Words from DiGoutreach.com

Unknown Pursuer

2012-01-16T19:23:00.017-05:00

Ryan Messenger took one last look out the front door of his third story New York apartment building before gently easing it closed. Not content that he hadn’t missed someone lurking behind him in the long apartment hallway, he opened the only thing between himself and the outside world one more time, as if to satisfy a case of OCD he didn’t really have, then took the time to secure the multiple locks. Such was the paranoia in New York anyhow but today Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been followed to his 45^th Street abode. The light from the kitchen made a path from the front door back to it's source but that didn’t stop Ryan from tripping over Patches, his cat, as he made his way towards the refrigerator. Ryan, on edge from the sense of being followed anyhow, screamed a couple expletives at his cat of 7 years before finally making it into the kitchen. Ryan was culinary challenged so his kitchen was really only a kitchen in the sense that it had a stove, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a set of knives given to him as a housewarming gift. In reality it was an over-sized beer storage center and he went for the central hub now. He reached past the milk that could have easily passed for cottage cheese if you saw it or maggots having a cookout if you smelled it, and started to grab the last Sam Adams Lager. Just then the phone rang cutting through the silence of the dwelling like a surgeon’s scalpel cuts skin. Ryan, startled, hastily reared his head and smacked the back of it on the bottom of the freezer. He cursed under his breath and went over to the wall to answer it. Why he still had a landline phone was beyond him. Ryan only ever used his smart phone so, unless he just wanted to call 911 and not reach the Highway Patrol, his home phone was completely unnecessary. He looked at the phone’s caller ID. “UNKOWN CALLER’. “Hello?” Ryan answered. Long silence. “Hello?”

Finally after another short absence of noise, the silence on the other end was broken. “LIARRRRRRRR!” “What? Who is this?” Ryan demanded. “LIARRRRRRRRRR!” This time the word was emitted in more of a shriek that caused Ryan to drop the phone and back pedal towards the dining area. He tripped over the rug in the doorway. The turquoise colored Navajo styled floor covering caused Ryan to fall and hit his back on the table. Ryan fell to the floor in pain. He scooted towards the wall and leaned against it, giving momentary relief to his lower back area. The comfort didn’t last long. The word liar was being repeated over the phone’s handset, loud enough for Ryan to still hear though the phone was eight feet away from where he now sat. His heart began to beat fast and loud. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. He couldn’t calm down. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!! Only that wasn’t his heart. It was a booming sound coming from the front door that seemed to echo his over-revved heart. As Ryan made his way to the door he flipped on all the lights along the way, revealing what could not be seen before. A mostly clean apartment, decorated in a southwestern theme that matched the rug that had seemingly grabbed him in the kitchen. For someone who would consider himself not clumsy, Ryan’s two mishaps in just minutes were a bit unnerving. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. He didn’t have time to consider his new found shortcomings. A look toward the door terrified him. Hadn’t he locked it already? There was now nothing to keep whatever was banging on the door from coming in. Perhaps it was in already. The thought nearly stopped him in his tracks. Ryan in an instant thought it better to be safe than sorry and ran to lock the door.

The third set of booming knocks came just as Ryan had finished locking the third lock. He turned, bolted away from the door and clambered over the couch. As he looked back toward his only legitimate exit, the lights in his small, overpriced New York apartment flickered then went out. Ryan had had enough. He ran to his room where he kept a 9mm pistol in the upper right corner of his closet, above where his extensive comic book collection resided. He reached up, grabbed the Px4 Storm and verified that it was ready to go. Confident that he was now prepared to take on whoever had been following him, Ryan retraced his steps back through the darkened dwelling. A light orange glow had settled in the living room from what was left of the daylight as well as some scattered outside lighting. Was his the only apartment that didn’t have power? Ryan flipped the hallway switch to be certain. Nothing. He continued into the living room and his right foot caught the corner of his computer chair. The chair swiveled and bumped the keyboard tray causing the mouse to move slightly. Ryan’s computer monitor came to life. A black background with the word “ADULTERER” in bright red was now displayed on the unpowered screen. “How in the-“? The thought only dwelled in his synapses for an instant as he caught movement out of his left eye. Ryan turned quickly and brought his Beretta pistol to bear and squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was promptly replaced by the shattering of his street facing window. Ryan’s heart skipped a beat in panic. He knew that he had to get out of this apartment. The walls seemed to be closing in all around him. He needed to regain his composure. Ryan finally settled down a bit and got control of his thoughts. Who was this that was after him? Who would be calling a good person like Ryan a liar and an adulterer? Ryan’s reassurance of his own goodness gave him new buoyancy. Whoever it was had to have the wrong guy. And with this new confidence that his pursuer had to be following the wrong trail, a fresh found courage was born. Ryan called upon this audacity and proceeded to the front door and unlocked it.

Ryan slowly lost his nerve again as he pulled the door back and extended his gun out into the pitch black hallway. If there was someone or something there, he wouldn’t have been able to see. He couldn’t even see the polymer gun in his hand for the black background. Ryan had been so flustered that he had forgotten about the tactical light that hung from the Storm’s picatinny rail. Light filled the hallway as Ryan switched it to the ON position. No immediate threat directly in front of him. Ryan came out from the relative safety that the half open door had afforded him and he entered the hallway. He swung the deadly light in both directions. There was nothing in either direction that he could see. Figuring the elevator to not be in working condition, he went to the right. He proceeded cautiously to the end of the hallway where the emergency stairs, he hoped, waited to grant his escape from whatever predator was after him. Ryan reached the door, pushed down on the handle and tried to pull it open. The door did not budge though there were no locks or restrictions to be found. Ryan ran back towards his apartment using his tactical light to ensure that he stayed in the center of the hallway to avoid tripping over a potted plant or an obligatory “Welcome” mat. Past the door of his apartment he ran and stopped in horror as he realized the elevator was open and waiting for him. A lucky coincidence on any other day but with the power out it made Ryan’s skin become like gooseflesh. Finally he stepped in and pushed the button marked “L”. He was as low as he could get, yet he made the descent to be sure.

The doors slowly opened as a slight ding sound overcame the terrible Michael Bolton cover song. Maybe it was Kenny G. Either way he was glad to be free from the barrage on his ears. At least the music had momentarily distracted him from thinking about what was actually going on. Escape. He rounded the fountain in the lobby area and strode towards the front door. He slipped on something in the darkened lobby. It was still early, a little after 6pm, but Daylight Savings time was over and there was barely a hint of light coming in to help his vision. Re-establishing his footing, he shone the light to reveal a word written in red liquid. Murderer He turned quickly as he heard a sound from behind him where the elevator was. It had slammed shut. He panned the lobby with his gun, the light revealing the same word, murderer, written multiple times on every wall, on the floor, the ceiling and even on the fountain. Ryan wasted no more time. He ran towards the front double front doors and went through them with a crash, rolling nearly all the way to the street. He lost hold of his pistol somewhere between the doors and the curb so he went back to retrieve it before finally running East. He found a taxi cab with the engine running about a block down. The driver had probably had run into the corner liquor store for smokes. Ryan didn’t care why the driver was gone or where he was. He slid into the driver’s seat and took off. He drove in circles for a bit around the confined city roads before pulling over in front of the Mid Manhattan Library at Bryant Park.

He set the Px4 storm on the passenger seat and leaned his head back. Then the terror set in again. Whatever it is that is chasing him is not human. It couldn’t be! Ryan’s now wide eyes revealed to his brain the word “THIEF” which was scratched into the smelly cab’s roof liner just above his head! He bolted from the car in sheer panic and ran up the steps to the doors of the library. He had hoped some sort of safety would be waiting behind the entrance. Ryan must have forgotten that the library, which was normally open until 8pm, closed at 6pm on Saturdays. Safety would have to be found elsewhere. He turned back around to where he had left the taxi waiting but it was gone. Stolen? Vanished? Natural? Supernatural? What was going on? Ryan took off running through the park. His footsteps could hardly keep up with the pace of his heartbeat. His chest felt as if it would explode. That’s when he heard them. The sounds of footsteps close behind him. These ones were keeping up with his racy heart. That only meant one thing. Whatever or whoever it was, was gaining on him. “O my-“He didn’t have time to finish his blasphemous expletive. Fire erupted in front of Ryan. He had to stop regardless of what pursued him. As the wall of flame died down a piercing word came in from behind him. It sounded so horrible, like a million mosquitoes hitting a high powered bug zapper at once. “Blasphemer!!” Ryan bolted away from the sound, leaping over the settled down flame. As he looked down, he realized that the word blasphemer had not only been verbalized but it was also burnt into the nicely manicured park lawn.

The footsteps behind him started again. Ryan went for his hand gun. Maybe he could keep his pursuer at bay with a few warning shots. Ryan could have done just that if the Px4 was actually on his person. He had left it in the cab that had disappeared!! All hope was lost in Ryan’s mind. He made his way to the tall building in front of him still being pursued by who or whatever was chasing him. As impossible as it seemed, Ryan had to get away from this monster. In through the front door he went, up the stairwell, all the way to the roof. This was it. He had nowhere to go. Ryan rounded the edges of the top of the building looking for any alternatives. Across the skyline you could hardly see where the buildings ended and the cool night sky began. It was almost serene. Finally a billboard caught his eye. “Idolater” was the sole word written on the illuminated sign. The door to the stair well crashed closed. Ryan looked towards the only way back out that had just been closed off to him. The door had words written it. Liar. Adulterer. Murderer. Thief. Blasphemer. Idolater. Ryan had only a couple feet between him and the edge of the building. The footsteps were coming at him now in a slow, eerie, march of doom. Ryan must have misjudged how much room he had left on the perilous rooftop because his calves hit on the small wall that lined the top of this building’s roof. As Ryan stumbled he reached back to try to brace himself but could not. He went over and, as it always has since the beginning of time, gravity worked. Ryan flew towards the concrete below, now screaming. “I’m good!!” “I’m not guilty!!” He thought he could hear a final shout from his pursuer who looked down at Ryan, reaching out a hand as if he was there to save him the whole time. “I. Bear. Witness!” The ground was coming faster now.Ryan could see the cracks in the sidewalk. Nothing could save him now. Time. For. Impact.

Ryan’s head jerked back from the pillow as it hit, and then laid itself back down in the puddle of warm drool. Ryan shook off the experience, rolled over, and sat up in his bed. Who hasn’t had the dream where you are falling? The problem was that Ryan had had that dream every night for the past week after his best friend died at age 32. The realization that someone can die at any time had haunted him over this past 7 days. He saw his friend as invincible. He thought the same of himself. He knew better now. But the dreams. Tonight was the first night that the dream of falling had been accompanied by the chase. Ryan thought about that. After a moment’s reflection, he realized exactly who that pursuer was now. The Unknown Pursuer had revealed itself. Yesterday Ryan had sat and listened to a street preacher up on a box talking. The preacher talked about the exact words from Ryan’s dream. The man, about Ryan’s age talked about God’s Holiness and about Judgment. About how if you have told a lie, you are a liar and that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire according to the Bible. The preacher talked of how even lust was adultery and hatred was murder. No thief would inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and God will not hold anyone blameless who misuses His name. Ryan never argued that he had ever put God first in his life but he let the preacher know before heading home that he was a good person and was not guilty of breaking any Law of God though the evidence was clearly stacked against him. The pursuer in his dream was his conscience. There was no doubt about that in light of the conversation with the man on the street. The conscience is not something he could escape from because it’s inside him. Chasing him down from the inside and reminding him of his guilt. Letting Ryan know that the “all” in, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” applies to him as well as every other person in the world.

Ryan didn’t want to endure this haunting dream every night. The fall was bad enough but the chase. The chase was insufferable. It was terrifying to him. What had the preacher said Ryan needed to do? Repent and believe the Gospel? To turn from sin and trust that God sent His Son Jesus, fully God and fully man to live a perfect life and then die on the cross for Ryan’s sins. To believe that He rose again on the third day, defeating sin and death so that he could have eternal life and escape the punishment due to him in Hell. Ryan realized from the preacher’s words and through his dream that he wasn’t good enough to go to Heaven on his own merit. He had broken every one of God’s commandments and would indeed be guilty if he were to die and be judged today. His own conscience bore witness that he was guilty before a Holy God. He knew that now. Ryan turned from sin and trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross. The dreams, nightmares really, stopped. Ryan was never chased by his conscience again. The Unknown Pursuer was still with Ryan but it was now unmasked and a welcome friend. God had taken his sin from him as far as the East is from the West. Sleep well Ryan Messenger. Sleep well.

Romans 2:15-16

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶ on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Faith in Practice-Start the Year Off Right

2012-01-10T10:29:00.003-05:00

For those who read by pictures you might think that I am implying that you run off with a kid that is not yours to start the new year. Um....no. That child is supposed to be Mephibosheth and he gives us a great example in scripture of how our heart attitude should be. What do I mean? We all throw around quotes from Jesus and the Bible like, "My grace is sufficient for you" or "considering others more significant than yourselves" or even about "being heirs of God with Christ". That all sounds great but do we really do that when it comes down to it? Mephibosheth did. We are talking about a kid who's father and grandfather died in battle. He was dropped by his nurse after she hastily tried to flee with him upon hearing about their deaths rendering his legs lame. He was taken in by David only to be later betrayed and slandered by Ziba who was given all that belonged to Mephibosheth! In spite of all of this, Mephibosheth maintained the correct attitude; one that we should be mindful of. After he had cleared his name with King David, Mephibosheth was going to be restored and given back all that he had lost as a result of Ziba's lies. What did he do? He actually considered "others more significant" and let Ziba keep it all!! Can you imagine? Look at his attitude and what he says to the King in verse 28. "All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?” Shouldn't our attitude be the same. Aren't we also deserving of nothing but death and an eternity in hell, wretched sinners that we are? Think Ananias and Saphira(Ever told a lie?). But God has brought us in and given us a place at His table through His Son Jesus Christ. So when we go through an uncomfortable spot in life and like Paul are asking for it to be removed let's remember how bad Mephibosheth had it. Let's remember how "My grace is sufficient for you" was put into practice by someone who didn't even know the Lord Jesus. If we truly do know Jesus Christ, no "light momentary affliction" should move us to complain or feel sorry for ourselves in light of the fact that we are adopted heirs and have a place at the King of kings' table reserved for us in Heaven. So my New Years resolution and my prayer for you...Do all things without grumbling or questioning and to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. These two things will go a long way in letting your light shine before men so that God in Heaven would be glorified. SDG!

Romans 8:16-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

180 Movie

2011-09-26T18:05:00.008-04:00

Warning: Intended for Mature Viewers. Content may not be suitable for all age groups.

Visit http://www.180movie.com for more info and click HERE to order this fantastic documentary. Make sure you share this with your friends and family!! Lastly, be sure to "Like" the 180 Movie on Facebook by clicking here!! God bless, Team DiG

What people are saying about 180 Movie:

“We live in an age where Satan rules the pool of the internet and all of his “disciples” dive in after him. Well, God didn’t waste time dipping His toes in the water to chase them out of the pool. He cannonballs in with this amazing documentary on Hitler, the holocaust, and abortion and it’s party over for the devil and his pro-choice followers! There’s absolutely no limit to what God can do with this YouTube gem from Ray Comfort and Living Waters! Even amid the already present controversy surrounding the film, people’s minds will be changed not only as it pertains to abortion but also to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The “180” has begun. ”- DiGoutreach.com

"This movie is awesome! Notice that those nay-sayers here can't argue with the logic of Ray Comfort! Instead they resort to name calling.... can't get past shallow thinking! For those that can think beyond the surface level of things, this documentary speaks volumes of truth about what is going on and the similarities to what happened in Germany."-Lee Ebbs

"This documentary does a GREAT job presenting the truth of the present-day holocaust and the gospel is presented clearly also, in keeping with the Great Commission. Well done!! If you have not watched "180" yet, what are you waiting for?"-Jeff Libby

"Great comparison, great documentary. Sadly, many will remain blinded by Satan (2 Cor 4:4). Pray that God would let them see and that He alone will be glorified by this powerful movie, "180"! Soli Deo Gloria"-Virgil Patterson

"Simply jaw dropping! Praise Jesus and all glory to God alone."-Mark Sixteen-Fifteen

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you"-God (Jeremiah 1:5)

He'll

2011-09-07T08:41:00.004-04:00

"If we spent 5 minutes in Hell, it would make an evangelist out of us"-Philip DeCourcy

Look at this picture and it will tell you a lot about where our society is today as a whole. Everyone wants to get rid of a little place called Hell. Even the spell check on my iPhone has gotten in on the act of trying to rid society the idea of this horrible, horrible place by changing Hell to He'll. With such an assault on this place that is the fiery eternity for the unrighteous, I am so thankful to go to a church that is not afraid of the doctrine of Hell. After all the Bible is clear that it is a real place, just like Heaven is a real place. Jesus, speaking of Heaven, says in John 14, "And if I go and prepare a place for you". Neither Heaven or Hell is just a state of mind like many in our culture would have us believe. Sadly even many in the church have fallen into thinking this way. Whether you believe that we are in Hell right now or that it's just a particular event in your life you go through, these ideas are not biblical in any fashion. Jesus spoke of Hell more than anyone. He spoke of a place where the "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched". A place where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth". Not only is Hell a real place, it is also an eternal, conscious punishment for those that do not repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation. Many who try to do away with the doctrine of Hell have come up with the idea of annihilation. The idea that people who don't come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ just simply cease to exist. That's what the people who come to your door on Saturday mornings believe. The concept of annihilation is worthy of cult status, not biblical Christianity. If you really think hard about it, does it really make sense that someone can do whatever they want their whole lives and just cease to exist? No eternal consequences for Hitler, child molesters, rapists and murderers. They get to have their own little "Heaven" on earth and then they are just gone? I don't think so and neither does the Bible. Consider the words of Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, in his epistle. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. You see punishment, just like reward of Heaven, is eternal and Eternity is a long time to be wrong about Hell. I just want to finish by reminding you that the word gospel means "good news". The good news is that if you repent and trust in Christ you will have everlasting life. This gospel message only makes sense if there is a flip side, or bad news. The bible says that there is and that bad news is Hell. If we are in Hell now or if we are just going to cease to exist, then the good news doesn't make any sense at all. Pastor Philip DeCourcy's quote at the top of this page would mean nothing apart from Hell being a real place. The bible says we will walk the earth 0nce, then judgment. Sadly, our society takes God out of everything from schools to courthouses. Kids have almost zero knowledge of right and wrong. Now even the spell check on our "smart phones", which most kids are glued to these days, is trying to take away the idea of Hell. We need to make sure everyone we know understands that Hell is very real because Satan, the god of this world, will use everything in his "power"(yes, even spell check) to have you believe otherwise. Judgment is on it's way. The consequences of sin is God's wrath. Hell not He'll. Believers share the Gospel. Non-believers, please repent and believe the Gospel.

Here is a great 3 part sermon by Pastor Philip DeCourcy regarding Hell
How Can Modern Man Believe In Hell? - Pt. 1
How Can Modern Man Believe In Hell ? Pt. 2
How Can Modern Man Believe In Hell? - Pt. 3

Matthew 25:46

English Standard Version (ESV)

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Awesome Paul Washer Sermon

2011-08-31T00:16:00.003-04:00

Below here is a video of a great sermon by Paul Washer as well as the transcript of a particularly powerful segment of this sermon. Enjoy.

"Let’s imagine that I show up late and I run up here on the platform,and all the leaders are angry with me and say, “Brother Paul, don’t you appreciate the fact you’regiven an opportunity to speak here and you come late?”And I’d say, “Brothers, you have to forgive me.”“Well, why?”“Well, I was out here on the highway, and I was driving and I had a flat tire and I got out tochange the tire, and when I was changing the tire, the lug nut fell off, and I wasn’t payingattention that I was on the highway and I ran out and I grabbed the lug nut, and as soon as I picked it up in the middle of the highway, I stood up and there was a 30-ton logging truck going120 miles an hour about ten yards in front of me, and it ran me over and that’s why I’m late.” Now, there would only be two . . . I know no one studies logic anymore, but there would only betwo logical conclusions. One, I’m a liar or, two, I’m a madman. You would say, “Brother Paul,it’s absolutely absurd. It is impossible, Brother Paul, to have an encounter with something aslarge as a logging truck and not be changed.”And then my question would be to you––What is larger? A logging truck or God? How is it thatso many people today profess to have had an encounter with Jesus Christ, and, yet, they are not permanently changed?"-Paul Washer

Mark 1:15

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁵and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

Blood in Blood out

2011-08-30T10:51:00.027-04:00

Warning: Intended for Mature Readers. Content may not be suitable for all age groups.

Flaco walked slowly toward the waiting Chevy Impala, looking back over his right shoulder to make sure no one was watching the scene. Flaco wanted to be certain that his busybody neighbors weren't focused on him and his waiting "homies". He then looked back over his left shoulder to acknowledge the door being slammed by his girlfriend Marisol. It wasn't her house nor was it Flaco's. It was his parent's house of 34 years. She was there due to lack of options since her parents kicked her out of their house for dating a known criminal. Flaco's parents didn't really like either of them being there but were fearful to say much. She turned back to the slamming door just in time see the Crucifix bounce gently back into place on the wall to the left of the entryway. She then looked out the small window in the door to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend's skinny, tattooed leg being pulled into the car. Those legs with his zip code, 90023, tatted on them were the source of his street name Flaco. His parents, girlfriend and the local East Los Angeles postman all called him by his real name which was Hector Guzman.

