What have we done with the gospel message?

Open Air Preaching

Mike "The Beast" Stockwell open air preaching -

Hymn of the Week

There Is No Sin That I Have Done

There is no sin that I have done
That has such height and breadth
It can’t be washed in Jesus’ blood
Or covered by His death.
There is no spot that still remains,
No cause to hide my face,
For He has stooped to wash me clean
And covered me with grace.

There is no wrath that I will know,
No wormwood and no gall;
For though such wounds and grief I earned
My Savior bore them all.
There is no work that I must add
To stand before His throne.
I only plead His life and death
Sufficient on their own.

There is no love that I desire
But Jesus’ warm embrace.
While now I know His love by faith
I long to see His face.
There is no song that I will sing,
No melody but this,
That my Beloved, He is mine,
For He has made me His.


Eric Schumacher & David L. Ward


From Reformed Praise

Angry confrontation while out with cross today -

This afternoon I headed down to south Canton to hold the cross in a high traffic area on day 2 of my week long cross outing.

God had other plans.

On the way to Canton on Interstate 575, the traffic came to a dead stop about a mile north of my exit. It took me almost an hour to get to the exit and even then it was stop and go off the exit as the police re-routed traffic from 575 through Canton due to a tractor-trailer accident in which the truck lost it's load of telephone poles.

I decided to go up hwy 140 and see if there was a good place to stand in the city of Walseka.

There was!

I found a nice stretch of road that had a public sidewalk and that's where I stood for the next 30 minutes while sporadic traffic cruised on by me. The weather was very overcast, drizzling rain, and started getting dark, but no worries, at least I could be out for a while.

Well, about 30 minutes or so of standing there and getting many waves, honks and thumbs up, a truck pulled quickly into the parking lot behind the sidewalk and a man jumped hurriedly out of the vehicle and was approaching me fast.

As he got up next to me he loudly asked me what I thought I was doing.

"I'm just standing on the sidewalk holding a cross", I said.

"What do you think you're trying to prove?", he asked.

"I'm not trying to prove anything. Are you law enforcement?", I said.

"No, I'm the owner of this store and I don't know why you're standing in front of it." he said.

"What do you think holding this cross right here is going to do?", he asked.

"Well, I hope it brings about conviction to people through the question, "Are you ready?"", I said.

"Listen", he said, "This is a close nit community and we don't need any of this around here." He went on, "Why don't you go down to the 4-way stop and stand in front of the church where there will be more traffic?"

"I like it here", I said, "The long straight gives people more time to see the cross."

He told me that I didn't have a right to be there and that I was tying to push religion down peoples throat. I told him that I have not said a word to anyone other than him, so how was I pushing religion down peoples throat?

I told him that the cross is simply asking a question; if people were ready for eternity.

That's when he really lost it and told me that I thought I was better than everybody else. I almost laughed out loud on that one but held it inside.

He repeated that I didn't have a right to be where I was and I reminded him that men and women have died fighting for my right to be exactly where I was...doing what I was doing.

He went on to tell me that he believed in the first Amendment and that he was a Christian but he didn't want me in front of his business.

He also told me that people were having a hard time "negotiating" turning into his driveway because of where I was standing. I turned and looked behind me to see how much distance was between me and his business driveway and it was at least 20 feet.

So I told him I would move up another 15 feet or so and split the difference between his business and the pharmacy. He then told me to move up to the telephone pole but I told him that was too far and close to the turn of the road.

The whole time he was there he was pacing back and forth and acting like he had ants in his pants. He would wave his arms, walk away and then come walking back.

I just stood there and answered with yes sirs and no sirs with a calm demeanor while he angrily questioned and argued with me. The whole thing lasted about five minutes and there was a lot more said that I can't remember (Wished I had my voice recorder with me!).

Finally he left in a huff and went inside his store. He was in there for a few minutes before he came out and marched over to the pharmacy adjacent to his store. He and another person came to the window inside the pharmacy to look at me a couple times but that was it. The man marched out of the pharmacy, got back into his truck and left.

Before I got out to hold the cross I emailed a few people to be praying for me and for the cross to bring about conviction.

God answered that prayer!

The most ironic thing about the whole incident is that before the man came over to me, while I was standing there, I was thinking that because of the low volume of traffic in this small town I would probably not go out of my way to that spot again.....

But now........hmmmm.

What do you all think?

Should I go back to that spot again? I don't want to go there out of spite, but at the same time I don't want to be intimidated by one guy who thinks he can run out of town anyone who he doesn't agree with (First Amendment notwithstanding).

Chad Williams - Should we use the Law in Evangelism?

Should We Use the Law in Evangelism?

Countless times I have encountered self-proclaimed Christians conducting opposition to the use God’s Law in evangelism. The objection typically comes in the form of:

“I appreciate what you are doing but I don’t like the way you are doing it. That’s not how Jesus would have done it, Jesus was all about love!”

After I do a little probing, without fail I find that the objector raises such a disapproval against the use of the Law while standing on the sinking grounds of ignorance. What they do is take ignorant conjecture and put it in the place of honest research. They lend an ear to what they hear verbally flipped around “Jesus is all about love, hugs, and kisses” rather than going the Berean route by examining the Scriptures to see if this is so (Acts 17:11). They assert such a unlearned expression rather than test it’s truthfulness (1 Thess. 5:21).

So today lets remove all speculation in asking What Would Jesus Do? And look at What Did Jesus Do?

In the Gospel of Mark is recorded an encounter that Jesus had as He was going out on the road. “One came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’”

Reflecting on this for a moment...Talk about a potential convert! This guy is eagerly running towards Jesus and he seems to have some genuine humility as he bows his knee before the Creator of all things (John 1:3, Col. 1:16) and asks Him what he shall do? Does Jesus talk about love, joy, or a wonderful plan for the man's life? No, instead Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter and points out the man’s personal sins so that he could see his personal need for the Savior! Jesus' weapon of choice (2 Cor. 10:4): God's Law!

Jesus replies, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

I have so much I want to share about what we have covered in the previous passage but lets keep focused and strike ahead to where Jesus gets precise and zeros in on this man’s particular obstacle that separates him from everlasting life.

“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

As it turns out this man was a transgressor of the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-38). The man was sad and sorrowful at this word as he seemed to have counted the cost (Lk. 14:27-28,33) and decided to walk away from Jesus.

