With homecoming festivities come football games, dances parties, but maybe least expected, Gospel presentations. At the protestation of my oldest son, who understandably said, "do you want to ruin my social life", I went to the Jackson High School homecoming game, versus Lynwood last night. The game was already half-way into the second quarter, so I missed the pre-game rush, but I did hand out a number of Million Dollar Bills. I guess that there are three interesting occasions, to recount.
A Unitarian woman slowed down to ask what the Million Dollar Bill was. I told her it was a Gospel tract. She didn't want to stop and talk, but I did get to recommend to her to read her Bible.
Second, I met a man, Nick who goes to the same church, that I go to. He stopped and talked, and encouraged me.
Finally, I met the Atheletic Director, Mr. Polk??? who asked what it was I was handing out. When I told him they are Gospel tracts, he asked that I go out to the street.
After that, I drove to downtown Everett, and did a little street witnessing. I talked to Kurt and his four friends, and gave them Pennies Pressed with the Ten Commandments on them, and curved illusion tracts. They listened to the entire Gospel presentation and seemed genuinely concerned about their fate. I encouraged them to go home and get right with God that night.
Lastly, on my way back to my car, I talked to Kharma and a Native American man. Kharma is Jewish, by birth, but seemed New Age by religion. She appreciated the Ten Commandments Pennies and asked for two more to give to her mom or grandma. We parted on good terms, but without making much progress towards the Gospel, but I told her "God bless you..."
Really lastly, at eleven PM, my sons got home from the football game and an ice cream parlor, Matt said, "who are those people parked in that car out to the side of the house. I grabbed a couple of Million Dollar Bills and headed out to find a young man and a young lady parked in a Honda, beside my house. I said, "Hi, how are you guys doing?" They said, "Fine." I said, "May I share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you?" They both said, "yeah, but we're Christians." I asked "What church to you go to, and when did you become a Christian?" The young lady said, "I've been a Christian since I was born." Suffice it to say, I probed a bit about being "born again" and asked if they considered themselves good people." I asked them what their names were, and they said Kristin and J.P. I asked them if they had ever lied, stolen, used God's Name in vain, or dishonored their parents. They admitted their guilt and I was able to explain the Gospel to them, and encouraged them, and prayed for them.
The LORD had several assignments for me last night, and they were a joy. I was so keyed up, I couldn't sleep until the wee hours of the morning. I was thinking about how gracious God is and how priveleged I was to be used by Him.
God bless...
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
YMCA OpenAir Text
May I have your attention? Thank you. Welcome to Teen Night, at the YMCA.
My name is Keith; I live right around the corner on Silver Firs Drive. I'm not associated with the Y, but I whole-heartedly support their work with youth like you. I have their permission to speak with you for a moment about a crucial matter.
May I share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you? Gospel is Bible talk for Good News. I have some REALLY Good News for you.
But first, I have some Bad News I need to give to you. The Bad News is that none of us can make it to heaven on our own. The Bible says, "that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
Do you think you are a "good person" and because of that you'll get to heaven? Well, lets check and see if you're really a good person. Lets look at ourselves in the mirror for a moment.
God says in the Ten Commandments, "You shall not lie." Have you ever told a lie, a half-truth or even a fib? I would have to say, "Yes, I have." That makes us liars.
The eighth commandment is, "You shall not steal." Have you ever taken something that wasn't yours, no matter how small or insignificant? I have to confess, "I have." That makes us thieves.
Have you ever murdered anyone? Probably not. But Jesus said "if you are angry with [or hate] your brother [sister, mother, father or anyone], you will be in danger of judgment in hell." That's because if you hate someone, you'd like to kill them.
That's only three of the Ten Commandments. We could go through all ten, but the Bible says if you are guilty of breaking even one commandment, you're guilty.
If you were to die right now, and stand before the God who created you, would He judge you innocent or guilty on the basis of your performance of the Ten Commandments?
Since we're all lawbreakers in the eyes of God, there's a penalty we all have to pay. We all have a death sentence on our heads.
You're all young and you probably haven't thought much about death. But it is very real! Death is the only 100% statistic. Ten out of ten people die. Since we're all guilty, we would all spend eternity in hell.
So that's the Bad News. Now here's the Good News. God became a man in Jesus Christ, and he lived a perfectly righteous life. The Romans nailed Him to the cross where He bled and died a horrible death. Your sentence has already been served. Jesus paid your fine for breaking God's Law. He took the penalty for your sins and was punished on your behalf. He's willing to give you His righteousness in exchange for your sin.
He will forgive you of all your wrongdoing and give you eternal life. You can go to heaven and live with Him forever. You have to repent -- change your mind and turn away from sin and turn to God.
It doesn't mean you have to be perfect, or clean up your act before you turn to God and it certainly doesn't mean you can't or won't have fun.
Place your trust in Jesus now. Ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your life and His Spirit will dwell within you. He will give you new life now and eternal life in heaven with Him when you die.
Please consider these words carefully. Thank you for your attention.
My name is Keith; I live right around the corner on Silver Firs Drive. I'm not associated with the Y, but I whole-heartedly support their work with youth like you. I have their permission to speak with you for a moment about a crucial matter.
May I share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you? Gospel is Bible talk for Good News. I have some REALLY Good News for you.
