Day 55: Right when you think it's gonna be a long day . . .

While I was at work today 3 people ended up not showing up.

I was not pleased.

This is where it gets good.

I was working with this girl who ends up telling me how she ended up in Columbus and it's shockingly similar to my story except for one big exception.

I got saved after coming down here and she stopped believing in Jesus.

After she had told me her story she asked me what mine was.

::BIG SMILE HERE::

Followed by a PRAISE JESUS!!!

I told her all I could about how I got saved and we got to chat quite a bit as we were getting slammed.

I gave her my life story pretty much and told her about some awesome things God has done that blow me away.

The tale isn't over here but I will be praying for her and I really hope you will be too.

Believe me prayer is POWERFUL!!!

God bless and goodnight kids :-)

Day 54: Back on High St.

Today I talked to this guy about Jesus who was on High St.

He just plain flipped out.

I don't want to go into details but I was really just sad and confused.

He made it clear that he was going through hard times and I just hoped that maybe he would consider Jesus and find out that God has all of the answers.

Man.

I know I don't.

God bless and goodnight kids.

Please share Jesus.

I don't know if there's a perfect way to do it but I know God who loves you will let you know how if you try.

I figure if you listen to Him now matter how simple it may seem to other people you are perfectly sharing Jesus.

Love. That's it. Just love.

Day 53: What a wonderful day :-)

God opened so many doors for me today that it's not even funny.

I was having conversations with people all day long and got to talk about Jesus more times than ever before while at school.

The guy I talked to two days ago is giving me mad hints that he wants to have some more open dialogue so call me jazzed :-)

I haven't gotten any sleep since last night so this is pretty much it for tonight but yea . . . keep on going kids.

Don't forget:

Share Jesus.

God loves us soooo much I can't even get a grip on it.

What I do know is that it's always more than enough :-)

God bless and goodnight kids :-)

Day 52: I did some talking at work today

It was a pretty busy day today I got out of work at about 12:15ish A.M and I just finished my last paper that I have due tomorrow. The time is 4:29 A.M

With my alarm set for 7:45 A.M I will make this quick.

While heading to work today I saw this group of people doing some sort of live worship music/dance performance deal and it was all for some event @ Nationwide Arena.

One of the people gave me a card and I headed into work.

I used the card and the people on the corner as an in to talk to this one guy I work with. It turns out he believes in God but is put off by religion.

We chatted it up some and I got some of his history.

After some prayer I waited for the best chance I had and brought up Jesus.

I don't know if his world was shaken up today but it was something.

I pray some of the walls have already started to shake. Maybe it's all too subtle.

Lesson relearned

I love this life.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

God bless and goodnight kids :-)

Day 51: While at the lab . . .

I prayed for a chance to share Jesus today and it came in sort of a funny way.

While I was at the computer lab at school this kid got my attention and started talking to me. He told me that we're in the same class and started making comments about the prof. I listened and said something back but for the most part I was pretty consumed with what was in front of me.

A few minutes later he said something else and I looked over and made some more small talk.

Then I sort of went back to my thing.

Finally, a little while later he got my attention again and it hit me.

OH YEAH!!!

This could be the guy huh?

I sort of chuckled to myself a little and started asking him some questions. It was all "what's your story?" kind of stuff.

We did a little back and forth and I tryed to seem like I was still focused on the computer screen when I brought up religion.

The kid told me that if it was up to his grandfather he would be Buddhist but that he really doesn't believe in any one thing. We hit up a wide range of topics after that and I even noticed others around sort of listening in which is always cool.

When it was all said in done I got the feeling I had been given a new friend and my new friend had some things to think about.

I let him know that if you seek God you will not be let down and that God can prove to you what no one else can. Reading His Word and asking questions are ok and God will always come through.

I pray he would give God a shot and see how nothing is ever the same once you do.

You guys can pray for him too :-)

Lesson relearned

God loves us soooo much and if He wants something done He will totally let us know.

Rob gave me that good Holy Spirit reminder yesterday and I have to say . . . it was great to feel things rockin' out today :-D

PRAISE JESUS!!!

God bless and goodnight kids :-)

Day 50: More walking/More talking

This will be quick because I MUST get to bed.

I'm feeling a trend with these posts.

I hope you are encouraged.

Tonight I talked to a guy on South Campus and it did not go well.

