."just show up...reach out....and love them! Hope you enjoy the podcast.

http://www.masslive.com/localbuzz/index.ssf/2008/11/podcast_an_outside_chance.html

Or

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/every_monday_night_this_group.html

Blessings to you on the one day of 365 we are reminded to give thanks.

Jack

Siberia, Day 4, August 13, 2008

Today we will visit a home for homeless men and another Teen Challenge for men. This is a day to be reminded that when Jesus sent out his disciple he told them to heal the sick and cast demons. Today would be a powerful day, AGAIN.

We slept in until 6:15 AM today. But I awoke with a Word, "today is the day to be cautious". We are almost at the half way point of our mission and we have had many victories in the Lord. But we must be cautious not to get ahead of God.
I shared a paragraph from the book "Final Quest" by Rick Joyner. "We cannot let our new shining armor blind us from seeing the attack coming. We must cover our shining armor with a drab shroud of humility, so that we will not be blinded by our armor to the ensuing battle. "

At breakfast Jennifer told us that she woke up to find that she was covered in red bumps, maybe bed bugs. She took it in stride, joking about it, yet we could see her concern. And it occurs to me that today in my spirit I was warned, "you will be attacked when you share or openly acknowledge your fears". Jennifer has been sharing about her trip to Africa and Asia where she dealt with a rat in her hair at night, ring worm on her neck and malaria pills that gave her bad dreams. Edyth, who has expressed her fear of cats and dogs and most animals was bitten by a cat today and when we arrived at Pastor Ilya's home at the end of the day she found out that they own a big beautiful dog named buddy. Edyth also had a bee locked in a car with her this week.

The devil gives us the spirit of fear, BUT he does not know what we fear until we expose it to him.


Our first stop was at a Teen Challenge for homeless in Kuibeshevo. We drove about 30 minutes to an old farm house. This wonderful place is very close to my vision for a center in Massachusetts. It is home to about 14 men, 8 cows, many rabbits and a few cats. It is a rural farm where they grow all there own vegetables and raise livestock.

We met with about 5 of the men because the others have a day job off the farm. Their day has a very tight schedule with much of it being studies. We shared testimonies and a powerful time prayer.

Second Stop - Kiselevsk, a Teen Challenge for men.

We were greeted by barking dogs. The men that called this place home held back the dogs and invited us in. Edyth did her best not to show fear.



The building was an old school that housed about 15 men. We gathered in a small room and the service began with a young man leading worship with his guitar. It was easy to see why the men enjoyed worship. I was asked to bring a word and God had me share John 14, God's promises of " I will" which is centered on the Holy Spirit. After the message, my alter call was for those who wanted to know the power of the Holy Spirit. For some reason when I invited the men to come forward I also invited them to their knees. Five men gathered in the center of the room. After about 30 minutes of very powerful prayer the room became electric with the with the power of God.

Then I realized why I called the men to kneel. One of the men that came forward was crippled and unable to easily stand on his own. God had us focus on him and so we laid hands and prayed according to scripture. The man began to straighten and stand. He raised his hands and glowed with the glory of God. Most of us in the room were crying as we believed God for this man's healing and that the Holy Spirit would touch all who asked. Again we lost complete track of time. The worship leader began to play "Awesome God" and sang it from our hearts in Russian and English." Then we sang an "alleluia" chorus for a long time and the intensity of the Spirit of God continued to increase. The anointing was so thick in the room and the peace so intense that we did not know how to end....frankly no one wanted to stop. So we sang some more, gathered for a picture and left.



Next we were headed for a church and Teen Challenge in another drug district. Pastors Andre's church and property have been under constant attack. Smashed windows and spray painted cars and walls were the communities way of welcoming this church into the neighborhood.











By the end of the day we were exhausted and overwhelmed by how God was using us. We concluded our day with a wonderful meal at the home of Pastor Ilya and his wife Janet.

Siberia, Day 3 August 12, 2008

Today we will visit the Woman's Teen Challenge and "House of Mercy" (for homeless men) in Kultan and then to back to Zapseeb (drug district).

We start our day early 6:30am with devotion and prayer as a team. More fried eggs! And then we set out to be at a service in Kultan at 9:00am

After a long, hot 1 hour drive (its about 80 degrees again today) through the country we arrive at the gates of Kultan. Kultan is a complex that was once owned and used by the Coal Mining Company as a vacation resort. It has many buildings and acres of grounds. It is a wonderfully quiet getaway. Reminiscent of the resort in the the movie "Dirty Dancing" with big houses, a dining hall, a river for recreation. It is easy to see how beautifully landscaped this resort was at one time. Today Kultan is still a place of rest, but now its purpose is much more important. People get saved here. People get delivered here. People drop the chains of bondage here and enjoy the liberty of the cross of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Lord is here, and where the Spirit of God is....there is liberty.....Alleluia!

We arrive to a service that has just begun Praise and worship. The room is electric with worship.

