Breakthrough Ministries

Joseph

2012-01-10T22:11:00.002-06:00

About a month ago, when my wife Shari and I were down at the Breakthrough warehouse sorting out clothes that were donated, I looked in the very back room and found some clothes I had not seen before. In with them was this amazingly nice, winter IOWA jacket. Black, with a nice hood too. I tried it on, showing it to Shari and said, “Wow, this is nicer than any jacket I have!” “ I’m keeping this in the trunk of our car for someone special.”

A week went by. After two weeks, Pete walked by with a guy looking for a jacket. Shari and I sized him up….he was too big of a guy for the jacket. Three weeks went by.

Last Tuesday, after we had put all the clothes out on the tables, I walked back to the car for something. I saw a man with a backpack pacing in place, looking over at the hoard of people that had descended down upon the clothes. I said to him, “Why don’t you go get some stuff”? He said he couldn’t. He said he was an ex-marine. He couldn’t handle being around crowds of people. I told him he should wait a bit and get some food at least. He said he eats out of dumpsters because of his problem being around people. He had "nut meds" but they didn't help. He said he was cold and could really use a jacket. I asked him, “Do you have anything against Iowa?” He said no and that he was from Nebraska and pulled out his ID to show me. I opened up the car trunk and told him, “I’ve been saving this for someone special…I think you’re someone special." His eyes lit up as he handed me his backpack and he tried it on. It really looked good on him! We chatted some more and he told his name was Joseph. Towards the end, I said, “God bless you”. He smiles and said, “God bless you too….I’m warm now.” He turned and walked away.

I felt blessed to have met him.

The Boots

2012-01-10T22:10:00.000-06:00

The Boots

I had a new pair of size 11 boots that I bought but never wore, as they didn't fit me right. I wanted to give them to the right homeless person so I kept them in the car for 3 weeks. Towards the end of the Tuesday night Breakthrough Ministries, Dorothy Day even, something told me it was time to bring out the shoes. I walked to the car, opened the door and as I was bending down to pick them up, Dave yells to me, "Do we have any shoes, size 11?" My jaw dropped as I turned around to see Dave with a homeless man named Dan. His feet were totally pushed out of both of his shoes or what was left of them. Dave took the shoes from me and handed them to Dan who sat down on the curb and tried them on. They fit perfectly! His girlfriend said, "They are beautiful, baby!"

How could one not believe that God meant that those shoes to be saved for my new friend, Dan? All glory and praise to God!

Established

2011-12-20T13:16:00.000-06:00

Romans 13:1, 2 “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorizes, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

I once heard it said that we do not fight against flesh and blood. But do we, I mean can sometimes the flesh and blood that we fight with be our own? It is so hard to fathom that the highest authority in my life is the Lord; I mean I do not see Him but I obey Him. Because I obey Him, His authority does exist. What that means is that everything that is contrary to God does not exist. An example would be in the law of the land that has established it is OK to be gay; the authorities have set that in place. Or is that from the rulers, the authorities of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm? If that is the case then for us who follow the Lord that authority does not exist. We only give life to what we obey, to live by the spirit is life.

It is only through following the Holy Spirit who carries with him the authority that governs our life. Today’s breakthrough is that by following the Lord, letting Him Govern are life, then we can be established. At my work, I have my own set agenda, but the authority there keeps giving me more responsibility. Today I challenge us to get rid of our own set agenda and let the Lord establish us as He sees fit. Dear Lord, I thank you for who you are and that you reign from eternity to everlasting, may you establish the hands of our work this day as we submit to your authority in our lives. – Amen

Jeremiah 16:21 “Therefore I will teach them – this time I will teach them my power and might, then they will know that my name is the Lord"

-Lenel Strowder

Defender

2011-12-19T16:49:00.000-06:00

In this economy and in this day in age we all face a multitude of hurts and pain. I am not referring to the so called mundane everyday things that we have come to find solace and answers about. You either know someone or that someone may be yourself who is so thankful for the things that the Lord is responsible for. We may even from time to time feel like we are the called and chosen ones when our prayers are answered or when we are given the strength. We say things like “The favor of the Lord is upon us”. Is it?

And if this is so then why do we have so much homelessness, broken families, hurting individuals and lost? Some things God has given us a duty to and today the Lord is saying to each of us: Psalm 82:3 “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the oppressed, rescue the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” I believe that our obedience is another person’s breakthrough. Have we ever thought that maybe today is the day to be like Jesus and to trade our prayers for the prayers of another, and to trade our lives f or theirs? In this season of giving do not count what God has in His Kingdom, but let us count what He has deposited into us. Lord I pray this day that you would answer all the prayers of lost souls, hurting people and the children- every prayer that they have prayed openly and silently when words were not enough, may our breakthrough come through leading the lost home one at a time.

Daniel 4:27 Therefore, O King, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.

Written by Lenel Strowder

God's Perfect Timing (Rhema) - John Och

2011-10-03T10:47:00.000-05:00

Often you may hear me (David Engman) talk about the word "Rhema" which is an utterance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is ALWAYS speaking to us ALWAYS! John Och (and his wife Shari) are Breakthrough Ministries Clothing Coordinators. They are faithfull week in and week out to show up and serve clothing to anyone in need. Here is a short story of how the Holy Spirit spoke to us and out of that obedience came a blessing. John sent me this to post on the Blog for your benefit.

I had a new pair of size 11 boots that I bought but never wore, as they didn't fit me right. I wanted to give them to the right homeless person so I kept them in the car for 3 weeks. Towards the end of the Tuesday night Breakthrough Ministries, Dorothy Day event, something told me it was time to bring out the shoes. I walked to the car, opened the door and as I was bending down to pick them up, Dave yells to me, "Do we have any shoes, size 11?" My jaw dropped as I turned around to see Dave with a homeless man named Dan. His feet were totally pushed out of both of his shoes or what was left of them. Dave took the shoes from me and handed them to Dan who sat down on the curb and tried them on. They fit perfectly! His girlfriend said, "They are beautiful, baby!"

How could one not believe that God meant that those shoes to be saved for my new friend, Dan? All glory and praise to God!

John Och

Breakthrough in one women's life

2011-09-19T15:02:00.001-05:00

Today I received a phone call from Linda.
She has been homeless for the last two years and she wanted to call to say thank you. I asked her what specifically she was thanking Breakthrough for and she said for "giving me the Spirit to know she could make it". Linda said that God woke her at 3:00 am this morning and told her to call Breakthrough today. She is so excited as she has moved into her own place and is feeling freedom from the bondage that the enemy had her in for so long. She said that the first time we prayed for her that she felt a physical touch from God. She said that it is hard to explain but that everytime she would see us, it would happen to her again. "God used Breakthrough to show me that He had a plan for me. Since then, I have seen true restoration occur in my life and family."
I want the world to know that I am one of your "success stories" as you have been a huge source of strength for me.
Linda said that it is time now for her to give back and wants to be apart of what this ministry is doing.
Thank you Linda for your obedience in the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you (Linda), says the Lord, they are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
I know that to be true for all of us. Amen!

Quote from Todd Reagles

2011-09-17T20:32:00.001-05:00

The night Terri and I spoke up and said "we will take over the food" we came home scared to death and asked God, how in the heck can we do this? I sat in my garage yesterday (Friday, September 17, 2011) looking around at all of the food, drinks, meds, and hygiene supplies the Lord has provided to us to serve to his children. My body was all goosebumps as the Holy Spirit sat beside taking inventory over all of us and all we are doing and he is very very pleased!!! May God lift us all up tonight and replenish our bodies with His love and strength so we may continue to serve full force in His Holy and Precious name...

Thanks Todd and Terri for answering the call. We are all blessed by what you do.

Tuesday Night Take from Doreen - Volunteer Prayer Warrior

2011-09-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

Sept 13, 2011

Tonight was my 8th or 9th trip downtown St. Paul to fellowship with the homeless. I have to say up until tonight my main goal was to try to meet them, pray for them and speak some truth about God into their lives. Over the past weeks the Lord has been gently bringing me into their world one step at a time. I have wanted to get to know them, meet them at their point of need and be an encouragement to them.

This morning I read Matthew 4 and reread a verse that I had memorized a few years ago. The people that sat in darkness have seen a great light. To those living in the shadow of death; a great light has dawned. I have always felt that this verse was about bringing the light of God to the lost. However this morning the Lord brought another verse to my mind; it was in Psalm 23. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. Throughout the day I have pondered these two verses. I paid particular attention to the verbs, sat, living and walk. I realized that these verses describe people and their walk with or without God.

There are those people sitting in darkness (evil); I believe that these people are believers that are bound to darkness. They are stuck in their sin and aren’t moving at all. Then there are those that are living (dwelling) in darkness (evil); I believe that these are unbelievers that are surrounded and overcome by evil. In Psalm 23 it also uses the verb walk through the valley of the shadow of death which specifies movement and advancement. They are not sitting or living in darkness; nor are they taking up residence and building houses in the darkness; they are on the move.

Then there is the subject of light, those that were sitting in darkness, the Light is seen (like a beacon in a storm). Those living in darkness, the Light dawned (a beginning, an awakening). Psalm 23 describes those that walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It doesn’t say darkness, it says shadow; to me this means that Light (God) is present. Though sometimes our valleys can seem very dim, as believers we know that Jesus has our hand and He is leading us. We may not be able to see what is in front of us, but we know that He (the Light) is bringing us out and we will eventually be on the mountaintop with Him. Praise be to God!

I believe that this is what we are to those living on the streets of St. Paul. We are the Light in the darkness; a great Beacon of Hope. My goal hasn’t changed I still want to meet the people that live on the streets, bring them the Light of the World, the Hope of Salvation and a whole lot of Peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

Tonight I arrived at Breakthrough Ministries at 7:20. I had been praying in the spirit all the way in and thanking God for making my paths straight. My time downtown is so limited 7:20-9:00 on most given nights unless I have Carolyn close the store for me and I get down there by 4:30, which I just love!

John: After I dropped off my clothing donations with Sheri I started to walk around. Looking back, it wasn’t a meander, but a determined walk towards the sidewalk where I came up along side of a man named John. We walked a few steps together as I introduced myself and asked his name. He stopped and smiled and we exchanged a bit of small talk. He had a warm smile and a kind heart and kept mentioning how so many wonderful things had been happening in his life. For example, he was able to get registered with photo ID at the Dorothy Day Center quicker than usual. I mentioned that it was favor from God and he quickly agreed. As I listened to him, his story seemed to unfold before me. He talked of living in Chicago and having only come to St. Paul 8 days ago quite by accident. He had been drinking heavily with some buddies in Chicago and they apparently took a wrong turn and ended up in St. Paul where he was picked up by the police and released without getting a DWI. I mentioned that this was also a blessing and John again agreed. (As he talked I asked God what He wanted me to say to John.)

As we talked I could smell liquor on his breath, but I continued to listen and make a few comments about God’s blessings. He said he was Catholic and I said that I was inter-denominational, as I believed that we are all God’s children. He smiled and liked that idea. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes. He took my hand, stepped forward and leaned his head on my right shoulder. At this point I decided to pray for him right there even though the prayer tent was only 15 feet behind me. I prayed a blessing over him and asked for God’s favor in finding a job, among other things. He started to walk away when he turned and started talking about drinking and smoking. So I gave him my testimony about being addicted to alcohol and smoking and God’s divine deliverance from it. He was shocked, stating that I didn’t look like that kind of a person. I asked him if I could pray for him about the alcohol. He lifted up a bag in his hand and said no; he was carrying alcohol and planned on drinking. I told him that I was there every Tuesday night and when he was ready for prayer that I would love to pray for him.

He started to walk away again and I told him that God loved him very much. He said that it”s had to know how much that is. So I told him that if he was the only person that ever existed on this earth that Jesus still would have come to earth and died on the cross for him. That is how much God loved him. He was overwhelmed by that thought. I think that he is going to mull that one over for awhile. He made three big steps towards me, kissed me on the cheek and thanked me before walking away. It was my turn to be shocked.

I pray that God’s angels would continue to minister to him throughout the night and until we meet again. I ask the Holy Spirit to remind him of those words of love and truth that I spoke into his life. And I also ask for the Lord to send divine appointments into his life that would continue to sow, water and fertilize until a great harvest of joy, peace and love flow out of him.

Paula: She walked right up to me and thanked me for praying for her last week. She said that she had already received prayer that afternoon and felt better. She stated that she knew that she needed to start reading the bible. I offered her one that I had in my back seat and she turned me down. I could see a bondage to confusion all over her, but didn’t feel led to pray for her again. She really needs to start reading the Word, as I believe that this will transform her mind. Next week I am going to bring the copy of the Father’s Love Letter that I had printed out last night, but left at work accidently.