Hector had been in and out of jail for what he deemed "small time stuff". Drugs, thefts, fights, etc. All those were child's play compared to what he was headed for now. Blood in, Blood out. He was on his way to accomplish the "Blood in" part of joining one of the most feared gangs in his neighborhood. What that means is that someone is about to have lived their last day. Murder. 150,000 people die each day; this would just be one of them. As Chuey's Impala rolled along, all of its inhabitants were quiet. The only sound was that of an old school Kid Frost rap pounding from the top of the line, stolen sound system. "This is for la raza". The thought reverberated through Flaco's mind as he pondered who his target would be. Mother of four? Policeman? Office worker? How many lives would be impacted by the death of one? That didn't matter to him. So long as one person went down, Flaco was in.

Flaco looked down as the car rolled on. His eyes followed the gold chain he wore down past a tattoo of two roses, the stems of which intertwined through and around two matching pistols. One of the guns had his name on the barrel; the other read "Marisol". The names matched the roses, having a deep red color. The diamond cut chain ended with a hanging, graven image of Christ on the cross which rested on an oversized picture of the Virgin Mary tattooed on his chest. He pulled it out from under his wife-beater style tank top, kissed it and slid it back into place. Flaco, like his family and most of the people in his hood , was born into the Catholic religion. He had done all the works that the Church deemed necessary for salvation. He was baptized as an infant. He had done his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Even to this day he prayed the Rosary regularly and he still went to church when he wasn't too hung-over. He took communion on those days when he felt like getting up and "doing something for Jesus". Flaco's mind raced as he thought about his upcoming murderous deed but remembering that he had given up video games for Lent, which started today, was somehow comforting to him. In Flaco’s mind, his 40 day sacrifice might somehow help outweigh the bad he had done and all he was going to do. As he wrestled with all of these thoughts, sweat rolled down his forehead and blurred the already smudged ashes that he had gotten on his forehead earlier this morning.

Flaco hoped that all these religious duties would be a sufficient offering (or even bribe if you wanted to call it that) to God in spite of all the sin in his life. After all, he was washed of the original sin as a baby right? Didn't that mean he was saved and could live however he wanted and do whatever he felt like doing? That's the example he was given throughout childhood. His parents lived with no fear of the Lord and they were supposed to have the same "faith" that he did. Yet every Sunday after church, Alejandro Guzman, Hector's father would shout out expletives accompanied by God's name to express his dislike with people's driving in the church parking lot. Alejandro would deny this in the company of certain people which made sense since lying was never an issue for him. As a matter of fact, Flaco’s dad was pretty much the person who taught him how to lie. A partial truth is a whole lie would have been the opposite of Guzman motto. Not only that, Alejandro had cheated on Hector's mother, Maria, several years ago. He had done so more than just that time but that was the only instance he got caught. Maria was no saint either even though she had somehow forgiven Alejandro for his transgressions. She coveted things. That coveting almost always led to theft. She was guilty of not only stealing, but also teaching her son Hector how to do so as well. Who knows how many free things she and her son had gotten from the Walgreens near their house? None of it was of great value but did that matter Flaco thought? Stealing is stealing. He knew because he was guilty of theft too. He, however, had moved on from his mother’s petty theft of nail polish remover and candy bars to cars and money. Did he still have a conscience? The notion brought him back to what he was on his way to do and trying to justify it. Was murder so different than the things his mom and dad did on a regular basis? Weren't blasphemy, adultery, lying, coveting and theft all part of the 10 Commandments handed down by the God of their religion? What would make murder different? He could just go to church Sunday if he didn’t get caught by man’s law and say a few prayers and be ok. He could work off his own sin right? If his parents could be religious and still blatantly live in sin, Flaco felt he should be just fine with his breaking of God's Law.

Chuey mashed on the gas to catch the yellow light and the acceleration brought Flaco back to the situation at hand. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back to see a Beretta 9mm pistol being handed to him from the back seat. Lil' Piaso was quiet as a mouse back there but he spoke volumes with just a nod and another thrust forward of the "acquired" handgun. Flaco grabbed it and knew that it was time. Who knows what other weapons Piaso had back there? The '64 Impala screeched to a halt in front of the Pacific Commerce 14 Theater. The door was already opening and out came Flaco with Beretta in hand. He ran up to the closest person and began to raise the 9mm pistol to her head. He tried to steady the gun and his shaking, sweaty hand. As the girl turned toward Flaco, a nearby woman screamed. The young girl tried to process what she was seeing. What she was looking at was a loaded, shaking gun pointed at her face and a skinny, tattooed, pale faced Mexican with eyes that looked as if they were beginning to water. She dropped to her knees before he had a chance to pull the trigger and she began to pray. Flaco seemed unmoved by the girls last ditch effort for salvation. That's when it happened. He looked over to an upcoming movie poster. "Priest" was the name of the movie. The titular character was perched on a building. The poster said only one thing besides the title. REPENT. He lowered the instrument of death as he pondered the word. What did that mean? Chuey and Lil' Piaso yelled for him to hurry from the blue Chevy. "Rapido, rapido!!" He couldn't move. Something had grabbed a hold of his heart. The word repent captivated him. At that moment he realized that all of his attempts to follow church tradition meant nothing. He was supposed to turn from sin in response to what Christ had done on the cross for him. He couldn't continue with the lies and the blasphemy and the stealing anymore. He certainly couldn’t go through with a murder. God's grace wasn't a license to continue sinning like his family had demonstrated to him all of these years. He looked down once again at the sobbing teenager before sliding the gun towards his impatient homies. Flaco took off running as fast as those skinny legs would take him.

Flaco had a small head start due to Lil' Piaso jumping from the back of the car to pick up the weapon which he had taken from his girlfriend’s father’s nightstand. He got back in the front seat and they took off after Flaco. The small tires chirped as the Dayton rims started spinning. The woman who had screamed called 911 and went to comfort the terrified would-be victim who was sitting in her own urine. Meanwhile, Flaco ran towards home. When he was almost there, he stopped in an alley that he thought would be safe and called Marisol. He told her that he didn't go through with it and that he had turned from that thug lifestyle to follow Jesus. She could hardly believe it. Marisol hung up the phone and packed up her things and left Flaco's parents house. She didn’t want him to go in the first place but his new condition was worse to her than his previous one. Hector, the name he had resolved to go by from now on, looked down at the phone. He knew she left but it didn't matter. He had finally found forgiveness. Hector had found true forgiveness with Christ as his Lord and not some sort of just-in-case Savior to be left on the back burner of life. Hector waited quite some time. When he figured the coast to be clear, he headed towards his parent's house. He actually didn't have much of a choice with the General Waste Disposal truck coming toward him down the one lane back road. He got to the end of the alley that was perpendicular to his street when he saw the front of the blue Impala. He had nowhere to go. The trash truck was blocking the only way back. He looked at the open window of the creeping Chevy. A face covered with a blue bandana and dark Ray-Ban sunglasses stared back at him along with a pump shotgun. He knew what was about to happen and he feared not. He knew now where he was going. Time seemed to crawl as Lil' Piaso pumped a shell into the chamber of the Mossberg shotgun and Hector reviewed his life. All those years of religious duties Hector and his family had partaken in meant nothing. Christ had done everything that needed to be done when He died on the cross then three days later rose again and defeated death. Blood in. "Sinners like me can get in to Heaven now thanks to His blood", thought Hector. At least he had the chance to tell one person the good news before this moment even though she didn't accept it. He wished he could have gotten a hold of his mom and dad. Maybe Truth could have triumphed over tradition with them too. Maybe it still will. Hector could no longer be a part of any of that. This was it. Repentance and trusting in Jesus alone for salvation alone was the only thing that helped him now as the flash came before his eyes and his life ended. Blood out.

Ephesians 2:13

English Standard Version (ESV)

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Proclaiming at the Car Show!

2011-08-20T23:10:00.001-04:00

So I had the pleasure of meeting some new friends down at the annual car show down in Wooster Ohio for some Evangelism. They have a prayer station and some old cars that were part of our setup. They close off the main street and allow folks to come in and setup their cars and allow folks to walk around admire their cars and all that they have done with them. There were many different types of cars and that brought a great crowd out. Jeff and his team had an amazing tract that they created for this specific event.

The front of it looked like this:

and on the back it had a great presentation of the Gospel!

So many people received these tracts and had great conversations that were both revealing and convicting. I personally had several amazing conversations with these particular tracts, I in fact put my million dollar bills away and used these exclusively! I would grab someone walking by and ask them if they could name the TV shows that these cars were from, most everyone got the first 3 only a few folks got the last one, "The Waltons" then I asked folks if they were good with the years of the cars, most were not so I didn't try that, I then went one of two ways I either asked them the question on the back of the card, "What's the number one cause of death in car accidents?" which then led into another question about what do you think it takes to get to Heaven, which resulted in most people saying something like being good enough or something to that effect or I had them turn the tract over and asked them if they would read the back and tell me what they thought of what it said. I learned this from Jeff and it really worked well, not only are they getting the Gospel but then they are telling you what they liked or didn't like about it and then you could go right from there. So I was able to engage a lot of people and most were really receptive to the Message, I was surprised how many conversations I had compared to rejections!

So all throughout the night our folks were giving away free raffle tickets for a chance to win a $30.00 Gas card. I missed the first one, basically what they did was announce to everyone when the next drawing was and that would draw a crowd, once the crowd got big enough they would share the Gospel via open air from the top of the back of the Dune Buggy they had. So I got to talking to Jeff as they were getting ready to do the next Open Air for the 2nd drawing and he asked me if I would do it? I agreed and so he prayed with me and away I went. I climbed up there and did my first open air to that size of a crowd in a venue like that so close to home. It was weird, I wasn't even nervous, I was so excited to be there and to be used for the Kingdom.

Once I finished I announced the winning numbers and when the folks came down to get their card I stepped down and shared the Gospel with them both, the man told me he just recently had a brush with death and was happy to be there that night. You see he was robbed by a dozen kids in Mansfield and beaten and left unconscious, he had his nose and arm broken and several other injuries as well. He was fortunate to be alive. I assured him God wasn't done with him yet and that conversation we were having was a divine appointment. We had a great conversation and they left thinking about all that they had heard. I pray that they come to true repentance and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ!

So many more conversations were had and people requesting prayers and there was one final drawing so my sister in Christ, Melissa got up on top of that Dune Buggy and delivered a reading from the Word followed by a great Open Air you can see it below:

What a great Outreach and amazing new friends I have met that are so passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission! I truly am excited for what God has in store.

August/September Recommended Reading-Slave

2011-08-19T11:55:00.004-04:00

Ben, our very own Death is Gain, sent me this book last month and I am finally getting around to reading it. To be honest I had a hard time putting it down even to write this. Slave, by John MacArthur, is an amazing look at what it truly means to have Jesus as the Master of your life. Of course if He is the Master, that necessarily makes His followers slaves. This book looks at all of that and it also takes time to look at some of the history of the Reformation. Please take the time to check out this book and find out what your true identity in Christ is today! There is also a study guide that allows slave to be used in a small group setting. If you are involved in some sort of shepherd group this would be a great book to go through together! Below are some links to where you can pick up your copy! Hope that it blesses you as it has me, Virg.

Christianbook.com

Grace to you

Berean

Romans 6:19

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.

Tears Like Rain

2011-08-15T11:27:00.008-04:00

The first drop hit her blue jeans. It didn't even have to time to spread out across the surrounding denim threads before the next one hit just an inch away on her right thigh. Almost simultaneously her left leg found itself in the storm of tears. I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. She reached up to stop the outpouring of sorrow in water form but two hands just weren't enough. It was like trying to put a piece of gum in the Hoover Dam to plug up an 8" hole. No one had ever seen the ten year old girl so upset before. As her parents, we tried to comfort her but the words barely seemed to help. God is sovereign. Her shoulders shook as she continued to try to be brave and hold back tears. She looked up at mom and me and gave a brave nod as we further explained the situation to our young girl. Lean not on your own understanding. Even though she had great understanding for a girl of her age, the sadness in her face began to intensify as the tears again slid down her long black eyelashes. What could incite this kind of reaction in a girl of only ten years? Was her fish found floating in the $9.99 tank from Petco? Did her favorite doll break after years of not being played with? Was she grounded from games and TV for a week? Surely those were too petty to get this upset about even for a fifth grader. Did a family member die? Once to die, then judgment. A close friend? Was someone in the hospital? As she ran to the bathroom to get some tissue, I thought that I had followed close behind to comfort. It was however, to learn. Make me know your ways, O Lord. I was amazed at the amount of tears one could emit at one time. Jesus wept. As I talked, she responded only with sobs and even more teardrops. It was then that I realized I was looking at the example. My eyes watered, my heart ached and I truly understood that I was witnessing the archetype for how every Christian should react if they had received the news that she just did. She reacted like Jesus would have. He knows the Truth, he just doesn't want to follow it. Someone she loves isn't saved.

Extra Life Charity Gaming Event Oct. 15th 2011

2011-07-27T15:54:00.014-04:00

Hey guys, it is that time of year again! Every year Team DiG participates in the Extra Life 24 hour charity gaming event. All proceeds go to children's hospitals within the Children's Miracle Network. So, the big question you might be having is,"where do the proceeds come from?" Well the short answer is...you! Team DiG needs your help in sponsoring one of our 3 participants, either Dan, Ben, or Virg. There are several ways that you can help out with this fantastic cause.

1. Monetarily
100% of all your tax-deductible donations go directly to helping the kids at these children's hospitals. The recommended donation is 1$ per hour($24) to sponsor the participants. If you can do more great! If not, every bit helps these kids. Just visit one of our team member's pages below and click "Support Me".

2. Teaming Up
Consider joining Team DiG in this effort. Just visit our team page(here) and join us by clicking "Join this team"! You can make your own page and raise money for a children's hospital in your area and start collecting donations for kids local to you!

3. Prayer Warriors
We understand that times are tough for many out there and you don't have the money to support something like this financially. Fortunately, prayer is free!! Pray that these kids would be healed for God's glory and that all funds generated would be used wisely by these hospitals to help out these kids in need. Pray also for the wisdom of the doctor's who are trying to help out these afflicted children. Also be sure to pray for the family members who are trying to deal with their kid being in a hospital for these days, weeks, even months and years. Lastly, pray that people would come to Christ in the midst of whatever trial they are going through. I came to Christ through my daughters sickness, maybe they can too.

So those are some ways you can help. Even if you are planning on doing one or both of the first two options, all of us should be doing option 3. Prayer changes things. Below are the links to our individual member's donation pages. If you can help out by sponsoring one of them, that would be fantastic. Thank you so much and God bless, Team DiG.

Sponsor Ben and support UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital by clicking here!

Sponsor Dan and support Children's Hospital Los Angeles by clicking here!

Sponsor Virgil and support Children's Hospital Orange County(CHOC) by clicking here!

Keep track of how Team DiG is doing below!!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&amp;amp;amp;amp;teamID=5152"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Make a Donation!&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Ephesians 2:10

English Standard Version (ESV)

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Classroom Shooting

2011-07-25T09:06:00.010-04:00

Warning: Intended for Mature Readers. Content may not be suitable for all age groups.

31 frightened, shivering students huddled together at the back of the classroom that is designed for 32. The teacher, known by his normally jovial bunch of kids as Mr. K, stepped over the thirty-second student. Mr. K took this step carefully, as to not slip in the blood that now covered the once white tile floor. He made his way toward the remaining students with his Kimber Custom II ACP .45 in hand, 7 shots left. The kids looked at the blood splattered mess of a teacher walking towards them and one of the girls screamed. He kept walking, ignoring the high pitched sound. Mr. K was standing above them now. With 7 rounds left in his gun, it would only take 8 student heroes at most to make this problem go away but no one was volunteering. He looked back to his desk of 18 years and the body on the floor; also 18 years old. Billy, gone. The remnant of trembling kids could not comprehend their formerly lovable teacher's actions. What happened? Divorce? Pay cut? Termination? They did not have to ponder any longer. "Freeze! Drop the weapon!" shouted the savior in blue with his state issued 9mm aimed at Mr. K's head. It was finished.

18 months later...

"How do you plea Mr. Khmelnitski?", asked the judge. A stunned crowd, judge, and jury looked in amazement as the chain bound ex-teacher boldly proclaimed, "not guilty!" Judge Grunnell leaned forward as his demeanor transitioned from amazement and shock to interest and curiosity. "The hallway camera caught the event on tape through the square shaped door window. You had traces of Billy Medeiros' DNA and blood on you at the time of arrest. There were 31 witnesses of the shooting and on top of all that a well established officer of the law found you at the scene with the murder weapon in hand. Can you explain this ridiculous plea to me please?", the judge of 27 years sarcastically inquired. The courtroom artist was completely incapable of capturing the look on the faces of the people present after what Mr. K replied. He said,"Well sir, I did more good than bad on that day. True I did kill one boy. But after that I did not kill 31. I had the means to do so. I had four 8 round clips with me that day. Not only that, before I went to the school that morning, I made arrangements to pay for two of my previous student's college education since I have no children. I have no plans to do anything wrong from this day forward. I would say my good outweighs my bad your honor and I am truly sorry."

Present day....

Please don't worry about Billy or Mr. K. They are fictional characters. The truly sad part is that there are real people out there who respond like Mr. K in regards to being guilty to the Law of God, the 10 commandments. So many of the people that I talk to out on the streets feel that they are good people and that their good deeds outweigh their bad. Some people think that repentance is just stopping sinful acts and that doing the right things from this point forward will be sufficient in the sight of a Holy God. It's a tough battle for people who are born again and who have the Holy Spirit as their guide and Christ as the Lord to walk a narrow path. To think that in an unregenerate state you can just all of the sudden do "good" for the rest of your life is absurd. The reality is, just like in the story above, doing good doesn't make up for being bad. Did it matter to the judge that the teacher in the story didn't kill 31 kids? Absolutely not! It only mattered that he did kill one. Mr. K could have paid every student's way through college, fed the homeless every day, contributed to charities, adopted kids, bought girl scout cookies outside every market in town, walked old ladies across streets, whatever. These good deeds would not have erased Billy's death in this case.

Now, back to God's Law. Apart from repentance and faith in Christ, God's wrath abides on unregenerate sinners. All have either lied, stolen or wanted something that did not belong to them, fornicated, adulterated, blasphemed, idolized, murdered(including hatred), or worse yet not put God first in their lives. To think that they would be able to stand before God on Judgment day with all of that against them and say, "but look at all the good I've done!" is woefully laughable. The Law was broken. It doesn't matter what good you do from that point on. So if just doing good from now on isn't good enough to get us into Heaven yet God want's us to go there, then there has to be something else. It would seem that all would be headed for Hell. Think of the story again. If Judge Grunnell in the tale is a good judge and has to punish Mr. K for his wrongdoing despite all of his "good" acts, just imagine our Judge on Judgment day. He is not only a good judge. He is a great, wonderful awesome, and amazing Judge! So with knowing all of that, if God is indeed a good Judge, He MUST punish sinners for their crimes against His Law. All of the good deeds in the world are not going to be taken into account in any way. So justice must be served...and it was. Jesus Christ. Fully God. Fully Man. He never sinned. He took the penalty for our sins. The justice that should have been taken out on us was taken out on Him on that cross that He died on all those years ago. He rose from the dead three days later, defeating sin and death. If we repent and trust in Him for salvation alone we can escape the punishment due to us in Hell. We broke God's Law, Jesus paid the fine. That means that God can throw our case out because justice has been served for our crimes against Him.

For my fellow street evangelists out there, this analogy of killing one student but not the rest has been effective for me when speaking with the lost. It really helps them see that their good won't undo the fact that they are already guilty. If you are not saved and are reading this, please realize your true state before a righteous and Holy God. Listen to your conscience. It bears witness of your guilt. Apart from repentance and faith in Christ you are daily storing up wrath for yourselves on the day of wrath and any attempts to do "good" from here on out are only attempts to bribe the great Judge. Today is the day of salvation. Ask, plead, beg God for salvation. Repent and believe the gospel. Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. Then read your bible daily and obey it.

2 Corinthians 5:21

English Standard Version (ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

June/July Recommended Reading-Ultimate Proof of Creation

2011-06-25T10:41:00.007-04:00

What happens when different groups of people look at the exact same evidence and come up with two completely different conclusions? Will one side ever be able to convince the other using the same information that has already caused them to believe what they already do? It's like having a bloody glove in a murder case. One side says, "the glove proves so-and-so was the murderer." The other side replies, "if the glove don't fit, you must acquit" while going out of their way to make it not fit. Likewise, in the creation vs evolution battle, we all have the same evidence. One side however goes out of their way to make the evidence "not fit" making their view of it totally impractical. So, if we cant use evidence to convince evolutionists that there was a Creator, what do we do? What is the Ultimate Proof of Creation?

This book by Dr. Jason Lisle from Answers in Genesis will help you use things like morality, laws of logic, and uniformity of nature to show how the biblical worldview is the only one that has any legs to stand on in these areas and how any attempt by the evolutionist to adhere to any of these is trespassing on christian grounds. This is a must read for anyone who is serious about sharing their faith with the new breed of people who oppose Christianity these days. There is also a DVD that accompanies this book which can be found here. Additionally there is an article on the Answers in Genesis website by Dr. Lisle called Evolution: The Anti-Science that you should check out. I highly recommend reading this so you can get a better idea of what kind of content you will find in the book. This is really great information!

Finally, I am embedding a video of an episode of On the Box from Way of the Master. It features Sye TenBruggencate(http://www.proofthatGodexists.org) talking about pre-suppositional apologetics. This episode is where I found out about Dr. Lisle's book from Sye as well as Chad Williams. Fortunately for me, my wife had already bought it about a year ago along with the DVD! If you read the book, leave us some comments and let us know what you think!

