September's Top 5 Posts

Thanks for reading guys! So far we've had people from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, India, Israel, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Quatar, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, S. Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, the UK, the US, Venezuela and other countries and locations all over the world reading the blog. Thank you all who have been reading! Please keep sharing the blog with people you think it would encourage and please leave comments about how applying these ideas is working out for you! In case you missed them these are the top 5 posts from last month! Also, don't forget to check out the 38 new ideas for sharing your faith!

1. A Non-Awkward Way to Practice Sharing Your Faith Anytime!

2. 532 Words Jesus Died to Tell You.

3. Forgive Me; I Blew it, I Failed!

4. Why Jesus?

5. Reach Your Workplace for Christ.

Hope those encouraged you! Thanks so much.

Restaurant Interruption

Recently, Erin, the girls and I were having dinner in town at The Old Tymer's Cafe here in Durango. All dinner long I kept hearing different aspects of a conversation going on behind us. We were sitting at the red table on the right and the people talking behind us were sitting at the table on the left were the couple is sitting in this picture. In retrospect I am confident that God was getting my attention and the Holy Spirit was directing me to this table. They talked about 9/11, the wars, politics, the economy, activism and much more. Each point they discussed seemed to grab my attention even more than the last. As I overheard bits and pieces of what they said I also prayed silently for them. Then, as we were leaving the restaurant, right as we passed their table, I heard one of the 2 men sitting across from a middle aged couple ask them, "So last time we talked you were looking into religion trying to find one. Weren't you going to the Jehova's Witnesses church for a while?" They said, "Yes, but not any more. We still haven't found what's right." The conversation immediately switched to the New Age as we left. I could sense a conviction to return and speak with them growing with every step we took away from the restaurant. Finally I told Erin I had to return. I walked back to the table and said, "excuse me for interrupting your dinner. I overheard you talking about searching for God. I don't want to be pushy or anything but wanted you to know that Jesus is pursuing a relationship with you. Here are a few words straight from Jesus' mouth. I hope they encourage you as you search." I gave them 2 copies of the Red Letter Gospel I happened to have in my back pocket. They were extremely kind and thanked me for the notes and said they would read them. 

A few points stick out. First, the Holy Spirit had been making me aware of their conversation so I wouldn't miss the part about searching for God. Second, He wouldn't let me walk away but kept convicting me, leading me to return and share. Finally, I was pretty scared about interrupting their dinner but found it wasn't awkward at all; they were actually thankful for the conversation. All that being said, God had been setting this up from the start and I just needed to trust Him! 

Well, I hope this story encourages you. Have a great Sunday and if you happen to eat out this afternoon, look for opportunities to share the Good News at the restaurant! 

Stories: Red Letter Gospel

A few days ago we shared the Red Letter Gospel idea. As we've been applying it I have been amazed at how open people are to hearing Jesus' words. This generation really doesn't think highly of "organized religion." They do, however, have a true respect for Jesus. Most of them don't know Him or much about what He says so this little idea is a good way to bridge the gap. As I have talked with students the past week I have asked some of our typical transition questions like, "what has been your experience with Christianity?" I usually follow that up by asking what they think about Jesus. After that I have been giving them the printed version of the Red Letter Gospel linked above. Often students will say, "I think He was a good moral teacher." I always respond to that by giving them a copy of the Red Letter Gospel and asking them to check out hat He taught. I have given this to tons of students in numerous situations. I have given it to multiple hitchhikers. I have walked up to people out of the blue and asked them if they'd be interested in reading Jesus' words to them. I have given it out after a short survey. I have given them out to students I met in the cafeteria. I have given them to students we've met at info tables and our weekly meetings. So far not one student has turned me down! I think we need to recognize the fact that students are genuinely interested in Christ and the reality that He is drawing them to Himself (Jn.12:32-33) and just let Him speak to them! I even got to incorporate it into "The Top 12 Lies You'll Hear in College" linked below. Have you had a chance to share this great little tool? Post a comment about how it went. Well, I had better get going. Life has been great but crazy. Last night 50 people were here for dinner. It was amazing. Have a great weekend sharing the Good News!

Idea: Share the Red Letter Gospel.

If I surveyed 100 college students about their perspective on church, most likely 90% or more would say they do not like the church or organized religion. If I asked those same students what they thought about Jesus I am sure over 90% would have very positive thoughts about him. This having been the case for many years of college ministry I recently put together a short explanation of the gospel straight from Jesus' mouth (the Red Letter Gospel). Every student I've given this to over the past week has been very interested because they are already interested in Jesus! The new idea for today is to share Jesus' words with someone and then follow up more later. Click here for a printable version of that post. Put a phone number or website in the "More Info" section. Then, have a few copies to hand out when an opportunity comes up. I will share more stories about this soon but here is one to show just how easy this is. Last week I gave 3 students a ride up the hill to campus. As they were getting out of the car I said, "before you go I wanted to give each of you one of these papers. It is a few words straight from Jesus to you. I hope you like it." Not awkward at all. They all wanted a copy. Super simple! Next time I see these students I will ask them what they thought. I hope this works well for you and give us feedback on how it works or anything you find that makes this work better. Have a great Sunday!