A Prayer Request

As a follow-up to my book review on L'Abri, I wanted to share a prayer request that goes hand-in-hand with it.

Right now, I am excited to be in correspondance with a high-school aged girl who claims to be an atheist but who is hungry for knowing truth and the meaning of life.  She visited our church last month as part of an experiment to attend every religious service in town, and since then, we have exchanged a few letters.  My last letter to her was an attempt to answer her question, "What makes Christianity the correct religion?" and in it, I also shared the Gospel.  Please pray with us for this young lady, that God would draw her to Himself and that she would find the Truth she is looking for in His Word.

A Must-Watch. Period.

A compelling documentary about the Holocaust, Abortion, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and what they all have to do with each other.

(To pause the background music, scroll to the bottom of the page.)

The Day the Dog Died in My Arms

She escaped from the backyard in order to walk with us to school. We tried to get her to go home. Busy streets were not the place for her. But our gangly little dog was too delighted to zig-zag in and out amongst our band of happy children, barking up a storm and enjoying the morning walk with everyone. The children eventually gave up trying to send her home and were really just as delighted to have her along. So, we tripped over her the whole time, shielded her from big street dogs, tried to quiet her yappiness, and worked hard to keep her penned in at the school courtyard when she was confused and wanted to go home.

Finally, all our little people were settled in their classrooms and the tía and I made for home with Naira darting all about us. We successfully crossed the first busy street. She stayed right by our heels. On our second street crossing, Naira got spooked by a neighbor dog and backed into the street right in front of an oncoming van. Thankfully, he saw her in time to break hard. Whew. That was close.

We were less than a block from home when the biggest and scariest street dog emerged. The one the children have nicknamed "El Lobo" (the wolf - although he doesn't look like one). Poor Naira was scared out of her wits. El Lobo chased her down the street. She whined and cried and tried to get back to safety with us. We tried in vain to help, but the two dogs were running all around too fast for us to do much.

At that moment, another van came rumbling down the cobblestones. This driver, too, saw our frantic little pup's confusion and slowed down to allow her to get out of the way. Well, she escaped his front wheels, but in her fear of El Lobo, she had an accident with the back wheels. We don't know exactly what happened, but there was a minor collision; it appeared to us that Naira's back leg got hit. I thought we would have an injured dog on our hands, but that it wouldn't be too serious. She stumbled over to the side of the road where we were standing and collapsed in the grass. It seemed she was fainting or going into shock. I'm not really sure. It was very strange. Gingerly, I picked her up and we made for home. As we were walking, she seemed to be struggling to breath, and then she went limp. I didn't realize it until we got home, but in that moment, our poor little Naira died.

Perhaps she had a heart attack. Or perhaps her injuries were internal and much worse than we realized. Whatever the case, it was hard to believe the little dog that had followed us so happily to school and back was suddenly gone. I had not developed much attachment to Naira yet, considering that most of my interactions with her were to chase her out of the house or lecture her for getting into the garbage...again. But I knew the children loved her and played with her all the time. How were they going to take the news?

We explained it to them gently upon their dismissal from school. There were gasps and questions, but no tears. The whole situation opened up natural conversations about death and heaven and animals dying as we walked home. Upon our arrival, they all wanted to see Naira in her cardboard box. She looked the same as before; no blood, no visible injuries. Just very, very still. She was a source of fascination for them all the rest of the day as they constantly visited her box and bent over her with compassionate faces. They also poured out their child-like love on Naira's little sister who was whining most of the afternoon in loneliness and confusion at all of a sudden being tied to a leash (we didn't want any more escapees).

We talked about having a funeral for Naira, but we had no shovel with which to dig a hole. Late in the afternoon, the children decided to try anyway. Armed with sticks and a broken hoe and anything they could find for digging, they began to chip away at the hard-packed earth in the backyard to give their doggy a proper burial. It was so sweet to see their united efforts. They had a project. It gave them purpose and they diligently worked as a team for a long, long time before dinner. I'm afraid they will have to keep digging all day tomorrow with their pointy sticks in order to have a hole big enough for Naira. But at least they're motivated. Some are even looking for buried treasure while they're at it.

Though but a skinny little pup, Naira's passing made me realize how fragile life is and how unexpectedly death comes. As I shared with the children, we never know when it will be our turn to die and face our Creator, and therefore, we must always be ready.

What about you? If you were to be in an accident, develop a terminal disease, or experience some other tragedy and die, would you be ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ and give account for your life? Unlike animals, we as humans are made in the image of God with a conscience that knows right from wrong. When we violate that conscience and willfully choose to do wrong, it's called sin. Lying, dishonoring parents, hating, stealing, lusting, coveting; rebellion, pride, selfishness; these are but a few examples of the sins we as a human race commit all the time and the list could go on and on an on. Sin separates us from having a relationship with our Creator during this lifetime because He is holy and just and righteousness, and if we were to die and be held accountable for all our sins before this Holy God, we would deserve an eternity separated from Him in hell.

But the good news is, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." We were designed for LIFE; life in fellowship with our Creator right here and right now, life everlasting in His presence forever. The only way to be rescued from the everlasting death we bring upon ourselves through our sin is through the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the price for our sin by offering Himself as the atoning sacrifice, dying in our place...the place of execution. He allowed His blood to be spilled upon a Roman cross because "the life of the blood is in the flesh." Only His blood was a worthy sacrifice because only His life was perfect, pure, and holy, acceptable to the Father. He said in His own words, "I have come to seek and to save the lost...I have come that they might have LIFE and that they might have it more abundantly...I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." He died in our place and then came to life again, offering this same resurrection life, this everlasting life to all who will believe in Him. Believing in Him means turning away from a trust in anything else: good works, idols of wood or stone, church membership, baptism, family religion. None of these things can save from God's wrath or justify one before His holy standards. Only the Lord Jesus can step in and say, "This one has been cleansed by my blood, this one is forgiven, this one bears my righteousness. This one has been given everlasting life."