But first, I have some Bad News I need to give to you. The Bad News is that none of us can make it to heaven on our own. The Bible says, "that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."
Do you think you are a "good person" and because of that you'll get to heaven? Well, lets check and see if you're really a good person. Lets look at ourselves in the mirror for a moment.
God says in the Ten Commandments, "You shall not lie." Have you ever told a lie, a half-truth or even a fib? I would have to say, "Yes, I have." That makes us liars.
The eighth commandment is, "You shall not steal." Have you ever taken something that wasn't yours, no matter how small or insignificant? I have to confess, "I have." That makes us thieves.
Have you ever murdered anyone? Probably not. But Jesus said "if you are angry with [or hate] your brother [sister, mother, father or anyone], you will be in danger of judgment in hell." That's because if you hate someone, you'd like to kill them.
That's only three of the Ten Commandments. We could go through all ten, but the Bible says if you are guilty of breaking even one commandment, you're guilty.
If you were to die right now, and stand before the God who created you, would He judge you innocent or guilty on the basis of your performance of the Ten Commandments?
Since we're all lawbreakers in the eyes of God, there's a penalty we all have to pay. We all have a death sentence on our heads.
You're all young and you probably haven't thought much about death. But it is very real! Death is the only 100% statistic. Ten out of ten people die. Since we're all guilty, we would all spend eternity in hell.
So that's the Bad News. Now here's the Good News. God became a man in Jesus Christ, and he lived a perfectly righteous life. The Romans nailed Him to the cross where He bled and died a horrible death. Your sentence has already been served. Jesus paid your fine for breaking God's Law. He took the penalty for your sins and was punished on your behalf. He's willing to give you His righteousness in exchange for your sin.
He will forgive you of all your wrongdoing and give you eternal life. You can go to heaven and live with Him forever. You have to repent -- change your mind and turn away from sin and turn to God.
It doesn't mean you have to be perfect, or clean up your act before you turn to God and it certainly doesn't mean you can't or won't have fun.
Place your trust in Jesus now. Ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your life and His Spirit will dwell within you. He will give you new life now and eternal life in heaven with Him when you die.
Please consider these words carefully. Thank you for your attention.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
OpenAir Text
Hi folks, my name is Keith and I'd like to talk with you for a moment. I thank you for your attention and for your patience with me. I know it might seem crazy for someone to stand up and preach to you, but I'm totally serious and have a short message, I'd like to share to you. I'd like to talk about death and its consequences.
We're all going to die some day. Approximately 150,000 people around the world die every day. In fact, none of us is guaranteed we'll be alive tomorrow. Death is for certain. It is the only statistic that is 100%. We don't even know if our next breath could be our last. With that in mind, we owe it to ourselves to be sure about where we're going when we die.
How can we know if we are headed for heaven or hell? The Bible says, "These things I have written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." It is critically important that we know with confidence that we're going to heaven when we die. What then is God's standard for entry into heaven? Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." God requires not only perfect behavior but perfection in the things we say and even in the thoughts we think. God sees everything you've ever done, spoken or thought.
Let's briefly examine the fourth through the sixth, of the Ten Commandments. Your well being could improve by taking heed to these thoughts, but more than that, life and death could hang in the balance for those of you who accept or reject these words.
The fourth commandment is, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Have you given God one day out of every seven? God requires that we devote a day per week to Him? If you haven't, you are stealing from Him.
The fifth commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother." If we could call your parents on the phone (supposing they are still alive) would they say that you were always obedient? Did your parents ever have to reprimand you? Did you ever do anything disrespectful toward them? An interesting thing about this commandment is that it is the first commandment with a promise. It says, "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the earth..." So if you desire a good long life, honor your parents. Take care of your parents (or adopt some if you don't have them) and God will take care of you.
The sixth commandment is "You shall not murder." But Jesus raised the bar on this one and said, "That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, idiot, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
If you've admitted you are guilty of breaking any of these Laws, then what do you think God should do with you? Should God allow murderers into heaven? If you're afraid that hell might be in your future, God did an incredible thing for you. 2000 years ago, the one and only God who created the universe, became a man in Jesus Christ. He lived a perfectly sinless life, in every respect of the commandments. He came not only to be a perfect example for us, but even more importantly, to be a perfect substitute to take our place in the punishment we deserve. The Romans nailed Him to a cross where He bled and died a horrible death. They buried Him in a tomb and rolled a huge stone over the entrance. Then three days later, He came back to life from the dead to defeat death. Now He can apply His righteousness to us. It is a great exchange. Christ took the punishment we deserved and will give us the righteousness we don't deserve. We can have eternal life because Christ paid the price for us with His life's blood and paid the ransom for us by his death.
To receive this free gift of eternal life, takes two things from you. If you would repent, that means to change your mind and turn to God for forgiveness, and for you to humble yourself and trust in Jesus as your savior, He will give you eternal life and a new nature. You will be born again, and become a new creation by God's Holy Spirit. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you would like to know the LORD and His forgiveness, please come forward.
We're all going to die some day. Approximately 150,000 people around the world die every day. In fact, none of us is guaranteed we'll be alive tomorrow. Death is for certain. It is the only statistic that is 100%. We don't even know if our next breath could be our last. With that in mind, we owe it to ourselves to be sure about where we're going when we die.
