My Current Life Update...

Dear Friends and Prayer Team,

Wow!  Where do I begin?  I have been so busy with life like Martha.  I have not had many Mary moments lately.  My life is spinning so fast, even I can not keep up with it.  At times, because I am not connected to the Lord like I know He desires and I desire, I feel alone.  Okay, I feel lonely about 95% of the time.  I can have three hundred people around me and still feel alone.  I am becoming more confident in the Lord so that I can get through this in my life.  My intimacy with the Lord should be closer that in cases like this I will not be shaken.  I know if I were able to lay down my day job at The Print Source, I would have 40 more hours a week to dedicate to my spiritual growth and renewal, as well as the small parts of ministry that need so much love and time.

I am working on this thing called boundaries.  It is so hard to tell someone who you see is hurting, "No", even though they are hurting you.  Hurting people hurt.  I am a little tired and weary.  "I am believing for a transformation in my life and others, but I know the only way that will happen is if I seek the Lord and I listen to Him."  It was confirmed Sunday at church when the speaker from Voice of the Martyrs came and shared.  He called me out in the middle of the service with his Ethiopian accent and prophesied over my life.  It was exactly what I have been crying out to the Lord about in my life.  I feel so fake.  People look at me and say, "Man, you are doing great things for God."  I feel, "Man, I feel so far from Him."  Okay, I hope you are not reading into it that I am not seeking God or that I am "fallen" from God.  I am simply saying that I do not feel close to Him like I want to be and like He wants me to be.  I know I am right where He wants me though.

As far as my life in general, I have a Foster Son.  His name is LaVance Williams.  He is a 17 year old black kid who has been a blessing in my life and has been one of the hardest people I have ever had to deal with in my life.  He has really challenged me to press into the Lord through prayer because of all the obstacles, problems and issues we have to deal with daily because of the "street lifestyle" he has been brought up in.  He is the only person in my life that I have allowed to step on more boundaries in my life.  I would not normally tolerate what happens with other people, but for some reason the Lord has given me this significant amount of grace and love for this kid.  He was a homeless kid who was sleeping on my porch.  He has had one of the hardest lives I have ever seen and has been part of the "system" since he was 2 years old.  He is one of the most dynamic people I have ever met, but needs so much love and affirmation because he has been hurt so much in his life. 

I am now praying about taking in this other kid named Marcellas too.  He is 17 and has no one.  His mom left him to choose a "better" life in another state outside Kansas.  How can you say being without your son or daughter is a better life?  I don't get it.  I am understanding more and more...day by day on what it means to be a parent.  I want to be an awesome dad.  How could a parent miss out on such a HUGE blessing of life.  These kids are lives, not just a product of sex.  These are beings who are not just a number, but people who will be the leaders of our generation.  They will be someone influential in their life time.  I am still alone without a wife and more and more I see that is okay.  I am okay with being single as I have always said.  More and more I see it actually working.  I rather do the work of the Lord.  Are you calling me to be alone the rest of my life Lord?

My family needs prayer.  Jacob is in jail for 7 years, Brent is in jail for 5 years, my Uncle Bill died a month ago and then a week later my Aunt Lou died, my grandmother is hurting, my mom and dad's relationship is horrible, Angie is lonely and needs love so desperately, Brandon is missing the old life of "family" because of Hurricane Katrina and my nieces are adjusting to a new life back in Louisiana preschool and 1st grade.  Please keep them in your prayers.  I want to see a transformation in all of their lives.  I pray and seek the Lord to see if He wants me to move back to minister.  I am not clear and do not have a peace at this time to make any changes.

Full time Missionary:  More and more I am realizing that the Lord moved me into my neighborhood to bring transformation.  Well, I see it happening.  I am living in a neighborhood filled with gang violence, guns, drugs, alcohol, poverty, anger, fear, loneliness and more.  I have had the opportunity to see about 34 of my neighbors come to Christ since I have been there.  I have seen them accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but not take the next step of baptism, discipleship, etc.  Everyday, my house is used as a "safe house" for people to come for food, shelter, water, safety and the Love of Christ.  Please pray I would be more effective and that I would be able to make disciple-makers.  I have a good reputation with all the gang members, neighbors and families in my neighborhood.  Thank you Lord for your favor. 

