Proclaiming the Truth

A Day in Albany, GA with Jorge Argueta!

2012-01-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

Jorge "The Animal" Argueta on the streets of Albany

Jorge is ready....Are you?

Ready..Set....

Jorge and his wife Angela

My daughter Emily had a swim meet in Albany, GA. Once we found out about it I immediately thought of one of my street fishing brothers from Florida. Jorge "The Animal" Argueta last seen almost four years ago on George St. in downtown St. Augustine lives in Albany. I got on the phone and we made plans to get together and possibly hit the streets before the swim meet began. Jorge picked me up at the pool, threw the crosses in the back of his car and headed for a "fishing hole". This was Jorge's first time out with the cross. He did such a great job. He was an encouragement to others as well as an encouragement to me. It was great just to spend time with him on the streets once again. We picked up right where we left off....something brothers in Christ can do. We later went back to the pool and got to spend more time with his family. Oh, and by the way my daughter did great in the swim meet too! What a great trip! Please pray for Jorge, his family, and his ministry in Albany! GO!

A Great Day on the Streets!!

2012-01-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

Public reading of Scripture

Canyon preaching!

Canyon, Evan and I decided to start off our day at Marietta Square. The scripture was read and then we all shared the gospel with those in and around the square. We later went to Barrett Parkway by the Town Centre Mall. There was a great amount of traffic due to the fact that it was the last day until the kids go back to school. We saw several people roll their windows down to hear the message. Canyon, Evan, and I preached for about 1.5 hours. Standing on the same corner with us for the entire 1.5 hrs was a girl named Sarah. She told us her Dad was a pastor. She also wouldn't take a gospel tract and told us "I'm not a believer". Please pray that Sarah would repent and
trust in the Savior. Personally, this was
one of the best days I've had on the streets since moving to Georgia. So thankful for the opportunities to share the truth. GO!!

Who is that masked man?? It's Evan that's who!!

Canyon sharing.

Evan sharing the Truth

Vernon sharing the truth. We had a great audience.

Sean and his Cross!!

2011-11-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

Today I had the opportunity to hit the streets with my good friend Sean Borca of Jacksonville, FL. We have evangelized in many different places together. Today was a special occasion because although Sean has held a cross before "this was the first time he held his own cross!" Several thousand people saw the cross today at the intersection of Blanding Blvd and Wells Rd in Orange Park, Florida. He also was able to give 4 MDB gospel tracts to people who walked by. It was a very exciting day for both of us. Sean was encouraged by some of the drivers as well as being an encouragement to others, but most of all Sean was praising his Savior and giving Him all the glory for how He has changed Sean's life. Praise the Lord for Sean and his boldness to share the gospel with those all around him. GO!

A Busy Day with Canyon Shearer

2011-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

Having the weekend off is a rarity to say the least. But on this day Canyon and I took full advantage of our time to proclaim the Truth. We started off by spending a few hours with our crosses to a very busy intersection at Barrett Parkway. There thousands read the crosses.....you could see their lips moving as they read the words "Are You Ready?". One person shook their head no, while another said, "Yes, I am ready"

Canyon and his cross on Barrett Parkway

Canyon's shadow and Vernon with his cross

Later on we visited Woodruff Park where Occupy Atlanta was taking place. We had several good conversations and the gospel was proclaimed to about 200 people in the park. All in all, it was a great way to spend most of our day and we were honored to have the opportunity to share the gospel with so many on this day. Pray that all who heard today would repent and trust in Christ! GO!

Reformation Day - KSU (180 Giveaway Pt. 2)

2011-11-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great time handing out 700 180 DVD's, several hundred tracts and had an opportunity to proclaim His truth through the open-air. Canyon, Marissa, David,William and myself had several conversations. Some people who received it last week said they were impacted by the DVD. Pray for those who heard the gospel preached this day. Pray while they watch the 180 DVD that God would impress on their hearts the sanctity of human life and how wonderful it is. Also that they would see the depravity of their own hearts and repent and trust in a wonderful Savior! GO!!

c

Canyon, David, and Marissa

Conversations

Here ya go!

Trust in Christ!

The guy on the left...many questions..pray for him.

180 Movie Giveaway, Pt. 1 - KSU

2011-10-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great time today distributing the 180 movie to thousands at Kennesaw State University until we found out that we needed permission to hand out anything or just talk to anyone on the campus. We were totally unaware of these regulations. Once hearing of this we ceased the giveaway and made inquiry at the Student Life Center. We tried to contact others in our group to cease but it was too late..they were given trespassing warning citations and escorted to the parking garage. We were able to distribute 1400 DVD's to the students in about 1.5 hours. Several students walked by saying they had already seen the movie online. They thanked us for being there. It was a very good day!.... We will follow the guidelines set by the school and get further legal clarification of those guidelines. Praise the Lord!! GO!!

The 180 Movie Crew at KSU...Cam, Wayne, Canyon, Julie, and Vernon.
(Randy and Eric are pictured below.)

Wayne's first citation for sharing the gospel on a public campus.

Good Morning, Would you like a free documentary?

Did you get one of these documentaries?

Randy sharing with the students.

Julie speaking with a KSU Professor who wants to show the film to his students

Eric being escorted off property.

Mission Ottawa 2011

2011-10-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

Sunny One Monday and Partly Cloudy with a Little Rain on the Next!!

2011-10-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

One week ago Canyon and I went to KSU. This time we brought the "Lie Detector". We have several great conversations and were able to hand out at least 1000 tracts. Pray for Taylor ( a professing Christian who thought love was living out her faith in front of others ) We tried to explain to her about true love - The Gospel - which may needs to be shared with those around us....if really true care about people we will share the Truth of Gods Word with the lost.

Lie Detector in action!

Canyon trying out this Preaching Stump!!

Big Money!

Conversing with a universalist..

The following week Canyon and I went back out to KSU. The weather looked terrible but we went anyway. It didn't rain on us until we were finished. We were so glad that we went!! Pray for those that received tracts to come to repentance and faith in the Savior.

Last Week.....This Week....

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a big group hit the campus of Kennesaw State University. We were able to distribute the gospel to thousands of students through the handing out of gospel tracts, one to one conversations, and open air preaching. What a joy to share the gospel with the lost and proclaim His name all for His Glory. Here are a few picks from last week:

Not everyone liked the tracts

This week Tyler and I went out with the crosses to Barrett Parkway. Tyler was holding the "He Gives Life.com " cross. I was about 200 ft from him holding the "Are You Ready" cross. It just so happened that where I was standing was a bus stop for the mall. So every so often a bus would pull up and all who got off received gospel tracts. Tyler was able to speak with Vinny for 1.5 hrs. Pray for all who saw the cross and received gospel tracts.

Tyler and Vinny on Barrett Pkwy.

David Mann: On the Streets In Las Vegas!!

2011-08-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

Luke............Are You Ready?

Next time your walking the streets of Las Vegas you may run into fellow crosswalker David Mann. This just happened to be pics from his first time on the street with his cross. Heres a few comments from David about his first time on the street.
First time out with the cross went wonderful. Had many people shout out, "am I ready for what?" or "I was born ready!" and many other comments. The cross works beautifully as a spring board for open air preaching and believe it or not it was easier to hand out tracts with that cross. Also got into some interesting conversations. It was an all together blessed night. Thank you Vernon for making the cross and I am glad to finally be a part of the crosswalk family :)

Paul Latour said, "Way to go David! I love these pics! You are right in the thick of the crowds. Great witness! The AYR cross is a great blessing, isn't it? May God continue to be glorified and many receive and believe the gospel within the glitz and glamor of sin where you are."

David said, "It was an awesome night and the looks on peoples faces were priceless. I wish I could have captured some of them. I pray they won't be able to get that question and the cross out of their mind and will have no peace until they are ready.

Pray for David and the ministry he has in Las Vegas. He loves God and loves people by taking the greatest message in the world, a message of redemption and forgiveness to those who need to hear it most.... GO!

Mission Ottawa 2010

2011-07-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a summary of Mission Ottawa 2010 from "The Word Street Journal".

Last year at some point, the Lord put it on the heart of one street evangelist Vernon Costolo, of West Virginia, who is now of Georgia (a brother in Christ whom we only knew through our blogs and e-mail correspondence) to go somewhere outside his home comfort zone and preach the gospel for about a period of a week.

A bit of a "mission", if you will. Long story short, he called up his friend, Sean Borca, of Florida, and they showed up at our front door last October.

But not before spending a couple of days with Bill and Jenny Baker in Toronto where they got warmed up to preach the gospel on the streets with them before arriving here in Ottawa. Vernon and Jenny knew each other from a recent Ambassadors Academy session in Southern California.

With four days slated to be in Ottawa, Vernon and Sean teamed up with Kim, myself, along with our pastor, Bob Doble and his wife, Marie-Josee. We met, we talked, we ate, we prayed, we planned, we geared up and out the door we went.

The video is just a summary of all that we did for four days on the streets of Ottawa and Gatineau, minus all the great fellowship we had.

We are doing it again this year and are opening up the doors to any who would like to join us, be it for a few hours or a few days. We are looking at beginning on Sept 3 (Labour Day weekend) to Wednesday, Sept 7.

Like last year, as most of our outings, we'll be busy handing out tracts, handing out Bibles, initiating gospel conversations, open air preaching, etc. If you are new to street evangelism, then this is a good time to get involved and maybe hand out gospel tracts to people. As you can see in the video, it is not that hard a task and yet a most important and effective part of street evangelism.

If you are not able to make it, we would most certainly welcome your prayer support. And if you feel led to do so and are able, financial support would be welcome, as well, to help offset the cost of the thousands of gospel tracts we will be purchasing to hand out. We are already equipped with a few boxes of Bibles.

Ottawa is no different than any other city in any other country. The people here need to hear and receive the gospel. Not the extra-biblical ones or the candy-coated ones that are preached in the majority of churches everywhere, but the TRUE gospel, straight out of the Word of God.

Mission Ottawa 2011 will be a great opportunity to share in the task of building the kingdom for the Lord. A great opportunity to spread the saving gospel of Jesus with others in the capital city of Canada. A great opportunity to lift up and proclaim, in the public square, the Name that is above all names. A great opportunity to bring the living word to a dying world and give God glory in the process.

Please let us know by August 17 if you would like to join us on this gospel giving venture in Ottawa. Our e-mail address is thewordstreetjournal@gmail.com. Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Until the nets are full,

Paul & Kim

An Afternoon on Marietta Square

2011-05-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Eric and I decided to return this week to Marietta Square. The weather wasn't the greatest but at least it wasn't raining or snowing. This was my first opportunity to use amplification in the square and do "Project Ezra".

Vernon on the square.

Jesse

Eric sharing the gospel.

I started off reading John 1 and then presented the Gospel. I saw one lady enter the park, sit down and listen. When I finished she stood and left. Eric spoke with Jesse. Jesse is one of the regulars in the park. He shared some stories about his life with Eric. They spoke for some time then Eric took Jesse to get some dinner. Eric also had a long conversation with the gentleman in the picture below. ( Pray for the man in the pic. ) I remained at the park at spoke to a young couple. We had a good conversation, but I don't think the young lady named Ryan was a believer. Please pray that she would consider what we spoke about and that she would come to repentance and faith in the Savior. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share His truth with those all around us.

Marietta Square

2011-05-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Eric sharing the gospel at Marietta Square.

Eric and I had the opportunity to speak with several people on the square. Please pray for Emma, Clayton, and the others who received gospel tracts. Praise the Lord for the opportunities He provides.

Double-Crossed in Woodstock,GA

2011-05-03T05:09:00.000-07:00


Canyon on 92 and Main St.

Canyon Shearer and I decided to hit the intersection of 92 and Main St in Woodstock, GA. We took the "Are You Ready?" and "He Gives Life.com crosses. It was rush hour so needless to say in our 2.5 hours on the street thousands of people read the crosses and hopefully asked themselves "Am I Ready?" I saw one individual as he was driving by and after reading the cross, reached over and buckled his seat belt. Another man yelled out of his vehicle "I am ready!", others gave thumbs up, waves, and others honked their horns or simply nodded their heads that they were indeed ready. Canyon and I had a great time of fellowship afterwards and I am looking forward to many more times on the street with him for God's Glory.

Reaching Her Community!!

2011-04-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Many weeks ago I was contacted by Melissa. She wanted a cross to proclaim the gospel in her community in Northern Ohio. Just like most of us the first time out with the cross is when you may have the most fear of not knowing what to expect. This is Melissa's account of her first day on the street with the cross.