When Great Work Goes Unsaved

2011-06-16T10:34:00.023-04:00

Imagine working on a super important project for work, or school, or let's say even just for fun. You put hours, days, maybe perhaps years of research into this depending on what it is. It doesn't really matter whether it's a spreadsheet, a slideshow, or even just a Word document. What matters is the time and effort that has gone into your task. You feel great about the great things you have done to get this project in order. The idea has flowed from your brain to your computer screen better than you could have ever intended it to. You have found the perfect quotes, pictures, and anecdotes to go with your ideas. You hit spell check and find that, as usual, there are no squiggly red lines under any words. Everything is spelled correctly. There are no green squigglies to indicate run-on sentences or fragments. Just as you begin to pat yourself on the back and reflect on how great you are, the screen goes black. Your computer begins to smoke. The computer just died and all of your work with it. You look down at the Lexar 16gb USB flash drive with the horrible realization. "I never saved."

Now for a moment picture your life as your work. Maybe you have lived a great life. Masters degree on the wall. You don't drink. You don't swear. You've never been to jail. Never even gotten as much as a parking ticket. You go work at homeless shelters a couple times a month and even swing by church on Christmas and Easter or to light an occasional candle or two. The final "period" of your work is the Ugandan refugee boy that you adopted last year. Your self righteousness is at an all time high. The world just looks at you and says, "man, that is one great person!" If there was a "spell check" of life, yours would be devoid of any red marks. You of course pat yourself on the back in agreement. The drunk driver that just t-boned your car isn't impressed. Now your computer screen goes black. Life is over. Your good works didn't save you as indicated by the flames, anguish and screams of torment. Hell is real and you and the other people who thought good was good enough are there, wondering why.

Hell is the destiny, sadly, for many people who the world would consider "good". This fiery Eternity is also the end result for people in works based religious systems. As sad as it may seem, being good and doing good works and being religious just won't cut it on our day in Eternal Court. We are not going to be able to bribe the Judge with our righteous deeds, kind acts, and religious fulfillment of duties on Judgment Day. The only way to satisfy God's wrath is the only Way He gave us. Jesus Christ. John 14:6 tells us, "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He makes no mention of any other "way" to the Father. There is no "auto save". You are not going to Heaven because your mom is a Christian or because you fed the homeless. You are not going to get past the pearly gates by way of infant baptism, ashes on your forehead once a year or flying a plane into a building. All of those are religious "duties" and none are sufficient. Remember what Jesus told the religious people of his day after He gave the list of righteous activities they would display for him. "Depart from me, all you workers of evil." Why is this the case? Because it doesn't matter if you like to go to Church once in a while to make yourself feel better. It won't matter if you've fed every homeless person from Los Angeles to Amarillo if you have ever told one lie. Even a lie, which is minor in human estimation, is punishable by the Lake of Fire according to the Bible. If you use your eyes to look with lust, that is adultery according to Jesus. Hatred is murder according to 1 John 3:15. These are just 3 of the 10 Commandments. We are all guilty regardless of whatever good deeds we have done or how religious we are.

Now some are going to say, "doesn't the Bible say that faith without works is dead?" Well yes, yes it does. What this means is that you should do good things if you are saved so that you will be known as a Christ follower by your fruit, not because you will be saved by doing them. So how does one get saved? Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross as the payment for your sins. God will accept no religious filler or bribes as a substitute for His perfect sacrificial Lamb, Jesus. Ten out of every ten people die. That is the ultimate statistic. Don't get to this black screen of life without being saved at the end. Ask forgiveness. Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. Repent and believe the Gospel. Read your Bible daily and obey what it says.

Job 34:25

English Standard Version (ESV)

Thus, knowing their works,
he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.(italics added)

Not enough time...

2011-06-15T22:18:00.006-04:00

So it's been a real long time since I posted. I have had a lot of adversity going on in my life. More than words will allow to fit in this blog, I know I mentioned in the past to update all with whats going on but I don't think its time for that quite yet, instead the message I have for you today is that no matter what you are going through, you are not going through it alone. God is right there with you and if we are to be Christ-like and obedient then we are to be good stewards for Him. We are to carry out what Christ had commanded, whether we are busy or have all the time in the world. We need to make the time to share the Gospel with everyone that we can, if you are busy or in fast paced environments and time doesn't permit for you to preach or have a 1 to 1 conversation than that is when a Gospel tract becomes a perfect message for Christ. God's Word will not return void, we have that as a promise. What we can do is carry tracts and pass them along to someone in passing, be that walking or a cashier or even through the drive through.

Lately for me its been in the Hospitals, going through parking garages and giving to attendants or placing them in the Hospital for others to find, its not about me being the messenger as much as it is about being obedient about delivering the message and allowing God to use that for His Glory. So while I do carry tracts and hand them when I can and share with folks, I also do something else twice a month. When I pay the bills, I send out tracts. If you haven't tried this method I highly encourage you to do it. When you get that junk mail every other day in your mailbox, dont rip it up or throw it away without first opening and removing the self-addressed stamped tract carrying envelope.

Every month I send out anywhere from 5-20 tracts with my bills that I mail each bill gets a tract and the free postage envelopes from the junk mail get one too, I pray for those who might open and that God would reveal Himself to them and that someone might read the Gospel for the first time or maybe the tenth time and come to true repentance. So while I have been busy and each of you in your own way, don't quit sharing the Gospel, use whatever vehicle you have, be it tracts in your pocket or tracts with your bills and junk mail or on your social media pages that we all seem to have more than enough time to loiter on. If you are discouraged or going through a tough time think about this, your adversity or tough times does not make who you are, you are who God created and you need to be ready to answer the call no matter what is going on in your life. Do not be ashamed of the Gospel, get out there and share the Gospel!

God's Word is alive and well. The old lady in the shoe, not so much.

2011-06-08T11:59:00.008-04:00

There was an old woman,
Who lived in a shoe;
She had so many children,
She didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth,
Without any bread;
She whipped them all soundly,
And sent them to bed.

Even if it's been a while since you've read or heard the above story, we all recognize the story of the old lady in the shoe. We don't really sympathize with her plight because we can read this and instantly know that this is obviously not a true story. It is without a doubt, a fairy tale. Now I want you to read something that many claim is simply just a "fairy tale."

2 Timothy 3:1-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

1But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Many, especially our youth, have discounted the Bible. They feel it is only a fairy tale book of stories. The above passage doesn't sound like a fairy tale book to me. It sounds a lot like where we as a society are at today. It sounds very, very real. And it is. That's because the Bible is always 100% accurate in it's words and predictions. So you can take it to the bank that when God says in His Word that "it is appointed for men to die once then judgment"(Heb 9:27), that it will happen. How will you do on that day? How about if you were to die today? How would every lie, theft, hatred, lustful look, blasphemy and idolatrous thought that you've ever committed look on Judgment Day in the sight of a holy and righteous God?

You may think that you are a good person. And compared to the next door neighbor, co-workers, family, even someone you know who claims to be a christian, you might very well be good. Perhaps very good. But God's standard is not "the next guy". He doesn't grade on a curve. His standard, the 10 Commandments, has never changed. The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. It tells us that no thief, idolator, or adulterer(lust) will enter the kingdom of Heaven. God will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name. So by His standards, not your own, how will you do if you were to die right now?

If we are reasonable and listen to our conscience(Romans 2:15) we will see that our best attempts at being good won't be good enough (Isa 64:6) in light of God's standard on Judgment Day. So since we can not count on our own goodness to save us, maybe you are thinking that God's goodness will save you? Don't count on it. God is a good judge. He can not simply overlook sin. He is a just judge. Justice must be served for the breaking of these commandments. Justice that damns guilty sinners to a real place called Hell.

I know that it's not looking good. Hasn't everyone broken these commandments? Not exactly. Everyone except one. And therein lies the good news. That God sent His Son Jesus Christ, as prophesied, to be born of a virgin(Isa 7:14). He was fully God, yet fully man(John 1:1-14). He lived a sinless life yet He died on the cross for all of our sins(Romans 5:8). God's justice and wrath was carried out on Jesus so that it wouldn't have to be taken by us. Jesus rose from the dead three days later, defeating death so that if we repent(turn from sin Mark 1:15) and trust in Him alone for salvation(Acts 4:12, Eph 2:8-10) we shall not perish but have everlasting life(John 3:16). YOUR PART in all of this. Pray to God today for forgiveness. Repent. Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead and you can be saved!(Romans 10:9) Then read your Bible daily and obey what it says.

Go back to the top and re-read 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1-5. Is that where you are today? Are you fulfilling the Words of the Book that you deem "just a fairy tale"? You can look all day and be hard pressed to find a lady who lived in a shoe that had so many kids she didn't know what to do. It will take you less than 5 minutes to find a person such as described in Paul's letter to Timothy. A self loving, God hating, disobedient, unholy, lover of pleasure is very, very easy to track down these days. 6 years ago you could have looked to me to find that person. God, who is rich in mercy, called me to salvation through repentance and faith in His Son Jesus-the only way to get to God (John 14:6). Please consider and pass along this message to your unsaved friends and family.

2 Peter 1:16

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

3 Questions

2011-06-06T12:28:00.005-04:00

Two Fridays ago, our Kindred outreach went to the Gardenwalk out here in Anaheim California. This is a great place to witness because it has a sidewalk near the street that is public property. This means that we are able to freely hand out tracts, have great one to one conversations, and even do some open air preaching without getting chased out by security. I got to speak to a man named James who had been, as he called it, "out of the game" for a while. The conversation went really well. I also got to talk with David, who believed but wasn't quite living for the Lord. That also went pretty good. There were a few others that I talked to but one person still stands out to me. A big teddy bear looking guy named Sean. As I saw him walking towards me, I handed him a million dollar bill tract. He looked at it and knew what it was. He informed me that he had rejected the message on the back of the bill some time ago and that he was in a hurry to meet a friend for dinner at a nearby restaurant. So I asked him if I could as him three questions before he ran off. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Would you consider yourself to be a good person?
Sean: Yes
Me: Have you ever told a lie?
Sean: Yes

Timeout. So at this point I realized I only had one question left. I then told him that it might be more like 6-8 questions, to which he said, "hey now you're lying!" We both started laughing and I reiterated that I would stick to my original three questions, as promised.

Me: What do you call someone who tells lies?
Sean: A liar

Me: Ok Sean, the Bible says that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. It also tells us that if you try to keep the Law but stumble at one point you are guilty of breaking all of it.

I proceeded to tell him what God did so that did not have to happen. That Jesus Christ lived a perfect life but took our sins on Himself and died on a cross. Three days later He rose again, defeating death so that if we repent and trust in Him we won't perish but will have everlasting life.

Sean did not start weeping over his sins but he did shake my hand, thank me, and even folded the tract and put it in his front pocket. I wanted to share this with you guys so that you will have a way to get the good news to a person who is in a hurry and even use the Law to show them their need. The conversation lasted literally no more than two minutes and Sean was able to meet his friend at the restaurant right after we talked.

Final Thought: Why does lying make me a murderer, adulterer, blasphemer, idolator, and covetous person? How is it fair that if I break one commandment, it's like breaking all of them? Well Greg Crouse, fellow team leader, said it best during his open air preaching. Imagine hanging over a pit of fire from a chain made of ten links. Your handle is hooked to the bottom link. Does it really matter which one you cut? No! Any of the ten links of the chain, if broken, will make you fall. And that is the point. We are all sinners in God's eye and apart from repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, God's wrath abides on us. Some of you are hanging over the Lake of Fire today. Which link(s) are gonna cause you to fall into it? You don't have to fall. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself because God doesn't want anyone to perish. He will catch you. All you have to do is ask. Repent and trust in Jesus. Get down from that chain today and fall into the hands of the loving savior.

James 2:10

English Standard Version (ESV)

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Friends in the Alley

2011-05-21T09:53:00.006-04:00

Ok so there was this group of homeless guys. They always hung around together in the same dark alley. One day they noticed that one of their friends, Chris, was gone. Life went on as normal for all of them until one day they noticed a man walking down the alley toward them. They could see right away that this man did not belong down here with them. He was clean, dressed in clothes that were not torn, smiling. As he got closer to the group, they all began to recognize him. It was Chris! They were all happy to see him, at first. But he had a couple things to tell them. The first thing was that a law had been passed that anyone found in this alley would be arrested and sentenced to life in prison. That didn't make them too happy at all. They resented the fact that they would be condemned for just being who they were. Fortunately, Chris had good news for his friends in the alley. Apparently a local man had died and left money to build a house for homeless people in the area. This house had room for all of Chris' friends. They would be given clothes, food and money to get back on their feet. Great news indeed for this group of down and out people. All they had to do is humble themselves, see their need for help, and come ask for a spot in the house. Matt was the first to speak out, "That can't be true! Bad things happen to good people so I don't believe in your house!" The rest followed with similar nonsensical retorts. "I'm perfectly happy with my life, being dirty, and eating garbage in the alley here!" "What about the guy in Africa who never gets to hear about this house?" "I don't believe in men dying and leaving houses to people!" "I'm glad you've found something that makes you happy, just don't push it on us!" After a while, Chris finally told his friends that the window of opportunity to accept a room at this house would be closing but he did not know when. The "friends" continued to ridicule him and not believe his claims despite the visible changes in his life and proofs he had shown them such as money in his wallet, new clothes and even a copy of the last will & testament of the man who had left they house to the community. "That will was written by man so why should we care what it says?" Jerry screamed as he hurled a garbage can at Chris. This final comment and action was all Chris could think about that night as he prayed for his friends. Chris went back all the time, up until the house wasn't taking anymore people, to tell his friends about the new life they could have.

Now I know that this isn't a perfect analogy but it's pretty close. I see my friends on facebook and on the streets not only getting these ridiculous rebuttals but getting garbage thrown at them, cursed at, etc. We have good news for people who have lied, stolen, lusted, blasphemed, hated and not put God first in their lives. These are people who one day will be judged for these things and the place of punishment for the guilty is indeed Hell. However God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us! Jesus lived a sinless life and died on a cross for all of our sins. He rose again three days later defeating death so that if we repent and trust in Him we will have eternal life and escape the punishment due us in Hell. We can go to our new "house" in Heaven when we die because God made a way for that to happen. If you are a non-believer reading this right now, I wouldn't be so concerned with what happens to what you deem "good" people or the guys in a jungle somewhere who haven't heard the good news. You've heard it and what have you done with it?? I'd really be more concerned that if you've ever told one lie, you're a liar and that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. But, as mentioned, God has made a way for you to be forgiven of that lie through the blood of Jesus Christ. Just like the house giving out rooms in the above story, the window of opportunity is closing to accept this free gift God has given to us. No one knows the date or time of the Lord's return. I wouldn't want to not be ready. For you believers, let your light keep shining among men. Show them joy unspeakable. Not because life is a bowl of cherries but because your name is written in the book of life! Also, most importantly, don't quit sharing the good news verbally. As famous atheist Penn Jillette said, ""How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

John 14:1-3 (English Standard Version)

¹ "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

George Street Sermon

2011-05-16T01:58:00.003-04:00

This is a very encouraging story for you evangelists out there. Maybe you are not seeing any fruit from your laboring in the harvest field but that doesn't mean that there isn't any. Listen to this amazing story of one faithful man who used gospel tracts to witness to people. Also remember that Jesus, our example, did not get a decision when He witnessed to the rich young ruler. The ruler ran off, money still being his god. Keep up the work guys. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. Don't quit!

Luke 17:32

2011-05-10T15:36:00.005-04:00

While reading the Word today, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a verse I've read over numerous times. It's an easy verse to overlook because it is so short. Not "Jesus Wept" short but it's also not much longer. In fact it contains only three words. I can still hear the voice of the Lord booming the words of the titular verse, "Remember Lot's wife"! Not sure why this hit me so hard today. I mean, I've been in the Word daily. I've been trying to be in prayer more often. I've been doing the regular witnessing. So why the reminder of Lot's wife from the mouth of Jesus? Perhaps because of my excitement over the new Call of Duty maps or the Gears 3 beta. Could be because of my over-excitement for the release of Brink on the Xbox today. Could be because of how badly I would like to go see Thor in the theaters at some point this week. For these and I'm sure many other reasons, Jesus wanted me to understand something today. The living God, Jesus, is quoting the Old Testament as historical fact for us to learn from. Thankfully, the Bible, as always, has shown itself to me as the living breathing Word of God. Like Lot's wife, I was looking to the world and worldly things and God has just disciplined me with one of the shortest verses in the entire Bible. Yet it screams volumes. Genesis 19:26 says, "But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." Now her crime wasn't looking back, it was looking back longingly. She wanted to be back in the world, not escaping from it. I indeed was looking to worldly things this past month or so. Maybe not longingly, but looking nonetheless. I am very thankful for His "slap on the wrist" because He disciplines those He loves. I am also thankful that He did not deal with me by making me a seasoning. I just felt compelled to share this with you all because there is a danger for all of us to look back to the world because these days, lets face it. We are utterly and eerily surrounded by distraction after worldly distraction. So my encouragement to you is not to get wrapped up in all of this surrounding nonsense. Stay focused on the Lord. Yes we have to be in the world but we are not to be of the world. Now, I'm not saying something crazy like not to play games or watch movies. Just be mindful of your affections towards the things of this world and make sure your main focus is on Christ. God bless.

John 18:36 (English Standard Version)

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."

Amazing Video

2011-04-20T07:54:00.004-04:00

Its been a long while since I have posted on the blog and I apologize for that, but things have been extremely hectic and busy in every aspect of my life. There is a blog post for that in the very near future. In the meantime I wanted to share this video of a friend of ours whose son, Jacob, delivers the true message, check it out!

Why Does Melanoma Happen to Good People?

2011-04-13T10:21:00.011-04:00

For those that don't know, I was recently diagnosed with a type of cancer called melanoma. Thankfully, this trial has only served to bolster my faith. I feel fine and so far I have no evidence of this anywhere in my body since surgery. Praise God! Now, don't let the title of this article fool you. I have zero ideas that I am a good person and I am fully aware that I deserve far worse than this. Nevertheless, the question always arises. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" This is a big stumbling block for atheists, keeping them from repenting and trusting in Jesus. This could also be an issue for those who are young in the faith. So, my hope is not only to address that question but also show non-believers God's greatness through this trial and to encourage Christ followers through trials similar to this.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

What exactly is melanoma? Most people think that is just like skin cancer and that if you get rid of it's source you're good to go. That is simply not the case. Melanoma can and will spread to your lymph nodes or it can also spread through your blood stream to other vital organs. It is simply one of the nastiest forms of cancer you can possibly get. In the words of the melanoma specialist I have been seeing, "melanoma can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, wherever it wants." Not the most of encouraging of words. Combine that with the notion that doctors can never deem a melanoma patient "cured", and you can really have a recipe for self destruction and self pity on your hands. I mean, how can someone who has no other health issues get something so awful? Are they worse than the guy next door? Not likely the reason. The bible tells us in the Gospel of Luke, And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." We see that bad things happen and people suffer, get sick, and die regardless of whether they are better than the next guy or not. Basically we see bad things happening to "good" people. So what's the answer then? Is there one? I can assure you that there is an answer to all this but to retrieve it we need to go back to the beginning.

Genesis 3:12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."

Most people in the world can't or won't accept the Genesis account of creation. Even among professing bible believing Christians you will find some who will compromise the 7 day creation(6 days of work, 1 of rest) and even try to add evolution to the mix. However in order to understand where sickness, death and sin have their roots, you have to fully commit your heart and mind to the fact that Genesis is literal and real. Otherwise, by the time you get from chapter 1 to chapter 3, you have compromised too much of God's Word to have it all make sense. As we saw in the verse above, chapter 3 of Genesis speaks of Adam's disobedience to God and how that brought upon mankind a curse. Unfortunately, melanoma is just a part of that fall of man. Romans 5:12 confirms this Genesis account of where death and sickness reared their ugly heads. "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—" I can't imagine going through this and not having an understanding of these biblical truths. With these truths and trust in Christ, you can be steadfast and say with confidence like Job, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" If you try to deal with the bad news of melanoma or any other sickness apart from this foundation of stone God has given us in Jesus, your house of morale and mental well being will no doubt crumble on a bed of shifting sand.

Matthew 5:45b For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

In everyday life we can all plainly see, whether we believe in God or not, bad and good things happen to "good" and bad people. So where does this leave us? Go back to the story of the Galileans and the Tower of Siloam in Luke chapter 13. We see this in all of it's practicality. Jesus clearly tells us that these people who had terrible things happen to them were no better or worse than anyone else. Now you may still be thinking, "if these are good people why did this happen to them?" I want for you to consider whether or not they were really good. What is the standard of good? Your definition maybe way different than mine and different than that of all the billions of other people on the planet for that matter. With billions of definitions of good we need to settle on one. So let's use the standard Jesus uses, one that's never changed, the 10 Commandments. If you've ever told a lie, stolen or wanted something that wasn't yours, misused God's name, looked at someone with lust(which is adultery Matthew 5:28), hated someone(which is like murder 1 John 3:15), dishonored your mother and father, or haven't put God first in your life then you are guilty of breaking God's Law. These sins disqualify you from being a candidate for the "good" title in God's eyes. This is the line in the sand and you want to be on the right side of the line on Judgment Day. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Ten out of every ten people will face this inevitability called death. It could be melanoma or an out of control bus. Will your definition of good be good enough on that day? Not likely. The prophet Isaiah tells us that, "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." There is good news though. There is a way for us to be on the right side on Judgment Day. God sent His Son Jesus, fully man and fully God, to live a perfect life. Jesus died on a Roman cross for all of our sins. He rose from the dead three days later, completely defeating death so that if we repent(turn from sin) and trust in Him we can be saved from an eternity in Hell. If you've never repented and trusted in Jesus, today is the day of salvation. Not only will you receive Christ's imputed righteousness and eternal life, but when you read and obey the Bible daily you will have a clearer understanding of sin, sickness and death.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For you believers out there who are going through melanoma, other sicknesses, or any other trial please take the above verse to heart. Be an encouragement to others around you. You have the luxury of knowing where your sickness comes from. Take the attitude of Epaphroditus in Philippians chapter 2. "for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill." He was near to death and wasn't concerned with himself as much as he was the others who had only heard that he was sick! Amazing attitude to have and one that I say with all certainty is only available to those who are Christ followers. If you are a believer and know someone is going through this please remember that blurting out Romans 8:28, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose, is not always helpful. Sometimes the only "good" that can come from something like melanoma/cancer is if the sick person and the people around him or her become more like Christ and glorify God as a result. Basically don't do Romans 8:28 without 8:29 which says, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." Sometimes it is just better to be there and be quiet like Job's friends at first(they messed up by opening their mouths).