Early in the picture it seemed this man was a highly potential convert. Jesus turns on the light of the Law (Prov. 6:23) which reveals the true condition of this man’s heart (Rom. 3:20). God's Word discerned the man’s true thoughts and intentions of his heart (Heb. 4:12). Had Jesus never prepared the way by using the Law we would have never known! (Ps. 119:105)

Why use the Law in evangelism? BECAUSE JESUS DID! (Eph 5:1)

By Chad Williams at Street Apologetics

I Have Many In This City Who Are My People. Acts 18:10 - Charles Spurgeon

This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of life to their souls, and they must receive it, for so the decree of predestination runs.

They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints before the eternal throne. They are Christ's property, and yet perhaps they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus Christ purchased them he will have them. God is not unfaithful to forget the price which his Son has paid. He will not suffer his substitution to be in any case an ineffectual, dead thing. Tens of thousands of redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but regenerated they must be; and this is our comfort when we go forth to them with the quickening Word of God.

Nay, more, these ungodly ones are prayed for by Christ before the throne. "Neither pray I for these alone," saith the great Intercessor, "but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Poor, ignorant souls, they know nothing about prayer for themselves, but Jesus prays for them. Their names are on his breastplate, and ere long they must bow their stubborn knee, breathing the penitential sigh before the throne of grace. "The time of figs is not yet."

The predestinated moment has not struck; but, when it comes, they shall obey, for God will have his own; they must, for the Spirit is not to be withstood when he cometh forth with fulness of power-they must become the willing servants of the living God. "My people shall be willing in the day of my power." "He shall justify many." "He shall see of the travail of his soul." "I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong."


Hat Tip to Proclaiming the Truth

Cross in Canton this week -

This week I plan to take the "Are You Ready" cross to different spots in and around Canton Georgia.

My goal is to be out every day leading up to Christmas at different high traffic spots around town; possibly at mutiple locations in the same day.

Please pray that many will be convicted by the question on the cross and also pray that many will just walk up to me and ask, "Ready for what?"

All for Him,

Wayne Dawg

Preach the gospel!

Jesus said, “Preach the gospel to every creature.” But men are getting tired of the divine plan; they are going to be saved by the priest, going to be saved by the music, going to be saved by theatricals, and nobody knows what! Well, they may try these things as long as ever they like; but nothing can ever come of the whole thing but utter disappointment and confusion, God dishonored, the gospel travestied, hypocrites manufactured by thousands, and the church dragged down to the level of the world. Stand to your guns, brethren, and go on preaching and teaching nothing but the Word of God, for it pleases God still, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe; and this text still stands true, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

- C. H. Spurgeon
1834 – 1892


Hat Tip to DefendingContending

Free gospel tracts!

I have come across a ministry called Bezeugen Tract Club that gives away free gospel tracts. After you enroll in the club (for free) you will receive a 30 day supply of tracts once a month. I just got my first shipment today.

Bezeugen is a German word meaning, "To bear witness to; affirm as a fact or truth; attest"

Here is the link to their homepage where you can check out their great website and all the cool evangelism ideas they have.

Here is the link to enroll and get your free tracts started on their way to your mailbox - Bezeugen

Why don't you lead people in the sinner's prayer?

I have been asked a few times over the last year or so why His Feet on the Street does not end witnessing encounters (or, more recently, open air opportunities) with what is generally known as the “sinner’s prayer”.

The sinner’s prayer is commonly employed at the end of most evangelical church services as an opportunity for an individual to receive Christ through either a prepared or spontaneous prayer from the pastor after (hopefully) sharing the gospel.

After sometimes appealing to lost people with, “Jesus is standing at the door of your heart knocking and wants to come in”, the guided prayer usually goes something like this…

“With every head bowed and every eye closed, please repeat this prayer after me: Dear God, I know that my sin separates me from You. Please forgive me of my sins. I thank you for dying for me. Come and live in my heart and help me be the person you want me to be. Amen.”

The pastor sometimes goes on to say, “If that prayer was the intent of your heart (and you really meant it), God heard you and saved you. Congratulations, you are now a child of God.”

So what’s wrong with that? Why doesn’t His Feet on the Street (HFOTS) use the sinner’s prayer and invite people to come to Christ after they present the gospel?

Let me be very clear on this; HFOTS absolutely invites lost people to come to Christ. If we didn’t invite, appeal, urge and plead with lost people to come to Christ, then we failed to convey the biblical gospel message. As a matter of fact, the moment we begin our witnessing encounters or open air opportunities, we have already started the invitation.

Pastor Jeff Noblit (Grace Life Church of the Shoals) say’s that, “If you do not give an invitation, then you have not preached the gospel. If there is no inviting of men to Christ, there is no gospel being preached... period.”

After a person has heard a biblical gospel invitation to come to Christ that invitation does not, and never will, end, (because God’s Word does not return void) until that person comes to faith in Christ or dies and stands before Christ in Judgment.

Praise God for that!!

Pastor Noblit also says, “God forbid we insinuate to people that the only real time you can get saved is when we sing three verses at the end of service. The invitation begins when we start preaching and may not end for years.”

HFOTS urges and appeals for the lost to come to Christ! We exist as a ministry because of the Great Commission and because of our compassion to reach the lost. What an utter failure we would be if we did not invite the lost to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

But what about the sinner’s prayer?

The reason HFOTS does not lead people in the sinner’s prayer is because we proclaim what the Bible commands; repentance and faith in Christ.

The Bible explicitly commands sinners to repent of their sins and put their faith in Christ for salvation. No where in the Scriptures will you find one person leading another person in a sinner’s prayer for salvation.

Why would they need to?

Ray Comfort of Way of the Master explains it like this, “If a man committed adultery, and his wife is willing to take him back, should you have to write out an apology for him to read to her? No.”

In other words, you shouldn’t have to tell the man, “Now say, Dear wife” and he say’s “Dear wife.” And you say, “I’m sorry I slept with that woman” and he say’s, “I’m sorry I slept with that woman.”

Ray goes on to say, “Sorrow for his betrayal of her trust should spill from his lips. She doesn’t want eloquent words, but simply sorrow of heart. The same applies to a prayer of repentance. The words aren’t as important as the presence of "godly sorrow." The sinner should be told to repent—to confess and forsake his sins. He could do this as a whispered prayer, and then you could pray for him.”

If God is drawing an individual to Himself, and working repentance in that person’s heart, then that last thing we should do is interfere with the supernatural working of God.

When a person is truly repentant and has a godly sorrow for their sins, you will never have to lead them in a prayer; repentance will flow from their lips.