Hello,

Well, as promised, here is the story of my first time out with the cross. I didn't go out until today because of fear and bad weather. But after hearing two sermons on being strong and courageous the past two Wednesdays, I knew I had to go out as soon as possible. When I saw that the weather would be good today (at last), I knew today was the day.

My pastor's wife joined me so that I would not be alone, and she gave tracts to the people who walked by since my hands were full. She gave away 11 tracts, with only one rejection. We were out for an hour and a half, in beautiful sunshine and breezy air. So many people waved, nodded and smiled at us, and many gave us a thumbs up. A few even called out, "I'm ready!" We were greatly encouraged. No one stopped to talk, but it is my prayer that many were provoked to seek the Lord.

~Melissa Burdett

Please pray for Melissa and her evangelism efforts in her community. She clearly sets the example of stepping out of her comfort zone to reach the lost and glorify her Savior.

Downtown Atlanta

2011-04-07T15:53:00.000-07:00


Almost there.


Grabbing a bite to eat, before we go burn all those calories!


GO!

Ken and his brother.

Downtown Lights

My second night in town and I was invited to hit the streets of Downtown Atlanta with a group of guys ( Jeff, J.T., Randy, Tyler, and Eric) from Faith Community Church in Woodstock, GA. and Anthony from Eastpoint Church on the south side of Atlanta. We all met up a Chick-fil-a to grab a bite We traversed the several city blocks and camped out for quite some time near Woodruff Park near Georgia State University. As I looked around the park I saw so many people, some just hanging out talking, some playing chess, others waiting for their bus. The was also a large amount of students walking in every direction. I had a great conversation with Ken and his brother. They were very kind to speak with and thanked me for sharing the gospel with them. Please pray for Ken and his brother. We had several great conversations and we also had the opportunity to hand out a bunch of tracts. As I recall my first evening in Downtown Atlanta.. I was so encouraged by this group of guys and how faithful they are in reaching the lost in Downtown Atlanta. Several of us had meaningful conversations, distributed a lot of tracts, and most of all...God was indeed glorified.

Retrospect

2011-04-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving in Huntington, WV three years ago I didn't know what to expect. No evangelism team, church, good friends or for that matter woodworking supplies. I immediately started contacting people via the Ambassadors Alliance map for people in the area to hopefully form a team. I remember speaking with Dan Stokely on the telephone. He said, "he would love to hit the streets, watch me and maybe hand out some tracts". I also had a fellow from Jacksonville who had relocated with me that I had been talking to at work whose name was Bill Sikes. Just so happened that few weeks after arriving in WV that a Transformed Conference was going to be happening in Charleston,WV. I invited Bill to go with me ( I had already been to Transformed in Americus,GA) Bill said, "He never heard any teaching on evangelism like that"..."Vernon, I want to hit the streets with you and see how you do it". I met with Dan and Bill on the streets of Downtown Huntington and Marshall University most every week. Upon first watching Bill in action I knew God had given him a special gift of public speaking and a desire to speak with others with a compassionate heart. I was truly so thankful that God brought Bill to Huntington, WV. Week after week we would hit the streets together passing out tracts and having one on one conversations....I would then ask Bill if he was ready to "get on the box?" Of course just like earlier as soon as Bill started boldly proclaiming the gospel I was so thankful to the Lord for him and this ability that he has to communicate the gospel with clarity. (I keep waiting for him to ship off to The Master's Seminary in Cali. :-) Its so exciting to see and hear how God has equipped Dan over these past three years as well. I remember his first time on the box.."stop light preaching". I also remember all the Project Ezra readings at Ritter Park with Dan and Bill. Our first time at Marshall University Dan ran out of tracts..matter a fact we all did! Since then we've handed out thousands upon thousands of tracts. We even all packed in a car and drove to The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. We met up several times with Gary Chaffins and Tim Duduit at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, OH. and then had a sweet time of fellowship grabbing a hamburger at Hickies. Kenny Taylor (my pastor) and Gerald Foster has joined us on the streets several times and they have been an encouragement to me. Kenny, Bill, Gerald and Fred actively participate with the churches' "Prayer Station" at Wal-mart. Gerald, Bill, and Dan also take their "Are You Ready" crosses out on a regular basis!! Did I mention why these men do these things?....All for Gods Glory. I could go on and on. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to walk side by side with these men in proclaiming the truth to the lost. I'm so glad that if I never saw these men again on earth....I will see them again in Glory.....what a joy.....thank you Jesus, my Savior.

Are You Ready? - Michigan High School Basketball Star Dies After Winning Shot

2011-03-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Michigan High School Basketball Star Dies After Winning Shot

Double Crossed!!

2011-03-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dan and I decided to head to Downtown Huntington, WV. It was the maiden voyage for the "He Gives Life.com" cross. We both had several conversations and were able to hand out several tracts. We always enjoy our fellowship together on the streets!! Keep Fishin!!

Vernon and Dan at 5th and 10th Downtown Huntington.


Vernon chatting with two guys.

A Slave and His Cross

2011-02-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

For those of you who were following the "Cross Giveaway" know Chris Jones won the drawing. Chris resides in Suffolk, VA with his wife Tammy. I had the pleasure of meeting both of them at The Ambassadors Academy in L.A. two years ago. Chris has a passion as a slave of Christ to reach the people of Suffolk, VA and the surrounding communities with the Gospel. Once Chris received the cross he was already planning where he would go, stand and speak. Here's how Chris described his first cross adventure:

The cross was held high in Suffolk, VA this past Saturday! I was there an hour starting around 2pm. While I was there I did some counting. In about 1min 15sec of one stoplight rotation, approximately 50 cars came through the intersection. So that's close to 4000 cars, and many cars had more than one person in them. Conservatively speaking, 5000 people saw the cross while I was out there. I got a good 13 horn honks of appreciation, twice as many waves or head nods of appreciation, and one middle finger combined with an obscenity. :) There wasn't any foot traffic, nor did anybody come by and ask me why I was doing it. But that's ok... :) I look forward to the next time.

May Chris be an encouragement to you to step out of your comfort zone to reach the lost with the Gospel. Praise the Lord for Chris!!

Marshall University 2-15-11

2011-02-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Bill, Dan, and I were joined today by Mike Riddle. The Gospel was shared with hundreds of students today. There were several great conversations with Muslims, Asians, and Roman Catholics. It was a great day. To God be the Glory.

Mike handing out gospel tracts and info on the nearby Creation Museum.

Bill speaking with a Muslim student.

Mike enjoyed sharing the gospel with this student.


This girl Bill was speaking with wanted to know more...


Bill having a great conversation with a Muslim student.

Did you get one of these??

Danno in action!!


Vernon, Bill, and Mike

Do Not Fear Evangelism - Tony Miano

2011-02-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

And the Winner is.........

2011-02-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

My family and I gathered together this morning put, all the names into the hat, and then picked the winner of the cross.........the winner is .............Chris Jones of Virginia!! Congrats Brother. Thanks to all my other brothers and sisters who participated in this drawing....maybe you will win next time...

Cross Give-a-way!!

2011-01-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

One Cross will be given away to the person whose name is randomly selected out of a hat. To see how I constructed the cross you can check out my previous blog.
There are two requirements: 1. The cross must be used on the street frequently ( i.e. not a dust collector) and 2. The person who wins the cross will provide a picture with of themselves with the cross in action!!
To enter the drawing all you need to do is post a comment with your contact info and your name will be added . The drawing will be Feb 1st!! Let the posting begin....

Note: United States residents only

The Real Christmas Story - John MacArthur

2010-12-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

20 Degrees on the Street

2010-12-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

Dan and I spent a few chilly hours in Downtown Huntington. I had the opportunity to chat with Jason, who said he was a Christian but couldn't communicate the gospel at all. We had a great conversation and I hope he will consider the things of which we spoke.

Dan speaking with Russell

Dan "on the street"

Vernon "on the street"

Dan was able to talk to Russell a local homeless man due to some personal circumstances.. Dan was encouraged by his attitude being positive. He talked to him about his spiritual state and Russell stated he was saved.. Dan had a really good conversation with him. Dan also had a few others stop by and offer and handshake and words of kindness for being out there sharing the Gospel. Pray for Jason, Russell, and all those who received Gospel tracts. All for His Glory!!

Black Friday 2010

2010-12-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Rain soaked Bill and Leah

Brandy and Leah...ready to pass out some tracts!

Open-Air Bill

Gerald, Leah, and Brandy

We had a great Thanksgiving. After spending time with friends and family we had planned since last year (Black Friday 2009) to deliver the gospel to all the people waiting in lines at Toys R Us and Best Buy. This year Bill and I had three new proclaimers with us. Gerald Foster, Leah Sikes, and Brandy Riley. Bill open-aired the crowd while Leah, Brandy and Gerald handed out tracts, ect. Then the rain came....by that time they had already handed out over 500 tracts and hundreds more heard the gospel preached in the open-air. Bill handed out tracts to the Best Buy crowd while I open aired. Bill then closed out this years Black Friday with some open air and then we went home to dry off. What a great time of fellowship. We are already looking forward to next year. Praise the Lord for this opportunity. It's such a joy to share the gospel.!!

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

2010-12-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of life to their souls, and they must receive it, for so the decree of predestination runs. They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints before the eternal throne. They are Christ's property, and yet perhaps they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus Christ purchased them he will have them. God is not unfaithful to forget the price which his Son has paid. He will not suffer his substitution to be in any case an ineffectual, dead thing. Tens of thousands of redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but regenerated they must be; and this is our comfort when we go forth to them with the quickening Word of God.
Nay, more, these ungodly ones are prayed for by Christ before the throne. "Neither pray I for these alone," saith the great Intercessor, "but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Poor, ignorant souls, they know nothing about prayer for themselves, but Jesus prays for them. Their names are on his breastplate, and ere long they must bow their stubborn knee, breathing the penitential sigh before the throne of grace. "The time of figs is not yet." The predestinated moment has not struck; but, when it comes, they shall obey, for God will have his own; they must, for the Spirit is not to be withstood when he cometh forth with fulness of power-they must become the willing servants of the living God. "My people shall be willing in the day of my power." "He shall justify many." "He shall see of the travail of his soul." "I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong."

C.A.U.S.E. 2010: Marshall University

2010-11-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

Our team took part in this years CAUSE project at Marshall University in Huntington,WV. We were there for about 3 hours. We had the opportunity to put the gospel into the hands of over 1000 people. We also had several great conversations. I had the opportunity to speak with Josh who while he received the tract said " I don't think you should be here doing this, pushing your religion on people" "I don't believe in God" "Why is there death, disease, suffering, ect.? To which I replied, " I'm not religious, I am here because I care about people". I then answered his questions. It seemed as if that disarmed him, then we were able to have a long conversation which included going through the law and the gospel. Josh thanked me for speaking to him and said he would consider what we spoke about. Pray that Josh would come to repentance and faith in the Savior.

Dan talked to a couple of people today while passing out tracts.. One guy by the name of Caleb.. Caleb stated he was a Christian, but when Dan asked him "What must I do to be saved". Caleb could not clearly tell Dan how he could be saved... Dan shared the Gospel with him, and left Caleb with some thoughts... He also talked to Adrian. As Adrian walked by Dan and he started to hand her a tract she told him that the Bible was basically not God's Word and was politically changed... Dan talked with her for about 15 minutes about many different things.. Adrian's view on how one gets to Heaven was based upon doing good things, and loving your neighbor. Dan told her that his thoughts were different than hers and asked her which one is right.. Where do you look to find the authority on who's opinion is the correct one? Dan then led her to the 10 Commandments being God's Holy Law... He showed Adrian how we have violated God's Law and are bound for Hell, but repentance and faith will lead to Life. Dan had the impression that Adrian although being grounded in her beliefs did have a bit of a look of concern on her face as she was trying to place her eternal life in the hands of 'her' opinion instead of putting faith in Christ. Pray for Adrian.

Vernon sharing with Josh.

Running short on sleep for this week's mission to Marshall, Bill was expecting to just pass out tracts. God had other plans, however, and ordained a meeting with Brandon, a young man who heard the law and the Gospel for the first time. He said he had been thinking about morality and the afterlife for some time, and was visibly moved when he was given his own personal copy of the bible to take and read. Please pray that God will give him ears to hear and that he will be born again!