When I brought up Jesus he told me he was saved and that he was drunk. I've realized a lot of people sort of get defensive when you bring up Jesus.

Let me tell you all right now.

I NEED Jesus.

My life without Him is something I cannot even begin to describe.

Again, I NEED Jesus.

I tryed to talk to him but after a little while the chat ended with him asking me a question about something totally unrelated.

I wanted to help him and let him know he was loved.

Maybe someday it will all happen for him.

For now, we can all pray.

Lesson learned

Don't get all worked up because your day didn't go the way you had envisioned.

Obey the Lord and remember, you are loved.

God bless and goodnight kids :-)

P.S. God has greatly blessed me . . . I just had to give Him praise for that.

PRAISE JESUS!!!

Day 49: More than a feeling

I really should get to sleep so I will make this short and hope people won't think it's a shame.

Tonight I talked with two guys who both pretty much just shot me down after I mentioned Jesus.

It hurt that they didn't want to talk at first but the more I thought about it the more it reminded me of people closer to me in my sphere that are on the same page.

After that it hurt on a more real level.

They don't want to talk about Him.

That's big.

Eternal.

This isn't about just turning down a conversation.

This is turning down life.

Him.

I pray that they stop running one day.

God is coming after all of us.

I pray those guys realize how much God loves them and just, . . . and just say yes.

Lesson of the day

Never give up hoping for the people you reach out to. Pray for them always.
You may not know what will happen later but your prayers will never be wasted when you are wanting God's will to be done.

I'm feeling I should focus on more students this week. A fear has creeped in where I feel safer sharing at night with random people around campus than students during the day on the Oval.

That feeling of fear needs to go.

There's one way I can think of to get the job done.

PRAISE JESUS!!!

God bless and goodnight kids :-)

Day 48: Random meetings

Tonight I ran into this guy and I talked to him about Jesus.

The first thing I asked him was if he believed that Jesus was the the Son of God.

All this after I asked if I could ask him a question in the first place.

It turned out that he did believe that Jesus was the Son of God but my new pal was unsure about how to get to Heaven so we chatted some and than parted ways.

After that I had rocks thrown at me by some crazy guys and as I was walking away watching the rocks bounce off of cars and whatnot all around me I thought to myself, "Am I gonna get hit by a rock?"

What if I got hit by multiple rocks?

This all by the way wasn't because I tried to share Jesus with them.

Honestly, I was a little worried but I just kept walking with my head looking forward. I had this feeling that if I looked at where the rocks were coming from or if I ran as fast as I could I would get hit.

Not one stone touched me PRAISE THE LORD!!!

There's a lot I got from this experience.

Lesson learned

No matter what rocks the world throws at you just focus ahead on Jesus and you will be more than alright.

Something else hit me too. What if I was ever told that I would be stoned by . . . some government or group of people for my beliefs? What would I do?

My prayer is that I would keep walking out the road marked out for me just like I kept walking calm and cool even though rocks were falling and bouncing all around me.

Feel free to share the Gospel kids!!!

God bless and goodnight :-)

PRAISE JESUS!!!

Day 47: Walking back from work

So I just got out of work and it's about 5:17AM . . . fun stuff.

I ran into this guy on High street and asked him what he thought of when he heard the name Jesus.

He told me Savior.

It turns out the guy is saved and I asked him if he shared Jesus with anyone.

His response was that he talked about Him at church.

My prayer is that he would talk about Jesus outside of church.

You can pray too.

After that it started to rain pretty hard and as I was walking down Lane Avenue I saw another guy down the way. I sped up to catch him and prayed that I would if I was supposed to. After a few blocks I was near enough to yell and he was turning so I did.

I yelled, "HEY!"

The guy turned around and jetted away as I was waving for him to come over.

This kid looked like he was about to rob a gas station or something and I had this strong vibe that I should try hard to get ahold of him.

Whatever the deal was I liked the feeling I had when I was trying to catch up.

It was like . . . this is important ya know?

Sheesh, I'm off to bed because I'm getting up early to go to the post office, play some football, and check out College Game Day which is in town and a block away from me tomorrow to cover the Ohio State vs. Penn State game.

Lesson learned

Try to get hungry for sharing the Gospel.

The moment you are you will remember that nothing can compare with that feeling.

God bless and goodnight or . . . errr, goodmorning :-)

Day 46: What a wonderful day

This will be short because I am veeeeery tired.