Remember, its faith alone in Christ alone that is needed for salvation; not a sinner’s prayer. If a person is trusting in a “prayer” for their salvation and not Christ alone, then that person is still lost in their sins.

His Feet prefers to follow the biblical mandate of preaching the full gospel and calling sinners to repentance and faith in Christ. We would rather let the Holy Spirit do His task of convicting the lost of their sins and bringing about a godly sorrow that leads to repentance instead of us possibly giving someone a false sense of salvation because, instead of looking unto Christ and Him alone, they are now trusting in a prayer they mimicked.

All for Him,

WayneDawg

"Street Preacher...a day in the life."

The folks at Go, Stand and Speak will soon release a new DVD called, "Street Preacher...a day in the life.".

From the website:

"If you’re a Street Preacher, Evangelist, Pastor -or any Christian for that matter- that wants to get encouraged to preach publicly on the streets (or prayerfully support those that do), you won’t want to miss this…"

The release date is scheduled for Feb 1st, 2011 and is available for pre-order right now for only $13.99.

I've seen a clip for the video and my brother in Christ and street preacher, Mike "The Beast", is shown faithfully preaching the Word of God.

100% of the proceeds go towards the furtherance of the gospel!

What evangelism isn't

Imposition

Probably the most common objection to evangelism today is, "Isn't it wrong to impose our beliefs on others?"

Some people don't practice evangelism because they feel they are imposing on others. And the way evangelism is often done, I can understand the confusion! But when you understand what the Bible presents as evangelism, it's really not a matter of imposing your beliefs.

It's important to understand that the message you are sharing is not merely an opinion but a fact. That's why sharing the gospel can't be called an imposition, any more than a pilot can impose his belief on all his passengers that the runway is here and not there.

Additionally, the truths of the gospel are not yours, in the sense that they uniquely pertain to you or your perspective or experience, or in the sense that you came up with them. When you evangelize, you are not merely saying, "This is how I like to think of God," or "This is how I see it." You're presenting the Christian gospel. You didn't invent it, and you have no authority to alter it.

Personal Testimony

One of the classic testimonies was given by a blind man Jesus healed. When he was questioned after Jesus healed him, he responded, "Whether he [Jesus] is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25). The man disregarded the menacing threats of those more honored and respected than he in order to give this verbal witness to the power of God. It's a wonderful, powerful testimony, but it's not evangelism. There is no gospel in it. The man didn't even know who Jesus was.

An account of a changed life is wonderful and inspiring thing, but it's the gospel of Jesus Christ that explains what it's all about and how it happened.

Social Action and Public Involvement

Being involved in mercy ministries may help to commend the gospel, which is why Jesus taught, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Displaying God's compassion and kindness by our actions is a good and appropriate thing for Christians to do. But such actions are not evangelism. They commend the gospel, but they share it with no one. To be evangelism, the gospel must be clearly communicated, whether in written or oral form.

When our eyes fall from God to humanity, social ills replace sin, horizontal problems replace the fundamental vertical problem between us and God, winning elections eclipses winning souls.

Apologetics

Other people mistake apologetics for evangelism. Like the activities we've considered above, apologetics itself is a good thing. We are instructed by Peter to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet. 3:15). And apologetics is doing exactly that. Apologetics is answering questions and objections people may have about God or Christ, or about the Bible or the message of the gospel.

Answering questions and defending parts of the good news may often be a part of conversations Christians have with non-Christians, and while that may have been a part of our own reading or thinking or talking as we came to Christ, such activity is not evangelism.

Apologetics can present wonderful opportunities for evangelism. Being willing to engage in conversations about where we came from or what's wrong with this world can be a significant way to introduce honest discussions about the gospel.

By far the greatest danger in apologetics is being distracted from the main message. Evangelism is not defending the virgin birth or defending the historicity of the resurrection. Apologetics is defending the faith, answering the questions others have about Christianity. It is responding to the agenda that others set. Evangelism, however, is following Christ's agenda, the news about him. Evangelism is the positive act of telling the good news about Jesus Christ and the way of salvation through him.

The Results of Evangelism

Finally, one of the most common and dangerous mistakes in evangelism is to misinterpret the results of evangelism—the conversion of unbelievers—for evangelism itself, which is the simple telling of the gospel message. Who can deny that much modern evangelism has become emotionally manipulative, seeking simply to cause a momentary decision of the sinner's will, yet neglecting the biblical idea that conversion is the result of the supernatural, gracious act of God toward the sinner?

When we are involved in a program in which converts are quickly counted, decisions are more likely pressed, and evangelism is gauged by its immediately obvious effect, we are involved in undermining real evangelism and real churches.

The Christian call to evangelism is a call not simply to persuade people to make decisions but rather to proclaim to them the good news of salvation in Christ, to call them to repentance, and to give God the glory for regeneration and conversion. We don't fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not converted; we fail only if we don't faithfully tell the gospel at all. Evangelism itself isn't converting people; it's telling them that they need to be converted and telling them how they can be.

Mark Dever (From Christianity Today)

Evangelism quote of the week -

Our business is to present the Christian faith clothed in modern terms, not to propagate modern thought clothed in Christian terms. Confusion here is fatal.

J. I. Packer

How Great is our God?

Scientists Find 200 Sextillion More Stars in the Sky

From Fox News

The night sky may be a lot starrier than we thought.

A study suggests the universe could have triple the number of stars scientists previously calculated. For those of you counting at home, the new estimate is 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. That's 300 sextillion.

The study questions a key assumption that astronomers often use: that most galaxies have the same properties as our Milky Way. And that's creating a bit of a stink among astronomers who want a more orderly cosmos.

It's one of two studies being published online Wednesday in the journal Nature that focus on red dwarf stars, the most common stars in the universe. The study that offers the new estimate on stars is led by a Yale University astronomer. He calculates that there are far more red dwarfs than previously thought, and that inflates the total star count.

Rest of story here

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This story instantly reminded me of a great praise song.......


How Great is Our God

The splendor of a King,
clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
all the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
and darkness tries to hide
it trembles at his voice,
trembles at his voice

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great
How great is our God

And age to age He stands
and time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
the Lion and the Lamb,
the Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
how great is our God
Name above all names
you are worthy of all praise
and my heart will sing
how great is our God

How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God

Chris Tomlin

Crown Him with many crowns!

Crown Him with many crowns
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

Crown Him the Virgin's Son,
The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose,
As of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows,
The Babe of Bethlehem.