My friends, we need not fear dying or standing before our Maker if we are clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. In Him we have hope!

"He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 John 5:12-13)

Mark Cahill's Latest Newsletter

I received this newsletter from Mark Cahill last week and thought it was worth sharing! It seemed like a good follow-up to the Discourse on the Word Calling as well as practical inspiration for all of us to share our faith no matter where we live or what we do. Enjoy!

What is Full Time Ministry? So, we are about halfway through the summer now: How is your witnessing going? This is turning into a fascinating summer for me! I have been meeting so many people and have had amazing conversations about the Lord! One atheist I met told me he was having his bachelor party in Las Vegas just to ‘sin’ for the weekend! Wasn’t that an interesting way to phrase it? Even he knew what he was going to be doing wasn’t right. He knew right from wrong! He told me he was a pretty hardcore atheist, but that he would read my book and get back in touch with me. I’m excited to hear his thoughts. I went to a couple of baseball games in St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play, and one of my friends who plays for the team told me he was watching me in the stands witnessing! I had so many neat conversations in those stands. I have already gotten two emails from people that I met at the games! One of the conversations was with a Muslim man from Iraq who is a dentist here in the States now. We had the most interesting talk about religion that lasted for several innings. It was like the game didn’t exist. He was such a nice man. Actually, he was one of the nicest men I have ever met before. Friendly, kind, generous, loving towards all, and he has even been on medical mission trips with Christian organizations. But of course, we know that it is not by works that someone gets to heaven. That is why we talked about who the Biblical Jesus is. I want to make sure this man is born again and saved before he dies. You see when I was at that baseball game, I was actually in full time ministry. But there is a common misperception that really needs to be corrected as we head toward the return of Jesus Christ. People always ask me, “How can I get into full time ministry?” What people are forgetting is that if you are breathing, and you are born again, you are already in full time ministry! Satan is just tricking you into thinking that you are not. Remember in Matthew 28:19, 20 when Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” People call that the Great Commission, and that is every Christian’s call into full time ministry! That is why I stand at my front door and pray each day before I walk out it. Because I know when I head out that door, I must be in full time ministry mode. Just today, I had this great talk with Joe, who grew up Catholic, but now doesn’t really believe in much at all. It was a great talk about our Lord. He even told me that there is another Christian man who has been witnessing to him! I get so excited when I get to water a seed that someone else has already planted! Praise the Lord for those folks who are in full time ministry everywhere they go! Today I also met someone in the Atlanta airport who told me that I sat next to his dad a year or two ago on a plane flight!! Isn’t that an amazing “coincidence”? Kyle said he was so glad that we met, and he knew that it was meant to be. I am so glad that I was in full time ministry mode when I left the house both today and nearly two years ago when I met Kyle’s father! Last night, I had this incredible talk with a waiter. Justin grew up Catholic, but his girlfriend is Christian. He told me that she is trying to ‘get him saved!’ So we talked about what that meant, and why you need to do it. He had so, so many good questions. Oh, by the way, he wasn’t even my waiter! I am so glad that I was in full time ministry mode at the restaurant last night. Moms and Dads: You are in full time ministry all day, every day with your kids. Students and Teachers: You are in full time ministry all of the time as you interact with fellow students and teachers. One football player I know reads his Bible at his locker. He told me that so many times another player has walked over and asked what he was reading and that it leads to the most amazing conversations! I know one teacher who talks about Jesus in her classroom. She tells the kids if they want to get in depth about it to come to her room at 3:31—one minute after the bell rings! She told me that many times she has had a line of students at her door at the end of school! Businessmen and women: You are in full time ministry mode representing the Lord when you do business in a Christian manner versus doing it the world’s way. I know a doctor who witnesses to every single one of his patients!! I can’t tell you the number of doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors and business folks who have my books in their waiting rooms or lobbies for their patients or customers. I have heard from folks who have picked up a book at one of those places, and God used it to impact their lives. Workers: You are in full time ministry every day. It is your job to share your faith and act like a Christian should in the workplace. When I was teaching at a Christian school, I hired a former professional baseball player to speak at an athletic banquet. As we spoke before the event, he told me that he worked for a cable company and laid cable. Inside, I was wondering, why do you do that? I, of course, thought that he was a millionaire from his pro baseball days, but then I started wondering how he had lost all his money. I shouldn’t have made that assumption. He looked at me and said, “I lay cable, because it gets me into people’s homes, so that I can talk to them about Jesus!” I can’t even begin to tell you how humbled I was. Here was this amazing, faithful man of God who stood for the Lord every single day in his ‘regular’ life. Why? Because he was in full time ministry mode everywhere he went. A lady emailed the ministry recently and said that she had been struggling a lot with things in life. God sent her a Christian dishwasher repairman who witnessed to her and encouraged her. I am so glad that man realizes that he is in full time ministry. Do you remember the great story of Jesus and the woman at the well? In John 4:6-10, it says: “Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” Jesus was tired from the journey. He stopped to sit and get a drink of water. But even when He was tired and thirsty, He was in full time ministry mode, and that allowed one of the greatest stories in all of Scripture to occur. Why? Because the soul of that woman was more important to Him than that drink of water! The great story of Paul and Felix in the book of Acts has always fascinated me. When Paul got before Felix, he began to speak truth. Acts 24:24,25 states, “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Paul was in full time ministry mode. He was going to speak truth to Felix no matter what. Of course, he wanted to be set free, but Felix and Drusilla’s souls were much, much more important to Paul at that point than his freedom. As one of my friends puts it, ‘ministry is not an occupation but a commandment’! Remember that full time ministry isn’t working at a church or a seminary or traveling and speaking at conferences. I have known so many people who work at places like that who become completely stagnant. They lose their zeal; they lose their passion. Why? They are completely removed from lost people. They get away from the great thrill of planting seeds with the lost. Don’t let that happen to you! You do not want to be lukewarm. Remember that if you are born again and breathing, you are in full time ministry every day! It leads to a very fascinating and satisfying life. Until the nets are full,

Catching Up...

