Christmas! It's Really All About The Cross.

This Christmas season I encourage you to not get too caught up in what the world tries to push upon everyone. You need this, you need to give this, you can get this at this low price...today only. Oh! What if they don't like your gift or what if you don't get enough presents? Then it just wouldn't be a good Christmas.

Is Christmas really measured by how many presents you get or how much money you spend? I say NO! I say we all need to take a moment and focus on the real reason for the Christmas season. That real reason is Jesus Christ coming into this world as a baby and his entire life leading to the cross for you and me. Oh Lord! I thank you! Please take a moment to watch the video below to take in the real reason for the season. The Cross.


If you liked the above video and lyrics, it is worth noting that there is a very good Christmas card tract that one can buy from customtracksource.com to send to friends and family this season. Actually, these are the Christmas cards my wife and I will be sending out this season and I'm so excited to get those sent off, so everyone can focus on the real reason for the season. Amen!

It's Called Christmas!

I am so thankful for the stand Go Fish has taken for Jesus and it can be clearly seen in their song "It's Called Christmas" which can be heard in the video below. The song pretty much sums up what Christmas is really all about and I appreciate oh... so very much. As you interact with people this Christmas season, I encourage you to take a stand for Christ and say Merry Christmas! Note: If by chance you happen to question some of the song's meaning, I would recommend having you check out the "Good Person Test" to the right.

Merry CHRISTmas to all!

We Truly Need To Be Thankful!

Below is a video clip I saw at "StonethePreacher.com" and reminds us of how thankful we should be of the life God has given us. We must remember that for us to live is Christ and we need to urgently seek out and share Christ with those who when they die would not have gain.



Remember, as you are gathering with those you love this holiday season, remember that no one is guaranteed tomorrow and perhaps God has spared them (just like in the video above) to hear what you have to share (Jesus Christ crucified) for such a time is this. I encourage you to make the most of your time, every minute your living, for today is a gift.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Free Hugs...No Gospel.

I was with our team at Huntington Beach last Saturday when I noticed some teenagers with signs that said, "FREE HUGS." It turns out that they were a Christian group sharing "God's love" with strangers, by giving them a hug. I asked the leader if the kids shared the gospel with the strangers they hugged. They didn't. It was "relationship evangelism." Yes, they were going to Hell if they died in their sins, but they didn't want to be pushy. I encouraged him to have his team at least give out tracts to those they hugged, but he was in a hurry and had to leave before I could convince him to do so.

In a list of "Ten Ideas for Everyday Outreach," a leading Christian magazine recently suggested praying for people "as you walk by them," tell them you appreciate them, leave notes of encouragement, pick up trash, leave a thank you note for waiters, be friendly, etc.

If that's outreach, what are they reaching out for? Is it so that if sinners die in their sins they will think about how nice Christians were to them, and how they keep the sidewalks free of trash? They will need more than a hug, in Hell.

I couldn't help but think of how bold a person has to be to run around with a sign that says "FREE HUGS." Surely there must be someone in their leadership that has read "How shall they hear without a preacher," and will steer these kids to be true and faithful witnesses. Then again, they may have got their hugs idea from the leading Christian magazine, and therefore think that they are doing the right thing.

Note: The above article was from a Living Waters Weekly Update dated April 12, 2010 and shares my concern about people using their time and energy to supposedly share the gospel of Jesus Christ. When it comes down to how one should share the gospel, I truly believe one should spend some time in prayer asking God how should they should they share Jesus Christ. I have a pretty good feeling it would be to just Go! and Share! That is the gospel. Why?

"Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." Romans 15:21 and Isaiah 52:15

A Halloween Tract. Is it true?

Death Beth really knows if you’re gonna die! Really?? Click on the picture below to see if this creepy thing really knows if your gonna die.

Are You A Good Person?

To help learn what it takes to be a good person, please see the video below.

Busy, Yet Very Exciting Summer!

I realize I'm late on getting the monthly tool for August up, but it has been busy. Well...I have had a chance to relax a bit as well with some camping trips, kayaking on Lake Superior (the sea caves were amazing) and many warm summer walks with my wife and our gigantic dog. When I look at the month of August I pray it does not fly by too fast, but there some exciting outreach events planned.