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

This may be hard to swallow for some (like the cottage cheese mixed with flax seed oil my beautiful bride has been feeding me lol). Just know that I write this not for my own good but for the others out there who are either lost or are going through a sickness or trial. Like the flax seed oil for me, if you fully digest what I am telling you here it will be good for you. If you've ever come to Christ for a wonderful plan or a better life, something like melanoma can be a faith shaking, deal breaker for you. That's because none of that is promised in the bible. We broke God's Law and Jesus paid the fine as the perfect substitute and sacrifice for our sins. That's the message. Just look above at what Jesus promises his followers in John chapter 16. "In the world you WILL have tribulation." Doesn't sound like a wonderful plan or a better life to me. However if you repent and put your faith in Christ because you see your sins as exceedingly sinful, knowing that the road will be full of trials and tribulations, you will be comforted that He has overcome the world, looking forward to the day you go to spend eternity with Him. You will be able to look at anyone with full assurance and say, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!"

Philippians 1:22-23 (English Standard Version)

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

April Recommended Reading-Radical

2011-03-08T20:14:00.008-05:00

This book by David Platt is absolutely a must read for every Christian. I absolutely love the subtitle: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream! Not only does it challenge the importance on "stuff" in our lives but it will also challenge you to share your faith, not only with those around you but around the world as well! Part of the challenge presented by the book is also to pray for every country in the world so on top of everything else, your prayer life should be improved and increased after reading this amazing book. To learn more visit http://www.radicalthebook.com.

Matthew 6:21 (English Standard Version)

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Irvine Spectrum Street Witnessing

2011-03-05T18:50:00.017-05:00

Recently, I have been very blessed to be named one of the team leaders for the Kindred Community Church evangelism outreach. What our time together will typically consist of is 40 minutes or so in class then we hit the streets to do some fishing. This will happen, God willing, on Friday nights. Last night was the second night of the program, but our first night out on the streets. Our first meeting got rained out and we only were able to do classroom time so everyone was excited to get out there. I know that even as nervous as I was, the excitement took over once I saw the neon lights of Edwards Cinema and all the people walking about. You obviously can't tell from the picture but Irvine Spectrum is a lively outdoor shopping center and on a Friday night, there are more than enough lost people to reach out to. This is where my team was assigned. So once Les, Marge, Joe, Karen and I finally met after the drive-it was on. We said a prayer, talked a bit about everyone's experience in witnessing, and then Joe & Karen came with me to find someone to talk to. One of the first people that I attempted to give a tract to stuck around so that we could talk with him. What a great encouragement to start! It was great that Joe and Karen got to see positive results right away. Les and Marge had went to buy a coffee so that we didn't attract attention with too large a group. We were able to talk to the young man and share the Gospel with him. Off to find someone else to bring the Good News to. My next strategy was to use RationalResponder's approach in one of his YouTube videos. (watch it here) I wanted to do this with a group of 2-4 people so that I could use real money and give it out for correct answers to Bible trivia. It worked. These two young men, Daniel and Jack, stuck around as we used the Law to show them their need for salvation and what God did through Jesus so that could happen. In the end, they tried to pull the "athiest card". I was thankful that my team members were able to see several rebuttals to that and that these two young men seemed like they may have been starting to understand. About the time we finished talking to Daniel and Jack, Les and Marge returned. It was there turn. I hoped that we could find some more conversations as easy as we did the first two. No such luck. Les and Marge's lesson for the night was one of rejection and patience. We walked around quite a bit trying to find people who weren't preoccupied and who were in areas without a live band. Finally, it happened. Jacob was sitting all alone on a bench so we started talking with him. A few minutes in and you could really see the Law working on him. About that time, his friend, James came over. James was interesting in that he mostly, even if vulgarly, agreed with what I was telling Jacob. He wasn't arguing or anything like that. Nevertheless, he was a huge distraction for Jacob who I really felt wanted to hear what we had to say. In the end, the Gospel was shared with Jacob as well as James and their four girl friends who came over right towards the end. All of them were given Trillion Dollar Bill tracts. I pray for their all of their salvation. In my limited experience, I generally leave the fishing grounds with someone I can't get off my mind. Last night that person was Jacob. I could see the lost look on his face. All he did was listen. I keep thinking that his "friend" was a distraction brought on by the enemy. Pray that he will come to repentance and faith in Jesus in spite of the devil's schemes. At this point, Joe and Karen had left and Les and Marge were happy with what they had seen so far. They weren't quite ready to jump in on their own so we headed back towards the parking structure. My stomach was in knots, typical for me after witnessing so I was content to leave it at that since all my team members were content. Problem. Mark Spence talked in week 1 about setting goals like, give out 20 tracts, or get 3 rejections, or even get in 1 one to one conversation. Unbeknown to my team, my goal was to witness to someone bigger than me. I'm 6'4" so height would make that an easy goal to dodge so when we came across Hutan, I knew he was the one I had to talk to. He was built like a body builder. We walked over to him and just as I was going to show him the Curved Illusion tracts, Marge stepped in and handed him a Trillion Dollar tract! It was great! She started out talking a bit but when there was a lull I stepped in, as promised earlier, and took over. Hutan was great to talk with. We went over why the good in your life doesn't outweigh the bad and the Gospel was shared. I was able to convey the fragility of life and he was very grateful. I was glad that all of my team got to see a few real encounters. I remember when I first started and I would watch Ray or Kirk Cameron witness thinking, "that's awesome, I could never do that". Now I know, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that if they can do it so can I. And if I can do it, so can anyone. Hopefully Les, Joe, Marge and Karen will realize that too. I hope that within a few weeks all of them will be witnessing to strangers, not with eloquent words but with much fear and trembling! Remember, there's nothing you can say that will save or unsave these people. Our job is just to faithfully share the Gospel. You can do it too. Equip yourself with God's Word. Find a good fishing hole and a partner and head out! May God bless you for being obedient to His great commission!

1 Peter 3:13 (English Standard Version)

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

March Recommended Reading

2011-03-05T08:50:00.006-05:00

In "To the One Who Conquers", Sam Storms takes you through a 50 day devotional ride through the first couple of chapters in the last book of the Bible. He really helps open up the letters to the 7 churches in the book of Revelation and gives better understanding to the words given to these churches. In doing so, he has really inspired my walk and I hope that reading this book will do the same for you. I also recommend a series of sermons by Pastor Philip De Courcy titled "You've got mail"(from the drop down menus, select that series). The sermons and the book compliment each other very well. We hope that you will be blessed. Leave us some comments and let us know what you think of the book and the sermons.

Revelation 2:7 (English Standard Version)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'

Charles Spurgeon's Punch-Out

2011-02-24T12:23:00.009-05:00

Charles Spurgeon has knocked me out with his quotes before. On more than one occassion, I've had to pick myself up off the mat and rethink the strategy of my witnessing as well as my Christian walk. So with a nod to our gaming roots as well as to the prince of preachers, here is a list of Spurgeon quotes. Feel free to bookmark this page as a one-stop-shop for Spurgeon uppercuts. We also have Spurgeon morning and evening devotionals on DiGoutreach.com. Enjoy and God bless.

"Brethren, do something; do something, do something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov's idea of war is mine: `Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy! Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God!"

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."

"Do you want arguments for soul winning? Look up to Heaven, and ask yourself how sinners can ever reach those harps of gold and learn their everlasting song, unless they have someone to tell them of Jesus, who is mighty to save. But the best argument of all is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honour Him, you desire to put many crowns upon His head, and this you can best do by winning souls for Him. These are the spoils that He covets, these are the trophies for which He fights, these are the jewels that shall be His best adornment."

"Lost! Lost! Lost! Better a whole world on fire than a soul lost! Better every star quenched and the skies a wreck than a single soul to be lost!"

"I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ than unravel all the mysteries of the divine Word, for salvation is the one thing we are to live for."

"If there be any one point in which the Christian church ought to keep its fervor at a white heat, it is concerning missions. If there be anything about which we cannot tolerate lukewarmness,
it is the matter of sending the gospel to a dying world."

"When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready....Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. herefore, do not go out without your tracts."

"To be a soul winner is the happiest thing in the world. And with every soul you bring to Jesus Christ, you seem to get a new heaven here upon earth."

"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 stay. 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."

"If there existed only one man or woman who did not love the Saviour, and if that person lived among the wilds of Siberia, and if it were necessary that all the millions of believers on the face of the earth should journey there, and every one of them plead with him to come to Jesus before he could be converted, it would be well worth all the zeal, labour, and expense. If we had to preach to thousands year after year, and never rescued but one soul, that one soul would be full reward for all our labour, for a soul is of countless price."

"The hearing of the gospel involves the hearer in responsibility. It is a great privilege to hear the gospel. You may smile and think there is nothing very great in it. The damned in hell know. Oh, what would they give if they could hear the gospel now? If they could come back and entertain but the shadow of a hope that they might escape from the wrath to come? The saved in heaven estimate this privilege at a high rate, for, having obtained salvation through the preaching of this gospel, they can never cease to bless their God for calling them by his word of truth. O that you knew it! On your dying beds the listening to a gospel sermon will seem another thing than it seems now."

"Do you know, my dear unsaved hearer, what God’s estimate of the gospel is? Do you not know that it has been the chief subject of his thoughts and acts from all eternity? He looks on it as the grandest of all his works. You cannot imagine that he has sent his gospel into the world to be a football for you to play with–that you may give it a kick, as Felix did when he said to Paul, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" (Acts 24:25). You surely cannot believe that God sent his gospel into the world for you to make a toy of it, and to say, as Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28), and then put away all thought of it out of your souls. You cannot even speak of it irreverently without committing a great sin."

"Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek the gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his gospel soak into your soul."

"Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted."

"Let this be to you the mark of true gospel preaching - where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where it is salvation all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus."

"If God does not save men by truth, he certainly will not save them by lies. And if the old gospel is not competent to work a revival, then we will do without the revival."

"On Christ, and what he has done, my soul hangs for time and eternity. And if your soul also hangs there, it will be saved as surely as mine shall be. And if you are lost trusting in Christ, I will be lost with you and will go to hell with you. I must do so, for I have nothing else to rely upon but the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived, died, was buried, rose again, went to heaven, and still lives and pleads for sinners at the right hand of God."

"We have an unchanging gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah."

"If the Lord's bearing our sin for us is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach."

"The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ."

"When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any cause to be ashamed."

"Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that." ~Charles Spurgeon

Are you known in Hell?

2011-02-24T10:02:00.007-05:00

As Christians we are known in Heaven. Not only did the angels rejoice (Luke 15:7) when we came to repentance and faith in Jesus, but our names were also recorded in the book of life as a result. Revelation 21:27 tells us that "nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life." It's a wonderful feeling to know that our names are in that book. So with all this talk of Heaven, lets get to why this article has the title that it does. Are you known in Hell? Sure it's a strange thing to think about. But as believers we should think about it. Do the demons have to bother with you? If we aren't reading the bible, if we aren't in prayer, if we don't share our faith then the already short handed crew of Satan's minions don't have to be wasted on us. He can send them out to trouble people who are making a difference for the Kingdom of Heaven and who are throwing a wrench in his worldly operations. Satan can't be everywhere. It is great for him when he doesn't have to waste his demon's time with lukewarm believers. Look at Acts 19. A group of men, sons of a Jewish high priest, were trying to exorcise demons from the people. They attempted to do this by invoking the names of Jesus and Paul. The demons replied, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" Of course the demons knew Jesus. He had already defeated them at the cross of Calvary, and they tremble. Paul they also knew because he was deep in the battle for the Lord with evangelism and writing 2/3 of the New Testament. Not to mention the fact that Satan had already lost his grip on Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). How would you have fared? If you were the one performing the exorcism would the demons know you? Are you making a big enough difference for Jesus for them to even take a look? It's really amazing that our names can be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The fact that all of us have either lied, stolen, lusted, hated, or blasphemed and yet we can still be forgiven by God's grace. There was nothing we could do(Ephesians 2:8-10). Our best offerings were as filthy rags(Isaiah 64:6). But God took on flesh in the form of Jesus. Fully God, fully man, born of a virgin as prophesied (Isaiah 7:14). He died on the cross for those sins. He rose again three days later defeating death so that if we repent(turn from sin) and trust in Him we can have eternal life. Truly, truly amazing that because of God's own sacrifice we can be known in Heaven. What's more amazing is that we, as believers, aren't known in Hell because we don't do enough for the Kingdom of God to even get noticed by the lowliest of demons. It's very apparent that we are living in the last days and even if we aren't, it won't be as long now as it has been. There's no better time to make sure that we have oil in our lamps and be ready for Christ's return. Paul said in Philippians that, "if I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me." Be fruitful. Labor for the Lord this day. Your name is known in Heaven. Be like Jesus and Paul. Make your name known in Hell.

Revelation 3:5 (English Standard Version)

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Black Ops vs The Word

2011-02-10T05:28:00.009-05:00

While playing some Catan the other night on Xbox Live, my good buddy Ben (Death is Gain) and I were talking about how much time we had spent playing Call of Duty Black Ops since it's November 9th 2010 release. Both of us had in the mid 70's worth of hours played in just the multiplayer portion of the game. We talked about how just looking at that number of hours turned into a conviction about how much of our God given time we spend on things like evangelism, prayer and reading the Bible compared to our game time. Despite the facts that we, along with other members of DiG, have taken on the task of memorizing Philippians(yes the whole thing lol) and that we use Black Ops to share Jesus with lost gamers, we still have some major convictions about the time we spend online. After careful examination of the numbers, I hope you agree that we should all make more time for God's Word. Here is a breakdown of the time that has been available, no gifted to us, since November 2010.

*93 Days
*2232 Hours (total) and counting
*520 Hours of work (based on a 40 hour work week)
*546 Hours of sleep (based on 6 hours a night)
*74.2 Hours of Black Ops Multiplayer (SaulBecomesPaul's Total playing time)

At first glance one might say that 74, 75, even 80 hours of game playing isn't really that much when looking at the other numbers. Remember though that Ben and I are both more casual gamers than quite a bit of people on our friends list though our wives might disagree lol. Irregardless, we have many Christian friends who are way out ahead of us in prestige and rank because of the hours they have put into this game. All of that aside, here's the part that gets to the heart of the matter.

Based on someone reading the Bible a generous 5 chapters a day at roughly 5 minutes per chapter, that adds up to 38.75 hours in the Word of God for that person since November 9, 2010.

Have I read more than that? Less than that? Probably, no I'm sure, the latter. This is as much a wake up call for me as it is for any gamer reading this right now. Especially with the new First Strike map pack out for the already great Call of Duty game. I know that a lot of our readers and I will be spending time trying to learn the nooks and crannies of Kowloon, Berlin Wall, Stadium and Discovery. But what about the meat of God's Word? Shouldn't our thumbs be furiously flipping through those love filled pages in light of the times we are living in rather than wrapped around our controllers? Maybe we won't pass our playing time with time in the Word but we should be at least be getting close. The Xbox has saved us from nothing. Jesus has written your name in the book of life through His bloody death on that Roman cross. And yet our Bibles don't open. He has given you the hope of Heaven, yet we rush out to church when we can and maybe we remember to bring our Bibles with us. Something just doesn't sit right with this one guys. The Word is exciting. Dig into it. Tear into it. Learn it. Love it. Yearn for it. No Bible, no breakfast. No read, no feed. Challenge yourself to not play games longer than you read your Bible this day and every day from now on. In the end Jesus doesn't care if you know how to take the zipline on the Kowloon map but He will care if you take the time to hear what He has to say in His Word. There are many online sites that are great for getting into God's Word. Here is a list of them.

Bible.is (audio)
Esvonline.org
Bible Gateway
Blue Letter Bible

Proverbs 4:5 (English Standard Version)

Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

February Recommended Reading

2011-01-31T20:47:00.005-05:00

I wanted to start something new for the blog. Every month I'm going to recommend a non-fiction christian book for you guys to check out. This is reading in addition to your daily time in the Word, not a replacement for it. All of these titles will hopefully be beneficial to your walk in some way. The book for February is by Ted Dekker and it is called "The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth". The book can be purchased at christianbook.com or you can pick it up in iBooks or on Kindle. Let us know if you get it and what you think of it in the comments section. God bless

Little Big Planet 2 Witnessing

2011-01-26T14:27:00.003-05:00

In the day and age we are living in it makes sense to get the gospel out any way we can. Satan uses technology to reach the lost so we need to fight him there. He of course can't be everywhere like God can so he has to use tools. Media ie, internet, games, movies, music, news, etc all serve satan to keep the lost...well lost. So let's reach them in the areas satan let's them hide behind. Here is a level I made on Little Big Planet 2. I would encourage you all to use gaming as a means to reach those who need to hear the gospel. Don't worry about rep or being reported. Fear of man won't do anyone any good. Be bold for the Lord. If you guys have LBP2, please search for Million Dollar? by SaulBecomesPaul and play it and heart it. You will receive the million dollar bill tract for your own use as a gift! God bless, SbP.

What Would You Do?

2011-01-25T13:39:00.008-05:00

Most people ask "what would Jesus do". Some have changed that phrase to not be so up to debate and say "what did Jesus do". Porter Wagoner asks "what would you do". I picked up a country gospel cd at Target for the reasonable price of $6.98 and this song really made me do some thinking. I hope it does the same for you. Even if you don't like country music, take the 2 minutes and 4 seconds to listen and think. Think about your freedom in Christ and whether or not your liberties are given by Him or by yourself. Would they still be liberties you would take if He were sitting on your couch? Make sure you are not using God's grace as a license to sin.

"What would you do" is a great question Mr. Wagoner. I have a question for you guys. "What are you doing?" What if Jesus did come back right now? Are you ready? Would you have to hide your games,music and movies? Are you in the Word every day? Are you praying regularly? Are you loving others? Are you loving them enough to share the gospel with them? Think about these things guys. In my opinion a lot of why non-believers see Christians as a joke is because we don't act set apart. There is no line between what we will watch or listen to and what the world will. Hebrews 4:13 tells us, And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. That being the case, why do we act as if He's not in our living room? Please don't take this as legalistic. I am speaking to myself as much as anyone. I'm typing and looking at my game collection right now, thinking. Trust me, the 2 minute song had an impact on me. I hope it does the same for you.

Trade-in Witnessing

2011-01-18T11:30:00.011-05:00

For all you gamers out there, here's a way to reach the lost without ever having to see them or even talk to them. I have done it several times but this is the first time that I have thought about sharing. I just traded in Fable 3 with a little "extra" for the next person who owns it. Here's what you do. The next time you trade in a game to your local GameStop, slip a gospel tract inside the game's instruction manual (having the manual will already give your tract credibility to the next guy because so many used games don't have them). The store employees rarely check inside the booklet ( if they do, you'll need to be ready to give an answer for the hope you have lol) so the person who purchases the game next will get the gospel message at God's appointed time. Of course you are not reaching mass amounts of people by doing this but at least one person at a time will get the good news. Make sure it is a biblical tract that has the bad news as well as the good news. After all, people need to know what they are being saved from in order to know what they are being saved to. It should include sin(God's Law-the 10 commandments), future judgment and punishment, Jesus' death and resurrection, repentance and faith. You can find great tracts at www.livingwaters.com and www.afterlifecatalog.com There are many ways to share your faith. Try this one next time you have some games to trade in. Your unwanted game may be a definite treasure to a lost gamer. If for some reason you are an unsaved gamer who has stumbled upon our site, click here to see why you need Jesus. God bless.

Philemon 1:6 (English Standard Version)

and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

Omegle Witnessing 3

2011-01-12T21:13:00.002-05:00

this one was long but very interesting. i kept the conversation in the natural for a long time and it seems as if i gave him just enough salt to finally thirst. he then asks the question about believing in God. Now this person didn't fall down and cry out for God then and there but notice at the end how he sincerely thanked me as did the person in the first Omegle witnessing post. He definitely has something to ponder. Pray for him. Good times. great conversation.