They have been waiting for us and I was asked to preach when we arrive. The church is full of residents and staff of this Teen Challenge resort. An estimated crowd of 100 people. As I scanned the audience it was easy to see a room full of broken, beaten.......hopeful souls. They worshipped God like it was their oxygen. Some only a week in the Teen Challenge program and some have been here for months. But they all have one thing in common. After years of dying they now are hanging on to Jesus.....they know that Jesus and only Jesus can save them.

God had me speak a Word of forgiveness using the story of the Prodigal Son.

We saw the power of God's anointing this morning and a spiritual battle to keep God's Word from going forward.

The previous day my interpreter, Rustam, and I worked seamlessly to bring a word of healing. But today, he was struggling so it caused me to check every word and stumble as well. Olyia, our other interpreter sat in the crowd wanting to jump up and help but God held her back. "The battle is mine says the Lord". God was going to show all us His mighty power today. "It's not by might or by power but my Spirit says the Lord". Today I was reminded that God has ordained and appointed each day. He does not need my speaking to be perfect because it is anointed......but also he has anointed the ears of those who will hear. The healing (sozo) to be released in that room today was ordained by God before Rustam or I ever left our mothers wombs. All he needed was our obedience, trust and patience.

God was delivering and anointing every word that Rustam spoke regardless of the devils attempt to confuse us. The Holy Spirit broke through! Alleluia!!!!

The alter call was for those seeking forgiveness and those unable to forgive or accept Gods forgiveness. About 3/4 of the room came forward and I was told that some of the women in the back of the room that did not come forward were weeping. Our team moved into action and began to lay hands and pray.

The Holy Spirit took over. I was unaware of how much time was passing or what was going on in other parts of the room. I stayed focused only on the souls that the Lord put before me. As did each of our team. I was told later at night that much of the team had trouble ministering because they were crying. God is soooo good. It seemed many of the people wanted to weep but had no more tears and many had wept openly for the first time. Olyia, whom God would not allow to come forward to help during the preaching said that she felt the same thing and cried like a baby during the ministry. Praise God!

The Holy Spirit rained down and was no respecter of religion or persons. People were being slain in the Spirit physically healed and set free. This was obviously a new experience for many in attendance but it just kept happening and those touched experienced joy, joy, joy!

Personally, I lost track of time and everything else going on in the room. The anointing was so powerful that at the conclusion of the ministry time I could barely walk back to my seat. The power of the Holy Spirit is awesome! "We offer our bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord." All Glory to God.

Woman's Teen Challenge was our next stop at Kultan.

We all gathered in a small room with about 20 woman, some with babies. They shared their amazing testimonies with us and our team shared with them. The women were blessed by Jennifer's powerful testimony and word to them that each of them are beautiful to God. Then Kristie shared her testimony and how God will meet them wherever they are. I cannot forget the powerful words that she said God spoke to her, "Dance with Me"!

More than our audience was touched by these wonderful testimonies, "You are beautiful to God" and "God Loves You" resound in our spirits.

After a wonderful lunch we went back to the drug district of Zapseeb.


Our bodies were tired but no one suggested that we cancel. We had Divine appointments to meet.

Praise God that we did not give into our flesh.......God moved powerfully in Zabseeb, AGAIN!

This was the day that we met Maxima. He is the young boy pictured here. About 10 or 11 years old he was scared on his head and face. His eyes were empty. He was smoking a cigarette as though he was in control but you can tell that he is scared and dying a slow death in the grip of the devil. He listened as we shared our friend Jesus with him. "I'm on my own and I take care of myself, don't need any friends, he quietly told us through our interpreter. But he stayed and he listened.....I asked if we could pray for him.....he agreed and suddenly a car pulled up behind us. Without a word he left us like a shot to go to the car. He was doing a drug deal. Apparently he was a drug runner. The other boy with him stayed but I must admit it that I was discouraged. I never showed it and I never left the squatting position that I was in as to not show fear or discouragement. Just then.....as ordained by God....another young man rode up on his bicycle and said "I want to know Jesus!". Just like that! I tried not to show my surprise regarding this Divine appointment, but took his hands and prayed the sinners prayer with him. The other boy prayed as well. Alleluia! Then Maxima came back. He came back, this was encouraging. He showed us his deformed hand that he had been hiding. Boldly we took his deformed scarred hand and arm and prayed for God's healing. He accepted our prayer and I am confident that God will show him a physical sign of what was spiritually healed. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and not yet unseen". Maxima seemed unmoved, but, he allowed the Lord to touch him and we were able to bring him the good news of Jesus Christ. "Gods word will never return to Him void". Using a cigarette from behind Maxima's ear, I did a few magic tricks that I learned years ago and promised the kids that I would teach them the secret after church on Sunday. So, "we'll see you at church" I told them.

We continued our walk to see a demon possessed drug addicted woman crawl along the wall of the building to avoid us. She would not come near us but we stopped and openly declared her freedom in Jesus' name. We spoke directly to hell and told satan...."in Jesus name let her go, loosen your grip". After some time she crossed our path again and cried out in Russian "they frighten me". Interesting because we never attempted to approach her but she was trembling with fear. Just like they did when Jesus entered a demon possessed region in the gospel !