Three weeks ago, a couple of my good friends and I went to Houston on a "mission trip" during the Easter break we had. We had a full three days volunteering at Care Net Pregnancy Center, teaching children at American Chinese Fellowship, doing an evangelistic puppet show outreach at two parks, and spending time with my family. You can see pictures from our experiences here!

Painting the Gospel

On one of our recent street evangelism expeditions, a fellow student went with us who does street preaching with paintings. I was fascinated by his presentation of the Gospel using these drawings and the way it got the attention of people on the street. When Marco offered to give workshops on campus to teach us how to do the same presentation, I jumped at the chance to participate!

The first Saturday, we prepared the drawings ahead of time and the second Saturday we completed them as we preached. Here are some photos from our class together:

David went first and did an amazing job!

Alejo takes a turn.

Here is what my prepared painting looked like before I got started. As you can guess, it is meant to capture people's attention!

I wasn't quite ready to preach the whole message in Spanish yet, without having done it first in English, so I preached in English but still used a painting with Spanish words. How's that for good Tex-Mex? :)

I guess in my switching back and forth between the two languages, I misspelled the word at the bottom which is supposed to say, "hombre." Oh well!

Oops! Another misspelled word! Soledad is supposed to have an 'E'...I was going kinda fast.

Our teacher, Marco, explains something to the class.

Jessica paints the word AMOR, which means "love."

Noel's turn.

Cresenciano was very deliberate and thorough in his explanation of the Gospel.

Live and in action! You can see Marco in this picture using a number game to draw a crowd over by the Gold Palace perfume store.

I was amazed at how many people stopped to see what was going on!

Here he is filling in the painting while he preaches.

Addressing the crowd.

Throughout the afternoon, we split up and passed out Gospel tracts. Here I am on the corner handing out million dollar bill tracts like candy. Many people came and asked me for more once they read the message so they could give them to their friends and family!

Crescenciano explains the Gospel to a passerby.

Fishing In the Streets

It has been such a blessing to meet fellow Christians here in the missionary language school who have a passion for evangelism!

Last week, a group of us went out on a Friday evening to do some street preaching and witnessing in historic downtown McAllen. However, when we pulled up, we realized that small towns close shop much earlier than we had anticipated; the streets were practically deserted. Our leader got up on his box anyway and shared his testimony in Spanish to the few people who trickled by. We were also able to pass out a handful of tracts. One team member even got into a one-on-one conversation with a group of people during which time he was able to share the Gospel (see above picture).

Since the little town was empty, we decided to move on to a bigger fishing hole and camped out at the nearby mall for the next 45 minutes. What a zoo it was in comparison! It was exciting to spread out, pass out tracts, and look for folks with whom we could share the Gospel...this time in English! Each of us was able to have a one-on-one conversation with at least one person that night.

Today, we tried the streets again, figuring that a Saturday around lunch time would be a better chance to catch a crowd. This time, the streets were packed with cars and we had a hard time finding a parking space! George set up his box and courageously proclaimed the truths of the Lord to those passing by while the rest of us formed a crowd or passed out tracts.

This time, we also had the blessing of one of the bilingual Bible Institute students being with us. Seeing a pair of young women sitting on an adjacent bench, he nudged me and said, "Hey, let's go talk to those girls." So we walked over to where they sat and he asked them if they spoke English or Spanish. When they said Spanish, he started up a conversation with them about eternity. I was so glad he could speak their language! While he talked, I prayed. The girls had to leave before he could finish sharing, but we pray the seeds planted will cause them to hunger after truth.

Next, we approached a pair of men who had been listening to the street preaching each time George jumped up on his box. Noel again was able to converse with the men in their language. However, it wasn't long before the squirms started and all of a sudden they had to go! They at least left with some tracts, a phone number to call with questions, and food for thought.

The rest of the team was able to pass out a number of Gospel tracts to those passing by. One of the kids on our team handed out candy and Halloween tracts too, which were gladly received by parents and children alike!

I am so excited to have found likeminded believers with whom to join forces as we seek to obey the Lord and share about Him with others! Please pray with us that the seeds planted today will be watered and bring forth fruit that remains!

Tools for the Articulating Truth

Tonight, my neighbor Stephanie came over for our weekly Wednesday evening Bible study. (You may recall a past post I wrote about Stephanie here.) We recently finished studying through the book of Ephesians verse by verse and were planning on starting the book of James tonight at Stephanie's request. However, when she arrived, Stephanie whipped out her Bible and journal and stated emphatically, "I have questions."

She went on to describe how she had gone out for a meal with friends from school and the topic of religion came up in conversation. Her friends started asking all sorts of questions about Stephanie's beliefs and challenging Christianity in a way that Stephanie found she could not defend. Some of these questions and statements included:

"What's the difference between Baptists and other religions?"

"How do you know that what you believe is right and everyone else is wrong?"

"All religions are basically the same, right?"

"I don't believe in hell. How do you know there's a hell?"

"What's the difference between what Catholics and Christians believe?"

"I'm too much of a sinner to go to church; they wouldn't accept me there."

Stephanie sat in a chair at my kitchen table tonight with a spark in her eye declaring, "I was so frustrated with myself! I know what I believe, I just don't know how to explain it to my friends. I need help answering their questions. I told them I would get back with them after Wednesday! What should I say?"

Setting aside our plans for a study on the book of James, we instead tackled this important issue that every Christian eventually faces of learning how to articulate why you believe what you believe, starting with how to prove the Bible is the absolute standard of truth.

For two hours we talked, studied, looked up Scriptures, and wrestled through these honest, legitimate challenges that Stephanie faced from her friends. All the while, she scribbled away in her journal trying to capture our conversation on paper so she could share these answers with her friends. It was a most exciting, invigorating night!