Marshall University - October 2010

2010-11-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

Bill and I had the opportunity to hand out hundreds of gospel tracts to the students at Marshall University. One particular guy named Anthony had walked by, got a tract, and continued onto class. After class he walked back by our location. He said that while he was in class he read the tract twice. He said that he was really convicted of his sin. I had a short time to speak with him. He understood that he needed to repent and trust the Savior..I pray that he does. Pray for Anthony.
Bill Sikes also had the opportunity to talk with several students at the campus. Among them were Erin, a cultural catholic who heard the biblical Gospel for the first time, and Dominic, an advocate of reincarnation who had questions about references to Jesus in the old testament. Bill also presented the law and the Gospel to Gerrica and Courtney, who both realized for the first time that their best efforts fall far short of God's expectation. Please pray for these and others to come to repentance and belief in the good news of Jesus Christ.

I Am Not Ashamed - Nov 6, 2010 Charleston Municipal Auditorium

2010-10-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Come hear Dr. David Menton, Ken Ham, Todd Friel. Please be sure to come by the "Living Waters Resource Table" and say hello.

2010-10-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to make this box for the upcoming Pumpkin Festival that out church is going to have a booth at. I will be adding lights to the inside of the box so the face will light up at night. :-) We will also be able to use it when the kids come around Halloween night. It will be a good opportunity for conversations and to hand out gospel tracts. More to come....

The Gospel Message

2010-09-29T06:19:00.001-07:00

A Great Day at Marshall

2010-09-25T07:45:00.000-07:00


Dan sharing the Gospel at Ritter Park


Bill Sharing the Gospel.

Dan, Bill and I started of our day at Ritter Park. I read our weekly scripture and then we all proclaimed the gospel in the open air. We then went to Marshall University and spoke with several people. We had the Lie Detector with us and it was a great tool to have. I spoke with several people. One girl didn't realize then extent of her sin and knew she had to repent and trust the Savior. She asked for a Bible. :-) Another girl was from the Church of Christ and we spoke on Baptism most of the time...we gave her some things to think about how baptism doesn't save, but it is done in response to what Christ has done in a person life. ect. She was very pleasant to talk with and hopefully we will run into Anna again. I had a chance to speak with a guy who told me he was a Christian but hasn't been to church since coming to school. I asked him why he didn't have an answer. i was able to refer him to the website to find a local church. I also spoke with several other people and was able to talk with them as well. Pray for them. Dan was able to hand out several Gospel Tracts today, along with having several conversations with Students. Dan spoke with Ronald and Alisha about their Faith in Christ. That was a real encouragement to Dan to hear how they could tell how they were saved. Dan also was able to share the Gospel with Todd, who had no idea how one gets to Heaven.. Dan shared the Law and the Gospel with him, and was able to show Todd no matter what he does he can never meet God's standard of Righteousness. Dan also spoke with Wade a student on the Campus that was also a Christian, and was involved in a Student Ministry.. Keep Fishin!

Vernon speaking to Anna about baptism.

Bill sharing with two Muslims from Saudi Arabia.


Taking the Lie Detector Test..the girl on the left requested a Bible.

Bill sharing the Gospel.

Love Lustres at Calvary

2010-09-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

My Father,

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,

open my lips,

supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres

at Calvary.’

There grace removes my burdens and heaps them

on thy Son,

made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;

There the sword of thy justice smote the man,

thy fellow;

There thy infinite attributes were magnified,

and infinite atonement was made;

There infinite punishment was due,

and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,

cast off that I might be brought in,

trodden down as an enemy

that I might be welcomed as a friend,

surrendered to hell’s worst

that I might attain heaven’s best,

stripped that I might be clothed,

wounded that I might be healed,

athirst that I might drink,

tormented that I might be comforted,

made a shame that I might inherit glory,

entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped

from my eyes,

groaned that I might have endless song,

endured all pain that I might have unfading health,

bore a thorny crown that I might have

a glory-diadem,

bowed his head that I might uplift mine,

experienced reproach that I might receive

welcome,

closed his eyes in death that I might gaze

on unclouded brightness,

expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou

mightest spare me,

All this transfer thy love designed and

accomplished;

Help me to adore thee by lips and life.

O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,

my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my

enemies crushed,

Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,

sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,

hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.

Go forth, O conquering God, and show me

the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

Shawnee State University - Sept 2010

2010-09-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Gerald, Dan and myself made the journey to Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. We met up with Gary Chaffins from Grace Community Church of Portsmouth. We all had several conversations and were able to utilize the "Lie Detector" from Living Waters. The students really enjoyed it. It sparked several people to start talking about how they thought they were good....but then they took the test and had second thoughts. One person in particular named Marcus. I was able to go through the law and the gospel with him. He admitted if he was to die at that very moment "He would go to hell". He knew that he needed to repent and place his trust in Christ alone to be saved. He didn't have a bible so we gave him one. Pray that Marcus would repent and trust in Christ. Praise the Lord for these wonderful conversations.

Gerald sharing with a student.


About to experience "The Lie Detector".

Dan patiently waiting.

Gary Chaffins sharing with a student.

It's "Lie Detector" time!!

Gerald sharing the gospel with two girls.

Dan was first able to speak with Dwayne. He had no idea what happened to someone after they died, but then went on to speak about either Heaven or Hell. Dan was able to speak with him briefly before his ride showed up. He took a Gospel Tract that Dan gave him and left. Dan also spoke with two friends Aaron and Tyshon. Aaron spoke, as Tyshon was pretty quiet.. Aaron believed that everyone goes to Heaven when they die. Dan was able to take them through the Law and Gospel and show them how we stand guilty before God for breaking the Laws of God. They are now aware that not everyone goes to Heaven when they die. Dan also spoke with Tim who professed to be a Born Again Believer. Dan was able to pass out several Gospel Tracts to students as they came from the dorm area to the Campus. Gerald also passed out several hundred tract and had the opportunity to share the gospel with many students. Gerald is such an encouragement to us. Pray for all the students of Shawnee State and for all the seeds that were sown today. Praise the Lord!! Keep Fishin..

The Missionary Call: How do I Get One?

2010-09-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

Getting called! David Sitton, searching for the Black Water region of Papua New Guinea, with the village leaders of Govimas. Bible opened to Rom 15:20-21

The Missionary Call: How do I Get One?
By David Sitton on September 4th, 2010

I was never called to be a missionary, nor was I drafted. I volunteered. No special call was needed. I chose to go; I wanted to go; I was compelled to go. And where I go is determined by an open bible and a stretched-out map of the regions where Christ is still unknown and un-praised!

I chuckle when I hear missionaries and pastors talk about “surrendering to the call” of ministry. I always want to ask, “After you surrendered, were you water-boarded, or just hauled off in handcuffs and leg irons.” Was it really necessary for you to be abducted by a heavenly vision before you would go into the work of the gospel?

Getting called! David Sitton, searching for the Black Water region of Papua New Guinea, with the village leaders of Govimas; Bible opened to Rom 15:20-21.

Getting called! David Sitton, searching for the Black Water region of Papua New Guinea, with the village leaders of Govimas. Bible opened to Rom 15:20-21

The missionary call is not like a prison dog that tracks us down, sniffs us out, and hog-ties us for the nations. That is silly-talk and really bad theology. Nowhere in Scripture is a mysterious (supernatural) call a prerequisite before we can respond to the Great Commission. The opposite is actually true.
Don’t Wait for a Call

No aspect of mission is more bogged down with extra-biblical baggage than the “missionary call.” The clear command of Christ “to go” should be, by itself, sufficient to set you on your way “into all the world… proclaiming the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). You can’t go wrong by trying to go. Trust the Lord to direct your moving feet. If you are convinced of your call to “stay”, this will only serve as added confirmation that you are right. Don’t fear the risk of ending up some place the Lord doesn’t want you. Too many already took that “risk” when they assumed a stateside ministry or vocation with no confirmation other than their own desires.

Dramatic calls to ministry are the exception. If you have it in your heart to go, then go. Then, lean on the sovereignty of God to get you where he wants you in the harvest.
Try to Go

Paul tried to go into Asia, but the Lord wouldn’t let him. He then tried to go to Bithynia, but was “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Still, he kept trying to go. I count at least six cities in Acts 16 where Paul tried to take the gospel. It was only then that the Lord gave him a vision of the Macedonian. He woke up the next morning and immediately headed for the regions north, having “concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:1-6

The point? Don’t complicate the missionary call! Get radical with the going and God will get radical in the specific guiding.

Marshall University: Fall 2010

2010-09-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

Fall is an exciting time for our team in Huntington, WV. It's a time when the students come back to finish their schooling or it may be their first semester. We know we have a command to reach the lost with the gospel and that is what we did on this day. We care about people enough to put aside what or how they may think about us in order to share the truth with them. Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Garrett and Cody. Garrett came from a home where his Dad is a pastor. He has gone to church most of his life and has heard the gospel several times. He wasn't to clear some aspects of his faith. I was able to take share the gospel with him in our conversation. He said that he has repented of his sin and place his faith in Jesus. We spoke of some of the challenges he faces in the college environment and how to battle or make war with the sin in our lives. He asked for a handful of tracts to hand out to his friends and for those that cross his path. I was encouraged by his willingness to share his faith. Garrett is a football player for Marshall. Please pray for him and his team as they start the season.
I also had the opportunity to speak with Cody. He told me he sings in a gospel group. I asked him " if he knew what the word "gospel" meant? He didn't know. I explained to him what it meant and also had the opportunity to share the gospel with him. I asked Cody to examine himself and see if he was a Christian? He said he appreciated the conversation and would be thinking about it. He had to cut the conversation short to get to class. Please pray for Cody.

Dan was able to speak with Chris a Freshman in College about his Faith and the Gospel. Chris was able to tell Dan about his Salvation experience with much Clarity.. He was excited to see Chris's enthusiasm for Christ. Dan was also able to share the Gospel with a student named Tim.

Bill was blessed with the opportunity to share the gospel one-to-one with about 8 different individuals, including Mohamed, who had no idea who Jesus was, Ethan, who had never heard the Gospel before and requested a bible, along with several others. Regarding the discussions, Bill said, "It was a really diverse day as far as witnessing encounters go. I talked to a lot of different types of people, and even a few Christians, which was really encouraging. The young guy I spoke to named Ethan was really stunned by the weight of the Gospel and he said that he wanted a bible to learn more. I marked the Gospel of John and the book of Romans to help him get started, and I gave him some contact info. Please pray for him and all the others who received tracts and the message of the cross by word of mouth today!" Keep Fishin!!

Hurricane City Wide Yard Sale

2010-08-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Every year Hurricane, WV has a city wide yard sale. Our church decided to use that time as as means to get the gospel out to the community. We also used it as a time to sell some things and donate all the money earned to the daughter of one of our members who will be going to East Asia. Gerald and I hit the streets on this day and had several great conversations and were able to pass out hundreds of tracts. Praisethe Lord!!

Fools for Christs Sake - Tony Miano

2010-08-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

A short clip of my friend Tony Miano sharing the gospel. You can read more about Tonys evangelism encounters at The Lawman Chronicles.

Downtown Huntington 8-17-10

2010-08-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Bill and I went to Ritter Park. I began with our "Project Ezra' scripture reading of Jeremiah 7 and then continued sharing the Law and the Gospel. Bill got up to do his open-air and we had a group of people come and sit down and listen to him as they ate their lunch. Several people were handed tracts and heard the gospel. Then we headed into Downtown and were able to hand out several tracts. One person said "He wasn't sure he was going to die"...he didn't want to talk about what happens to you after you die....he just fled..pray for him. We did have the joy to meet two Chinese guys who upon talking to them and offering them a Chinese Bible they told us they were Christians. Their faces just lit up with joy talking about Jesus. They told us how they read their Bibles everyday and love His Word. They attend a nearby church. Bill and I couldn't recall meeting American Christians on our fishing trips that were as joyful as those two guys and love to talk about Jesus! Praise the Lord!! Keep Fishin!!

Huntington Rib Fest 2010

2010-08-14T20:21:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it been one year since last years Rib Fest. This year was about the same as last year. I had the opportunity to hit the Rib Fest with my friend Kenny Taylor who is also my pastor. He leads by example and has been a great encouragement to me. Kenny has a genuine heart for the lost. He schedules other evangelistic outreaches in the community. We had a great time and were able to share the gospel with many. We pray that they would come to repentance and faith in the Savior.

2010-08-10T10:53:00.001-07:00

Deeper 2010

2010-08-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

Canada Day Gospel Outreach

2010-07-07T10:05:00.001-07:00

Check out my friend Paul Latour and his wife Kim, along with their friend Pascal from Ottawa, Canada.

Sunday Afternoon at Ritter Park - July 4, 2010

2010-07-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to read Gods Word at Ritter Park in Huntington,WV. It was a beautiful afternoon. There were lots of people walking, running and riding bikes around the park. I set up and began to read 1 John for Project Ezra. While I was reading a woman and her son sat down at nearby picnic table to listen. After reading 1 John and proclaiming the Gospel I asked them not to only consider the freedom that was purchased 200 years ago, but the forgiveness that was purchased 2000 years ago through Christ. The little boy wanted a Bible and his mom thanked me for reading. Another woman stopped running briefly to say thank you for reading 1 John. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to read the Word in public. May many repent and believe. Keep Fishin.