First, this upcoming Saturday there is Lakefest. A non-denominational outreach event that will take place at Barker's Island in Superior. I am very excited for this as I will have the opportunity to speak from 2:45-3:05 and give a gospel presentation. Please be in prayer for me and that I would share what the Lord wants His people to hear. If you are around this upcoming Saturday I encourage you to check it out any time between 1pm to 7pm. Please see the following website for more information: www.twinportslakefest.org.

Second, towards the end of August our church is hosting our 5th Annual Corn Roast Event. This is an entirely free event for the whole family to enjoy. Please see the following link for more information (www.baysidesuperior.org/cornroast) or the July 2010 post for the promotional video and information. This event is going to be amazing and I'm excited to see what God is going to do with it.

Lastly, please see the touching video below to help understand how the first part of my summer has been busy. This was an event entitled "God's Extreme Makeover, Bayside Edition". This was a first time event and was truly amazing. I blogged about the experience after in happened towards the end of June and now the video below was shown to our congregation so they could see all that happened and what their donations when towards. Please enjoy and feel free to comment if you feel touched in any way from the video. God Bless and have a great day!

God's Extreme Makeover from Bayside Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Monthly Highlight for July: 2010 Corn Roast

Corn Roast 2010 Promo from Bayside Baptist Church on Vimeo.

For the past 4 years our church has had one large outreach event that is free for anyone in the community. It's a Corn Roast event and you guessed it, we roast corn. The event also includes several fun kid's games, blow-up moonwalks and obstacle courses, a climbing wall, a car show, more food besides corn, smores, music, special guest speakers (this year features the "Jungle Boy" Zach Walters). Now this event started out small, but over the years it has increased in size and last year we had ~600 people attend this free event. This year we are anticipating 1,000 people and we are just looking forward to what God will do on that day. Since this is an outreach event, Jesus Christ will be proclaimed clearly throughout the event, so please be in prayer for those who hear the gospel message that they would repent and trust Jesus Christ as their savior.

Now, please sit back and enjoy the Corn Roast video announcement (if you have not done so already) and if you’re in the area feel free to stop by and check out our 5th Annual Corn Roast event on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010. For more information please check out www.baysidesuperior.org/cornroast .

God's Extreme Makeover.

This past Friday our church had an outreach event entitled "God's Extreme Makeover". This event is somewhat like the Home Makeover edition tv show, but we did not tear a house town and rebuild it in seven days. Our main goal was to share Jesus Christ with a well deserving family that also had a need for many items we often take for granted on a daily basis (i.e. bed of our own, pillow, etc.).

The event began by whisking the family away to a party just for them where they had food, games, crafts and a time of hearing about Jesus Christ. Throughout the evening the families neighbor's came out to see what was going on and some little kids actually thought that the Extreme Makeover Home Edition was in town. That was pretty funny, but in the end the neighbors had the opportunity to hear about and be touched by Jesus. Plus, at the end of the night some of the neighbor's actually joined the group for prayer. That was really cool.

Once the family came back after just over 3 hours of organized chaos of getting the families place all together they were blessed with a dining room table, two new bunk bed sets, new clothes, two very nice couches, new pots and pans, a new microwave, presents, new bibles and the list goes on and on. They were amazed and very grateful. The kid's were absolutely adorable when seeing their reactions to how things had changed and the presents waiting for them on their new beds. To finish the night the single mother of six kids had the opportunity to hear a very clear gospel presentation. At the end she understood her need to repent and trust Jesus Christ for her salvation and did so. That was an absolute amazing way to complete an already amazing evening.

I know that everyone involved was very thankful to be a part of the event that God had His hand upon and I know that not one of the people involved would have wanted to be anywhere else on that night. It was truly an experience that I or anyone involved with the Friday night reveal will ever forget.

New Monthly tool For June.

The above video clip helps show the need to share your faith simply and effectively...the way Jesus did. I hope you enjoy. Oh, and in case your wondering about The School for Biblical Evangelism, I highly recommend it for anyone desiring to grow deeper, become more bold and of coarse learn how to share Jesus simply and effectively.

Free Book Offer. How Wonderful.