As this conversation is still fresh on my mind, I thought I would pass along a few tools that have been helpful in my own experience when it comes to knowing how to articulate the truths of Christianity and defend why I believe what I believe.

In this fascinating book, Mark Cahill writes a simple, easy-to-understand description of logical questions and answers on a journey for spiritual truth. Starting with creation and the validity of the Bible, he builds an argument for why Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. This book is my top pick for non-believers giving concrete evidence and logic for believing in the Savior. I also highly recommend his other book, One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven, as it has great ideas for answering the skeptics and helping them see fallacies in their own worldview.

I often refer to my Evidence Bible for its extra commentary and the many pages scattered throughout containing "irrefutable evidence for the thinking mind" in regards to the truths of God's Word. There are some excellent resources tucked all throughout this publication! I also like the fact that it is the King James version written in comfortable English, making it an ideal study Bible for those who struggle wading through all the "thees," "thous," "haths," and "rejoiceths" without compromising the integrity of the text. This is the Bible my Chinese girls and I use every Friday night for our group studies.

This film, The Perfect Stranger, has become a new favorite tool in my library! In the story, a lawyer is invited to dinner with Jesus Christ. Despite her initial skepticism and disbelief that the man she joins for dinner is really Jesus, she hurls every argument and asks every question she can think of to challenge Him. The conversation between the two of them, which takes up most of the movie, is intriguing and enlightening! I have gotten so many ideas from this film in learning how to respond to those who challenge Christianity. While the movie isn't as high-quality of a production as you might be used to seeing from Hollywood, it contains excellent material that is certainly worth watching.

Another Great Witnessing Story!

Grace Mally has been one of the biggest inspirations to me when it comes to sharing the Gospel with people. She is a bold young evangelist with a true heart of compassion for the lost. Recently, she posted another encouraging story on her blog, Grace Notes. Click here to read it!

An Encouraging Story

I was very blessed to read this story today on the Law Man's blog. What a great reminder that God often uses witnessing experiences in ways we may never know about...

Let us not lose heart or grow weary in well doing when it comes to sharing the Gospel message!

Fishing At the Courthouse

Jury Summons. Two words that usually provoke groans and feelings of dread amongst many American citizens. For Christians, however, jury summons can be looked upon not only as a great way to serve in our country's judicial system, but also an opportunity to be a light in a complaining world.

Today was the second time I was summoned to a courthouse downtown in order to provide jury service in my city. I went prepared with stacks of Gospel tracts and prayed that the Lord would provide an open door to speak with someone about salvation.

As the day went by, I was able to give out a few tracts here and there, but a one-on-one conversation with someone about the Gospel didn't look like it was going to happen. Various people with whom I tried to build relationships already claimed to be Christians.

Towards the end of the experience, as the attorneys were meeting privately to make their final selections, and the group of us stood around outside the courtroom waiting, an opportunity finally came...and rather unexpectedly. A young man struck up a friendly conversation with me. We started out talking about jury summons in general, and then progressed into more personal matters like occupations, interests, and ambitions in life.

Some time into our conversation about every-day things, the bailiff overseeing our particular trial strode into the lobby where we were gathered and announced that the panel of potential jurors would be brought back into the courtroom in 8 minutes where the final selections would be announced. I thought to myself, "8 minutes...I wonder if I can share the Gospel with this guy in 8 minutes? Well, we'll see what God does!"

I asked the young man if he had aspirations towards a permanent future in the landscaping business he works in, and he in turn asked me if I planned to continue long term at the pregnancy center. I casually mentioned my desire to become a missionary to a Spanish-speaking country. We rabbit-trailed off on the subject of Spanish, and then he came back and asked me if I was specifically a Christian missionary?

I smiled to myself. Bingo. Open door here I come! :-)

"Yes," I replied. "What about you? Do you have a Christian background or a particular religious affiliation?"

He smiled kind of sheepishly, looked at the ground, and then mumbled something about how he used to go to church but doesn't anymore...he has his own beliefs now. With genuine interest, I asked him what his "own beliefs" are. He said he believes in a Deity...of some sort. He believes there is a God, he's just not sure if it's Buddha, Alla, the God of Christianity, or what.

I then asked him what he thinks will happen when someone dies. Again, a vague, I-don't-really-know answer: "Well, I hope there's something like a heaven...and I guess I think there's some place like a hell too."

"So what about you?" I asked. "If you were to die today, on the way home, where would you go?"

Another sheepish smile with a glance at the floor. "I don't know....maybe purgatory?...or maybe hell I guess...I haven't really been on speaking terms with God lately."

I asked him if he had ever considered his verdict in light of God's Law - the 10 Commandments specifically. He expressed a degree of familiarity with these and we started to go through them. It was hard for him to admit that he had broken them. He did admit to lying (a long time ago) and to committing adultery through lust, as Jesus defined it, but he thought himself pretty innocent on all other accounts. I shared with him about the verse in James which talks about how when we've broken one commandment, we've broken them all, giving the analogy of a chain with one broken link. He seemed familiar with this verse too, and agreed, stating himself that to God all sins are equal and one is not worse than another.

At this point in the conversation, I decided to get personal and share my testimony of how God opened my eyes to show me my need for a Savior when I was 14. I thought maybe it would be meaningful to this fellow, Jack, since my testimony includes the starting place of thinking myself to be a good person, trusting in my own works. I shared the Scripture verses God used to convict me of sin and to show me the answer to my search for truth about where I would go when I die. Jesus was the answer to my sin problem, and only through personal faith in His atoning death on the cross for me could my sins be forgiven. Jack nodded and said, "Yeah...yeah," quite a few times throughout my brief story.

Next, he told me that his past church experience included being a part of groups that "spoke in tongues" and he asked me what I thought about that. We had a great discussion on the matter, and it came to light that he understood the Bible's teachings on the matter, saw unbiblical usage of "tongues" in his circles, and basically left the church at that point. He mentioned it not only being unbiblical but weird and strange to him.