Downtown Huntington - June 2010

2010-06-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

Dan, Bill and myself headed to downtown Huntington. Vernon had a great conversation with a guy named Justin. He said "He was saved". When Vernon asked him How? Why? and How he could be saved Justin couldn't tell him. Justin was at a loss for words. He knew the lingo but that's it. Vernon spent the rest of his time explaining the gospel to Justin. Justin said "It makes sense" and was given a Bible. Pray that Justin would come to repentance and faith in the Savior. Dan spoke with a few people today one on one, and also handed out several Gospel tracts. One man that Dan spoke with was very confident that he was going to Heaven and assured Dan that he reads his Bible everyday and prays. Dan asked him if he was born again, and his response was that he did not identify with man made religion and was secure in 'his' beliefs and ways.. Dan told him that Jesus said, "You must be born again". At that point the man said he had to get to lunch and abruptly walked away. Dan also spoke to a gentleman that claimed that you get a belief (or in his mind saved) in you when you are little. Dan was not sure where he was going with that one, because Dan tried to speak to the man but he left quickly as well. Dan also had a few conversations with some beleivers(Kathleen and Jo). Bill had several conversations throughout the city as he passed out gospel tracts. later, We all went to Ritter Park and read John 3 and presented the Gospel in the Open-Air. Praise the Lord for this opportunity. Keep Fishin.

Solo at Ritter Park - June 2010

2010-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Got a late start today....I decided to head out to Ritter Park to share the gospel. When I arrived I saw people walking, running and just relaxing. I read John 3 and presented the gospel in the open air. One guy who was running by shouted "Praise the Lord" and smiled. I appreciated the encouragement. I packed up my things and was walking towards the exit of the park when I heard someone say "excuse me, can I get one of those Bibles from you?" She said,"My name is Dorothy, I was listening to you while I sat on the bench over there." (I couldn't even see her over there) We both sat down at a picnic table nearby where I was able to present the gospel and answer the questions she had. She understood the gospel. Please pray that she will come to repentance and faith in the Savior. Thank you Lord for that opportunity to proclaim Your Truth. Keep fishin!!

St. George Street - St. Augustine, FL

2010-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this e-mail with everyone. This team in North Florida continues to grow as people continue to step out of their comfort zones to share the Gospel with the lost. May we risk it all for His Glory!!

Greetings Saints,

Yesterday, the Lord Jesus Christ provided another beautiful day in St. Augustine to proclaim the light of the Gospel of His glory. He brought 13 people together from 6 churches for the single purpose of proclaiming the Gospel. The Lord blessed us with a permit to use amplification and a gazebo from which to set up our base of operation (our usual designated spot is in direct sunlight). The gazebo was slightly elevated and had a roof which provided shade. Thank you Lord for even orchestrating the little details.
The group sang songs, read scripture, preached the Gospel, handed out tracts and witnessed one-to-one and to small groups. It was a great day exalting the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and being with His people. Thank you for praying for the event. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send out more laborers into the harvest field. May we grow, by His grace, to love Him more and to those created in His image. To Him be the glory for ever and ever.
Lord willing, we will return to St. George Street on July 10th from 11am-6pm. We invite you to prayerfully consider joining us. Please don't feel as though you must engage in open air preaching or any other activity.
Simply coming alongside others is a blessing.
If you need a ride or would like to caravan with us, we will be leaving the church parking lot at 10:30. If you need to call us for any reason, you may reach us at 349-3106. Looking forward to laboring with you.

Worthy is the Lamb

John

Why We Evangelize

2010-05-10T10:40:00.001-07:00

Ohio State University - May 2010

2010-05-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

We (Gerald,Dan,Bill and Vernon) had a great day at Ohio State University. It took us approx 2.5 hours to get to Columbus. Once we arrived we couldn't wait to get out of the car to start proclaiming the Truth. We were so focused on the mission that the next time we looked at the clock it was 3pm. We totally missed lunch and none of us cared about that anyway. OSU is a beautiful campus. While we were there we had several conversations and were able to pass out over 2400 tracts. We did make a quick dinner stop at Schmidt's Sausage Haus. We would recommend stopping at Schmidt's if you're in the area. May many come to repentance and faith in the Savior. Keep Fishin!!

The Last Few Weeks

2010-05-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

Although we haven't blogged as of late we have been very busy. We just launched www.hegiveslife.com. It was inspired by Tony "The Lawman" Miano. There are still some tweaks to make with it..but its a start. We stamp our tracts so we can have follow-up with people we speak with or just hand out a tracts to. We are planning a big trip this week. I'm sure we will have plenty to share with everyone in the next few days. We have had many opportunities to share the gospel. We also had our first "Prayer Station" at the local Wal-Mart. Our pastor Kenny and his wife Stephanie kicked it off this past weekend. They have a heart for the lost and reaching out to the community. Kenny has also been out with us sharing the Gospel and some open-air. They are such an encouragement to us!! Here are a few pics of the last few weeks....may many come to repentance and faith in the Savior. Keep Fishin!!

Three Days!!

2010-04-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

Day One:
My good friend and brother flew up to Huntington,WV to go fishing with me...street fishing that is!! John and I went street fishing together when I lived in Jacksonville, FL. I picked up at the airport we headed to Downtown Charleston, WV. We decided to camp out awhile around the Town Centre Mall. It definitely was the right choice. It was lunch time and their was a lot of activity. We were able to speak with many folks and give out many tracts. While John was speaking with someone I noticed two outside restaurant areas. The tables outside were packed with people. So I decided to break out our hand-held PA system and present the gospel. As soon as I said the first word everybody turned and looked, some continued to eat and others just seamed to be zoned in on the message. What a great opportunity to have an audience like that. Many seeds were planted!!
John and I then went over to the nearby park and city bus station. Again there were many people there. John began his open air and was heckled by a woman who said she was a witch. (see the pic) Another man asked if he could speak in the mic. I asked this man what he thought about what John was saying? He said, "I'm a Christian, I'm saved". I asked him "What does that mean?" He then responded with cursing and vulgarity and of course through Jesus' name in the middle of it all. He stuck around for awhile and I was able to use what he had said as an example of blasphemy when I spoke.
We concluded our evening at Ritter Park in Huntington,WV. Kenny Taylor met up with us there. He read from the Scriptures and did some Open-Air. John and I also spoke and handed out several tracts. We received word of encouragement from people who were walking around the park as well as some who came and listened. We also were able to give away a Bible. What a great day.
Day Two:
John, Gerald and myself drove to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. We had a great time.
Day Three:
John, Dan and myself started off the day in Downtown Huntington. We spoke with several people. Dan talked to Jennifer, who was a 22 year old that had a pentecostal background. She was a little familiar with the Gospel, but not entirely. He was able to explain the Gospel to her and she showed concern for her soul. Dan gave her the good news of Jesus Christ, and left her with a Bible and his email address.. He also talked to Casey who was a professing Christian and was nice to talk with.. Dan talked with him about the false conversions due to the mondern day Gospel, and explained why that was so dangerous. He also talked to Emily who was a "Christian", but in talking to her she realized that she was not.. He shared with her the judgement, and explained how one could be saved through Jesus Christ.. Lastly Dan talked to Frank, who had told him that one of us had talked to him a few months back.. Frank had no concern for his Soul, and Dan had to leave him at what would happen to someone had they not repented and put their faith in Christ..
John spoke to several people all over Downtown Huntington. He even was giving away money in front of Huntington Junior College to anyone who could name the Ten Commandments in 30 second or less. That was a great springboard to the Law and the Gospel.
I had the opportunity to speak with Sheena. She had been saved for about 4 years and attended a local church in Huntington. She described how her life had totally changed since becoming a Christian. She also expressed a desire to learn how to share her faith effectively and Biblically. I directed her to The Way of the Master website.
I spoke with Kenny and Shane. They thought they could work their way to heaven and that their good would outweigh their bad. After going through the Law and the Gospel they understood what they needed to do to receive the gift of eternal life.

We then headed over to Marshall University. We saw a band playing by the fountain and many, many, many people. We had several great conversations and passed out several hundred tracts.
Later in the evening, John, Bill and myself went over to Ritter Park. it was very crowded. We all did some open-air preaching and passed out several tracts. Once again several people came by and sat down at the nearby picnic tables and listened to the Gospel. We were encouraged once again by several people in the park who said they could hear the message being proclaimed all over the park. What a great three days. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to share His Truth with the lost. Keep fishin!!

The Power of God Unto Salvation

2010-03-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Heres a story from my dear friend and street fishin partner John Schaffer in Jacksonville, FL:

Typically when we share the Gospel on the streets (e.g. college campuses, malls, etc.), it is a very rare occurrence, if ever, for most of us, to actually meet someone with whom we’ve shared the Gospel who God has brought to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace I had such an encounter. This past November I was at UNF (University of North Florida—Vernon’s old fishing hole) with a first-timer, Daniel. He has become a very faithful “fishing” partner. Our last conversation of the night was with a couple of guys sitting outside of the UNF library (Vernon knows the spot well). While we were speaking with them, I noticed a young man sitting nearby. He seemed to be listening to our conversation. When we finished talking with the two students, we started heading towards the parking garage. The young man who was sitting nearby approached us and asked me if I remembered him. I told him that I kind of did, but not exactly. He said his name was Ben and that I had shared the Gospel with him and his twin brother Max, who are Jewish, and a friend of theirs in the summer of 2009. He said that their friend, a person who knew about the Bible according to Ben, kept bringing up objections during the Gospel presentation. However, he and his brother, by God’s grace, were coming to an understanding of who Christ is as the conversation continued (WOW! God may have been providentially using Ben and Max’s friend’s objections to steer the conversation and ultimately make the Gospel clear to them). He thanked me for sharing the Gospel with him and his brother. He told us they both were saved and proceeded to share his testimony with us right there on the spot. Ben and Max are Jews, who by God’s grace know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah and trust in Him alone for their salvation. He told us how he and his brother saw the Lord Jesus Christ all throughout the Old Testament. I was able to witness their baptism in January. Both Ben and Max are excited to learn more about Christ, glorify Him, and evangelize the lost. They love listening to MacArthur. Pray that the Lord will strengthen them and use them in a mighty way to proclaim the Messiah. Also, pray for the UNF outreach. It is our desire to exalt the name of Jesus Christ by singing doctrinally rich Gospel songs on the green (a large grassy area in the middle of the campus) and proclaiming the Gospel in between the songs. The Lord has been providing more laborers to UNF recently. We lost Vernon, but gained numerous others. He is Faithful! May we be faithful in sowing the seed of the Gospel. Keep Proclaiming Him! In His power! For His glory!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Keep Fishin!!

John and Aaron at Bike Week - Daytona 2010

2010-03-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

Heres a recent update from John Schaffer's fishing team in Jacksonville, FL.

You would have loved it brother. Aaron and I got there around 10:30. Set up on the corner of Main Street directly across from the world famous Boot Hill Saloon. We were standing in the entrance of a graveyard which was a few feet off the sidewalk, a perfect place. We started open airing about 11am. A guy from across the street came over and demanded we stop because wee were bothering his customers. We told him that we were legal and would not be moving unless a policeman told us to. He cussed us out and left. A few minutes later a cop walked up and said he had complaints that we were calling girls wicked names. We said that we never said those things. The cop let us stay there. So we just kept handing out out tracts and preaching until 7pm. My voice was gone after a few hours. Aaron did a bulk of the 7 hours preaching. Thousands of tracts were passed and thousands of people heard about Christ. One dude tried to rip a chord out of the amp. He had to be manhandled. It went well, Thousands heard the message of the cross. Next Saturday were going to St. George st. should be packed with people. Got 10 guys going down. Open air right in the middle of George St. Three weeks later Huntington WV yyewehhaaww

Praise the Lord!!See ya in 3 weeks brother....keep fishin.

Great Morning!