Here is an opportunity for you to get a free book entitled: "God Has A Wonderful Plan For Your Life", by Ray Comofort. I just did this and it's very easy. Just click on the book above and the link will take you to where you can get the free book with free postage in the U.S. Did I mention that it's free?

"In this life-changing book, best-selling author Ray Comfort explores whether this common gospel approach aligns with real life -- and with Scripture. The vital biblical principles he reveals will force you to reexamine your ideas about the gospel -- and will teach you how to reach unbelievers the way God intended. A must-read for all who care about the lost." Quoted from LivingWaters.com

The book is also an ideal resource to share with others to help them see the need for biblical evangelism.

Author/evangelist Bill Fay (author of Share Jesus Without Fear) after reading the new manuscript remarked:

“While reading this book my heart went into atrial fibrillation; it’s that good! After I finished it, I couldn't sleep. I gave it to my researcher. After reading it, he was so excited he was ready to get on a plane, take it to pastors and make them read it while he sat there.”

Additionally, you can download a free pdf version or an audio version (read by Ray himself) of the book at FreeWonderfulBook.com .

Share Jesus While You Still Can (Part 2)!

This post is a follow-up of the last post on this blog. This post is intended to share a little more information to help people understand how blessed we are to share Jesus Christ freely here in the United States. Although, one could start to wonder how long Christians will have the freedom to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in the U.S.

Let me explain that statement a little bit. Since the Hate Crimes bill was passed, which initially looks like a good bill, but after taking a closer look it seems the bill can provide a way for judges or government officials to put laws in place that prevents Christians from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In an article by onenewsnow.com there is the following statement,

"Public school curriculum could be built entirely on the idea of what is illegal hate in our culture. And our children could be indoctrinated [to believe that] if you criticize another religion or mention Jesus as being the only way, that's hateful--- [or] if you say that homosexuality is a sin, that's hateful. And then there is the IRS, which Parshall says could apply the hate crimes law as a national policy on homosexuality and other world religions. And [they] could start taking a look at Christian non-profit ministries and [telling them if they] want to be tax exempt, [they] can't speak hatefully about other groups," he suggests. "That would be defined as not criticizing Islam or not being critical of the homosexual lifestyle. Those are just a few of the ripple-out effects."

Also, please see the following video clip of a gentlemen arrested in England for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ while street preaching. Could this happen in the United States? Let me know what you think.



When it comes down to it, I know we are not to worry about tomorrow, so let's not. Let's just focus on the day that God has given to share Jesus clearly to a generation who needs Him. And please don't let yourself one day in the future to say, "Boy, I sure wish I would have shared Jesus when I had the freedom to do without being arrested."

Share Jesus Christ While You Still Can!

The following video clip from the movie Braveheart where William Wallace gives his famous speech about freedom.



This video clip makes me feel very strongly that we need to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ while we still have the chance in the United States. I feel if we don't share the gospel of Jesus Christ while we still have the freedom to do so, we will regret it. We will wish we would have shared Jesus when we had the chance and we will long for that day when we actually had the freedom to do so. So, let's take advantage of the opportunity God has given us today. What are you waiting for??? I encourage you to seize the day...today!

New Monthly Video Tool for May.

This video will help give insight into how one shares the gospel and stays on track. Boy, it sure can be challenging sometimes when trying to share our faith, but I feel it is far better to try and share Jesus rather than do nothing and/or keep quiet. At the end of video there is a little announcement about the School of Biblical Evangelism. I have taken the coarse and graduated from it, so I can tell you that it is amazing and well worth it for anyone interested. Lastly, I encourage you to check out the newest link on this blog entitled 'Free Answers Tool'. The link has answers to some of the most often asked questions or objections, how to witness to specific groups of people, and much, much more. Please check feel free to check it out and enjoy. You won't be sorry you did.

A Good Reminder Why I Use Tracts.