Crown Him the Lord of Love.
Behold His hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his wondering eye
At mysteries so bright!

Crown Him the Lord of Life
Who triumphed o'er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of Heaven,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to whom is given
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns
For He is King of all.

Matthew Bridges

Oh what a night!

God is good.

For my readers:

Please know that what you are about to read has not been wrote with prideful intentions or self elevation in mind. I always struggle with writing about my evangelism experiences and how they may be perceived by those who don't know me personally. Sometimes the written word does not fully reflect the attitude and the intent of the writer no matter how hard he/she tries to make a point or illustrate the story. Sometimes words that are meant to encourage fellow evangelists fall woefully short and are mistaken for prideful exploitations of the writer.

It is my sole desire that you find encouragement through my evangelism experience last night.

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For the last couple of weeks I had greatly anticipated the arrival of Black Friday 2010. I had printed out local store opening times and arranged them in an order for the best use of time and energy. I ordered 500 Christmas themed million dollar bill gospel tracts and constantly prayed that God would use me greatly to preach His Word after I handed out the tracts at the various store locations.

With my list, tracts and a preaching box (foldable stool) I left my house at 10:30 pm last night and headed to the Old Navy store in Woodstock for their midnight opening. When I got there the line was already wrapped around the building. I got out a pack of 100 tracts and proceeded to hand out every one of them. That kind of math is easy....100 tracts handed out...everyone took a tract...must be 100 people in line. I walked back to my car and got out my stool. Went to the location that I thought would be perfect for everyone to hear me and set the stool down and took a deep breath.

Three minutes later I was still standing there looking at the crowd. Having not said a word yet all these thoughts started coming into my head. Thoughts like: "Everyone already has a tract, the gospel is on it...just go on over to Kohl's".

To my disbelief I was picking up my stool and heading back to the car without ever uttering a word. Once back in the car I just sat there and watched another 100 people or so get in the line. The cars just kept coming and here I was sitting in the car. I kept telling myself to get out of the car and go back to that spot. My mind was willing but my flesh was weak.

My mind was racing 100 mph. My legs felt like they weighed a 1000 pounds.

Then I thought about a conversation I had earlier in the day with my brother in Christ from Canada; Paul Latour. Paul, from The Word Street Journal, had called me to encourage and mentor me for my upcoming Black Friday endeavor. Paul knew that I was going out there solo and had great pearls of godly wisdom drawn from his experiences as a fellow laborer in the field to impart on me.

Remembering that conversation and knowing that he and his wife would be praying for me at the very hour I would be at my first store was giving me the strength I needed at just the right time. But not only Paul and his wife, I thought about a brother in Pennsylvania I had talked to just a short while ago who was up praying for me. I thought of another brother in Canton who was up praying for me. My wife was back home praying for me. I looked down at my wrist and saw my wrist band I got from the Ambassador's Academy that said, "Don't quit" imprinted on it. I heard Tony Miano in that loving Drill Sergeant voice yelling at me to "not quit".

I said to myself, "Ok God, I am relying on you" and got out of the car and walked back to the same spot I was before.

I set up my stool again, opened my mouth, and the Holy Spirit spoke through me for about 5 or 6 minutes.

With knees still shaking and sweat pouring off me I got off the box and started walking away to the car. Some people clapped...some wished me a Merry Christmas and some shouted God bless. I didn't respond to any of it (although it was very encouraging, I can easily see how pride could creep in through the accolades of man) and got in my car and drove towards the next place.

I had a couple hours to kill before I went to Kohl's, Target and Best Buy so I went to a Waffle House for a couple eggs and coffee. While sitting there eating my food, a dear brother in Christ came in and sat down with me.

I love it when God gives you what you need in the moment you need it!

He said he heard I might be at the Waffle House. He and his family had been out of state visiting family and wanted to hang out with me for a couple hours.

After we ate we headed over to the shopping center that held all three of the places I wanted to tract and open air at.

We went to Target first and I spent the first few minutes handing out tracts. I then set up my stool directly in front of the people and let God take over again. I think I went again for 5 or 6 minutes with the same type preaching structure I used at Old Navy.

At each place I open aired I made sure I got the full gospel in.

I talked about the wide road and the narrow path. I opened up the mighty Law of God and showed the crowd how they had all violated God's perfect standard. I explained what sin was and told them of their terrible fate if they died in those sins and stood before God on Judgment Day. I used an analogy that showed how they were all waiting in line to buy the perfect gift at the right price for the one they love and compared that to the love that God had for the world when He gave the perfect Gift at a price that was unmeasurable 2000 years ago. I magnified the cross and tried to make much of Christ as much as I could humanly do. I begged them to repent of their sins against God and put their faith alone in Christ alone to save them from God's wrath.

After Target, we moved a hundred feet or so and did the same thing at Kohl's. After Kohl's we crossed over to the other side of the shopping center and did the same thing at Best Buy.

I only had two hecklers; one at Best Buy and one at Belk's. The one at Best Buy didn't raise his voice too much and all I really remember him saying was for me to "shut up" or "be quiet". I don't really remember what it was he was saying.

After Best Buy my brother in Christ went on back home to get some sleep before some of his family came in. What a blessing and comfort it was to have him by my side during that time.

My next to last stop was at Belk's.

I waited to about 3:30 am before starting at Belk's so the line of the crowd could get a little longer.

There were about 50-60 folks there when I started tracting the line. After a few minutes of preaching, a very vocal woman told me to shut up. I didn't pay it no mind. Then she got more vocal and told me to go to Wal-Mart. I told her I had already been there and now it was her turn to hear me. I had been at Wal-Mart right before I went to eat at the Waffle House just to tract the folks going in and out of the store in a great haste.

That was all she said to me and I finished up there right as the rain started pouring down. I told everyone "God bless" and to have a "Merry Christmas" and then I picked up my stool and headed for the car. The folks started clapping and wishing me a Merry Christmas. Again, I just ignored it and praised God while I got in my car.

Just as I was about to back up and drive over to K-Mart for their 5 am opening, I saw a man coming quickly to my car. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not. As he approached my car I rolled down the window and he proceeded to thank me and shook my hand for taking a stand for Christ. After he left a lady came over and did the same thing. Now at this time it is pouring down rain and these folks were not wearing a rain coat or using an umbrella. Just as the lady left another woman and her teen-aged son came over and blessed me with more encouragement and was apologizing for the woman who was heckling me!

