Evangelism Evening 07/30/10

This Evangelism Evening I leave you with a video of a gospel presentation. This is a video of Arica G. sharing the gospel through a poem that she wrote. I spent some time with Arica at Ambassador's Academy #10 (through Living Waters ministry) back in May of 2009. She is a talented and thoughtful young woman with a passion for sharing the gospel with those she meets. Here is her artistic video presentation of her poem titled: A Lullaby.

Miracles

I carry around pocket-size versions of the Gospel of John (from the Bible) when I'm out witnessing to people. And at the end of a witness encounter I always encourage people to read the Gospel of John. With this in mind, I'm in the process of (again) reading and studying the book of John right now.

There are 8 signs (miracles) performed by Jesus in the book of John that point to His deity. The John MacArthur Study Bible shows a small table listing the signs, where they can be found in the book of John, and the specific message they convey that tells us Jesus is God.

Here's that information for your consideration when you study the Gospel of John.

Turns water into wine (John 2: 1-12) --------Jesus is the source of life.
Heals a nobleman's son (Jn 4:46-54) -------- Jesus is master over distance.
Heals a lame man on Sabbath (Jn 5:1-17)----Jesus is master over time.
Feeds 5,000 (Jn 6:15-21) ---------- Jesus is the bread of life.
Walks on water, stills a storm (Jn 6:15-21) -------- Jesus is master over nature.
Heals a blind man from birth (Jn 9:1-41) ------- Jesus is the light of the world.
Raises Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:17-45)------- Jesus has power over death.
Causes abundant catch of fish (Jn 21:6) -------Jesus is master over the animal world.

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Today I'd like to share with you another nugget from the Grace Gems e-mail feed I receive daily (http://www.gracegems.org/) titled "The Unsearchable Riches of Christ".

The unsearchable riches of Christ!

(Samuel Davies)

"The unsearchable riches of Christ!" Ephesians 3:8

Consider what rich blessings Christ has purchased for His people; purchased not with corruptible things such as silver and gold--but with His own precious blood! The purchase price recommends and endears the blessings, though they are so great in themselves, as to need no such recommendation! What can be greater or more suitable blessings to hell-bound sinners, than . . .
pardon for the guilty,
redemption for slaves,
righteousness and justification for the condemned,
sanctification for the unholy,
rest for the weary,
comfort for mourners,
the favor of God for rebels and exiles,
strength for the impotent,
protection for the helpless, and
everlasting happiness for the heirs of hell!
And, to sum up all--grace and glory, and every good thing, and all the unsearchable riches of Christ--for the wretched and miserable; for the poor, the blind, and naked!

These are blessings indeed, and, in comparison with them--all the riches of the world are impoverished, and vanish to nothing!

Cookie Baking Night 07/26/10

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. Carissa and Emily were in attendance this evening (last week of soccer for Ethan this week, so he'll be joining us again soon).

We made brownies.

Our lesson tonight from Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland was lesson 33 titled "Jesus Obeyed God". Emily read Matthew 4:1-11 from the Bible for us.

We spent some time at the end of the evening practicing how to introduce ourselves to new people. When we first learned this lesson (about two years ago), Emily was shy and didn't like it much. Tonight, Emily was the pro, and Carissa was a little timid about it, but they both did a great job.

As usual, a fun time was had by all.

Evangelism Evening

This weekend I went to visit my friend, Betsy, in Wisconsin. Betsy had arranged an outing with her friend, Amy, who leads a group of junior high girls at her church. The plan was to take several girls to Wisconsin Dells, WI (about an hour and a half from Betsy's home) on Saturday to pass out gospel tracts and share the gospel with people we met. Only one of the junior high girls was able to make it. So, we headed off to Wisconsin Dells, the four of us--myself, Betsy, Amy, and Jessi.

It was my first time in Wisonsin Dells. It is a tourist town known for its water parks. There is also a main strip in town that is host to all kinds of candy shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions. The plan was to walk up and down the streets, hand out gospel tracts, and seek to engage in conversations about the gospel.

Before lunch, we walked around in a group of four and handed out gospel tracts. After lunch, we split up into two groups and each took a side of the street so we could more easily approach people for conversation. I took Jessi with me. Jessi is 13 years old. She did a great job. I introduced her to the optical illusion gospel tract, and she went to town with it. We started a few conversations but didn't get very far with them before being dismissed. We did have the opportunity to encourage a few Christians and challenge a few professing Christians in conversation along the way. Betsy and Amy had a little more success with gospel-giving conversations across the street. Of this I am sure, the gospel was given to many, many people today (whether in written or verbal form). I pray God will use it greatly to draw people unto Him.

It was a great day!

Regretfully, in my excitement to pack up gospel tracts for the day trip, I left my camera at Betsy's house for the day, so I don't have a picture of the whole group together. When we returned, Betsy's dad graciously took a picture of the two of us (which you will see at the top of this post).

Happy Birthday, Dad-Larry!

Today is my Dad-Larry's birthday. For those who might wonder why I refer to him this way, Larry is my sted-dad. I was 16 years old when he married my mom. He has now been in my life longer than he was out of it.

