A Little Bit of House Cleaning ~ An I-61 Project Ministry Update

A couple nights ago my wife looked at me with a bit of hesitation and whispered, "Honey, can I ask you a favor? Would you please put your clothes away when you take them off?" I looked over the small pile of dirty clothes spread about the chair and floor and then like a spoiled five year old I muttered, "Fine!" I somewhat angrily put the dirty clothes down the laundry chute, folded a pair of pants and stomped into the walk-in closet. What a brat I was! Like the Apostle Paul said, "What a wretched man I am!".

OK, this is not really a post about my brattiness, although I could certainly go down that road. I just wanted to start by sharing my disdain for house cleaning!!! With that said and as much as I don't like to clean house, I want to take this week and let you know all that is going on in and around the I-61 Project ministry. Even if you hate cleaning as much as I do, I hope you'll stick around to see how God is using this ministry to reach people for Jesus Christ.

I want to first share how God is extending the reach of the I-61 Project Blog. To-date, the blog has been visited by people from 23 countries including Great Britain, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia, India, South Africa, and Fiji. It's amazing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is as powerful to a young woman in Hyderabad, India as it is for me here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We have had visitors from every state in the nation and have had very fruitful dialogue with people from every corner of the country. How amazing that when Jesus commanded his disciples to go preach the Gospel to all nations we would see a day when we could do just that through the power of the Internet! Please feel free to interact with us through the comments section of each post. There is a small number in the upper right hand corner of each post that is clickable and will open the "comments" section for that post. You can also email us at info@i61project.org.

God has opened doors for us to share the Gospel in church environments, in the workplace, in small groups, in youth groups, and has made many divine appointments with other brothers and sisters in Christ. God has joined this ministry together with other powerful ministries including "Speaking 4 Him" which is the outreach ministry of our good friend Andrew Gommesen who is a wonderful preacher of the Word. He preaches Christ from the confinement of his wheelchair. Andrew was born three months prematurely and as a result has cerebral palsy. His ministry is growing and he has blessed us and many others.

Ivor Thomas, the co-founder of the I-61 Project, released his CD "Nowhere Else to Go" early this year and is reaching people through doors opened by the power of music. He has returned to serving the needs of God's people in his position as the Executive Director of the Muskegon County Habitat for Humanity. His CD is available at CD Baby and also on itunes. We have posted a powerful music video of his song "I'll Bother You" on YouTube.

We have recently been blessed to be able to start a worship service at our home church that we hope will reach people who have been hesitant to attend church or are looking to a more interactive way to encounter God in Christ. Appropriately, our good friend Mike Walden gave this gathering the name "Encounter". We hope that if you are in the Grand Rapids area you'll come visit us in this experience. We want you to know that you'll come to know the real Jesus even the parts that make us a little or a lot uncomfortable. We will be real with you and will provide a place where you can be real with us. Come as you are but God won't let you stay that way!

Our main website, "The I-61 Project. ORG" is expanding its content with news updates, music, and audio podcasts (recorded by our good friends at River City Studios). We hope you'll visit the site and listen to the podcasts which are also available for download on iTunes.

The I-61 Project has been incorporated and we will be looking to apply for tax exempt status in the near future. We have place a "Donate" button on the Blog home page and would appreciate your help as God leads you in furthering the reach of the Gospel.

I want to thank all who have visited us and have shared their hearts, their fears, their struggles, and their blessings. We have been blessed by you! Thanks also for cleaning house with me this morning because misery loves company.

Look forward to walking with you in the journey home.

Peace,

David and Ivor and The I-61 Project