The following message by "Fish With Trish" is a good reminder as to why you and I should continue to use gospel tracts [see link on this blog to visit her website]:

"I handed a man a million dollar gospel tract the other day. We were both heading out of the store around the same time. I passed him and said, 'This is for you.' About 20 seconds later, I heard him call me from behind, 'Miss...are you saying that I need to be a Christian to go to heaven??' 'I sure am, sir.' I responded with a smile. I wasn't sure if he was happy or mad -sometimes you just don't know how people will respond.' I'm glad you're doing this. I'm born again and I'm already going to Heaven.' He said. He continued, as he motioned to the tract, 'People aren't doing this much anymore. Many years ago, a little old lady passed out these tracts called 'chick tracts' and I got saved through reading one.'"

Oh! By the way, in case your interested the million and trillion dollar tracts are on sale right now through LivingWaters.com (they are 1/2 off regular price, but sale ends 4-30-10 so don't delay). Just click the million dollar bill to take you to the website where you can get a lot for your money. Seriously, you'll pay pennies on the dollar for millions or even trillions. Then, have fun giving it all away, for who knows what will happen by handing out (or placing) one simple tract?

Helping or Hindering?

Recently when listening to one of our local Christian radio stations I heard something that didn’t really sit well with me. In an advertising segment they talked about how the radio station would be a safe place for families, where they will be able to hear about the love of Jesus Christ and that this will not be a place that will be judged. That initially sounds pretty nice, but to me it didn’t sit well. To me it had a bit of a modern gospel feel to it. My feeling was later confirmed when I read a local Christian newspaper where the station manager for this particular radio station was interviewed and stated,

“There are some stumbling blocks that people have listening to a Christian radio station. The biggest challenge is removing those stumbling blocks. We’re not going to tell people that if you don’t believe like us you’re going to hell. This is not a place where they will be judged, and we’re not going to condemn them. This is a place where we simply show and share the love, hope and forgiveness that Christ showed when He was on earth.”

This initially looks and sounds good and I’m sure well intentioned, but hell and judgment are a part of sharing Jesus Christ with people. This will help them understand why Jesus needed to come in the first place. Fact of the matter: If one doesn’t not repent and trust Jesus Christ for their salvation, they will go to hell. That’s just what the Bible (God’s Word) says. So, when sharing Jesus Christ, if one just tells them that Christ forgives them and loves them, they will think that’s great, but will have no real reason to repent and trust Jesus for their salvation because most people think they are pretty good. [See Good Person Test on this blog.]

The CARM website [see link on this blog] states there are really three components involved when sharing Jesus Christ with others (i.e. evangelism) and they are:

1. God is holy and perfect and He requires holiness and perfection from us.
2. The Law (10 Commandments) is a reflection of the character of God.
3. The Gospel is the good news that the judgment of God upon the person who has broken God's Law can be removed in the person of Jesus.
*Note: Sometimes God & Law & are combined, for God is mentioned when presenting the 10 Commandments.

To see the entire CARM article, please click here: http://www.carm.org/how-to-present-gospel-properly

I thought that article was interesting, but I wanted to conduct a little word search at Bible Gateway to see how the CARM recommendations for sharing the gospel were in line with scripture. I found the following out:

1. The word Law is mentioned or referenced a total of 542 times according to the ESV.
2. The words Judgment & Hell are mentioned or referenced a total of 216 times according to the ESV.
3. The words Gospel & Good News are mentioned or referenced a total of 129 times according to the ESV.

Therefore, one could conclude that the use of the Law and mentioning where one will go without Jesus Christ is important when evangelizing. After all, God’s word mentions Law, Judgment and Hell over and over and way more than just the Gospel and the Good News. I see this as God trying to let us blind people know that we deserve to end up in hell because we are not holy as He is holy. The Law will help people understand why they are not holy (Now this may seem like we would be judging people at this point, but it is not like we made up the rules. We are just pointing out what God has put in place to help people understand that we are not as good as we think we are.); however, once one understands they are not holy as He is holy it can bring people to place of repentance and then the Gospel, the “Good News” of Jesus Christ will make sense and be greatly appreciated. It will make sense because they will understand that someone needed to pay for their sin debt in order for God to see them as holy and allow them to go to heaven.

Why did Jesus need to come into this world, live a perfect life and then eventually die an awful death on the cross? To pay for my sin debt. Now that’s True Love. Someone choosing to die in my place so I don’t have to. Now, to me, that’s good news worth sharing.