30 minutes later, on the other side of Zabseeb while ministering to a few men. Six or seven young boys tracked us down. They were between 6 and 16 years of age and they were being led to us by the young boy who earlier gave his life to the Lord. (on the bike)

They asked to see the cigarette magic, so, I shared Jesus Christ with them and to my amazement they all bowed their heads and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Again we invited them to church on Sunday for the secret.

What at Day! Alleluia!

Siberia, Day 2 August 11, 2008

It is obvious that are days here are going to be long and strenuous on our bodies, but it is also obvious that God will equip us and bless abundantly by the power of His Holy Spirit to do this work. I am beginning to grasp the scripture that proclaims "the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". But today we have also experienced the scripture....."when the Holy Spirit comes He will come with power!



Our day today began at 7:00 AM for team devotional, 7:30 breakfast at the hotel (fried eggs, bread and tea/coffee would become a morning ritual) and ended at 11:30 PM. We were all exhausted by the end of the day, but full of the Holy Spirit. This first full day of ministry has been fruitful beyond our expectations.



A 30 minute drive (stuffed in two small cars without air conditioning) in 80 degree weather is a drive that should have taken at least 45 minutes. Our driver is one of the directors of Teen Challenge. He is a wonderful man that the Lord has saved and healed from addiction and violence. We grew very close to "P" over our visit. We became very fond of him and his ability to get us to a location quickly and safely. However he drives over the country roads and through the city like we are in a car chase. It was a bit exciting, but a few of us are prone to motion sickness...HANG ON! But wait, a CD in English by Terry MacCalmon is leading us in worship along the road. We all sang along loudly!










Our first destination is a Teen Challenge for Men in Taijina. We arrived to a very basic and humble location. It used to be a school but at the moment it is under construction to become a a special foster home. Two married couples have each agreed to take in 5 orphans each. The 14 of them will live in two apartments currently being renovated on the second floor. A missions team from Canada spent months here last year helping to begin renovation and they are scheduled to return in September to complete it.

In the meantime the old facility is an incredible place of healing and home to 13 men recovering from addiction. We gathered into the Directors office to share. Edyth asked that I would give them a Word, and God had me teach them about the river of God in Ezekiel 47. As I preached, the Holy Spirit moved and the atmosphere changed, the men and most of the team began to know the touch of the Holy Spirit. I made an alter call for those who desired to go deeper in the river of God. The team will pray with you I exclaimed. None of this was planned or rehearsed. As a matter of fact Edyth never asked me to preach until we were leaving the hotel......but God knew what was going to happen.












All of men bolted forward for prayer. WOW, the anointing was so powerful none of us could hold back. Tears began to flow and men were crying out to God. The team laid hands and prayed like seasoned pro's....God had given us all the provision we needed. Alleluia!

We enjoyed tea and a bit of table tennis with the men and then we were off to our second location.

Traveling by car through the Siberian country side with "P" taught us a whole new way to pray! No doubt we had God's travel mercies upon us. Thank you "P" for taking such great care of us!

Next stop another Teen Challenge Center for men in Osinniki.



We arrived at a wonderful little church Pastored by a bold man of God....Pastor Andre. Each of the 6 or so men that are recovering at this center shared there testimonies with us and some of our team shared with them. We prayed together and encouraged each other and then off to Pastor Andre's home for lunch.



The lunch put on by Pastor Andre and his wife Tanya (in blue) was a feast. Borsh, salads, pork patties, tomato with cheese, cucumber, candy, banana cake and more. We ate and shared for a couple of hours.
I had no idea that we would gain weight on this trip. We were fed like the children of a King everyday. We are so very grateful to our brothers and sisters that blessed us each day during our visit. We love you.


We returned to the Novoilyinskaya Church office to share our day with Pastor Ilya and his wife, use the Internet and just relax. The long flights, time change, new food and our emotionally charged and Spirit filled day was beginning to catch up with us. Many of our team members just laid down and rested. Some with fatigue and some with stomach problems. The devil was determined to slow us down..but God had other plans. Praise God that Scripture proclaims that "we have authority over all the power of the enemy". We were going to need to use that authority over the course of this mission trip. Cathy and I are grateful to God that at this time we did not experience any sickness.


JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD REST......GOD NEVER SLEEPS!


Pastor Ilya and his wife Janet along with their daughter took us to a new mall near our hotel. By now it was 8:00pm and so they panned to bring us for a quick meal at the food court and then we could get to bed at a reasonable hour. Yeah Right!





As we sat down to eat Jennifer, Katrina and the Pastors daughter returned from the ladies room with 3 young ladies in tow. It turns out that these three girls were drawn to our women speaking in english. The Pastors daughter interpreted as the girls apologized for having liquor on their breath. (See the girls photos above on the right side of picture). They were about 17 and 18 years old. They followed the women to our table. We invited them to join us and share a soda.... they began to share their stories. The red headed girl told us that her mother died of an overdose, and then they all began to share. We shared Jesus with them. Right there in the middle of the mall we bowed our heads and prayed for them. Tears began to flow...the Holy Spirit was at work in their hearts. All of a sudden we forgot how tired our bodies were. Curiosity turned to laughter and fellowship. We invited them to join us for ice cream and they stayed with us for hours. We invited them to church and teen challenge and left them with hugs, the promise of salvation and the light of Christ. Praise God for His Divine appointments!