How can we know if we are headed for heaven or hell? The Bible says, "These things I have written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." It is critically important that we know with confidence that we're going to heaven when we die. What then is God's standard for entry into heaven? Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." God requires not only perfect behavior but perfection in the things we say and even in the thoughts we think. God sees everything you've ever done, spoken or thought.
Let's briefly examine the fourth through the sixth, of the Ten Commandments. Your well being could improve by taking heed to these thoughts, but more than that, life and death could hang in the balance for those of you who accept or reject these words.
The fourth commandment is, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Have you given God one day out of every seven? God requires that we devote a day per week to Him? If you haven't, you are stealing from Him.
The fifth commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother." If we could call your parents on the phone (supposing they are still alive) would they say that you were always obedient? Did your parents ever have to reprimand you? Did you ever do anything disrespectful toward them? An interesting thing about this commandment is that it is the first commandment with a promise. It says, "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the earth..." So if you desire a good long life, honor your parents. Take care of your parents (or adopt some if you don't have them) and God will take care of you.
The sixth commandment is "You shall not murder." But Jesus raised the bar on this one and said, "That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, idiot, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
If you've admitted you are guilty of breaking any of these Laws, then what do you think God should do with you? Should God allow murderers into heaven? If you're afraid that hell might be in your future, God did an incredible thing for you. 2000 years ago, the one and only God who created the universe, became a man in Jesus Christ. He lived a perfectly sinless life, in every respect of the commandments. He came not only to be a perfect example for us, but even more importantly, to be a perfect substitute to take our place in the punishment we deserve. The Romans nailed Him to a cross where He bled and died a horrible death. They buried Him in a tomb and rolled a huge stone over the entrance. Then three days later, He came back to life from the dead to defeat death. Now He can apply His righteousness to us. It is a great exchange. Christ took the punishment we deserved and will give us the righteousness we don't deserve. We can have eternal life because Christ paid the price for us with His life's blood and paid the ransom for us by his death.
To receive this free gift of eternal life, takes two things from you. If you would repent, that means to change your mind and turn to God for forgiveness, and for you to humble yourself and trust in Jesus as your savior, He will give you eternal life and a new nature. You will be born again, and become a new creation by God's Holy Spirit. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you would like to know the LORD and His forgiveness, please come forward.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Blustery Day Feeding the Homeless
With 20 sandwiches all made up, my wife and I headed down to Seattle to give them away. We tucked a Pocket Gospel into each lunch bag. On the way, we stopped at Fred Myers to get lunch sized chips and water to help wash the whole thing down.
It was a blustery morning, and I was afraid that the weather might put a severe damper on our efforts, but God had greater things in store for us.
Near a bus station in Lake City, there is a little square where people wait for buses (I guess), because I had seen a bunch of people there when we drove though that way, a couple of weeks ago. But this morning, there were only a handful of people waiting there for a bus. I young woman said "no, I don't need lunch", when I offered it to her, so I went in and gave a couple of haggard looking people lunch, just before they had to catch their bus. While I was walking back to my wife who was waiting for me in the car, the young woman who didn't need lunch, commented something to me, and I said, "oh, yes, I was just giving lunch to people." She said, "that's nice". I asked her if she had a Christian background, and she said, "yes." I asked her "where do you go to church?" She said, "I have a Christian background, but I'm not a Christian now." I said, "oh, you should look into the Bible, it is amazing, I read it and it changed my whole life." She said, "the last time I looked into the Bible, is what made me reject it. With my life-style, my god is more expansive than that." I explained, that "I don't know what your life-style is, but you need God's forgiveness in spite of your life-style. If you've ever lied, or stolen anything, or used God's name in vain, then you are guilty and you need God's forgiveness." Then her bus came and she had to leave.
We drove through downtown Seattle, and each time we would see a homeless person on the street, I got out of the car and handed them a lunch bag and a water. I was very encouraged by the warm responses of gratitude I received from each of them as I gave them lunch.
Now comes the excitement. We drove down past Pikes Place market, down towards the Seattle Aquarium, and saw a bunch of homeless people on the street, just out from under the Alaskan Way Viaduct. My wife pulled over, and I got out and began to gather the lunch sacks and waters to take to the people. They came over asked, "do you have food?" and gathered around me at the tailgate of my car, and I gave one guy a lunch right there, but thought better of having a bunch of people right there. So I told them I'd bring the food over to the curb on the other side of the street where there were several people sitting.
I stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street, and several people came up and asked for food. I doled it out a little at a time. I asked everyone there if it was okay if I shared a little Gospel message I had prepared for them. They said, "sure, go ahead."
I hadn't even finished my first sentence, when a woman went berserk, and threw the lunch at me, and shouted, "why don't you let me eat in peace." A couple of men who were standing there told her to leave me alone and let me talk. I finished my little prepared speech about the first three commandments, "You shall have no other gods.", "You shall not make for yourselves idols", and "You shall not use the name of the LORD your God in vain." The lady was not happy that I was preaching, but several men put themselves between her and my back. So she went over and got into a shouting match with someone else. I noticed she had pulled out something round and shiny and was shaking it in some guy's face. It turned out to be a pizza cutter.
