New Year's Party Presentation

To Those Who are Seeking Salvation

Charles Spurgeon's best-selling book. A clear, simple gospel presentation.

An Earnest Word with Those

Who Are Seeking Salvation

by the Lord Jesus Christ
By C. H. Spurgeon

"Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20).

(click blue link above)

Four Jewish Men

Before I get to the reason for the title, I just wanted to say that I was really blessed by Andria today in regards to fishing. She called looking for a way to make it possible for her to come to the mall tonight when she could have had a good excuse for not going. Sometimes I don't feel like going out witnessing which is why I was blessed by her attitude and willingness. I, myself, wouldn't have been out tonight if she hadn't called.

We talked with one older teen woman taking a break from her clothing store job and were both concerned about her. We walked away and prayed for her right then. It seemed like there was a battle going on for her.

We then talked with two very young teen girls for 20 minutes. That was very encouraging because we seemed to get a lot of Biblical truth to them. As Andria and I were discussing that encounter and getting ready to head to the food court for some dinner, four obviously Jewish young men (head coverings, top hats, long coats and beards) walked by us and at fairly quick pace...

I've really wanted to talk with a Jew and tell them the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah they are waiting for! Yeah! :c)

I made a purposeful move to get by their sides (they were moving fairly rapidly, remember) and say, "Excuse me, sir. Excuse me, sir," before the back two heard me and turned towards me. I asked if I could ask them some questions and they said yes (but I knew I had very little time with them). This is rough b/c of my memory but thought it would be interesting to many...

"Are you Jewish?"

"Yes"

"Are you waiting for the coming Messiah?"

"Yes"

"Do you think that Jesus is that Messiah?"

"No!" (turning from me but and slightly moving away)

"Why? Have you looked into how He fulfilled the prophesies?"

"Because He's not. And I don't care."

"But, have you looked into it?"

"Yes, and He's not."

"Why do you believe He is not?"

"Why should I believe that He is?"

"Because He did fulfill all the prophesies, but, I asked you what made you believe that He isn't?"

"He's not." (angry and walks away as I try to hand him a Why Christianity? booklet who I then try to hand to the non-talking friend but who wouldn't take it either)

At one point for maybe just a few seconds all four of them were near me. The other two had walked up quickly and I had a surreal feeling with them all around me. I think that's the way it happened but I guess Andria had a better perspective. Maybe they weren't all around me even though it felt that way.

We were both surprised by the prideful attitude. Although we really shouldn't be - considering. It was just so neat for me to get this opportunity. Please pray for all these people (God knows who they are). That the unknown woman's battle would be won... That Hillary and Miranda (?) would continue to search out Jesus... That God, in His loving mercy, have compassion on the four Jewish men.

-Sarah

Sergio

The Lord has been disciplining me in a some areas for a few long months. I am very thankful for that, but it is painful (sometimes very much so) and I think I am still in the middle of the discipline.

Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Before last week, I hadn't been out purposefully witnessing for a month due to a child's surgery, a miscarriage and Matt going while I stayed home with the children. A week ago today I finally just wrote down four questions that I'd really been struggling with the Lord over. He answered three of them through His Word, the Bible. The fourth He answered that night while 'fishing'...

Without much thought into it, I sat down next to Sergio, a God-fearing Christian with a huge faith, who had been planning on spending an hour at Best Buy but thought that he should just sit and wait at the mall instead. Through an almost hour and a half long conversation, Jesus Christ ministered to my soul by just listening to Sergio talk about his faith in Christ.

What did I learn? We can't worry about anything else than 'once saved-always saved' because there is really nothing else... If we don't have Christ, we have nothing. When we don't feel like praying, that is when we especially need to pray. When we don't feel like spending time in the Word, that is especially when we need to spend time in the Word.

So, even though I wasn't really 'fishing,' I'm really thankful that the Lord showed me how much He does care.

-Sarah

Casey

In a previous post, I mentioned talking with a young man named Casey.

Two of us talked to him about a month ago. Well, about two weeks ago, by coincidence (yeah, right!), my wife talked to one of his friends. She told my wife that we had offended Casey with the manner in which we had shared with him.

Since we told him about the book "A Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel, I decided to buy the book for him. I stopped by the place where he works at the mall and gave him the book, with a $5 bill tucked in the middle. I told him that we had heard we offended him, and that it was not our intention to do so. Since we previously talked about this book, I hoped that he would enjoy it.

Pray that God would draw Casey to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

-t

JoAnna: Halloween Night

JoAnna was another "fisher" who went out witnessing at Trunk or Treat on Halloween night...

I have known about The Way of the Master for sometime. In fact, I was in the first classes with Sarah and Lisa. Well, apart from witnessing to a few family members and teens in my youth group, I had little experience.

I was so excited to see God move I was shaking! When I approached a teenage couple that was a little too close for how teens should be touching, I was blown away that he was concerned he would go to Hell! It was great to share with him the good news about Jesus taking our punishment.

There was another group of about 6 that I witnessed to. They had all the answers about Jesus and being "saved" but weren't dressed or acting in a manner worthy of the Holy Spirit living in them as a true sign of a believer. My wonderful husband, Michael, confronted one of the young ladies about her dress and pointed to the Law and the sin of adultery, that Jesus said whomever looks with lust [commits adultery]. He said she was causing others to look with lust and sinning herself. It was encouraging to see her button her sweater and be convicted by the Law.

It was an awesome experience and God is good to allow us to share in that way. Please pray for me, my brother is coming to town from Florida to be here with his best friend who is in a coma with a drug overdose. I know they both need Jesus and I believe the Way of the Master is the best way to see that need. Thanks.


-JoAnna

Have you considered what happens if you're wrong?

Tonight Sam and I paired up. We made several circuits at the mall before we encountered a couple of teen guys. I approached them and told them we were out with our church taking a survey. They were interested, so we launched into the Intelligence Test survey. We learned that their names were Justin and Zach.

It became apparent early on that Justin did not believe in God. I asked him if he had considered the ramifications of his beliefs it it turned out that he was wrong. His answers surprised me. He basically said (this is a paraphrase), "If I'm wrong, I'll burn in Hell." I asked him,"Does that concern you?"
His answer: "I'll deal with it then."

What do you say to someone who understands that the logical conclusion of his beliefs, if he is wrong, means an eternity in Hell? What do you say to someone who is unconcerned by such a thought??

It was an interesting conversation. Perhaps not very fruitful, but interesting. Keep praying for Justin. Also pray for his friend, Zach. He didn't say much, but he seemed more interested in the things of God. Now I wish we would have engaged him more in the conversation...

-Tony

Michael: Halloween Night

The following is from Michael who headed up the witnessing for Trunk or Treat - an outreach put on by his church. Michael was also a 'graduate' of last week's Crash Course. He has two amazing stories about God working through him on Halloween night...

[Paul] must have been 17 when I gave him his first hit of acid 8 years ago. [I] shared the gospel with him tonight. He was the first person I talked to. [He] didn't believe Christ was sinless but walked away astonished; considering its possibility.

The second guy I talked to was an old party buddy from the same group as Paul. I acquired and used drugs with him frequently, too, in the past. He admitted he was unsure if he would go to heaven or hell, when I told him that God said breakers of His law will not enter the kingdom, Cory said he was concerned about the situation and I was able to explain Christ to him as well.

Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

-Michael

Jerry: Halloween Night

Jerry attends another church in the area and was a 'graduate' of the Crash Course last week. He and his wife, Anita, were at the Trunk or Treat outreach on Halloween night. This is what he had to say...

God is so good! He is so faithful to answer our prayers! We had prayed weeks ahead of time for nice weather – it was great, and a smaller crowd – it was. When the crowd dwindled down we prayed to the Lord of the harvest to send more people and He delivered. God was so gracious to us rookies (except Matt) fishermen.