2010-03-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

I started off today planning on going for a walk, hangin at the house for a bit then going to work. While I was getting ready I started to think about my walk and how it could be more than just a walk. So I grabbed some tracts and my i-pod and hit he streets. I walked towards Downtown Huntington. On the way I walked by Marshall University and handed out tracts on my way to the Downtown area. Once downtown I was able to pass out several tracts and have several good conversations and a mini open air with a group of young ladies at Huntington Junior College. They understood their need of a Savior. I pray they will bow the knee. On my way back towards the house I stopped again at Marshall and handed out some more tracts and had some good conversations. One guy named Marcus had gotten a tract last time we were there. He understood the gospel and I just reinforced what Marcus needed to do in order to go to Heaven when he died. He thanked me and went off to class. Pray that Marcus would come to repentance and faith in the Savior. All in all what was just gonna be a walk turned out to be an awesome morning where God was indeed glorified and over a hundred people got the gospel message in their hand. Keep Fishin.

Shawnee State University - Feb 2010

2010-02-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

Today we (Gerald, Dan, Bill and myself) made our trek up to Portsmouth, Ohio to Shawnee State University. We werent there 5 minutes...security came out and relocated us to a new area. Security at SSU has always been pleasant to work with. We complied and trusted in Gods sovereignty. We soon came to find out that this indeed was a good location, maybe even better than the first. We met up with our friends Gary and Tim from Grace Community Church of Portsmouth. We all were able to hand out hundreds of tracts and engage in several conversations. Here are a few:

This was Gerald Fosters first trip to SSU to reach the lost. He spoke with several people. One guy he spoke with wanted to know more about creation. Gerald spoke with him about creation and later referred him to the Answers In Genesis website which has an enormous amount of info on the subject. We were very encouraged to have Gerald with us!!

Bill spoke with a friendly young lady named Adoujah, a Sunni Muslim student from Morocco. After a few minutes of comparing the Islamic and Christian faiths, Adoujah agreed to compare her life against God's law (which is recognized as holy scripture in Islam). Although she at first expressed confidence in the mercy of allah to let her sins go unpunished, she was a bit surprised when confronted with Proverbs 17:15, "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.". Bill explained to her that a just God could never allow justice to be left unserved, and therefore would never allow sin to go unpunished. At that moment, her confident countenance changed and she heard the good news of Jesus. Gary happened to be only a few feet away at the time and was able to provide her with some additional literature that further explains the gospel to muslims. Please pray that God will lead her out of deception and in to the truth of his grace.

Dan had a long conversation with Dillon. From what Dan could understand Dillon had combined some of evolution and creation together. He made his own god. Dan spoke with him about all the evidence of a Creator (everything around us)... He later took him through the Law and showed him how he has sinned against a Holy and Righteous God.. by his own admission Dillon said he would spend eternity in hell and was concerned. Dan graciously shared the gospel with him and urged him to repent and put his faith in Christ...

We know that seeds were indeed planted today. Pray for the harvest!! Keep Fishin.

Redeemed!!!

2010-02-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Bill:
I want to share an extraordinary sequence of events that took place in downtown Huntington today that have all of us praising God for his providence and grace. About 11 am this morning the three of us set up on a corner with Dan holding the cross. Vernon and I (Bill) immediately decided to make a quick walk down to the nearby community college to hand out tracts and talk to the students. When we arrived we discovered an empty corner with nobody outside the school. We both figured that the snow had kept everyone inside and decided to do some open air preaching at the busy intersection two blocks over. We set up and I had only belted out the words "Hello Huntington, I want to..." when our amplified speaker died. At this point, I was feeling a little bit frustrated as we were having a hard time finding an audience for the Gospel in the midst of a winter snowstorm. Little did I know that God had a divine appointment set for the audience he had chosen. After our equipment failure on the corner, Vernon and I were separated as we were both passing out tracts to the few people walking down the streets. On the way back to rendezvous with the guys at the original corner, I approached two young ladies named Latisha and Saeisha outside the community college with million dollar bill tracts. They asked what they were, and I told them. I asked them what their opinions are on God, eternity, and morality, and it opened the door to a very honest, sincere conversation. I was honored with the opportunity to share God's law with them, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After about 10 minutes, at the close of our discussion, Saeisha looked at me and then Latisha and said "Bill, I'll never forget this conversation, and I'm going to go think about this right now", and then she asked for a bible. She then asked, "Latisha, where are you going now?". Latisha looked at me and said, "I'm going to go repent of my sin and put my trust in Jesus Christ right now." I gave her a bible, my email address, and the web address of my church, encouraged them, and said goodbye. Latisha said "Well, I WILL see you again" (meaning in eternity with Jesus). It is so amazing to see a heart broken under the conviction of sin, only to be made whole by the grace found through faith in Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you all that the Gospel is STILL the power of God unto salvation! If you want to see God at work, tell someone clearly, tell someone in love sincerely, that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Dan: Pepsi guy at the stoplight asked where I was from and said "What you are doing is Awesome!!" another guy drove buy and shouted "Hey, I AM ready"..

Many people waved, and had some thumbs up from passers by...
Dan also handed out several gospel tracts .

Vernon: Today was a great day...Latisha got saved!! We look forward to hearing from her. Also I had the opportunity to see Mulhollah (sp) today. He drove up while we were on the corner of 5th and 10th. He needed some tracts to hand out which we gave him plenty. We look forward to seeing how God uses him to reach the lost. We handed out several tracts. Pray that many would come to repentance and faith in the Savior. Keep Fishin.

Tracts, Tracts, and more Tracts!!!

2010-02-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love tracts? They are a very efficient way of proclaming the Gospel. Sometimes all you have time to do is hand someone a tract. I have had several experiences where I or a friend of mine has handed a tract to someone only to find out sometime later that God has saved them. They approach you with the biggest smile ever because their soul has been redeemed! They have been born again. Some have even gone into full-time ministry as pastors. God is indeed sovereign and not dependent on our clever speech or anything else. He commands that we proclaim the Gospel! Get out of your comfort zone and reach as many as you can with the Gospel while you still have time.

Today I met up with Gerald Foster. He is one of the Elders at Grace Fellowship Church in Hurricane, WV. Gerald wanted to hit the streets and get a first hand look at what we do. We started off at Ritter Park with some Scripture reading. This weeks Project Ezra scripture reading was Ecclesiastes 2. We did some open-air preaching and handed out some tracts!!
Then we cruised over to one of our favorite fishing holes: Marshall University. We spoke with several people on this chilly day. The gospel got into over 300 hands today. Pray that many would come to repentance and faith in the Savior.

If your ever in the Hurricane, WV area. Consider visiting Grace Fellowship Church. They love God's Word and they love people. I was very encouraged to have Gerald come out today and look forward to serving along side of him and anyone else who would like to proclaim the Truth with us. Keep Fishin!

Shawnee State University

2010-01-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

Dan, Bill and myself decided to head up to Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. We had made prior arrangements with campus security before our arrival. Security was watching our every move from the beginning at least for the first 45 minutes. Once they figured out that we weren't causing a commotion they left. ( It could have been the 25 degree temps not counting the wind chill) We met up with Pastor Gary Chaffins and Tim Duduit from Grace Community Church of Portsmouth, Ohio. Things started out slow but then kicked into high gear. We had several conversations and in over a few hours get the gospel into over 500 peoples hands. Dan spoke with Amber who said she was a Christian but fell away from God for about a year, then God brought her back again this year.. He asked her how she would explain to someone about how to become a Christian.. She was really unclear about it, so Dan took her through the Law and Gospel, and left her with the thoughts of how we have broken God's Holy law and then explained the Gospel. Amber left having a clear description of the Gospel. Pray that Amber would examine herself and see if she is in the faith. 2 Cor 13:5. Pray for all who recieved the gospel and that many would come to repentance and faith in the Savior.
We then all got lunch at Hickie's Hamburger Inn and then went back to Grace Community Church to just hang out a bit. Gary and Tim were really encouraging to us. They both have a genuine concern for the lost and a desire for sound teaching. If your ever in the area of Portsmouth, Ohio visit Grace Community Church and you will be fed well. Keep Fishin!!

Be My Witnesses!!

2010-01-21T09:25:00.000-08:00

Heres a email I got from a good friend of mine in Jacksonville, FL:

Colleen just called me and was so excited….she shared the Gospel with a lady at the gym this morning and the lady apparently got saved or getting saved…way to long of a story to tell by email but it was really something….Here is a brief summary --- Colleen told the lady to lose the Rosary deal ( she is a catholic and wears a big crucifix and was talking about her doing the Rosary to Colleen) and turn to God for rest and salvation…shared 2 ways to live and she completely understood and was very much awakened to her need to repent and confess Jesus as Lord ..…this all took place in front of several other folks in the room and of course Colleen prayed and the lady was completely blown away by the Truth, she completely understood repentance for the 1^st time in her life and her need to have her sin forgiven. She is going home to read John. Please pray for Loraine and praise God for who He is and what He is doing with Loraine.

This event with Colleen and Loraine reminded me how easy it is to share Jesus and His Gospel with strangers without becoming good friends prior to sharing the Gospel with them. It also reminded me of the many opportunities there are to share the Gospel if we only pay attention and take those opportunities….Loraine and Colleens conversation started out by Colleen telling Loraine good morning then Loraine complaining back to Colleen telling how stressed out she was and that she has a headache over all the issues she is dealing with….Colleen told her the Bible says in Mathew that Jesus calls all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him and He will give you rest….the lady tells Colleen she goes to church some and she prays the Rosary – then Colleen was “off to the races” with the Gospel……this a sober reminder for me and hopefully you as well to look for and take advantage of ministry opportunities like this. Colleen is the one who was blessed today as a result her obedience and her joy was really cool to see…so cool that I am writing this email to all of you.

Go share your faith while you still have time!!! Keep Fishin!!

Stop Light Preaching!!

2010-01-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

We had a special visit from Sean Borca. He was a member of our evangelism team in Jacksonville, FL. Sean is faithful in spreading the gospel wherever he goes. Today he was going to Open Air for the second time.

We all had a great day. We started off with our "Project Ezra" scripture reading at Ritter Park and then headed to Downtown Huntington, WV. to meet up with Dan and the cross.
Bill had a great discussion with Mike, a 20 something guy who was raised in a baptist church, who had made a profession of faith in Jesus as a child and had been baptised. He was quick to note that he doesn't trust in Jesus now and that he's currently trying to "figure things out" as far as faith and God are concerned. Bill was able to go through the law with Mike, and present the gospel of Jesus to him. Mike left with a million dollar bill tract in hand and promised to consider his eternity and what he and Bill discussed.

Dan spoke with George today, that claimed he was born again.. He asked him how someone would become born again... George said, "Accept Jesus". He had no understanding of repentance and faith in Christ... Dan took him through the Law, but he had no conviction of his wrong doings.. Dan left him at that as he said he had to go... George believed 'his' truth was more important that God's Word...

Dan also spoke with Kenneth at the Courthouse and asked him where a person goes when they die.. He told me Heaven or Hell.. Dan asked him where he was going, and Kenneth said he didn't know... Dan took him through the Law, and asked him if he was concerened.. He said he was not and that he had to go...

Dan had a lady stop and ask what the Cross was all about... She asked if it was about the apocalypse... Dan asked her who she thought would go to heaven.. She told me that she thought everyone went to Heaven.. Dan asked where she got her information, and she told me the Bible.. Dan proceeded to try to talk to her a bit, but she was not open to things of God. She had her own beliefs and stated she had to get going... Dan left her with the website www.goodtest.net

On a funnier note : Dan had a brief encouter of some weird guy with Florida plates.. He stopped at the light and asked "Are you ready for what?" Dan told him "Eternity, Heaven or Hell" Dan asked him if he was ready, and he stated "I'm not sure".. Dan told him to pull off and come talk for a few minutes if he had time... He later rolled down his windows and Dan saw two really shady guys with him.. One I think had a prison stocking cap on.. The other one looked like he could talk your ear off.. The guys in the truck were Sean, Bill, and Vernon. We were on our way to meet Dan. Dan wasn't familiar with the truck or with Sean whose was driving. We just decided to mess with Dan a bit. A funny moment!! Keep fishin.

Last Week.....This Week....Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Last Week:

We (Dan, Bill, and Myself) started off the 36 degree day at Ritter Park with our "Project Ezra Scripture Reading". We sopke with several people and gave out tracts. Then we headed to Downtown Huntington with the cross. Dan spoke with John a Catholic that did not have a firm belief in Heaven or Hell, and where people go when they die. He simply stated the truth to him in what the Bible says.. Dan believes that John does have an understanding that he will be judged, and depending on his Repentance and Faith will be judged accordingly by a Holy and Righteous God... John did not really understand why Dan was out there proclaiming the truth.. Dan simply told him because he cared about people and did not want to see them go to hell..