I finished presenting the Gospel message, and as I came back to my car, I was able to pray with one man named David, who was homeless, and from somewhere else (I think he said Louisiana.)
I got back into the car, and my wife was trembling. She had prayed for me intensely and I could tell. I was protected from that woman who was definitely being influenced by demons.
What an honor and privilege to share the Gospel with people on the street. May God bless them and protect them, and continue to provide for them, and may they turn their lives over to Him.
God bless...
It was a blustery morning, and I was afraid that the weather might put a severe damper on our efforts, but God had greater things in store for us.
Near a bus station in Lake City, there is a little square where people wait for buses (I guess), because I had seen a bunch of people there when we drove though that way, a couple of weeks ago. But this morning, there were only a handful of people waiting there for a bus. I young woman said "no, I don't need lunch", when I offered it to her, so I went in and gave a couple of haggard looking people lunch, just before they had to catch their bus. While I was walking back to my wife who was waiting for me in the car, the young woman who didn't need lunch, commented something to me, and I said, "oh, yes, I was just giving lunch to people." She said, "that's nice". I asked her if she had a Christian background, and she said, "yes." I asked her "where do you go to church?" She said, "I have a Christian background, but I'm not a Christian now." I said, "oh, you should look into the Bible, it is amazing, I read it and it changed my whole life." She said, "the last time I looked into the Bible, is what made me reject it. With my life-style, my god is more expansive than that." I explained, that "I don't know what your life-style is, but you need God's forgiveness in spite of your life-style. If you've ever lied, or stolen anything, or used God's name in vain, then you are guilty and you need God's forgiveness." Then her bus came and she had to leave.
We drove through downtown Seattle, and each time we would see a homeless person on the street, I got out of the car and handed them a lunch bag and a water. I was very encouraged by the warm responses of gratitude I received from each of them as I gave them lunch.
Now comes the excitement. We drove down past Pikes Place market, down towards the Seattle Aquarium, and saw a bunch of homeless people on the street, just out from under the Alaskan Way Viaduct. My wife pulled over, and I got out and began to gather the lunch sacks and waters to take to the people. They came over asked, "do you have food?" and gathered around me at the tailgate of my car, and I gave one guy a lunch right there, but thought better of having a bunch of people right there. So I told them I'd bring the food over to the curb on the other side of the street where there were several people sitting.
I stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street, and several people came up and asked for food. I doled it out a little at a time. I asked everyone there if it was okay if I shared a little Gospel message I had prepared for them. They said, "sure, go ahead."
I hadn't even finished my first sentence, when a woman went berserk, and threw the lunch at me, and shouted, "why don't you let me eat in peace." A couple of men who were standing there told her to leave me alone and let me talk. I finished my little prepared speech about the first three commandments, "You shall have no other gods.", "You shall not make for yourselves idols", and "You shall not use the name of the LORD your God in vain." The lady was not happy that I was preaching, but several men put themselves between her and my back. So she went over and got into a shouting match with someone else. I noticed she had pulled out something round and shiny and was shaking it in some guy's face. It turned out to be a pizza cutter.
I finished presenting the Gospel message, and as I came back to my car, I was able to pray with one man named David, who was homeless, and from somewhere else (I think he said Louisiana.)
I got back into the car, and my wife was trembling. She had prayed for me intensely and I could tell. I was protected from that woman who was definitely being influenced by demons.
What an honor and privilege to share the Gospel with people on the street. May God bless them and protect them, and continue to provide for them, and may they turn their lives over to Him.
God bless...
Friday, October 14, 2005
A Warm Heart but Cold Feet
I went down to the skate park at lunch today with several "A Gift For You, Money Inside" Gospel tracts. To me, those ought to be the most comfortable tracts to hand out, since each one has a crisp (or mabey not so crisp) one dollar bill inside.
I couldn't get over my anxiety today. I stopped cold before I got to the concrete skate course, and turned around. I did hand out seven or eight tracts to people on the way out of the park though.
It is my prayer that the LORD will use His Words that are imprinted inside these normally comfortable tracts. It is also my prayer that I will receive boldness from the LORD to go out and share His love and message of forgiveness with people.
Maybe tonight I'll go down to Everett Stadium if there's a high school football game. I'm hoping that Julie and I will go hand out sandwiches and street witness to the homeless people on Sunday afternoon, down in Lake City.
God bless...
I couldn't get over my anxiety today. I stopped cold before I got to the concrete skate course, and turned around. I did hand out seven or eight tracts to people on the way out of the park though.
It is my prayer that the LORD will use His Words that are imprinted inside these normally comfortable tracts. It is also my prayer that I will receive boldness from the LORD to go out and share His love and message of forgiveness with people.
Maybe tonight I'll go down to Everett Stadium if there's a high school football game. I'm hoping that Julie and I will go hand out sandwiches and street witness to the homeless people on Sunday afternoon, down in Lake City.
God bless...
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Westlake Outreach with the Seed Sowers
It was September 24th; we had planned an outreach to the Westlake Mall in Seattle. dArrell would be leading us in a time a prayer, at his church (River Of Life Fellowship, in Kent), and we would go from there to Seattle to begin witnessing to people at around 12:30. There is nothing like making big plans to force you to your knees. Daniel, my son was praying for us. I asked several of my friends to pray for us. And as always, my wife sent me off with a prayer.