Thank you all for the love :-)

Today I met a girl who had a Yankee cap on just like me after I told her that she had a nice hat. It turns out that she is from the same part of Brooklyn that my family is from and she might check out Chi Alpha. Wild what a random comment can turn into eh?

She even told me to Facebook her and get her info from there :-)

PRAISE JESUS!!!

Waaaaay later Jared and I talked to this guy who was Jewish and asked him some questions about Jesus. It didn't go as usual but it felt good and at the very least he had a good run in with guys who weren't afraid to talk about Jesus.

OH!

I almost forgot.

A guy came to Chi Alpha tonight because of this info table we had setup outside of a concert today.

Again . . . PRAISE JESUS!!!

Please keep praying for all of these people that have been talked to on this blog and I encourage you to go have some talks of your own.

Lesson learned

God won't let you down :-)

Day 45: Isn't it wild when . . .

The weirdest thing happened at the Chi Alpha Burger Bash today.

I was standing near the speakers in the amphitheater when this girl came up to me and asked me if I was in Chi Alpha.

The wild thing was that I didn't have one of our shirts on because mine is still wet from the other day and there were plenty of people who did have them on. Why me?

I've never met this kid but she is totally down to earth and she tells me that there is a girl sitting near the top of the amphitheater who is all alone and looks really sad. I'm still sort of puzzled as to who this girl I'm talking to is when she tells me that I should go talk to her.

For a moment I wondered why she would ask a guy to go talk to a girl who looked sad but only because I know some would think that's weird. I grew up with 2 sisters and a mom so call me different.

The next thing you know I'm at the bottom of the stairs looking up and all I can think of saying as she looks at me coming towards her is, "I'm coming right up!" or something similar to that but just as dorky.

Yes, I know. I can be strange sometimes :-)

Once I got up next to her I didn't exactly know what to say so we talked and in the middle of all of that I end up giving her a bit of my testimony. Wild eh?

It turns out it's exactly what she needed and she shared with me a little about where she's coming from. She told me that she heard the music playing and just felt like coming by.

Wild again. Shane and shane drawing people in with the good God tunes.

In a totally unrelated story I overheard another kid say that they heard Underoath playing and they were magnetically drawn in, lol!

PRAISE JESUS!!!

We ended up talking some more and before she left I asked her if she liked Copeland because they are playing for free on the South Oval tomorrow and Chi Alphas gonna have a table set up. She said she was into them and even filled out a contact card.

PRAISE JESUS, AGAIN!!!

There is so much more coolness that went on but sharing anything more and . . . .

This isn't some novel you know, it's someones life. I know you guys feel where I'm coming from.

God is sooooo good :-)

Lesson of the day

Thank God for all of the chances we have to share Jesus and never forget that all that He has given us is meant to be spent on others. Don't worry . . . He won't run out :-)

P.S. Feel free to pray for her. God knows who she is.

Day 44: Praise Jesus.

On my way back from Rob's tonight I prayed for someone to talk to about Jesus.

A few steps later I thanked Him for answering my prayer.

One block down the way I ran into Joe.

Note: Yes, I know I thanked God before I talked to anyone. Faith is HUGE!!!
Remember, without faith you can't please God.
Just read Hebrews 11

He was a cool guy who knew about Jesus but wasn't sure about where he stands with Him.

I talked to Joe and encouraged him with scripture so that he would know what's up.

A few minutes later Joe had to split but was cheerful.

Just like that it was over.

I don't know what's gonna happen with Joe but I know God hit him up with a reminder about what's really important tonight.

If that's not a miracle what is?

Lesson learned

Be a miracle everyday.

P.S. If you have a sec . . . throw one up for Joe.

Day 43: The OSU involvement fair

So today was pretty crazy and I'm beat so again their are no pictures but there is another story.

I was heading towards the South Oval to try to strike up some conversations and let people know about what Chi Alpha is up to this week when Greg suggested that we talk to the people who were in line for food.

Honestly, I wasn't into the idea but what could it hurt right?

As we made our way over I started to get nervous. Call me weird but there is something scary about talking to people that are next to other people that you have just talked to.

It's crazy how there can still be soooo many scary situations still out there after 43 days of sharing Jesus. I'm sure there will always be something else out there to keep you grounded knowing that it's not you but God who is truly working :-)

After a chat with two newbies I got to talking with these two other kids in front of them. I asked if they were looking for a Christian group and the one kid told me that they weren't but if one found them it might be something they would be into.