God has been gracious to me in allowing me to have two fathers in my life. Larry has been a great influence in our family. He has loved us (myself and my two brothers) as his own, and we feel the same way about him. He has a love for my mom that is truly inspiring.

Larry is a quiet man, faithful, steady and dependable. I have learned much through his example over the years.

Happy Birthday, Larry! I love you.

Life Lesson

I found this Grace Gems e-mail (http://www.gracegems.org/) to be a most timely exhortation for me and hope it will be the same for you.

Her life-lesson was comprised in four words

(James Smith, "Keep Close to Christ" 1857)

A Christian minister was dying. He had a young sister whom he tenderly loved, and in whose welfare he felt the deepest interest. She came to pay the last visit, and receive from his lips the last words of advice. The words of a dying minister, realizing the value of the soul, and the solemnity of eternity, are important words. Taking her by the hand, and fixing his eyes upon her with a loving look, he said, "Keep close to Christ!"

What could he say of more import? Her life-lesson was comprised in four words, "Keep close to Christ!" She had come to Jesus, she loved Jesus, she found happiness in Jesus; but the dying brother knew . . .
the deceitfulness of the human heart;
the power of the world's fascinations,
and the craft and subtlety of Satan,
therefore he exhorts, "Keep close to Christ!"

May the Lord give us grace to get near to Him; and then give us more grace, to keep near to Him; for alas! how many of us, like Peter, follow Him afar off!

What must we do--to keep close to Jesus?

We must keep close to His Word. Here He . . .
reveals His mind,
displays His love, and
exhibits His beauty!

It is a revelation of His deepest, sweetest, kindest thoughts!

It is an exhibition of His infinite, eternal, deathless love!

It is a mirror in which we may see His unparalleled beauty and excellency!

No one can keep close to Jesus--who does not daily, seriously, and prayerfully read His Word. That Word . . .
received into the heart by faith,
digested by meditation, and
reduced to practice in the life,
will bring the soul and Christ together!

For the more we know of Christ--the more we shall love Him, the more we shall prize, pant for, and seek to enjoy His presence!

Blessed Spirit, help us so to read the Word--as always to find Christ in it; and by it endear Him more and more unto us, and bring us into closer fellowship with Him!

A Weekend With Family

This weekend we celebrated my nephew Joe's graduation from high school with a graduation open house party at his family's home. I'd like to share a few pictures with you from that event and the time leading up to it.

On Friday night, I picked up Emily (Joe's sister) and she spent the night at our house. I had volunteered to make some desserts and a salad for the open house, and Emily came over to help.

She decided she would like to make them all by herself (a decision I think she later regretted, as I suspected she would, but it was a great opportunity to teach the concept of starting a task and completing it).

Emily made three kinds of dessert bars, and she did it all by herself. Occasionally she would say, "This is a tricky part. I need someone to supervisor me." And I would step in with the appropriate instruction. Here she is with her ingredients at the beginning of her venture (she insisted on wearing the shower cap/hair net, rubber gloves, and apron for the best sanitary conditions).

After Emily made the desserts, she made a flower arrangement (she had purchased some flowers for her grandma's birthday present and wanted to learn how to arrange them--I love arranging flowers, so we had a little tutorial time around that).

Here I am with the graduate. Congratulations Joe! I love you!

Here I am with my brothers, Rob and John. A serious picture was tough to get amongst this crowd.

This is my Mom, my Dad-Larry, my brother John and his girlfriend, Jessica, and great-niece-in-law, Mia, smack dab in the middle.

My Dad made a trip in from Texas. He was here for the day while on his way to a job in North Dakota. It was good to see him.

Grandpa Kidd with two of the granddaughters, Emily and Kylie.

This is my brother Rob and my Dad-Larry (stepdad) working the huge grill. There was no absence of grilled meat at this party, and it was quite delicious!

The preceding pictures were literally the calm before the storm. The evening ended with a tornado that came through (causing some damage to the horse barn, garden, and a few very large trees), but God spared our lives and kept us free from injury for which I am very grateful!

When you see God's power and handiwork displayed in such powerful storms as tornadoes it is a reminder that God is truly in control of all things and we are fooling ourselves to think otherwise.

For this day, from the beginning to the end, I stand with the psalmist and say:

Praise the LORD!
Praise O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD!
Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its going down the LORD’s name is to be praised.
Psalm 113: 1-3

Evangelism Evening 07/16/10

This Evangelism Evening I headed out to a parade. The Sherburne County Fair was going on, and they were starting this evening with a parade. Hundreds and hundreds of people lined the streets waiting for the parade to start, so I walked around and handed out gospel tracts while they waited. Unbeknownst to me, I wandered into the parade line up where the participants were waiting for the signal to join the parade procession. Again, lots and lots of people, just waiting, killing time. The energy of that particular crowd didn't really lend itself to one on one conversation (in my chicken estimation, anyway), but they happily took tracts from me.

Please pray the message of the gospel will be read and responded to by those who received it.