Prayer went longer than expected, but that was a good thing. Traffic was snarly the whole way to Seattle, but God is always in control, so there was no rush. Earlier, God had favor on me, to help me find my way to the church in Kent. If you know me, you know I am terrible at navigation.
We were supposed to be in little groups of three or four and stay together. When I made it downtown, I realized that the "goings on" that had been talked about was an anti-war rally. It so happened that nationwide, there were protests going on. As I walked toward the Westlake Mall, I walked right through the middle of the rally, and handed people "A Gift For You, Money Inside" Gospel tracts. They tried to hand me their leaflets, but I refused, and told them, "Mine is better, look and you'll see."
When I found the gal who was to be my witnessing partner, she was talking with a street cleaner guy and going through the commandments with him. He was quiet as a mouse, but he was listening. When another street cleaner guy came up, who looked to be his supervisor, the young man seemed to squirm. From that time, until the end of the day, the tandem witnessing scheme was out the window. Not intentionally, it just worked out that way.
By the end of the day, I had handed out 150 Million Dollar Bills and maybe 50 pressed pennies with the Ten Commandments on them. I spoke with probably about 50 people one-to-one. I didn't realize how physically and psychologically taxing it was to witness to that many people.
There were several standout encounters, among them was having conversations several homeless young men and women. I prayed with one young lady that she would be able to return to her son Andrew in Florida. I was able to actually speak the entire Gospel message to many people, although it seemed that the vast majority of people just ignored me. I gave out Pocket Gospels to people that seemed interested.
Standout encounter one was when I had given a Million Dollar Bill to an large, older man and began to witness to him. The first thing he did was question me, "Which Jesus are you talking about?" I said, "the one in the Bible." He said "A lot of people make that claim..." Then, he began to get in my face and said, "You Christians ought to be *doing*, not out here preaching to people. That is what is wrong with you Christian!" I said softly, "your right, I'm all for that. In fact, I had the opportunity to buy a couple of the homeless guys lunch earlier, and our church is sending a team to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort." Immediately, his countenance changed, and he let me proceed to share the Gospel with him.
Another interesting, yet unfruitful encounter, was when I talked with a couple of late middle aged, Caucasian women who were Buddhists. They told me that the world will be much better off when all religions unite. I told them that their statement was predicted in the Bible, and that the one world religion will be lead by the anti-Christ. I told them that I didn't plan on being here during that time, because the Bible also predicted an event called the rapture, in which all true Christians will be snatched from the face of the earth. They said, "oh yeah, that is because of your wrong thinking." As we parted, the one lady was nice enough to reach out and shake my hand.
God bless...
Prayer went longer than expected, but that was a good thing. Traffic was snarly the whole way to Seattle, but God is always in control, so there was no rush. Earlier, God had favor on me, to help me find my way to the church in Kent. If you know me, you know I am terrible at navigation.
We were supposed to be in little groups of three or four and stay together. When I made it downtown, I realized that the "goings on" that had been talked about was an anti-war rally. It so happened that nationwide, there were protests going on. As I walked toward the Westlake Mall, I walked right through the middle of the rally, and handed people "A Gift For You, Money Inside" Gospel tracts. They tried to hand me their leaflets, but I refused, and told them, "Mine is better, look and you'll see."
When I found the gal who was to be my witnessing partner, she was talking with a street cleaner guy and going through the commandments with him. He was quiet as a mouse, but he was listening. When another street cleaner guy came up, who looked to be his supervisor, the young man seemed to squirm. From that time, until the end of the day, the tandem witnessing scheme was out the window. Not intentionally, it just worked out that way.
By the end of the day, I had handed out 150 Million Dollar Bills and maybe 50 pressed pennies with the Ten Commandments on them. I spoke with probably about 50 people one-to-one. I didn't realize how physically and psychologically taxing it was to witness to that many people.
There were several standout encounters, among them was having conversations several homeless young men and women. I prayed with one young lady that she would be able to return to her son Andrew in Florida. I was able to actually speak the entire Gospel message to many people, although it seemed that the vast majority of people just ignored me. I gave out Pocket Gospels to people that seemed interested.
Standout encounter one was when I had given a Million Dollar Bill to an large, older man and began to witness to him. The first thing he did was question me, "Which Jesus are you talking about?" I said, "the one in the Bible." He said "A lot of people make that claim..." Then, he began to get in my face and said, "You Christians ought to be *doing*, not out here preaching to people. That is what is wrong with you Christian!" I said softly, "your right, I'm all for that. In fact, I had the opportunity to buy a couple of the homeless guys lunch earlier, and our church is sending a team to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort." Immediately, his countenance changed, and he let me proceed to share the Gospel with him.
Another interesting, yet unfruitful encounter, was when I talked with a couple of late middle aged, Caucasian women who were Buddhists. They told me that the world will be much better off when all religions unite. I told them that their statement was predicted in the Bible, and that the one world religion will be lead by the anti-Christ. I told them that I didn't plan on being here during that time, because the Bible also predicted an event called the rapture, in which all true Christians will be snatched from the face of the earth. They said, "oh yeah, that is because of your wrong thinking." As we parted, the one lady was nice enough to reach out and shake my hand.