Dan also passed a tract to another young gentlemen as he entered a cell phone store.. About 10 minutes later he came back out and asked Dan if I was an activist.. He told him he was not, as he was pointing to the picture of Obama on the front of the tract.. Dan told him that it was just a tract, something to gain someone's attention with the picture on it... He then asked Dan if he believed if it was an abomination for someone to be gay. Dan told him " yes, I do believe it is, as well as lying, stealing, etc.." this man then yelled a profanity at Dan and left... As he entered the car someone was picking him up with in the middle of the street he shouted "equality for everyone".

Bill had the cross and was able to speak with several people as well. One car of teenagers stopped and asked "Ready for what?" Bill was able to briefly speak to them and give them a gospel tract before the light turned green.
Bill also had a semi-truck driver stop in the middle of his left turn and Bill gave him a tract.
Many MDB's were handed out by all of us that day. Pray that many would come to repentance and faith in Jesus.

This Week:

Standing with the Cross today was met with much encouragement from honks, and thumbs up from people... Also had one gentlemen roll down his window and say "Yes I'm ready, Love the Cross, and You all are doing a great job, keep it up".. Dan was also met a gentlemen at the crosswalk that turned to him and said "Yes, I'm ready".. A lady with her daughter came up to grab a Gospel tract from Dan, she had said she had seen him standing there with the Cross from a ways away, and her daughter wanted to know what we were handing out. Also had one other man come up to grab one, as he saw Dan handing out tracts to others.. Dan handed a Gospel tract to a man that he spoke with last week.. As Dan handed him the tract Dan thought he looked familiar... He said "I got one last week from you, don't you remember me?"... Dan told him he did remember and repeated his name.. Please remember John in prayer...

Vernon spoke with Cortez. Cortez just moved to Huntington, WV from Cincinnati, OH. When asked "Where do you think you'll spend eternity when you die?" Cortez responded.." I hope with the man upstairs". He was familiar with God's commandments. As we went through a few of them....Cortez admitted he was guilty of breaking them and deserved eternal punishment in hell for breaking God's Law. He was concerned for his eternity. He understood the Gospel and knew that he needed to repent and place his faith in Jesus. Please pray that Cortez will repent and place his trust in the King of Kings.

We also was met with some people that were 'not ready'... Several thumbs down, middle fingers, etc... A couple cars were full of laughter as they viewed the Cross.....

It was a great day on the streets with Dan and the cross. Keep Fishin!!

Count The Cost

2009-12-09T14:48:00.001-08:00

It Will Cost You Everything from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

An Atheist Biology Professor responds to the "Origin Into Schools" project.....

2009-11-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

We previously blogged about our encounter with the enraged atheists during the Origin Into Schools project. One thing we didn’t mention was that shortly after the Gospel was preached and the atheists had left, an unidentified woman who had witnessed the confrontation approached our team and asked for as many books as we would allow her to have. We gave her the last remaining handful we had and at the time were just thankful to have them all distributed. Today, after church, Bill (a member of our team that day) happened to spot that woman in a restaurant. It turns out that the woman is a faculty member in the biology department at Marshall University and informed Bill that she read Ray Comfort’s intro to the book and then distributed all the copies we gave her to her students. While she is a professing atheist, she said that she is very concerned with the way the scientific community has blindly accepted evolution as fact when there are so many problems with the theory. She said she doesn’t like the way her colleagues are suppressing information that is counter to the theory, and that the scientific community is practicing “denialism” by ignoring the facts. She said that they(evolution-endorsing scientists) know that “intelligent designers” (her words) have “picked up on the fact that the fossil record just doesn’t fit” with Darwin’s theory and that they are attempting to indoctrinate college students, rather than educate them. She expressed a desire to present her students with all of the evidence so that they can make up their own minds. It was really encouraging to know that at least one professor at the university hasn’t given in to pressure and isn’t suppressing the truth. More than that, it’s humbling to know that God can even use atheists to proclaim his gospel. Keep Fishin!!

Black Friday 2009

2009-11-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

We ( myself, Bill, and Guy) headed out late Thursday evening to scout out Toys R Us, Best Buy and other stores in the Barboursville, WV area where people would be waiting in line for the doors to open. (We are minus Dan "the media man" because he had to work.) That explains so few photos or lack of video...we really miss him when he's not with us. Anyway, when we arrived we saw that the Toys R Us parking lot packed with people all across the front of the store at least 50 foot deep. We began handing out tracts and then Bill got up on a hill nearby and started to open-air. He had the attention of hundreds of people. He spoke to the crowd in a compassionate way explaining the law and the gospel. I followed Bill and spoke to the crowd. There was a constant flow of people therefore we had several opportunities to share the truth with the crowd. The Fire Marshall would only let a certain amount of people in the store so several hundred people had to wait outside for people to leave the store before they could able to go inside. Praise God!! We had a captive audience. Several people came up to us asking questions and some for words of encouragement.
Next we went over to Best Buy. Bill and I handed tracts to the crowd and Guy spoke to the crowd delivering the gospel. We thank God for the opportunity to hand out more than 600 tracts (we ran out) and for the hundreds of people that heard the gospel. We will be ready for next year with more tracts and more proclaimers of the Truth. Keep Fishin!!!

Lets Roll !!!

2009-11-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

What a day. We were able to distribute 1000 Origin of Species books today to students and faculty at Marshall University. There were only a few refusals to take the book which had a 50 page intro that included the gospel. We had Laurie Nair, Darren Arnett, Kevin Simpson, Paul Boekell, Leah Sikes and Julie Costolo making today their first time out with the group. This was Kevin, Darren and Leah's first time out evangelizing. They did a great job! There were no issues until the end of the day when three individuals started to heckle Bill Sikes. Bill continued to speak with the hecklers and the crowd grew larger than larger. Bill then seeing such a large crowd shared the gospel in the open air. The hecklers took off and the crowd stayed and listened. That's just awesome!!! Pray for the people that received the books and heard the gospel that many would repent of their sins and trust in Jesus for their salvation. Thank you to our team:
Laurie Nair
Paul Boekell
Dan Stokley
Bill and Leah Sikes
Guy Reynolds
Chris Tackett
Kevin Simpson
Tim Adams
Darren Arnett
Vernon and Julie Costolo

Keep Fishin!!!

All Over Town (part 2)

2009-11-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

After lasts weeks surprises our team decided to visit the same areas again. We started off just like last week at Ritter Park. I read Rev.20, Dan read Rev 21, and Bill read Rev 22 as part of "Project Ezra" and then broke into his open air. Dan and followed later with our own open air. Several people were listening and we had opportunities to speak with them. Our next stop was downtown Huntington, WV. We camped out at 4th Ave and 10th St. I had the cross. We all handed out gospel tracts and engaged people in conversation. Dan spoke with a guy named Labamaba... (that is what he said his name was)... He had the belief that our beliefs are more important that the truth.. Dan was able to go through the law with him and he understood the gospel. We pray he will repent of his sin and trust in Christ. Dan was able to hand out 30 tracts and he is looking forward to who he will talk to throughout the week. One of Bills conversations was with a guy named Tony who said he understood for the first time that God would be a corrupt judge for dismissing sin without punishment. Bill eventually told him he needed to repent and put his trust in Jesus, and Tony said he would consider what they had discussed. Bill also talked with Justin, who has been searching for truth in various religions and initially claimed a belief in reincarnation. When Bill pressed him on his views of the injustice in our fallen world, he admitted that he believed there is a judgement awaiting all people in eternity. They went through God's law together and Justin was quite
concerned about his readiness to enter eternity. Bill shared the good news of Jesus with him and Justin said that their conversation had given him much to think about. Please pray for Labamaba, Tony, and Justin. Maybe we will see them this week as we hit the streets. Keep Fishin!!

All Over Town (part 1)

2009-11-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

Bill and I started off our day going to Ritter Park and doing our "Project Ezra" scripture reading and then we both did some open-air. We also had opportunities to engage several people in conversation or just hand them a gospel tract. During the open-air people were definitely listening to the law and the gospel. Some people even walked closer and stopped to listen. Then we went to downtown Huntington (4th Ave. and 10th St.) with the cross. It's a great location especially during lunchtime. We handed out a lot of tracts and several great things happened. One guy crossed the
street took a tract
and while he was reading it he said, "I have been thinking about
God lately....this is definitely a message
for me." We hope to see him again this week. The second thing that happened was a city bus stopped at the corner where I was holding the cross. The bus driver who had passengers onboard, unbuckled his seatbelt walked off the bus to get a tract. He thanked us and drove off. Then a police car pulled up to the curve..(we thought they were going to give us some grief) they said, "you guys need to go down by the police station with that cross, alot of officers need to see that and hear the message." We thanked them for their encouragement. That was our afternoon in downtown Huntington. Later on that evening I took the cross to 29th St and 5th Ave for a few hours to catch the rush hour traffic. I was able to hand out six tracts and had one guy stop and chat with a word of encouragement. It was a wonderful day. Looking forward to this week on the streets. Keep Fishin!!

Bill and His Cross

2009-10-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Bill was ready to take his cross to downtown Huntington, WV. He walked into Starbucks, got his coffee and then grabbed a seat outside. When we planned this event we figured we would have about an hour or so till we had to leave and thats how it all worked out. Bill had a chance to speak with several people. He spoke with a Methodist Pastor and a few other people before he was asked to leave. We went to our next location. I read the Project Ezra scripture verses for the week and did some open air. Bill did his first open-air!! He was a natural at it too...he sounded like he's been doing it for years. We all alternated holding the cross as we each open aired. What an exciting day! Many heard the Truth that day, many seeds were planted, and our prayer is that God would draw them to Himself.
Keep Fishin!!!!

Making the Crosses

2009-10-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

Having been inspired and encouraged by Tony Miano and Paul Latour I decided to make a few crosses for our fishing team in Huntington, WV. This is a short description of how I did it and what I used.

I started out with my Materials List:
(this is for one cross)

1 - 1 x 6 x 10 Pine Select (no knots)
1 - 1 1/2 x 1/4 carriage bolt, wing nut and washer
1- English Chestnut Minwax stain
1 - Spray Polyurethane
1 - 4 inch Vinyl Lettering

I started out by cutting my boards to the desired length. The vertical piece measures 4 foot and the horizontal piece measures 3 foot.

Using a dado blade I cut a 1/4 dado in the vertical piece. This will provide stability for the horizontal piece when the cross is in its open position.

Center the horizontal piece in the vertical piece and drill a centering hole.

Drilled a 3/4 hole using a forstner bit to recess the bolt.

Next I made a circle hole jig to make the inlay to hide the bolt.

I mixed some JB Weld to add some additional support to the bolt and to keep the inlay piece from popping out.

Insert the inlay and let it dry for at least 24 hours.

Sand the crosses with some fine sandpaper. Theres not too much sanding due to the good grade of lumber that Pine Select is.

Add a coat of English Chestnut Stain and let dry for 24 hours.

Apply three coats of polyurethane. I used a commercial sprayed type but a wipe on or brush on type would work just as well. This would protect the crosses from the elements and give a good surface for the letters to adhere to.

I used some blue tape to help be sure the letters were all lined up properly.

The cross weighs 5.4 lbs.

This woodworker had a lot of fun making these crosses......but its alot more fun using them and seeing them used all over town for the glory of God.
Thanks again to Paul and Tony for the inspiration in this design.

Keep Fishin!!

Street Evangelism

2009-10-07T07:25:00.001-07:00

GO!!

2009-09-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

My friend David at church put this video together. Enjoy! Keep Fishin!!

Dan On The Box!!!!

2009-09-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

When I first came to Huntington, WV one year ago I had to try to assemble a street fishin team. I met several guys through Ambassadors Alliance Fellowship. One of those guys was Dan "The Man" Stokley. We first spoke by phone and eventually got together. I can expect a call from Dan every week to plan what pond we will be fishing at. He is faithful in taking the gospel to the lost whenever he has an oppportunity. Dan makes opportunities. I have asked Dan in the past if he wanted to " Get on the Box"...he shook his head and said, "No". Today was a different story...Today Dan got "On the Box" for the first time!!!!. He proclaimed the Law and the Gospel several times at the stoplight. Several people yelled from their vehicles thanking him. We also handed out several tracts and spoke with several people. I thank God that He has given Dan so much love for the lost that he would set aside his fears to glorify his Savior. What a wonderful day. Keep Fishin!!!

3 Guys at Marshall University for 2 Hours = 1600+ Tracts handed out...Priceless....What a great afternoon!!

2009-08-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Bill "The Fisherman" Sikes, Dan "The Man" Stokley and myself were very excited to hit Marshall University. We had no idea what a great day it would be. Heres a bit of what happened as told by Bill and Dan.
Bill spoke with Jessica: Jessica was curious about the million dollar bills and asked what they were. I told her they were gospel tracts, and asked her what she thought happened when people died. She said she didnt really know and hadn't thought about it much. After going through God's law with her, she looked at me with a fearful countenance and said she was concerned for eternity and that she saw herself as a guilty sinner. I presented the gospel of Jesus Christ to her and she seemed to be locked on to every word as she listened. After thinking for a moment, she told me she had never heard the good news before. I encouraged her not to wait another day before repenting of her sin and putting her faith in Jesus to be saved. She said she would and thanked me for sharing.