Reminder: If you're looking for a way to evangelize in your community. Find a gospel tract that you like, load up your pockets or purse, PRAY, and head out to a local parade about 45 minutes before it starts. This is a great way to "get your feet wet" in the world of evangelism. You won't find an easier venue than this.

Happy Birthday, Mama!

Today is my mom's birthday. I am grateful for a relationship with my mother. She is small (4'11" tall so she recently discovered--a real shock to her--she was sure she was 5' 1-1/2" despite our insistings to the contrary). She is spunky and loves the Lord, and I love her!

My mom's name is Clara, and she is originally from the hills of West Virginia. She has lived in Minnesota for over 40 years but has not lost her accent (though she will adamantly insist, "I sound just like you do.").

She is probably the most creative person I know, and I have benefited from those genes.

She has one speed: Fast. She can work circles around me. She's a bit of a clean freak. One day my dad-Larry said to her, "You need a hobby." She said, "Yeah, I don't really have any hobbies, other than cleaning." Dad-Larry said, "That is not a hobby!" She wasn't convinced.


She lives an hour north of us. Though that is relatively close, as years go by, it doesn't feel close enough.

She is a frequent visitor and commenter on this blog (she loves to check out Cookie Baking Night and see what the grand kids are up to). She goes by the name Anonymous.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

Cookie Baking Night 7/12/10

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attedance this evening: Carissa and Emily. Carissa turned 5 years old on July 1. As is our Cookie Baking Night tradition, tonight was Carissa's choice.
For supper she chose: Macaroni and cheese, french fries, and strawberries.
For the cookie she chose: M&M cookies.
The secret to a colorful M&M cookie is to put a few M&Ms in the batter and use the rest to roll the cookie in. The girls like that part.
As is our custom as well, we read from Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland. Tonight we read lesson 32 titled "Jesus Came From Heaven". Some good discussion followed the lesson, and Emily read John 3:16-17 for us from the Bible.
We topped off our birthday evening together by watching a little "Finding Nemo" (Carissa's favorite, tonight anyway).
As usual, a fun time was had by all.

Cute story of the evening: As we sat down to eat supper I said, "It's just us tonight, girls. Uncle Greg is away on business." Carissa looked at me sincerely and said, "When he comes back, are you going to give him a big hug?" I assured her that would be the case.

Evanagelism Testimony 7/9/10

This Evangelism Evening I leave you with the testimony of Charo Washer (Paul Washer's wife). It's a pretty interesting testimony of a woman married to a man who preached the gospel powerfully and faithfully all around the country for years yet she was a false convert. It's a long recording (about 18 minutes), but it's worth a listen and I encourage you to do so.

The Progression of Sin

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

James 1:14-15

Wisdom From Proverbs

I've been struggling this week and last with a coworker at my place of employment. We've been working through a communication issue with another department, and I find myself wanting to say much more than is necessary for resolution of the issue.

As I was preparing for my church ladies' Bible study tonight, God reminded me of how the fool uses his tongue. Ouch! Praise the Lord for the conviction of His Word!

Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his own opinion.

Proverbs 18:6
A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

Proverbs 18:7
A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Evangelism Evening 07/03/10

Tonight, Greg and I headed out to the local 4th of July fireworks gathering to pass out gospel tracts.

In our area, the fireworks display is done from the high school (about 2 miles from our house), and it is always held on the day before the holiday. A couple hours before the fireworks display is scheduled, people start showing up by the car/truck/van loads to get a good spot.

They gather in the library parking lot and surrounding field across the street. It's a time when hundreds of people are just sitting around killing time. A perfect time to walk around and hand out gospel tracts.

My photographer was with me this evening, so we have a few pictures of the event.

I post these pictures this evening so that you can see that this is relatively easy to do. If the quiet girl on the block can do this, then I assure you, you can too. I was using the optical illusion and the 4th of July million dollar bill gospel tracts.

My prayer is that the people who received the gospel this evening will take the message home and in their quiet and sober moments read the gospel message. I pray that God will grant them the gift of repentance and they will put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation.

The Price of Freedom

In light of the upcoming holiday here in America to celebrate our freedom in this country, I thought I'd share with you a post from my Grace Gems daily e-mail feed (www.gracegems.org) addressing our freedom in Christ, a far greater treasure to be sure.

The price of our freedom

(James Smith, "The Pastor's Morning Visit")

"Christ has made us free!" Galatians 5:1

We were once the slaves of sin, Satan, and the world; but Jesus has made us free!

We are now delivered from the law--and are under grace.

We are dead to sin--and are justified from it.

We are delivered from Satan--and are at war with him.

We overcome the world--and are hastening out of it.

We are at liberty to serve God, and walk with Him in friendship and holy love.

The price of our freedom--was the life and death of Jesus!

The grand moving cause--was the infinite and everlasting love of God our Father.

The efficient cause of our freedom--was the power and operation of the Holy Spirit.

The instrument by which we are brought into our freedom--is the holy gospel.

The grace which puts us into possession of our freedom--is faith.

The end of our freedom--is that we may serve our God in righteousness and holiness all the days of our life, and then be glorified with Him forever!

We are freed from sin--that we may be holy and happy.

Let us stand fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free!