I asked him if his belief that all deities are basically the same God stemmed from a desire to be "tolerant" and accepting of everyone. He said yes. He had heard a notion somewhere that there is only one God and all deities throughout the world are that same God just in different cultural settings. Somehow that belief made sense to him and stuck.

"But how can that be, since there are so many differences in the belief systems and descriptions of these various gods?" I asked. "They can't all be right if there are so many differences."

He admitted he didn't really know how to reconcile this concept.

Since he seemed to have a familiarity with the Bible, I asked what he did with verses like Jesus' claim to be "the way, the truth, and the light," in light of this belief. He kind of chuckled and said he wasn't sure.

"Do you believe the Bible to be the truth?" I asked next.

"I believe it contains wisdom and knowledge," he replied. "It's got good ideas about how to live your life. Basic Information Before Leaving Earth is how I've heard it put. But I haven't examined the claims of the Koran or Buddhism, so I don't really know what those other books say in comparison."

"It sounds like you sure have a lot of "I-don't-knows" that constitute your beliefs," I said with a smile. He admitted to this with another sheepish chuckle and agreement with me.

"Here's something to think about," I said. "If what I believe (not because it's my opinion, but because of what the Bible says) is wrong, then I'll go the grave when I die and my whole life will have been wasted. But if I'm right, and Jesus is the only way to heaven, then when I die, I will see Him and be with Him in heaven. If what you believe is wrong, well, you'll be paying for a long time. Eternity is a long time to be wrong."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," he said.

"One thing I can tell you," I said to him, "is that God says, "Seek me and you shall find me." If you truly seek Him, and seek for truth, He'll reveal Himself to you." I dug around in my purse and pulled out the Atheist Test tract. "Here. Perhaps this will get you started on your journey."

He took the tract gratefully and immediately began reading it. As he did, the bailiff came back out and told us that it was time to reconvene in the courtroom. People in our group ribbed him about the projected 8 minutes he had mentioned turning into a much longer time (more like 20 minutes or so).

I smiled to myself. I knew exactly why those 8 minutes got stretched. That was a Holy Spirit stretch.

As I left the courtroom a few minutes later, having been dismissed from serving on the jury, my heart was singing. The Lord is so good! It was exciting to witness His answer to my prayer for an open door of opportunity to speak of Him...especially at a time in the day that was unexpected...and initiated by a young man that I never would have dreamed would be interested in discussing spiritual matters.

If you think of Jack, please pray that the Holy Spirit will draw him to a personal, transforming faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He seems like a young man who is searching for answers.

Grace for Grace

I am finding that the calling to be a "fisher-woman" for the Lord Jesus is really a wonderful calling! Sharing the Gospel with folks who need to hear the truth is a tremendous privilege - and it's actually a lot of fun as well!

I am forever grateful to the ministry of Living Waters as well as Mark Cahill's books for the tried-and-true method of evangelism they teach. Not only has this method of using the Law (the 10 Commandments) coupled with the Gospel proven to be extremely effective time and again, but learning this model has caused me to feel confidently equipped to witness to just about anyone.

Over the past week, the Lord gave me three Divine appointments to share the Law and the Gospel with different young women. Two were in the counseling room at the pregnancy center so those conversations will have to be kept confidential. :) The other opportunity came last Friday night with an international student from Hong Kong.


It just so "happened" that my parents were out of town for the weekend and my sister had wedding plans to attend to, leaving me on my own for the long drive to American Chinsese Fellowship. Then, a friend called and asked if I could take her daughter and their college-age international student, Grace, with me. (I had met Grace on one other occasion and had been looking forward to having her in our Bible study at ACF, so I glady agreed to play chauffer for the evening.) However, it just so "happened" that the other girl didn't end up coming along...so it was just Grace and me together for the long ride. *smile*

I had heard that Grace was a Christian, but that can mean different things to different people. My prayer for the night was that God would open a door to ask her questions about her faith and share the Gospel with her if possible.

We spent the trip down to ACF in casual conversation, chatting about our respective lives and families. She is a dear, sweet girl, and we had a wonderful time together!

The Bible study was our first in a new series on creation vs. evolution. One of the topics we addressed during the study was "The Four Great Questions of Life."
1. Who am I?
2. Where did I come from?
3. Why am I here?
4. Where am I going when I die?

(A person's worldview will determine the answers to these questions. Obviously, an evolutionary or naturalistic worldview will produce very different answers from a creationist worldview.)

While driving home at the end of the evening, I asked Grace what she had learned during the study, and she shared several concepts that were new for her which she found very interesting. Then, I asked her how she would answer the four great questions of life. Here are her answers:
1. I am a human.
2. I came from my mother's womb.
3. God gave me life to experience this world.
4. I hope I am going to heaven when I die.

It was the last question to which I was most interested in hearing her answer. :)

"You say you hope you will go to heaven when you die." I said. "Why do you think you will go to heaven?"

"Because I am a good person," she replied.

To myself I was thinking, Yes! I love this answer! Time to break out the 10 Commandments!

"Grace, do you know what God's definition of being "good" is?" I asked.

"No."

"Well, He gave us rules in the Bible to teach us right from wrong, good from evil. If we keep the rules, we're good. If we break the rules, we're bad. These rules are called the 10 Commandments. Have you ever heard of these?"

"No, I don't know about these," she said.

"Okay. I'll tell you about them. One of his rules or laws is 'Do not tell lies'. Grace, have you ever told a lie?"

"Oh, yes!" she said.

"How many lies do you think you've told?"

"I don't know. Many lies!"

"Me too. So, what do you call someone who tells lies?" I asked.

"A liar."

"Exactly. Another one of God's laws is 'Do not steal.' Have you ever stolen anything? Even if it's small...no matter the value?"

"Yes," she said. "From my brother when I was younger."