Alexander: It was already dark and the tent was coming down when I met Alexander. What a bright light in the darkness he is!! He is homeless and living at the Dorothy Day Center. I really didn’t get to hear any of his story, but I assume that he is from Africa, based on his accent. I asked him if he had come down for dinner and he said no that he came for the church service. We talked back and forth about the Word being the real food that we need and how it sustains us through any drought or famine.

He talked of trying to be an encouragement to those that he meets and of being persecuted and of those that wouldn’t listen to him when He told them about God. I tried to encourage him that the Holy Spirit can use anything he says, and that it wasn’t up to him to change the people. He was doing exactly what God wanted him to do...plant seeds. If they don’t want to receive it, then he should brush the dust from his shoes and go on to the next person. Just bless them and let the Holy Spirit do His job. I told him that he was a bright light and just by showing up with the Light of the World inside of him was enough for the Holy Spirit to use.

He was concerned that he doesn’t always do things right and that he is constantly tempted. He’s struggling not to get wrapped up in the world system, but it’s hard sometimes. I told him not to focus so much on the world, but to keep his focus on Jesus. He seemed to be so hard on himself. I told him that we all fall short of the glory of God. We all have our weaknesses, and that’s where grace comes in. I told him that I could see Jesus in his eyes and that he was a mighty warrior for the Kingdom.

I asked him if he received prayer, and he said no. The prayer tent was gone and there were only 2 other men left, Cooper and his friend Robert. So I thank God for this mighty warrior and prayed a blessing and the blood of Jesus over him & asked for favor. He didn’t seem to want to leave, but wanted to keep talking about God. I knew it was late, so I shook his hand and walked towards the truck.

By this time Pete was surrounded by a few homeless men, both of which I had seen many times, but had not met. I thank God for the honor of being able meet these people, His children, tonight. I thank Him for bringing me into this ministry slowly and teaching me how to minister to them at their point of need. I also thank Him for helping me to listen more closely to what they are saying and waiting for the Holy Spirit to speak. I have been praying so much for the Lord to speak through me. I don’t want to express my opinions or earthly advice. I just want to be a friend to them that can speak truth, love and encouragement from God into their lives.

Stop and Think

2011-09-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

When Helping Hurts

One of the truths that we have concluded is that until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good. There is a shame - a "poverty of being" - which is a major part of the brokenness that low-income people experience in their relationship with themselves. Instead of seeing themselves as being created in the image of God, low-income people often feel they are are inferior to others. This can paralyze the poor from taking initiative and seizing opportunities to improve their situation, thereby locking them into material poverty.

The economically rich often have "god-complexes," a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which they believe that they have achieved their wealth through their own efforts and that they have been anointed to decide what is best for low-income people, who they view as inferior to themselves. This is contradictory to Jeremiah 10:23, "LORD, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps." Few of us are conscious of having a god-complex, which is part of the problem. We are often deceived by Satan and by our sinful natures. For example, consider this: Why do you want to help the poor? Really think about it. What truly motivates you? Do you really love poor people and want to serve them? Or do you have other motives? I confess to you that part of what has motivated me in the past to help the poor is my felt need to accomplish something worthwhile with my life, to be a person of significance, to feel like I have pursued a noble cause... to a bit like God. It makes me feel good to use my compassion to "save" poor people. And in the process, I sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects that I use to fulfill my own need to accomplish something. It is a very ugly truth, and it pains me to admit it , but "when I want to do good, evil is right there with me" (Rom 7:21).

And now we have come to a very central point:

One of the biggest problems in many poverty-alleviation efforts is that their design and implementation exacerbates "the poverty of being" - of the economically rich -( their god-complexes) - and "the poverty of being" - of the economically poor - (their feelings of inferiority and shame).

The way that we act toward the economically poor often communicates, unintentionally, that we are superior and they are inferior.

In the process we hurt the poor and ourselves. And here is the clincher: this dynamic is likely to be particularly strong whenever middle to upper class, North American Christians try to help the poor, given these Christians' tendency toward a Western, materialistically perspective of the nature of poverty.

So how do we break out of this? We need to understand our own brokenness, it requires ongoing repentance. To understand our brokenness and to embrace the message of the cross in deep and profound ways, saying to ourselves every day: "I am not OK; and your are not OK; but Jesus can fix us both." And as we do this, God can use us to breakout of the paradigm. By showing low-income people through our words, our actions, and most importantly our ears that they are people with unique gifts and abilities, we can be part of helping them to recover their sense of dignity, even as we recover from our sense of pride.

Written by Pete Couper with information gathered from the book, "When Helping Hurts"

Tuesday, August 30th in the City

2011-09-02T09:54:00.000-05:00

No one can dispute the raw power of God! When someone sees a miracle they can’t deny it. Often people ask me “how did it go last night?” referring to our Tuesday night outreach event. It seems as though I always respond the same way – it was amazing! Is it always amazing? Yes!

You just have to experience for yourself to understand what I mean. The reasons I say that is because what is not amazing about seeing the hand of God move in such a powerful way?

I am amazed:

• That God would actually open Heaven and make it available to us.

• That miracles, signs and wonders as well as healings and deliverances actually happen right in front of my eyes.

• That we have been averaging 35 – 45 volunteers each week.

• That we have such dedication from the core base of volunteers that would spend so much time preparing a meal to feed 300 people.

• That there are 300 people who show up to eat it.

• That there are worship leaders and preachers willing to come and share their gifts.

• That there are so many willing to give away their “good” clothes to those with nothing.

• That God has given us everything we need to do this outreach.

I really could keep going, but like I said – you just have to come down and experience it for yourself.

Last Tuesday night Dean Swenson and his brother Swen came downtown to the city and led the most amazing worship. They had everyone engaged and participating. What courage! Seriously, this is not easy – I know. But they did an outstanding job. Dean also gave an amazing message about sleep walking through our day.

The stories I am privileged to hear that most may not blow me away. These stories are often times the precious portraits that God paints on the wall of the heart of those who come to serve. They often are unspoken never to be revealed. But on occasion, I am given a gift from someone who tells me what God did to them on that night.

A personal story from my night on Tuesday is about a young man named “Dre”. Everything was set – the tent was up, music playing, food was prepared, and then we all gathered around in a circle to bless the food. 100 people pulled together in a huge circle of love to pray to the living God who has blessed us – what a sight! After prayer, I was walking back toward the tent when a man yelled out to me “Hey, can I talk to you?” I turned around to see a man standing in the middle of a very long line. I said, sure – what is on your heart. He walked right out of line – losing his place. To him, this was more important. He told me a heartbreaking story about watching his dad die in his arms two weeks prior. I am not sure how – I didn’t ask, but he did say he had his dad’s blood all over him. Dre had spent the last two weeks in a psyche ward at a hospital on suicide watch. After telling me this through his tears he said that he still wants to die. He is all alone now and can’t live with his mother who uses alcohol and drugs. He was in anguish. I will say that when you come across someone in real anguish, you know it. He was so sad and deeply depressed. I looked around to find Dave Knapp. Dave has a way with people like no other. I couldn’t find him – then Lenel (who was praying nearby) noticed that I was distressed. She came over as if on cue from God. I asked if she would bring Dre over to the prayer tent. Then, someone yelled out – “here is Dave” and so I introduced everyone and we went to the prayer tent. A few other prayer warriors joined us in the tent. I felt the presence of God and knew that He said Dre was in the right hands. So, I left. Later in the evening as the night was winding down – I heard someone yell out my name. I turned around and saw Dre coming toward me. He had a smile from ear-to-ear. I asked him what was going on. He thanked me for getting those people to pray for him. He said that he has never experienced that kind of love and that he feels awesome! As I was talking to him Dean Swenson, Doreen Doan and others had gathered around. As Dre was talking I noticed his smile. I said Dre, you have the most amazing smile – at which point it got even bigger.

That is what I am talking about – a portrait that God gave to me and He gives this to each person who comes out to experience Heaven on earth. You can have one too if you join us.

I also have struggle in finding a way to say thank you to the people who come. Partially because I realize that the reason they come is because the Lord has drawn them there. But, I want you all to know what a privilege it is to serve with you. Thank you!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

2011-08-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

Today I got off to a late start and as a result felt rushed the entire evening. We decided to try for the fourth time a different layout for the event. I believe we this is the best one, so I think we will use it going forward.

After set-up, as was the case last week, people immediately started requesting and receiving prayer both in the prayer tent and in and around the worship tent. Typically we jump right in getting the food out, however tonight I decided to pull everyone together for an overview of the evening activities. The instruction included a breakdown of the three primary groups of service needs. Serving, Praise & Worship and Prayer teams were developed and each group was given instruction as to what to do. We prayed over each group and released them. This worked well and we will continue to do this going forward. We will now start serving food at 6:15 pm as a rule. Tonight there was a long line of people (as many as we have ever had) as many as 125 people at one time. As the food servers prepared the meal and the line was forming Pete was prompted to take the mic and start praying. He prayed and gave testimony of his journey and faith walk which includes his experience losing his daughter Allison in a tragic automobile accident. He concluded with prayer and then I took over and gave the volunteers instruction. From this point on, it seemed as though everyone knew what role they played.

The food serving team is led by Terry Reagles and a veteran core of volunteers. This works well as everyone knows their role and they quickly teach the new comers the ropes.

The clothing serving team is led by Brenda Duncan and they set up the table to hand out clothing and within minutes there was a mob of people hovering around the table. This was overwhelming. A problem we see is that there are people who are more aggressive than most overcome with greed, attempting to take hordes of clothing – stuff they won’t wear but more than likely will try to sell. As a result, we are going to form a policy that starts with a line and includes a three piece maximum offering per person. I saw this and asked Pete to go over to bring order.

The prayer team is led by Pete Couper. They were given instruction to team up in pairs of two or three and walk around the entire serving area praying for the anointing of God and His army of Angels to fight against the principalities and powers of darkness in the heavenly.  The prayer team circled the area. This was awesome to observe! Prayer warriors laying down a wall of anointing, breaking off to pray for those they were prompted to as war raged in the heavenly places all around us bringing an atmosphere of love. Tears flowed as people were being released from the captivity that they have become so use too. During this time we led many to the prayer tent where the prayer team strategically prayed for them.

As the food and clothing was being served by our ervice volunteer’s people started to sit under the worship tent. i can't describe to you the feeling that overcame me. It was warm! It was as if God was affirming me. I can only speak for myself, but as the founder of a ministry I feel anxiety as I wonder if people will come.

We are so blessed to have so many churches participating each week.  We have people from Hosanna! in Lakeville (my home church), Cedar Valley in Bloomington, South Metro Vineyard in Apple Valley, Crossroads in Savage, The Crux that travel up from Faribault as well as others I am sure.

At some point I grabbed the clip board and started my quest to sign people in to record the attendance of volunteers to track their hours keeping my eye on the time. This gives me a chance to meet the new volunteers and greet the returning ones. The problem with having to do this is that keeps me from connecting with people in the community that I have made connections with. I am praying for a solution to this problem.

Our plan was to start the service at 7:00 pm. I heard thunder and lightning and began to pray that God would divert the impending storm. Tonight, Stephanie Staszcuk, a youth leader worship director from Cedar Valley Church in Bloomington was going to lead worship and give the message. At 6:58 pm the storm hit and the rain poured out of the heavens. People scurried for cover under our tent. Steph had a captured audience and a full house! We have been talking a lot lately about John 6:26. This is the story of the 5,000 (fed the previous day) that followed Him around the lake to receive another meal. Jesus rebuked them because their motive for being there had nothing to do with the miraculous signs He was performing rather to get food to eat. We have realized that the people in the community we are serving are not starving for food. Their needs are met with food daily although some more than others and of course we provide a buffet of sorts. The food we provide draws them together, but their souls are starving for spiritual nourishment. Most don’t realize that, but that is what we see and that is what Jesus was saying. We must walk in power and authority with boldness just as Jesus did so as not to enable but deliver. As hard as it is, I feel that we must at times risk our relationships as Jesus did and boldly proclaim the truth so God can set them free.  Of course we must walk in obedience to the Spirit and follow His prompting for if we don't we risk walking in rebellion as well as risk becoming enablers ourselves.

Tonight God showed me that even when the Kingdom of Heaven is near we can be so easily distracted by the storms around us. The distractions that the storm brought were revelation! Praise God! We never know what God is up to and how what we are doing is impacting the lives around us.

Steph did an amazing job through it all. She delivered a message a message of hope in what seemed like a hopeless situation. After she was done Greg (community member) shared his amazing testimony and the prayer continued under the tent. I was led and introduced to Christy and Larry and then listened to Christy’s testimony and asked if she would be willing to give it next Tuesday. She agreed. I am sure there are many other stories from the night. I don’t always get to hear them because I am not always supposed to. God paints a portrait for each person that serves downtown every Tuesday that is intended only for them. That portrait is designed to hang on the wall of the heart of the individual that in most cases only they will ever see.

