Portland, OR June 20th

Our time in Portland was a total blast! At first, it looked like we were going to get rained out. As Joel Mattila and I made our way down to Portland from Vancouver, it rained all the way through Vancouver and across the I-5 bridge, and then quit as we entered downtown Portland. We were encouraged to see people hanging around at the Waterfront Park, so we parked and made our way in. The rest of our team was to be arriving shortly, so we set up our ladder, speaker and heckler's mic and away we went. Here you can see me as I am trying valiantly to gather a crowd on a wet Saturday afternoon.
Our first attempt was rather bleak. I could only muster up a crowd of about 10-15, which dwindled down to about 6 by the time I finished preaching. The Portland PD decided to make an appearance and we had a long discussion with an officer about our rights of free speech and how far we were allowed to take it in our open-air endeavors. The officer had a surprisingly good handle on the law, which can be rare when it comes to exercising free speech. His only concern was that someone could trip over our equipment and we would be liable in that case. So, even though it was not against the law, we decided we would do some pure open-air and go for it without amplification.
A tour-guide boat was just docking up nearby, unloading about two hundred passengers, so I took advantage of the situation and began to gather a crowd. Things went extraordinarily well, as I was able to preach to a good size crowd, including dozens of bystanders who were listening in from a distance. They were very open and receptive to the gospel. It was one of the most fun times of open air that I have had.
The other members of the team showed up just as the people began spilling out of the ship and onto the sidewalks, and they boldly began dishing out tracts. Giselle actually went right to the gates where they came off the ramp and gave a tract to each passenger as they stepped onto the concrete! Giselle lives near Kelowna, B.C., and is also a member of the Ambassador's Alliance. She shares a passion for soul-winning with Joel, Darren and I and it was a blessing to have her as a part of our team for the day. She is one of the most fearless female evangelists I have worked with.
Darren is a seasoned street evangelist who I have had the pleasure of hitting the streets with on a number of occasions. It is always a blessing to work alongside a brother who comes prepared and loaded for bear. He is great at overcoming fear and stepping into situations that make me nervous, which in turn encourages me to be more bold. Here we found an ideal spot at the Saturday Market where there were lots of people moving about. We were discussing how and where we should set up to preach when all of the sudden we hear this booming voice open up with the gospel. Darren doesn't mess around. He just jumps right in and goes for it.
The afternoon went by quickly, as it usually does when you are in good company. The rain never did come to ruin our efforts, and many people heard the gospel and received the written word in a tract. Please pray for the city of Portland, which is especially known for being very liberal and full of witchcraft and homosexuality. Pray for more laborers to reach out in this city to those who need the message of salvation. Stay tuned to the website for events coming up in your area that you can be a part of.
www.sowingtheseed.com
See you on the streets!

Another Big Year

As many of you know, this past weekend was the second year we went to the Hoopfest event in Spokane, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in North America. This event fills up Spokane Riverfront Park, as well as 40 city blocks, with over 2,400 teams and 25,000 players, with 175,000 fans! An evangelist's gold mine! This is by far the largest event of the year for us in the northwest when it comes to street evangelism.
This year, we had a small but effective team. Only myself and a brother named Rick Thursby made the trek from Tri-Cities, but we met up with brothers and sisters from Spokane who also took advantage of this incredible opportunity to get the gospel out. An aquaintence of mine named Ken brought down a team from his church in Spokane, and they spread the word from about 9:00 am till noon. We tried to link up with them, but most of the team had gone home by the time Rick and I made it from our parking lot to the meeting place. It took us over an hour to walk 6 blocks! Of course, we were handing out tracts as we went along, which slowed us down. In 6 city blocks, we handed out over 1000 tracts!
Rick is a faithful brother in Christ who shares a burden for the lost and is committed to bringing the message of salvation to the world. He is active in a local jail ministry where he holds Bible studies twice a week. Rick is an absolute machine on the streets, and proved himself to be an invaluable member of any evangelism team. He fearlessly approached strangers and handed them tracts all day long. When people asked what they were, he was not ashamed to admit that they were gospel tracts. I would estimate that Rick single-handedly forked out probably 2,000 tracts in one day! We left the truck with at least 3,000 tracts, and I know Rick gave out more than I did, because for a good portion of the day, I was setting up for and open-air preaching. Rick was tireless as he stood with his hands full of tracts, offering them to passersby with a pleasant smile, "Did you get one of these?"
A little later in the afternoon, we were joined by Calvin and Debbie Matson, along with their family. As soon as they met up with us, both they and their children were anxious to get started right away. It was encouraging to see their kids taking the bull by the horns and boldly offering tracts to young people and adults. Unfortunately for them, we had long since run out of our most popular tracts, but even those that we had remaining seemed to go quite quickly. We set up and preached once while they were there as well. Here you can see Debbie approaching some strangers with tracts.
Most of the pictures you see here were taken on a side street which we utilized for preaching. We didn't want to disrupt the flow of foot traffic on the main streets, or we would have certainly been shut down by the authorities, so we found an ideal area where there were still plenty of people to gather a crowd. The tracts went as fast as you can hand them out on the main streets. In fact, by the time we left, we had a meager 40 or so tracts left in our pockets.
There are so many people crowding the streets at this event, it would take a large team and a substantial effort to make a big impact. However, we were very encouraged to have brothers and sisters approach us and tell us they had been seeing people all over the event reading our tracts! I personally had several people tell me they had been looking for us to get their own because the tracts were so cool.
I know that everyone on our team this year had the time of our lives, enjoying fellowship and the fulfillment that only comes from serving the Lord and being used greatly by Him. Maybe next year we will have a few more recruits to join in the festivities. Until then, stay tuned into the website for events coming up in your area where you can be used to reach your community for Christ!
www.sowingtheseed.com