I just started praising God and giving Him all the glory for everything that was happening!!

The pouring rain kept me from hitting my last stop at K-Mart. It started raining so hard the store must have felt sorry for the folks in line and went ahead and let them in very early. That's Ok...God had me where He wanted me all night long!!

All in all, about 450 tracts were handed out and about that many heard the gospel preached to them.

What an amazing and humbling night.

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When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts

Black Friday Plans

My ministry partner will not be able to help me with Black Friday tracting and witnessing this year due to his work schedule.

If anyone is willing to help hand out tracts starting around 2:30am at Kohls and then moving on to Target, Belks and Best Buy as the different stores open their doors, I would greatly appreciate it!

If you're not able to participate with me this year, would you please commit to praying for me as I make my way through the night handing out tracts and doing a little open air witnessing?

If you can help out, please email me at Hisfeet@tds.net

Thank you and God bless!

Black Friday is coming!

Ok, maybe the crowd at the local Kohls' and Target won't look anything like the picture above. In fact, it just may be 50 people or maybe 20 people standing and waiting for the doors to open at 3am or 4am to get the deal of the day. But they are standing and waiting nonetheless!

Next Friday is said to be the biggest shopping day of the year and people are looking for bargains. What a perfect opportunity to reach the lost!!

While people are waiting in line to score the perfect gift we can tell them about the priceless gift God gave to mankind.

His Feet on the Street plans to tract, witness and do some open air next Friday at different locations starting at 3am and going until we give out.

More details to follow as we get closer to the big day.

Any questions?

Hat Tip to Doulos Iesou Christou

The worlds largest gospel tract?

Could this be the worlds largest gospel tract?

See the Facebook page for all the info on the Mission Ball!

All I want for Christmas is.....

I got to get me one.....Oh, Santa?

Interview on abortion

If while witnessing (or in a general discussion) you have run into a pro-abortionist, here is a great analogy to use.

Draw me nearer

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Frances J. Crosby

A CLOUD ON THE HORIZON

HOPE FOR BIBLICAL REVIVAL IN OUR TIME?

In 1 Kings 18:44 the servant of Elijah reported to the prophet that "a cloud as small as a man's hand" was rising in the western sky. Elijah sent a message to nearby King Ahab to hurry away in his chariot lest the storm overtake him. "In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower" ending a long drought.

I see a small cloud on the horizon of evangelicalism. If it continues to grow, the Holy Spirit could turn it into a cloudburst of reformation and revival. That cloud is the widespread interest in recovering the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am seeing this movement in print, hearing it in sermons and conferences, and observing it in churches throughout the land.

Off the top of my head I can quickly list several examples (in no particular order):

* Mark Dever's highly commended new book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, with its emphasis on "What is the Gospel?" in chapter two, the longest chapter.

* The interdenominational unity seen in the "Together for the Gospel" conference, with thousands of registrations nationally and internationally pushing it to relocate to one of the largest venues in Louisville.

* A manuscript I reviewed on a forthcoming book by Elyse Fitzpatrick on believers staying in love with the Gospel and learning to apply it to all of life.

*A recent sermon by John MacArthur on www.SermonAudio.com that focused on the importance of clarity on the Gospel as crucial for evangelism, and which became one of the most popular sermons on the website.

* Another widely-publicized new book, In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life, by Sinclair Ferguson.

Very little time and research could turn up many other examples of Christian leaders who are calling upon believers to confirm and clarify their understanding of the Gospel.

Note that this emphasis is not just a fresh call to evangelism, but rather a recovery of the evangel itself. How great is this need? Let me suggest an experiment to determine the need in your own ministry setting. Pass around a sheet of paper in your church/class/small group, and then ask, "How many times do you think you've heard the Gospel in your life?" Some, especially those who are lifelong churchgoers, may roll their eyes and say, "Oh, probably thousands of times." Heads will nod in agreement.

Then say, "Good! Since you know it so well, please write the Gospel on this sheet of paper." Then watch people stare at you in stunned silence.

"You've heard it thousands of times, right?" And to become Christians you had to understand the Gospel before you could believe it, right? So just take a paragraph or so and write that Gospel you believed."

Now they avert their eyes and shift in their seats.

"And remember," you continue, "the Gospel is not, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.' No, that is not the Gospel; that is the appropriate response to the Gospel. Write the Gospel that people must hear, understand, and believe in order to be right with God. Surely you'd agree that we need to be more clear on the one and only message by which we get to Heaven than on our Social Security number, phone number, or computer password."

What does it reveal about the condition of even the liveliest churches if the members who have heard the Gospel countless times and who also claim to have believed it cannot write out the Gospel? Beyond that, if people are tentative about the Gospel in the supportive surroundings of their own church, can we expect them to confidently share the Gospel with an unbeliever in the hostile environment of the world?

How could the recovery of the Gospel possibly lead to a rain of revival upon our churches? For starters, many church members might understand the Gospel for the first time and be converted. Next, it would be preached and taught more clearly in our churches thus children, regular attenders, and guests might be saved. Third, our church members would become better witnesses in the world because they would gain confidence in sharing the Gospel. The role of the Holy Spirit, said Jesus in John 16:14, is "He will glorify Me." When can we ever expect the Holy Spirit to come upon us with more power (as in revival) than when we are clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus?

The Gospel in one word is Jesus. In a phrase, the Gospel is the life and work of Jesus. But without a biblical understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done, it does little good to say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." People must be told of the just and holy God whose law they have willingly broken countless times. This guilt places them under the wrath of God and will condemn them when they give account for their lives at the Judgment. But in His love, God sent His Son Jesus to rescue sinners. Jesus lived a sinless life, a life that earned Heaven. But He was willing to take the wrath of God in the place of those who had broken God's law and disqualified themselves from Heaven. So He allowed Himself to be executed on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem in the place of the guilty, that He might bear both their sins and their punishment, and transfer to them the credit for His righteous life. As the Bible puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:21, God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

The evidence that God accepted Jesus' sacrifice is found in the historical fact of Jesus' bodily resurrection three days after His crucifixion. Five weeks later He ascended to Heaven where He sits as King over all, and from where He has promised to return bodily and then welcome people to eternal joy with Him in Heaven or consign them to eternal torment in Hell. According to Jesus, the only appropriate response to this offer of forgiveness and eternal life is to "repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

Don't take for granted that the unbelievers you know have ever heard this message. Don't take for granted that those in the circle of your ministry influence could demonstrate an unambiguous grasp of this message of salvation. Don't take for granted that your own family members clearly understand the Gospel. Are you clear on the Gospel yourself?