We didn’t talk to anyone who was hostile or even unwilling to talk. I think we were all pumped and excited to get started, although our actions didn’t immediately follow. Again, God was faithful in slowly calming our fears by moving us to handing out tracks as we waited on Him. Soon the Spirit led us through all the prayers and training, as we went out boldly two by two. It shouldn’t have been a surprise and yet it was, that so many shook our hands and thanked us.

It’s overwhelming looking back and seeing how receptive and hungry the people are to talk of the things of God and hear His good news. When approached through their consciences and not their intellect, via God’s law mouths were shut and the fertile soil of their hearts was tilled. Only one person Matt and I talked said they weren’t a good person – a fellow believer! Surprisingly all but one had a Bible and he did when leaving.

I am confident as our prayers have gone up to the Father, both before and after, that he will continue to be faithful and gracious to hear them and change the hearts of these we talked with and also those that received tracts. Praise be to God, the author and perfector of our faith.

-Jerry

Anita: Halloween Night

On Halloween evening Anita went to Trunk or Treat at another local church (her own). She was a 'graduate' of the Crash Course last week...

I went as a Prayer Warrior tonight as the others went and fished. At first I thought that I wasn’t doing enough – but then God sweetly reminded me the power of prayer when we all prayed for more to come. I praise the LORD that and thanked HIM for “The Way of the Master” which has touched all of our lives and that we will continue to pursue it in depth. For we are all “fishers of men”.


-Anita

An Awesome Halloween!

I'm not fond of Halloween by any means. But, after last year's Halloween, the Lord seemed to give me a heart for my neighborhood during this Halloween (which was yesterday). Matt and I have been talking off and on about it for a year.

How often do you get people coming TO YOU for free stuff?! Right to your door?! (Answer: Once a year at Halloween) We had Hey Kids tracts and rubber banded them to fun size candy bars, put full-sized Dove and other candy bars to Why Christianity tracts for the parents, and bottles of water, full size pkgs of M&Ms and Good Person Cartoon tracts for the older kids.

Last night was awesome!

Matt went out with some others witnessing so I was the only adult at home with 4 children ages 4 years down to 9 months. So, the three oldest played together...

...and helped hand candy and booklets (telling kids and parents about sin, righteousness and grace through Jesus Christ) out to the trick-or-treators and their parents. The parents, by the way, got a kick out of this and thought it was really nice (no bad reactions).

We handed out 84 tracts to the children and tweens and 48 tracts to the parents. 132 gospel messages total. And... All while staying at home with the kids! THAT is why it was so awesome!

Plus, the kids had a ton of fun!

(I'm positive that they had more fun then if they went trick-or-treating themselves)

Matt, Michael, JoAnna, Jerry and Anita were witnessing at Trunk-or-Treat and it was AWESOME! I hope they get a chance to blog because Matt, who goes out witnessing at the mall, said that everyone was SO open to Jesus Christ last night (even compared to the mall)... That it was even better than the mall. Michael said that he didn't even need to point out specific sins because everyone (except for one) that he talked to knew that they weren't good. They were so humble and ready for the Gospel. It sounds like God did some amazing things last night using these five people out at Trunk-or-Treat!

-Sarah

Graduates of Crash Course Go Fishing

On Sunday we had the 'graduates' of the Crash Course go 'fishing' at the mall to practice what they had just learned. Every one of the new fishers talked at least once which was awesome! Matt watched the four children while Sam H. took the guys with him and I took the ladies with me.

All of the new fishers are from another church nearby who we will be doing a Halloween Outreach (Trunk or Treat) with on the 31st. It sounds like they will be bringing the Way of the Master teaching to their church soon and may also start doing a "Fishing Night" at the mall on a different night than when our church goes.

-Sarah

Crash Course Saturday

Way of the Master Crash Course
Saturday, October 27th
Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Bring a covered dish for a potluck lunch

Workbook costs $4.00 (four dollars) payable that day.

Completely Optional Activity:
Dinner that evening at Lindale Mall with a time of practice beforehand. If you're only comfortable watching, that is completely fine!

If you know us in 'real life' you're welcome to join us as Matt teaches this one-day class. Call or email us for location details.

A Plentiful Harvest

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

Luke 10:2,3

Tonight's trip to the mall was interesting...

I was a bit shy/nervous and not really looking forward to being there. I felt (like I have these past few weeks for other reasons) that I was to wait on the Lord patiently. I'm glad that I did because...

It turned out to be maybe the most encouraging hour of witnessing I've been given by the Lord yet. Although there weren't tons of people at the mall, it seemed that every time I finished talking to one person, another was available to be talked to. In fact, I know that there were probably three people I could have talked to if I would have transitioned mentally from one to the next faster - I wasn't expecting so many opportunities and will work on preparing for this for next time.

I talked with two male teens, two middle aged men from the Lions Club, two ten year old girls together, two teen girls and a tract to a sales lady. And, there might have been those three others if I had just been able to transition faster! Andria and I walked together which was an encouragement to me - I don't think I would have talked to all the people that I did if she hadn't been there.

Plus, the two teen girls that I talked to... Well, let's just say that it was pretty awesome! They both went to church but thought you could be good enough to go to Heaven. After seeing themselves through God's Law, they were humbled, and were genuinely thirsty for Jesus Christ - our Savior. Then... They thanked me! I told them that I don't usually get thanked and they thanked me again! That was an encouragement.

-Sarah

Know God? Or, know of God?

Matt and I had the amazing opportunity to have a conversation with one of the members of our extended family last night. It was amazing because I had wanted to share what God requires of us, and, the Good News of having a Savior in Jesus Christ, with this person for the past six months but hadn't had a chance yet.

What continues to amaze me is when people tell me that they have a relationship with God or a 'higher power' that is personal but yet they don't know Jesus. I got a similar comment last night so I asked the person to tell me about this relationship they have and who God is. I got a strange look... So I said, "You have a personal relationship with your spouse and should be able to tell me about that relationship and who your spouse is, so, can you do the same thing regarding your relationship with God? What is that relationship like?" The answer was a more general knowing that a higher power exists because of seeing air, trees, birds, etc. (not exact words but the jist of it, I think).

So, this makes more sense to me as to why someone might say that. But, it's not accurate. Here is why... Let's say I was married to a movie star (sorry, Matt!) who was 'known' by many fans because of the popular movies he was in. Would a fan actually know my husband -or- would they just think they knew him (but instead just had an 'idol' or a fictitious version of my husband in their head)? Who would actually know my husband?... His wife? Or, a fan? Wouldn't the fan just know of him but not know him? I know this is a bad analogy but it is similiar with God... If you don't have a saving-relationship with God's Son Jesus Christ, you don't know God the Father (you just know of Him). *gasp* How can I be so bold?! Because the Bible says it straight out! And, if you don't trust the Bible... Keep reading (I've got something for you).

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5)

"Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2:23)

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:11,12)

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

But, what if you don't trust the Bible as the Word of God? Think about this... Everything historical (as opposed to spiritual) in the Bible has never been proven inaccurate. Archaeologists used to dig to prove the Bible wrong - now they read the Bible to know where to dig (re-read that). Many, many people dislike the Bible with such a venomous hatred and yet nobody has ever been able to prove any part of the Bible as being in error. One more thing, most books nowadays have probably a handful of original transcripts. Homer's Iliad has the most at around 600, I think is the number I heard. Six-hundred... That is an amazingly high number. Get this, though... The Bible has thousands upon thousands (I think I recently heard around 24,000 but I could be wrong here). If every current Bible today were to be destroyed, we would still be able to re-create the entire Bible except for a few verses using original transcripts/manuscripts. Amazing, huh?

Note: I'm going off memory here (never a good thing with me!) so you might want to read A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel to check my facts. He was an investigative reporter and an atheist who went out to once-and-for-all prove the Bible as being false and instead became a follower of Jesus Christ.

-Sarah

Edit (from Lisa)...

The oldest manuscripts we haveof the New Testament are not originals but copies of the originals. Yournumbers of copies were close though - there are more than 5,000 Greek copies of the NT, over 10,000 of the Latin Vulgate and more than 25,000 copies of portions of the NT in existence today. That is overwhelmingly more than any other ancient literature.