Wonderful :-)

I started asking more questions like what their backgrounds were and whatnot and I found out that both of them had stopped going to church when they were like ten years old.

Wild.

I was around 10-12 when my church fell apart and so it was interesting to hear about what had happened in their lives.

After some more talking I ended up giving them a bit of my testimony and telling them about how I didn't really get a relationship with Jesus until I came to Columbus.

The chat went on and I could sense it was about time to go when it started to rain. I don't know what got into me but I told them they could keep the umbrella I had until it stopped and to just leave it with whoever at our info table.

They were a little surprised but grateful.

YEA JESUS!!!

Later on I saw them again and we chatted some more. I don't know if they're gonna check us out but at the very least I feel they got some of that good Christ love today and something to think about to boot :-)

Lesson of the day

Even when you're beat down . . . go.

Day 42: On the way to Rob's

A bunch of us Chi Alpha folk met up tonight at Rob's to get things strightend out for the Ohio State involvement fair but first . . . there was a talk :-)

Note: Prayer happened before the talk so don't forget . . . IT'S HUGE!!!

Madeline and I were walking across campus when we saw this guy heading towards us and what do you think we did?

Why we struck up a conversation with him :-)

He was Indian and even though at first he mentioned that he was Hindu he later clarified that he leaned more towards being Agnostic.

Mad and I talked to him for a little while and had a great conversation listening to where he was coming from and then telling him about Jesus and the good news :-)

We challenged him to seek God and ask Him to reveal a truth no one but God Himself can prove if we are willing to ask. A truth no one can steal, argue, or debate away.

When our chat was over we started to walk away and than turned around and got his attention again so we could ask if he wanted to hang out some time. He ended up giving me his phone number which I thought was SWEETNESS!!!

PRAISE JESUS!!!

This next week in between all of the other super cool things that will be going on I'm going to try to get someone else to go out with me and so will Madeline. How sweet it is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those you love.

Lesson for the day

Go out and God will make the way :-)

Day 41: A random retreat outing

Day 40: Burger . . . retold

Day 40: Burger king

Day 39: While walking to Chi Alpha . . .

It was around 6 when I was making my way towards the Oval for the last Chi Alpha meeting of the summer in our new place.

When I was about 10 minutes away I saw a guy and decided to talk to him.

Turns out the guy was from Taiwan and we had a good conversation where I was able to share the gospel with him and just chill. I can't remember exactly when the last time was that I have talked to someone on campus which doesn't mean much since it was probably only a few days ago.

Funny how that can feel like forever.

I ended up giving him a card to Chi Alpha and let him know how he can reach me if he wants to.

Good stuff.

Lesson relearned

God is soooo good :-)

I just felt like saying that.

God bless and goodnight kids

P.S. We have a leadership retreat this weekend so if I get the opportunity to share with anyone I will post using my phone and it will show up as an audio post that you can just click play and listen to instead of read.

How fun!!!

Again, God bless and goodnight :-)

Day 38: Even when I'm rushing . . .

With school starting next week some of us Chi Alpha folk went out to make sure our posters get up by in time for the returning students. We found that there are new rules that state posters must go through student housing before they can go up in the dorms.

The cool deal is that they give out the posters to all the dorms now which can be time consuming to do on your own as a group when you are trying to canvas a school of over 50,000 people.

After all of this excitment it was off to get some food followed by work.

I won't kid you. I was in a rush.

Nearing Cain's with about ten minutes to go no one could stop me until . . . someone stopped me :-)

This guy on the street asked me a question and I gave him an answer while walking away.

Than I turned around and gave him another answer. A better one.

Now it was prime time for my question.

It turned out that this guy believed in Jesus and was sure about his salvation and how he has it.

He mentioned that he may not always live the life but he knows enough and is trying.

After a few more words it was over and I made it to work on time.

Lesson learned

Don't forget that your time is His time. There is no hurry you are ever going to be in that He can't put on hold for His will to be done.

It's just like this line in one of my favorite movies:

Jack: I'm in the middle of a deal!

Angel: Well, you're working on a new deal now, baby.

Praise Jesus!!!

God bless kids :-)

Day 37: Rejoice!!!

Recently I have felt as if I was on top of the world.

Nearly every single thing I have wanted has been given to me thank God.

