My name is Michael Swalley, aka bboy Bishop. I am an adopted son of God, born again at a young age through hearing the gospel. My wife (Ellen) and I live in the Colorado Springs area and have three daughters and one son.

God has placed a passion on my heart for cross-cultural ministry, men embracing their role as husbands and fathers, and for indigenous church planting movements. I started breaking at the age of 21. Initially, breaking was a fun hobby for me. But during an internship in Melbourne, Australia, I was fully introduced to the Hip Hop community. Encouraged to start a ministry using breaking, I came back to the states in 2005 with a vision to see the Hip Hop community passionately serving Christ.

In the last 20 years, I have lived in four major city centers in America. I have traveled the world and seen the Hip-Hop community in numerous countries. The time spent in these places has convinced me that Hip-Hop, through the power of the Spirit, is a uniquely effective method to make disciples and plant churches. Local leaders planting local churches, through the preaching of the gospel. That is my passion. Breaking is my method. God’s son is my identity.

I grew up in an unstable and difficult family environment, which left me with a deep sense of frustration. That frustration eventually led me into a destructive lifestyle, shaped by the streets and toxic relationships. I was hurting myself, dishonoring God, and damaging my relationships with my family and those around me.

Though I occasionally attended church and heard family members speak about God, I never truly knew Him.

About eight years ago, I was struggling with repeated failures in my studies. This led me to begin questioning God's existence and character. Was He punishing me for the kind of person I had become? I decided to stop doing the things I knew were wrong—hoping that if I cleaned up my life, God would reward me with success in school.

But after just a few days, I realized I couldn’t keep the promises I made to myself. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t become the “good person” I had imagined in my mind.

Not long after, I had a seemingly random encounter with a group of Christians. They helped me understand the message of Ephesians 2—that salvation is not earned by our good works. They explained the Gospel clearly and showed me the plan God had always had for me through Jesus Christ.

That day, by God’s grace, I believed the Gospel and confessed with my mouth what Christ did for me on the cross. I became a child of God—not because of anything I had done, but because of what Jesus had done for me.