Paired with Tony

Tony's post (see below) explains a lot so I won't re-say the same things. But, after we left Casey (Jacob had already walked away earlier saying that he was "an atheist, anyway, and I don't believe in God") Tony talked with two other male teens using the Intelligence Test/Survey which seemed to go really well.

I had been standing right next to Tony waiting for the end of the survey (this is the 2nd set of teens - not Casey and Jacob) so that I could help him transition to a deeper spiritual discussion but a female friend of the boys was standing nearby... I was torn because I wanted to help Tony but I felt like I should really be talking to the girl. So, do I do what I want to do right then or do I follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit?! Uhhh....

Plus, I had no idea how to transition with this girl because she had already been listening to Tony and her friends talk for a few minutes. I noticed that she had a shirt on that said, "Shellsburg," so I walked up to her and asked her about that. After a couple of minutes of me asking spiritually leading questions, she started to clam up on me which I somewhat expected because of the situation where her friends were already involved and she just walked into it.

I then just straight out said to her, "You know, it isn't every day that you run into someone who is willing to have a spiritual conversation with you, right? Is there anything that you would like to talk about?" That got her attention and she turned back towards me, perked up and started actually talking to me. I was able to start going through the Law with her at that point but then her friends and Tony said, "Goodbye," and walked away. I asked her if she needed to go, too, and she said, "Yes," but looked sorry. I told her that was fine and that I could give her something to read. I reached into my purse and grabbed a "A Gift for You" tract with a $5.00 bill in it at gave it to her.

-Sarah

More teens at the Mall, Mt. St. Helen's and "A Case for Christ"

Tonight I paired with Sarah - one of our more "aggressive" witnessers (it that is even a word..). Since I tend to be a little timid in transitioning from the light-hearted questions on the "Intelligence Test" into a spiritual conversation, Sarah was coaching me.

We talked to two young men (Casey and Jacob) who, if left to me, would have walked away when they sounded sort of 'ho-hum' towards the intelligence test. Sarah, however, would not be so easily put off by their lack of interest. The result was a 20+ minute conversation where, at the very least, some seeds were planted.

Sarah asked the guys some fairly direct spiritual question (neither one of us could remember what it was when we talked later). Whatever she said got us going, and she dived in and talked about how all roads do NOT lead to God, using the analogy that 'all planes do not fly to Phoenix.' We talked about Revelation. We talked about creation, evolution and the 'Big Bang.' We talked about how there is no explosion known that resulted in more order. I jumped in and talked about Mt. St. Helen's (my wife and I had just visited there in May).

Then we got onto people trying to disprove the Bible. By this time, Jacob decided that he had enough of the conversation, so we were talking only to Casey. I told him about Lee Strobel and his book, "A Case for Christ." I asked him if he would write down his address and I could send him the book. Sarah pointed out that a teen might not be comfortable giving a middle aged man his address (duh!!), so I apologized and wrote down the titles to Strobel's book and to Josh McDowell's "Evidence that Demands a Verdict." I wish I had thought to offer to give Casey some money to buy the books.

The funny thing was, during the course of our conversation with Casey, he didn't seem to be bothered by our questions. He seemed genuinely interested in what we were saying (even if he didn't agree with all of it). And his cell phone rang twice during our conversations, and he answered it and said, "Can I call you back?" I thought that spoke volumes.

Pray for Casey - I left him with the challenge to investigate the claims of Christianity. I asked him to consider what is at stake if he is wrong in his belief that being a good person gets you to heaven. He asked me what happens if I'm wrong. I said - if there is no God, or if Jesus wasn't the Savior - when I die, I just cease to exist. If he is wrong, however, the consequences are much more dire.

-t

Turkey and A Tattoo

Today I ate at a sandwich shop with a friend. The woman behind the counter had an unusual tattoo across the side of her neck. I didn't want to be obvious, but when I realized it spelled a word, I stared until I was able to make it out. It said, "Karma".

I asked her, "Why do you have a tattoo that says Karma?"

She nicely replied that she believes in it. I asked her what she thought Karma was. She explained that good things would come back to her with good consequences and bad things with bad consequences.

I asked her, "What do you base that on?" (One of the 4 deadly questions!)

She answered that she just believes it. I said something about not wanting to get paid back for all the bad things I do!

A few minutes later she handed me my food on a tray and the fork caught on something and flew off onto the floor. I said, "What did you do this morning to deserve that??" We giggled at the thought.

I found a "Why Christianity" booklet in my purse and gave it to her before I left. I called her over to give it to her and told her I had something very special for her. She was beginning to read it before I even walked away. Looking up she said, "Thank you very much" with a big smile on her face. Such a simple interaction but one I pray will result in eternal life!

-Lisa

Faithful Witness

I have heard it said before "90 or 99% of life is just showing up. The rest is just details."

I have never truly agreed with this statement. I know that there are many things that can be done in preparation for any task or event and that showing up and asking for the details to just work out doesn't usually work.

So how does this all relate to our fishing trip this week? Well, my talk a group of 4 teenagers brings me to this point. I was able to have a good time talking to them using the intelligence test. What I have found is that even though the test in the second half asks many questions about the persons spiritual beliefs, it is still hard to transition to a deeper spiritual conversation beyond that.

Sometimes I think this is because I am scared or worried about what the people will think. In this case, however, I think it was because of a lack of preparation on my part. I did ask more questions than the survey. But the people I talked to were still open to talking more, if I had been prepared to answer their questions.

I think of what things I can do to prepare for a weekly trip to talk to people and also everyday as I am around others. I need first to understand that I can do nothing alone. I must rely on God for it all. Without him I labor in vain. I can pray for wisdom and guidance each day in how to witness to others through my actions and spiritual conversations.

I can make sure that I am setting aside time for spending with God in prayer daily. To confess my sin and grow in my relationship with Him.

I know especially that I should carry with me a small Bible with highlighted verses that deal with salvation and repentence and about who Jesus Christ is.

My learning from this week is that it is not enough to show up only, I need to be thinking and preparing always for an opportunity that God presents for me to be faithful. I pray that I would be wise in my use of time that He has given to be faithful in my preparation as well.

I am thankful for the opportunity I had with the group of teenagers I met with. I pray that I have planted a seed with each of them.

Matt B.

Is Truth What We Make It?

This last month has been hard on me. Before that I had been starting to get into a pattern of feeling frenzied about witnessing with a "gotta do this" attitude. The Lord has really been working on me. It's been hard - but good.

So last night when I went to the mall, I had hoped to be able to just sit and talk with someone in detail for an extended period of time instead of a few 5-10 minute conversations. The Lord gave me that desire...

I sat down to watch my children play in the children's area. There was a lady sitting next to me that looked like a nurse. Right away I asked her if she was a nurse and she just opened up to me about her job and schooling! It was really great.

She talked with me for awhile about her work as a certified nurse's assistant and so I was able to turn the conversation to spiritual matters with her job as a starting point. She was Catholic but wasn't able to explain much at all. It ended up coming down to her beliefs that our good outweighs our bad, that we're punished here on earth and that she would go to purgatory first. And, she said that she believes the Bible.

Those two statements contradict each other, though. Why? Because the Bible says that one sin sends us to hell (not a scale of good outweighing the bad), that there really is a place called 'hell', and purgatory isn't in the Bible (it is a Catholic, human tradition). I told her not to take my word for it but to go look it up and read her Bible. I presented the Gospel and then pointed her towards reading Romans and James. So, do we make truth? Or, does Truth make us? Read the words that the compass is pointing towards in the above picture!

There is so many other things that I thought about later that I could have told her, but, since I was praying before, during and after the conversation, I trust that the Lord worked His will through me.

-Sarah

New Posts Coming Soon!

Antsy for the newest witnessing stories? Lord-willing, we will be going out tomorrow night so look for new stories soon!

Please Check This Link Out

I enjoy reading another blog called Evangie Tales. This entry was particularly interesting and very sad. Read it by clicking here.