Stranger: hi there! :)
You: hey! back! :)
Stranger: What's happenin? :D
You: not too much. got 2 hours left of work. this site helped me through the night lol
Stranger: hahaha that's cool!
You: ya this is the first time ive used it. its kinda bizarre
Stranger: Dont you get annoyed with people here always saying "asl"
Stranger: i hate it!
You: lol ya then when i tell them they just leave anyway so go figure
Stranger: yeahh thats true..
Stranger: so what do you do in your work?
You: i work at a refinery. im homer simpson right now lol
Stranger: That's so cool!
You: ya not bad, how bout you
Stranger: I'm a student actually..
You: college
Stranger: almost.. im about to graduate high school
You: nice. are you planning on going to college? i never went. i went into the air force
Stranger: Yeah i'm hoping to get into a college..
Stranger: How was the air force for you?
You: pretty cool. my job was pretty crazy. i climbed 90 foot tall telephone poles to work on antennas lol
Stranger: That must have been awesome!
You: looking back its kinda nuts haha
Stranger: did you have like a harness or something?
You: well most of the poles had steps after 20' but ya you had a leather strap that wrapped around the pole
You: so what on earth is a student doing up at this hour on this crazy site??? lol
You: you still there?
Stranger: Oh sorry! yeah im still here!
Stranger: its not that late where im at
Stranger: hehe
You: cool lol. so do you go to church or something? you seem really nice
Stranger: Haha its just my nature.
Stranger: but thanks though!
Stranger: you seem really cool!
You: well i used to be a real jerk before i met Jesus. what do you know about Jesus?
Stranger: Im a Catholic so i may know some things about him.. haha
You: cool i was raised catholic. i pretty much went away from all things God for a long time. my daughter got sick 6 years ago and Jesus found me. (people always say the found Him but He was never lost lol)
Stranger: That is sooo nice to hear :)
Stranger: Is your daughter doing well now? :)
You: ya its awesome. there's nothing more important in this life than repenting and trustin in Him. once we are goine its too late.
You: ya she's all good. 10 years old in feb
You: http://digoutreach.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104:saulbecomespauls-testimony&catid=60:testimonies&Itemid=77 heres my testimony if you are interested
You: my buddy and i started digoutreach as a way to reach gamers for Christ
Stranger: you started this? Woah this is actually awesome
You: ya my buddy is an computer guy but some of the ideas and stuff were mine. God has been good to our site for sure
You: if you have an email address i can sign you up for the DiG Verse of the Day lol
Stranger: Sure thing! it's ************@yahoo.com
Stranger: Thanks man
You: no problem. its been good chattin with you. remember, nothing is more important than your eternal salvation. like ecclesiastes advises in chapter 12 verse 1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
[b]Stranger: Hmm.. can i ask a question?
You: you just did lol ya go ahead
Stranger: Haha oh yeahh. so anyway.. Right now, i don't believe in God as much as i'm expected to.. is that okay? i mean i really do not do anything wrong.. i dont do vices or anything bad like what the other people my age do in my country..[/b]
You: if you were in court and had to pay a 300 million dollar fine or you would go to jail. the judge is staring at you , the defense has rested. youre guilty and going to jail not ifs and or buts. right before the judge strikes the gavel someone you dont even know comes in and says his fine is paid. i gave everything so he doesnt have to be punished. How would you feel about that person?
Stranger: about the person who paid the fine or the one condemned to go to jail?
You: say you are the one condemned how would you feel toward the person who paid your fine. a fine you could never pay
Stranger: Really happy, i think..
Stranger: actually, i know..
You: right and you should. now how much more should you be happy, grateful even that Jesus did that for you in terms of heaven and hell. we broke the law by either lying or stealing, looking with lust, hating or blaspheming. God's gavel is coming down. the punishment is hell. Jesus steps in and paid our fine on the cross. he rose again three days later defeating death so if you repent and trust in him you can go to heaven. you are young so seeing eternity as the gift or reason to follow Jesus might be hard. but thats the promise. an eternity in heaven in spite of the fact that we are so sinful. he will forgive everything. that should more than enough be a reason to not only believe in Him but follow Him with all your heart. We dont know when we are going to die so we always need to be ready. does that make sense?
Stranger: Actually yeah
You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6t0s7fpg1M
You: http://www.digoutreach.com/good/index.htm
You: those links are great for seeing exactly whey we need God
Stranger: haha alright
You: i know it wouldnt be a popular decision among your family and friends but repenting and trusting in Jesus is the best thing you will ever do my friend. trust me. ive tried the party life the booze the women its all just empty and it makes you empty. knowing your name is written in the book of Life is the most fulfilling thing you can have
Stranger: Thanks man
Stranger: Really thanks :)
You: no problem. do you have a bible
You: ?
Stranger: yeah of coures! i study in a Jesuit school actually
You: nice. i would recommend reading it and listening to what it says. start in the Gospel of John and read a chapter a day. it will change you, He will change you. if you are on the computer you can go to biblegateway.com and read there too!
Stranger: Alright :D
You: well have a blessed day my friend. i will be praying for you. if you want to commit fully to Jesus and dont know what to say to Him, Psalm 51 is a great place to start. that was David's psalm where he was basically saying sorry to God for breaking all 10 commandments :)
You: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2051&version=NIV
Stranger: You too! have a blessed day! and thank you so much! :)
You: no problem, it was a joy to talk to you and share Christs love!! take care!
Stranger: You too man :)

Omegle Witnessing 2

2011-01-12T05:56:00.004-05:00

Here's another conversation that I just had. The person's initial question was a great springboard right into the Law. The great thing about witnessing like this is that you have a bit of time to look up answers on websites. I have biblegateway.com up the whole time as well as a search engine like Yahoo or Google in case I forget quotes or passages. The one downside is you have to type fast to keep their attention as you can see in this transcript lol.

Stranger: hi
You: hi
Stranger: m or f?
You: m
Stranger: are u h***y
You: did you know that lust is the same as adultery according to Jesus?
Stranger: i don`t give a *** about that
You: you should. what do you think happens when you die?
Stranger: the work will eat me
You: do you mean worms?
Stranger: yes...sorry
You: let me ask you do you consider yourself a good person?
Stranger: yesss
You: can i ask you a couple questions to see if that is true? i mean, before the worms get hungry?
Stranger: sure
You: ok thanks!
Stranger: too see that i`m a good person
You: ya to see if you are a good person. but my standard of good and your standard of good might be different so let's go by the 10 commandments. have you ever told a lie?
Stranger: only too avoid something worst....
You: ok. what do you call someone who tells a lie?
Stranger: it depends...
You: if i told you a lie what would you call me?
Stranger: i won`t call u liar..i can`t judge u...
You: but by definition someone who tells a lie is in fact a liar. have you ever stolen anything?? regardless of value?
Stranger: yes
You: and a person who steals things is called a ??
You: hint: not a steeler
Stranger: thief
You: ok have you ever used God's name as a cuss word like OM G** or JC?
Stranger: yess
Stranger: can you type faster?
You: ok so by your own admission, youve lied, stolen and have blasphemed God. the bible says that all liars will go to the lake of fire, no thief will inherit the kingdom of heaven and that God won't hold anyone blameless who misuses His name. thats just 3 of the 10 commandments. on judgment day would you be innocent or guilty
You: sorry i go about 60 wpm lol
Stranger: who are u anyway?
You: just a sinner saved by grace trying to make the good news make sense. so if there was a heaven would you like to know how to get there?
Stranger: nooo...i love my life....
Stranger: take care of u...and good luck
You: but this life only lasts for so long. what about eternity
You: thats a long time to be wrong about God
Stranger: the church is lying the people....there is no God...
You: let me ask you something did someone make the computer you are using
Stranger: if he was....he would never let good people die...
Stranger: yeah...probably a man from a factory
Stranger: not god...
You: you have faith that someone made it but youve never seen the man, touched the man smelled the man but the computer proves someone made the computer. same with creation.
Stranger: and the man is the result of evolution...not created by a god...
You: creation proves there was a Creator.
You: and as far as good people dying, 10/10 die and the bible says that no one is good no not one. in spite of that Jesus died on a cross for our sins. rose again 3 days later defeating death so that if we repent of our sins and trust in Him we can go to heaven!
You: let me ask you why you believe in evolution? darwin was stumped by the eye did you know that?
Stranger: you are lost my friend
You: the eye is soooo complex, way more complex that omegle yet people think that happened by chance?
You: i was lost but now im found. im 35 ive only been saved 6 years.
Stranger: you are lost for good
You: im afraid its the other way around. your conscience bears witness of your need for salvation. weve already seen that you would be in big trouble on judgment day. but God loves you and wants you to go to heaven. thats why Jesus died for you
Stranger: you are wrong....
Stranger: too bad...u will reach loosing your mind...
You: one of us is and eternity is a very very long time to be wrong about God
You: if im wrong no biggie
You: and btw i am a perfectly sane married gamer
Stranger: if i`m wrong....the same...
Stranger: for now...
You: not true. the punishment for breaking God's law is hell
Stranger: then you will be there with me...
You: a fiery ETERNITY
You: no way, i have repented and put my faith in Jesus. He said I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except through me.
You: you have to admit. something doesnt come from nothing?
You: especially an entire universe that spins completely in control? do you really think our lungs randomly developed and the earth had the matching random oxygen to make them function?
Stranger: you should take care of your wife and family...not trying to be perfect in the eyes of someone that we didn`t even know if he exists
Stranger: belive me...you will be amazed by evolution...
You: i am far from perfect. did you know that a famous atheist said, how much do you have to hate someone to know there is a heaven and not tell them? thats all im doing. im amazed by evolution. theres not one transitional fossil and people believe in it.
Stranger: nooo...you are trying too be perfect
You: there wouldnt be enough room on earth to house all the transitional fossils required to make evolution work
You: can i ask you why you are saying that? i will never claim perfection. Jesus Christ came to save sinners of whom i am the worst
You: only Jesus lived a perfect life. He never sinned yet he took our place on that cross. all the punishment due to us he gladly took
Stranger: we are here too live our lifes...not the rules and the life of someone...
You: but life isnt worth living if your soul is going to die for eternity?
You: whats your name btw?
Stranger: Rares
You: very nice to meet you rares. im virg
Stranger: nice meeting you
Stranger: i have too go now
Stranger: have a nice life
You: please consider what we have talked about visit needGod.com or digoutreach.com God bless

Psalm 51:13 (English Standard Version)

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

Omegle Witnessing

2011-01-12T04:36:00.007-05:00

Ok so I had heard about this website, Omegle, from some people on the Ambassador's Alliance website so I decided to check it out. This is a most bizarre website. You get put into a chat room with a totally anonymous stranger. I went there specifically to witness. A majority of the people disconnect right away when you bring up God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell, etc. The following, however, is a conversation that I had with a young person that went pretty well. Figured I'd post it on here for you guys to check out. This one is a bit long, and I did make some mistakes but there's good material in this conversation for you guys to check out if you have the time! Enjoy!

You: 35 m usa, disconnect unless you want to hear some good news!
Stranger: um... whats the good news?
You: The good news is that you can go to heaven. do you want to know how?
Stranger: sure..
You: ok well in spite of the fact that we have all sinned(sin is transgression of the Law-10 commandments) by lying, stealing, looking with lust, hating, blaspheming, etc God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take the punishment for those sins on the cross. he died and rose again 3 days later defeating death so if we repent and trust in Him we can go to heaven. Good news huh?
Stranger: mm, yep. very, thanks
Stranger: question though...
You: ok
Stranger: so what if one was to commit suicide- Heaven?
Stranger: I mean.. would they go to Heaven?
You: you know the wife and i were just talking about this the other day. it doesnt say specifically in the bible. it says not to murder though.
Stranger: hm... okay, thanks
You: i kinda think that all christians would just kill themselves after they got saved if that were the case....DONT DRINK THE KOOL AID LOL
Stranger: hm... hahah
You: what do you think happens when you die?
Stranger: Um, I'm not sure, I don't want to make assumptions though. Ever since I was little I've always been fascinated by death though. And I've written stories about different ideas of death. In one death was an empty white room, in another death was never ending... my ideas go on.
You: interesting
You: can i tell you what the bible says?
Stranger: yeah sure
You: in hebrews 9 verse 27 it says we are appointed to die once, then the Judgment. based on what i told you earlier about the 10 commandments do you think you would be guilty on that day?
You: ie ever lied, stolen or blasphemed Gods name?
Stranger: wait... i'm a little confused...
You: ok i didnt mean to confuse you sorry
You: do you have a question
Stranger: yeah.. be guilty about what on what day?
You: guilty of breaking God's Laws(the 10 commandments) on Judgment day. if you were to die today where do you think you would go if heaven and hell were real
Stranger: ooh, okay. mm, i'm not sure, and i guess i can never really know either.
You: i know for sure. Jesus said" I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except through me" we broke God's Law, Jesus paid the fine.
Stranger: based on what you said though if i were to repent and trust in God then I would go to heaven, right?
You: yes absolutely.
Stranger: ah okay.
You: and its important to make that decision. the bible says today is the day of salvation. none of us knows when we will walk off this planet.
Stranger: hm... i mean i do believe in God and Jesus, but only to a certain extent. Like, I don't want to limit myself to believing in one thing, and i don't think other people should either. Not being judgmental, its not my decision of what other people do.
Stranger: but i think we should have the option of options... you know
Stranger: ?
You: Well God does give us free will. we have the option not to follow Him. you wouldnt want to force someone to love you? their love would mean nothing right?
Stranger: yeah, exactly.
You: but almost every religion says do this this this. Christianity says "Done" on the cross Jesus said"it is finished" everything you need to get to heaven has been done. its up to you wether or not you accept God's free gift of salvation.
You: if all ways religions were "ok" do you think God would have still punished Jesus on that cross? He'd be demented at that point
Stranger: yeah, but im saying people shouldn't have to follow only one religion. I think it would be easier if you were able to believe whatever you want to believe. Heck, you should be able to believe in every type of religion there is if you want.
Stranger: That's what I'm saying. I don't want my possibilites to be limited.
You: well technically God doesnt want us following religion. He wants us to follow Jesus who is also God. one of the commandments is to only have 1 God.
You: let me put it this way, if you wanted to go to New York would it be reasonable to expect to walk on just any plane and get there?
Stranger: ah nope.
You: exactly. God provided THE way. Himself, the perfect sacrifice for all of our sins. the bible says there without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin and that Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Stranger: hm... i mean i see where your going with this. but i dont like having to be tied down to one thing like that. in such a way where i can only follow one thing.
Stranger: ill brb
You: you would spread yourself pretty thin following all the religions. ultimately it makes sense that if there's only one God, and He prescribed a way to be with Him for eternity, that that's how it has to be. i see what you are saying i think. in a world of tolerance and no absolutes it serves a protective measure to not get fooled
You: ok. trust me i spent years trying to figure this out. after i got saved and read the bible, nothing is as true as that book. all the specific prophecies are mindblowing
Stranger: hm... i dont want to follow all the religions, i just want to have the option to believe something else if thats what i wanted.
You: and you would have that option. but i can assure you, once you repent and trust in the Savior you will realize you dont need any. you will still have your free will. its an amazing freedom and privledge to follow Christ!
Stranger: hm... alright, i think i understand now.
You: you dont become a mindless zombie like people think LOL
You: i hope you can tell from talking to me im just a regular guy, saved by grace
Stranger: haha
Stranger: yes, i can tell. you seem pretty regular
Stranger: well can you tell im just a regular confused teenager? hah..
You: lol nah youre ok in my book. but this is all important stuff. we cant just wait until were old to make this decision. we never know when we are going to go. can i give you a prayer to have and when you are ready to follow Jesus you can say it. then find a church to go to and start reading your bible? do you have a bible?
Stranger: i do have a bible, yes. at my dads house... and sure.
You: ok cool well there's always biblegateway.com blueletterbible.org and esvonline.org you can check out online. start with the gospel of john. whats your name so i can pray for you?
You: "Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.

I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ."

Amen.
Stranger: mm, im *******
You: He is good, He will forgive all you've ever done. Just repent and trust in Him.
You: nice talking with you *******
Stranger: okay, thanks.. nice talking with you too
You: heres my testimony too if you wanna read it digoutreach.com/index.php?option=com_con...monies&Itemid=77
Stranger: okay cool
You: thats our website. we are gamers who love God!
Stranger: awesome
You: have a great night and remember, this isnt a decision we should put off. we live in a crazy world but know this, Jesus has overcome the world. God bless you!
Stranger: thank you. and you have a great night too

Psalm 51:13 (English Standard Version)

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

You're Gonna Need a Bigger Excuse

2011-01-07T12:52:00.005-05:00

Alright we all know someone who says they don't read the Bible because it falls under their catch-all excuse of, "I just don't like to read." Now audio bibles can be very expensive and when I recommend them to non-readers that is usually the excuse they come up with. So with a nod to Jaws, "you're going to need a bigger excuse." Ben told me about an iPhone app a few days ago called Bible.is This app is amazing. It goes with the premise that "faith comes by hearing"(Romans 10:17) and has the complete bible on audio in both the KJV(King James Version) and ESV(English Standard Version). It also has the bible in upwards of 100 different languages. The best part about the app is that it is completely free! iPhone owners who don't read the Word because they "don't like to" are completely without excuse thanks to this app. Now, people who do not own the iPhone, please don't think you are getting out of this easy. Bible.is also has a website on your computer that has the same exact functionality as the amazing app. I recommend that everyone pick up Bible.is for your iPhones or visit their website and check it out. Stop hiding from God's Word and listen to what He has to say. If you're excuse now is that, "I just don't like to listen", well that's probably why you weren't reading His word to begin with. Finally for you obedient readers out there who just cant get enough of God's Living Word, check out the Accordance app on your iPhone. This bible app is ESV based and has a complete Greek and Hebrew dictionary. You can click on any English word and it will tell you the actual word used in the original languages. It is a fantastic app for those who want to get off of milk and get into the meat of God's Word.

Psalm 119:105 (English Standard Version)

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

Lottery Winner

2011-01-06T15:21:00.008-05:00

Imagine for a minute that you won the lottery. A huge lottery. Say 300 million dollars. You were the only winner. What do you think would happen. Family, friends, co-workers, even strangers will come flying out of the woodworks to get in on what little they could from you. These are people who never emailed you, visited you, talked to you, not even a once a week phone call. You weren't even worth the 40-something cents that it cost for a stamp to send you a letter. And now they want to share in your new found inheritance. You would probably be pretty insulted. Of course there would be true friends who were always around. You would share some of your winnings with those who were close to you the whole time, no problem. They would be those who stuck with you through thick and thin and the fact that you had won the lottery was irrelevant to their feelings for you. Now imagine you are on the other end. Someone who should have been your best friend the whole time is coming into some winnings. You however never talked to Him. You never spent time with Him. You never visited His house. You never even read His letters to you. Don't be surprised when He tells you on Judgment Day or the day of His return. 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' We are so blessed to have a God who has already attained victory on that Roman cross so many years ago. Yet so many people who name the name of Christ don't turn from their sin, they don't read their Word daily, they don't pray to Him, they don't share what a great friend that He is with those who don't know Him, they don't go to visit Him at his house and yet when Christ comes into the winnings that He attained all those years ago, all of those people will be right there with hands out. We need to stick with Jesus through the good times and the bad. He never promised us a bed of roses and then we go to Heaven. So many times people will turn from God because of some tribulation, not counting it as a blessing, yet still expect John 3:16 to be their catch all for their willful shortcomings. With the new year upon us, let's all make an effort to be friends with Jesus. Good friends. Not friends who are just waiting for Him to win the eternal "Lottery". Let's be friends who listen to His Word, friends who talk to Him, and friends who visit Him at His house. If you haven't treated Jesus like a true friend, use this new year as a fresh start in your walk with Jesus. Maybe listen to the True and False Conversions sermon here on this site. If you are faithful to Him in these things already, cling to Him. Don't leave your first love. None of us know the day or time, let's be ready. Let's be a true friend to Jesus. He is our true friend. He demonstrated that on the cross. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:15 (English Standard Version)

¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Undead Redemption-An Evangelistic Zombie Tale

2010-12-24T21:39:00.021-05:00

Warning: Intended for Mature Readers. Content may not be suitable for all age groups.

Date and Time Uncertain: Sinderella Corp Secret Lab

Scientist Zath Whedon stood shaking outside of Rezon Hadad’s personal laboratory. This was no ordinary lab. There were no windows and only one way out. The sole exit was through a steel security door with some sort of kill switch on the right side, four feet from the floor. Zath Whedon wondered what all the fuss was about. He was just supposed to be working on some life enhancement drug called SinTech for his friend, and vice president of the Sinderella Corp, Hadad. What happened in that room was not what Whedon had signed up for. Forty-five of what used to be considered rabbits had all simultaneously changed in front of his eyes. Immediately he knew why all of the security measures had been put in place. These cute little guys were the test animals for SinTech and up until six and a half minutes ago, everything was great. The SinTech had made the rabbits some of the most beautiful animals the scientist had ever seen. That all changed when the first one busted through its cage. A look of horror overcame Zath as one by one the rabbits escaped their cages and their shiny coat of fur was shed to show what SinTech had really been doing to them. Zath bolted for the door, slammed it shut, and hit the kill switch not even knowing what it did. He just knew that he wanted to kill the rabbits. Behind the four inch thick door, the room filled with gas he came to find out later. Zath would have to tell someone what happened here and tell them quick. Sinderella Corp had already been distributing SinTech to humans. Thousands and thousands of humans. That would be a lot harder to deal with without a sealed room and a kill switch.

