900 Emails.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. This was a monumental week.  On Sunday we did our Beth Charashim meeting from an office in London.  And this week marks eighteen years of Friday emails.   We will return to the normal format next week. Welcome to the many new subscribers from Substack.  And a special thank you to the paid subscribers of this and my other substack, The Mission of Bezalel.  Thank you to those who support the Friday email on Patreon and BuyMeACoffee.  You are God's provision. It really is amazing when other people see the value in your work. In September 2006, the Lord asked me to begin sending an email to the people who pray for me.  The direction was simple: don't ask for money or send prayer requests.  I was directed to "tell the story, and God would move people to give." For the record, I have been telling the story every Friday for eighteen years.  That's roughly 900 emails.  The list began with six people.  And out of that email, really, everything else has happened. This email grew slowly. For eighteen years we have seen two to five new subscribers each week.  There have been a few bursts, but I learned a long time ago that getting a lot of signups at events resulted in a lot of unsubscribes later.  It's better to grow slow and be committed to your readers. The list keeps growing, and the open rate is consistent, between 50-60%. Twice in eighteen years this email went viral. The White House got flooded with red envelopes in 2009 because of it.  My book An Army Arising went all over the world because of it. And every Friday I show up.  That's the rub.  Showing up is 90% of being a professional.  Yes, I do live by faith. Yes, I do pray about everything.  Yes, I am dependent on miracles.  And yes, God is faithful.  But I do the work.  I have done the work every week for eighteen years. This is how you succeed in the creative life. And because I do the work, I have met a lot of new people.  They became part of my life because of this email.   My friend Pete proofreads them all. He's been doing it since 2012.  You can't do it alone.  And then there are the folks who pray.   I am grateful for the Tuesday Prayer Group, prayer partners, and the group of regular intercessors.  You are the hidden power supply behind my writing. I started this email with no money. It began on a free email account at the public library.  I wrote it all by hand, and then typed it into the computer in my one hour time slot.  A year later God provided my first MacBook Pro.  And suddenly, I was one of the cool kids at the Nervous Dog Coffee shop.   And that led to the first book. Six macs and twelve books later, I am still going.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAnd eighteen years ago I thought I was starting a little community of artists in Akron, Ohio. We now connect with the entire English Speaking world, from Australia to Northern California.  One of the original six email recipients from Akron, Diane, still prays with us every day.  It's more than words.  It is a real community. On Monday I moved into an office in London.   This is the first designated space for Belonging House in our history.  I've been living out of a suitcase for the past two years, and it is very disruptive to actually unpack!  I'm still getting my head around this.  This is a very different season.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAnd when I ask God what to do next, the instructions are simple: "Continue to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. Continue to Preach, Teach, Pray, and Write. Continue living by faith, Continue praying about everything. Continue telling the story of all that I am doing through you, and I will move people to give." God has moved people, and I am so grateful that you take the time to read my writing every week. Thank you. He Never Fails. Christ