-Sarah

Do you ever wonder why...

Last night at the mall was fairly dry for me. I spent the entire hour walking around, looking for the "right" people to get into a conversation about spiritual things. Both times, as I approached teen guys to have them take a survey, the answer was, "No thanks - we're in a hurry."

So I spent my time walking around praying. Funny thing - others in our group were having conversations. And there were a couple within our group that were having good conversations about spiritual things. Conversations that needed to occur. So this was a good reminder that God's ways are not my ways, but He still accomplishes his work though his people.

-t

Local Fair Outreach Event

Cornerstone Church participates in a local fair by setting up a "What's In A Name?" using an individual's name as an opening to present the gospel in a tract-form. This year we also walked in the parade and handed out candy and gospel tracts geared towards children.

This is a photo of the booth...

Then we also sent some out into the crowd to witness. This was new for this year since it has just been in the last 6 months or so that we, as a church, learned how to share our faith Biblically - without sounding foolish. Law to the proud, grace to the humble.

Tracts Galore!

We had an awesome night at the mall this evening! We did something different in that we met 15 minutes earlier than usual for a time of prayer (which we usually do) encouragement and a witnessing story. Then, everyone was sent off with a stack of "ticket to Heaven" tracts to hand out (along with talking to people) - - in addition to just walking around trying to find someone to talk to. We handed out 100 tracts in about 40 minutes and had to dig into our other stock of tracts we had on hand! Really - that is amazing. Here we are getting ready to witness...

My husband's co-worker, Adrian, and his wife, Karen, along with Adrian's friend, Matt (another Matt), came along tonight. Adrian and Matt (the other one) are doing the Basic Training together and wanted help with their homework so I took the three of them along with me. Karen was just going to watch and she ended up feeling comfortable enough to hand out one tract before the hour was up! Yeah!

Andria also came along to watch and pray for the third week in a row! She was handing out tracts, too! She has been such an encouragement to us because she came out with us and then she keeps coming out with us! Yeah! (Do I say that too much? LOL)

Dave (our elder) also came along tonight! Wow, that was really an encouragement!!

Here is Tony talking to three teens. He is using a survey tract pad which he really likes to use. He's found his "niche."

Here is Lisa talking... I think she might have known these people, though?????

Adrian or Matt (I can't remember who) had given this young teen a "ticket to Heaven" so I sat down next to him to talk to him about what he was reading. His mom interrupted us before we got too far into the conversation, though.

Lisa was told she had to stop handing out tracts. She's going to talk with mall management this week to see if she can get permission for herself. Pray about that.

Like I said, Dave came tonight and I wasn't around him most of the "fishing" hour but he was still a huge encouragement to me. I was really glad to have his leadership and, plus, he was so matter-of-fact and passionate about this. He was right out there doing it like he'd been handing out tracts at the mall his whole life. And!... When you see Dave around, ask him about the lady at the mall with the ball point pen!

I took Matt (that other one) with me while I talked to two twenty-something men sitting on a bench looking bored. That went well... The both were given a tract, a booklet for new and growing Christians and one was given the Gospel of John in a magazine format. Matt, who hadn't seen this done in person yet, seemed really encouraged and said, "It's just like what they do on the training DVDs!"

A few minutes later I handed a "Bible is Full of Mistakes" tract to an 18-year old couple. As Matt and I were a few yards away, the guy yelled out, "Hey, I want to talk to you. I thought you were handing me something religious but since you're not, I want to talk to you! So, talk to me!!! What's up?" How awesome is that!!! So, I just said, "Well, do you think you're a good person?" The tract was perfect for him because it got us talking about God without him realizing it. His 'oats' were being salted so that by the time I started talking about Jesus Christ, he was thirsty and it wasn't foolishness. His girlfriend was soooooo receptive. I wonder if she would have given her life to Christ on the spot if it weren't for being with her BF and running out of time to talk. Pray for her (I don't know her name but God does).

After handing out over 100 gospel messages and talking to numerous people we sat down to eat and fellowship...

Sorry Dave... I took three pictures of you and Sam but you were chewing or talking in all of them. :c)

-Sarah

Same 3 Teens (First part of the story)

Lisa didn't mention that those same three teens had gone through the "Intelligence Test" survey with me. They seemed genuinely interested, although toward the end of the conversation I sensed that they were ready to continue their roaming through the mall, so I thanked them for their time and let them go.

About ten minutes later, Lisa saw me and said, "You should go talk to those three boys sitting on that bench." (She knows that I target young men about that age for the Intelligence Test Survey). So I tell her, "I talked to them about five minutes ago. You should go give them the ticket to heaven tract." So she does and uses her great on liner (read her post below).

Now that's what I call a tag-team effort. Me, my wife and GOD!!!

Pray for them...

I also talked to a slightly older young man (same approach - Intelligence Test Survey). The conversation was going quite well. He was clearly interested, and offered his opinions as to how one knows the difference between right and wrong, and whether God has standards. It was a good conversation.

It could have been even better, but his wife/girlfriend/significant other walked up just as I was starting to get to the questions of depth. Since she appeared to want to talk to him, I thanked him for his time and left.

As I was leaving, I noticed that one in our group had given him a 'ticket to heaven' tract that he was holding. You can pray for him. His name is Eric...

-t

A Sure Thing That Matters

I handed 3 teenage boys Ticket to Heaven tracts tonight at the mall. As they looked down at them I said, "You'll need these because there's 100% chance you're going to die."

The middle boy gasped and said, "What did you say?"

I repeated, "There's 100% chance you're going to die."

I walked away praying for their souls to be saved, chuckling at the look of shock on their faces. The truth is so jolting sometimes.

Four Teens at the Mall

This week at the mall I saw 2 of the teenage boys I talked to last week. They waved at me and smiled, so I motioned them to come talk to me. They happily walked over and I asked them if they had any questions about what we talked about last week. I was able to tell them the story of the 4 gifts and 4 major religions that I learned over the weekend. They seemed intrigued by it.

After talking for awhile, they called a friend on their cell phone who was also in the mall. They told me that this friend doesn't believe in God so I should talk to him. He showed up with his girlfriend and I asked him, "If you died tonight would you be 100% sure you're going to Heaven?" That started a spiritual talk.

I was surprised that these young adults were so eager to talk about subjects like Heaven, God, Jesus, etc. It proves that humans are eager to talk about what they believe. It also shows that they are in great need of the Truth!

Stuggles / Handing Tracts / 4 Teens

In case anyone thinks this "fishing thing" is easy for me, well, it's a lot of hard work. God's grace is my provision during witnessing. But, lately there are moments when I feel (I know, feelings are inaccurate) that I'm lost on a dark path. This afternoon was one of those moments and it wasn't until I turned to the Bible - instead of websites, friends, etc. - before the confusion and panic lifted.

On another note, I was struggling with handing out tracts to people as I ran errands yesterday. I was worried that it wouldn't be a good use of the church's resources (my own tracts don't come in until next week) if I wasn't actually having a conversation with someone. Then, on my way into HyVee an elderly woman made a little sing-song noise as she passed me outside and then handed me a gospel tract! I instinctively said, "Thank you," just like most people say to us. Then, when I realized what it was, I wanted to turn around and run over to the lady (I didn't because I was loaded down with children) and thank her for caring about my eternal destination!

So, I started handing out tracts to people. And, one guy at HyVee commented about not killing anyone so he must be a good person. I said, "Well, you really need to read that then!" In a positive voice, he said that he would. Fifteen minutes later I saw him again at the library (he didn't see me, though).

Lastly, at the mall fishing last night my teenage brother's ex-really-close ex-girlfriend ran up to me with her three teenage friends. I talked to them and boy was that hard. I was really praying during that conversation and was worn out - I mean, really worn out - afterwards. That was one of the most tiring conversations I've had so far, but, oh, it was good.

Please pray for me - I have really been needing it lately. Also, please pray for my brother's ex-girlfriend, Heather. I care a lot about her.

-Sarah B.

Does that concern you?