Dec 29th 2010 20:22 Behind The Twisted Spoke

There was one man who had the cure. One man who could have saved thousands, if not millions, of lives if only he had spoken up when he had the chance. Axel Whiterain would trade anything to go back in time and fix this but that was not an option. In fact, options were not something he had much of anymore. They were limited to his Beretta 9mm pistol that had no more ammo, which he got from home, and a shotgun chambered with his last shell that he took off of a previously brave individual. Not really an option. It would be the shotty and he would take one of the infected with him if they got to him. He caught some movement in his peripheral vision. A shadow darted across the puddle, momentarily blocking out the reflection of the Christmas lights above. He wasn’t sure why a Hell’s Angel biker bar would decorate for the birth of the Savior of the world but that didn’t matter to Axel. The alley behind The Twisted Spoke offered the only place to hide for now. He looked down and noticed some Gospel tracts scattered on the ground. They had probably blown off of the vehicles that were left in the bar parking lot. Religious types left them to try to get “the message” out. The tracts made him think again how he could have stopped all of this if he had just done what he was supposed to do. The sound of arms banging on an alarming car brought his attention back to the situation. The undead horde hated the sound of alarms so they would stick around until they made it stop. Axel would have to wait for the horde to pass and hope they couldn’t smell his fear. He could smell them. They smelled like death mixed with sulfur. “99 cent store potpourri didn’t smell this bad” Axel thought as he tried not to chuckle. As that horrid scent wafted through his nostrils, Axel regained his focus, “If I could just make it to Sinderella Corp (his place of employment for the last 10 months) I might be able to get into the armory”. He, after ten months of wondering, now knew why they had one. Sinderella Corp was the only place that he could go. Hospitals, schools, police stations, even military bases had all been compromised. That was the only place he would be safe. Ironic since that was where the outbreak started four days ago. Definitely not the safest place to be at that time. Thanks to what he knew, Axel wasn’t there when it all went down.

December 25th 2010 21:30 Sinderella Corp Christmas Party

The Sinderella Corp Christmas party played the part of a discrete Ground Zero. A light, non-religious, holiday jingle came from the speakers and the whole place was pristinely decorated with garland and lights. There were several mistletoe hung about the place and there was one giant Christmas tree in the center of the humongous conference room. At the request of the Diversity & Inclusion department, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa were represented as well with a six foot tall Menorah and several men dressed in Dashikis and holding chalices full of Kikombe cha Umoja. At least a couple thousand employees, all except for Axel Whiterain, along with their friends and family gathered to celebrate the year’s successes. Sinderella Corp, whose motto was “All of your dreams will come true”, specialized in a life enhancing pharmaceuticals. Their latest product was called SinTech. SinTech was designed to bring a better life to people through wealth, beauty, relationships etc; all the while enabling them not care about any eternal consequences. A dream come true, as promised by the company motto, for those who wanted to live however they wanted. And, seemingly, it did work for a short while. This wonder drug had only been out since late last year and had definitely impacted the people who had used it for what they thought was the good. The employees of Sinderella Corp could obtain SinTech freely for themselves as well as for their friends and family. They were all having the time of their lives. By the time this Christmas party hit, who knows how many people had tried SinTech. The number had to be in the hundreds of thousands if not millions. All these people were living it up, unaware of the consequences the SinTech would bring. Rezon Hadad, the vice president of the company knew. The only other person at Sinderella Corp who knew about the effects of the drug was Zath Whedon, Hadad’s personal scientist. When Whedon threatened to go to the higher ups with the lab results, Hadad took care of it in his own way. He couldn’t let those above him in on his schemes though they were suspicious. Rezon remembered laughing when they insisted on having an armory put in the basement after rumors emerged about violent, experimental animals. They were on to him. Whedon must have told somebody something. Probably one of the other scientists. It didn’t matter. Zath Whedon was gone and there was no other hard evidence. Anyway, the time was here and it was no surprise to Rezon when the first few at the party started to get sick. One by one each festively dressed member at the party who had regularly taken Hadad’s creation became violently ill. Family members and friends at the party who accompanied them that had never partaken had a look of panic. More and more of the affected people started shaking, their bodies contorting and twisting violently as they shrieked in pain. Finally, those unaffected by SinTech came to their senses and began to run for the doors. It was too late. Rezon Hadad had trapped them in the building. They too would be infected. Within the hour every Sinderella Corp employee, save Axel Whiterain, and their guests would all be infected.

October 19th 2010 19:37 Sinderella Corp Main Hallway

Axel Whiterain started working at Sinderella Corp in February. Landing a gig as the accountant for the largest pharmaceutical company in the Midwest seemed to be the perfect job for him. Axel had worked hard throughout high school to get into the University of Illinois’ school of accounting. They were the best in the nation in that field. Axel was a gamer through and through and fortunately for him he was always able to excel in high school and college in spite of his hobby. Axel preferred hobby over addiction though most of his friends and co-workers used the latter when describing his Call of Duty playing time. Late nights, like this one, at his new job had cut into this time significantly but with Black Ops coming out in November he would have to find a way to work it out. Axel, Mr. Whiterain as his boss Rezon Hadad called him, was making his way out when he heard yelling coming from down the hall. As he made his way closer to the shouts that were coming from the Executive Offices, he was enlightened to their content. It seems that Hadad had not revealed everything there was to know about their most recent drug, SinTech, to the big bosses. Hadad’s lead scientist was named Zath Whedon. Axel had only seen him in passing and only knew what he sounded like now. The first and last time Axel would hear the scientist’s voice, though neither he nor Zath knew that. Neither man knew that Rezon would be disposing of his scientist “friend” as if he were a filthy rag. Axel wanted to leave for fear of getting caught but if this was real he had to find out more. Sitting in the hallway, he was exposed to about a thirty minute dose of reality. Facts came out through the argument about the failed testing of SinTech in rabbits and that the same failed results would occur in humans as well within the next couple of months. The hardest truth to swallow was that there was no cure. No one realized that they needed one. Only Hadad knew the whole truth. Rezon Hadad had promoted SinTech as a life enhancing, cure-all, miracle drug when it was actually a deadly virus. He had them all where he wanted them, even Mr. Whiterain. They had all tried SinTech. From the CEO to the janitor to the accountant. By Christmas they would all be undead versions of themselves and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

December 29th 22:44 Road to Sinderella Corp

When Axel was certain the horde had moved on he ventured out towards the street. He could see a red glow that accompanied the words, “Sinderella Corp”, on the cities’ tallest tower which seemed so far but was only a couple blocks from his location. Axel looked around at all the cars. He could use one of them to get the armory. His conscience surprisingly would not let him take any of the locked cars even though he was sure no one would care. I guess it’s true that God’s law is written on our hearts. “Though shall not steal” Axel mumbled as he looked around. Finally he saw what would be his mode of transportation. A yellow taxi cab with its interior light on was in the intersection at a 45 degree angle. The driver door was open and the driver was lying half in, half out of the car. Axel pulled Minhaal Hussein (the name on the dashboard) from the car. He looked to make sure the keys were in the ignition before sliding in. They were. As Axel started up the car, he wondered if Minhaal had given a ride to any of the undead horde. The cab smelled horrible. Whether they rode in it or not, they got to him somehow. Axel reached under the seat and, as suspected, he found a weapon. A Kimber 45 pistol, fully loaded to be exact. Apparently Mr. Hussein had not had time to grab it before they got to him. Axel placed the pistol in his lap to make sure that would not happen to him. He fired up the car and headed towards Sinderella Corp. With any luck he would make it there witho—“THOMP!” The taxi cab struck the first one then Axel saw the rest of them. He looked back and saw an undead mess rolling off the back of the car, landing with the same "thomp" sound it made when it hit the car. He looked frontward again just in time to see the second one smack the windshield. Axel grabbed the wheel tightly and made sure he was lined up with the rest of the horde. Two months ago, he sealed their fate by not telling them about the cure, now he had to finalize their demise. He wanted to take out as many as he could with the vehicle since a fully loaded Kimber 45 magazine only holds 10 rounds. Conservation would be key when he got to his old place of work in case there was any kind of a remnant. He managed to take out most of the ones blocking the street with the front of the stinky yellow cab and the ones he didn’t hit fell over as a result of being too close to the impact. The gamer in him immediately thought of a zombie bowling game he had played on Steam one time. Zombie Bowl-a-Rama if he remembered right. If he had just shared the cure, he could be home playing the game right now. As he pulled up to Sinderella Corp, Axel saw more than a few stragglers at the bottom floor windows scratching and clawing to try to get back in. They were making a horrible noise collectively. He didn’t know what a VW Bug being dragged by a train would sound like but this could be close. What were they looking at?

April 1st 2010 11:45 Sinderella Corp Break Room

Axel had put off taking SinTech for the first couple of months that he worked at Sinderella Corp. Peer pressure was a tough thing especially coming from the prettiest girl in HR, Marissa Adams. Axel had managed to stay away from drugs, even alcohol, throughout college but somehow this one seemed so harmless. “Marissa seemed to be getting the most out of it”, Axel thought as he reexamined her appearance. Lust is the same as adultery in Jesus’ eyes he reminded himself. After the first few times without success, her tempts were just too much for Axel to bear. Tempted as he was he still had a way out. Saying “no” was the escape but Axel didn’t use it in time. “Look what it’s doing for me”, she added. Axel couldn’t disagree. He looked into her green eyes and, as if in a trance, popped his first dose of SinTech. He felt immediately two things. He shouldn’t have done that, and where could he get more. Only two months in the company and he was letting them affect him and not vice versa. Not how Axel had envisioned it. He had always been the leader, the trendsetter. Now, for whatever reason, the appeal of something that shouldn’t have appealed to Axel drew him away from the truths that until now had been engrained in him. Sure, Axel and his co-workers would enjoy the effects of SinTech for a while but there had to be some sort of repercussions he thought. The thought lasted only a moment as one of SinTech’s effects is not thinking of consequences, eternal or otherwise. Still, this had to be too good to be true but he no longer cared. There was almost nothing now that could change that he liked it and wanted to get some more. All after one dose.

October 19th 2010 20:09 Damascus Street

Axel stormed out the front door of Sinderella Corp after he couldn’t listen to Hadad and Whedon talk anymore without fear of being caught. He thought back to April when he had first tried SinTech. April 1st. Axel wished more than anything that this was all just a bad April fools joke. So many thoughts ran through his head. He tried to fight back thoughts about his body being a temple and being a good steward with what God had given him. The thoughts overtook him. “Why did I ever try this? I had perfect health and what I thought was a great job. I was never short of happiness, only righteousness” Panic started to overtake him. Tears filled Axel’s eyes and he could hardly see the road in front of him. Axel could barely drive anymore when he had to slam the brakes of his 2006 Mazda 3. Out of nowhere a man in a white trench coat stood in the path of the small foreign car. It was all Axel could do to not swear. Swearing wasn’t something that Axel normally did anyhow, especially if it involved blasphemy. He always remembered his dad telling him that “God won’t hold anyone blameless who misuses His name.” Right now Axel was so freaked out by the man in the road that he didn’t even know if he wanted to swear. If he did, he didn’t know if it was because he was mad at himself for taking SinTech or scared because he almost smeared this nicely dressed man all over Damascus Street. Axel jumped out of the car and yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?” The man calmly walked around the car to Axel and grabbed his arm. This mysterious stranger began talking. Time stood still. Not a moving car or person walking in sight. Axel could not believe all that this man knew about him. He told Axel everything about himself, including that he was infected with SinTech. Axel was floored. Who was this? Whoever it was knew about Sinderella Corp. He knew about Hadad’s plan. Most importantly to Axel was that the man knew about SinTech. The man handed Axel a bright red pill. He told Axel that he had sold everything he had to find a way to cure SinTech. The man had even lost his son in the process of finding the cure. The pill that this stranger in white gave Axel looked like a ball of shimmering blood but with nothing to hold it in the shape of a ball. Weird. The man said that the pill would cure Axel of SinTech’s effects and that he would be unable to be infected again after the outbreak. Axel reluctantly swallowed the pill. The man left a case full of the antidote and told Axel to make sure that he tells all the people who have used SinTech that he has the cure for the sickness. Axel said that he would tell everyone he knew and that he was grateful for this gift. Axel lied.

December 25th 2010 22:07 Horde on the loose

“Now it’s a party”, Rezon Hadad laughed as he watched the horde make its way out the front doors of Sinderella Corp. Once nicely dressed men and women now clothed with rotting flesh, clawing at each other to be the first ones out of the building. The true effect of SinTech had shown its ugly head. The infected were weeping and gnashing their teeth. They wanted out. Each of the bloodied, decaying party goers were pushing and shoving to get through the door. It was like a bizarre Black Friday and they were the first ones in line to get the best deals on victims. Fifteen minutes after they had all made it out, the city went into chaos. Thousands of people, undead because of the effects of SinTech, were now spread out all over the massive city. They sought out victims of all shapes and sizes, infecting the whole city before the night was over. By New Year’s Eve, the whole country would be infected. Car by car, house by house the horde went. Not one door was left on it's hinges. The SinTech horde went about the city like some sort of undead Gestapo destroying everything and everyone in their path just like the root word in the drug’s moniker….Sin. Rezon Hadad, possessed with power, could not be happier.

December 29th 2010 23:13 Sinderella Corp Front Entrance

“POP, SNAP, CRACK!” That’s not a slogan for a kid’s breakfast cereal. That was the sound made by and undead person’s head hitting glass after being thrown forward by a round from a Kimber 45. Axel had picked the one closest to the door to test out the theory that headshots were the best way to kill a zombie. He never figured any video game would train him for real life situations but the hours Axel put into Left 4 Dead just proved to him otherwise. He was down to nine shots. He had left behind the shotgun so he could have mobility since he only had one shot left anyway. Besides, he was headed to an armory. Axel kept running from the taxi to the front door of Sinderella Corp. The zombies were still looking inside, making his approach easier than he thought it would have been. “POP POP” the two on the other side of the door folded like cheap suits. In what seemed like one motion, Axel hurdled the falling corpses, swiped his access card, then finished off an overzealous zombie that had made its way over from where the first one that Axel had popped was leaning on the glass. Thou shall not kill ran through his synapses. “I killed them the minute I hated them” Axel thought as he slipped through the door. To say that he didn’t hate them in their current state would be a lie. Axel, however, was thinking back to when he could have shared the cure. How much do you have to hate someone to have a cure for death and not share it with them? He realized that he had lost count of how many shots he had fired. He recounted the shots in his head and then as if he had OCD dropped the clip from the weapon and counted anyway. Four shots was what he came up with. The visual check verified it, there were six bullets left in the Kimber. These six shots would have to get him to the armory. He looked around to see what the undead outside were chomping at the bit to get back inside for but he saw nothing. Maybe someone had made it through the Christmas party outbreak unscathed. Axel hoped and prayed that if there was indeed a survivor and they had made it to the armory they didn’t have an itchy trigger finger. He’d made it this far, the last thing he would need is friendly fire.

December 22nd 16:20 Sinderella Corp-Depraved Accounting

The Sinderella Corp Christmas party was now only three days away. It had been a little over two months since Axel Whiterain received the cure for the SinTech Virus. He had his reasons, excuses really, why he didn’t tell everyone he had a cure. One was that he thought his boss, Rezon Hadad, would fire him or worse. Just ask Zath Whedon. Another reason was what if the person just wanted to be happy with what they had? Perhaps nothing bad would happen. Maybe everyone who took SinTech would be fine most of their lives and just die on their appointed day like everyone else. Ten out of ten die anyway. Axel might as well let these people enjoy living it up. As hard as he tried to justify not sharing the cure, none of the excuses sat right with Axel. He knew what he was supposed to do and didn’t do anything. “He who knows the good to do and does not do it sins” was all he could think of at this moment. Yet still he just sat there. Thousands of people could be headed for death by New Years and Axel didn’t care enough to tell them how to avoid it. Everyone in the company had left already with the exception of Axel’s boss, Hadad. Hadad had given the whole company the remainder of the week off before the Christmas party. Axel walked out of the building. He looked back toward Sinderella Corp to see Rezon Hadad staring back at him with a look of sheer evil from the fourth floor window. Axel walked over to the dumpster and threw away the brief case containing the SinTech vaccine. He was saved from the virus, what did it matter now? It was too late for the others anyway, he thought. Axel looked back up to the window and though he couldn’t hear it, he could see Hadad laughing. Axel thought he could see a tail and a pitchfork but Hadad didn’t need either. He was the devil in the flesh and he had won this battle though the war was won long ago. Dejected, Axel went home and started to prepare for the worst. He grabbed his 9mm pistol and sat down on his couch. He played a few rounds of “Sticks & Stones” on the new Call of Duty, and then he drifted off to sleep right where he was at on the sofa.

December 29th 2010 23:32 Sinderella Corp-The Armory

Axel made it to the armory with his six remaining bullets. That was good. Right next to the armory there was a security room with a bulletproof glass window. He heard them coming now. Axel fumbled for his key card. He dropped it once before finally getting it to swipe correctly. Red light. Access denied. He tried three more times before trying his card on the security room just to the left of the armory. Green light. He was in in a flash and he landed four out of six of his remaining bullets for headshots before shutting the door. Axel looked out the window to the left as no less than twenty undead headed in his direction. Leading the way was a less than attractive Marissa Adams. Her skin was badly decomposed and most of her hair was gone but those green eyes were unmistakable. Those were the eyes that helped fool him into taking SinTech to begin with. “What was I thinking?” screamed Axel. As the remnant horde approached the small secure room, Axel saw what they had been after before he had arrived. A small boy, no more than 10 years old stood to the right of the window. There was nothing Axel could do. He was out of bullets. If he opened the door, he and the boy would both be dead. The small boy looked terrified. He ran up to the window and started screaming to Axel, “HELP, HELP, HELP!” All Axel could do was lay down and cry. Axel, the room, and most importantly the little boy were surrounded by the angry horde. Over his own crying Axel heard the boy scream again, “HELP ME, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, HELP MEEEEE!!!”

December 24th 2010 13:12 Chicago-Oakbrook Mall

“HELP ME, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, HELP MEEEEE!!!” Axel Whiterain looked up to see a young boy screaming for help. The child, who had been sitting on a bus bench drinking cocoa, was the first to come to Axel's aid. The two of them were surrounded by a crowd of people who had come to see what was going on. Axel had gone downtown to get some last minute Christmas shopping done. He was crossing the slippery Chicago street right around sunset. A car that could not see the red light because of the sun behind it struck Axel and knocked him out for about ten minutes. He sat up, panicked, looking for his Kimber 45. It took Axel several moments to realize that it had all been a dream, a nightmare really. This dream, however, was actually a wake up call for Axel. He had been saved by the grace of God ten months ago by repenting of his sins and trusting in Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for his sins and rose again three days later, defeating death so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Axel had never shared the amazing story of God’s love and grace with anyone since he had received this wonderful gift almost a year ago. As he looked around at all the surrounding people and the ones in the cars and shops and on the sidewalks, they reminded him of the undead horde from his dream. All of them were walking around enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season but inevitably one day they would all die in those sins. Apart from Jesus they would go to Hell. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Axel remembered. Axel knew the cure for sin and death and he had never shared it with anyone. That was all going to change starting now. It took getting hit by a car to realize the importance of the Great Commission for Axel Whiterain that day. Axel was already standing when the ambulance arrived. He had only sustained some minor bruises and a small cut on his left arm but he had a throbbing headache. The ambulance driver asked him, “are you sure you’re ok? You could have died today?” Axel responded, “we all could, where will you go if it happens to you?”

Present Day Anytown USA

Look around you. Your friends, family, and strangers are walking around in a sort of “undead” stupor. They are walking around blinded by Satan to the effects of sin (2 Corinthians 4:4). Are you going to throw their cure away with depraved indifference or will you be obedient and give them the cure that they so desperately need? 150,000 people die every day. Every one of them has either lied, stolen, hated, blasphemed, or looked with lust and will have to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Most of them will die thinking that they didn’t need Jesus because he has been marketed as some life enhancing crutch for those who can’t deal with or are unhappy with this life. The truth is everyone needs Jesus. He was God in human flesh and he took all of our aforementioned sins upon Himself on the cross of Calvary. Repenting and putting your faith in Jesus isn’t going to immediately make peoples lives better. Jesus died because we are not righteous, not because we are not happy. Most people are perfectly happy in their sins. Sin is fun or Satan wouldn’t stand a chance. If you have repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus, you have a standing order to share that gift of God's forgiveness with others. It’s called the Great Commission. Romans 10:14 tells us How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? This Christmas and this coming year, be that someone. Preach to people. Let people hear about Jesus. Be obedient, otherwise how will they know. The ball is in your court. “Go ye therefore.”