What is happening downtown is miraculous in that the Spirit of the living God is drawing people in from all over. They can’t help but come back because it is so powerful. I pray that they know how much I appreciate their presence, but it is not for me that they come. It is because they are the chosen ones drawn in by the Spirit of God. I pray for more! More people who can come and experience what Heaven on earth is like.

The rest of the night was spent packing up in a down pour with a handful of faithful brothers and sisters. Was it uncomfortable? Maybe (although I can only speak for myself), but it showed me that I am blessed. I get to go home! That is the mission of this ministry – “Leading the Lost Home”. Please know that if you are reading this, you are a part of this mission. You are invited to join us each and every Tuesday.

God Bless.

David.

Part 2 - Give me Revelation

2011-07-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

“…Give me a revelation; show me what to do. Because I’ve been trying to find my way; I haven’t got a clue. Tell me should I stay here; or do I need to move. Give me revelation; I’ve got nothing without you.” (Partial lyrics titled “Revelation” by Third Day).

God gives us all revelation through various methods and experiences. I have been flooded with revelation during times of prayer, preparation, bible study, fellowship, worship, as well as God inspired outside resource material and books. I have received revelation through people God has inspired whom have written books such as Danny Silk, Bill Johnson, John Eckhardt, Rick Joyner, C. Peter Wagner and others who have given me a frame work and language to understand. The revelation flows from all directions and floods my mind like a mighty river. I want to give thanks to God for using revelation to guide me and those who serve His Kingdom.

As I stated in the last newsletter, Breakthrough has received revelation that we are apart of the apostolic ministry movement and such we have a part to play in fulfilling the Great Commission. An apostolic ministry brings an experiential understanding to the believer. Another word, this ministry is about experiencing Christ when Heaven invades earth.

Our very name “Breakthrough” is a name and carries with it an anointing that acts as a battering ram against the citadels of the enemy and we proceed and lead the way for others.

The word breakthrough is defined as an act or instance of breaking through and obstruction; an offensive thrust that penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line in warfare.

• We have the courage, ability and power to penetrate the defenses set up by the powers of darkness.

• We break through ignorance, fear, and other obstacles that keep people from advancing.

• We must be able to break through tradition, religion, poverty, witchcraft, pride, and rebellion.

We will do this to set people free to walk in the truth and in doing so we will reach cities, regions and nations.

God has sent the Holy Spirit to give us power to be witnesses through the world – not just within our city or even our nation but “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Apostolic ministry brings light (revelation) to the nations, which in turn brings salvation (deliverance). This type of ministry which includes apostles and prophets has a unique ability to penetrate. We carry authority and power in the Spirit to “Breakthrough” the enemy’s front line defenses.

If we are just touching a few in our city or region, we are only walking in a part of the power available to us. The power of the Holy Spirit is given to us to touch the nations and so we need to prepare believers with a vision for the world.

Apostolic ministry operates at a rank high enough to speak on behalf of heaven! Even the principalities and powers must acknowledge this rank because it is spiritual. They hate it and fight against it, but they cannot avoid it or overcome it. Those apart of this ministry have enough rank to command, decree and rebuke with authority.

That is what we are doing! We are doing this every Tuesday night in downtown St. Paul. We are going to the “least of these” and taking back what the enemy has robbed. Lives are at stake and along with them their very souls. There is a great urgency to reach people God is calling us to reach.

If you have read this, you are a part of this army God has raised up. You are invited to join us every Tuesday to experience firsthand Heaven invading earth. The details are on the website.

Next week, I will talk about the revolution that is currently underway that is leading us to the next great reformation in the church and how we are called to be a part of that.

If you would like, please feel free to email me at david@breakthroughmn.org with any comments.

Strength and honor

David Engman

Part 1 - Calling All Saints

2011-07-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

The title "Calling All Saints" should be preceded by the shafor horn. The horn is blown prior to an announcement and it is called, "The Awakening Blast" to get the attention of the city. It is a beautiful sound that is highly effective in getting peoples attention..

That is precisouly what I want to do. Get your attention.

Why? Because we have entered a revolution that is leading to the next great churchwide reformation and alot of people are sleeping. It is time, now to experience the fullness of God as Heaven invades earth.

God has revealed through revelation that Breakthrough is a part of a fivefold apostolic ministry movement. This is the same movement that launched the first century Church. Our role in ministry is to empower the saints to know God and walk in the fullness of who He says they are.

We must understand the diverse annointings of the fivefold ministry as described in Ephesians 4:11-12 “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelist, and the pastors and the teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ”.

“Without a complete, mature expression of these graces that equip the saints, the people of God cannot be adequately prepared to contain what God is pouring out and release it to the world around them”. (Danny Silk – “A culture of honor”)

In 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 Paul clearly lays out an order of priority in this passage, and this order is related to the realms of the supernatural that correspond to each particular office. The anointing of the apostle and prophet creates a perspective that is primarily focused on perceiving what is going on in Heaven and bringing that to earth. The teacher is focused on being able to describe everything that happened accurately, and the evangelist and pastor are focused on the people. Each of these areas of focus are vitally important, but in order for them to function together as God intended, they must relate to one another according to His order of priority. The areas of heavenly focus come first and influence the areas of earthly focus.

When that happens, the Holy Spirit is channeled through the true Christian and we can begin to understand the spiritual authority that He has given us. This creates a power source directly from heaven and the atmosphere in both the physical and spiritual realm around us changes. Miracles, signs, and wonders are observed. Part of the manifestation that occurs naturally is Grace. Grace is the atmosphere created by love that makes faith the only reasonable response. When true grace (Jesus) is present – freedom ensues and we are called to walk in freedom. So, our role in ministry is to empower the saints to know God and walk in the fullness of who He says they are.

That can only happen when people who are chosen by God himself are sensative to the Holy Spirit and obedient. We are "Calling all Saints" to receive an impartation of God's diverse annointing so we can continue to see Heaven invade earth with maximum impact.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

David Engman.

Faribault Invades St. Paul

2011-03-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Pete - He always get's so excited about Serving!

We all met at 1:30 pm today to serve the homeless a meal in downtown St. Paul. We arrived to find another Christian group already providing hot soup to a large crowd. I immediately started to thinking about how much work Todd and Terri put in as they prepare this food at their home for every outreach event. It is no small task as they prepare enough food to feed between 200 - 300 people. But Tom Mckenna wasted no time in praising God for the extra provisions. He always sees the bright side. Our core group of outreach volunteers were all there today. That included - Tom and Becky, Tom and Jessi (less Shannon, Brendon, and Kali), Todd and Terri, Todd & Bubba, Amy, Matt, Pete, and myself.

Tom - He makes Becky crawl into the back every time.

Today we were excited to meet and greet the group from Faribault who attend The Crux church. This group included Dave, Jim, John, Billy, Janel, Deb, and Kelly. The story about how we got connected is simply a God appointment. Back in September, Breakthrough hosted the Breakthrough Family Festival in Faribault Minnesota. As we were advertising for this event in Faribault, Pete and myself went into this church which is right in downtown faribault. It is a very unique church as it sits right in the middle of the heart of the business community in an old warehouse style building. Anyway, we met with Pastor Paul and he told us how God had provided for this church and the brief history of it. If ever in Faribault I would highly recommend visiting this church.

The Crux Crew Serving

As some people may remember, we did not have a high turn-out for our family festival. I suppose to most anyone who would have attended it, they probably would have considered it a failed event. It sure felt that way to me, but we recognized and spoke of the fact that God was up to something here. Why else would he have had us drag ourselves down to a beautiful golf course in the middle of a corn fields?

This event produced a majority of our core outreach volunteers which would include - Tom, Jessi, Shannon, Brendon, Kali, Todd, and Terri. And now it produced the opportunity for a group from The Crux church to prepare for an oversees trip to Haiti.

When the group from The Crux arrived we pulled together tight in the Holy Huddle and prayed for God to lead our paths making the ground we would walk on this day Holy. We sat down for introductions and I shared the vision and mission of Breakthrough with them while the crew set-up the serving line. After some instruction and our prayer walk around the "tear drop" we put them right to work. The are naturals! They served close to 100 people and had a chance to talk with some experiencing homelessness.

While The Crux crew was serving Pete and I had an opportunity to spend some time with Dan and Mike. These are a couple of talented guys who until recently were working in the construction industry. The work for them dried up and as a result they are now homeless. We talked about some opportunities they are coming up with and about how Breakthrough could help. We prayed with them and ask that if you are reading this that you would come into agreement with our prayer for favor in their lives.

I also had a chance to get to know Amy. She is a volunteer with Breakthrough now who felt God nudging her to start collecting items for the homeless. She explained how she felt that after doing this that she needed a ministry that she could connect with to help her distribute these items. I first met her early in February at Carbonies where we were having a spaghetti all you could eat fundraiser. Since then, she has attended a couple of our outreach events and provided supplies such as blankets and clothing.

Amy - Before handing out a car load of stuff!

After about an hour we decided to go out on the trail to see how some of our brothers and sisters live. Our core group of outreach volunteers stayed behind to man the serving line while Pete, Matt, Amy and The Crux crew went out on an adventure. Generally, we never know what or who we will come across. Today, we went to a bridge that has been frequented by people seeking shelter. This is a place that is off the beaten trail and requires about a mile of walking. There was nobody there, but The Crux crew was able to see a place where no human should sleep but often does.

The Crux Crew - Hitting the Trail

Rough Terrian - Trust me!

People crawl into these rocks for shelter.

We also went to "Charlie's" place. Charlie is a man who is generally recluse and likes to be left alone. I have been visitting him for almost two years and have only seen his face once. Charlie lives in a "fort" which is made up with a few pallets and some tarps. I usually approach Charlie alone and announce my presence. I yell out "Charlie, it's Dave from Breakthrough here to pray for you". If he is "home" he usually replies by simply saying "Hi Dave". When we are done praying he usually just says "good bye Dave". Charlie has told me he doesn't like people and that is why he is where he is. But he also says he appreciates our prayer, so we keep coming.

We put a chair, food, warm parka, and blankets outside of Charilies place.

Coup - Always keeping an eye on the rear.

From there we went back to the shelter. The core group of outreach volunteers had packed up and were heading home. We gathered together with The Crux crew and prayed specifically for their trip to Haiti. We also prayed for Pastor Paul and The Crux church. If you are reading this would you please come into agreement with our prayer for favor for these people?

I want to thank the core group of outreach volunteers as well as our new friends from the Crux church. We were delighted by your presence and look foreward to see how God will work us together again.

Please pray for Tommy. He is a homeless man staying at the shelter who we have gotten to know well. Todd "Preacher" Finney really knows him well. Tommy had some problems as we were leaving and ended up in the hospital with kidney and gull bladder problems that may require surgery. Please pray for a speedy recovery.

God bless.

Day 1 - Spreading the message of "Hope for the Homeless" on 980 am KKMS

2011-02-24T22:47:00.000-06:00

First of all, thank all of you who tuned in and/or prayed for us today! We have alot of friends who support what we are doing and you need to know we couldn't do what we do without you.

The day started out early for me. I was at the office by 6:30 am to put the final details in place for our day at KKMS 980 am.

This opportunity was simply a God appointment. Gary Borgendale the Local Ministry Director from KKMS called me about a month ago to ask me if I would have any interest in doing a fundraiser with Salem Communications. Of course I had interest but asked some questions that required him to do some research. Two weeks went by and then out of the blue he called me for more discussion. We decided to meet at his office and after a 3 1/2 hour meeting and we concluded that we were not sure what the ask would be, and simply put it in God's hands. I left feeling as though this event would not happen. I thought maybe this was God's way of telling me that part of the problem with Breakthrough is that we have not defined our needs in such a way to move people to support us.

That night I worked late and spent time with the Lord. He revealed to me a plan that seemed compelling. We have a story of true success with Terri so, why not duplicate it? I went home that evening not sure, but encouraged. The next morning I received an email from Gary stating that him and the General Manager Ron Stone still think this would be viable. From their perspective we needed to identify the felt needs of those experiencing homelessness and ask people to help us provide for those needs. So, we pulled the two together and agreed to proceed.

Gary wanted to do this event on Thursday, February 24 and Friday the 25th. At the time of our agreement this was less than 1 week of planning and preparation. Not to mention the fact that I am way behind and trying to complete my Potter's Wheel course work (Leadership Development Training) which is due on the 28th. Also, my family is moving from one house to another on Saturday the 26th and my wife has been extremely sick this particular week. Regardless, this is when the station had the availability so, if we are going to do the fundraiser it had to be now.