Bill spoke with Travis: I spotted Travis coming from a couple hundred yards away because of his "Bad Religion" band tee-shirt(a well known anti-organized religion touting band). I approached him with a million dollar bill tract, pointed at his shirt and asked, "so do you believe the same things they do?". He professed to be an atheist that believes that there is not eternal life. My response caught him off guard a bit, as I asked him, so if there was a God, and a heaven, and a hell, where would you go? We reviewed his works together against the law of God, and by his own admission, he was guilty on all inquiries. He agreed to listen as I presented the gospel to him, and his only hangup was to say "but if Jesus was Lord, why did he say that his Father had forsaken him on the cross". I responded by explaining to him that a holy God not only can not look upon the sin that Jesus had taken upon himself, but also that God the Father had poured out his wrath upon the Son. I told Travis that the wrath poured upon the Son was wrath that currently abides on him, and will be stored for his day of judgement if he rejects the gospel. In that moment Travis seemed to really understand what I was telling him for the first time, like it had become something logical in his mind instead of "corny religious cliches". He thanked me intently for sharing with him, and promised to consider what we had discussed.

Dan said he talked to one gentlemen that said he was a "Christian" that sang in Churches, but did not attend Church... I asked him how I could be saved, and he had no clue.. I shared the law and gospel with him.. pray for him that he would examine himself by looking nto the mirror of Gods Word and see if he is a believer or not.
Dan also spoke with a guy who was in a rush but was able to swap contact info with each other to finish the discussion later.

Dan also ran into several others that he had talked to before and was able to encourage them as well.

Please pray for these folks as well as all who took tracts.

We had no idea that we would be able to hand out over 1600 tracts today. What a beautiful day! What an Awesome Day.! Thank you Jesus!!! The gospel was proclaimed at Marshall University and God was glorified......Keep Fishin!

Huntington Rib Fest 2009

2009-08-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

It seems as the days of summer fly by there's an occasional "festival" to gather the people from the Tri-State area. Living in a place where the crowds aren't as big as Jax, FL or L.A. I have to take advantage of anything where people are drawn. This years Rib Fest had a Car Show, Concerts, Petting Zoo and Pig Races (too Funny!!) I decided to hit the streets on Friday and Saturday for about an hour and a half. 11-12:30 then I had to go to work. I set up on a corner where most people would enter the festival. This corner proved to be a great spot and I got to hand out several hundred tracts on each day. The first day fellow fisherman "Aaron" was riding by the festival entrance gate on his motorcycle and saw me, parked his bike and said "I saw you and wanted to hand out some tracts too". What an encouragement he was to me that day! There were several times during these two days that I was surrounded by groups wanting a gospel tract. I couldn't give them out fast enough. It was time well spent glorifying God by spreading the truth of the Gospel. Keep Fishin!!

Three Days with John Schaffer

2009-08-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

I had a friend of mine visit from Jacksonville, FL. He was my fishin partner back in Jax. He decided to come to Huntington, WV to hit the streets with me. It was a great 3 days on the streets.
The first day we went to the Charleston, WV the states capitol. We were able to talk with a lot of people and had several great conversations. John spoke with one guy with an arab background. He had never heard the gospel before. John took him through the Law and Gospel. He understood what he needed to ..Repent and Trust. He was prodded by his freinds to end the conversation but he stayed and listened. He also didnt have a Bible so we were able to provide him with one.
We next hit all the local parks, bus stations, and mall entrances speaking with people and handing out hundreds of tracts. While at the mall I spoke with a guy named Michael. He was told by someone else that his life was going to be perfect..free from any problems after he "accepts" Jesus. I took Michael through the law and the gospel and explained to Michael that Jesus doesnt need our acceptance....we need His and the only way to get it is by repentance and faith. He understood and thanked me for sharing the truth of the gospel with him. His ride arrived so he had to go. Pray for Michael.
The second day we hit the streets of Downtown Huntington, WV. We had several great conversations and handed out hundereds of MDB's. That was one exciting day that I will post at a later time. Tuesday evening John was able to share his testimony with our small groups mexican fiesta at the Sikes home.
The third day we decide to go to Ritter Park with my Church and hand out free water bottles and tracts to people walking or running by. Hundreds of water bottles and tracts were handed out.
Later on in the evening we met up with Guy and Aaron and read some scripture from "Project Ezra" and did some open-air. Several people stopped and listened to the message and then continued walking. We pray for them and also the ones that were listening that we did not see.
All in all it was a great 3 days. I was so blessed to have my fishin partner in town and to hit the streets with him. He is such an encouragement to me. We just enjoyed declaring Gods Truth to the lost. Praise God for the opportunity to share while we still have time. Keep Fishin!

Todd Friel: 13 Evangelistic Phrases That Produce False Conversions

2009-08-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Written by: Marcus Pittman On August 11th, 2009

I came across this on the internet, an article written by Todd Friel called 13 Evangelistic Phrases That Produce False Conversions. This is great stuff, filled with truth. Enjoy.

Churches divide over carpet color, building additions and budgets. In the meantime, our fellow church members are going to hell by the boat load.

A.W. Tozer said, “It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ, and they have not been saved.”

D. James Kennedy said, “The vast majority of people who are members of churches in America today are not Christians. I say that without the slightest contradiction. I base it on empirical evidence of twenty-four years of examining thousands of people.”

Friend, we argue over so many petty things. May I suggest we have lost sight of the most important debate of all, “What is salvation?” My theology teaches that salvation happens when a man repents and places his trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

I would like to present thirteen ways that we have re-defined how a person becomes a true convert. Have we done this intentionally? Certainly not. We have simply created lingo that has a grain of truth in Scripture, but it is so open to interpretation that the un-converted understand it in ways that lead to false conversions.

1. Make Jesus your Lord and Savior. We cannot make Jesus our Lord and Savior, He is our Lord and Savior. We are living in rebellion to Him and He commands us to repent and trust Him.

2. Ask Jesus into your heart. Does Jesus come into our hearts? Yes He does. The question is, “How does He get in there?” It is not by simply asking Him in; it is by repentance and faith.

3. Just believe in Jesus. The demons believe and they tremble. We must repent and trust.

4. You have a God-shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it. We have far more than a hole that needs to be filled so we can feel complete; we have a wretched, deceitful, sinful heart that needs cleansing. Repentance and faith applies the blood of the lamb for that cleansing.

5. Accept Jesus. Whoa. We need to accept Jesus? This is entirely backward. We need Jesus to accept us–and He will, if we repent and trust.

6. Make a decision for Jesus. Decisional regeneration puts man in the driver’s seat of salvation. When we repent and trust, Jesus decides to save us. That puts Him in the driver’s seat…where He demands.

7. It is easy to believe. While the formula of repentance and faith sounds simple, a complete surrendering of self in repentance is anything but easy. It’s hard.

8. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The only promises for the convert are trials, temptation and persecution. If that is how you define a wonderful life, fine. Otherwise we must command all men everywhere to repent and trust.

9. Come to Jesus just as you are. We should come to Jesus just as the sinners we are, but He also expects a broken heart and contrite spirit demonstrated in repentance and faith.

10. Come to Jesus and you will receive forgiveness of sins and ________________ (fill in the blank with money, health, a healed marriage). Jesus didn’t promise healed marriages; in fact He promised broken homes because we would divide when one member repents and trusts.

11. Come to Jesus and experience love, joy, peace. Do we get the fruit of the Spirit upon conversion? Yes. But if we come seeking the gifts and not the giver, we will receive neither. Instead, we must repent and trust.

12. Jesus is the missing piece. Um, no, the God of the universe is not the missing piece, He demands that He is the center of our lives when we repent and trust.

13. Jesus is better than fame and fortune. That is an understatement, and frankly, it is insulting. Saying Jesus is better than money is like saying that a steak dinner is better than eating a dung hill. He defies comparison and we trivialize the Son of God. Instead, we should be pleading with all men everywhere to repent and trust.

If I showed up at your door with a can of grapefruit juice and a roll of paper towels and offered to change your oil, you would say, “No thanks.” If we wouldn’t let someone mess with our car using the wrong method, why do we allow the Gospel to be presented so ambiguously?

Would you let a doctor operate on your child who was “sort of” accurate? The salvation of men is far more important than an appendix.

I beg you to consider how you share the Gospel. You and I know what we are talking about when we use these phrases, but do the unregenerate? Is it possible that we have so many backsliders today because they never slid forward in the first place? Is it because they were never told that they must repent and trust?

If we are willing to debate shag verse plush in the fellowship hall, shouldn’t we be more concerned about an issue that has eternal consequences?

An Evening at Ritter Park with Guy and Aaron

2009-08-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

It rained all day Tuesday and most of Wednesday. I was fortunate enough that God provided a few hours Wednesday night for me to go out with a couple of guys I met on Ambassador's Alliance Radio. We decided to meet at Ritter Park in Huntington, WV. We met at the fountain where there is a big track nearby for people to walk, run, and ride their bikes. As I was waiting for Guy and Aaron to arrive, I spoke with Brian. He was receptive and was very interested in talking about God. I was able to take him through the "Good Person Test" (GPT). He admitted to breaking God's commandments and knew he was guilty. He also knew, based on that, he was going to hell. He was very concerned and therefore, I was able to present him with the gospel. He told me he would definitely consider what we had talked about and thanked me for sharing the truth with him. I next spoke with Blake who was walking around the park. He stopped for a M.J. MDB. I asked him how does a person go to heaven when they die? He said he was a good person. After we went through the Law, he saw that he was like the rest of us. He realized he was guilty of breaking God's Law and there was no way he could save himself. He said there was no sin that he loved so much that was worth spending eternity in hell. Blake said that he would consider all that we had talked about. I ran into several people from my church and others who were very encouraging to me and what I was doing. My friends arrived and immediately started handing out tracts and starting conversations with people in the park as I did some open air. Then Guy did some open air. While he was speaking, Aaron and I spoke with Todd and another Blake. Todd understood everything that we said and agreed with it. Blake was really tuning in on what we had to say. He knew that he had broken God's law and while we were talking you could see his countenance change as he realized that God's wrath abided on him. He knew that he wasn't guaranteed tomorrow and said "If I died tonight, I'd spend eternity in hell". We explained the gospel to him and how he needed to repent of his sins and put his trust in the Savior. He said that he would consider what we had talked about. I invited him to come to church since he said he did not have a church home. Hopefully, I will see him on Sunday. Please pray for Brian, both Blakes, and Todd. It was a great day at the park and God was glorified. Keep Fishin!!

Money Giveaway and Stop Light Open-Air

2009-07-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Dan "The Man" Stokely and I started off our day at the Huntington Junior College. We decided to give away some money for trivia. After giving away several dollars Aaron decided to take the GPT. He failed of course...but was very humble and got to hear the Gospel. He said ( with tear filled eyes ) it made sense and he knew he needed to repent of his sins and put his faith in Jesus Christ. I encouraged him to take care of it before he put his head down on his pillow tonight.

One of the interesting things that happened while presenting the Law and the Gospel was that a woman came down the stairs from the school entrance to the public sidewalk where I was standing and asked me to move on down the street. I politely said I would when I was finished speaking with the students. She then disappeared.

Dan spoke with several people after the first quiz. Sean, Marty, and Carl. He had some great conversations with these people and handed out a bunch of tracts. Dan also took this weeks pics and video which may be posted at a later date.

Next we did another trivia money giveaway which worked great. The girls declared it was their turn now...so Donna was up. She took the GPT and failed. She was a very nice lady and after going through the Law and the Gospel knew she needed to repent and put her faith in Jesus Christ. She tried to give the money she had won back to me but I told her to keep it. I also had a brief word with Classy who I've spoke with on several occasions. She said that she liked the way I explained the law and the gospel and that it made sense.

Dan and I headed for the courthouse to do some Stop Light Open-Air. As the cars stopped at the light for the minute and a half or so they got to hear the Law and the Gospel. So did the people in the Federal Building nearby as they stood outside smoking. I got several beeps and words of encouragement. We stayed at the courthouse for about an hour.

Alot people heard the Gospel and God was glorified! Keep Fishin!