"Do you know what you call someone who steals?" I asked.

"No."

"A thief."

"Oh."

"Another of God's rules is not to take His name in vain. That means to use His name flippantly, casually, without respect. Like a curse word, or in phrases like 'oh my G-d'."

At this point, Grace turned to me with wide eyes and said, "You mean, that's wrong? We shouldn't do that?"

"Correct. I know it's very common and acceptable in our culture to use God's name that way, but it's not right. God is a wonderful, holy, perfect God. He is the One who gives us air to breath and life itself! Yet, so many people drag His holy Name through the dirt by using it as a curse word or in flippant, casual exclamations. The Bible calls this blasphemy. It's very serious. Have you ever done this before?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever killed anyone, Grace?"

"Oh, no!"

I smiled at her. "I didn't think so. But Jesus teaches in the Bible that having anger toward someone without cause is equal to murder. And the Bible also says that hating someone makes us murderers at heart. This is because God judges our inward thoughts as well as our outward actions. Have you ever felt hatred or anger toward another person?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Those are only a few of God's 10 Commandments, Grace. According to what you just told me, you are a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and a murderer at heart. When you die, if God judges you according to His laws, will He find you innocent or guilty?"

"Guilty."

"So do you think He should send you to heaven or hell?"

"Hell."

Amazing. In approximately five minutes, Grace went from believing that her own goodness would earn her a place in heaven to admitting that she is a lawbreaker deserving of hell.

"That's right, Grace. And I deserve the same thing. I, too, have told lies, stolen, am blasphemed. I, too, am a murderer at heart. This is what sin is: when we've broken God's laws and done things that are not good. Grace, do you know what hell is like?"

"It's a bad place. There's fire there, right?"

"Yes. The Bible says that hell is a horrible place of torment where there is fire, darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. It's a place where God isn't! Hell wasn't even created for humans. It was created for the devil and his workers - called demons. But when we as humans choose to break God's laws, we are acting like the devil acted, so we deserve the same punishment he will get.

But God doesn't want us to go to hell! He loves us so much and wants us to be in heaven with Him! Do you know what God did so you and I wouldn't have to go to hell?"

"He sent His Son?"

"Yes! He sent Jesus to earth. Jesus is God's Son and is equal with God. He left His beautiful home in heaven where angels worship Him all the time, and became a man. In other words, He was God with skin on. During His life in this earth, He faced every temptation we face. But He never once broke God's laws! He never once sinned! For 33 years, Jesus never told a lie, never stole, never blasphemed, never hated anyone. He was perfect.

Then, He willingly chose to die on a cross. Crucifixion was a horrible form of execution that only the worst of criminals received. Even though Jesus never did anything wrong, people that didn't like Him made up stories and lied about Him so that the government would kill Him. Jesus let this happen. He chose to die on that cross for us because the Bible says that the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23) and Jesus wanted to take our punishment upon Himself. He died in our place.

It's like what happens in a courtroom. Let's say I break the law and go to court. The judge finds me guilty. He is a good judge who makes sure justice takes place. He won't let me go just because I say I'm sorry or I tell him of all the good things I've done in my life. He says I must pay a fine for my crime. But it's a huge amount of money - and I can't afford to pay it.

If someone were to step into the courtroom and pay the money for me, then the judge could let me go. Justice will have been paid.

That's like what Jesus did. I deserved death in hell for my crimes of breaking God's law. He died on the cross to pay my fine. The Bible says that without shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. So, Jesus shed His blood for you and for me. Then, after 3 days of being in the grave, He rose to life again, proving that He is God! If He had stayed dead, He would have been no different than any other man. But by coming back to life, Jesus showed that He was more powerful than death! Death could not hold Him down! This is the difference between Jesus and every other religious leader in history. Buddha did not come back to life. Hindu gods did not die and come back to life. Only Jesus.

Because of Jesus' death on the cross for me, God - who is a good Judge - can find me "not-guilty." Justice has been paid, so now He can extend His mercy to me.

The Bible says that those who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus as their Savior will be forgiven and saved from hell. To repent means to be sorry for our sin, sorry for breaking God's laws, and have a desire to turn away from such a lifestyle. Trusting Jesus means to place our faith completely in Him and His death on the cross for us to pay for our sins. It means to believe that He is alive today and to follow Him as our Master. Those who repent and trust in Jesus will go to be with Him in heaven when they die."

Somewhere along the way in this part of the conversation, we got talking about the resurrection of everyone's bodies and the topic of ghosts entered in. Grace wanted to know if ghosts are real. After dealing with that question, we came back to the more important topic at hand.

"Grace, has there ever been a time in your life when you repented of your sin and chose to put your faith in Jesus as your Savior?"

"No," she said. "No, not yet."

"Is there anything holding you back?" I asked.

"I just want to make sure I understand it all first."

"Sure. I can understand why you would feel that way. It's the most important decision you will ever be faced with, and you don't want to take it lightly."

"To me, it's kind of like marriage, " she said.

I smiled. She's a discerning girl.

"Yes, you're right, Grace. It is kind of like marriage because trusting in Jesus and following Him is a life-long commitment. And it's wise to want to be sure you understand what you're getting into."

"Thanks," she said.

"But Grace, there's something else to consider too. You and I aren't promised tomorrow. We could be killed in a car accident tonight. It happens. I am not saying I want it to happen...but you never know. We don't know what the future will hold. And once we die, it will be too late to change our mind or make any other decisions. We only get to make decisions in this life on earth."

"Oh," she said.

"If God's Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart, Grace, you don't want to ignore Him. Yes, you want to count the cost that is involved with being a Christian and understand about Jesus. But if you wait too long, there might come a day when it will be too late.

"Yeah.....(silence).....there's a cost?"

"Yes. There's a cost to being a Christian. It's not an easy road necessarily."

"What's the cost?" she asked with concern. (This was news to her!)