Let the coordinating begin! The biggest challenge was getting volunteers to work the phones and provide testimonies from them as well as from people experiencing homelessness on such short notice. But this was God's gig, so I simply put this at the foot of the cross and sent out the emails. Funny, but everything fell right into place. Bob, Brenda, Nicole, Todd, Matt, Wade,Pete, Tom and Becky all stepped up to the plate and volunteered their time to help. Some taking vacation time to do so! Who does that? People of obedience who answer the phone when God calls, that's who.

So, this is Day 1

Bob and Brenda Duncan

Me and Gary Borgendale

Matt and Todd "Preacher"

Nicole - Working the phones

Wade - Working the phones

Nicole, Brenda and Todd - Praying for "Preacher" before he goes on air.

Matt and Todd in studio.

Bob Duncan - Working the phone lines.

Even President Ronald Reagan showed up on a special assignment from Heaven.

This was a special day. The real measure of success in this journey is obedience. The beauty of this is not one of us including myself can say we earned this opportunity to spread the message of hope on the radio. God arranged this appointment for us to bring awareness to the real tragedy of homelessness. Today was about the importance of relationships with each other and relationships with people like Matt and Terri. It was because of this appointment that we now all have a new friend in Matt. Please know how special you all are to me and also know how honored I am to be serving in God’s kingdom with all of you. This blog would not be complete if I did not thank Tom, Jessi, Todd and Terri for all of your efforts as well. Though you couldn't be there physically today we know you were there with us in spirit. We love you and missed you.

Don't forget to tune in tomorrow from 8am - 6pm on am 980 KKMS to hear more from Breakthrough. You can go to our website anytime to make a financial contribution. We need them to keep fighting on the front lines. So, thank you in advance for your support.

God bless!

Taco's in the Blizzard

2011-02-21T09:24:00.003-06:00

Sunday, February 20, 2011
Taco’s in a Blizzard?

Breakthrough has a schedule for conducting organized outreach listed on our website. Generally in the winter we meet every other Sunday to offer a warm meal to the homeless. Of course when we post our schedule we have no idea what the weather conditions will be like on the day of the event. Non-the-less, we plan these events and we have never missed one.

On Sunday, February 20th our event was scheduled to start at 2:00 pm with volunteers scheduled to show up at 1:30. The whole week preceding this event we were hearing about a giant storm that was approaching from the west. The weather stations kept increasing the expected total from day to day. Of course it was scheduled to start snowing the morning of our outreach event. It did!

At 9:30 am it started snowing hard and by noon we had already received about 4 inches. It showed no sign of letting up. By this time I trying to get word to our core group of volunteers to let them know that if they felt travel safety was a concern that I would understand if they stayed home. As the morning wore on, we were texting each other almost as if to gage our resound. Tom and Jessi (core team members) had a long drive planned after the outreach and because the driving conditions were treacherous and only expected to get worse as the day progressed, they opted to get on the road early and were unable to attend.

My wife asked me what I was going to do. At that point, I thought for a minute about the homeless. They do not get to forget about being homeless just because of the bad weather. In fact it makes being homeless that much more difficult. I thought; they don’t get to stay “home” just because of the snow and cold in a warm place. At that point I made up my mind. I will go!

I spoke to the other team members and told them to do what they thought they had to do but that I was going. Everyone else said they would see me there.

So off I went to the office to get the truck and load it up with the tables and bags of blankets, hats, and scarves. It took me about twice as long to get to downtown St. Paul but I made it there safely and on time.

When I arrived the team was already setting up. We have been doing this so long that everyone seems to know their role and what needs to get done. My first thought was “what a blessing to have such committed people who would risk their life for those less fortunate than themselves”. As I looked around downtown St. Paul it was like a ghost town. There was nobody outside in this miserable weather. As we were setting up, it was the most glorious site. People (most homeless) started coming from nowhere. It was like angels just appearing. Some were helping us set up while others were milling about the large variety of supplies we had brought for them. When the proverbial “table” was set we called everyone together for prayer. Pete has been anointed to pray like few I know. Here we are about 30 or 40 people huddled together to pray in Jesus name. What a site!

Everyone was so pleasant today. As the team started serving I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures. I didn’t want to forget this day. I stepped back again to take it in and that’s when I heard this guy who was riding up on a bike say “Are you kidding me?” “What are you doing?” “I can’t believe this!” He stopped next to me and I introduced myself. He said his name was Frank. Then he said, “This is awesome man, I needed this today. I have had the most depressing week and this just made it all worth it”. We talked for about 30 minutes and I learned more about Frank. One thing about Frank that I learned is that he is a brilliant man. He was a programmer for a large company that laid him off awhile ago and since he has been homeless he has been writing. He promised to send me an 82 page document that he has been working on regarding the world economy and how to get out of this recession. I have to say I am excited to read it. His biggest complaint is that he has to use computers at various places like the library to do his writing and they are always packed with people. We talked about getting his material published and how we might be able to help.

Human beings in general tend to wear different masks to hide behind. We do this to protect ourselves or to portray ourselves as something we think others may want. That is no different for those experiencing homelessness and for them tends to be part of the survival mechanism.
Pete told me about “Dre”. We have seen Dre for some time while we have doing outreach. He is a proud man who tends to portray himself as an alpha male within the community of homeless. When Pete approached Dre to invite him over for lunch, Dre asked him what we were serving. Pete said Taco’s and immediately the mask fell off and Dre said “Get out of here, Taco’s? Tacos? You have to be kidding me, I love Taco’s”. And Dre immediately jumped up and started to follow Pete. Dre’s demeanor completely changed. Before long, Pete and Dre had a beautiful conversation.

It seems as though what we bring (besides food and supplies) is Joy. Through that joy comes companionship and after awhile friendship. What I have learned is that with friendship comes concern. I am truly concerned for my friends. I love them. I want to do whatever I can to help them. When the masks fall off, we see the real person who like me is hiding behind many masks. We see people who are afraid of being left out. People, who have no one to share good or bad news with or even worse no one to confide in. Yes, they have each other and that counts for a lot but they are all stuck here together.

The people we meet have allowed us into their world. I didn’t realize what an honor that would be. There is no feeling quite like it in the world. To be able to spend just a little time with those who want to give some time is awesome. At Breakthrough, we have talked about God painting a portrait for you. Only you can see it, and it is the most beautiful portrait in the world. I would encourage anyone who reads this to consider getting one yourself. All you have to do is call us and we can go together.

I want to thank those who are willing to risk so much to spend time with those who have so little to have taco’s in a blizzard. Thanks Pete, Suki, Todd, Terri, Todd, Bubba, Tom, Becky, and Matt (who stays at DDC).
I also want to thank those who were there with us in spirit and make these events possible. Brenda, Tom, Jessi, Wade, Cindy and my family – Christine, Amanda, Mackenzie, Mitchell, and Hailey. Without you we would not be able to do what we do and you don’t get enough credit.

David Engman

Breakthrough Exeperiences Part 4 - Todd Finney

2011-02-03T16:12:00.000-06:00

Cracks In the Street

Every day the shelters close for a few hours during sections of the day to do necessary cleaning, maintenance, and many other things that just can’t be accomplished during a time when hundreds of people are constantly milling about. During those times folks take to the streets, there are places set up to go so that they aren’t turned out in the cold, for the most part, but at the same right, some of the places that you would think would be ok to go, well, they are made to feel unwelcome or just downright told they can’t be there.
On one of these excursions I walked along with my brother Jim, now Jim is a guy who is what most would consider a vagrant, bum, useless, or any other of the many stereotypes that go along with the way he looks. His long beard, which shelters his cheeks neck and chin from the howling –25 winds that he is exposed to on a daily basis. The oversized baggy coat and snow pants, also used to do the same and also the oversized helps to pile necessary layers on the frigid nights where the temperatures and wind chills combined will cause frostbite in a matter of seconds.
Jim is a brilliant man, he starts out his day filling out various crossword puzzles, most of them to completion. One of them that I have seen him fill out, The New York Times Crossword, not partially, but completely, and at a rate of speed that there can be no other conclusion other than the man is a shear genius. Yet, here he is, wandering the streets, he has a tale, but this isn’t the time to tell it.
We were walking towards one of these places a middle area, and just chatting, about nothing and everything. As we approached an intersection I noticed an area of the road that had worn away, in turn a large section of road had come out, underneath that section of road, cobblestones. It was like he read my mind, he looked at me with is unflinching steel blue eyes that seemed to carve a path out from underneath his layers of hats right into my heart, and simply said, ‘funny, how no matter how much the city grows up around it, there’s still that foundation, they look at it as a flaw, but it is just a part of the city that has been forgotten and buried.’ We walked in silence for the next few minutes, somehow I have this feeling that Jim knew exactly what he had just said to me, how it had struck my heart and just wanted me to think on that. Jim is always one of the guys who has those insights for me.
All, I could think of was, they have been doing this for over 100 years, and now instead of structures, it was people. People, living, breathing, joking, laughing, smiling, crying people, that were being forgotten and buried beneath a city. A city that was built by so many of these peoples ancestors, Jim will tell you he was born and raised here, his dad worked on the river, built most of the steel structure bridges that you can still see along the riverfront, and that some of his favorite childhood memories were of when he’d go fishing on that riverfront back when, ‘the water was pretty clean’. He had gotten a job as an engineer for a steel company, and had done decently for himself, and through a chain of bad events, which included the deaths of his wife and one of his children in a car accident, he was homeless. He still gets some benefits, but not enough tto get by on, so he does what he has to do to get by, mostly camping, and relying on the kindness of strangers.
All I could think of was that his family had build this city, their blood sweat, and tears, supplied out streets, lights, and buildings with it’s life blood, and what does he get out of it? After all of this, the ability to get kicked out of the skyway system when he tries to get warm. A public place, that has been paid for by we the people, and he gets run out of there, because the city wants to try and hide the parts it no longer deems worthy. That’s a great thanks. I asked him once about that, he just said, ‘I’m too old to argue anymore.’ Me, Lets just say I was angry about it.
One more quick note, Jim is not a drinker, most would instantly assume that ‘looking like that he has to be an alcoholic’ , or ‘that he smells like booze’. I’m sure that some will make that assumption. The alcohol smell that permeates his coat, is actually the smell of sterno, the little things that folks use to keep buffet stuff warm. Yeah, that’s the only external warmth that this man feels some nights, as he huddles around that small burning aluminum can to survive. Why? His answer is simple, ‘I can survive out here, there’s folks who can’t, I’d rather know that my bed was given to one of those on days like this then have to roll around and wonder if while I’m warn some kid is gonna freeze.’
True greatness is achieved when someone is suffering and hurting and you make the decision, the willfull decision, to take their place. Other people in the past have done things like that, the one at the top of my mind, this guy from the desert, He did that before, suffered for his fellow man when he didn’t have to, just because he felt the compassion and love that it takes to sacrifice for someone else… His name was Jesus… maybe you’ve heard of Him. So with that, you are in very good company Jim.
I love each and every one of you and God does too. LLLAKYFOTPA