Joy to the Word

2010-12-24T17:41:00.000-05:00

Matthew 18:3 And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came'

2010-12-24T17:28:00.002-05:00

'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came'

written by Unknown Author

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed.
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "it's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound.
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-17T14:48:00.009-05:00

Most people have been sucked into this politically correct December greeting of, "Happy Holidays". Anything to avoid acknowledging Christ right? In acknowledging his birth they also have to deal with their conscience and the fact that they are not inherently good. This doesn't mix well with them because the last few weeks of doing "good" acts such as shopping for people, having people over to their houses for gatherings and maybe even attending their yearly Mass or Church service only serve to make them feel better about themselves at a time when we all should remember how wretched we are. At a time when we should remember that God came to earth, took on flesh, and absorbed the punishment for all of us on that Roman cross. It's a shame that people have tried to do away with the birth of Christ by not saying Merry Christmas anymore. The problem for non-believers is that He was born and no matter how many thoughtful gifts they've bought this year, no matter how many nice things they have done, they are still not good enough in God's eyes. Isaiah tells us that even our most righteous acts are like filthy rags to God. God gave us Jesus as a gift and we give filthy rags to try to please Him? That's like bringing someone an expensive gift they could never afford and they run to the bathroom and bring you back the washcloth they used to clean up with before you got there. And maybe these people are wonderful all year. That's great in Santa's eyes if you are trying to stay off of the naughty list. In God's eyes, however, one lie makes you a liar and all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. One theft makes you a thief and no thief will inherit the Kindgodm. Maybe you said OMG when you got a gift. God will not hold anyone blameless who misuses His name. That's just 3 of the 10 commandments. I'd say most of us would be in big trouble if we were to die today or if we were to get hit by a drunk driver on New Years Eve and walk off this planet into judgment. Where does that leave us then? With the greatest gift ever known to man, Jesus Christ. He took the punishment for every lie blasphemy and theft we've ever committed. Every hateful thought and lustful look was cast upon Him on the cross. He got off the cross and three days later rose again, defeating death; giving the gift of eternal life to those who would repent and put their trust in Him. Even at the risk of offending some, He's worth saying Merry Christmas for! One thing you can do is to use happy holidays as a springboard. Ask the person which holiday are they wanting to be happy for themselves. Maybe it's a Jewish person you are talking to. Use God's Law to show them their need for Jesus. Maybe it's an athiest. Stir their conscience a bit. What do they have to be hopeful for this season? What is a store bought gift in comparison with having all your sins washed away by God Himself. If you guys are at gathering, you will most likely have the floor for the obligatory prayer. Make use of it. Mention the birth, perfect life, death and resurrection in the prayer. Share the gospel in that time and end it in Jesus' name. Let's not just take it on the chin this year guys, take the gospel to the world. If you are just doing Christmas for the tree and the gifts, get back on track here. Santa isn't coming to town but Jesus could return any time like a thief in the night. Are you ready? Are your friends? Family? The greatest gift fits in no box, can not be found in stores, and fits under no tree. Hand the gospel out freely this year and, Merry Christmas!

A Day In the Park

2010-12-01T11:13:00.006-05:00

The following is a story that I wrote for a christian writing contest. I did not win but the story got good response from those who read it so I wanted to share with you guys. Congratulations to Robert Kelly from VA. His story, "Firefighter's Legacy", won the grand prize.

Alan McManus sat on the park bench on this cold winter morning, looking at the people surrounding him through sad eyes. Sad because he knew their destiny. Sad because he did not have the courage to share with them how to change their eternal fate. They didn’t look much different than he did. They really didn’t act much different. Most of them were actually better people in the world’s eyes. The only difference was the hope of eternal life he had which comforted him through most of adulthood. Now he sat there, holding on to this comfort, unable to give it to people headed for an awful place if they were to die today.

There was a time when he would have shared this good news, no problem. Today was not that time. He just sat there, as if restrained, not able to get the words out. He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. A small child was wandering toward the street. The bus that was coming didn’t seem to notice or care. That toddler wouldn’t be much of an obstacle for it. Alan didn’t care either. Is this what he had become? Had his complacency for the Great Commission carried over to real-world life and death situations and not just the spiritual? Just as the child reached the curb, a nearby Good Samaritan grabbed the child as her mother ran frantically toward the event. Another life saved by someone doing the right thing. Another life saved, no thanks to Alan. He just sat there, as one escaping through the flames, wishing he was what he used to be.

Alan tried to get up to leave but something kept him there. He sat wishing that he was the child who was wandering foolishly toward the bus. Did he deserve life after today? Eternal life? How long had it been since he shared? He felt as if he had to do something. The jacket he was wearing wasn’t nearly warm enough for the weather this morning. He wrapped his arms around his sides and again went to leave. He so wanted to get up but could not. He looked around to see what was holding him down. Had these leather straps been on this park bench the whole time? They were keeping him from the people who desperately needed him to share the good news. Seemingly good people who were headed for a fiery eternity apart from…Jesus. Jesus. The name that put him where he was at.

Parkwood Mental Institute was the “park” where Alan sat, strapped to his wheel chair and wearing a straightjacket. He had ended up there after the Rapture of the church. The news reported the disappearance of the millions of people from the Earth as alien abductions but he knew better. Alan once walked with the Lord. He knew about the Rapture, how the church would be “caught up” with Jesus. Alan wasn’t ready when that happened. He was one who had to run back to get oil for his lamp as one of the Parables said. Somewhere along the line, repentance and faith turned into going to church only once in a while. Alan knew he had missed this phenomenon spoken of in the Bible. It had happened on a Saturday night. The next morning, he was the only one who showed up in the Church parking lot.

From then on, Alan tried desperately to help people understand what had really happened. Most just shrugged him off or ignored him. Others, important others, took notice and wanted him silenced. They found their chance when he would not receive a mark on his right hand or his forehead. He was arrested and taken in for evaluation. The authorities figured a guy who did not want to have a way to eat or to buy things had to be crazy. That diagnosis sealed his fate and his trip to Parkwood. Every day he sat there wishing he had another chance at his life. Another chance to share with others who might have been saved as well. For now, it’s just a day in the park.

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Review/Devotional

2010-11-27T23:41:00.007-05:00

I put countless hours into Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 on my PlayStation 2 back in the day. When I heard they were doing a next gen offering of the series I was very excited even though the last few Need for Speed games didn't go over well with critics and have had mixed reception among gamers. Well the game is here and after playing quite a bit, I am very, very impressed with Hot Pursuit. It is a total blast! Criterion nailed this one and it's not only the best racing game of the year but also a strong contender for Game of the Year honors in my opinion.

The game offers a racer career and a police career for players to tackle across several great courses in varying course conditions(night, rain, etc). Along the way the cars get more awesome and exotic in both endeavors and the challenges get increasingly difficult. There was just something cool about driving a Ford GT police car! For those familiar with previous Hot Pursuit titles or Burnout Paradise's "cops & robbers" online mode, you will be right at home with either running from the law or busting racers. However, even though the cat and mouse gameplay is standard fare and has been seen before in other games, where Hot Pursuit shines is in the Autolog. Aside from being able to get gold, silver and bronze medals for your times in a race, the Autolog is where you can see your friends' times for every event on the career path and try to beat it. The Autolog will alert you when a friend has beaten your time and will give you recommendations to go and try to beat your friends times in return. All your times and victories can be posted to your "Wall" within the game for others to check out. You can even comment on your buddies Wall when you smash his time by one hundredth of a second. The one downfall of the Autolog is that to get the most out of it, you need at least a few friends who own and play the game regularly. Players, I'm sure, will put hours into not only beating the career, but going back for gold medals and beating Autolog times. And if all of that wasn't enough, the game features a fully featured Multiplayer component.

The online portion of the game features three modes of play to choose from. There's the standard 8 player race, 8 player Hot Pursuit mode, and 1on1 Interceptor mode. I'll talk mostly about Hot Pursuit mode in the review. So, in Hot Pursuit mode a team of four racers tries to outrun a team of four police cars and it is just absolute mayhem. Both teams can employ spike strips and use EMP charges but the cops can call in helicopters and roadblocks and the racers have a crazy turbo feature. All of this is great but it really truly shines, like the Autolog in single player, with more friends who have the game. I had fun playing with random people but the fun was increased greatly when we had 3-4 of us in party chat, all in the same game. I can only imagine that having a full 8 friends in the game would make it an even greater experience.

I would encourage everyone to pick up this game. It is well worth the price of admission. I mean, where else can you buy a Bugatti police car for 60 bucks right? More importantly I want to encourage you guys in a little bit of a different way to end our review. While watching my daughter play the game and over steer off of the track to left and right repeatedly it made me think of how important staying on the right path with the Lord is. So many times we veer off with all the distractions in this world. For me I know that when I do that, I try to play super christian to make up for it and over steer the other way. Well guess what, when I can't live up to that new expectation I've set for myself I usually go all the way back and it takes forever to get back on the path God has set before me. And just like when my daughter was all over the road in Need for Speed, all it took was her daddy to get her going again. She gave control back to me and I set her on the road again and let her know not to over steer. If that is where you are at, veering from one side of the path to the other, give the control back to God. Your Heavenly Father will put you on the right path again. I hope you enjoyed the devotional, and I hope you enjoy the game. God bless, SaulBecomesPaul.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Riches Profit Not

2010-11-14T13:56:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 11:4 (New International Version)

⁴ Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.

Apparently country legend Hank Williams understood that verse very well.

Building the Perfect Christian

2010-10-11T21:10:00.006-04:00

Now this post may offend some but I will let you know up front that I write many of the blog articles to myself as much as anyone. Now something that really drives me crazy is Christians who defend liberties more than they do Christ. So let's build a super Christian using the parts of the bodies of people in the church who have these liberties.

Head(brain)
To start we need someone whose mind is always thinking of worldly things instead of Godly things. We need a brain that knows God but has little time or reverence for Him on this one. We need someone who thinks they don't need to know God's Word too.

Eyes
Let's take the eyes of someone who's liberties allow them to look at pornography, movies and tv shows that we probably shouldn't fill our eyes with. Definitely someone that looks with lust on other people on a regular basis.

Mouth/tongue
We have to grab the person here who thinks that lying, even only an occasional white lie is ok. We should also make sure we integrate the mouth of a christian who thinks swearing and telling dirty jokes is perfectly acceptable and also one who says that drinking is just fine. How about a guy who yells at his family all the time.

Ears
This is a good one. We should probably get ears that listen to ungodly music and/or love to hear the juiciest gossip.

Heart
The heart is deceitful above all things, any will do so long as Jesus just has a little bit of room in there. Throw in some hatred which is like murder and some harbored resentment and we are good to go here.

Hands
We can't forget the hands. If we are going for the super christian we will definitely have to get the hands of one who thinks stealing is ok. How about a guy who beats his wife and kids? Maybe he touches someone elses wife.

Feet
Aside from Kobra Kai karate(sweep the leg) or kicking puppies I can't think of wrongful feet activities so i gotta go with feet that always go running towards all of these sins on this one.

What a guy huh? Not really right? The sad reality is that this is the body of the church today. Not that all the pew sitters have all of these individually but as a body this is what we make up. It's no wonder the world has no time to hear about our Lord and Savior. We aren't showing them that we are any different, that we are sanctified or set apart. We are commanded to tell the world to repent or perish but what are we repenting of as the body of believers. We need to repent of liberties in my opinion, especially if they are self given(which most are, just my take). There's freedom in Christ of course but in most of these things I feel that God's grace is used as a license to sin. That's just not okay. Is there something in your life that you call a liberty that is actually something that you just haven't given to God to take over? Let's examine ourselves this day and re-evaluate our response to the gift of eternal life we have in Christ. Let go of self given liberties and live lives that are set apart for Him. Below are some verses to think about in regards to the above examples.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (New International Version)

⁹Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Colossians 3:5-10 (New International Version)

⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Ephesians 5:3-5 (New International Version)

³But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. ⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

James 1:19-21 (New International Version)

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

DiG Bible Memorization Challenge for October

2010-09-29T10:19:00.003-04:00

Here's the challenge for October guys. I figured I'd give you a head start in case you finished the one for September. Make sure you let us know how you are doing in the comments! I know 14 verses is a lot but it is called a challenge after all! Good luck!

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 (New International Version)

³¹But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13

¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Wild Donkey of a Man

2010-09-09T09:16:00.012-04:00

Yes I realize that the title of this blog article is strange. You can thank my Fox News app on my iPhone for this one. I generally stay clear of the news but the story about the upcoming Kuran burning engineered by Rev. Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach in Florida caught my eye. This is not appropriate behavior at all. It's not loving, kind, caring, or anything else Jesus would have us be towards the Muslim people. It's in no way an outreach either. Maybe Rev. Jones would consider renaming his organization to the Dove World Instigating Center or Dove World Chest Pokers. It drives me crazy when people do stuff like this because our website has outreach in it and now we can easily be tied in with this Christian version of extremists. It's not like I approve of the Ground Zero Mosque or that I think the Kuran is God's Word or anything like that but we do have freedom of religion here, something not afforded by Muslim countries. I don't think burning the Kuran will make Islam go away. I also do not think this will increase violence towards Americans like President Obama and others hold to. Why? Because of the title of this article. These guys don't really need a reason to be hostile towards us, they just are because God said they would be. For those that don't know Ishmael, Abraham's son via a maidservant, is where Islam has it's roots and Genesis 16:11-12 tells us what would come out of Ishmael. The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." The bottom line is you can do away with the Kuran, the book of Mormon, the Jehovah's Witness version of what they call the Bible and people will just make up something else to follow. Idolatry will always rear it's ugly head. So with all that said, instead of trashing the Kuran lets pray for Muslim people this week. Pray that they would come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. I'm gonna leave you with some scripture and some tips when witnessing to Muslims.

The first thing to note is that Muslims believe in the Old Testament. That makes it easy to relate to them through the 10 commandments. Unfortunately, they see the need for repentance and God's forgiveness but think they can attain it and stand before a Holy God on there own merit through works. So if the Law doesn't make them tremble, you will need some more scripture in your holster. Get them to soundly say that they believe at least Genesis to be true. At that point show them Genesis 17:19-21 where it says:

Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year."

And Genesis 21:12-13

But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring."

Why are these important? Because in Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 3 it is clearly shown that Jesus(his fully man side) came from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through both Mary and Joseph's side. What that means is that Jesus fulfilled what God said when it was told that through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.

Now that's all fine and dandy but now you will run into the issue that Muslims believe in Jesus, or Isa in the Kuran, but not who He says He is. They believe He was just a prophet like Moses or Muhammad. Familiarize yourself with scriptures that show Jesus' Deity and places He accepted worship etc. Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58 is a great example of Jesus claiming to be the I Am. Also show them John 8:24. It says, I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." Reason with them that if Jesus was in fact who He claimed, God in Human flesh, that no other prophet would need to follow Him. Talk to them about how the Old Testament speaks of a New Testament in Jeremiah 31 but the New Testament says the opposite and that we are NOT to add to or take away from it. They may try to tell you that John 14:26 is Jesus predicting Muhammad but it is the Holy Spirit Jesus is referring to which did come as predicted on the day of Pentecost. One other hurdle with Jesus is they don't believe He died and rose again. Muslims say He was just taken by God. Instruct them that there were over 500 witnesses to the Resurrected Christ. The Resurrection is what sets our faith apart. I've gone so far as to let my friend know that he can go to Medina and see Muhammad. Jesus left an empty tomb, defeating death!

Remember that you are just to share the Gospel and that when witnessing to Muslims, you are dealing with people who's faith is not only strong but very, very well versed. We said earlier that Muslim people think that they can stand on there own before God. Let them know that God had always required blood sacrifice throughout the Old Testament(which they believe in) and that Hebrews 9:22 says, In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. This can lead you into Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, both of which predict the suffering of Messiah.

I hope this is helpful to you guys. This is all from witnessing to one Muslim friend over a period of several months. You may not know any Muslim people but if you are to run into one who is peaceful and friendly as they claim, you should be equipped. These are the Muslims that this article applies to. If you see a red and white checkered headband and an RPG, you might want to slip the Tract back in your pocket. I wouldn't blame ya, I'd have a fear of man then too. But I've found that a reasonable, friendly conversation can happen between a Muslim and Christian. If you have questions, email me at virgil@digoutreach.com

DiG Bible Memorization Challenge for September

2010-09-01T15:55:00.003-04:00

Alright, on the heels of my previous post we are going to challenge/encourage our faithful readers to commit scripture to memory. Every month we will pick a block of scripture for you and your families to memorize. Thirty days should provide ample time to commit these verses to memory and to store God's Word in our hearts. For September our passage will be John 1:1-14. Make sure you post comments to let us know how you are doing!

John 1:1-14 (New International Version)

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

⁶There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³children born not of natural descent,nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Airplane Encounter

2010-09-01T00:59:00.000-04:00

So I get to travel again for work, this time to an undisclosed location. Had my tracts ready for the airport, passed some out, one to a security officer and had a great conversation with him and another to the clerk running the shop where I bought my water and twizzlers. Both of them appreciated the brief conversations and were not offended and thanked me for the tracts!

Next was the airplane a small plane 2 seats on each side, I had the window seat, seated next to me was a woman named Donna, I think she said she was 60 years old. We made some small talk and were getting along. Then we got into the air, once airborne I planned on sharing Christ with her. I was a little nervous but than I just dived in, I gave her a Ten Commandment coin and asked her if she could name any of them, she said yes and then I asked her if she feels she has kept them and she said, "mostly." I asked if I could ask her a few questions and she said yes, I went through the Law with her, and she agreed to lying, stealing and using Gods name as a curse word. She also agreed she would be guilty if judged by Gods standards but she didn't believe in Hell. She said she didn't believe in God or the Bible and that doesn't affect her. I told her that her disbelief in reality doesn't change the fact she has to stand before God someday. I told her the Bible says man is appointed to die once and then be judged, she again said if you believe that, and went on to talk about her son-in-law and how he was on his Bible box with her before too. She said he tried talking to her before too. I could tell she kinda wanted to end the conversation but I continued talking with her, I asked her how she thought the world came into existence, she said it didn't matter to her. I pressed about Evolution and what she thought and discussed some hard evidence that Evolution is a mere theory and nothing more, she understood that I think while questioned some of my answers at the same time with a level of interest. Donna told me she believed Eastern Arts and used to be a Methodist but just couldn't believe everything, the Bible and God said so she quit. I talked to her about that and some of my previous beliefs like iChing and Tarot Cards and other things I did at one time in my life before I was soundly saved. I shared my testimony with her and what God has done for me. I talked about the Bible a little more and than she said there you go again with the Bible, can't you use anything else than the Bible? We discussed Creation more and Science more and I went on to tell her that the Bible is Supernatural and discuss prophecies that have been fulfilled and told her to research Messianc Prophecies like Psalm 22 and later parts of Isaiah, she wrote that down. We went on to talk about contradictions in the Bible, she said there was one about homosexuals as they are not mentioned in the Bible and wrongfully accused for practicing, I remembered I Corinthians 6:9-10 when I grabbed my iPhone and went to my Bible and started finding the verses and showed her the word homosexuals, she grabbed her pen again and asked for the verse. Man was I thankful I remembered the scripture verses. She almost seemed to buy into what I was talking about after seeing some scripture to back some of what I was saying and I think she appreciated that I was having a friendly conversation with her about my beliefs and that I had answers. I wasn't yelling at her or condeming her, just providing facts. I went back and brought up death again this time she seemed to have a little more concern, at least it seemed she did. We talked about how we never know when you will die and that is why it is so important, she spoke of a loved one in Cleveland Clinic having a bypass as we flew and questioned her eternity if things didn't go well and figured she would wait until she was there. Again I reminded her that she may not live that long, none of us can know when we will die.

My plane ride went by really fast, even though it was a short flight, I felt very confident speaking with her about many things, Evolution, Salvation, Creation, The Law, Death, Authenticity of the Bible, Heaven and Hell and different Religions. She gave back the Ten Commandment Coin and I pressed her to keep but she said no, when I then said well maybe you'll take one of these get out of Hell FREE cards; she looked at it and said yes. She asked what else to look up, I mentioned a few other things, pointed out the back of the tract card had scripture and a Gospel presentation and then told her to check out our site digoutreach and she asked what DiG was and I explanied that and gave her my email address. I told her to email me any questions she might have. She wrote a lot down and I believe is going to research what she wrote down. I told her to do her own homework and research with a clear mind.

Please take a minute to pray for Donna, I do not think our meeting was by chance, pray that God would reveal Himself to her and that her eyes would be opened and that God would give her a fleshy heart and remove the Stone heart she has. I am so thankful for this opportunity to have such a great conversation and pray Donna comes to true repentance and trusts in the Savior.

Brothers and Sisters please be encouraged by this and remember what Virgil said in a previous post, store up Gods Word in your mind, as you never know when you will need to recall it and help demonstrate Gods Word and its Authnticity.

Memories

2010-08-31T08:32:00.007-04:00

How many of us gamers have their favorite Call of Duty or Halo maps memorized? How bout that Madden playbook? Hardcore fans of that beloved football franchise can most likely navigate their way through their favorite plays blindfolded. For those that come here who aren't gamers it could be something else that occupies brain cells. Plots of the their weekly TV shows or stats from their local professional sports teams can fill up their memory banks. How about God's Word? Is their room for that in all of the other unimportant things we fill our minds, days and lives with? It is imperative that we commit God's Word to memory. It will not only help when witnessing, it will improve your relationship with God as well. You will have insight into His will for your life dwelling in you all the time and that can't be a bad thing. My wife made the point that there might be a day soon where bibles become illegal. The more of God's word we have in our hearts the better if that happens, Amen? So make it a habit each day to not only read your bible but also commit at least one verse to memory. Before you pick up the controller, remote, sports page, favorite website, or novel, pick up God's Word and read it. Don't let the excuse of not liking to read get between you and God's Word. You can get the bible on audio. Have someone read it to you. Get the living Word any way you can. Make that your call of duty today. You'll be glad you did.

Psalm 119:11 (New International Version)

¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Instant Replay?

2010-08-16T22:31:00.009-04:00

Well, with football season upon us, the subject of replay comes to mind. The ol' pigskin isn't my actual reason for thinking about this. My buddy John who I got to hang out with on Saturday brought up an interesting view about replays. He mentioned that he wondered if in Hell, people would be able to see a replay of their lives that showed them over and over every time they had the chance to accept the Gospel. Wow. What a concept! That would be a horrible, horrible thing. Now to add to his thought I bring you this. What if they also saw every time a Christian ignored God's command to share with them and did not. What if they saw all of the times that divine appointments were squashed by fear of man. What if that was the day these sinners were open to hearing it? What if you could have made the difference with a bit of obedience? We'll die one day too but we, as ones escaping through the flames sitting in our tiny mansions, won't have to worry about it then I guess. Will you worry about it today? Can you think of your unsaved friend or family sitting in Hell seeing all those times you were too scared to bring up Jesus? Sure, maybe you are a champion at relationship evangelism. Was the Gospel ever shared while you were playing friend of sinner and citing it as following Jesus' footsteps? Make sharing the Gospel the forefront of your relationships. I know this high tech Hades is all highly unlikely but you don't want to be on Hell's highlight reel. I know I don't. If it is real, the weeping over the rejection video will be overshadowed by people gnashing their teeth at the video of Christians who could care less that all these sinners were headed to Hell. After further review, share the Gospel today.