Finally, off to the hotel for our team meeting and sweet sleep.
Oh yeah....no sleep yet. I would preach at the women's Teen Challenge in the morning and wanted to be prepared. It was 12:45 in the morning and the Lord continued to bless me so fast and with so many wonderful messages for the whole week that my pen could not keep up.

THIS IS A DAY THAT THE LORD HAD MADE.......LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

Siberia, Into the future, Day 1

In order to get to Siberia from Massachusetts we had to go into the future.

We left Springfield by bus at 10:30 AM on August 8th. The bus brought us to Hartford where we boarded a train to New York. We met with our team and then we took a van to JFK in New York at 4:30. We took off from JFK at 7:30 PM traveled 10 hours to arrive in Moscow (time change 8 hours ahead of Mass) However ...to get to Siberia, you must lay-over for 8 hours during which time you drive 2 hours to another airport. Then we flew another 5 hours to Siberia and arrived in Novokuznetsk, Siberia on Sunday morning at 7:30 AM. (time change and additional 4 hours). We are now 12 hours in the future.

Also to note that the morning we left war broke out between Russia and Georgia and we were not sure how this might effect our trip.

We were met by a wonderful team from the church in Novokuznetsk and brought directly to church for breakfast (amazing spread) and service. Totto were not in Kansas anymore! Our hotel was clean and accommodating but different. It was 90 degrees the day we arrived and the hotel does not have air conditioning. The windows open but they do not have screens so the mosquitoes also welcomed us.

What a blessing that the church sanctuary is air conditioned. The service was awesome. While we did not know the language and we knew the presence of the Holy Spirit. Our interpreters, Rustam and Olyia were marvelous, trying to keep us aware of every spoken word. They worked so very very hard to take care of our every need. They were such a blessing to us.

As soon as we began to praise and worship God with our Russian Brothers and Sisters the language did not matter and we felt no fatigue or jet lag....all we felt was the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. We wept in His presence as though we understood every word. After service we went to lunch and so begins our intense week of ministry and great food.

Our first day we were brought to Zapseeb which is known as the district of drugs. Joined by our tow interpreters we split into tow groups and entered the slums. Broken down apartments worst than any "project that I have experienced in the states. The dirt ground and broken pavement was filled with trash and discarded syringes and needles, young children and adults wandered aimlessly, lost and high on drugs or alcohol. This place was dead and cold! Lord, how will we minister to them when we do not know the language...I prayed.

We greeted people with "hello" in Russian but many were cold to our greeting. However, then we came upon a couple of men in their 40's with some women who were sitting on a bench and drinking beer. We stopped to say hello and immediately became rock stars because we were from America. "We don't get many foreign visitors in Zabseeb" stated on man. Children and other adults began to gather. While Jen and Cathy were overwhelmed by excited young girls I focused on the men. Alexander, an addict who met the Lord and was in rehab for a while had fallen back. He wanted out of his life and was willing to listen to us. Another man came by and was a bit argumentative..."if God is so good, why do I struggle, why does God only help rich people?" Then another Alexander arrived stoned, skeptical but open to the word. He said "I drink to numb the pain of life. I'm a truck driver, but my truck has been broken so I have no work and my father is dying of cancer. God gave us an opening so we asked to pray for his Dad and his truck. As we began to pray this hardened addict began to cry...and cry. The others looked on in silence. The whole atmosphere changed. He accepted Jesus as his saviour, then another . We invited them to church and /or to enter the "Teen Challenge" program. One man that we prayed for challenged us "when I know that God has changed me, you will see me in church" I responded "see you in church....God has already changed you!"

An hour had passed and so we went back to the church with a good report. The 3rd service in this church that holds 450 people was packed. Most of those at the service are from the Teen Challenge program and so they are healed, saved, born again men and women who were formally addicts or alcoholics. It was powerful worship. The Spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. We went to eat and off to bed after prayer. Our hotel room was small, hot, filled with mosquitoes smelly and our bodies were exhausted. By 8:00 we were all in bed even though it was full daylight outside. Praise the Lord for our time so far. We could never even dream of what was to come. "To Him who does exceedingly and abundantly above all we could hope or think" Alleluia!