Can we expect our churches to thrive if we are unclear on the church's most basic message? Conversely, can't we expect the Lord to pour out His blessings on us when we are most faithful to the message that glorifies His Son?

The Bible assures us that someday, in some way, "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14). Perhaps the waters of this knowledge will begin with a heavenly rain that falls from a storm which develops from a small cloud. Perhaps that cloud is on the horizon of evangelicalism today.

Don Whitney - BiblicalSpirituality.org

Oh that God would make us dangerous!

"We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we
profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon
with. But we are "harmless," and therefore unharmed. We are
spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in
this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high
places.

Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass,
outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship
of the Cross. We are "sideliners"--coaching and criticizing the
real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of
God unchallenged.

The world cannot hate us, we are too much
like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!"

Jim Elliot (1927-1956)

A Trillion Dollars

What's in your bag?

Thanks to Paul Latour at The Word Street Journal

Halloween Evangelism

This past Saturday night was the preferred night to Trick-or-Treat in our sub-division so I thought I would do something a little different this year.



Last year, as the kids walked up the driveway, I had candy in one hand and tracts in the other. This worked fine for awhile until the kids starting coming in very large groups and I couldn’t keep up in time and lots of kids never got a gospel tract.

New plan.

I set up a table on the drive way and placed lighted jack-o-lanterns on either side of the table and displayed between them several different types of tracts that would be appealing to all the age groups.



As the children arrived I handed out the candy and then directed them to the table to pick out which ever tract they desired.



Big Hit!

All in all we gave out four large bowls of candy and kids took well over 250 tracts. Some of them thanked me very much for the tracts and others tried to read them right there on the spot. Even some parents came over to take tracts as well.

For some reason the Obama Million Dollar Bills were the first to go. I had a brand new stack of 100 Obama’s (I normally couldn’t give those away no matter how hard I tried up here in the most conservative part of North Georgia) and put those in the center of the table. Kids mostly took those because it had the president’s picture on it.



Lighting the yard for the first time this year was my “Are You Ready” cross.



There were several parents that expressed their approval of the cross. I didn’t hear a single negative word about the cross but got a few, “ready for what?” questions when folks walked up to the table.

That's a great question! :)

Solo Christo

CHRIST ALONE

And there is salvation in no one else;For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,who gave Himself as a ransom for all,the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6

That there is no remedy but in Jesus Christ; there is nothing else will give you true quietness. If you could fly into heaven, you would not find it there; if you should take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth, in some solitary place in the wilderness, you could not fly from your burden. So that if you do not come to Christ, you must either continue still weary and burdened, or, which is worse, you must return to your old dead sleep, to a state of stupidity; and not only so, but you must be everlastingly wearied with God's wrath.

Consider that Christ is a remedy at hand. You need not wish for the wings of a dove that you may fly afar off, and be at rest, but Christ is nigh at hand, if you were but sensible of it. Romans 10:6, 7, 8. "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach." There is no need of doing any great work to come at this rest; the way is plain to it; it is but going to it, it is but sitting down under Christ's shadow.

Christ requires no money to purchase rest of him, he calls to us to come freely, and for nothing. If we are poor and have no money, we may come. Christ sent out his servants to invite the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind. Christ does not want to be hired to accept of you, and to give you rest.

It is his work as Mediator to give rest to the weary, it is the work that he was anointed for, and in which he delights. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

- Jonathan Edwards, Safety, Fulness and Sweet Refreshment in Christ

Quote of the day -

Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell.

C.T. Studd

Have you shared your faith today?

Thomas Hitton, a poor and pious minister of Kent, used to go frequently to Antwerp to purchase New Testaments. As he was returning from one of these expeditions, in 1529, the bishop of Rochester caused him to be arrested at Gravesend, and put to the cruelest tortures, to make him deny his faith.

But the martyr repeated with holy enthusiasm: “Salvation cometh by faith and not by works, and Christ giveth it to whomsoever he willeth.”

On the 20th of February 1530, he was tied to the stake and there burnt to death.

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A painter, named Edward Freese, a young man of ready wit, having been engaged to paint some hangings in a house, wrote on the borders certain sentences of the Scripture.



For this he was seized and taken to the bishop of London’s palace at Fulham, and there imprisoned, where his chief nourishment was bread made out of sawdust.



His poor wife, who was pregnant, went down to Fulham to see her husband; but the bishop’s porter had orders to admit no one, and the brute gave her so violent a kick, as to kill her unborn infant, and cause the mother’s death not long after.


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Men and women through the ages have been imprisoned, tortured and died to bring the gospel to the lost.

Have you shared your faith today....this week....this month? People all around us are dying and going to Hell and we have the words of life.

Make it a point to talk to someone about Christ this week ~

Hat Tip to Reformation Files

Pignic 2010

What's a Pignic?

The Pignic is an event where there will be food, games, music, dancing, crafts and, oh yeah, lots of people!

We have never tried to tract and witness at this event before so we don't quite know what to expect as far as the logistics go. But this event may the last major event taking place in our backyard this year; so we want to be there!

I'm not sure if we can actually be in Heritage Park yet. I don't know if the event will have the entire park grounds or just a section of it. The ideal situation would be that we could still have access to the park and not be inside the event.

God will provide us people to tract and witness to nonetheless -

Here's the plan as of now:

Let's plan to meet Saturday the 16th at 3:45pm at the entrance to the Park between Ingles and the YMCA.

Where: Heritage Park - Canton, Ga.
When: Saturday, October 16th
Time: 3:45pm to ??

Hell - Separation from God?

Quite often we will hear well meaning pastors say in a gospel invitation that Hell is separation from God for all eternity. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Hell will be filled with the very presence of God... His just wrath will abide on sinners for all eternity.

Quote of the Day

I knew nothing.
I was nothing,
For this reason God picked me out.

St. Catherine Laboure

Tracts, conversations and breaking the sound barrier in my home town.

We had a team of four come out to the Marble Festival to hand out tracts and participate in one-to-one conversations!

A husband and wife (who are in our current Way of the Master Basic training class) came out to join me and my ministry partner at the Marble Festival today. The weather was perfect; clear blue skies and low humidity made today a great day to reach the lost.

We passed out hundreds and hundreds of tracts and had some great one-to-one conversations.

