Steve McVey and me
Early in 2008, I started a lengthy study of holiness. In 2009 I am still on this endeavor, but I am so grateful for what I’ve learned. The Lord has lovingly revealed so much about me that He wants to change that I feel the need to say a few words.

I am using this article to introduce Steve McVey to folks. I have intentionally not said much about him until recently because I needed to know more about his ministry. At this point I will just paint a brief overview of his life and current ministry.

Steve’s pastoral ministry
Steve was a pastor for 29 years. On October 6, 1990, Steve was at his wits’ end. At 2:00 AM that morning, he sought the Lord in quiet desperation. With a time of deep confession, He told the Lord that he had "not found the abundant life that Jesus promised."

More specifically, Steve wanted out. Feeling that he had spent 29 years of his life ministering to no avail, he was "totally despaired". Whatever this meant, Steve wanted to quit.

At this juncture, Steve had been the pastor of a particular church for a year. In fact, this October 6 night was the anniversary of his first year there. In Steve’s own words, he was more discouraged than he ever thought possible. For an entire year he had watched the church attendance decline. For him, this was a problem he could not possibly explain and he wanted out.

Then, in a time of honest admission of discouragement – and even anger – Steve had a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

My comments
Enough about what happened in 1990. Recently Steve has had another encounter with Jesus. In a sense, this encounter has been even more life-changing than his 1990 encounter.

About a year ago, I started examining some of Steve’s work – primarily through his monthly newsletter. In fact, I put two articles from his last newsletter on this web site. This morning, I am going to put on yet a third small blurb that Steve has written because of its impact on me. His words that I quote here are brief, yet very significant in light of what I have been doing for the last three months.

What Steve has written fits me to a "T". Without going into any detail, I can say that Steve, in a very few words, has captured what has been my experience during the last three months.

I will conclude this introduction to Steve as follows:

Steve and New Day ministries
Willard and Betty Thiessen have hosted a daily TV show – New Day – in Manitoba, Canada since 1974. In 1998, they invited Steve to appear on their show. From that day until 2007, Steve has been on their show countless times. Currently, he does a series of messages for a few days. I’ve listened to some of these broadcasts and have been extremely encouraged by what I’ve heard. The New Day telecast has been replaying many of Steve’s visits which is where I have learned most about him.

Steve’s recent change in calling
At this juncture, Steve’s two-part calling has become clear. He is traveling world-wide, preaching and teaching and is constantly writing . His web site has several books, videos, and audio tapes; some of his materials are even down-loadable.

My confession
One of my concerns that has caused me to be slow in recommending Steve has been the cost of his website materials. In saying this, I confess that I am still not clear on this area of his ministry. It seems that his attention to finances is out of proportion to his passion. I am being brutally honest here: this may be my problem, not Steve’s

Be that as it may, I have been so blessed by Steve’s work that I have decided to put three articles on the Crossroads web site. I am also putting the links to New Day ministries and Grace Walk ministries on our links page. Please drop me a line as you look at Steve’s work. Any comments you bring will be appreciated.

Recent words from Steve’s web site 
    "Have you ever wondered…what exactly does God want from me?
    God’s resounding answer is … I want you!

    For years Steve McVey’s life message has been about the riches of 
    God’s grace.  And yet he has admitted:

     (Steve’s own words)
           "I feel like Lucy Ricardo on the production line at the 
           candy factory. I can’t keep up and I can’t swallow anymore. 
           What is God showing me to do?…I was hungry to experience
           deeper intimacy with Jesus Christ, but had become 
           distracted by my busy lifestyle. I had allowed the mechanics 
           of ministry and ‘living a Christian life’ to rob me of the 
           exhilarating awareness of the indwelling presence of Christ."

     From that awareness, Steve was awakened to an invitation from God …
     a divine invitation to a deeper intimacy with God than he had ever known. 
     The kind of intimacy that God invites every believer to enjoy.

My Closing comments
The subtlety of the problem of busyness – especially Christian busyness – has grabbed my attention and caused me to listen carefully to Steve and his work. I know about this struggle all too well and have preached on it for years.

Please drop me a line as you listen to, or read, Steve’s words. Any comment you make will help me in assessing how you are hearing his "Christ in us" message.

Enjoy Steve’s ministry!!