Greetings from Siberia

I am writing this quick Blog today from the office of The Church of Novokuznetsk in Siberia. Today was our second full day to minister here in the city.
It is amazing to see that although we are on the other side of the world from where we live in America, that our Christian Brothers and Sister are all the same. Their love for Jesus is intense and they are very committed to serving Him. The church here is growing fast because of their commitment to serving and ministering to the lost.
The church capacity is about 450 and each service is full with many who originally were living a life of addiction and prostitution. Now many of these same children of God are the church deacons and Teen Challenge administrators.
The needs of those on the streets here is no greater than those who we minister to in the Streets of Springfield. MA, however, their desire to get well and be free seems much greater. They need the Lord and they know it.
The structure here is simple and effective!
If someone wants to change their life the good people of this church will introduce them to the Lord and immediately welcome them into their church. If they have an addiction, they are welcome to the Teen Challenge. This includes 3 month detox and then they are invited into a long term program.

On Sunday we had the opportunity to minister in Zapseeb, a district in the city known as "a district of drug. Many accepted Jesus and others joined us at church immediately.

The devil is very clever but not very smart. It is easy to identify his Spirit of hopelessness on these streets because it is the same spirit that oppresses the streets in Massachusetts and every city in the world. The devil's cleverness only works when he can isolate the weak sheep and then gather them together with others of his flock made up of the weak, oppressed and wounded. They live in poverty and darkness and so they live in despair.
The solution is the same in Siberia as it is in America.......we must introduce the weak wounded sheep to the Light of Christ. We do this by bringing His light into the darkness. His light dispels ALL darkness. It works every time. Alleluia!

Today we also had the opportunity to minister in one of the Taijina and Osinniki Teen Challenge centers. I preached the message of Ezekiel 47. We invited the 13 men who attended to go deeper with God into the healing river of the Holy Spirit. Scripture proclaims that everything touched by the river is healed. Each and every man came forward to receive a touch from the Lord, Our team of 6 laid hands and prayed for these men. The Holy Spirit brought tears and healing. It is an honor to serve God in this way.

I cannot upload photos or video at this time, but when we return home on the 19th of August I will blog a full report.

Until then...please hold us in prayer.

From Novokuznetsk , Siberia......
May God Bless you beyond all you could hope or think!
Jack & Cathy Desroches

Born Again at 51

Our surprise Birthday party for "R" last night was wonderful`.

Over 7 months ago "R" was only hoping to make it through the winter. It was certain that if the winter didn't kill him the alcohol would. But God had other plans.

Prayer changed everything and over seven months ago "R" took his last drink and came off the streets into our shelter. Almost 4 months ago he moved into an apartment and has continued to be blessed exceedingly and abundantly beyond all he could hope or think.

Yes ,"R" was born into this world 52 years ago but he was Born Again last year and God has made him a new man. Today he has a street ministry of his own and rolls with us on our Monday night outreach in Springfield.

"R" we are glad to call you brother and friend! Happy Birthday.

Siberia or Bust!

My wife and I are packed and ready. Tomorrow we leave on a 10 day missions trip to Siberia. Unfortunatly I may not be able to Blog during this time. But if it is at all possible I will write from Russia.

We are very excited to go. The team has been preparing for months through fasting and prayer. Our team of 5 will be visiting Teen Challange Centers for men and women, orphanages and ministering in the streets to addicts and prostitutes. I am convinced that God will do great things for his people during this time and we are glad to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord.

We are traveling very light but covered in the Armor of God and wielding the Spirit of truth we will have everything we need.

Prayers.....please cover us in prayer. Pray that God will open doors for us to minister. Pray that the blind will be made to see and the deaf will be made to hear. Pray that the oppressed, depressed and possessed will be delivered. Pray for our boldness and discernment. Finally pray for the people of Siberia.

As soon as we return (if not sooner) I will post photos and stories. Until then.....may God continue to heap blessings on you Daily.

Healing the Broken Hearted

Steven always said that he knew so many people that he could run for Mayor. Well his memorial service today proved him right. The crowd at Christ Church Cathedral today was estimated at 300 which filled up nearly every seat on a hot summer afternoon. We heard that meetings were cancelled, stores were closed and friends of Stevens drove in from as far away as Greenfield to pay respects to a man that had touched their lives.

A packed church and the people from all walks of life; from homeless friends to city hall friends was a testimony to the life of a man who would be considered a failure by world standards. But those who gathered today knew otherwise.
His friends were invited to speak and many did. They spoke of how he would sing to them, joke with them and love them. They spoke of his alcoholism and his years of sobriety with the same love.

As I listened to people speak of him there seemed to be a common theme; Family. The 300 people in attendance were all his family. Families love one another, forgive one another and care for one another. Family knows our faults and failures and loves us anyway; yes this was Steven's family. We are connected to Steve by love and not obligation.

The Bible proclaims that "love never fails". Today proved that!

Thank you family for mourning with me today........our brother will be missed!

Holy Spirit rain down!

What a day at Times Square Church.
If you have ever attended than you already know how powerful the preaching and worship is ALL THE TIME at TSC. Well yesterday, August 3rd, was a day in church that will not soon be forgotten by visitors and regulars alike.
At the 10:00 service Pastor David preached a message titled "Getting ready for the end of all things". And if you are at all concerned as you watch the news about economic state of our country or the unrest in the world than I suggest that you listen to this message. You WILL be blessed and encouraged.
(You can hear it or download it from www.tscnyc.org)

As Pastor David was preaching about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is to come (latter rain, Zach 14:17) and how it will be more than on the day of Pentecost and how we must be ready and waiting, there was a change in the atmosphere. There was an anticipation that is hard to explain. When he spoke about Haggai 2:25 "My Spirit remains among you, do not fear ", there was an incredible peace.

