My name is Mike Furches. My life didn’t start off positively. My mother was pregnant before she was married and life from there didn’t get better. My birth-father was killed in a car accident on his way back from Washington D.C. to try to make things right with my mother who was pregnant with my sister. She married a 2nd time and her 2nd husband was killed while hopping a train near Chicago. Her 3rd husband was abusive, and her 4th an alcoholic. Through all of this, I was both physically and sexually abused until about the age of 13 when I finally decided to leave home.

As a young man my life involved many things related to the life of an urban child. I became involved in gangs, drugs, and to a small extent the occult. I had not had the opportunity to learn appropriate things related to sexuality so I ended up having a lot of difficulty in this area.

I lived from friend’s house to wherever I could find, ultimately moving into a YMCA transient home where I would stay off and on for two years. I came to know the Lord while attending a David Wilkerson Crusade and learned for the first time of the love and sacrifice that was offered through Jesus. I learned the importance of looking to Christ for my example instead of the Church and Christians. Since then, my life has been different and I have learned many things about the Lord’s faithfulness. You can read more about my testimony through previewing my book The Keystone Kid from my web site www.furches.org. A copy of the entire book in draft form can also be obtained.

Over the years I have been blessed to share my story and of the Lord’s miraculous love before thousands all over the world. I have appeared on Carman’s Times 2 “Gangs The Mean Streets,” television show, Night Line, among others. I presently write movie reviews for a couple of web sites, http://hollywoodjesus.com and http://crosshome.com. Approximately 2,000,000 people read those reviews each week. I have also worked with many of the top bands in the world in the area of music. I now pastor a church, United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, KS. It meets the needs of the urban poor and those living in Urban environments. From former prostitutes to drug addicts, and gang members, I now get to see God work in the lives of others.

I am amazed at how God chose to use a dumb, poor, street kid for ministry. In and of myself, I could do nothing without Christ. To know that God has loved me to the extent he has is amazing. I continue to grow in my relationship with Christ. I recently left a life of notoriety in the field of mental health rehabilitation to become a pastor. It meant leaving a life of financial comfort to move to a place where I depend entirely on the Lord. I continue to see that when I am faithful in the little things that God is faithful in the large things.

Because of my background I continue to have to deal with issues such as substance abuse and even criminal acts such as murder in my family. I am reminded of the Lord’s grace and deliverance every day. I know now, some 25+ years later that the love and compassion I found in Christ is as real as the day I asked Jesus to be my Leader and Savior. If Christ will do that for me he will do that for you.

I am now 43, have a loving wife, and two wonderful children that have never experienced the heartache that I had as a child. God still works miracles.

Blessings

Mike Furches