I was real proud of the husband and wife team as they are getting bolder and bolder in their evangelistic zeal!

Here are some photo's -

This day also marked the first time I open aired in my hometown area.

I was so nervous I thought I was going to fall off my brand new stool my wife had bought me last night. My heart was pumping so hard I thought I was going to die.

I didn't fall.

I didn't die.

God is good.

Amen.

2010 Marble Festival

Each week a different event seems to be bringing thousands of people our way!

This week is no exception -

This Saturday and Sunday the annual Marble Festival comes to Jasper, Georgia.

A couple years ago we had a run in with the director of the Festival and then the police for exercising our free speech rights......Last year at the Festival we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at our meeting point; check this out -

The Marble Festival is a huge opportunity to talk to lost people and hand out hundreds upon hundreds of tracts.

If you have never handed out a gospel tract (for whatever reason) this is your golden opportunity.

If you have never had a conversation with a lost person before about their eternal destiny (for whatever reason) this day is for you!

My ministry partner and I will be there to encourage you and help you out of your comfort zone -

Please make plans to join us this Saturday!!!

Where: Lee Newton Park in Jasper, Georgia.
When: Saturday, October 2nd.
Time: 1:30 to ???

If you have tracts, bring them....If not, don't worry, I will have plenty.

Note: We will NOT be going into the Festival grounds. We will meet at 1:30pm outside the paying entrance and group up 2x2 to hand out tracts and witness on the public sidewalks just outside the grounds. Hundreds of people will walk these sidewalks to and from the Festival.

Riverfest 2010

Riverfest weekend is here!

There should be a few thousand folks coming to this years Riverfest in Canton and we will be there to greet them with tracts and conversations.

If you can join us this Saturday we would love to have your help in spreading God's Word.

Where: Boling Park - Canton, Ga.
When: Saturday, September 25th
Time: 1:30 to ??

Meet at the paying entrance to Riverfest - We will not be going inside the event. We will group up, pray up and spread out around the area.

If you have tracts please bring them. If not, that's Ok, I will have plenty.

I hope to see you there!

Real Revivals, Accompanied By Conviction of Sin

If we consider those periods from the apostolic age onwards when the Gospel was advanced with the greatest success in the world and conversions have been multiplied, then ask what element was evident at those times that is lacking today, the absence of conviction of sin must be noted first of all. Martyn Lloyd-Jones rightly pointed out that the greatest problem of the present day church is that she is far too "healthy". The church shows little consciousness of spiritual need or distress. As J.S. Sinclair, a twentieth-century Free Presbyterian minister, writes:

Today the sense of sin is absent from many supposed conversions. The important change is now generally reduced to one category, decision for Christ. All that the convert is expected to say is that he believes and intends to follow Christ. There is no word of conviction of sin, and ruin, and helplessness. A lost sinner, crying to the Lord for mercy and pardon and faith through Jesus Christ, and not ceasing until he is helped and saved from above, is not the newer Christian at his beginnings. He believes and decides by his own native ability with hardly a pang of conscience, and this is what is called conversion.

In all periods of revival and spiritual prosperity, including the Puritan era, a sense of sin is common. ...

Genuine revivals are always accompanied by profound conviction of sin.

Joel Beeke



Hat Tip: Old Truth

Last Car Show of the Year

This Saturday will see the last Car Show of the season at the Riverstone Shopping Center -

If you are in the neighborhood and would like to come out to witness and hand out some tracts this Saturday, we would love to have you join us!

Where - Riverstone Shopping Center, Canton
When - Saturday, September 18th
Time - 4:30pm to ?

Meet us in front of the Hibbetts Sports store -

Faces

Tony Miano of The Lawman Chronicles

Yes, God Can And Does Use Anything To Bring Himself Glory--Even A Simple Cross

For all my fellow evangelists out there, whoever you may be, this story is for you -

From Tony Miano's blog, The Lawman Chronicles

To the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him alone, goes all of the praise, honor, and glory for what you are about to read.

I lead a Bible Discussion Group at my church, on Wednesday evenings. By the time I get home from Living Waters, there is usually just enough time to sit and relax for a bit, and then have dinner with the family, before heading to church.

Last night, I had about thirty minutes between dinner and leaving for church. I thought about taking out my cross, but there wasn't enough time to get to one of my usual spots and back again. So, I decided to take my cross and walk to the end of our street. I've carried the cross on that corner before, and I've had a few opportunities to share the gospel with people there.

As I walked to the corner, I realized I didn't have any tracts with me. Time was so short. I didn't bother to walk back to the house to get some. A few motorists waved in support. And one man yelled from his car, "Why don't you go kill yourself!"

About fifteen minutes after I arrived on the corner, a young man rode a bike from the opposite side of the street to where I stood.

"Hello, Mr. Miano." The young man said with a smile.

"Hey! How are you doin'?" I asked, shaking his hand.

The young man, by now a few years out of high school, had participated in a Way of the Master Basic Training Class I taught about four years ago, for a group of high school students in our home school association.

We spent a few minutes catching up. We said our good-byes, and I asked him to say hello to his family for me.

That was it--a nice contact with a nice young man. In fact, it was so uneventful, I forgot to mention to Mahria or the girls that I saw him.

I turned on my cell phone at 5 AM this morning. I opened my email before making breakfast. The first email was from the young man I saw on the corner the night before.

As I read the email, I began to weep tears of joy--loud enough for all three of my daughters to get out of bed, thinking there was something wrong with daddy.

I assured them I was all right and apologized for waking them. And then I read them the following email.


Dear Mr. Miano,

After our meeting this evening, I surrendered my life to Jesus, and prayed, asking God for forgiveness of my sins through Christ's substitute punishment. I placed my faith in this grace as my only hope for eternal life.

Growing up I have always believed in Jesus, and have seen (and acknowledged) God's hand in my life. However, I'm not certain that I really understood that I needed to surrender my life and place my faith in Him alone. I feel that there has been a tug-of-war in my life for some time, during which time I have realized my need to go beyond mere belief to faith in Jesus and acceptance of grace and grace alone.

I'm sharing this with you because seeing you bearing your cross stirred in me a need to cry out to God, and I believe with my whole heart that He heard. Another reason is that your class planted a seed in my heart that has finally sprouted.

I have shared this with my parents. If possible, I'd also like to share this with you in person.

My girls and I rejoiced and praised God. I was overwhelmed with God's goodness and my utter unworthiness to be saved by Him and to serve Him.