I'm not just throwing "thank God" at the end for the heck of it either.

In a nutshell after all of this chatter I have discovered that I'm just not as excited about some things that I use to think were cool when I compare it to living all out for the Lord.

I'm thankful and believe me, I. AM. THANKFUL for all the stuff that has happened in the past few weeks and God deserves ALL the glory for it :-)

I figure what I'm trying to say is that though YEA I will rejoice in the cool things God has given me that I have wanted for sooooooooooooooo long, I realize a little more clearly now what's really important. A life I wouldn't trade for the world (Lord please help me to stay this way)

I talked to 3 people today and all of them believed in Christ.

Maybe tomorrow I will talk to someone who still doesn't know Him.

Lesson learned

Rejoice in the Lord. When you rejoice in God and rightfully rejoice in something He has blessed you with . . . you just know that there's a point being made in your heart.

Day 36: Chicken and such

It was nearly time to go home today when this guy comes into work to take over and start his shift. He's a one of those guys who's a little ruff around the edges but he's no rougher than me in some respects before I got saved.

Let me just tell you before I get into things that another co-worker had already brought up Jesus so He was in the air :-)

I'm still not sure how it all exactly came up but this guy I'm talking about today mentioned that he works for a pastor during the day time yet has never gone to church.

As far as he's concerned since he's not living a Christian life he shouldn't go. I let him know that church isn't for perfect people and that we are all sinners.

I know I didn't come up with it but I told him to think of church more like a hospital. People who are sick go there to get better and that we are all in need of Jesus.

The talk went on a little longer but was sort of sidetracked by this other guy who was working at the time.

My prayer is that this kid can get past all of the craziness around him and finds himself alone with Jesus.

Lesson learned

It's not about me.

God bless and goodnight

Day 35: You pour me till the day has past . . .

While getting some food at a common college local (which I will not mention because I don't want people to know I eat there) I got to talk to someone while waiting for my food.

The name was rook and she believed in Jesus but wasn't sure about salvation.

I talked to her some and encourged her to get in the Word and reminded her of what it really means to be a Christian.

Being a follower of Christ involves us following His example.

Remember, it's not about being good enough since we are all not good enough and saved by the blood of Christ.

Before I left I let her know she can pray for me and she told me I can pray for her.

How about we all do it.

God bless and goodnight :-)

Day 34: Ice cream and such

Today after some good football in the park fun some friends and I went to go get icecream.

After finding a seat to settle down and enjoy the silky smooth taste of Belgian chocolate and . . . some other kind of chocolate ice cream I went back in to talk to one of the ice cream people about Jesus.

It wasn't exactly the most fluid conversation about Jesus that I have had but she was very polite and I got to share Jesus with her.

In the end I hope more good stuff comes from the conversation than I may ever know of.

Keep on sharing Jesus and God bless :-)

Day 33: Around the world

Eeek.

I have to go to work in a matter of minutes and won't be back until 4-5AM-ish!!!

Horrors.

This will be quick.

I got to talk to a security guard at Krogers and that went really well. He works at the workers comp building downtown. Steller, it REALLY WAS :-)

Bonus.

While riding my bike back from Target I got contact info from TWO people who I am hoping will come to our Burger Bash in two weeks. We shall see eh :-)

The first person I saw heading to get my bike from the rack and I thought about talking to them but didn't so when I saw them again while riding home I just went up and started chatting it up.

God is sooooo very good :-)

The next guy was in the street surrounded by a sea of white papers.

I asked him if he needed any help. Boy did he, lol! It was nuts.

Have you ever realized how much easier it is helping people in a jam than being in a jam yourself?

Just something to think about :-)

Pray it up folks and God bless you beautiful people

PRAISE JESUS!!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

:-)

Day 32: New friends :-)

Today some XA folk and myself went around taking pictures before Chi Alpha when some guys randomly started talking to one of my friends.

Eventually everyone left to go somewhere to take more pictures when I noticed that one of my chums was still talking. The conversation up to this point was mostly about a business proposition when my friend mentioned that they had church on Sunday morning.

Somewhere in here the God talk began. About a half-hour later this guy is asking a lot of really good questions about being a Christian and how that should look. He isn't a fan of being a part of a Church or Christian group and had some concerns.

The chatting went really well and his friend who had jetted for a while came back just in time to listen to my response to one of those harsh questions you might know of. We let them know we had to go and the first guys friend asked me if I played ultimate frisbee out of nowhere.

HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?

PRAISE JESUS!!!

I let him know that I like to play but that I'm not that good (I know some goooood players, hah!) and he was cool with it so we exchanged contact info and with that we were gone.

OH! My friend traded info with the first guy so that was really cool too.

Lesson learned

God clears the way for His truth to come forward

He gives you the words to say and the confidence to say them when things get tough

Trust Him and you will never be sorry. Believe me. Try it.

PRAISE JESUS!!!

God bless and goodnight :-)

Day 31: It can be tough . . .

Today has been pretty out

of

this

world in many respects

Things have never been better and at the same time
I seriously feel like the enemy is getting at me.

I know that it's partly my fault for letting things get comfortable.

Crazy.

I was able to talk about Jesus at work today even more so than before and with other people which was great. While talking to the manager on duty I even got to cover some things about being a good witness.

Another talk with a co-worker covered salvation and how we have it.

Overall the night was mostly stellar but deep down I know there are cracks and that fact is bothering me.

I need to handle some things and while this time in my life is going through some adjustments I also need to remember that all of that doesn't mean taking a break from what God has for me to do.

Lesson learned

Being who God wants you to be now isn't always easy but it's worth it.

In trying to be the man or woman of God that He wants you to be cracks will/may show and they may not be pretty BUT . . . I would rather see them and be disappointed in myself for a second than pretend they're not there or worse . . . not know there are any cracks at all.

Get close to God and keeping going.

Your heart depends on it. Everything does.

PRAISE REPORT!!!

I will start with an awesome one but will end with something that can't be beat!

First of all I got a 100% on my final exam for this class that I was taking during the summer. IT WAS ALL GOD and don't think anything different. No, I am NOT doing one of those I'm thanking God things but really puffing myself up at the same time deals. It really was ALL Him. Ask me for the story and I will gladly tell you.

Now for the WOW, this is good!

SOMEONE GOT SAVED TODAY!!!

PRAISE JESUS!!!

Read all about it
@
No Turning Back Now!

THANK YOU GOD!!!

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WORKING!!!

This was sweetness :-)

Again, God bless and goodnight all.

Day 30: This is my call . . .

You're a painting with symbols deep, a symphony
soft as it shifts from dark beneath
A poem that flows, caressing my skin
in all of these things You reside and i
want to flow from the pen, bow and brush
The paper and string, and canvas touch
With ink in the air, to dust your light
From morning to the black of night . . .

One of wildest things in the world happened today.

I went to my last exam of the summer quarter after a much appriciated God provided study break . . .

This is my call i belong to You
This is my call to sing the melodies of You
This is my call i can do nothing else
i can do nothing else

. . . and after an hour of being there we all left without answering a single question.

I still don't know what happened but the Prof didn't show up.

I got to share Jesus with this guy who was seating next to me while we waited and it turns out he was a believer and idunno . . . it was cool. Obviously, right?

You're the scent of an unfound bloom
A simple tune
i only write variations to
A drink that will knock me down on the floor
A key that will unlock the door
Where i hear a voice sing familiar themes
Then beckons me weave notes in between
A bow and a string, a tap and glass
You pour me till the day has passed . . .

As we were all leaving to go on with our day and figure out what to do next I noticed all of the different people in the class that I was about to leave for possibly the last time.

Some were Jewish and others were Muslim. Some believed in Jesus and knew He was the Son of God while others didn't and sadly . . . idunno, I guess that's it. "That's it," is the sad part you know?

This is my call i belong to You
This is my call to sing the melodies of You
This is my call i can do nothing else
i can do nothing else

Lesson learned

This week some of my imperfections have come up into plain view and I just sort of stared at them with this awful feeling in my stomach.

"Where do I go from here?" was the question.

Don't wait too long to be who God would want you to be now.

God bless.

Day 29: Whew, what a day :-)

The phrase of the day is, "Short and sweet."

I have to get up in a few hours for an exam so forgive me for the lack of a full blown post.

I went to Culver's today with Jeff, Rob, and CJ where we enjoyed good food and I got the chance to talk to this guy from Mexico who was on his break.

We talked about his past a bit and yes, Jesus came up :-)

He said that he believed that Jesus was his Savior and the Son of God which I think is totally awesome :-)

Before we could get any further he had to get back to work but you know what, it was good.