"Suffering. Persecution. It's not so bad here in the United States, but in China or middle eastern countries, it's illegal to be a Christian. You could be thrown in jail or even killed for your faith. But Christians are willing to suffer and die for Jesus, because Jesus suffered and died for us! Besides, dying isn't really dying...when we leave these bodies, we go to be with Him!

Here in the U.S. we aren't thrown in jail for following Jesus, but sometimes suffering comes in other ways. Like with people who don't understand our desire to please Him with our lives. They might mock us or disagree with us and try to make us feel bad for the decisions we make as Christians."

Apparently, this was food for thought for Grace!

About this time, we pulled into the driveway of her host family's home and she climbed out of the car with smiles, waves, and much to think about. We parted ways as friends who had just enjoyed a very natural conversation about spiritual matters.

Ever since then, I have been praying a lot for grace for Grace - that God will continue to "enlighten the eyes of her understanding" and draw her to Himself.

Tomorrow night is another Bible study at American Chinese Fellowship. I don't know if Grace will be able to participate or not....we'll see. I hope so. She is a precious young lady with a genuine interest in the Lord and a desire to learn more of Him!

I love the Scripture that talks about some planting and some watering, but God giving the increase! What a comfort it is to trust that God is at work in the life of my friend Grace! After all, His love for her is far greater than I can possibly comprehend.

The Lawman Chronicles

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a GREAT blog on the topic of evangelism. It's author is Tony Miano, one of the staff members with Living Waters. His passion to proclaim the Gospel and his boldness to do so on a regular basis has been a huge encouragement for me! I get great ideas for witnessing conversations by reading his blog on a daily basis. You can check it out at: http://www.thelawmanchronicles.blogspot.com/

In addition to reading about his evangelism opportunities, I would strong encourage you to view the video Tony posted recently from an Arab/Muslim festival in the United States. It's very eye-opening in a sobering way.

Recent Good Reads

Ever since I picked up Randy Alcorn's book called Heaven at a friend's house while babysitting, I have wanted to read it and dive into a study about this topic in Scripture. Alas! The book is at least 2 1/2 inches thick, and thus far, time to devote to such a project has aluded me. I decided instead to settle for an abridged version of the book, written for children. Heaven For Kids was a blessing to read! Not only was I able to finish it quickly due to its thin size, I enjoyed the simple language and descriptions written just for youngsters. :-) Even though I haven't given up my ambition to one day tackle the original Heaven book by Mr. Alcorn, I thoroughly enjoyed his children's version and highly recommend it!



One day, while browsing at Barnes and Noble, I stumbled across two books by Bill Wiese on the topic of hell. This was one of them, and its title intruiged me. I picked it up and started to read. The opening chapters so gripped my attention, that I decided to buy the book. I took it home and continued reading it over dinner, my family being away from home that evening. I was still sitting at the kitchen table reading it at 9:15 p.m. when they walked through the door. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down!

The Bible makes it clear that hell is a terrible place. Reading this man's story makes all those Bible verses come alive even more, confirming the extreme horror of this place of eternal torment. In addition to telling the story of his experience for a brief 23 minutes there, the author describes the Gospel very clearly (using Ray Comfort's model) and dives into a study on all the verses in Scripture pertaining to hell.

I am quite sure it was no coincidence that I stumbled across this book at Barnes and Noble. It is the perfect addition to the "school of evangelism" God been taking me through lately. Reading this book has given me an even greater burden for people, as the idea of anybody spending forever in hell is a horrible thought.

The excuses I often make for myself when it comes to witnessing - such as being timid, lazy, or busy - truly pale in comparision with a little meditation on the fate of those who will be eternally lost if we don't care enough to share the truth of the Law and the Gospel with them.

Fish With Trish

Due to communications with the afore-mentioned Deborah Drapper of England, she directed me to the webiste of a fellow fisher-woman named Trisha Ramos. I've visited Trisha's blog this week and found it to be a delightful place of encouragment and inspiration for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Check it out at: http://www.fishwithtrish.com/

The Gospel to "Every Creature"

Scripture commands us to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) As God has been taking me through His school of "fishing for men," He has been opening my eyes to the significance of a Gospel tract and the multitude of opportunities that abound for distributing them.

For those of you who may not be familiar with tracts, they are little booklets/pamphlets that explain the way of salvation through Jesus. So many times, as I'm out and about shopping or running errands, I don't have time to share the whole Gospel message with people I encounter, but leaving a tract is a great way to plant a seed in that person's life, pointing them to Christ and the way to heaven.

In this post, I'd like to share some of my favorite tracts that I've been using lately, ideas for where to pass them out, and what to say when giving them away.

My all-time favorite tracts come from Ray Comfort's ministry, Living Waters. The reason I like these tracts so much is because they are colorful and engaging. More importantly, though, sin is described using the 10 Commandments which has proven to be an effective way of helping people understand their need for Jesus as Savior. Then, in the second part of the tract's message, the Gospel is explained. Here are some examples...

The Million Dollar Bill Tract

This tract is sure to bring a smile to a person's face! I love giving this tract to cashiers or waitresses, especially. I usually say, "Here's a tip for your services. You can show all your friends that you made a million dollars off of me today! Even better, there's a really great message on the back that I hope you'll read in your spare time." Nearly every time, the person who receives this tract is very excited with it! Yesterday, I gave one to the girl at the dry cleaners and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I noticed she was intently reading the Gospel message on the back. Praise the Lord! Another seed planted.

Back in the spring, when the neighborhood garage sale was taking place around our subdivision, I took a stack of these million dollar bills around and made it a goal to give one to every person hosting a sale, whether I bought anything from them or not. I also gave several out to fellow customers. Once again, they were a big hit. At that occasion I said, "Here's something for you. I'm giving them out for two reasons - 1) to make you smile, 2) to ask if you've ever considered the Million Dollar Question: Do you know for sure that you'll go to heaven when you die?" In some instances, this question provoked further conversation.

