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Viking Hunters

union square
An ordinary afternoon in Union Square Park.

In 2010, God allowed my friends Christine, Vernon, Juan, and I to take an evangelism class at our church based on the popular series “The Way of the Master”.

“Us Four” as I affectionately call us, already had evangelism experience under our belt so we were actually students who were going to be quickly turning around and training others.

As part of the class, we took our first “fishing trip” to Union Square Park on a Friday evening to practice the skills we had been learning throughout the weeks.

Initially, we all split up to talk to people one-on-one but I didn’t fare so well as I started talking to a guy and half way through our conversation his girlfriend came up to us. I was so concerned that she might have the wrong idea about what I was doing, that I lost my train of thought and only gave him the law and pointed out his sins but forgot to mention the “Good News” that we have a savior in Jesus.

I saw that Christine was free, so I went to partner with her.  We found another fellow to talk to when all of the sudden we spotted him.

Out of nowhere, a guy dressed as a viking –  with a mask, horns on his helmet and spikes— started crossing the street and was heading right in our direction.  Christine had been in the middle of sharing the Gospel with the dude we were standing with. Later on, she shared that all she could think was that the devil himself was headed our way! All she could do was keep preaching the Word! I just tried to remain calm. After all, we were in Union Square on a Friday night. There are always tons of characters there. Thankfully, he walked by us without any incident.

After we were done, we went to check on the guys. Juan soon joined us, but Vern was in the middle of sharing the Gospel with a group of people who seemed to be hanging on his every word. Christine went over to talk to some of the teens standing by Vern, leaving Juan and me to our own devices.

Juan and I were the “loose cannons” from the group, so we weren’t going to stand still for too long.

We were there for just a few moments when I spotted him again.  There was the viking. Except this time he was sitting by himself, smoking a cigarette.

As I saw him sitting there, I thought, “Well, if he really is the devil incarnate then we should go preach to him too!” So without any further thought, I said to Juan, “Let’s go over to him.”  To which Juan immediately replied, “Ok!” As we were walking over to him, I suddenly realized that I had no idea what to say so when we were just steps away from the viking, Juan and I quickly decided that he should be the one to talk.  Perfect! He was the Green Beret and Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army!  I, on the other hand, was not.

I was just “in the zone” which I can only describe as being filled with Holy Ghost boldness as well as a little touch of crazy (how else can I explain going out and evangelizing in New York City and abroad!)

Thankfully, Juan eased his way into a conversation with the viking and suddenly, to our surprise, he relaxed enough to literally lift up his mask so we could see him face-to-face. Instantly, the intimidating viking became just another young guy who needed to be reminded that God loves him.

He shared how he had just finished one job and was on his way to another job where I suppose he is required to wear the costume. He mentioned that he did grow up going to church. We chatted for a bit, and I was thrilled that I got to pray for him at the end of our conversation.

Now I can’t say that I’d go up to every viking I see, but I am so thankful that God reminded me that night to look past a person’s exterior to see the lost sheep inside.

There are lost and hurting sheep all around us. Do you see them? They are in your home, work, school, neighborhood, etc… Why not ask God to show you who He would like you to reach out to with a kind word, smile, prayer or with an invite to your church?

If this encouraged you, please feel free to leave a comment and to hit “Like” below.

 

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The Confession

asterix611 / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

 

Doing outreaches in New York City can be just as adventurous as going abroad on short-term missions trips! You never know quite who you’ll meet. Here’s a story of one unforgettable encounter I had while ministering in Manhattan.

In 2008, I felt God drawing me to serve with the New York School of Urban Ministry (NYSUM).  NYSUM provides training and housing for short-term missions teams ministering in New York City.

As an associate staff member, I would take teams who were visiting from out of town on outreaches to place like The Father’s Heart Ministries soup kitchen, to local shelters, and also on homeless outreaches.

The place I used to take teams to on homeless outreaches was in midtown. The team would hand out sandwiches, toiletries, and blankets and then we’d get to speak and pray with the men waiting on line to enter a facility where I’m told they sleep on metal chairs instead of beds.

I’ve met all kinds of homeless people. I must say most are friendly and welcome a listening ear. Some are well versed in the Bible. A few have thanked me profusely for spending time with them and have said they would like to one day do the same thing that I was doing! So sweet.

I have fond memories of many of them. Many of the guys at this particular site had just come from out of town and had no place to stay.

Then there was this one guy who shocked me.

One evening, I was talking to a man who seemed deeply burdened. I had prayed with other guys numerous times before, but it seemed like something was really weighing this man down.  When I asked him what I could pray for, I thought he would say something rather standard such as for a job, an apartment or for good health. But he surprised me by saying, “Forgiveness.”

So I began to pray for him. Normally, I would then invite the person to pray silently, but for some reason I felt like he needed to get whatever it was off his chest so I suggested he say whatever he needed to say to God out loud and that it would remain between him and God.  I wasn’t prepared for what he was about to say next.