On Saturday, Matt and I handed out tracts at/around an outdoor rock concert. Initially, I had a long conversation with a teen who happened to be nearby. After giving him a tract, I asked him if he had thought about what happens when we die. To my surprise, he opened up and told me all about his fear and his doubts about the future. It seems that he was from a religious family, but was trying to find out what is really true. He readily agreed that we can't be perfect, and told me that he had been thinking about this alot. He seemed really concerned! I explained the gospel and emphasized that it only by grace, not our works, that we are saved. He seemed glad to hear it, and I encouraged him to read the gospel of John.

We handed out 10-15 other tracts and had several shorter discussions with people coming to and going from the concert. Near the end of the evening, we talked to a guy sitting outside one of the local bars. He said that he would 'fail the test', but that fact did not concern him at all. After asking him a few more questions, he began to get defensive, and told us that we all have our own beliefs, and should keep them to ourselves. I don't know what the ultimate impact of this conversation will be, but trust that the results are in God's hand. We aren't responsible to convict hearts, the Holy Spirit is, and we don't know ahead of time who God is working on. We can only make ourselves available to share the good news and learn from the different experiences we have.

They're doing WHAT!?

Earlier this evening I was talking on the phone with Matt (my husband)...

He was calling from an outdoor rock concert sponsored by Planned Parenthood (music, cheap beer and free condoms were the attractions). He and Sam H. had already been there for an hour or two talking with strangers about sin, Christ and repentance. I'll let them blog about their experiences, but..

I got off the phone after an update call from Matt (my husband) and stared at the phone for a bit. I'm staring at the phone and thinking, Sam H. and Matt B. are at a rock concert talking to strangers about Christ... Sam H. and Matt B.... Strangers... Testifying to Christ... Wow. Wow. Who would have thought?... Wow.

This is just such an amazing testimony to the power of God! Matt with his lack of concern for the lost just two months ago and Sam being the most quiet person I've met thus far in my life.

Praise the Lord!

-Sarah B.

Tomorrow's Concert Outreach Event

Rock Concert Collectible #312. Entertaining one-liners: We are born naked, wet and hungry - then things get worse. 58.9 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot. For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism. Don't steal – the government hates competition. Always go to other people's funerals, or they won't go to yours. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. Eschew obfuscation. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. We're all part of the ultimate statistic – ten out of ten die. Corduroy pillows: They're making headlines! If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? Always remember that you are unique; just like everyone else. Probably the most thought-provoking one-liner is "Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway." It's sad but true – no matter what you do, you will die. This is because you have sinned against God. Let's see if that's true: Have you ever lied (even once)? Ever stolen (anything)? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Ever looked with lust? If you have said "Yes" to these three questions, by your own admission, you are a lying thieving, adulterer at heart; and we've only looked at three of the Ten Commandments. How will you do on Judgment Day? Will you be innocent or guilty? You know that you will be guilty, and end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He provided a way for you to be forgiven. He sent His Son to take your punishment; "God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus then rose from the dead and defeated death. God promises everlasting life to all those who repent and trust in Jesus Christ. Please do that today... you may not have tomorrow. See John 14:21 for a wonderful promise. Then read the Bible daily and obey what you read. God will never let you down. Text taken from resources at www.livingwaters.com.

Fear & Being Weird

At the mall tonight I started out kinda high-strung and frustrated because I had my dad with me and I was trying to do this witnessing thing in my own strength - at first. Then, I ran into Tony and I said that I didn't want to start a conversation in a particular way because it would feel/look weird. Tony said something about it all looking weird (?) anyway.

This was humbling for me because then I got really fearful and "weirded out" about the whole thing. I kept saying to myself, "This is really weird. You're really weird. People are going to think you're really weird," over and over again. I wanted the hour to be over with! I wanted out! I finally pulled out a Survey Pad Tract because I knew that Tony had luck with that during fearful moments. I went through the survey with a woman but didn't have the guts to go over the answers with her so I just gave it to her and told her to check her answers on the back.

But, between all these other things happening, I did talk to a young man and that went so very well - probably one of the best conversations I've ever had with someone. And, yet, I was still walking around weirded out! Usually I'm jazzed. Then I talked with two young women and that was also one of the best conversations I've ever had with people.

And then it was time to go eat... And, I was relieved. But, I am thankful for tonight. I know God must have used all this to humble me...

-Sarah

Three Teens at the Mall

Tonight at the mall I witnessed to 3 teenage boys. Sam had already given them an "Are You A Good Person?" tract earlier, but he hadn't talked to them. He said they were positive about receiving the tract so I felt good about verbally talking to them.

I asked them if they'd ever seen a Smart Card, and one of them immediately took it from me to put his thumb on the square. They all 3 said they were good people. As the square remained uncolored for each in turn, they emphatically told me they REALLY are good people. I was amazed at their self-confidence!

Even when I said "good" means "morally perfect", they were adamant that they were good.

One of the boys was somewhat flippant as I shared the law with him. He insisted he'd never lied in his life. It was obvious he thought our conversation was funny. I told him the beginning of the judge analogy, and he responded by saying that a court judge is different than God because God is totally merciful. I praised him on his correct theology about God but told him God is a Totally Righteous Judge who can't just forgive our sins because we ask him.

About that time, the other 2 boys excused themselves and said they'd be right back.

I asked the other boy, "If you die tonight, are you 100% sure you would go to Heaven?" He said, "No."

I asked him if he thought God would send him to Heaven or Hell based on his imperfection. He became much more serious and said, "I think I would go to Hell." Noticing his change of countenance, I asked him if that concerned him, and he sincerely said, "Yes". Then I knew he was ready for the Good News!

I started by telling him the end of the judge analogy. I reminded him of the huge fine he owed and how the judge was going to throw him in jail for not being able to pay it. I then said, "Imagine the judge taking off his robe, coming around the bench and paying the fine for you. That's what Jesus did for you on the cross. He paid the penalty for all those sins you've committed."

I wish you all could have seen his eyes and face when he heard those words. I wonder if young men his age are particularly sensitive to the idea of a judge pronouncing them "guilty" for a wrong they have done. The idea of someone paying that fine for them and them being able to go free seemed especially wonderful to him!

By this time the other boys came back, and I talked to them all a little more. I challenged them to search out the Truth for themselves and gave them Gospels of John. One of the young men told me he had only gone to church ~10 times in his life. They were all so pleased that I talked to them about spiritual things.

Please pray they will read the Gospels and tracts I gave them and that the Holy Spirit will open their hearts and give them faith to believe!

-Lisa

Conversations and seeds

Last week at the mall, I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone who had never heard it before! I gave her a tract and asked if she knew what happens when a person dies. She basically thought that being good would be enough to get to heaven. I went through the questions, shared the law and why a good judge cannot let sin go unpunished. She seemed to understand the problem, stopped making excuses, and seemed genuinely humbled. She said yes, it does concern her. I shared how Jesus paid the price for our sins, and how she could have forgiveness. I explained it several times, and she seemed glad to hear it. She said that she had gone to church that Sunday with a friend - maybe God has been working in her heart! This was the first time I've had a conversation that didn't get interrupted. In fact, at one point she ignored a phone call and told her friend to wait until we were done talking! Pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to her and bring the right people into her life.

As I was leaving the mall, I stopped and talked to a group of college-aged kids. They said that "everyone has their own beliefs" and that we should find what works for ourselves. I shared that the Bible has specific information about our eternal destination. They asked how I knew the Bible is true - funny, I had read pp. 154-158 of "One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven" earlier that day, so I had an answer ready! (explain the historical evidence, archaeological evidence, and fulfilled prophecies) They eventually had to leave, but I left them with several tracts and hopefully some persistent questions about eternity.

It's still a bit difficult to start conversations with strangers, but practice and lots of prayer have made a big difference. Once I actually do it, fear seems to fade into the background and the knowledge that I can't fail gives me peace. God does the work, not me!

- Sam H.

Anti-Evangelism

Check out the review of an anti-evangelism book here.