Please pray the Lord would provide $17,794.68 for me to pay of the remaining balance of my loan on my house.  He blessed me with this house to use as a "safe house".  I usually have about 30-50 people in and out of my house a week.  I have a construction crew coming in the next couples weeks to put up sheetrock walls in the house that were torn down because of mold.  I am tired of paying the money to a lender.  I also need a few thousand dollars of work that has to get done in the house:  Sewer system, cabinets, carpet, flooring, blinds, etc.  I want to work full time in ministry and keep having to work to pay the bills.  Please pray the Lord will supernaturally supply for me.  You have no idea the impact the Lord has had in my neighborhood since He started allowing me to work on it.  I know the devil is mad and daily I have opposition from him.  John 10:10, "satan comes to kill, steal and destroy, but Christ comes to give life and life more abundantly."  I want life.  I have been threatened by a phone call to death, robbed, cussed out, been involved in stopping gang initiations, domestic & gang violence and pulled out of my house at gun point by the police because of "gang violence" in my neighborhood.  All of this ALWAYS works out to the glory of God.  You have no idea.  I want to see the Lord lifted up and exalted.  Seems like hard circumstances, but now because of the Lord, I have open door to prison ministry to minister to all who are arrested, I have respect from my neighbors and community, I have relationship with all gang members in my neighborhood and I have a great reputation and favor with the police department.

Well, again this is a small part of what is happening in my world.  I will update soon about the rest, but for now, that is some things you can know about me and my life.  Please keep me in your prayers.  Actually, I covet your prayers.  Blessings to you!

Josh Barger

Thank you for your Love, O' Lord...

What has been going on with "Mr. Barger"?

Well, I know I am horrible.  I have not updated in forever.  Life has been really throwing some hard balls at me the last few weeks.  So many of you have been such an encouragement though and I thank God for you.  Some of you have been asking, "What is happening with you Mr. Barger?".  Well I feel it is time to share:

This past year and a half has been one of the most challenging.  Well, I worked for Dana for about a year as a skiptracer with the sole purpose of getting out of debt.  I got out of debt in Sept 05 and then my family moved up here from Louisiana cause of Hurricane Katrina.  I started using my credit card again to help pay for expenses for them...they have no idea.  I am only in debt on that credit card $4,000, which is not that bad.  It was an awesome opportunity to grow closer to my family.  Though we had rough time trying to get them restarted from loosing everything, so many people came to my families rescue and that will always be remembered.  I moved them back in April of 06.  WOW!  The night before I was suppose to drive to bring the 26ft trailor from Hertz to Louisiana, I slid in the ice/snow off of the ramp and broke my foot.  I still drove to Louisiana.  That was so cool that the grace of God was on me.  I have transistion over the past few months into a new home in the ghetto.  That has been hard, but I know it is all for ministry. 

My future goals are to really work on my heart and relationship with God.  I feel like the Lord is calling me deeper, but I am not sure how to define that or even what steps to take.  For so long now, I have been under the law versus relationship and grace.  I have been consistant in my journey, but I feel like I need to step it up.  I have lowered a few of my standards of the way I talk, act and believe.  Please realize, it is not drastic, but enough to say, "NO!".  It is time for me to yield to the Holy Spirit in all areas.  Lord, please help me. 

My other goals are to be out of consumer debt by June 1st of this year.  I am not sure how the Lord will do that, but I am open to any area.  I believe it will be supernatural.  I am only in consumer debt $5609.55.  That includes $600 to Steve Manweiler for the house I bought from him and needs to be paid asap, $500 to Sam's Club for tires for my van and some misc expenses, $539.24 balance from my aunt's funeral two weeks ago and $3,970.31 for my credit card.  Please believe with me that all this will be paid off.  WOW...only $5,609.55.  That is awesome.  Then will come my house of  $19,761.96 and I am debt free.

My other goal is the step it up more in the building of house churches with the Youth of Faith.  I want to see the Lord grow this ministry.  It has been awesome to be a part of the lives of each youth.  I have grown from their examples.  Also, releasing the HC teachers into more responsibility and leadership of the ministry.  More delegation, which will open my margins.

And finally, I want to get in school.  I want to get more education and complete college.  My desire is for a degree in Business Adminsitration/Marketing, but more now I would like to develop in Christian Counselling.  I held off for this semester to really seek the Lord for direction and to then get out of debt.

Please keep me in your prayers.  I know the Lord is faithful even when I am not.  He loves me so much and I trust that over the next years, months and days I will grow more intimate with Him.  Thank you for being part of my life.

Thanks for everything.  Have an awesome day!

Josh

"Who Am I in Christ" Scriptures

"Who Am I in Christ" Scriptures

Todays Topic: A Life That Pleases God