I often wonder if someone doesn’t mention the Law, Judgment and Hell when evangelizing whether that individual would truly repent as Jesus commanded and then trust Jesus for their salvation? Or, when they hear that God loves them and forgives them, if that would just confuse them (because, remember they think they are good). But, if someone did decide to try God’s love out, would they just be thinking that Jesus will improve things? After all, God/Jesus loves them and wouldn’t let anything bad happen. Right?

For more information regarding this issue, please see the following article and video:
http://www.gotquestions.org/biblical-evangelism.html

Click here for video:

Who Needs The Doctor?

Sometimes God puts us in situations in our life that we don't necessarily expect. Today I went to the hospital to visit a member from our chuch. I didn't initally know what to expect as I didn't know why he was there, but I thought I would have some time to visit, see how he is doing and also pray for him and his family. Although that did eventually happen, what I didn't realize was God's bigger plan for me until I walked into his room.

As I walked into his room I realized another person was visiting him and it was his grandson. I found out that his grandson was 4 years younger than myself, that he obviously cared for his grandpa who just had surgery because he was present, but he needed the Lord. As I spoke with his grandson I began to sense God putting something on my heart. That was to share Jesus with his grandson somehow. I began to think how would I do this and when would the timing be right? I then remembered I had a trillion dollars in my pocket.

I was saving that tract for someone who I thought did a good job to help me out and then my plan was to take their picture and post it onto this blog. However, God had different plans for the tract and compelled me to give it to him. All in all, it was a neat visit because of the privilage of praying for a brother in Christ and that he would receive physical healing from the Lord. However, it was a neater opportunity because I had the privilage to share Christ with an individual in hopes they might receive a spiritual healing.

My Time Is Not My Own.

1 Corinthians 7:22-23a states, " For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price..."ESV

This last week I was out of town on a business trip with another co-worker. The work day did not go as smooth as we both would have liked and we ended up finishing our work day late. Once we left the facility I was tired and couldn't wait until dinner was done so I could go back to my hotel room and just relax. However, during dinner I realized that my co-worker needed to talk and some topics were on a deeper level. Right then and there I realized that I am not my own, but I was bought with price and I chose to serve Christ by taking the time to listen and talk with my co-worker even though I was quite tired. Please know that I’m not sorry that I did.

During the conversation I had many opportunities to share a very clear gospel presentation by warning him of what is to come, the need to repent and then trusting Jesus Christ for his salvation. When I brought Jesus up this lead to some other conversations about God's word and whether my co-worker felt he could believe everything as written in the Bible. For example, he questioned as to whether creation was actually created in seven days. He then quoted a day to us is like a thousand years to God, so creation could have actually happened over many of thousands of years.

I want to stop right here for a moment because these are times that can be intimidating and even scare some people to not sharing Jesus in the first place. When these situations come up, just relax and pray silently to God in your head for wisdom and guidance. I want to encourage you that you can do it, for He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.

Okay, back to the situation at the dinner table. After a quick prayer to God, I feel I received wisdom immediately. I was reminded of that very verse my co-worker was talking about since I had studied it recently (Note: all the more important to be in God's word daily). I quickly stated that the verse he was talking about was actually about God's patience toward humanity since He desires that none should perish without repenting and trusting the one He sent to save them - Jesus. Then I mentioned other facts about how the creation story was written and how it actually, literally means seven, 24 hour days. After mentioning this, he didn't know what to say, but that he would need to study that section more. He then tried to jump to another subject, but I quickly interjected and brought the focus back to what was most important. His broken relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

Just know that it can be very challenging trying to keep the conversation focused on the main thing (their need to repent and trust Jesus Christ) because this involves lost people laying down their pride and coming to a place where they admit they need help (a Savior). It can be very uncomfortable and humbling for them and most people will try to get the subject off of themselves and onto anything else.

“In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him…” Psalm 10:4a ESV

But just remember, we must stick to the issue at hand which is their salvation and know that you can do it with the Holy Spirits help.

By the way, after the two and half hour dinner (due to talking) I was still tired, but the excitement I had from sharing Jesus Christ gave me the energy to get from the restaurant and to my hotel room where I was able to relax a little bit before going to bed. As I lay in bed I thought to myself how glad I was that I did not rush dinner, but rather gave up my relaxing time for the Lord, so I might share about the Lord to a co-worker who needs him.