God bless...
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
No Drugs In My Neighborhood -- NOT
I made up a flyer on letter-sized paper with the the word drugs and the circle with the line through it. At the bottom of the page, I wrote up some text explaining that I've encountered dealers and users in our neighborhood.
I went to Kinkos and made 12 colored and another 20 black and white copies. Late yesterday evening I went out and stapled them up on stop signs and mailboxes throughout our neighborhood. As I was putting one up, a car full of guys pull up and start laughing, "ha ha ha, we love drugs..." and they went off and started pulling down my flyers.
So, I'm thinking to myself, this is a wonderful situation we have here, heh?
God bless...
I went to Kinkos and made 12 colored and another 20 black and white copies. Late yesterday evening I went out and stapled them up on stop signs and mailboxes throughout our neighborhood. As I was putting one up, a car full of guys pull up and start laughing, "ha ha ha, we love drugs..." and they went off and started pulling down my flyers.
So, I'm thinking to myself, this is a wonderful situation we have here, heh?
God bless...
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Tree Trimming and Neighborhood Watching
After we got home from church, I went in and changed my clothes, so I could go outside and mow the lawn and trim some trees. The front lawn was covered with leaves from our Birch tree, and there are a couple of Japanese Maples on the side of the house that needed to be trimmed so bad that we couldn't see out the side windows from the second story. We live on a corner lot, and the Maples are on the side with the street.
So, as I was trimming away, swinging the hedge-trimmers around like a lightsaber (my wife's words), I noticed a Red Volkswagen Rabbit, pull around the corner, down the side street and park near the trailhead of a little green belt. I often see people park there and walk in on the trail to a little thicket I call the "Pot Pit."
Three husky, early-twenties, males exit the car and belch and chat their way into the greenbelt, on the trail. I had my suspicions of what was going on, so I went into the garage and grabbed a handful of Million Dollar Bill Gospel tracts and headed for the trail. At first, I thought, maybe they are headed for the house where I suspect drugs are being dealt. But, not so, I came upon them at the "Pot Pit".
I went directly down the little trail into the thicket and they addressed me with "Hey, what can we do for you?" I responded, "what can I do for you, here's a million dollar bill." I gave each of them one, and said, "that's for you to never come back here again or I'll call the cops!"
They said, "Okay, and I escorted them to their car and saw them drive away.
---
There have been several incidents like this over the past few years. This situation of drugs and delinquency was the motivation for me to begin sharing the Gospel with people in earnest almost two years ago. I felt I had to do something, but I'm anti-violence, and the police never seem to come when you call them.
I can't say I've seen a dramatic improvement in our neighborhood. Just the other evening, there was the guy in a blue Celica, who stopped in front of our house, finished drinking his beer and threw the empty beer bottle into my yard. I whistled at him, and he sped off.
The LORD will protect us, and vindicate us (a story about that later.)
God bless...
So, as I was trimming away, swinging the hedge-trimmers around like a lightsaber (my wife's words), I noticed a Red Volkswagen Rabbit, pull around the corner, down the side street and park near the trailhead of a little green belt. I often see people park there and walk in on the trail to a little thicket I call the "Pot Pit."
Three husky, early-twenties, males exit the car and belch and chat their way into the greenbelt, on the trail. I had my suspicions of what was going on, so I went into the garage and grabbed a handful of Million Dollar Bill Gospel tracts and headed for the trail. At first, I thought, maybe they are headed for the house where I suspect drugs are being dealt. But, not so, I came upon them at the "Pot Pit".
I went directly down the little trail into the thicket and they addressed me with "Hey, what can we do for you?" I responded, "what can I do for you, here's a million dollar bill." I gave each of them one, and said, "that's for you to never come back here again or I'll call the cops!"
They said, "Okay, and I escorted them to their car and saw them drive away.
---
There have been several incidents like this over the past few years. This situation of drugs and delinquency was the motivation for me to begin sharing the Gospel with people in earnest almost two years ago. I felt I had to do something, but I'm anti-violence, and the police never seem to come when you call them.
I can't say I've seen a dramatic improvement in our neighborhood. Just the other evening, there was the guy in a blue Celica, who stopped in front of our house, finished drinking his beer and threw the empty beer bottle into my yard. I whistled at him, and he sped off.
The LORD will protect us, and vindicate us (a story about that later.)
God bless...
Friday, October 07, 2005
Fish That Weren't Caught
This afternoon, after work, I stopped by the skate park. Million Dollar bills and Pocket Testaments, in hand, I walked through the Sports Park parking lot, past the "Snack Shack" and up to the chain link fence that surrounds the concrete skating course. I saw several young men that I had witnessed to before. I asked the one if there was any difference in his life, and he said no. I was really sad, because I thought I had connected with him.
As I began to hand Million Dollar bills through the fence, the guys were very hesitant to accept them. I explained, "They're Gospel tracts", and they warmed up to me, and gathered around. I handed out six or seven Million Dollar bills, and told them "Don't spend it all in one place." and "No, its not real money."