After the message and alter call we praised the Lord in song and as usual the main curtain began to come down as the service was ended. But it would NOT end. The curtain was brought back up and we could see that Pastor David had not moved, he was sitting and focused. Also, none of the other Pastors on stage had moved, they were all frozen in prayer. Even though people had already begun to leave , some came back. No one seemed to know what to do, but we all knew that it could NOT end. I could hear in my spirit, "watch this, I am going to do something special". I was frozen in prayer and waiting in anticipation.

Many people in the church began to weep, others cried out to God, others proclaimed His promises out loud. The worship team wasn't sure what to do so they led us in a few more songs and the anointing grew even stronger. Then about 20 minutes after the service would have normally ended (TSC is usually very good about keeping on schedule) they tried to lower the curtain for a second time, and more people began to leave thinking it was done. But again the curtain came up and again we could see that the Pastors had not moved.

About 1/4 have the church had now left but those who remained knew that they could not walk out of the presence of God. This is what we had been waiting for. With every passing minute in the presence of God the anointing intensified We sang and prayed and wept for one hour after the normal ending time of service. It was like a refreshing rain. A time of cleansing and renewal.

During this time God showed me things and spoke to my spirit about how it will be in the difficult times ahead and how many people, even the elect will not have the patience and faith to wait on the Lord. He showed me how many seats that were seemingly filled and reserved long ago will be empty because the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

We were in this powerful anointing for about an hour (it seemed like 20 minutes) and Pastor Dave quietly came to mic and spoke briefly of what was going on. He proclaimed "I can not dismiss this service, you are all welcome to stay, we will not bring down the curtain, stay as long as you'r like."

After a while we quietly left to join the rest of our group and have lunch, but to this moment I wonder "what if I had stayed even longer? What might God have shown me if I had not gone to satisfy my flesh. Yes, I know "God knows my heart", but the more of Him I get the more I want. It is a hunger that I pray will never be satisfied; at least not under the sun. I love the anointing of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit!

What a blessed day we had.

SoulFest 2008

I spent the day at SoulFest 2008 yesterday.

Wow, what a great day.

I went to check it out and to visit with the team from The Lions Den Springfield MA. , check out their website.

If you have never been to Soulfest, it is a bit hard to explain because it is not much like the world we see on CNN. You have to imagine a festival devoted and dedicated to celebrating Jesus. Thousands of people, mostly young, are gathered for the music and fellowship. Tons of great food and informational tents to learn about Christian colleges and outreach programs like the Lions Den. It was hard not to notice the peace. No yelling (except for the crowds at music stage), no fear, just joy.

Families and college students, kids playing in the open and the name of Jesus on Tee Shirts, posters, CD's and tattoos.

At one point the sky opened up and a hard rain fell for about 15 minutes. No one panicked..... the tent selling music CD's cranked up the volume and everyone sang "I can only Imagine" to the pounding rain.

Pastor Greg Dyson (Lions Den & Church in the Acres)ministered from two of the stages and shared about the Lions Den and our work with the Homeless population of Springfield.

"C"and "R", both formally homeless , addressed the crowds of thousands to share their testimony. God is good. Just seven months ago "R" was homeless and no one paid him any attention; but last night he stood before a sea of young people to share the story of his salvation and deliverance from the streets and alcohol. You could hear a pin drop while he led the crowd in prayer. "C" came to the stage and taught how to treat people as Jesus would. How to help the homeless and even got off one of her infamous jokes. The audience roared in appreciation for what the Lord has done......Only GOD could make this happen

A shining moment for me was watching God speak through our friend "H". "H" is a college student in Springfield who ministers with us on our Monday night homeless outreach. Her gift.....singing and writing music.
Last night "H" sang her original song "because of You" to a crowd a thousands from the main stage at SoulFest.....no band...no fancy lights or special effects just the Holy Spirit coming through her wonderful voice. This was not planned by anyone but the Lord. Even Hannah had no idea that this was going to happen until 1 hour before.
Thank you "H" for being bold enough to share your gift.

Scripture is clear that we are to prepare a new generation to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that revival will come through this new generation who love Jesus and don't mind shouting it from the mountains of New Hampshire. Alleluia!!

I was honored to pray with the crowd as they dug deep to make an offering to support the work that must be done in God's kingdom here on earth.

Some of the best Christian bands in the country are featured and they did not disappoint. Check out this video clip of Kutless. The audio is poor because of my video camera but you can get an idea of just how cool it is to hang with thousands of people that love the Lord and are not afraid to show it.

Video of Kutless at SoulFest (Sorry for the Bad Audio)

AHHHHH........A FESTIVAL FOR MY SOUL! THANK YOU LORD FOR A TIME OF REFRESHING!