I was able to talk with the cash register girl with Rob some and got to tell her Jesus bless you.

I realize it wasn't a full Gospel presentation . . . maybe it was a start.

God bless you all and seek God and what He want's for your life.

Go for that.

Day 28: Some days are just crazy

I won't be able to tell all and everything about what happened today because it would take you forever to get through it so I'm letting you know now; this is the short version.

I will write two shorts stories about the people I talked to today and than I will go and rest for a day full of exam studying fun :-)

The first person I talked to was a girl who was working at Joanns.

I was with my married friends Adam and Ellynn and they were getting a bunch of fabric samples cut out so they could see what would work in their apartment.

While the girl was cutting these one inch samples I asked her what the first thing was that came to her mind when she heard the name Jesus.

She wasn't exactly jazzed.

Right when I thought the conversation was over it took off!

She asked me some questions and told me she was Catholic and I answered and let her know that Adam and I both went to Catholic schools when we were younger and knew where she was coming from. After a little while she mentioned that some guy had come in and asked her if she knew wether or not she was going to Heaven . . . wild eh :-)

We had some solid back and forth going on and I got to give her the Gospel in the clearest way I can remember giving it.

ALL GOD!

She threw some hardball questions about gay people and those who have done awful things like rape. I responded with honest answers that were totally backed by the Bible and a story about the guy who wrote "Amazing Grace."

The talk went on for a little while and her co-workers I could tell were listening :-)

Finally, she told me that she's had unpleasent encounters with Christians and I told her that if someone says they are a Christian she should think to herself, "Is this person like Jesus?"

"Then you make the call."

I realize Christians aren't perfect by the way but we are called to perfection in Jesus Christ so yea, let's raise the bar right?

The second talk which happened not too long ago was with this girl on High Street who was just . . . alone. She said that she was waiting for her ride and I just went right into it. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the name of Jesus?

She didn't really have an answer and so we talked some and I shared the Gospel with her. Afterwards she told me that her grandfather was a Priest which now sort of confuses me because as I'm writing this I don't see how that's even possible.

Either way, I shared my testimony with her and let her know that if she called on God He would show up and she let me pray for her :-)

PRAISE JESUS!!!

Lesson learned

I know the Gospel may offend some people and folk won't always be excited for one reason or another still; I don't want to be the guy who out of pride or insecurity tramples on some one and keeps them from a relationship with Jesus.

Never let your day keep you from sharing the Gospel. Other things may come in droves to distract you but we have to just keep going at it.

Keep praying for people you talk to and have faith that God can and will work in their lives.

God is good and the joy of the Lord is our strentgh.

God bless kids :-)

Day 27: AWESOME . . . just another name for God

I'm about to give a lightning fast rundown of the days events to put you in place for one of the best sharing Jesus moments of my life.

I woke up late.

Watched Michigan beat Vanderbilt. Go Big Ten!

Saw the Buckeyes dominate a first quarter and left for a wedding.

Somewhere in here I fooled myself into thinking I would have time later to go share the Gospel with someone and watch the game all at the same time.

The wedding was sweetness. Congrats J and P!!!

Me and the Buckeye fanatics that I know (trying to avoid all word of the game) rush back home to watch the ending.

While doing the PIP deal and taking full advantage of a tricked out DVR we watch the Buckeyes win big and Notre Dame hang on (overrated)

The time is now a little after 12 and yes, Michigan still . . .

. . .

well, it's still up north :-)

I walk Adam, Ellynn, and Jill to their cars and the adventure begins!!!

My idea was to walk in the gas station about a block from my place and share the gospel there but the guys were busy and I just figured I would head for the Oval. OSU, the city that rarely sleeps :-)

While heading for the corner I'M HIT!!!

With what you ask?

Nothing short of a tackle by the Holy Spirit I'm sure :-)

I see a guy in the parking lot of the gas station and he is trying to give his truck a jump with some contraption that hooks into an electrical outlet.

I fight it but in the end I cannot do anything else but head over.

I ask him if he needs some jumper cables so that maybe he could hook them up to a vehicle and have some better luck starting up the truck.

He tells me no but thanks.

I don't even know what small talk happened after this all I know is that I was talking and getting that PRAY FOR THE TRUCK feeling!!!

OH NO!!!

What if I look foolish???

What if I take this leap of faith and the truck just won't start!?!?!?

God's will be DONE!