Breakthrough Experiences Part 3 - Todd Finney

2011-01-31T15:40:00.002-06:00

Unanswered Questions
In the DDC there are many secrets, mysteries, misplaced effects and gone astray people. Things happen with little notice or reason. You hear many stories, rumors, tales, and theories. Some of them are literally implausible and some of them so out of the ordinary that the challenge is to identify what ordinary is? There are great and wonderful tales of hope and there are tales of great tragedy and pain. This week, there has been a diminutive of both. Inside the DDC at the front desk there is an 8x10 photocopied print of a woman who had died at the hands of another human being. The picture is a memorial. As you sit back and watch the community in action you notice that some people glimpse at the photo while others stop to take a long look, possibly writing a small note on it. Despondently, I heard one man say, ‘That’s just how it goes down here’.
The picture is of Lelia Kim Scott. A beautiful woman who had walked throughout the doors of the DDC. She had hopes, dreams and goals. Just like you and I would. The obvious is that she was liked within the walls of the DDC. I suspect Leila had made some bad decisions and had , had tribulations in her life but, who hasn’t. She recently had gotten her own apartment; a place to call home, a place to lay her head, a place where people would not be constantly milling about. I picture her, just like any of us, walking through her new home and smiling. I picture her planning how to decorate her place, possibly wondering if this was a great beginning to a new future and I picture her being excited to be back on her feet again. Leila was a 44 year old woman. A man in a fit of rage decided to end her life with a baseball bat. She was declared dead in her apartment due to multiple blunt force traumas to her head and neck.
It has definitely been a diverse and difficult week at the DDC. And yet, God finds moments to walk into the DDC and remind everyone that there is hope and love. I have heard people experiencing homelessness say that living in a shelter is like the, ‘The Gates Of Hell’ and ‘The place that angels fear to tread’. I prefer to call it, ‘A place where God walks daily and often loving those most in need.’ You just have to keep your eyes and ears open and be aware. Reminiscent of what my pastor likes to say, ‘Come expecting’.
There is a man at the DDC who shuttles food back and forth to some of the folks who just can’t get to the DDC in time for a meal. Additionally, there is a man who collects clothes, sleeping bags, socks, and other basic necessities who also comes to the DDC. Some of you most likely have seen this man wandering the streets with all these clothes. He doesn’t carry them for himself, he carries them for ‘someone who might need them’, and for the people down at the DDC. Often times you will see person after person coming to him thanking him for the coat, sweatshirt, socks, hats, gloves, etc. The other day a person was telling him that if he had not gotten that sleeping bag before the deep freeze, ‘I would a froze, I owe you my life dad’. She wasn’t his daughter per say, but many bond together for endurance and family relations. They love each other, and make sure each other are fed, clothed, loved and equipped to survive. The mission is clear - one more day, one more chance to try and get it right.
I often marvel at the resources people experiencing homelessness are able to tap into. Their resource needs are not met by e-mail, text, phone calls or mail. Their resources are by word of mouth. Sure, some have cell phones but word of mouth travels faster. A caring heart and a giving soul gives a long time at the DDC. The way one’s needs are met at the DDC is a beautiful bond of love for each other. I often wonder if many of the folks I personally know would have the gumption and wherewithal to survive down at the DDC. I’m not sure if I even would.
The greatest part of the DDC (whether it be crisis or care giving) is the spirit of those being served; the person experiencing homelessness. People experiencing homelessness often are downtrodden, battered, used, and often times left behind. They have been through the wringer, have maybe made the wrong decisions, and have had dreadful things happen to them. And yet, they rise again and again! They keep their essence and spirit fighting. Not just for survival but because their God is an AWESOME GOD and God’s love, at all costs, prevails.
Sometimes life throws that curveball, that thing that just hovers beyond your field of vision, and then ‘BAM’, right into the strike zone. The objective is to remember that the world still turns, good things happen, bad things happen, and people keep on movin on.
I have been blessed to hear some of the deepest most insightful, spiritual thoughts I have ever heard. I am a blessed man to be able to walk among these folks. And I am thankful to be allowed to see and hear their words. I love each and every one of you, and God does too. LLLAKYFOTPA

Breakthrough Experiences (Continued) - Todd Finney

2011-01-24T11:33:00.000-06:00

The Song
As some may or may not know, I love music, always have, and I have been told that I am a gifted musician. I have performed in multiple musical groups, from acapella quartets to chamber chorales, from duets in church, to very large scale concerts in a band. Well, I have had some very awesome experiences due to that, from listening to Handel’s Messiah Hallelujah Chorus sung by the Northwestern Choir and Orchestra, to a day like the other day. Part of my musical love is a belief that the world has a song, there is a rhythm that pulses in all of us, what is your heartbeat? A rhythm, when do we cease to exist? When that rhythm stops, and while that rhythm rolls the world has a song that just swirls around us, and when we get lucky enough, we get to harmonize with it. Transcending everything and anything, and just being in the moment of God’s song.
I had wandered into Katie’s office, just to say hey. Katie is one of the folks down there that helps a lot of these folks into housing, she has been able to work with and house people who everyone else has given up on, one in particular, has multiple multiple issues, it was said that he would forever wander the streets and would never be housed, well, he just hit the 18th month of living in his apartment. She has an awesome heart for the ‘impossible ones’, and is quick to show that through faith and love that nothing is impossible. That’s the tragic part of a lot of this, most of these folks, that’s all they need, someone to love them as a brother or sister, or even child.
So, I stepped into Katie’s office, we talked about the center, plans for it, things going on around town, who needed what for what reason. Then a gentleman came in to talk to her. I have had the privilege to talk to him on a few occasions, his name is Tawa, he is from the Caribbean , he came to the US to find a better life. He is a regal looking man when you take the time to notice, he is average stature, very dark skinned, he keeps his hair up under a rasta style hat, which when you meet and talk to him, you realizes is the only type of hat you could ever picture him in. He is a cook, and from how he talks about cooking, and me loving food, he knows his stuff, but there is no work. He smiles a lot , I thought that was very intriguing, because in that place, smiles are few and far between. The magic behind his smile , is his love for God and music. He carries around a homemade drum, now in that right, it is a thing of beauty, carved from mahogany, with a goatskin top. He is constantly adjusting and tuning it to keep it’s sound perfect.
At Katie’s request he started playing. He played a song from his homeland and then a few more contemporary pieces, that all of you would recognize. Actually many of you may have seen Tawa play before and not known it, but I will tell you why some other time. As he was playing, I found myself getting lost in the music, singing along, and just enjoying the moment. One of the other guys Tony had been on the edge of the office for a little while, and he just started singing along, so there we were just living in the moment.
Then Katie asked Tony to play the office guitar, and he happily obliged. He started playing a blues riff, I could tell he was good, sometimes you can just spot it. As he played he said, ‘this is a song I have been writing, I just finally have started matching the lyrics to the music that goes through my head.’ ,and then he started singing. He has a great smoky bluesy voice, and his song, well, it was great, it was something that I could close my eyes and hear on the radio, and I’m not just saying that, it’s really good. I will not tell you the title of the song or the chorus, but I do sing that catchy tune through my head a lot. As he wrapped up, we applauded, and I rose to leave the room. Tony, stopped me, ‘you’re a musician, right?’. I quickly replied, ‘yeah, I used to be.’ ‘aw, come on man, you gotta play something.’’ He quickly fired back.
I haven’t played in public for 3 years. I have performed on stage in a duet last Easter , for church, but the last time I was on stage playing guitar for an audience was during my brother Paul’s benefit when he had passed, and that was only because his mother said that he had bragged to her about being a fan of mine and how good friends we had become, and he would want me to do it. So for Paul, I saddled up, and was moved beyond words when almost all of our old band, one by one, joined me on stage, and using the house instruments we played some of Paul’s favorite tunes.
Either or, I had not played for anyone other than my closest friends and family since then, and that’s how I was most comfortable, but for some reason, I said, ‘ok’. I haven’t actually played a guitar in a while. I took the guitar from him. I don’t know what it is about acoustic guitars, when one get’s put in my hand I can just feel it, I can feel the songs stir in me. I started to play, finger picked some classical stuff that I have known like that back of my hand since I was 15 or so, and then I felt it, the song I wanted to sing. I kicked into it. It’s a song that I have sung to Andre since he was born as one of his lullabies’, an old school rock ballad of sorts, and then it happened. Tawa started lightly tapping out this rhythm, that was just perfect, using his hands to create this orchestra of differing beats to accompany me, and as he did that, Tony started harmonizing and lightly creating a second rhythm with his surroundings. As we went into the second chorus, it hit, 3 men from completely separate walks of life, singing and playing a song that only one of us knew, and yet there we were, in harmony with each other. For that moment in time, the shelter melted away, and there was nothing there, but the song. Just music, and for me, a moment where there was nothing and yet everything, for me a moment where God lifted our spirits to a plane where we could truly feel His grace. Not with a conversation, not with study, but with music. I think that everyone in that room felt it, and once again, I realized that I had just met some more brothers that I just hadn’t known before.
“Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics, or the expression of our love and faith. Music proves: WE ARE ALL THE SAME.” –John Denver
LLLAKYFOTPA

Breakthrough Exeriences - Todd Finney

2011-01-19T20:32:00.000-06:00

God and the Frogtown Wendy’s
I was running late to the DDC today. The doors close at 1pm for cleaning and open again at 2pm. So I decided to hit Wendy’s in my old stomping grounds, Frogtown. It’s called Frogtown because it was built on a swamp, and in the early years at night the frogs would come up out of the gutters and make their way throughout the area. It is also notorious as one of the toughest neighborhoods in St. Paul. In the 90’s there was a short lived Police outpost on the corner of University and Dale which closed up shortly after it opened, even cops wanted no part of Frogtown. It has changed some, the state did some urban renewal projects, but yet, for the most part it is the same old neighborhood.
I wandered into the Wendy’s, got my food, I love their $.99 menu, where else can a guy like me eat and get full for less than $5. I sat down by a man and a woman who were sitting drinking coffee. As I was halfway through with my fries another man walked in. I could see it immediately, he was homeless. He wore a jacket about 4 sizes too big, an older Carhart work coat. It would have hung on him if he hadn’t been wearing so many layers, sweater upon sweater, but it being a balmy 4 degrees I found myself wishing I had been bright enough to wear a sweater. He had dirty black snowpants on, which also looked like they were way too big and yet bulged with what I could only surmise were additional layers of clothes. Upon his head, he wore what I found out later were 2 stocking caps, and upon those, a traditional Mexican sombrero, or as I found out later, he preferred to call it a gorra. He hovered by the door his eyes darting this way and that while rummaging through his pockets and slowly, methodically counting out all of his change, and then the moment came, there wasn’t enough, I could see his heart sink. I quickly shoved my hand into my pocket feeling for the 5 ones that I had there, but I was too late, he was gone.
As I wondered if I should chase him down, he re-entered, followed by a man who could have been a social worker or something like that. The man’s attitude had changed, he was smiling and jovial, his pain had been replaced if for only a moment something else. As I watched he animatedly talked to a young couple in front of them, he was so animate it was almost humorous. I just sat there, trying to figure out what had just gone on. The couple in front of him seemed like she had just picked him up from culinary school or something like that, they were both very well kept, and the man had what looked to me like a chef’s shirt on. They all went through the line.
As the man walked back with his bag of food he suddenly looked at the man behind me, and an ear to ear grin spread across hie face. ‘What’s up homie?!’ he said. The man sitting behind me looked up and smiled. ‘Well hello to you!’, as he greeted him he held out his hand, they spoke quickly and cordially. I couldn’t help but watch this strange chain of events from my perch. The young guy with the sombrero suddenly said, “Man , God is so good!”. My ears perked up. He said, “That guy right there! That guy, he’s a Christian!”, pointing to the ‘social worker’. “He just gave me $10 and told me that Jesus loves me! And then those guys! They’re Christians too! They gave me a Wendy’s gift card for $10! I’m gonna have food for a week!” The older man, a black gentlemen said, “That’s great Jimmy, He’s always there you know, he’s always in my backpack.” To which he proceeded to pull out a well kept bible in it’s place among many of the things that he held dear to his heart.
At that point and for some who know me, I just do silly things, I pulled my bible out of my coat pocket and said, “He’s right, God is always with you, and I try to make sure He’s always with me.” Emmett , the older black gentleman smiled at me, and as I thought the moment was done, Jimmy looked directly at me and said, “can I sit here?’. I was humbled, “of course, I’d be honored if you did.” I replied. The next half hour I got to know Jimmy, Emmett, and Mary, the woman who was sitting with Emmett. I learned things about these folks that was so beautiful, Emmet is also homeless, Mary is a widow, and Jimmy, well Jimmy’s a mess and he knows it. We sat and laughed as old friends, we talked about God and faith and so much. Emmett met Mary at the Wendy’s, she get’s coffee once a day from there, and they just struck up conversation once and they have been coffee friends ever since. Emmett has been sober 2 years, and has this aura about him that is regal, his voice commands attention and yet soothes as it commands. Jimmy, well, Jimmy is lost, but he has a great heart and would come out with these just deep comments. Either or today I watched God walk through the Frogtown Wendys, he took people who would never cross paths and gave them compassion for their fellow man. I would like to leave you with a Jimmy comment, he had a ton of them, and each one was just as deep and insightful as this one. I hope to have many more conversations with my new brothers and sister. Jimmy quote for the day. “I know I’ve screwed up, I’ve sinned, and then stuff like this happens, and I remember God loves me, He loves all of us.”