I shared this story this morning with a few of my brothers at Living Waters, including our Executive Vice President, Emeal ("E.Z.") Zwayne. E.Z. said something that sent positive chills down my spine and motivated me all the more to carry the cross, serve Christ, and persevere. He said (and I'm paraphrasing), "One moment we might consider ordinary might be extraordinary in that God uses it to revolutionize a person's life. An encounter like the one you had, God can use eight to ten years later to raise up a Whitefield, Spurgeon, or Moody."

Many of you who read my blog have led Way of the Master Basic Training Classes. Many of you have built your own "Are You Ready" crosses and have taken to the streets in your communities. And many of you in both groups are left at times wondering if the work you are doing for the Lord is bearing any fruit.

Don't quit! God is working! He's moving on the hearts of people! God is not obligated to show us how He is working. And we do not need to see God working to obediently answer His call to serve Him. But isn't it wonderful when He allows us the precious gift and great privilege of seeing Him work in someone else's life?

I hope this brief blog post has been an encouragement to you, the reader. Please join me in thanking and praising God for what it appears he has done in this young man's life. And pray this young man will bring forth great fruit in keeping with repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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To echo Tony's words..... Don't Quit!!

Gay Pride Festival - Ottawa

From my brother in the Lord, Paul Latour.

The Word Street Journal

If hell must be filled...

Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ,
if sinners will be damned, at least
let them leap to hell over our bodies.

And if they will perish, let them perish with our
arms about their knees, imploring them to stop,
and not madly to destroy themselves.

If hell must be filled, at least let it be
filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let
not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.

C.H. Spurgeon

Tony Miano and Mike "The Beast" Stockwell

Check out how Tony handles an objection from a passerby who doesn't like the way the gospel is being presented and watch "The Beast" preach it!

Am I a soldier of the cross?

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His Name?

Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.

Isaac Watts

Academy Photo's

Mike open-air preaching

Stop Light Preaching (I really enjoyed this)

Ray Comfort open air

How does this guy sleep at night?

One to one street evangelism

Me and, ugh, what's his name?

Me and Jessica Kidwell (AKA Chipper Fisher)

Me and Tony Miano

Me and Mike the Beast

I had an amazing time at the Academy. I was able to step way, way out of my comfort zone and let God use me in a new way.

I developed an even greater concern and deeper compassion for the lost than I already had.

I really can't put into words the experience of the Academy, and, quite frankly, it's not fair to try to.

There are so many people that worked very hard to put on the Academy and humbled themselves to take care of us, mentor us, teach us, encourage us, push us, stretch us and be a godly influence to us, that there is no way to really thank them for all they did.

If you ever have an opportunity to go to one of the Ambassador's Academy training, you should go. The 2011 dates are now up on the website.

Academy Bound!

Well, it's finally here!

All the waiting and anticipating over the last few months is about to come to an end as I get on a plane Wednesday morning to head out to the Ambassadors Academy.

I am excited as well as nervous.

My team leader will be a guy I have nick-named Mike "The Beast". I previously had the honor of meeting Mike in New Orleans during Mardi Gras earlier this year. Mike came up to me within a few minutes of me holding my "Are You Ready" cross as hundreds of people were going to and fro. I affectionately named him "The Beast" because of his inability to not be going anything less than wide open.

The man preached, witnessed and handed out tracts without ceasing. A true evangelism warrior!


This was Mike five minutes after I met him. He asked me if he could hold my cross. He not only held my cross; he jumped up on a wall and started preaching like nobodies business!

God, in His providence, made sure I met Mike long before the Academy. Why? Maybe it was so I wouldn't be so freaked out once I got out to the Academy and had met "The Beast" for the first time and wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into.

I got to spend a day and a half with Mike in New Orleans and am now very humbled to know that he will be leading me and seven others on my team while at the Academy.

Praise God for that New Orleans meeting with Mike and praise God for allowing me this opportunity to attend the Academy for His glory!

See ya in a week -

Upcoming Car Show this Saturday!

Please make plans to join us this Saturday to hand out a few tracts and do some one-to-one witnessing at the monthly Car Show in Canton.

The Car Show is a great place to get your feet wet if you have never handed out a tract or have had a one-to-one eternal conversation with someone before. The mood at the Car Shows are generally a laid back kind of atmosphere while people are walking around looking and talking about cars.

Who knows, you may even run into a local celebrity and have the opportunity to put a gospel tract in their hand!

Here are the plans:

What time? 4:30-6:00pm
When? Saturday, August 21st
Where? Riverstone Shopping Plaza
Meet at? In front of Hibbits Sports

Spurgeon Minute

It is by the grace of God that ungodly men are preserved from instant death. The sharp axe of justice would soon fell the barren tree if the interceding voice of Jesus did not cry, "Spare him yet a little." Many sinners, when converted to God, have gratefully acknowledged that it was of the Lord's mercy that they were not consumed.

John Bunyan had three memorable escapes before his conversion, and mentions them in his "Grace Abounding" as illustrious instances of long-suffering mercy. Occasionally such deliverances are made the means of affecting the heart with tender emotions of love to God, and grief for having offended him. Should it not be so? Ought we not to account that the longsuffering of God is salvation? (2 Peter 3:15.)

An officer during a battle was struck by a nearly spent ball near his waistcoat pocket, but he remained uninjured, for a piece of silver stopped the progress of the deadly missile. The coin was marked at the words DEI GRATIA (by the grace of God). This providential circumstance deeply impressed his mind, and led him to read a tract which a godly sister had given him when leaving home. God blessed the reading of the tract, and he became, through the rich grace of God, a believer in the Lord Jesus.

Reader, are you unsaved? Have you experienced any noteworthy deliverances? Then adore and admire the free grace of God, and pray that it may lead you to repentance! Are you enquiring for the way of life? Remember the words DEI GRATIA, and never forget that by grace we are saved. Grace always pre-supposes unworthiness in its object. The province of grace ceases where merit begins: what a cheering word is this to those of you who have no worth, no merit, no goodness whatever! Crimes are forgiven, and follies are cured by our Redeemer out of mere free favour. The word grace has the same meaning as our common term gratis: Wickliffe's prayer was, "Lord save me gratis" No works can purchase or procure salvation, but the heavenly Father giveth freely, and upbraideth not.

Grace comes to us through faith in Jesus. Whosoever believeth on Him is not condemned. O, sinner, may God give thee grace to look to Jesus and live. Look now, for to-day is the accepted time!

C.H. Spurgeon