Is it a Gift? / Reasons Why We Don't Share

Recently I have been told numerous times that what I'm doing is a 'gift' that God has given me. As in, "I can't do it because I haven't been given the 'gift.'" I do think that it is a gift (look up 'grace'), but one that is given to every Christian...

I will admit that because of my background in sales and as a receptionist I do have a fairly easy time starting any kind of conversation with someone. But, those that know me know that I have a 'scattered' brain. I have a hard time clearly getting my point across - especially about matters of faith.

This is why I had such a hard time sharing my faith in Jesus Christ before. It was hard enough with friends who were patient with me and I would never attempt talking to a stranger about Jesus (I already believed that walking up to someone and saying, "Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" would sound foolish to a non-Christian).

Reasons why we all might not share our faith on a regular basis...

1. Might Get Beat Up
2. Won't Make Sense
3. Might Be Made Fun Of
4. Won't Know How to Start
5. I'll Be a Bad Witness
6. I'll Say the Wrong Thing
7. I'll Be a Religious Nut
8. I Don't Know Enough

Numbers six, seven and eight really apply to me. But, think about this, are these reasons or are they just excuses? I know they have been excuses for me - and still are. It has been life-changing to take the Way of the Master Basic Training, though. I now know what to say and how to say it. And, so much of the Gospel makes sense now! Here are some questions to search out...

1. Why do we need the Old Testament? What is its purpose? Now that we have Jesus Christ, can't we stop using/studying it?
2. Why did Jesus use the Law when talking to the lost? Didn't He realize that we are saved by faith in Him and not by following the Law?
3. Why were the early followers of Christ (and others around the world) martyred for their faith? Why would someone kill you over the "God has a wonderful plan for your life" message?
4. Why do I have a desire to share my faith in Jesus Christ but it comes across as foolishness to the lost?
5. What is with the Christians being salt thing?

Everything I have just blogged here has been answered for me through taking the Way of the Master training which is why I say it has been life-changing. Are you ready to experience the exhilaration of sharing your faith Biblically!?

-Sarah

Telemarketer

Someone just called me to sell a vacation. I've learned some new techniques from http://www.evtales.com/ and used one to tell the lady about Christ...

I told the sales lady that I wasn't interested wondered if I could ask her an interesting question. Is she 100-percent sure that she would go to Heaven if she died tonight? No. Does she think she is a good person? Yes. Has she ever lied? No. Never? No, never. Has she ever stolen anything? No. At this point I realized that I was going to lose her soon (she'd hang up) so I used a new 'trick' which is to give the '17 second sermon.'

Well, God gave us a standard to show us how sinful we are. It's the 10 Commandments. If you've ever lied than you are a lier. If you've ever stolen anything than you are a thief. Jesus said that lust is the same as adultery and hate is the same as murder. So, if you've ever done these things, than you are a lying, thieving, murderous, adulterer, at heart, and when God judges you on the day of judgement you will be found guilty and go to hell. That's not what God wants so He sent His son Jesus to die on a cross and take your punishment for you. Okay. Does that make sense?"

Sales Lady: "I know that."

Me: "So, have you repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus?"

Sales Lady: "Um, no, I'm at work right now and can't talk."

Me: "Okay, thanks. Goodbye."

Sales Lady: "Goodbye."

I sounded like a crazy person, I'm sure. But, hey, seeds were planted!

-Sarah

Espresso Shot

It was a simple greeting and a simple question. But a very strange reaction…

read the whole story by clicking here

How to Witness to a Jehovah's Witness

I rushed down the stairs to the sound of a barking dog and our doorbell. When I opened it, two well-dressed young men stood in front of me. I greeted them with a warm, "Hi," to which one of them asked in perfect English, "Do you know of any Spanish speaking families around here?"

"Next door there is a Spanish speaking family. Across the road there is an Indonesian family, then an India, then English, and I am Chinese. Do you want to see a picture of me on a cruise?"

They politely said they did, so I quickly opened my wallet and showed them a picture of Tom Cruise with the word, "ME," on his forehead. They laughed.

"So what are you guys selling?"

"Nothing."

"Are you Mormons?"

"No."

"Jehovah Witnesses?"

"Yes."

"Tell me this. I have a knife in my back. I have three minutes to live. My blood and life are draining from me. I know I'm dying. What are you going to say to me. How can I enter the Kingdom?"

click here to continue

Trench Coat Teen

I asked an older male teen wearing a black trench coat if I could ask him some questions. I specifically went up to him because of the trench coat but I truly was thinking that my preconceived notions would be incorrect and that he would instead be very receptive to talking... That the coat was just a 'front' and that inside he was humble (I'm still searching for a more appropriate word). During recent talks about spiritual things that I have had with 'rough' looking teens, gentleness is what I have found to be more true of their natures. Like gentle 'giants'. Anyway...

Not so with this young man. It looked like he was carrying a bunch of stuff under his coat (even though he had just walked into the mall) and he did not want to tell me his specific spiritual beliefs even though you could tell that he definitely had some. Later on I thought that I should have asked him if he worshiped satan... Yeah, it would not have been an inappropriate question for the situation (and I'm not talking about the coat).

I stood there talking to him and thinking very strongly (but calmly), "He is going to shoot me. Right here in the mall. He is going to shoot me." I have an active imagination, though. I wasn't scared so maybe I really didn't think he was going to shoot me - or, as the actual case must be, it was all Jesus Christ's doing.

I gave him a tract called "School Shootings - The Common Denominator."

Obviously there is a lot that I don't know about the situation as a whole. And, this man may never have even had thoughts of Columbine-style intentions. But, it is an interesting encounter and proof that God provides.

-Sarah

Sweet Greg

I talked with a young teen named Greg about God's Law and evolution this evening at the mall. He was really a sweet kid but he wasn't concerned about eternal punishment although he thought he wasn't a good person.

It was a cute conversation because I asked him questions like (learned from The Way of the Master training:

So, did the two-cell organism evolve into a sea animal or a land animal?

So, if it was a sea animal, did it have gills?

How did it come onto land? Did it flop out of the water onto land?

How did it breath on land? Didn't it have gills? How did it breath before the lungs evolved?

Did two of them flop onto the land and evolve lungs instantly so they could reproduce?

It was really cute. I loved watching his face as he tried to answer these questions (my tone of voice was not picking on him). Then I asked him if his parent's Ford vehicle evolved or if Ford created it? If the metal and plastic just -- slurp -- came together to form a car?

Then told him that a painting is absolute proof that there is a painter. A building is absolute proof that there is a builder. And, that creation is absolute proof that there is a creator. Made sense to him!!!

I gave him a God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life tract and a copy of The Case for Creation by Lee Strobel and then left him with his "seeds" of faith for God to grow! God is a-w-e-s-o-m-e! (But, we all knew that, right?!?)

-Sarah

A Billion Dollar Message

Our church is hosting three CEF 5-Day Clubs this week. Yesterday Sarah gave an 11-year old boy a Billion Dollar Bill tract as he was leaving.

Today at the beginning of the club, the leaders said something about Heaven. The boy immediately spoke up and said, "I don't think I'm going to heaven anymore because that billion dollar bill you gave me yesterday said that anyone who sins won't be able to go there."

I turned to him and told him, "You're exactly right!" and asked him if he'd have an appointment with me after the club.

We ended up going through the Share Jesus Without Fear Bible verses together. When I asked him if he wanted to give his life to Jesus, he said he thinks he should know more first. Please pray that he makes a decision or desires to visit church before he moves back to New York in 2 weeks!

-Lisa

I love going to the bank...

Especially when I have to talk to someone new!

Today I stopped to drop off a card that I filled out for my daughter. I got to talk to a "personal banker." So I give her the form and a copy of my driver's license. While I'm waiting for her to return, I find one of the Way of the Master millon dollar bill tracts in my wallet. So I start to pray that it will find its hands into whoever needs to see it.

When the personal banker came back, I thanked her for her time, then I pulled out the million dollar bill and handed it to her. "It's not real money," I said. To which she replied, "O darn!"