Yes He does Jimmy, Yes He does
LLLAKYFOTPA

Why the Beatitudes

2010-05-19T19:01:00.000-05:00

Recently on a trip to "The Kings Ranch" (a ranch in Southern Minnesota started to give opportunities for Christians to connect with nature and hunting) the Lord spoke to me about understanding His values and Character. Of course at the time (like usual), I failed to understand the significance of His timing. But I did put out a call to like minded men to seek out God's purpose for this revelation. I offered this as a challenge to myself as much as them to see how the Lord would use the beatitudes to draw us closer to Him.
Do you believe in the Lords timing?
Do you believe that He is speaking to you?
I guess we all have a pat answer to these questions, but I am not asking for your pat answer. I am challenging you to dive down deeper and really think and understand what they mean to you.
Often times I hear people (even my beloved wife) say that if God was speaking this you and it involves me then don't you think He would have spoke to me as well? I guess that would seem to be a logical response. The only problem I have is that what if He was speaking to you and you failed to hear Him.
Here is another one to think about:
Are we to only respond to the Lord when everyone agrees?
I would say to that question if we are all together in spirit then yes! But again, what if we are not all together? What if we are not all in the spirit at once.
That leads me to the beatitudes and the revelation that those who are poor in spirit are actually better off than those who are rich. Now at first glance, this seems backwards doesn't it?
I received a CD from Pete Couper (one of my closest friends, and a board member of Breakthrough Ministries) who was given this CD from someone who is a warrior for the Lord. I do not know the author but his teaching has led to an even deeper understanding of the beatitudes.  I will share some of his thoughts as well as my own regarding the revelation that is now becoming so clear. This is extremely powerful revelation so hang on tight.
Alright, let's dive into what the Lord put on me this morning regarding how God blesses those who are poor in spirit (the first beatitude).
The beatitudes are the higher values and represent the very character of God.  Pay close attention to what Jesus says about what Father values because that is what He blesses. Did you hear that? God's is revealing His value system. That system is different from ours and if we want His blessings, we must put ourselves in a position to receive them by living by His values not ours.
In Proverbs 2 it says,, "My children, listen to what I say and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding". So, I am going to ask you to do just that. Tune into what is being said.  How? By tuning out everything else. Tim Hatt a Pastor at Hosanna! (my church) and Paul Yadoa (a pastor from the Philippines) speak and teach about this subject. They call it soaking.  We must realize that we hear three voices. Satan and his demons, our own voice and that of God. We must tune out the others to hear God (if you want more information on this subject, let me know and I will connect you with these men).  When we hear God and only God we will start to understand how God speaks to us. It is in that for which we will be able to understand that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Jesus says we shall be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect. It is at this point that God confronts us with His standards. God is confronting you of this! We are to cultivate the beatitudes into our heart so they become the very fragrance of our lives. That is to say the love for purity, meekness, righteousness, and poor in spirit which is the lifestyle of God. In 2 Cor 2:15 it says "our lives are a Christ like fragrance rising up to God". We are only the fragrance of Christ to the degree that we cultivate the beatitudes.
Matthew 5:3 "God bless those poor [in spirit] and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of heaven is theirs". This whole article has been written because of this one verse, rather three words - "poor in spirit". Those three words have inspired all of this thought. Isn't the word of God amazing!
To attain a genuine love for God and righteousness we must continually acknowledge in the depths of our hearts that we are in great need of help.
Alright, this is deep and EXTREMELY critical. "Poor in spirit"actually means we are to seek a poverty of our souls from now until we die and that we are to grow in the increase of our poverty before the Lord and in the depth of our heart as we mature in Christ. Did you get that? Here is where I pray that you review Proverbs 2 from above. We need to recognize that we are in great need of help from God and that He is our only chance. We are disabled in such a way that we can't do it on our own because we have NOTHING to offer God!
There is a reason this is the first beatitude. It is critical to our growth as Christians.
How do we become poor in spirit? Again, God is confronting us with His standards and Jesus said to be perfect as His Father is perfect. We DON'T become poor in spirit by comparing ourselves with others only by comparing ourselves with Jesus. This forces us to examine ourselves against perfection.
If you are attached to the vine (God), you should be producing fruit. If that is true, then the fruit of growing in the true God fearing knowledge of God is you becoming more and more poor in spirit. Again, this is EXTREMELY critical to understand. Let me give an example.
First let's see how the dictionary defines pride:
1. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
2. the state or feeling of being proud.
3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.
4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride.
5. something that causes a person or persons to be proud
As you grow in your knowledge of who God is, if you get puffed up with pride (which is the opposite of this spirit) you are actually growing FURTHER away from the Lord. Get the point? To further illustrate for understanding. Matthew 19:30 says "But many who are the greatest now will be least then, and those who are least important now will be the greatest then." Jesus turned the worlds values upside down. Consider the most powerful or well known people in our world - how many got where they are by being humble, self-effacing, and gentle? Not many! (NLT). Remember, this is the beatitude of God, His values. In the world view we grow we gain but in Kingdom view we grow and in this case we lose (or least become poor in spirit).
What is "Poor in spirit"?
Paul prophesied that there would come a nameless and faceless generation that would come forth. In doing so, they would not be rooted in pride (where as they would not search through the magazine articles to see how many times their name was mentioned or to see pictures of themselves, rather they would search to see that Jesus was glorified) rather they would be rooted poor in spirit.
We don't want to be the ones to draw attention to ourselves. We want to have humility clothed all over us. We don't want to use our giftings and talents to get the praise of many. We should want to rip that attitude and rend our hearts.
We also don't want to walk around in condemnation with the realities of our sin rather boldly confront them and call it what it is. That is where our deliverance will be found. It is here that we start to become poor in spirit.
Ask yourself if you are moving toward God or away from him. I would suggest that we all analyze ourselves.

Keeping it personal www.keepingitpersonal.com (reprinted with permission)

2010-05-10T15:15:00.001-05:00

Breakthrough Ministries

May 10, 2010 | Reprinted from www.keepingitpersonal.com with permission.

We are thrilled to introduce to you our very first “KIP Pik.” This organization is a perfect example, to us, of what we envisioned when we wrote our overview of How We Are, “Keeping it Personal and sharing your passion could be the start of an organization to help a family in need or a homeless/runaway on the street.”

We are proud to share with you, Breakthrough Ministries, Inc. Teri and I had a chance to visit with the men behind this ministry, and are excited to share with you their story!

Dave Engman had a vision in July of 2009 and launched Breakthrough Ministries in August 2009. This organization is based in Minnesota and exists to end homelessness, while helping people discover the destiny God has for their life. Their mission statement is simple, yet profound, “Leading the lost home,” in spirit and in flesh. They are introducing the homeless to unconditional love and acceptance, and meeting them where they are at, both physically and in the spiritual sense. In this short period of time, Breakthrough Ministries has opened 3 homes, and are providing housing to 10 men and women who previously did not have a place to call home.

Breakthrough Ministries seeks to serve the Twin Cities homeless. That number is staggering. Research indicates that there are well over 10,000 homeless people in Minnesota. Of that, over 2,000 are sleeping in places that are considered uninhabitable. Places like under bridges, abandoned buildings, cars, etc.

The problems causing homelessness are not always the same. They range from loss of work, family issues, mental illness, loneliness, hopelessness, lack of self worth, rape, incest, neglect, abuse, hurt, etc. This is the mission field. And it is right here in the Twin Cities and Breakthrough Ministries, Inc. is on a mission!

We had the privilege to talk to two of Breakthrough Ministies residents, Ken and Nick, who after a series of unfortunate life circumstances and illnesses, found themselves living under a bridge and in tents. Amazing men, with amazing hearts, who are overwhelmed with the love that has been poured over them. For the physical roof over their heads. For their safety. For food. For prayers.

Nick said something to us that I will never forget. “Who would walk up to, and want to talk to someone like me, living under a bridge?” Simply answered, Jesus would. And so would the men working at Breakthrough Ministries. You see, they continually are reminded of Matthew 25 verse 40. “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

If you’ve got a couple of minutes PLEASE watch this video documentary ~ Breakthrough Ministries Documentary

Keeping it Personal is offering a dollar for dollar match on any donation made to Breakthrough Ministries from now until May 31. Follow this link ~ simply type the words “Keeping it Personal” on the second page in the online donation process under Add Special Instructions to the Seller. Or if you would prefer, checks can be mailed to PO Box 931 – Burnsville, MN 55337 – please write “Keeping it Personal” in the memo. Even $5.00 would be a significant blessing. We are excited to be a part of this ministry and walk along beside them as they move forward in their vision and passion, and continue to bless the lives of others.

If you want to learn more about Breakthrough Ministries and/or how you can get involved connect with them by going to their website www.breakthroughmn.org and become a Fan on Facebook.

Update

2010-04-24T19:22:00.000-05:00

Friends of Breakthrough Ministries,

Last week we had meetings with some awesome pastors – Darin Poli (Southbridge Community Church), Brent Clark Ramsey (Celebration Church) and Roger Thompson (Berrien Baptist). God clearly spoke through all of these Godly men. The overriding message was that this ministry is definitely what the church has been missing. We need to be sure to provide tangible ways that people can get involved and will continue to work on expanding on our current volunteer opportunities (see Volunteer link on website). Feel free to share any ideas you have as we're open to all ideas.

The Breakthrough guys attended Hosanna! to assist with the 363 Sandwich event and participated in two shifts. The church was on track to make 75,000 sandwiches over the weekend that will go to homeless people throughout Minneapolis, including those that Breakthrough Ministries comes in contact with.

We are searching for a viable donor software package, call me if you feel compelled.

We are searching for housing to expand the ministry, if you have housing available for our ministry, please reach out to me.

We are searching for office space.

We are figuring our mission schedule and seeking tangible ways people can serve.

Thanks to all our friends and to those that participated in the past Mission Trip.

Blessings,

David Engman | Executive Director | www.breakthroughmn.org | 612-886-3638 - office | 952-250-8752 - mobile

2009-12-21T17:01:00.000-06:00

This is from Nicole Bella Remini who was on the MIT (Ministry Impact Trip) yesterday with a Breakthrough Ministry team.

Today, I was brought to a place I never thought I could handle and or experience.

I was invited by Breakthrough Ministries to join them in handing out blankets to the homeless that were made by our churches childrens ministries. I guess I thought I would be standing on a street corner (well, that did happen as well but not til much later in the day) handing them out to people sleeping under boxes.

We arrive in St Paul, not a familiar place.

We went to a location in St Paul where they feed and house the homeless. I thought we were going inside - nope - we trecked thru the snow to the woods behind the building that housed a man who lived in a tent. Dave Engman knew him and has a repoire with him so he was very welcoming. Dave spoke to him about moving him into the Breakthrough Ministry program - HE DECLINED. He said that he wanted to make sure that he had a job before he left his tent. I said "you would rather stay here in the cold rather than a warm roof over your head?" He said " I would like a job first" After spending the day with the homeless, you come to understand why- I will tell you more about that at the end.

We then traveled by car to a shelter where the homeless were between meals and they were honestly no where to be found. Except for one man - Elam. He was from Africa. Such a warm hearted man who is homeless but, sleeping on a friends couch. We tell him that we are from Hosanna and that we have a blanket from the kids. He said "that is so funny, I was just walking here talking to God saying that I could use him and some prayers and here you are" I CRIED! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? God is good.

We then piled back in the car and headed again to an area of St Paul that I am unfamilair with. I was day dreaming of coffee at this point....Oops sorry - back to the story

We park on a side street and I am told that we have to run across the road and climb over the railing that seperates the street from the Mississippi River - Um, yeah, it was a long ways down my friends...Well, I say, I am up for the adventure so lets make it happen. We all run across the busy street with bags of blankets and candy in hand. I look at how far down the fall "could be" and say what the heck - I climb over ....Holding on for dear life and I mean dear - we end up under the bridge. I have never in my life been this close to these tents that the homeless call home. We drive by them every day and notice but, never think of that person in the freezing cold. David Engman introduces us all and we sit and talk. Folding chairs, tables, candles, a Happy Holiday sign fill the concrete and sand home of this homeless couple. We must have been there for an hour just talking to Dave & Teri. Dave goes on and on about how delish the chili was that he just ate and fills us in on his recipe secret of throwing half a jar of tostitos spinach dip in i t - hmmmm interesting. I tell him, I will try it sometime.

Their story is not unlike most in this situation. We take pictures, we talk about how warm his tent is and about a dog they had before a jogger took it home. The view they have is actually breathtaking - I mention it and they giggle. I meant it. It was truly beautiful.

After hugs and thank yous for their hospitality we climb back up the very steep and snowy walkway that will get us back to our warm cars and my protein bar. Um, I think I am still needing coffee. My toes are frozen. Did I mention it was cold? Ok moving on....

We head back out to the shelter -I look at the new condos going up that over look the river and in front of me is the state Capital. Do people know that when they are buying these new places that there are homeless people sleeping underneath them? It really makes me physically uncomfortable at the state of affairs.

It is dinner time, We head back to the Dorothy Day Center. We just set up camp on the corner and I cannot even begin to tell you the overwhelming response to us being there. There was a man who told Sheri at least ten times to thank the children. He was so appreciative. To see how happy these adults were to be coming out of a free meal into the cold and being handed a blanket that a child made - just a humbling but yet filling experience. All I kept thinking was - this is GOD.

When we were just about done. A young man approached. We handed him a blanket and offered him prayer - he said "I will pass on the blanket and take the prayer" He continued " I have all of these student loans to pay, lost my job and I am now here, getting in line for free meals. Can you ask God for a job for me?" I asked what he went to school for - It was something really smart and beyond my understanding to be completely honest. We prayed over him and and I cried once again.