Who's the Fool and new monthly Tool?

Today is April 1st, National Atheist Day (April Fools Day), for the fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 14:1 ESV

The following a quote from Ray Comforts Blog to Atheists regarding National Atheist Day (you can view Ray's entire blog by clicking 'Ray Comforts Blog' under helpful links):

I do, however, side with God Himself when He calls the atheist a "fool" (see Psalm 14:1 and Romans 1:22). I have learned, through years of experience in dealing with drug addicts, that the way to reach them is not to argue with them about what they are doing, but to show them how stupid they are. They are not abusing drugs; they are using drugs to abuse themselves. The same applies with the stupidity of denying a Creator, with creation staring at you in the face. The atheist will only harm himself.

Many Christians think that it's a waste of time to even try and reason with you. But the consequences of what you are doing are so fearful and our love for you is so great, that we will keep pleading with you in the hope that you come to your senses.

I really agree with Ray Comfort last statement, for we understand the final destination of those who die without Christ. They will be tormented in hell forever. We must remain motivated to share the gospel with those who even deny God's very existence. We need to continually pray for them.

Why, because we need to remember that God loves Atheist's, too. God desires that none should perish, so I encourage you to press on in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

I have also updated the 'Helpful Tool of The Month' at the bottom of this blog. It is Ray Comfort sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with an atheist. It is very interesting and I highly recommend checking it out. Let me know what you think.

Handing Out Manna!

On Sunday after the church service we handed out all 100 Manna! That's Good Bread packages. There were people even asking for more packages after they were all gone. I have to think that is a good sign. Once people had the Manna! package in their hands it was all up to them to deliver and share Jesus Christ with their neighbor's, family, co-workers or who ever else they felt lead to give it to.

I know the distribution of these packages can lead to some very amazing encounters. For example, last year there were stories of people receiving the freshly baked bread with much joy and some even wept over the fact that someone thought enough of them to give them the package. For me, when I handed a package out last year it lead to an opportunity to give a clear gospel presentation to my next door neighbor which was a couple of weeks after the package was given to them.

This year, when I handed my three packages out, all who received one did so with great joy and appreciation. I even verbally invited each person to our churches Easter service understanding they may not be able to come and they were still apprecative of the package. One package I handed out actually started to lead to deeper things where I was able to mention I have been praying for this particular family due to some very hard issues they are dealing with.

Now, this was just the beginning and I'm very exited to see how God contiues to work with and through this project.

Baking & Packing Manna!

Well, Saturday morning came fast, but being tired was quickly overcome with anticipation and excitement. Anticipation of what the bread was going to look like when we first walked into the kitchen. Will it be raised enough? Will it have stuck to our plastic overlay? Will enough people show up to help? Then there was the excitement of what God was going to do with the project. From the fellowship of everyone coming together to bake and package to sharing Jesus Christ with those outside the church walls (by giving a load of bread and a New Testament).
As it turned out, the bread rose and rose and rose. They were huge and ready to be baked!!

We starting baking bread at 8:00 am.

YUM!!! It looked and smelled soooooo gooooood!!!!!

Once it got to around 11:00 am I know I was starting to feel pretty tired, but I believe I was able to press on because I knew that Jesus Christ was going to be shared. To me, that's all that mattered (people were going to hear about Jesus somehow). The crew that showed up for baking and packaging was great!

We even had a chef show up to help with the baking.

We had such a great time and everyone did such an amazing job. I am so thankful for everyone. This project would not have been as successful as it was if it were not for His people coming together and doing the little things to ultimately share the biggest thing (Jesus Christ).

Manna! Outreach Project Begins.

Our first outreach project for the 2010 year (at our church) started on Friday, March 26th when I walked into the local grocery store (Super One) to get some frozen bread dough, butter and non-stick cooking spray. After explaining to the front desk why I was there and some confusion in back freezer area as to where the 100 loaves of bread were, in about 30 minutes I was walking out the door with the right number of frozen bread loaves and ready to get the project underway.