July 4th - Independence Day - Ritter Park

2009-07-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

The day started out with a bang...out of the gates I went..solo this time to Ritter Park. My goals for today were to honor my word that was given to Project Ezra and to those brothers and sisters around the world in Christ engaged in the public reading of Scripture and to share the gospel with as many as I could. Needless to say I was very nervous and wished I had some back-up. I then remembered that God was my back-up!! I started handing out tracts as people walked or ran around the park. Then I read 1 John publicly. People heard the Word proclaimed as they went by. After that I handed out more tracts around the park. Then I broke out some amplification for the open air time. (My first open air in Huntington, WV.) While doing my first session a guy named Chris walked up, sat and listened to the gospel being proclaimed. After I finished he walked over to me and we talked for quite some time. Chris thought because he went to church that made him a Christian. He understood he had broken God's law ...ect. He was very humble...I encouraged Chris to get right with God. He knew he needed to repent of his sins and put his faith in Jesus Christ. Hopefully I will get an e-mail from him soon. Pray for Chris. I then continued to open air two more times and was encouraged by several people. There was no better way to start the day then sharing the gospel on Independence Day....sharing the truth that God doesnt want people to live their lives independent of Him.....Keep Fishin!!

Freds Devotional - Acts 19: 18-20

2009-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Acts 9:18-20

There fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

This passage does not say that Saul "immediately" launched on a missionary journey around the Gentile world. It does not say that many people believed his testimony and were saved. But it does say that "immediately" (eutheos) after his conversion and baptism, Saul began to teach the truth of God and to make into students of God's truth those he contacted right where he was.

Here is another example of the carrying out of the terms of the Great Commission. Saul had not been there when Jesus told His followers, "Wherever you go (poreuthentes), teach (matheteusate) all people . . . to observe whatever I have commanded you" (Matt 28:19-20). But, filled with the Holy Spirit, he instinctively began to be a witness to the truth of God:

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me. (Acts 1:8)

It has become clearer than ever to me as I have been reading the book of Acts, that it is filled with examples of the carrying out of the Great Commission. Acts gives us one convicting incident after another of the early Christians doing just what Jesus had commanded them to do. I find that I am repeatedly forced to ask myself whether I am carrying out the Great Commission. "Wherever I go" do I teach--as Saul did--the truth of God concerning the Deity and the sacrifice for our sins of God's Messiah?

There fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Keep Fishin!!!

Biggest Team Yet

2009-06-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, How amazing it was that all four of us were able to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on Wednesday afternoon in downtown Huntington!! Bill Sikes, Dan Stokley, and Ben Craft and myself were the most fisherman that we had out on one day....actually able to hand out more tracts and talk to more people....we were very excited. Bill and Ben were able to talk to several people. Ben handed out a ton of tracts. Dan spoke with Vince, Keith and Sunny. Please pray for them. I had several conversations but the one I will mention here is with a guy named Kyle. Kyle was very open to hearing the Law and the Gospel. He understood it and said he would definitely think about it. I hope to see him again. Please pray for Kyle. Hopefully in the weeks to come I will be able to post some audio clips and maybe even some video. Until then ....Keep Fishin.

Fishing with Ben

2009-05-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ben Craft ( who was on his first fishin trip ) and I made our way to downtown Huntington. He had a desire to to biblical evangelism in action. He also had "Did you get one of these?" down. He was excited and ready. As we were walking through downtown to give a tract to one guy, he turned around and told us to "get out of here with your Jesus stuff and stop doing what you're doing!". He was upset, so we replied that we were on a public sidewalk and that we would keep telling others about Jesus. Ben saw his first "heckler".
We first spoke with David. As we went through the Law, David tried to take us on a few rabbit trails..we quickly addresses those issues and came right back to the Law. As we spoke Davids countenance changed...he became less aggressive and saw we had a burden for him by the way we spoke to him with compassion and concern for his eternal destiny. He admitted to breaking the Law and said that He would spend eternity in Hell. He then said that he was very concerned about spending eternity in Hell because he didnt want to go there. We were able to share the gospel with David and He understood the message said it made sense to him and that he would not put his head down on his pillow without thinking about how he needed to repent and put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ for his eternal salvation. Pray for David.
Ronnie was sitting on a chair on the sidewalk downtown writing on his note pad. Described himself as a deep thinker and a good person. We went through the good person test and found out that ......He's just like the rest of us. He knew if he died tonight he would go to hell because he sinned against a holy God. He was concerned and was able to hear the gospel. He said that wasnt any sin in his life that he loved so much that he would spend eternity in hell for. He thanked us for sharing the message of the cross with him and said he would definitley think about what we said and that he knew he needed to repent of his sin and put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
I spoke with a big group of teenagers who all told me they were saved Christians. Of course, I asked them to tell ME how I could go to heaven if I had three minutes to live. Nobody could help me. I then able to share the gospel with one of them and the other four took off. Pray for this young man that he would think about what we talked about.
I went through the good person test with Tiara. After finding out that she was like the rest of us, Tiara still proclaimed that she was a good person and that God knew she was a good person. I shared Romans 3:10 with her and explained that she was creating a god to fit her beliefs...which is idolatry. She was concerned about spending eternity in hell and said she would think about all that we discussed. Pray for her.
We were walking by City Hall and the Mayor of Huntington ( who is a Mormon ) walked by us. We were able to talk with him for a moment about our city and let him know that we were praying for him..and of course, give him a million dollar bill. That was exciting.
We spoke with Ashley and Patti at the community college. We took them through the good person test and like everyone else, they failed too. They were concerned about spending eternity in hell and thanked us for sharing the gospel with them.
On our way back to the truck, I had a chance to meet James, a Huntington police officer. I was able to give him a copy of Tony Miano's booklet "Running Beyond Inspiration".
It was great to have Ben with me today at the pond. He said that he is looking forward to coming back. God was glorified today. Keep fishin!

Downtown Huntington

2009-05-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning thinking that there wont be too many people at Marshall today because finals are over. We drove through downtown looking around and didn't see too much activity. We decided to just park and check it out on foot. As soon as we got out of the truck, put our quarters in the meter people were just coming from the right and the left. Dan and I first spoke with Matthew who claimed he believed in a goddess and would be reincarnated. He admitted to breaking Gods Law...but in the same breath denied Him. He said he would be going to hell anyway since he led an alernative lifestyle. We stayed our course on the Law with compassion for Matthew but in the end after speaking with us for about 10 minutes threw the tract back at us and walked away. Please pray for Matthew.
Dan conversed with Chris who was on his smoke break. Dan would come to find out the Chris had a patchwork theology. He took what he liked from each different religion and made his own. We told him that was idolatry..making a god in your own image. His co-workers called him in.......He took two Obama Millions. Pray for Chris.
We made our way towards the Big Sandy Arena and spoke with Tara and her two friends. It felt like a mini-open air. They were very receptive to going through the Law and the Gospel. Tara's whole demeanor changed going through the Law then the Gospel. "I understood and it made sense", she said!!! In fact her two friends were shaking their heads and agreeing that they too understood and thought it made sense. Tara and her friends said they would consider what we talked about. They thanked me for sharing the gospel with them. Praise God and pray for Tara and her friends.
Our last conversation took place in front of Huntington Community College. Spoke with Tiffany, Classy, and another young man. Mini open-air. Two of them admitted if they died right now they would go to hell. All three people were very receptive to the Law and the Gospel. They all understood what they heard. Tiffany and I spoke for several minutes. She asked if I knew of a good church that she and her son could go to. I gave her the name of my church and I hope she walks through the doors on the days to come. Please pray for Tiffany, Classy and the young man. All in all on a day when I thought not much was gonna happen (because of most of the college kids going home)...God had other plans and He gave us a wonderful day to proclaim the story of redemption and forgiveness to a lost world. Its all for His glory....Keep Fishin.

New Fisherman At Marshall....Dan Stokley

2009-04-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great day at "The Pond". I was able to meet up with fellow fisherman Dan Stokley. Ya'all know that I have been praying since before I left Jacksonville, FL for some faithful men who just love Jesus like nobodies business and want to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to the community. So over the past two weeks I have had both Bill Sikes and Dan Stokley with me out on the pond at Marshall University. What a blesssing these two guys have been to me. I just get so excited just watching them in action...sharing the most awesome message that the world will ever hear. Whether by word or simply handing out a tract...they are Glorifing God!! Thank you for your prayers. Keep Fishin.

Proclaiming the Truth

2009-04-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Me and Bill hit the pond today desiring one thing...that God would be Glorified with our words and the way we present the Gospel. We desire to speak that truth with a compassionate heart. We started off sharing with a group of guys....two of them engaged in conversation. Jonathan grew up in a Christian home, went to church growing up and then joined the military. When he got back from serving he found some things had happened to the church that he didnt like..he said he was let down and hurt. He described himself as living dangerously kinda guy. He didnt try to play Christian..He knew he wasnt one and said he would not pretend to be one like he had seen so many others do. Man will always let you down....you can tell who the play actors are.... Dont put your faith in men.
Jonathan heard the law and the Gospel and knew that he was living life under his own authority and not Gods authority. Please pray that Jonathan would think about the things we spoke of and repent of his sins and put his faith in Jesus.

We spoke with James next and were able to go through the Law and Gospel with him. He understood and we gave him a Bible. Pray for Jonathan and James. Keep Fishin

Great Day at the Pond!!

2009-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

I couldnt wait to get to the pond at Marshall University this moring. I was able to stay there for about 2 1/2 hours. I spoke with Brandon who was rushing to get to class. He wasnt too sure what he believed..but definitely listened (most of the time) and understood the Gospel.

Sean was on campus trying to get people to vote for him. A great opportunity to speak with him. He said he was a believer but only knew part of the Gospel. He was very busy and pre-occupied by everyone walking by so I gave him a tract..pray he reads it .

Chris thought the conversation was deep ( I could barely keep up with this guy as fast as he was walking but praise God he gave me the energy to stay right with him...haha) ...he thought he could work his way to heaven and that going to church automatically makes you a Christian. He is going to become a police officer. I gave him a copy of Tony Mianos "Living Beyond Inspiration" to read. (Thanks Tony). He listened and understood the Gospel.

Robert (seen in the pic) is from Africa. We talked from quite some time. He lives in Huntington with his mom. He is studying Bio-something. He was a joy to speak with...he had heard the Law and the Gospel. I hope to see him again. Hopefully he will take me up on the offer to have him and his mom over for dinner. I also gave him a copy ESV NT Bible since he didnt have one here.

Neil grew up in the Methodist church and just had alot of questions about the Bible and its authority. He didnt understand the Gospel....but after he heard the Law then the Gospel he understood.

Charley just moved up to Huntington, WV from Augusta, GA. I spoke with him as I was getting ready to leave the pond. He thought the good and bad just evened out. I shared the Law and the Gospel with him. He understood and I gave him a ESV NT Bible.

Please pray for these guys. It truly was a wonderful day because God was Glorified through the sharing of his glorious Gospel.....Keep Fishin.

Hittin the streets of Huntington, WV

2009-01-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

My friend Sean and I started the year off right with a trip to the Huntington Mall. We were able to talk to several people. I spoke with two youths who although they went to church on twice on Sunday and on Wednesday evenings couldnt tell me how a person could go to heaven. "Just by being a good person and doing the right thing, " they said. I was able to take them through the Law and the Gospel.....they said if they died right now they would go to Hell. I encouraged them to Not waste time Repent of their sins and put their trust in the Savior. Another older man said He had seen all sorts of things in the mall but had never seen anyone sharing their faith in the mall. He was a believer and asked for some tracts to give to his family who he said desperately needed Salvation. We were an encouragement to Him. God was indeed Glorified. Keep Fishin.

UNF...a great fishin hole.

2008-04-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Me and John went to UNF Thursday evening got a chance to talk to several people and share the Gospel. It was a great night!!!

Hit the Streets.....Why do we go?

2007-09-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are going to Regency Mall. We have had several great encounters there. The team is looking forward to seeing what God will do tonight.

Why do we go?

We go because Christ commanded us to go and preach the Gospel. We share because we believe the message which initiates the action to go out and proclaim the truth.

Romans 10:14-15
How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them ? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”

Keep fishin,

Vernon

Better Job, Bigger House

2007-08-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

What are our desires? Do we want to have a better job, a bigger house, thicker carpet, and more money? Are we controlled by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Or have we been transformed from the way of this world by "the renewing of [our] mind?" When that happens, we are told that we "may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God". So, ask yourself, "Are my desires in line with God's desires?" Am I "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance?" That's God's perfect will. Is it yours? When it is- when your desires match His and you delight yourself in the Lord, you are promised that he will give you those heart's desires. - Ray Comfort