Back to one of the things I learned today. People adapt. I was freezing and Dave was standing there in light jacket and socks as we spoke. Us just being there was comfort enough. People cared. It was like we showed up at his house unannonced and he welcomed us in.

They are in a situtaion where they are controlling their situation and having to be accountable is not something that all are necessarily ready for. I saw men who want to work before they are given a handout. A man who has children in college but he doesnt want to burden them with his problems. Pride, love, trust in a Lord and appreciation of complete strangers. They let go and let God while we were there. They all and I mean just about every one - said" Bless you" to us! How unselfish - we get to go to our warm homes, hug our children, eat out of our fridge and make a pot of coffee. Really? Bless me? Bless you! (but thank you of course)

I say this all of the time - no matter what you are going through - there has to be something you are grateful for. Take a moment and think about this story from my journey today. My heart will never be the same. What I experienced today was an idea and a passion that a man has for the homeless. The homeless that you and I pass on the street every day. What I experienced today has changed my life in a small way. I hope it has touched you.

Please become a fan of Breakthrough Ministries here on FB. I am looking at finding a way to become more involved. I want to help them raise a simple $500.00 so that they can get free canned goods from a charity here in town that asks charities to pay an annual fee of $500.00 just to be able to pick up food and bring it to the homeless. I am going to dedicate my time in finding them a way to find donated space, whether a warehouse, a house or apt complex to help get these guys off the streets.

At this point, I am just asking for your involvement on their FB page. Let me know you have done it. If your heart stirs and you want to help in a way that I mentioned above - get in touch via a message. There are so many of you on my page - we have to be able to get this Breakthrough off the ground and continue to help get the homeless off of the street.

After what I have seen today, I cannot just drive by anymore. Theses are someones children, sons, brother, sisters and parents. I cant pretend that they are not there for one more minute of my life. Like I said, I will never be the same.

Smiles and Blessings to you

Nicole

2009-12-21T12:22:00.000-06:00

I am going to upload some pictures from yesterday. I will not say much here as a picture is worth a 1000 words. Be blessed and thank you - Pete, Sheri, Nicole, Kathy, Amy, Marlin, (Marlin's daughter), and Ronald Williams for an amazing day with the homeless...

Hosanna! Halo Kids blanket delivery.

The Homeless were so grateful and said to say Thank You!!!

Nice Pants Nicole

Look in the background of this picture. It is David as we leave. Heart breaking!

Leaving the bridge.

This was a picture for Hosanna! kids. Both David and Terry said to say thank you very much.

Terry - She spends most of her time inside this tent because she can't handle the cold. Who can blame her?

Pete and David

My good friend Ronald.

The team heading down to David and Terry.

This is the original team that day.

I will post a journal about this series of pictures tonight.

Praise God!

Mission Impact Trips

2009-11-21T05:35:00.017-06:00

With a flick of a match, friction occurs and a spark leaps from match to tinder. A small flame burns the edges and grows, fueled by wood and air. Heat builds, and soon the kindling is licked by reddish orange tongues. Higher and wider it spreads, consuming the wood. The flame has become a fire.

Over 2,000 years ago, a match was struck in Palestine. At first, just a few in that corner of the world were touched and warmed, but the fire spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea out to the world and to all people.

The book of Acts provides an eyewitness account of the flame and fire - the birth and spread of the church. Beginning in Jerusalem with a small group of disciples, the message traveled across the Roman Empire. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, this courageous band preached, taught, healed, and demonstrated love in synagogues, schools, homes, marketplaces, and courtrooms, and on streets, hills, ships, and desert roads - wherever God sent them, lives and history were changed. (NLT).

Here in this part of the world (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and in our current time most have heard about the gospel message that was started then. That message is being played out in a similar way with Breakthrough Ministries. Like then, this too is a story of Acts.

Breakthrough Ministries has created Mission Impact Trips (mit's) so others can experience and have ownership in this ministry. We have created three types that include:

Reconnaissance
Supply need
ministry

Since the first mission trip on a day we set out and met Nick, lives have been changed.

Though we can't possibly post every trip taken we are attempting to capture memories of a few.

Tremedous Breakthrough

2009-11-13T06:25:00.005-06:00

So much has happened over the last month that I have literally not had any time to commit to keeping this blog updated. I am seeking someone who would like to donate their time to this effort. Until the Lord reveals that person I will do my best. Thank you for taking the time to visit today.

The website has been completed although that will be a work in progress forever I would encourage you to visit it http://www.breakthroughmn.org/. That will be the place where we want people to go first. The blog will be a journal of our story which is really God's story in our lives.
Please go and check out the Website and feel free to contact me with recommendations and/or suggestions as well. Also, please click into the "Supporter Registry" and register your name not only so we can keep you updated with important information but so we know who is supporting our ministry.

All right! Just what has been keeping me so busy?

Most of our energy has been spent on development of the essentials. That would include:

Documentary - We have completed the editing phase of the Breakthrough Documentary and you can see on Youtube by going to this hyper link "Nick".
The house - which is now almost completely move in ready. We still have some urgent needs for things to make the house a home. Those needs can be found on our website or by clicking on this hyper link "our needs".
Board development - believe me when I say that when you are building a new ministry it must start with a good board and we have that! We have a 12 position board with 9 positions filled and of that a 4 position executive team. The executive team meets monthly to work on the building blocks of the board and it's function. Each of those meetings requires a lot of energy preparing for. If you have an interest in being considered for this board or if you know of someone who you would like to nominate please email me at david@breakthroughmn.org
Development and Awareness - we had an opportunity to be apart of an amazing event that Sara Groves and her team conducted at Hosanna! church in Lakeville. At this event they played a portion of the documentary that Breakthrough filmed a couple of months ago. As a result many women have stepped up to provide help in this effort. We have also developed a model of awareness that is putting Breakthrough on the map. Weekly we invite people to attend an event called "First Impressions" this event is designed to simply share what we are up to with people who have interest in knowing. If you are interested in this please click on this hyper link "Events".
Ministry - This is a ministry after all! We have started performing what we are calling mission impact trips. There are three types at this point and they include Reconnaissance, Supply need, ministry.

Now, for the Tremendous Breakthrough:

Nick is home! Did you hear me? Nick is home!!!

1 down, 9,999 to go.

FINALLY, after months of visiting Nick under the bridge where he has lived for the past year and a half, we moved him into a Breakthrough house in Minneapolis. How fitting that he was not only the first homeless person that we met, but he was also the first of MANY more that we will lead home! We have accomplished our mission for one person! only 9,999 to go!

As a result of our First Impressions nights, God has brought many people by our side. Those meetings have launched the Mission Impact Trips where we have led others to the field. We have tremendous stories of revelation from these trips. I would encourage anyone who has attended those trips to share their stories right here on this blog. Contact me for details.

Well, there is so much more but I really want to end with this.

God has put it on the heart of so many people to contribute and help. Just this morning I was in the word and God has made it very clear. The road map for this ministry has already be developed and we are simply following it by faith. The book of Acts is what is happening to this ministry. As in the book of Acts (paraphrased here) it starts with Breakthrough Ministry receiving power from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has caused a few people like myself to tell many people (like you) about what we are up to including giving the glory and credit Christ where it belongs. Everyone that is present is filled with the Holy Spirit and they too are filled with power. As a result, we are performing miracles, signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit as seen by the progress that has already been made. These believers are forming spiritual communities as well as physical ones. We are sharing all we have as we own nothing but are simply stewards of all He has provided us. People are selling possessions and giving money to those in need. We are boldly proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and as a result there is conviction in the heart of the true believer. The lost are being led home!!!

Here is the real key as found in Acts 6:38-39 ..."if they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them".

Thank you ALL who have contributed anything! I can't emphasize this enough. Prayer is the most powerful thing you can offer but so many have done so much more. I pray that God would bless each of you with a portion far beyond what you could ever think or imagine. Thank you again!

Only in Minnesota

2009-10-14T21:05:00.009-05:00

On behalf of Tim Walstead and myself (David Engman) we want to say thank you to everyone who donated stuff to the garage sale fundraising event for Breakthrough Ministries.

Set up - Sheri Richards, Jerry Hatzenbuhler, and Steve Pierce.

Ellie and Dan Crawford getting set-up to sort clothes.

We also want to put out a special thanks to all those people who came to set-up, run, tear-down and pack-up the remaining stuff. Those people include:

Ellie Crawford
Dan Crawford
Steve Pierce
Kelli Walstead
Jerry Hatzenbuhler
Laura Hatzenbuhler
Sheri Richards
Kay Zavala
Christine Engman
Mackenzie Engman
Ronald Williams
Scott Rajavori
Cindy Downey
Larry Fannon
Susan Fannon

Look at how much stuff we recieved

Only in Minnesota would you have a garage sale in the middle of winter... Laura Looks cold.

The clean up crew - (Top Left to Right) Ronald Williams, Me (David Engman), Scott Rajavori, Tim Walstead (bottom left), Cindy Downey, Kelli Walstead

We had alot of fun. Thanks for the memories.

Garage Sale Fundraiser

2009-10-06T07:11:00.007-05:00

What: Huge Garage Sale

Why: To raise start-up capital for Breakthrough Ministries.

Where: 13808 Frontier Lane, Burnsville, MN 55337

When: Thursday, October 8th, 2009 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday, October 9th, 2009 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday, October 10th, 2009 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Want to help?

I am asking you to tell everyone you know i.e. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, family, friends, neighbors, other churches, email databases etc. about the garage sale and ask them to come to the sale and or donate as well.

Go through your stuff and donate whatever you would like to get rid of to this worthy cause (We also have to furnish houses so furniture would be welcome).
1. You can drop off your stuff this week on these days:
• Friday (October 2nd) from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
• Saturday (October 3rd) from 8:00 am – noon
Next week:
• Tuesday (October 6th) from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
• *Wednesday (October 7th) from 8:00 am - noon *Special pick-ups (We have limited time but if you have something you can’t get to us please call me and I will arrange to pick it up on Wednesday morning.

Volunteer to help:
1. Set-up for sale on Wednesday, October 7th.
 1st shift - 8:00 am – noon
 2nd shift - noon – 4:00 pm
 3rd shift - 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
2. Help during sale:
 1st shift – 8:00 am – 11:00 am
 2nd shift – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
 3rd shift – 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
3. Help packing up on Saturday, October 10th
 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Help Financially
We have financial obligations and a budget to raise a substantial amount before the end of this year. Tim Walstead and I (David Engman) are not paid employee’s only volunteers who are putting what little we have into this launch. We also have a huge God and so we believe He will bless this ministry in a big way financially. Is God putting it on your heart to consider being apart of this miracle for a breakthrough and make a financial donation? If so, please make check payable to Breakthrough Ministries and send to or drop off at: 13808 Frontier Lane, Burnsville, MN 55337

Email David Engman at engman@comcast.net or call 952-405-6678 to RSVP to Help

Update

2009-09-30T18:02:00.007-05:00

Wow!

That pretty much sums it up.

I attended a conference this last week where Paul Yadao's wife Ahlmira taught about how so many Christians spend time in the present, living in the past but God sees us in the present living out our destiny. The idea that we can live our destiny in the present? Why not! If that is how God sees us then why should we see ourselves any different? So, how does this apply to me or you?

Do you feel stuck in your current situation? Do you believe that God has something better in store on the other side of your current situation?

She talked about acceleration. How we can accelerate out of our current situation into our destiny. The destiny God has for you not the one your stuck in.

The only way this happens is through the Holy Spirit.

So I thought I would try this myself. I have been trying to organize Breakthrough Ministries for the last two months and I have an ongoing to do list. On this list I have completed hundreds of tasks except four items I that I haven't been able to scratch off. Here are those items:

Find CPA

Find Bookkeeper

Find Techie (Someone who has vast knowledge about something I don't)

Create website

I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to Accelerate my destiny and bring sudden growth on these four items on Monday and today (Thursday) all four have come off the list! Hallelujah!!

Go ahead and call it a coincidence! For me, the Holy Spirit has accelerated my destiny. I will call it a Godincidence!

What else will the Holy Spirit Accelerate in regards to my destiny? We are having a Garage Sale for Breakthrough Ministries Thursday - Saturday (This week) to simply raise enough money to cover start-up expenses. My prayer is that God would relieve me or Tim of any obligation regarding how much and simply provide for our needs as He has always done.

The address of the sale is 13808 Frontier Lane, Burnsville, MN 55337. It will run Thursday (October 8th) through Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

If you would like to help by providing financial support please send a check to the same address.