Million dollar bills are great ice-brakers. Try it and see!

These two tracts take the reader through the 10 Commandments in detail to disprove the common understanding that "I'll go to heaven because I'm a good person." The Bible says the Law is given to be a mirror in our lives, showing our true conditions. No one is good enough to enter heaven because we've all broken God's commandments! The Bible also says, "The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." (Psalm 19:7) Once people are confronted with the truth of what sin is, then they can understand their need for the Savior.

The little booklet above marked "Are you a Good Person?" is appealing because of its cute little size. It also fits perfectly in purses and pockets. I often give them out to people saying, "Here's something to read in your spare time. You can put it in your pocket for later! It's message changed my life!" or "This is a message about how to know for sure you're going to heaven." These are also fun to leave behind in bathrooms or to slip inside pockets of clothes that are hanging in the stores, ready to be purchased by some lost soul!

The comic book version of the tract tells the story of a little fellow who thought he was a decent guy...until he was confronted with the 10 Commandments. It's a wonderful way to show the condition of all people in 3rd person - through the life of this little character. Plus, the tract is bright and cheerful and people usually want to read the story.

The Optical Illusion Tract

This tract doesn't even look like a tract at first glance! It's a delightful pamphlet full of fun optical illusions. In the very middle part, the Law and the Gospel is shared, drawing an analogy between the illusions of the booklet and the illusions of the world compared with the truth of God's Word. It's especially well-liked by young people! The other night, we went to a baseball game, and I gave one to the teenage fellow who was directing traffic in the parking lot. He seemed really bored in between the trickle of cars pulling in. I figured he'd have a long night ahead, so I gave him this tract as an eternal way to fill the time! He was so grateful!

The Atheist Test

This is one of my all-time favorite tracts! I haven't ordered any to pass out in mass quantity yet, though, because Living Waters has been out of them lately. But I recently received an email that the Atheist Tests are back in stock, so I plan to order soon! The reason I love this tract is because it describes the concepts of evolution in such a way that makes it look like the ridiculous theory that it is without being offensive. The reader is presented with such logical concepts that can't be aruged unless common sense is abandonded. If you are wanting to share proof with people that there IS a God, this is a great way to do so! Of course, the Law and the Gospel are also described toward the end of the booklet. You'll have fun reading this yourself!

To read the insides of all of these tracts from Living Waters and more, or to order your own copies, go to http://www.livingwaters.com/

The Little Bible Tract

One reason I like these little Bibles so much is that it contains pure Scripture. No other text - just God's Word, which will never return void. As it says on the front cover, the verses are mostly about salvation. I love to give this little Bible away with the words, "Here's the smallest Bible you'll ever see - but it has a big message!" Most people receive it readily with a smile and tuck it in their pocket.

Last week, we went with our church to another baseball game. Since there are thousands of people at the stadium, I got together a bunch of tracts to pass out and prayed for the boldness to give them away! :-) This little Bible was one of the main ones I used. As people were standing in line at the ticket booth, they looked like they could use a little reading material. So I told them I was giving out good news that night! It was their very own "Astros" Bible. (It's red, isn't it? The right color! The good thing is, the Cardinals were also playing that night...their color is red as well.)

The people standing in the ticket lines looked at me strangely for the most part...but many of them accepted the Bibles! I guess they've never had a complete stranger come up to them offering good news at the ball game! Some of them politely refused. It made me sad when people didn't want God's Word. I can't imagine what the Lord must feel at the rejection He faces from so many. But in such instances, I just smiled and moved to the next person.

There was one guy walking around with a "May I Help You?" sign, whose shirt was marked "Ambassador" across the back. So I went over to him and told him I was an ambassaor for Christ, giving out His Word. His smile in receiving the Bible was an encouragement!

As we navigated our way down the hallways, trying to find our seats, Katelin and I passed out tracts to vendors, Astros staff, and people just haning out doing nothing. I also had fun leaving tracts on counter tops to be discovered later. Tract distribution is a lot of fun...although it does take courage! So often, I get timid when I think of walking up to a stranger with a tract, but then I try to pray for boldness and remember to not be ashamed of the Gospel - it is the power of God unto salvation!

You can order little Bibles like these at http://www.littlebibleministry.com/

This tract, written by Michael Pearl, is larger in size, and takes a little longer to read. It presents the Gospel very thoroughly and clearly, with great illustrations throughout. I love giving this one to guys. They just seem to respond well to the picture on the front. I also like to use this to put on people's cars in parking lots. I used to look for the closest parking spot at stores. Now, I find one at the end of the lot, and slip these under the windshield wipers of all the cars as I walk towards the door to the store. Thankfully, no car alarms have gone off on me yet! :-)

Two weeks ago, a friend from church and I decided to hit the Wal-Mart down the street from church and place one of these tracts on all the cars until we ran out. It was so much fun! We even gave a few to real live people that we ran across in the meanwhile. The church's address is printed with a stamp on the back, so that people know where it came from, and if they want, they can come visit.

I also like to use this tract to slide into the handle of the pump I use at gas stations. It's long, so if curved, it fits perfectly and doesn't blow away when rolled up inside the handle. The next person who uses the gas pump after me is in for an eternal message!

This tract is free of charge. You can order them at http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/

Won't you join with me in sharing the Gospel with every creature? It's a big job to do! But think of all the hundreds of people out there who need to hear a message of hope before it's too late. Eternity is a long time to be wrong.

You may think tracts don't do much good. The devil has often tried to discourage me with this lie too. But then I remember Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China who won hundreds of people to Christ! He became a Christian because of a Gospel tract. That one little booklet was used of the Lord powerfully in his life, and as a result, it affected an entire nation of people!

We aren't called to produce results. We're simply called to plant seeds and water them. It is God who gives the increase. May He strengthen us to work while it is day! The night cometh when no man can work.

Time is short. Eternity is forever. Let's take as many people with us to heaven as we can!