My very special friend, Michael Kingman, needs your help to buy a good used car.

Let me explain.

As a young man of 29, he was healthy. But he reacted to some over-the-counter cold medicine and collapsed with a brain aneurism. Ninety percent of the people stricken with this die on the spot and 5% live in a vegetative state in a nursing home for the remainder of their lives.

Mike was in a coma for two weeks. The doctors decided on surgery to remove a couple of arteries to relieve the pressure. They warned his loved ones of the dangers of the surgery and said that if he survived, he would likely live in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. After the surgery, he was comatose for seven weeks.

Meanwhile, his mom organized a “round the clock” prayer vigil. For seven weeks, every day, seven days a week, praying for his soul.

And he woke up. God answered their prayers. He was not supposed to walk or talk, but God had a different plan. He walked with a slight limp and spoke with a very slight slur. An absolute miracle. That was in 1981.

When Mike awakened from his coma, his mom told him that her church had been praying. His testimony was that “he didn’t have any choice but to become a Christian.” Mike wakes up every day to a morning that he wasn't supposed to ever see, like a "bonus" day. (We should all look at each day like this.)

He set about finding people he could help and sharing the Gospel of Jesus with them. He gives rides to people at nursing homes to their doctors appointments, rides to kids in Juveniles Homes to their court dates, rides to blind people to their therapy sessions, on and on. Their payment for the rides is that they listen to him tell them about Jesus. He has given his testimony of the power of Jesus to churches all over the State of Florida and to countless hurting people.

He has been witnessing for Jesus for 42 years. Every day is a day that he wasn’t supposed to be alive. You could look at him and think he’s “handicapped” and he would disagree. He will tell you he is the most blessed man on the planet because he knows Jesus loves him. When the Apostle Paul prayed three times that God would remove the "thorn in his flesh," likely a physical impairment, God answered at 2 Corinthians 12:9:

And he said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

That's his life's verse. Mike says "I've got plenty of weakness so God has plenty of room to glory."

But earlier this year, his car was totaled in a hit-and-run accident. That has taken him out of the ministry that has sustained him for all these years.

So he needs your help. He can replace his car with a good used car for about $19,500. This model will support the lift he has for his motorized scooter and he can get back to work for Jesus. (This will also let him get some remediation for a mold infestation in his home.)

We don’t have anything to offer you for your contribution except the assurance that your gift will go toward a man who is a very effective witness to a population that really needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus. This is a sure fire way to “lay up treasure for yourself in Heaven.”

I’ve known Mike for 20+ years. We are brothers in Christ. He is consistent in season and out of season. Whether you could give $10 or $100 or more, if you could do that and forward this message to your friends, God will use that to help us get Mike back to work witnessing and helping people who really need to hear about Christ.

Thank you for anything you can do.

Bob Bridges