I would like to stop here for a moment and share something amazing God did while working with the local grocery store (Super One). Now, last year when we did this same project we paid ~$0.95 per loaf and we had to pick up the frozen bread at many different Super One locations around town. This year, in order to help save freezer space, I contacted the main Super One in town and made arrangements with the Store Manager to pick up 100 loaves on Friday evening. When I put the order in the Store Manager asked if he could connect with me later and let me know the price. I stated that would be no problem and tried to patiently wait for his phone call. It never came, but I didn't think it was too big of a deal for I was figuring and planning to pay around $100.00 for the 100 loaves. However, when I checked out God did His amazing work and blew me away when I was told that they were only going to charge us $40.00 for 100 loaves of bread. I humbly stated $40.00 that is good deal and thank you.

Now, there is no doubt in my mind that God was at work overseeing and blessing this outreach project. Ohhhh! May He get the glory!

By the way, the bread was set out by three people at the church from 11:00 pm to 12:10 am in order for it to raise and ready to bake at 8:00 am on Saturday. Whew...late night and early morning, but we'll just run on excitement.

Sharing My 9th Re-Birthday!

Today is Wednesday, March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, as far as the world is concerned. However, for me the day has far more meaning because it is my 9th Spiritual Birthday! Yup, nine years ago on this very day I repented and trusted Jesus Christ for my salvation. It is hard to believe that time can fly by that fast. Every year when this day comes around I get so excited. Just like when I was a little kid for my birthday. Mostly because it seems God does something a little extra special on that day for me. As I look back over the nine years one cool thing that God has done is supply a free lunch for me. I believe I have received 8 free lunches out of the 9 years. Many times I didn't even know where it would come from and then all of a sudden...BAM...free lunch. That has been so cool to see and I know it is a gift from my Creator. He blesses his children in so many different ways doesn't He.

Now, because I am so excited about my re-birthday I often create opportunities to mention it to those I am around. This day was no different. Today I was out of town for work (hey, thanks to my boss for a free lunch on my re-birthday) and created the opportunity to mention to some of the workers at the facility that today was my spiritual birthday. Now, you may be thinking that may be weird to just blurt out because they mostly likely wouldn't understand what I was talking about, but the first worker I actually mentioned it was my re-birthday to was a Christian. I, therefore, knew they would understand and it wouldn't be too weird. However, later in the day that Christian worker stated I should share my special day with a different worker (the manager of the department). Whoa...wait, now that could be weird.

At this point I had a choice to make. Do I keep my mouth shut and not say anything about my re-birthday for fear of what they would think of me and potentially having what I shared get back to my boss because it was unprofessional. Or, I could share my spiritual birthday with weakness, fear and trembling all while demonstrating the Spirit's power so their faith wouldn't rest on my wisdom but on God's power. I chose to share my re-birthday and give a very clear gospel presentation by just sharing my testimony. This little situation ended with me finding out that they agreed with what I shared and that he even thought the fact that it was my re-birthday was pretty cool. At that very moment, the workplace environment changed completely for the better and I wouldn't have been able to experience that if I kept my mouth shut. Now, I didn't know where that individual was at and I also know that not all situations will turn out that way, but I know I must chose to trust God with the results every time and continue to use everyday situations to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

All in all, I want to encourage you to share neat opportunities like this with those you are around and come into contact with. If you remember your re-birthday, what I great opportunity to share your testimony with those God puts in your path that day. Remember, "as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'"

Hotel Tract Placement Ideas.

From time to time for work I need to go on the road and at the end of the day I end up staying in a hotel. These times can be lonely and one can start to think that time spent in the hotel is time lost for sharing Jesus Christ. That is when I starting taking advantage of the time God has given me at many different locations to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people I may never meet by leaving tracts in various locations within the hotel room. This ends up being fun because you never know who is going to get the tract and what impact it will have on their life. In this situation one gets to share Jesus without actually having face to face interaction. It is a great way for someone to do something for Christ. Below you will find some examples of where I might leave a tract in a hotel room. On this particular trip I left the tract in all places. Enjoy the ideas and have fun!This picture shows a tract on the back of the main door to the hotel room.
This picture is a close up of the back of the hotel room door to show how a tract can often fit within the plastic holder many times used to hold the privacy please or maid service needed label.