Memorial Service for Steve Donoghue

A memorial service will be held for Steve Donoghue.

DATE: Wednesday August 6th

TIME: 1:30

LOCATION: Christ Church Cathedral, 35 Chestnut St., Springfield, MA

The promise of Heaven

"God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. "

Revelations 21:4 NIV

Off to Soulfest 2008

Tomorrow morning I am off to Soulfest 2008 in Gilford, NH. I will be joining Pastor Greg Dyson and his team from The Lions Den.

I am looking for the opportunity to praise the Lord with thousands of others hunger for His abundance. This is my first time to SOULFEST so I will try to get some photos to post.

Check out the web link. There is an amazing lineup of bands. If you get a chance, grab a sleeping bag and join us!

Please pray for our safe trip and opportunity to minister to the lost and deliver the bond.

To God be the Glory!

This is a photo of my friend Steven Donoghue. It was taken on the 4th of July 2008 at a picnic. At the time of this photo Steven was enjoying a full week of sobriety and was praying that it would continue. He was struggling to be free from the bondage of alcohol and this time he was sober 3 1/2 weeks.

Steve was brutally murdered on the streets of Springfield, MA early on Sunday morning.


On Monday the police arrested a man for the murder.



Please pray for Michael Forte, the man accused of his murder. Pray that he will seek the Lord for healing and salvation.

I am posting Steven's photo so that you will see him as a man, a brother, a friend, a child of God.....and not just "the homeless man who was killed."

A memorial service is being planned for next week..details to follow. By the volume of phone calls to my office and inquires on the streets of Springfield, I am sure that it will be well attended. Praise the Lord.

You see, Steven was well known in Springfield. Even the Mayor knew him by first name and was always kind to him. If you got to know Steven even for a few minutes he would charm you with a joke or song. He was a very intelligent man that understood the dangers of his disease and life on the street, but died before he could be delivered.
I am told that I am not the only one who could sit for hours and listen to Steve's tales of life on the street, his past and his desire to see homeless people treated with respect.

Steve would spend many days scouting the city for vacant buildings that could be turned into safe refuge for those who are living on the streets. It was his vision that our ministry would be able to obtain one of those buildings and offer a safe place where all are welcome and the peace of Christ prevails . Please continue to pray with me that God will provide the building, the funds and laborers to realize this vision.

I give glory to God for Steven's life and for all he taught me. I am grateful for having the opportuntiy to call Steven my friend!

God be glorified in these difficult days!

The Street Claims another life

Its been a difficult day.
This morning at about 4am a friend of mine was brutally stabbed to death on the streets of Springfield, MA. Stephen Donohue was homeless and afraid to sleep in a shelter. He was a good man that battled the demons of alcohol. (I have written about Steven in previous blogs identified as "S".)
Stephen will be missed on the streets and in the hospitals, detox centers and downtown liquor stores.
Steven dealt with his pain by drinking and dealt with his drinking by making people around him laugh. In his most difficult moments he broke out in song or told a joke. Everyone seemed to know Steve, so many that he would often joke that he was going to run for Mayor of Springfield.
He cared about the plight of the homeless usually caring for others before himself. He was the first to call me in tears when a homeless person died in the streets. Today we cry for Steve.
I am comforted to know that Steve is in glory. No more pain or tears or demons. During his time of sobriety this month Steve accepted the Lord as his Saviour. To God be the glory.
So, while the violent streets took his life on earth Jesus has forgiven him and gave him everlasting life......Alleluia!

Bound for Siberia

In just a few weeks our Ministry Team of 6 will be in Siberia, Russia. Our plan is to minister to lost souls in the streets and to visit an orphanage. The Russian Pastor that we will be visiting tells us that drugs are so prevalent in the city were we are going that every family in the city is touched by drug abuse. We plan to minister in the streets to drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes and whoever needs to know the Father! Also, we are told that we will have an opportunity to minister to children in the orphanage.
The Bible proclaims "the only true and undefiled religion is visiting widows and orphans".
This will be our first missions trip with Times Square Church and we are very excited.
Please pray for our physical and spiritual protection and that we will be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Many people have asked us how this trip is financed. The answer is that each team member pays their own way. We will be using Milestone funds for my wife and I and assisting with other team members. If you feel led to sow a seed into this missions trip we would joyfully accept your offering.
Pastor Jack
Milestone Ministries
For more info about Milestone Ministries or to donate to our Siberian trip please visit:
milestoneministry.org

My How Time Flies

It was my goal to blog everyday, but it seems that I have not made an entry since July 1st.
So for a quick July update. July has been an awesome month in the Lord. He has provided 4 more homeless brothers and sisters their own apartments. More importantly, they have all asked Jesus to be their Lord and they are growing as Christians. Please pray for them.
My friend "S" stayed sober for almost 4 weeks but he picked up a drink and is back to living in the street. I meet him every couple of days and continue to pray for him. I am very happy that while he was sober he accepted the Lord as his saviour along with his friend "J" who is sober 29 years. Please pray for "S" and "J".
Another one of our homeless friends died this month of an apparent overdose. Wayne's body was found by the river where he was known to frequent. It is confirmed that Wayne also accepted the Lord through another outreach ministry in Springfield.
God has been so good to us this month. He is faithful with promised abundance.