Then I said, "Okay, who wants to take the Good Person Test." I got one taker. I took him through lying, which he admitted, stealing, which he denied, dishonoring parents, which he needed a little clarification, but admitted to having disobeyed his parents, and blaspheming, which required more clarification. By this time, my crowd was dwindling, but that was okay, I had one young man (Jason) engaged. I told him that he had admitted to being a lying, blaspheming, parent dishonorer, and he had to stand before God on judgment day. It took a little convincing, but he agreed that he would be guilty if he was judged by the standard of the Ten Commandments.
Then I asked him if he thought he'd go to heaven or hell. He said heaven, and I said, "you just agreed that you were guilty, what do you think God should do, send you to heaven or hell." He said that he wasn't religious and didn't believe in God. I told him, if I walked out into the street, it wouldn't matter if I didn't believe in trucks, I'd still get run over. Finally, he said that he'd probably go to hell then.
I asked him if he knew what God did for him so that he didn't have to go to hell. And someone in the background yelled, Jesus died on the cross. I said "yeah, have you heard about that?" So I shared with him how he did the crime, but Jesus paid the fine, by dying on the cross for our sins. I gave him a Pocket Testament and asked him to read it, and I told him I was going to pray for him.
Then I shared a little with a couple of other guys, Patrick and Chris. Chris was already a believer, and I asked him if he had much opportunity to share the message of Christ with his friends. He said "it isn't the topic of every discussion, but I do." I told Chris and Patrick that I was going to pray for them, and called it a day.
God bless...
As I began to hand Million Dollar bills through the fence, the guys were very hesitant to accept them. I explained, "They're Gospel tracts", and they warmed up to me, and gathered around. I handed out six or seven Million Dollar bills, and told them "Don't spend it all in one place." and "No, its not real money."
Then I said, "Okay, who wants to take the Good Person Test." I got one taker. I took him through lying, which he admitted, stealing, which he denied, dishonoring parents, which he needed a little clarification, but admitted to having disobeyed his parents, and blaspheming, which required more clarification. By this time, my crowd was dwindling, but that was okay, I had one young man (Jason) engaged. I told him that he had admitted to being a lying, blaspheming, parent dishonorer, and he had to stand before God on judgment day. It took a little convincing, but he agreed that he would be guilty if he was judged by the standard of the Ten Commandments.
Then I asked him if he thought he'd go to heaven or hell. He said heaven, and I said, "you just agreed that you were guilty, what do you think God should do, send you to heaven or hell." He said that he wasn't religious and didn't believe in God. I told him, if I walked out into the street, it wouldn't matter if I didn't believe in trucks, I'd still get run over. Finally, he said that he'd probably go to hell then.
I asked him if he knew what God did for him so that he didn't have to go to hell. And someone in the background yelled, Jesus died on the cross. I said "yeah, have you heard about that?" So I shared with him how he did the crime, but Jesus paid the fine, by dying on the cross for our sins. I gave him a Pocket Testament and asked him to read it, and I told him I was going to pray for him.
Then I shared a little with a couple of other guys, Patrick and Chris. Chris was already a believer, and I asked him if he had much opportunity to share the message of Christ with his friends. He said "it isn't the topic of every discussion, but I do." I told Chris and Patrick that I was going to pray for them, and called it a day.
God bless...
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Straight At Me
Yesterday evening, my wife and I were headed out to Mervyns, for some great sale they were having. I was out standing in the driveway, waiting for my wife to come out of the house. I saw a young man (high school age) coming down the street, in my direction, on the opposite side of the street. I reached in my jacket pocket, and prayed LORD, please give me the courage to give this young man a Pocket Gospel of John. I thought, how am I going to get his attention, since he is on the opposite side of the street.
Then, to my amazement, the guy crosses the street and seemingly walks straight at me. He had headphones on, and the heavy metal music was turned up so high I could hear it. As he walked by me, I held out the Pocket Gospel and caught his attention. He took off the headphones and asked, "what's that?"
I answered, "its a Bible, here you go" and gave it to him. He seemed kind of startled. I asked him, "do you read the Bible much?"
He said, "no, but thanks a lot, I really appreciate this." And he walked off and around the corner and down the hill.
You never know how the LORD may bring someone who needs His loving message of life, across your path. Someone may end up coming straight at you, so that you can give His Word to them.
God bless...
Then, to my amazement, the guy crosses the street and seemingly walks straight at me. He had headphones on, and the heavy metal music was turned up so high I could hear it. As he walked by me, I held out the Pocket Gospel and caught his attention. He took off the headphones and asked, "what's that?"
I answered, "its a Bible, here you go" and gave it to him. He seemed kind of startled. I asked him, "do you read the Bible much?"
He said, "no, but thanks a lot, I really appreciate this." And he walked off and around the corner and down the hill.
You never know how the LORD may bring someone who needs His loving message of life, across your path. Someone may end up coming straight at you, so that you can give His Word to them.
God bless...
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Looking Back
We went to the second service at church this morning. By way of background, at our church, we go through the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. The message was on Romans chapter three. Much of what was presented was exactly what I present to people when I talk with them, and tell them about Christ. The pastor called this a "foundation" for the Gospel. I'd say it was more a plow, that softens the soil of our hearts and prepares us to hear and receive the Gospel.