Then I told her that it had a message on the back. So she turns it over and starts reading.

"Thanks again for your help," I say. She replies, "Thank you too. Have a nice weekend."

Short and painless. Another seed planted...

-tony

Smart Card - Blind Heart

Check out Elizabeth's witnessing story by clicking here.

Perfection Like a Crystal Vase

During last night's fishing trip, I was watching the children in the play area when my mom's long-time hairdresser called out to me from a few yards away and then walked up to me and started talking. Really, think about this... That is amazing, huh? I even knew her name and she knew mine. Amazing opportunity. So, we're talking about our children, work, school, etc. and I'm standing there knowing that this is not a coincidence and that I needed to talk to her but I was scared. I was thinking things like, "Eye, yeyea... What will my mom say? Will she get upset if her hairdresser gets upset? Well, I was planning on not talking to people tonight so I can let myself off the hook for not talking to her." Stuff like that. Well, I need to fear God, not man (the hairdresser), so I stepped out in faith and just asked her that first question (which is always the hardest part, by the way).

I just kept asking her questions... "If you were to die tonight, are you 100-percent sure you would go to Heaven? Why? What did God do to make it possible for you to go to Heaven? Is there a hell? Who goes there? What role does Jesus play in all of this? Do you desire to have a relationship with God? (Answer was "yes") Etc." The questions I asked were tailored to the answers she was giving me - not a preformed plan. While she was talking, I realized that this really was not a coincidence because she was so ripe for the Gospel message. Because of this, I almost gave her the Gospel without going through the Law first. But, then decided that since I had been trained that the Law makes a way for the Good News, then that is what I needed to do first. Looking back, I'm so very glad that I spoke of the Law first. Why?

We all think we are good people. It's true. Even though we know that 'sin' separates us from a Holy and Righteous God, we still think that we are pretty darn good when it is all weighed out. Wrong. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10 If you had a rare Waterford crystal vase and you cracked it only once, it is ruined, right? It's not worth what it was before the crack. It's the same way with the Law of God - we break (or crack) it once and we're done - ruined - destined for hell, folks. Seriously. We don't have to shatter the thing to know that it is no longer perfect. We can do all the walking we want on our "journey" to God, but we're just fooling, and pacifying, ourselves into believing a lie - the lie that we are somehow good enough. Don't believe me? Does He have a wonderful plan for your life? Click here to test yourself on your goodness and find out where you rank in God's eyes.

Oh, yes, once she saw her need for a savior, Jesus Christ really was Good News! With a big smile on her face, my mom's hairdresser told me, "Thank you!" By the way, I think that has been my first, "Thank you," which was really neat.

-Sarah

I finally had a "spiritual" conversation...

I finally got beyond giving a "survey" tonight with a couple of teens!

After going all the way through the intelligence test survey, I asked the last question: "Can a person avoid hell by living a good life?"

The answer that this young man gave (Colton was his name) was a perfect transition to discussing God's standards of right and wrong - so I dove in. It turns out that Colton is a Mormon, and had some thoughts about what I was saying. We talked about what God's standard of a "good person" is and that Jesus Christ is the only way to take care of man's sin problem.

I would not say that I am entirely happy with how I shared (I think I could have handled some things better...), but I am overjoyed that I was actually able to share Christ with someone in an actual conversation!

After I left, we saw Colton showing the survey to one of his friends. As we were leaving, I stopped and handed him a tract called "Three Truths Every Mormon Should Know."

Please pray for Colton - that he may understand the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-Tony

Can It Get Easier Than This?

First I'd like to say in reply to one of Sarah B.'s posts that I don't think it's possible to fail in our witnessing. someone has said,"You only fail in witnessing when you fail to witness!" By that I think it means that we must always keep in mind that God is truly sovereign over all human history and His plans cannot fail. So when we do our best, the Holy Spirit will use whatever we do to scatter seed or water what's already been planted. Otherwise, I think we are in danger of being so scared that we will make a mistake in witnessing and then we just don't witness. Surely the loving Lord does not want that!

Secondly, I just wanted to add another, super easy way to break into witnessing if you are REALLY shy and scared to talk to others about spiritual things. One thing I have asked the Lord to remind me to do is to always have tracts in my purse when I leave the house (I stock up on Sundays!). Then I ask Him to help me remember to put at least one in every bathroom I visit that day. When I walk the mall I bring enough to put in each stall of the bathroom closest to the food court and in the nearby family restroom ( I leave one in the bathroom there as well as on the little table and on the rocking chair behind the screen). I also bring enough now for the one downstairs bathroom--and I've begun to put ones like the Billion Dollar question one in some of the fliers for the army, navy, air force and marines. I figure that anyone these days who is planning to sign up for the service knows that they are likely to be deployed to Iraq, so of all the people who need to hear the gospel, I'd say they are a priority.

Now since I am female, if only one man got the bug to do this one little thing, think of how many more people could be reached! As you may have guessed, I "use" the restroom at every building I enter--so that means WalMart, the Marion library, the mall, and even at a nonmall Hallmark store!

You may say, "Isn't that just a waste of paper? People will just throw them away!" Ha, ha. The last time I put some in the biggest mall restroom I saw a gal holding one and talking to a friend and putting it into her purse! She was too far ahead of me for me to get a chance to talk to her. Just for fun I check the bathrooms at the mall with each time I go around, so I can replace ones that have been taken. Often there are several that are gone, the ones that are left are always in good condition, but they've often been turned over and moved so that I know they've been read. I always pray as I leave them that the Lord would get them into the right hands, and I vary the tracts so they always look new. Dale even saw one of the Billion Dollar question ones placed near the checkout at Cranky Hank's, in the lower level of the mall! Awesome.

So don't say you haven't been given SMALL, DOABLE steps that you can take to reach others for Christ. Before I started placing the tracts I thought of how I came to Christ, and being a private person at that time, I know that I would have read a tract placed inside a bathroom stall. It's private, not pushy, and no one has to notice that you slip it into your purse as you go. And of course, it has a great web site address on the back for more information!

S.R.C.

Jericho Jog

Have you ever gone on a "Jericho Jog"? Or a "Mall Marathon"? No? Well, perhaps you've never thought of the ministry you can have in your own neighborhood, mall, or city by jogging or walking while you pray for every person you meet, or all who live in the houses you pass. Don't think this is just silly. Recently I had a great answer to a prayer which I had been lifting up for a neighbor of mine for 3 years. I had said something VERY unkind to her in anger. As soon as she walked away, like a knife in my heart ,I thought of how wicked it was of me to have enjoyed speaking such unkind words while at the same time destroying probably ANY chance for me to witness to her about the love of Jesus.

Well, we had had some storms which had broken many branches off of her trees and littered her yard. She works painstakingly to keep her yard looking good, so God gave me the idea of picking up all the branches, leaves and twigs off her lawn and taking them to the dump for her.

While I was working two girls opened the door to the neighbor's deck and asked me if I needed any help. I had hoped that no one would see me working, but I just told them that I was doing fine and that I just wanted to help out their mom by taking the branches to the dump.

Long story short--my neighbor saw me loading up the branches for the dump and she actually spoke kindly to me. I could tell that my actions took her by surprise in a good way.

So if you walk at the mall for exercise, or around the block, or whatever, take time to pray for those around you. That is an easy way to make a difference. I know of several short-term mission groups that build this exercise into their first day of ministry. So, now you know that anybody can minister, even if you are too shy to speak and even too shy to witness with other believers. It only takes one step to start the journey to lifestyle evangelism.

S. R. C.

Getting started is the hard part. Then you have to talk...

Every group has one. I'm it in our group of "fishermen." I still have a hard time doing this.

I understand the need. I understand the methods. I'm just a bit of a chicken. Take last night, for example. I have learned that I can spend a lot of time walking in circles... But once I talk to someone, it all gets (a little) easier after that. The sum total of my contribution on this outing was handing out 4 tracts (two personally, and two left in various locations at the mall) and giving a group of three teens an 'intelligence test." The teens were polite enough, but didn't seem to want to talk very much, so I left the test with them to "grade" on their own, without talking to them further.