Heaven is rejoicing today

It has been a wonderful day in the Lord. My friend "S" who we have been ministering too throughout the winter gave his life to the Lord today. We met in November when he was homeless and drunk, which has been his condition for many years now. While the world might have given up on him, God never did! Today "S" is sober 3 weeks and has entered long term care facility. Praise the Lord. Both "S" and his friend "J" opened their hearts and invited Jesus in. The Bible says that all of heaven rejoices! Alleluia!

Foosball

"J" is visiting with us tonight from Missouri. Tomorrow she will join us on a trip to NY City to go to church at Times Square Church. It is wonderful to spend time with her.
After dinner I asked if she played Foosball and her eyes lit up. We played and I'm pretty sure that she let me win. I miss seeing her since she moved to Missouri, but I know that God has a plan. There is no doubt that "J" is a foot soldier in Gods army and that she has been put into our lives so we could march together. I am glad to serve the Lord with "J"
The Lord put us together about 4 years ago, she is a real blessing in our lives.

What is impossible for Me

Today "S" called me. I hesitated to take the call because the last time I was with him he was very drunk and out of control. "S" is a friend of mine who is an Alcoholic. I have been ministering to him since November of 2007 and I have never given up hope, however, until he decides to give up the booze and choose life (Jesus) over death there is nothing that I can do except pray and trust God. I pray for him often and I am constantly concerned for his safety because he has been homeless for many years.
By the grace of God "S" was completely sober today! 6 days now.....since a sickness put him in the hospital and now he is sober and wants to stay that way. Praise God.
We spent the afternoon together, it was awesome.

Today when I see "S" and I remember the Word of God that proclaims "I am the Lord, God of all of all flesh, what is impossible for me.

Fathers Day in Florida

To my friends at Spirit Life Worship Church. Thank you for your hospitality this past weekend. It was awesome to celebrate Fathers Day with you. I can see our Father in each and every one of you. What a wonderful day in the Lord we had. I give Him praise for a powerful Word from heaven and fellowship with His Holy Spirit. Hope to see you again soon.

My Fathers eyes

Tonights Bible Study was based on God our Father. It is powerful to note that we were created in the image of God the Father, Jesus His son and The Holy Spirit.
With Fathers Day celebrated last Sunday, it is exciting to know that each and every one of us will grow up to be like our Father......our Father in heaven. As we abide with Him we continue to take on his traits until one day everyday, we will awake in His likeness.
Happy Fathers Day to everyone!

Housing for here and Eternity

On Friday a man that was about to become homeless contacted Milestone Ministries for help. We prayed and sought the Lord. A severe medical condition makes it imperative that "B" have an apartment on the first floor and quickly. Praise God, by Wed. he had located a place on the first floor. But the big news is that the Lord touched "B" through his friends and Milestone Ministries. Over the phone (yes over the phone) "B" rededicated himself to Jesus Chirst. The power of God filled the room where I was and also filled the room where he was. A peace came over us and B was REBORN AGAIN! Alleluia! God is now healing his ailment and many other lies that the Devil has put in his life.
In one day, God provided a home for B here and reminded him that he is guaranteed a home in heaven!!!

Power of Prayer

Praise the Lord. The homeless couple couple that I wrote about on May 30th tried for days to find a job for the husband "D". After a couple of days job hunting by leaving resumes at about 10 employers it was suggested that they start the next day with prayer in claiming a new job. They followed this council and on the way to visit an employment agency decided to stop into a company that was not on the list of those with openings. D stopped in to leave a resume and as it turned out (thank you Lord) a new job opening happened that very morning. D started his new job yesterday!!!! The are thrilled and giving all the Glory to God.
God is now going to provide a perfect apartment and the funds to get them started....

When I was hungry you fed me!

May 31, 2008

Today is my first blog experience. I am going to attempt to stay loyal to this blog because God has been so generous by allowing me to minister to others out of His goodness.

Today I received a phone call from a homeless couple that we found on our Monday night homeless outreach back in April. Don and Jes (real names not used), are a young married couple who have not been able to find housing and Don has not been able to find a job. My wife and I picked them up and took them to a Chinese buffet for 2 interesting hours of fellowship and an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. After dinner the Lord blessed them with new clothes, food and a hotel room for the next 7 days. Don has not been able to find a job because it is hard to interview without a shower or fresh clothes. They have no transportation and no income other than collecting cans. While Don is very able and willing to work, his attempts to get hired by the internet have not been successful. The hotel will give them a safe base camp from which to search for work. One of our friends has agreed to take Don to fill out applications and do job interviews in person. After 4 hours of fellowship my wife Cathy and I we excited to leave them with a prayer and a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Please pray with us the Don will find a job this week and that God will change their situation.