A couple of weeks ago, I talked with a junior high young man, named Tony. He was walking home from school and had is football gear with him, and since I have a great deal of football experience, we had something in common to talk about. I told him I would come to one of his games. I tried that Friday, but was only able to stay until his team walked onto the field. The next day, I saw him coming home from practice, while I was out raking the leaves. He is a super nice kid, and we talked a little more about his football season, then I turned to conversation to what he believed about the "after life". He said he believed in heaven and hell. I asked him where he thought he would go, and he said heaven. I asked him why he believed that, and he said "because he was a pretty good kid." I asked him if he had ever told a lie. He said yes. I asked him what that made him, he said "a bad person." I said, what specifically do you call someone who tells a lie. He said, "a liar." I asked him if he had ever taken something that wasn't his, he said no. I asked him if he had ever used God's name in vain. He needed a little bit of explanation as to what that meant, but he agreed that he had done that. I asked him if he had ever dishonored his parents. He said yes. I said Tony, "by your own admission, you're a lying, blaspheming, parent dishonorer, and you have to face God on judgment Day. Will God judge you innocent or guilty. He said "guilty." Would you go to heaven or hell. He said "heaven", because God is forgiving, isn't He? I said yes, God is forgiving, but He also is bound by His own righteous nature to judge us justly, and we deserve hell. He said oh, I guess I'd go to hell then. I got to share how we did the crime, but God became a man in Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. And that three days later, He rose from the dead to defeat death on our behalf. I told him that if he would "repent", which means to change your mind about sin, and turn away from it, and turn to God for mercy he could be saved. I told him that if he would put his trust in Jesus Christ to save him, that Jesus would save him, not because he was a good person, but because Jesus took his punishment for him. I gave Tony a pocket Gospel and encouraged him to read it. I haven't heard back yet, but I anxiously await a report that Tony has put his faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.
God bless...
A couple of weeks ago, I talked with a junior high young man, named Tony. He was walking home from school and had is football gear with him, and since I have a great deal of football experience, we had something in common to talk about. I told him I would come to one of his games. I tried that Friday, but was only able to stay until his team walked onto the field. The next day, I saw him coming home from practice, while I was out raking the leaves. He is a super nice kid, and we talked a little more about his football season, then I turned to conversation to what he believed about the "after life". He said he believed in heaven and hell. I asked him where he thought he would go, and he said heaven. I asked him why he believed that, and he said "because he was a pretty good kid." I asked him if he had ever told a lie. He said yes. I asked him what that made him, he said "a bad person." I said, what specifically do you call someone who tells a lie. He said, "a liar." I asked him if he had ever taken something that wasn't his, he said no. I asked him if he had ever used God's name in vain. He needed a little bit of explanation as to what that meant, but he agreed that he had done that. I asked him if he had ever dishonored his parents. He said yes. I said Tony, "by your own admission, you're a lying, blaspheming, parent dishonorer, and you have to face God on judgment Day. Will God judge you innocent or guilty. He said "guilty." Would you go to heaven or hell. He said "heaven", because God is forgiving, isn't He? I said yes, God is forgiving, but He also is bound by His own righteous nature to judge us justly, and we deserve hell. He said oh, I guess I'd go to hell then. I got to share how we did the crime, but God became a man in Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. And that three days later, He rose from the dead to defeat death on our behalf. I told him that if he would "repent", which means to change your mind about sin, and turn away from it, and turn to God for mercy he could be saved. I told him that if he would put his trust in Jesus Christ to save him, that Jesus would save him, not because he was a good person, but because Jesus took his punishment for him. I gave Tony a pocket Gospel and encouraged him to read it. I haven't heard back yet, but I anxiously await a report that Tony has put his faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.
God bless...
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Saturday Morning Diversity
This morning started earlier than most Saturdays. At 5:20am I woke up, and I started thinking about the day, so there was no going back to sleep.
We have a men's Bible study on Saturday mornings, from 7:00am to 9:00am. It is a motley group of men, but we love the LORD and have great fellowship and study of His Word. We go through the Bible, one chapter at a time, and this morning, we studied and discussed Ephesians, chapter 4.
To me, the take away was to be mature in the LORD required being filled with the Holy Spirit, and letting Him renew our minds. If there is any bitterness, wrath, anger or malice, we grieve the Holy Spirit. We ought to be tenderhearted, kind and forgiving of one another, as Christ forgave us.
Plans for the day: the local YMCA is having a "Diversity Celebration" from 11 to 2. LORD willing, I can go down there and hand out a few "curved illusion" tracts, and witness to someone about the salvation that God offers, through Jesus Christ. Pray for me, if you would.
God bless...
We have a men's Bible study on Saturday mornings, from 7:00am to 9:00am. It is a motley group of men, but we love the LORD and have great fellowship and study of His Word. We go through the Bible, one chapter at a time, and this morning, we studied and discussed Ephesians, chapter 4.
To me, the take away was to be mature in the LORD required being filled with the Holy Spirit, and letting Him renew our minds. If there is any bitterness, wrath, anger or malice, we grieve the Holy Spirit. We ought to be tenderhearted, kind and forgiving of one another, as Christ forgave us.
Plans for the day: the local YMCA is having a "Diversity Celebration" from 11 to 2. LORD willing, I can go down there and hand out a few "curved illusion" tracts, and witness to someone about the salvation that God offers, through Jesus Christ. Pray for me, if you would.
God bless...
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