A Welshman's Testimony: Jesus Never Lets Go!

Mark Dorey Teaching in Wales © William D. LollarYesterday I recorded an interview with Mark Dorey, a really good friend who came to faith relatively late in life as a result of God’s amazing providence. Mark leads one of the house groups with Temple Baptist Church in Pontypridd (Wales) and he’s also one of eight people on our teaching team. His story highlights the importance of a low-key, long-term, relational approach to evangelism in a postmodern culture that caricatures most Christians as “Bible-bashers” who dress and act strangely, especially behind the closed doors of evangelical chapels. A growing friendship with a colleague in graduate school, his first experience at a Christian Union meeting, his reluctant acceptance to attend chapel, and an informal house group broke down his stereotypes—much to his amazement and dismay—and led him to a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the interview (approximately 50 minutes) with Mark! Just click on the red “play” below:

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PS: One slight correction to my introduction on this podcast: Mark was 32 years old when he came to faith! My math skills are either getting rusty or I’ve given Mark credit for being much younger than he looks. :)

Want to understand the homeless? Read their blogs…

Steve (as a heroin addict)It seems that a lot of marginalized people have intersected our lives since we moved to Wales, and in almost every case it’s been a good experience for everyone involved. We met Steve, a 32-year-old heroin addict a couple of years ago who had become a Christian but just couldn’t shake the habit. He lived with us for awhile and we helped him find a residential rehab program in Birmingham, England, with Betel of Britain. Two years later, he’s now on staff and recently relocated to open up a new Betel ministry in Sydney, Australia. These two pictures illustrate the difference love, compassion, and investing time in one young man’s life can make: the image on the left just before Steve entered rehab and the one below taken one year later.

Steve (12 months later, heroin-free!)I hope to interview a new friend of mine named Ben sometime next week: we might even do a podcast together and let him share his story of homelessness as a 21-year-old young man estranged from his family in England. I’ll keep you posted on that development, but he told me today that he would be willing to do it.

Until then, I have been doing some internet research and found a couple of homeless bloggers. I spent a couple of hours this evening reading The Homeless Guy blog and I highly recommend it to you. Here’s a brief introduction by the author in his own Continue reading