Another Step

2009-09-22T06:39:00.013-05:00

Wendy and Dan Crawford put their faith into action when they decided that Wendy would leave a nice paying job at our church Hosanna! and step out on her own. Wendy had a real interest in life coaching and spent a couple of years preparing to be a certified life coach. Well, the business name is Better Connections. You can find out more about her business by clicking on the link http://betterconnections.net/

Wendy says that "as a Life Coach and TTI Value Added Associate, my passion is to help people experience "Better Connections" in all their relationships, discover their unique purpose, help them find the "right fit" in the puzzle of life, and provide business solutions that work"

Wendy is also a very talented graphic artist. She put together a logo for Breakthrough and I wanted to share it with you. Please, feel free to comment on it.

The Documentary

2009-09-21T18:41:00.009-05:00

We filmed the documentary on Friday September 11th through the night until 11:00 am Saturday morning. The stories have been captured and are currently being edited. We captured seven hours of raw footage!

I want to thank Les for his expertise and time in filming the project as well as Tim Walstead for his heart and dedication to the project. Further, I want to thank Arlie Hagberg and Larry Kutzler for the work they are putting into the editing.

With that said, I also filmed parts of the night. As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words.
(and videos worth a million)!

Our beautiful city streets.

This spectacular view.

Just beneath the surface...

Meet David and Terry.

We filmed others this night besides David and Terry, we filmed Tim, Nick, John, and Phyllis. There stories will be shared on the documentary that is scheduled to be complete by October 15th, 2009.

Thank you for your support and prayers.

It's Official

2009-09-09T20:33:00.011-05:00

I want to continue to keep everyone updated and seek prayer on a number of topics.

But before I do that, I realize that there are some who come to this blog that may need to hear some good news! Who doesn't want to hear good news?
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

It says you are His masterpiece! Did you see that? It says you are not inferior! That is good news isn't it? God doesn't make junk and right here He tells you what He thinks of you!

Alright, it also says He created us so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago! And that is where Breakthrough Ministries is at. We are doing the good things He planned for us long ago. Watch out, because here it comes - I believe if you are reading this blog, you are apart of the "Breakthrough Ministry" God planned long ago! Don't you? As my Pastor Bill Bohline says, "let that thought lean against your mind for a moment"!

Alright, enough already. On with the updates!

It’s official!
First, Breakthrough Ministries is officially incorporated in the state of Minnesota as a nonprofit and is registered with the IRS. We are in the process of applying for the nonprofit 501c3 status. Once the application has been presented we will be officially able to receive tax deductible donations and the goal is to have that completed by Thursday next week! This is an 8 hour online application process that has to be completed once started. I am thankful that I have an attorney (Wendy Brandt) to help me through this process.
Specific Prayer Request – Lord, please be involved in this very detailed task and provide both David and Wendy insight and wisdom that can only come from you and that Breakthrough Ministry would receive much favor.

First Board Meeting!
We conducted our first official board meeting just last night. Jim Busscher, Steve Pierce, Sheri Richards and Hector Matascastillo represent the Executive Team (Pictured) and Wade Humphries, Walt McFadden, Sam Raia, Dean Milner, Cindy Downy (not pictured) have accepted nominations to be on the board. For those nominated members - the Executive Committee and myself will be meeting on October 1st, and determining a date (Sometime in October) to have you enter the official process for approval to sit on the board.
Specific Prayer Request – Lord, please provide wisdom to this group of individuals you have called to this group of spiritual advisers. May they always keep you in the center of what we are doing.

Staff
Besides myself, we have Tim Walstead – Development Director and Meghan Harrington – Administrative Assistant fully committed to the ongoing daily development of this ministry.
Specific Prayer Request – Lord, please provide for double portions of faith as we seek to simply be obedient to your call to YOUR ministry! Father, we pray that you provide for this ministry financially in ways that prove to the world that it could only be you!

Ministry

Here if you look closely you can see an encampment where three people live and have for the last 2.5 years. The middle picture is Pastor Rich and Me. The last picture is of Tim under that same bridge in St. Paul.

We have a fully committed effort to minister to the homeless and have started going in to the encampments and are establishing relationships with homeless people such as “Nick”, “David” and “Terry”. From there we have started to develop other relationships such as the one with Pastor Rich of Jesus Delivers. He feeds about 300 people per day! Lord, Bless Pastor Rich's ministry. We are filming the documentary on Friday, September 11 through Saturday morning. Our focus is going to be on Nick, with interviews of others as well. We will follow Nick to the places he goes in an effort to show the world a different kind of reality.
Specific Prayer Request – Lord, we pray that hearts of all people you reach with this ministry would break for what breaks yours! Please provide favor with homeless people we seek to interview for the documentary.

Housing for the Homeless

We have three properties we can move people into immediately. The picture on the right is one of them. We would like to move a as many as six people into this house. We have another house that is a duplex that we are planning to move two seperate families into. We are also looking at purchasing as many as three apartment complexes. We are so close to accomplishing the vision the Lord has provided that it moves me to tears! Thank you Jesus.

A special thanks goes out to Mark Olson for aquiring these properties and his willingness to work with this ministry.

Thanks Mark!

Lastly, please add this link to your favorites and check it out often. Consider becoming a follower of this blog. Also, make comments as this is a wonderful way to hear from you about your thoughts. I would like to know what you would like to see on this blog.

Would you like to contribute financially to this ministry? If so, please be sure to send your contributions to the address listed on the blog. Thank you so much for the support!

Lord, please bless this person who has come to this blog. Give them a special touch from you right now. In Jesus name, amen!

2009-08-29T07:26:00.004-05:00

Howard Hendricks was a Seminary Professor at Dallas Seminary in Texas and he has a study guide on how to read the bible. There are three elements to this process and they include:

1) Observation 2) Interpretation 3) Application

As you read (observe) scripture, be sure to pray for revelation (interpretation) and how you can apply (application) to your life. After all, if we don't apply it, what's the point.

Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

What did that scripture say? Be thinking about that as you read through this post.

Hello,

My name is David Engman and I am a worshipper! I love to worship. I never feel more alive than when I am surrounded by other worshippers, praising, singing, with hands held high! There is a wonderful worship song entitled "Hosanna" and it has lyrics that really touch a tender spot on my heart. At one point in the song the lyrics read "open up my heart to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me, break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your Kingdom's cause, as I walk from earth into eternity".
Let those words penetrate your heart for a moment. After you are done reading this blog see the link at the bottom of this post to hear Hillsong sing this amazing song and listen closely to all the words. My prayer is that God would break my heart for what breaks his.
I watch television and see images of children or adults in desperate and hopeless situations in distant third world countries. We all have! These people and the stories told break our hearts and guess what, they break Gods too! Often I have thought to myself, I wish I could do something! Then, I change the channel and go on about my life.
Again, my prayer is that God would break my heart for what breaks his and now I am praying that God would break your heart too.
God has revealed something in scripture to me that I want to share with you. As you read this please remember Romans 8:1 in that there is no condemnation:

Romans 8:1-3 (NLT)
"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death".

I point this out because God does not bring the spirit of condemnation the enemy does.

James 1:27 (The Message)
26-27Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

Matthew 25:35-36;45 (NLT)
...For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.
I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[f] you were doing it to me!

We do not live in a third world country and the photos you will see on this blog are not from one either. They are right here in your neighborhoods. The images are of people!

Acts 10:34
"...Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons".

This says God looks at you and I the same as the person begging on the corner. I have so often looked down upon people in those situations without ever really considering their story.
This is a call to action. Let's hear their stories! God knows I would never allow my children or someone I love live in these conditions and you wouldn't either. Come with me, join us on a journey to overcome homelessness and hunger. Together with God, we can do what only God can do through us. Again, this is a call to action. Let's love our neighbor as ourselves.

What are you going to do?

If you are interested in helping in anyway, please email me at engman@comcast.net

I look so forward to telling this mountain to jump into the sea! Mark 11:22-24 with you.

Thank you and may God bless your day!

Hillsong "Hosanna" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uep8qULLJE

First Contact with Nick

2009-08-23T21:57:00.001-05:00

This was the first time we met Nick. We are privileged to have had the Lord lead us to him that night.

Not Home

2009-08-23T21:32:00.001-05:00

Ready, Set, ..........Launch

2009-08-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

When one door shuts you simply have to look around and find the door that God has opened! Sometimes that seems easier said than done, but as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:9 "There is a wide-open door for a great work here..."
God has given me a heart for the lost. I get no greater thrill than to look into a lost souls eyes when they realize Jesus is looking back at them. So the story of this new journey begins and ends with Jesus Christ. May He receive all the Glory for the works of the obedient people He calls to join this mighty effort.
For more information regarding my families personal story visit our family blog posted on this one titled "journey with Lord".
The Lord has given me a vision of ending homelessness and hunger in the Twin Cities and beyond. That is quite a thought and I can boldly proclaim that we will accomplish this mission. How can I say that? Because I know with certainty that nobody could ever accomplish this mission without God. This sets up an irresistible situation that the Holy Spirit simply can't resist.
Why? Because God will get all the Glory!
On Tuesday, August 18 we officially unofficially launched what is being called "Breakthrough" ministries of MN. We conducted a vision meeting and then a prayer launch.
There are over 10,000 homeless people in Minnesota and of that 2,000 people living in places like under bridges or vehicles not intended for human habitation. There are tens of thousands of people living in Minnesota in conditions that are disgusting, filthy and completely unsafe.
We are in the preparation phase of filming a documentary to bring awareness of the detestable and uninhabitable living conditions of these Minnesotans. It is these conditions that have led me to a Holy discontent. It is through these meetings with people who are stuck in their situations that the Lord has revealed to me what breaks His heart.
Jesus taught us to meet people where they are at. He went to them!
So that to me seems to be a logical place to start this ministry. I asked Hector Matascatillo to lead a small team that included myself, my wife Christine, and Tim Walstead on a journey to find homeless encampments in St. Paul. I want to personally thank them for enjoying with me what was one of the most amazing afternoons of my life.
Hector is a decorated Commando Army Ranger war veteran which made my wife feel extremely safe (I think this also brought a certain level of comfort to Tim as well, although he might not admit it). On this afternoon (August 19, 2009) we are conducting one of many planned "reconnaissance" missions to discover where these encampments are to gain valuable "Intel" for future missions. It was raining and of course only Hector was really prepared for the elements. We went to an area that was known to have vagrants but due to the rain all the homeless people were smart enough to be somewhere dry unlike us. I joke about this but it is true! within the first hour we didn't find any homeless but we did find a loaded pistol in the woods and turned that into the police station. We continued on to a few other areas and walked for four hours. This was tough terrain in the rail yards and woods surrounding downtown St. Paul. It was a bit surreal to be in the middle of a forest and to look up to see a large city just beyond the woods. After spending so much time in the rain and with little contact, nobody would say it but we were all feeling a bit defeated. We stopped by the Union Gospel Mission and got a tour of the facility by my old pal "Al". From there we tried one last spot and that is where the real story begins. We came across a homeless man named "Steve" who was obviously not extremely comfortable with us being in his area. Sensing this we asked if he knew of anybody who would be willing to talk to us about their situation. He told us to go meet "Nick" who has lived up under a bridge over the last year. We followed his directions and at last my wife Christine aka "Hawkeye" spotted the site (She had proven very valuable at picking up sites all day). The four of us made our way down a deep ravine and back up again to meet Nick. As we arrived, Nick slipped into his tent for a few seconds. This made us a bit nervous but Nick came out and cautiously greeted us. We spent the next 45 minutes talking with him as he told us his heart wrenching story. Nick is a 48 year old man who lost his job, girlfriend and apartment over a year ago. He had nowhere else to go due to the fact his mother lives in assisted care and his brother is homeless as well. With no family to turn to he found himself living under a bridge in St. Paul. As Nick told his story we were all deeply moved. We all fell in love with Nick and as the evening came to an end I asked Nick if he would like to be the feature in our documentary. He agreed. We prayed for him and found it difficult to just leave him there. Nick captured our hearts. I went back again to meet Nick two days later and brought him a heater and some food. During that meeting Nick showed us where he eats (Union Gospel Mission and the Dorothy Day Center). We went out to eat dinner with my friend Mike and his daughter Trinity. From there Nick agreed to introduce me to what he calls his "running" buddies. Before he would bring me to them he insisted that he get their permission first. He came back with a smile and said they are good with it. There I met David and Terri. Victor is another guy who lives there but he was gone. We had a wonderful conversation and I prayed with them as well. I also asked them if we could interview them for the documentary. They both agreed. You will see some pictures and video on this blog of the first meeting with Nick. Today I picked Nick up and brought him to Hosanna! for church at his request. He was so blessed not only by the sermon but by the hospitality of the pastor who invited us over for a celebration.
I pray these stories will bless you as much as they have me and our team. Please keep us in your prayers as well as the men and women we are meeting.
As you sit here and read this remember they are out there. May God break your heart for what breaks his. If you are interested in getting involved please email me at engman@comcast.net
Things the homeless could use:
Firewood, batteries (AA, D), prepaid cell phones, love and prayers.