This picture shows the placement of a tract within the bible often times located within the hotel room. To take the extra step open to the actual passage the back of tract refers to and place it within that specific page. Close the bible and place it back within the drawer. This can help the individual who goes to open the bible, but does not know where to start reading.

This last picture shows a tract (a little 1 million dollar tip) placed next to the rooms keys that are left in the room due to an express checkout.

Manna! That's Good Bread Outreach Project.

Today at church our outreach ministry kicked off our first project of the 2010 year. It is called 'Manna! That's Good Bread." This project helps encourage the church body to share Jesus Christ with friends, family, co-workers or neighbors by signing up for 1 or 2 loaves of fresh baked bread packages. The package includes a loaf of freshly baked bread, an invitation to the Easter activities at church as well as an ESV Outreach New Testament. The cool thing about these packages is that when people sign-up for a package or two (or more if they would like) it is all for free. Now, if people don't have the opportunity to hand out a package there is an opportunity to sponsor a package for $2.00. Lastly, there is a sign-up for those interested in helping bake and/or package the bread, invitation and New Testament. The packages will be distributed on Palm Sunday which gives individuals a week to deliver their gift before Easter arrives. This is a very exciting event that is very well received by the entire congregation.

Corn Roast Outreach Meeting with the 'Jungle Boy'

At the church my wife and I are members at, I am currently the Outreach Ministry Chair where I have the flexibility to set up a number of different outreach projects (I intend to blog those different activities in order to help give ideas of different outreach projects the reader can do on either a large or small scale). One particular project that I have been working on is a community outreach project entitled 'A Community Corn Roast Event'. We have had this event for the past four years (last year was my first year organizing it) and it really ends up being a huge community BBQ that is free for the whole family. There is live music, carnival games, blow-up jumpy things, a car show and usually some other special activities.

For this years Corn Roast (5th Annual) there are some very exciting things moving into place. For starters we have lined up our event speaker: 'The Jungle Boy' Zach Walters. He is a recently retired professional boxer who has won many titles and was ranked as high as #12 in the world. Yesterday 'The Jungle Boy' and I had an opportunity to meet over coffee and talk about this years Corn Roast event where he had some very good ideas to help make this years Corn Roast the best ever (and last year we had well over 500 people attend). He stated he was open to signing autographs and allowing people to have their picture taken with him and his title belts. This is very cool and generous of him considering for most of his boxing career he has remained secluded. This is a great opportunity for the community to not only get a free meal, but also learn more about what has enabled 'The Jungle Boy's' success. Please stay tuned for future blogs regarding this event, for there is much more exciting information in the works...

Meaning Behind This Blog's Title

The first time I actually used this title was for my 2009-10 fantasy football team the 'Freeticket Ambasadors'. The term 'freeticket' was originally developed from one of the first tracts I purchased. It was a tract from Living Water's (see the link under helpful tools to check out this ministry) and was a free ticket to heaven tract which stated it would admit one person. If someone felt they did not need the free ticket, they could just tear it up...or so they thought. The catch was that the ticket was made with a special paper that made it very, very difficult to tear in half. Actually, it was nearly impossible to tear which helped get the point across of one needing a free ticket to get into heaven. The information on the back lead the individual to the understanding that the free ticket is Jesus Christ who offered himself freely so the individual could go to heaven.

The term 'ambassador' is biblical in that we are called to be God's Ambassadors as 2 Corinthians 5:20 states, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."NKJV As I contemplate that verse and realize that I am to be an ambassador, I began to wonder what the definition of an ambassador actually was. In Webster's Dictionary, I learned that an Ambassador is the diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government. As I thought about the definition I began to realize that God's Kingdom is the foreign government and we were the agents of the highest rank sent out to represent Christ. This is just a little picture of how God sees us...one of the very best ways to share His very important message. That's cool!

So, in case you were wondeing that is where the title "Freeticket Ambassadors" came from. Oh, and in case you were wondering how my fantasy football team did in it's first season under the team name 'Freeticket Ambassadors'. I went 14-1, took 1st place in the season standings and also won the championship.