So - to summarize - there are two things I find difficult on these outings:
1. Taling to the first person
2. Continuing to talk...

The good news is, I can't get any worse at this than I already am. So I will keep trying to do the right thing for the right reasons. After all, God can use anyone, right???

-tony

Learning to Fish

Our son, Sam, invited a friend to go the mall with us last night. They passed out tracts to people as they walked. Last week Sam took another friend of his on our fishing trip to RAGBRAI. What a unique opportunity for these teenage boys to see how God works through us to reach others. Perhaps they won't be as frightened by "cold" witnessing as we are and will share their faith naturally all the time.

Because Sam's been with us on these fishing trip, we've had lots of great discussions about why Jesus desires us to share the Gospel. He's witnessed us loving people who seem the most unlovable. I thank God for giving us these God-ordained opportunities with our son!

Fountain Man

Jan W. and I were together when we started walking around the mall tonight. She was pushing the B.'s kids in the stroller, and they wanted to see the fountain. There was a man sitting on the edge right next to where I stood. I prayed about whether I should speak to him about the Lord, but I was hesitant. I thought, "You're standing right next to him and he's not leaving... why don't you just talk to him??" So I asked him, "Have you seen one of these?" and showed him a Smartcard.

He said, "No" so I told him about putting his finger on the square to see if it turns green and asked him if he thought he was a good person. He said, "No" which surprised me. I said, "You don't think you're a good person?" and he said "No" again. Then he said, "Oh, I know where this is going."

I said, "Do you think I'm going to talk to you about spiritual things?" And he said, "Yes," so I asked him, "Do you have any spiritual beliefs?" He answered, "Yes".

Of course I couldn't leave it at that, so I asked, "Do you mind if I ask what they are?" and he said, "Just my own private ones." It was obvious, even though he was being very polite and pleasant, that he wasn't about to open up to me, so I gave him the Smartcard and thanked him for his time.

After I walked to the other side of the fountain, I saw him reading the card intently. Then a few minutes later, Tony walked up and commented on the fact that he saw the man sitting on the fountain reading a Smartcard. The writing on the card is only a paragraph long, so he must have been reading it a second time.

Even though that contact didn't seem very profitable in our eyes, God could have been speaking to that man's heart in mighty ways. We don't know how many of the seeds we sow will sprout into believing faith! So go out and sow those seeds!

An Evening at the Mall

We had five adults, two teens and three children at the mall this evening. It was an awesome night to be there. Lisa made a comment about there being so many potential people to talk to this evening.

I talked with three teen girls in the woman's restroom while my oldest played with a stall door beside us. That was really awesome because one had a 'problem' with, as she said, "God destroying cities full of homosexuals and then turning a woman into stone because she turned around." I have just been reading Genesis so I was able to explain it to her truthfully and it then seemed to make sense to her. We talked about creation (painting is proof that there is a painter - creation is proof that there is a creator) and one girl said that even if she did believe in God, her sins were too great. I was able to tell her that that wasn't the truth. It was AWESOME!

I talked with another lady (just asked questions about her beliefs and then gave her a tract) while our children played in the play area. Then gave out a couple tracts to other parents. Then, while I was standing with our group 'debriefing' my sister-in-law's high school friend who I've only met a few times walked by. We recognized each other and (this is totally of the Lord) I remembered her name and said, "You're such-and-such!" I talked with her and her boyfriend for about thirty minutes but never gave them the gospel. Their mouths were never stopped by the Law (see Romans) and they had a lot of lies they were believing about the Bible. I kept telling them to get a copy of The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. It was good and it couldn't have been a coincidence that we talked! It was AWESOME! Have I said that already?

As I was leaving the mall, I handed my last tract on me to a very tough looking teen who was with his female friends in a shoe store. Then I turned around and knocked over a stack of shoe boxes. Very embarrassing but I'd like to think I handled it okay! :c)

I can't wait for Matt to post because God has been working a miracle in his heart since the 4th of July when we were at the Freedom Festival.

-Sarah

Running Errands

Here is what I'm curious about... How do I go about my day as a stay-at-home mom with three children, ages three and younger, and still be a witness for Christ Jesus? So, today I was extra aware of opportunities around me when I went to an orthodontist (I used to have buck teeth and they are moving back again - yicks!) appointment, Walmart for diapers/photos and the Post Office for stamps. Here is what happened...

Dr. Orthodontist

Yicks, I was scared to talk with my orthodontist! I was sure praying hard! I thought about what I was going to say ahead of time but when I was sitting in the chair (my three children where at my feet reading books) I really didn't think I was going to do it. It is a miracle to me that I said anything at all so God must have really wanted him to hear what I was planning on saying!!! I said, "You've been doing this for so long in the same location that each day must just run into the next. You probably don't even remember specific days because of that." [talking] Then I said, "Well, I'm going to ask you a question now that you've probably never been asked before so you'll probably remember this day." [talking about being asked a lot of strange questions]

So, I asked, "When we die, what do you think is on the other side?" I couldn't believe I was asking him this... It was all very surreal. I was really scared. I went on to ask him, "How do you get to this place called Heaven [that you hope is there]?" He said something about living a good life and asked me if I have [lived a good life]. I said, "No." Then, and this is really interesting to me, he said something (kind of mumbling) to the effect of me knowing how to get there (remember, I've only asked questions) and when I questioned what he meant he said something like, "You know (like I really did know),... Jesus." Then it was time to go so I handed him the good person cartoon tract and he firmly and up-beat"ly" said that he would read it. I left more of the same tracts with the girls in the office as I was leaving and they thanked me.

Wally World

So, off to the "world of wally" for diapers and to pick up my photo order. As we were getting out of the van, two people were getting into their van next to us so I handed the lady a good person cartoon tract by asking, "Did you get one of these yet?" She said, "No [I didn't]. Thank you." Painless.

I handed the photo guy (who also checked me out) a billion dollar bill and said, "Here's a tip. There is a billion dollar question on the back." Pretty painless and a seed was planted even with three children in tow.

As we were leaving, I handed the door lady a good person cartoon tract and said, "I always walk by you and wanted to give this to you. It probably gets boring standing here all day so this will give you something to read." She was very positive and thanked me.

Post Office (I can't think of a cute heading - haha)

First, I put a "Pope Collectible" tract on the car next to mine. Once inside I left a God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life tract on the counter for customers to get their stuff together. I bought my stamps (and my oldest bought a little mail truck) and left a Smart Card with the mail man by saying, "Here is something fun for you to do when you have a break." As I turned around I saw a man looking down at the Wonderful Plan tract I had left on the counter but even though he looked like he wanted to pick it up, we were all watching him so he didn't. I felt bad about that and regretted not handing him one.

As I walked out the door I handed another man a Wonderful Plan tract (I was running out of tracts - I usually save these for specific types of people but I trust that God works these things out) by saying, "Sir, did you get one of these?" Easy. Then I got the children in the car and decided to leave a Smart Card on the vehicle next to mine (an old beat up Bug). As I was backing away, I saw that the Bug belonged to the man who was looking at the Wonderful Plan tract I had left on the counter. The one who I regretted not giving a tract to! Isn't that awesome!?

What I Learned Today

First, I realized that it isn't a coincidence when we hand someone a tract or talk to them. If God knows (and He does) that we will hand someone a tract when we are at "such-and-such a place" then I believe that He would make sure that the right people are at that location to receive the tract or to be talked with.

Second, besides talking with my orthodontist, it was easy and it didn't take any more time than if I hadn't done anything. But, here is what is amazing (and this is why we all need to be out there doing this stuff all the time - me included!)... At least eleven seeds of faith were planted today that would not have been if I had chosen to not try this out! And, I was able to do it with three children in tow.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith,

so that you will have a full understanding

of every good thing we have in Christ.

Philemon 1:6