Matthew 8:12 (New International Version)

¹²But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Project Ezra - Jeremiah 7

2010-08-15T11:02:00.000-04:00

Folks this weeks Project Ezra is Jeremiah 7, please take the time to read it and find someplace public to read it, either read it on Xbox Live, PS Home, or better yet find someplace where you can take your Bible and go read it aloud to the public. That is the purpose of Project Ezra, do not be afraid of what others think of you, go proclaim!

Jeremiah 7

False Religion Worthless

¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : ² "Stand at the gate of the LORD's house and there proclaim this message:
" 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. ³ This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. ⁴ Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!"⁵ If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, ⁶ if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, ⁷ then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. ⁸ But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. ⁹ " 'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, ¹⁰ and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"-safe to do all these detestable things? ¹¹ Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.
¹² " 'Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. ¹³ While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. ¹⁴ Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. ¹⁵ I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.'
¹⁶ "So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. ¹⁷ Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸ The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. ¹⁹ But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?
²⁰ " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground, and it will burn and not be quenched.
²¹ " 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! ²² For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, ²³ but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. ²⁴ But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. ²⁵ From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. ²⁶ But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers.'
²⁷ "When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. ²⁸Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips. ²⁹ Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the LORD has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.

The Valley of Slaughter

³⁰ " 'The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the LORD. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. ³¹ They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. ³² So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. ³³ Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. ³⁴ I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.

Dallas Ezra

2010-08-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

While my very brief stay in Dallas I was able to read that weeks Project Ezra in Dallas Open Air. That weeks reading was Proverbs 8 and was really amazing to read the Word aloud and see people stop and listen or turn from a distance and others mock or make fun of you. The wall behind me was a waterfall and its words spoke loud, it was right between two street corners and there were many who heard and turned and listened. I did not springboard from this reading, it was the last thing we did that night and it was around 110 degrees I hadn't had a drink in hours and my voice and throat were near collapse. Thanks to Tim Crawford picking me up from the Airport and opening his home to me and taking me downtown Dallas to proclaim the Gospel. It was a time I will never forget.

Open Air Dallas

2010-08-06T08:03:00.001-04:00

So I had the opportunity to do some open air while in Dallas this week. I met up with Tim Crawford who showed me some places he goes fishing. God was so good and provided so many people to talk to and hear His Word.

Lunatic or Son of God?

2010-08-04T08:53:00.005-04:00

‘I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I am ready to accept Jesus as the great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a boiled egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.’-C.S. Lewis

I love that quote by C.S. Lewis. Everyone wants to change who Jesus is. The Muslims say He was a prophet. Jehovah's Witnesses say He was the Archangel Michael. Mormons believe He is the spirit brother of Satan. The world will tolerate Him as a good teacher. Think of your favorite teacher? Mine was Mrs. Goode in 5th grade. Ever think your teacher was so good of a teacher that you should nail them to a cross? So like Mr. Lewis said there's only a couple options here. Jesus was God in flesh and took the sins of the world upon Himself or He was out of His mind. We truly aren't give a lot of choice here. You can't just change who He says He is. You can choose(with your God-given free will) not to believe Him but who are we to change someones identity for them? He even gives us warning of this in the Gospel of John. Chapter 8:24 says, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." The minute Jesus claimed Deity and accepted worship, He took away our options. He could no longer be considered a good, moral person if He was lying about being God and being blasphemous by accepting worship. It just doesn't work. The underlying problem is sin and the one found in the midst of all this is idolatry. It's a matter of people wanting God on their terms and making one to fit their own needs. Jehovah's witnesses don't believe that their god will send someone to Hell. That's because that god doesn't exist. If Jesus wasn't God and was just one of the prophets, then the Muslims would have a leg to stand on with Muhammad and likewise the Mormons with Joseph Smith. But Jesus was fully God and fully Man and that being the case, no other "prophets" would be necessary would they? God sacrificing Himself should be sufficient right? These other added options are all products of the 2nd Commandment. The God of the Bible has laid out the terms in His Word, not to be added to or taken away from. He told us there would be a Messiah, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, who would be bruised and pierced for us. That's the Jesus I believe in. God in flesh, the perfect sacrifice for my sins-every lie, theft, and lustful look. Who is your Jesus? Lunatic or Son of God?

1 John 5:21 (New International Version)

²¹Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Project Ezra/Blog Meet Up

2010-08-02T13:56:00.003-04:00

Well this past Saturday night I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff from Lovethelost.org. He goes down to Town Center in Aliso Viejo on Saturday's to do witnessing and preaching on a regular basis. That isn't too terribly far from my house so off I went. I was kinda mixed up as to where to meet him. When I didn't see Jeff, I tried to get into some one-to-one's by the fountain. I had a pretty good conversation with two high school kids, one of which was pretty upset that the smart card tract didn't and wouldn't turn green lol. I finally saw that I missed Jeff's call. He had been over by the theater handing out tracts. I wandered over there and got to meet him and his family. We had talked about doing the Project Ezra public Bible reading earlier in the day so we scoped out a spot to do that. We went up to the park but there was not really anyone to read to. Jeff had been wanting to do some preaching by the theater so we went over there. He read Proverbs 8 and went into an amazing open air sermon. He had gone through the Ambassador's Academy one year before me and his experience shows. Praise God he was able to get through the whole thing. We ended up getting shut down right as I started reading Psalm 50 aloud so we meandered over to the fountain area. I got to break the sound barrier, as Ray Comfort says, and read Psalm 50 followed by a short open air. My throat was killing me so I kept it short but sweet. Then it was Jeff' s turn again. He read from Psalm 51 and while he was preaching, three young kids came over in a sort of mini-heckler sort of way. One of them even tried to take Jeff's Bible from him. The way Jeff talked to and handled them was nothing short of brilliant. I kinda just stared in awe. He completely calmed these young guys with God's Law and shared the Gospel with them. It was a really great time. I was glad to finally get out there and do some fishing with someone else who has such a passion for the lost. Can't wait to get out there again! If you haven't checked out Project Ezra, please do so. It's a great way to get out there and speak out for the Lord. You don't even need to know what to say, you just have to read!

Are you a Good Person? Nice try Mr. Nice Guy!

2010-07-31T15:14:00.001-04:00

Great Video from Way of the Master! Show your unsaved friends!

When Evangelism Becomes It's Own Religion

2010-07-30T20:47:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I listened to this 10 minute, amazing, segment of a sermon by Mark Driscoll the other day. He is the preaching and speaking pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He spoke of how religion leaves you with the feelings of pride or despair, depending on how you are doing within the guidelines of that religion. I got to thinking and came up with that's how I feel sometimes when I do or don't share my faith. I can easily get puffed up or deflated. Not all the time, but enough for that sermon to strike a chord in me. It's easy when so few within the church are being obedient to the Great Commission to feel abundantly prideful when you are witnessing on a regular basis. Of course there's the flipside to this right? The side where you feel useless, disobedient, and unworthy when you don't share your faith. That's because you know that when you don't witness, you are not following God's commands and the bible says, "If you love Me you will obey My commands." Tough spot to be in, I know. So I want to just talk with our fellow evangelists out there and encourage you guys not to get puffed up and prideful. All you are doing is being obedient to the Lord. Being obedient is a no brainer and not something that should inflate your ego in the slightest or you are doing it for the wrong reasons. On the other hand, if you let someone slip by you without sharing don't let it ruin your day. That's a joy stealer and Jesus wants us to have joy in our hearts because of Him. Pastor Mark mentioned in that sermon that there's no joy in religion. It's true. Don't let evangelism become it's own monster of religion. Redemption and a relationship with Christ offers you true joy. Joy to be obedient. Joy to share your faith. You don't share because of the chains of a requirement or religious duty. You do it in joyful, loving obedience. You don't share to put a notch in your evangelistic belt. You do it because you have the cure for death and you want every lost person to know what that cure is.

Psalm 50

2010-07-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

Some of you may know or have heard about Project Ezra, others not... Project Ezra is a weekly reading dedicated to the public reading of the Bible. While I continue to search for that fishing hole where I will read publicly, I will get on my keyboard box and my controller & headset box and read through my keys and through my microphone the weekly readings that Tony and others so faithfully post. The new readings will be posted on the weekend and read throughout the week publicly.

This past weeks reading is Psalm 50, please follow along. I encourage you to be bold and read or share with someone and help proclaim His Word everywhere you go.

PSALM 50

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.

3 Our God comes and will not be silent;

a fire devours before him,

and around him a tempest rages.

4 He summons the heavens above,

and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 "Gather to me my consecrated ones,

who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,

for God himself is judge.

Selah

7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak,

O Israel, and I will testify against you:

I am God, your God.

8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices

or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9 I have no need of a bull from your stall

or of goats from your pens,

10 for every animal of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird in the mountains,

and the creatures of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,

for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,

fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

16 But to the wicked, God says:

"What right have you to recite my laws

or take my covenant on your lips?

17 You hate my instruction

and cast my words behind you.

18 When you see a thief, you join with him;

you throw in your lot with adulterers.

19 You use your mouth for evil

and harness your tongue to deceit.

20 You speak continually against your brother

and slander your own mother's son.

21 These things you have done and I kept silent;

you thought I was altogether like you.

But I will rebuke you

and accuse you to your face.

22 "Consider this, you who forget God,

or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,

and he prepares the way

so that I may show him the salvation of God."

An interesting Find-Epilougue

2010-07-27T15:54:00.016-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Every day since his fathers death, Daniel regretted ignoring the daily phone calls from his dad. He was in his parents old house, digging through the items not scorched by the fire. He reached down in the ashes and pulled out a journal his father had kept. A few hours later Daniel stood shaking and weeping in the local church waiting to talk to somebody, anybody. The pastor finally came out. Daniel looked at the pastor, held up the journal and said, "I want faith like this. I want to see my father again someday." The pastor explained the same things to Daniel that were explained to his father by David. Daniel cried out to God for forgiveness. He repented and put his faith and trust in Jesus that day. When he went home to his wife she was ecstatic. She had come to Christ through talking with Daniel's dad but could not get her husband to budge. Finally he had seen the light and was born again. That was not the only good news that day. They were to have a son. They would name him Job.

It turns out the journal that had belonged to Daniel's father was a very interesting find. Maybe this story has been an interesting find for you. Perhaps it has encouraged you to persevere through a trial. We can't throw Jesus to the side during tough times, the Bible promises we will have them. We stick with Jesus because by His blood our names are written in the Book of Life. Maybe you will share the Gospel more freely than you would have before because you now realize the urgency of the message. It's super important to share our faith because people die at a rate of 150,000 every day. Some of these people are our friends and family who need to know the truth. Some are strangers who need Jesus and don't know why. They think Jesus is for people who need happiness not righteousness. Will you tell them about the Jesus in the Bible and not the worldly Jesus? You could be their interesting find. If you are unsaved and came across this, I hope you see the need for repentance and trust in Jesus because the story explained what sin actually is, transgression of God's Law. I thank you guys for sticking with the story. Job was completely surrendered to God. As you can see, many amazing things can happen through one surrendered life. Will you be that surrendered life today?

An Interesting Find-Entry 10

2010-07-27T15:47:00.009-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Just left Emelia's funeral. Many people were there. Daniel didn't show up. Claimed he was mad at God. Last I had checked he did not believe in God. O well, at least he acknowledges His existence. I told her it was too late to go to the market. I wish she would have just stayed home that night. My friends all think I'm crazy that I still keep my faith in God and that I go to church. I told them when I repented and trusted in Jesus, I didn't do it for things to go right in my life. I did it because I saw my sins as exceedingly sinful and my conscience spurred my need for forgiveness. I told them that Jesus is the only way to Heaven and I wont trade that relationship because of some hard times. Like Job said,

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

My friends don't get it but I will keep praying for them. We don't have much time here and I always want to be ready to go when I die or when Jesus comes back. I am thankful for all the time that I have. I hope to use it wisely by sharing my faith and being obedient to the Lord. It is difficult to consider this trial pure joy but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can't wait to see my wife again in Heaven one day. I need to call my son.

An Interesting Find-Entry 9

2010-07-27T15:36:00.009-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Haven't had much time to write. Been out street witnessing and going to church with my wife Emelia now for several months. She is super excited about my salvation. It's opened doors to talk about Jesus with my son, Daniel who is now 20 years old. I've gotten to talk with his wife some too. She is seeming to understand. I hope he "gets it" one of these days. He's seen too many people claim to be Christians but have no fruit of salvation. At least I planted the seed with him like David did for me. Hopefully someone will water that seed like the sheriff in the airport did with me. I know God will make it grow. I've been growing in my walk with the Lord lately. I've read the whole Bible and I've read the book of Job several times since I've been saved. Job's story sure does seem to match up with the journal we found overseas. The University won't see it. The last thing they want is to admit that they found something that proves the Bible. Poor Eli. I think about him all the time. If only he knew what I know now. I need to make sure I keep telling people the truth about Jesus. He's not some life enhancing genie in the sky like I thought for all those years. He was God in flesh and He took the punishment for the sins of the world upon Himself as the perfect sacrifice. There could have been no other way. I know that it all worked out for Job in his book but the important part was the in between. That was the part where he praised and followed God even through the hard times. I know bad things can happen to me and my family. Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble. I do take heart that He has overcome the world. I hope I can always rely on Jesus and be like Job in those times when they come.

An Interesting Find-Entry 8

2010-07-27T15:22:00.010-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Well there was nothing more to find out there. Headed home to the see family. Talked with a very nice ex-sheriff at the airport today when I landed in D.C. He had just got in from L.A. and was on his way to Baltimore. We talked for a bit. He reaffirmed what my friend Dave had told me. He told me that my sins separated me from God and that Jesus took my sins upon Himself on the cross. I at least knew what sins I had committed after talking with David so this guy made a lot of sense. It was different hearing this from someone besides a friend or family member. He said to start reading my bible. He says that with my being an Archaeologist, I will be amazed at how discoveries prove, not disprove the Bible. I can't believe that all this time I've been in a profession that consistently proves the Book I never believed in. He said it's the same with Scientists. Crazy. What's more crazy is that I was crying in the airport. My wife will never believe it. She will also never believe that I repented and put my faith and trust in Christ after talking with this stranger in passing. I don't even know how to tell her after all I've put her through as believing wife married to me, an unbelieving husband. I can't wait to talk to her! I should have called her about the journal we found anyway. At the time I didn't want to talk Bible with her. Now it's all I can think to talk with her about. She's been faithfully praying for me and trying to tell me all of these things for over 20 years.

An Interesting Find-Entry 7

2010-07-27T15:10:00.008-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Very bad news today. I don't even know where to begin so I'll just say it. Eli was killed in a terrorist attack at our hotel. He was only in his late 20's. If what my friend David said is correct, Eli is not going to Heaven. I know he had never repented and put his trust in Jesus because we have been talking about things of that nature. Eli believed there was a God but belief is not enough. David made sense when he told me that belief in a parachute won't save you if you jumped from a plane. Only putting it on and using it will save you. All of this has really made me consider how short that life really is. It's like David said, "We need to make the most of the few and meaningless days that we pass through like a shadow while we are here." As angry as he made me a few days ago, I can't get this need for repentance and forgiveness out of my head. My conscience is really driving me crazy since we found out about Eli. We truly can't live like we want and then hope we have time to decide to live for God at the end. We never know when we are going to die.

An Interesting Find-Entry 6

2010-07-27T14:37:00.009-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Waiting for Eli to show up from the hotel. Its a bit of a drive but I thought he would have been here by now. He's always late. Spoke with David today. David is a Christian and normally he is just like my mom with the "Jesus loves you" stuff. But today he kind of made me angry. He asked if I felt I was a good person and if I was familiar with the 10 Commandments. I told him I was a good person. I mean, I've never killed anyone. He told me that according to the Bible hate is like murder and that God will judge our thought life too. He also said that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire and that that thieves and adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. I adamantly told him that I never cheated on my wife. He told me that Jesus considers a lustful look to be the same as adultery in the eyes of God. All this fear mongering and talk of Hell is not what I wanted to hear. Still, I am guilty of all those things. If what he says is true I could be in big trouble if I were to die today. At least the conversation ended good. Dave mentioned that it sounded like I had found Job's journal but he kind of laughed off the thought. I will have to look up Job in my Bible when I get home if I can find it. He also informed me that the word dinosaur wasn't invented until the 1800's. No wonder that exact word is not in Daves "Good Book" there. He prayed for me and told me he loved me and missed me. Speaking of missing someone, I had better call Eli.

An Interesting Find-Entry 5

2010-07-27T14:30:00.010-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Eli is feeling better today. He's very leery of the hummus though. He's still not able to return to work. We did, however, manage to get a bit more of the journal translated from a helpful local who wandered by the site. From what he gathered the man in the journal was cursing the day he was born. There were also many pages of the man listening to his friends' advice. It was hard to tell because these pages were majorly damaged. The most interesting thing the local noted was the mention of a Leviathan. Wonder what that could be? A hippo? Elephant? Dinosaur?? If this is indeed something biblical that wouldn't fit, would it? I thought the Bible didn't mention dinosaurs. They would have been around millions of years prior to this guy for sure right? Still waiting for David to call me back. I can't wait to get to the bottom of some of these things.

An Interesting Find-Entry 4

2010-07-27T12:16:00.009-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

Haven't found much else at the site besides this journal. Work is slow on the translation since Eli got a hold of some bad falafel. He went back to the Shaharut Inn to get some rest. That gave me some time to call my mom. I asked her if she knew who this journal might belong to, if the story sounded familiar to her. She said it did but that dad always read the Bible more than she did. He had went home to be with the Lord, as she put it, 5 years ago. With her it's always either, "Jesus loves you" or "you're a sinner headed for Hell." Neither of those have ever really made sense to me. I will have to call my friend David tomorrow. I tried getting in touch with him. Apparently he was off to some crazy evangelism academy in Hollywood. That's weird. He's never shared his faith with people, not even me. Now his wife says he's spent the last 3 days on a box with a microphone. O well. Off to check on Eli.

An Interesting Find-Entry 3

2010-07-26T20:01:00.011-04:00

Beginning of Story
Previous Chapter

There seemed to be days where this guy didn't write anything or perhaps there were pages missing(about a weeks worth) based on what we found on this next entry. "So three of my friends came by to see how I was doing. They did the best thing that could be done for me. They were there. It was very comforting even though no one said anything for days. The torn robes and dust on their heads show me that they care even without words. I hope they don't say anything stupid to mess this up." This is sounding very familiar. It's almost like a story that I remember from when I was a kid and mom forced me to go to Sunday school. I should call my buddy back in the states who still goes to church and see what he says.

Words from DiGoutreach.com

Unknown Pursuer

Romans 2:15-16

Faith in Practice-Start the Year Off Right

Romans 8:16-18

Recommended Reading December 2011

Hebrews 5:12-14

180 Movie

He'll

"If we spent 5 minutes in Hell, it would make an evangelist out of us"-Philip DeCourcy

Awesome Paul Washer Sermon

Mark 1:15

Blood in Blood out

Ephesians 2:13

Proclaiming at the Car Show!

August/September Recommended Reading-Slave

Romans 6:19

Tears Like Rain

Extra Life Charity Gaming Event Oct. 15th 2011

Ephesians 2:10

Classroom Shooting

2 Corinthians 5:21

June/July Recommended Reading-Ultimate Proof of Creation

When Great Work Goes Unsaved

Job 34:25

Not enough time...

God's Word is alive and well. The old lady in the shoe, not so much.

3 Questions

James 2:10

Friends in the Alley

John 14:1-3 (English Standard Version)

George Street Sermon

Luke 17:32

John 18:36 (English Standard Version)

Amazing Video

Why Does Melanoma Happen to Good People?

Philippians 1:22-23 (English Standard Version)

April Recommended Reading-Radical

Matthew 6:21 (English Standard Version)

Irvine Spectrum Street Witnessing

1 Peter 3:13 (English Standard Version)

March Recommended Reading

Revelation 2:7 (English Standard Version)

Charles Spurgeon's Punch-Out

Are you known in Hell?

Revelation 3:5 (English Standard Version)

Black Ops vs The Word

Proverbs 4:5 (English Standard Version)

February Recommended Reading

Little Big Planet 2 Witnessing

What Would You Do?

Trade-in Witnessing

Philemon 1:6 (English Standard Version)

Omegle Witnessing 3

Omegle Witnessing 2

Psalm 51:13 (English Standard Version)

Omegle Witnessing

Psalm 51:13 (English Standard Version)

You're Gonna Need a Bigger Excuse

Psalm 119:105 (English Standard Version)

Lottery Winner

John 15:15 (English Standard Version)

Undead Redemption-An Evangelistic Zombie Tale

Joy to the Word

'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came'

written by Unknown Author

Happy Holidays

A Day In the Park

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Review/Devotional

Riches Profit Not

Proverbs 11:4 (New International Version)

Building the Perfect Christian

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (New International Version)

Colossians 3:5-10 (New International Version)

Ephesians 5:3-5 (New International Version)

James 1:19-21 (New International Version)

DiG Bible Memorization Challenge for October

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 (New International Version)

1 Corinthians 13

Wild Donkey of a Man