PRAISE JESUS!!!

I ask him what he thinks about Jesus and we start to talk a bit about his backround when I tell him what is on my mind.

I tell him that even though it probably sounds nuts I know I should pray for this truck to start.

I pray.

He trys it.

It will not turn on.

We talk some more.

Our conversation goes deeper and I know God has a plan for everyone and everything so if I was supposed to do that it was for a reason and if it didn't start that's for a reason TOO!!!

Note: Thank you Eric Scott Martin (My fellow ESM) for giving your "Take a leap" testimony at SALT 2003, it helped me with this one.

Within minutes this guy has changed and is sooo . . . idunno, sorta cheerful.

I give him the Gospel. I give him my frienship. I give him all of what's left of me after being sick and not having much left after an out of the ordinary day. I wonder what's gonna happen.

THE TRUCK STARTS!!!

PRAISE JESUS!!!

He thanks me with soooo much joy and at about the same time I'm going, "It's all . . ." he cuts me off and looks up and gives it up to God!!!

PRAISE GOD ALMIGHTY IN HEAVEN!!!

THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT!!!

My new friend thanks me and gives me his hand for a firm man shake and I go in for the hug.

I was overjoyed gimmie a break. I'm pretty sure he was cool with it :-)

The one arm pat is cool right? LOL!

I let him know what the deal is with Jesus one last time and he tells me that I should meet up with him some time and that he'll buy me dinner.

He runs this stand on gamedays close to where I live and I can just come over whenever I want and he'll spot me he said.

The Lord is good.

I hope one day that guy gives me the only thing I want from tonight, though I will try to make it out to his stand :-)

Him, loving it up all over the world for Jesus!

Praise God and goodnight kids :-)

The Lord IS good!!!

Lesson learned

I told Adam before he jetted home that I always learn something on days where things aren't setup as usual. "Maybe I should have gotten an earlier start" was what I told him.

Thank God for making ANYTIME the right time to share the love and hope found in JESUS CHRIST!!!

Day 26: A New Month Begins

First off I want to say sorry to you folk who happen to read this all the time.

I will really try to get a picture in here tomorrow :-)

Maybe I can be descriptive enough to not need one . . . than again maybe not
:-p

It was sort of chilly today and the smell of the air reminded me of another time.
The changes that have taken place in my life are mind boggling.

As I walked towards the Oval I felt very joyful for this moment I was having. I really just could not stop thanking God for such a beautiful life and the chance to share Jesus!

Moments later I arrived at the Oval and guess what . . . it. Was. Dead.

It was like a ghost town or something.

There were a few people scattered around but the feeling was not inviting.

Ah well, it was time to find someone.

I really didn't have to look long before I saw this girl walking towards College and I made my way towards her.

She was pleasent and wondered how quick the survey really was. I told her not long and that we could do it as we walked.

Over the next few minutes I found out that she used to go to a Catholic school and somewhere in reading history she just lost faith. I tried to encourage her with history that Jesus and the Bible were trustworthy and the walk continued.

We got to the corner of College and W. Woodruff where the chatting was taking off when I noticed that after a couple of minutes we had totally waited for the walk sign and that it had come and gone during our talk.

PRAISE JESUS!!!

She didn't even care when I jokingly mentioned it.

Things started getting into politics which we all know isn't the point of sharing Jesus who is bigger than some political parties agenda and I aimed to bring things back.

We stopped at a couple more corners and as we were in front of CVS we parted ways.

A part of me wanted to desperately keep talking and see her accept Christ. Another part of me was clueless wondering if I had not said enough. All that was left for me to do was pray.

As she was leaving she made a comment about the conversation and it was clear that she had enjoyed it.

My prayer is that she meets God and enjoys Him even more.

Lesson learned

Remember to be Spirit lead and to leave no stone unturned.

Don't let the pace of your day end a conversation sooner than it's supposed to end.

Try to sense if the other person is wanting to talk more and be willing to end things if you feel all has been done that can be done. During this repeat the first lesson.

Lastly PRAY! Pray for the people you talk to as if it were your very own brother or sisters life on the line. It is.

God bless and goodnight kids

P.S. I'm on the 3rd day of being sick but feeling better. Physically I'm sort of weak but my soul is refreshed THANK GOD!!!

Thank you all for your prayers.

Remember, pray for the lost.

It could be you. Oh wait, it was you.