With tears streaming down his face, he asked God to forgive him for shooting someone. Huh? I was stunned.  But at the same time, I was honored that he felt that comfortable that he could say that in front of me.  I continued to pray for him and soon it was time to leave.

Only as I was heading back to the van with the team did all these thoughts start racing through my mind including, what if he still had the gun with him?

Looking back, I’m sure I could have handled the situation much better, but on that particular night I felt like my job was not to judge the man or make sure that he was arrested.  God would take care of that. On that night, I felt that I was called to just listen and pray for a man who was in deep distress.

It reminds me that there is no pit too deep that Jesus can’t redeem us and rescue us from it!  Sure we may not have shot anyone, but we still have sins that we need to confess to God and sometimes even to each other.

Yes we are saved in an instant but sanctification, or being set apart for God and being molded into the image of Christ, is a process. It happens over a lifetime.

Could I encourage you to take a moment right now and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and to shine a light on any unconfessed sin that you may have? If something comes to mind, don’t ignore it. Just ask Jesus to forgive you. Ask Him to give you the strength to stop doing/saying/thinking that or to start doing/saying/thinking what you know you should.

The Bible says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:8-9)

What a wonderful Savior we have! Receive your forgiveness from Jesus and ask Him to cleanse you and help you make a brand new start. To read more about how Jesus cleanses us, click here.

If this encouraged you, please feel free to leave a comment or to press “Like” below.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Honduras Highlights

Honduras cover

It’s a tradition. After each of my short-term missions trips, I put together some pictures and thoughts and create slides to help me share my experiences with others.

My Honduras slides are ready! I’m going to let them do all the talking this week. Please click Honduras PDF to view them. I hope you are blessed!

If you missed my other posts about Honduras, feel free to check out: Hola Honduras, Viva Honduras, Foreign Friends Part 2 or Why Go?

If this encourages you, please leave a comment or click “Like” below.

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One Step at a Time

earth2marsh / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

 

“One step at a time, Sister. That’s the only way you’re going to make it. Take it easy.”

Those were the wise words I overheard as I was climbing up the stairs to go to a prayer meeting the other day. I couldn’t help but turn around to see who was speaking. A man was encouraging an older lady who perhaps had a foot injury. She was slowly making her way up the staircase, step by step.

Even though the comment wasn’t directed at me, it stuck with me.

Yes, that’s how I’ll get to where God is taking me. Not all at once, but little by little. One step of faith after another.

If you are anything like me, you may be tempted to run up the stairs. Or better yet, to tackle two or three steps at a time. But friends, have you noticed that God is not in a hurry?

We may not understand His divine timetable, but there’s no use fighting Him on it. His timing is perfect.

In order to make it to the top step, we must keep climbing. Keep persevering. And like the woman behind me who must have eventually made it to the final step, we just have to keep moving forward.

Take a short rest if you must. Take it slowly if you need to. But don’t get overwhelmed by the journey. Keep walking, knowing that the Lord is with you. His grace truly is enough, and His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.

You will make it!

If the journey has you winded in anyway right now, remember to keep leaning on Jesus. Do you hear Him? He’s saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

If this encouraged you, please feel free to leave a comment and to hit “Like” below.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Protected

knowhimonline / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

 

The other day I got into work and read a flurry of e-mails that had gone out the night before alerting the staff that the computer server had problems, and the guys in the IT department were doing their best to get everything back on track. The e-mails continued early the following morning. Each one alerting us about the status of the problem.

The last message went out saying the problem had been resolved. Great!

What struck me was that because the trouble had started after I had left work the night before and it was solved by the time I had gotten into the office the following morning, I was blissfully unaware of everything that was going on.

The issue had been taken care of without me having to fret about it or having to lift a finger. Sweet.

Now this was a computer problem we experienced, but I immediately started thinking of the spiritual applications.

There is a spiritual battle going on all around us, as you may know. While sometimes it’s on our radar and we can feel the fiery darts attacking us from all sides, other times we are oblivious to what’s going on around us. Why?

One reason is because our Heavenly Father is fighting the battle for us!

Just like the IT department was working feverishly to correct the problem at hand, the Lord and His army are fighting battles that we may never, ever know about.

Doesn’t it feel wonderful to know that God Almighty, yes Jesus who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is fighting for us! Amazing!

I’m not sure what battles you’re facing, but let me encourage you fellow believer. Jesus is fighting on your behalf. And if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

I’m reminded of the story of Elisha and his servant when they were in the city of Dothan. The king of Aram was enraged with the prophet Elisha so he sent his troops to hunt him down. It looked like the prophet and his servant were doomed, but Elisha didn’t panic.

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. (2 Kings: 15-18)

I love this story because it shows that we are not alone. God is there fighting for us.

And the Bible says that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)

No wonder the Bible says over and over again to Fear Not! We can’t lose with God on our side! Praise God!

So keep reading, studying, mediating, believing, proclaiming, obeying and living out what you read in the Bible! Trust that God is there fighting for you, and that you are protected.

I hope this encouraged you. If so, please feel free to leave a comment or to hit “Like” below.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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