See you on the streets!!

Combine Demolition Derby .... What's that???

This year marked the 22nd annual Combine Demolition Derby in the small farming town of Lind, in eastern WA. This event attracts crowds of up to 4,000 to the community of about 450 people. Instead of having a demo derby with old cars, they use combines! Yeah, that's right, combines! What a great opportunity to get the gospel into the hands of lost and dying people!

A fellow evangelist and I took the 1 hour trip into the boonies to the small middle-of-nowhere town to reach out to the people there with the gospel. To my delight, admission into the event was free, and there were people wandering around all over.

We started out handing out tracts, trying to keep a low profile while observing the situation to see what kind of security measures were in place before we became too bold.
At one point, there was a break in the action and the crowds swelled out of the bleachers and to the concession stands, and I saw my opportunity. I quickly ran to our vehicle and grabbed my ladder and amplifier. Then, when I was about to set up in a perfect place, crowd management services personnel came by and scared me off. They had no idea what I was about to do, and did not speak to me, but these were the same people who had shut me down just a few months ago in Tri-Cities at a hockey game.

I chickened out because I didn't want to get booted too early.
So, I just continued doing what I was doing, handing out tracts to random people.
Then, just before we left, I went up the bleachers, row by row, handing out wads of tracts saying,"Take one, pass them along, please." You should have seen it! People loved them. I was using the Giant Money tracts. I gave out hundreds of them like that! HA! I was wanting to do it all the while, but I was afraid of getting caught and being booted too soon. But it worked great! I just acted confident like a normal vendor and the security didn't say a word. Hee hee!
My buddy had great success handing out tracts as well. Marshall is a seasoned veteran of street witnessing who has a passion for contending for the truth of the gospel, especially concerning the cults. He is a valuable asset to any evangelism team. The new Obama Trillions (the bailout bill) are quite a hit, especially in rural America, where he is not exactly adored. Now that I know how big the event is, I will take a bigger team up next year and maybe get a little more bold. I really think the crowd management services were only there for alcohol monitoring. It was a really good atmosphere, so I'm hoping I can contact the organizers and get permission to preach next year.

Please pray for me. I attend a church of about 1000, and the pastors just asked me today to do an 8 week series on evangelism training. I'm really nervous. I have a lot I would like to go over, but I know that I may have to tread lightly to start out. I don't want to come on too heavy at first.
Also, there is one gentleman in particular who is very aggressively pursuing an alliance with me to combine our ministries, but I don't know him that well and am a little apprehensive about getting too involved right away. Please pray for me to have wisdom, discernment, and a gentle and loving touch when dealing with him and with my church. Thanks, brothers and sisters!

Next week, we'll be in Portland hitting the streets, and the following week we'll be in Spokane. If you can make it to either of these events, contact me. We'll see you on the streets!

Assurance

I was on my way to work last week, and happened to be praying about some specific things. One of which, was that the Lord would help me not have any more doubts. (Yes, even after 11 yrs of being a believer, I still go through seasons of doubt) I know that when this happens, my doubting actually is a great insult to God. If I doubt him, I am insinuating that he is a liar and His word is not true or worth trusting. So, I was repenting before him and asking that he help me not to go through any more times of doubt.
When I arrived at work, I opened my email and received this message from Todd Friel of Wretched Radio. I took it as an answer to prayer and I am sharing it with you so that if there are any more out there who sometimes succumb to a wave of doubt, you can overcome that doubt by a proper understanding of the grace of God.

Salvation Assurance. Got it?

God wants you to know that you are saved. The entire book of I John was written for that very reason (I John 5:13). Do you have that assurance? Do you know that you are saved? Have you lost the fear of going to hell?

God wants you to walk with Him in confidence. He does not want you in the Slough of Despond. If you are wobbly in your confidence, let’s see if we can get you out of the pit.

This is going to sound radical, but I wonder if you are shaky because of your fear of sinning.

Don’t get me wrong, you and I should be afraid to sin, but the question is, “Why?” While there are several reasons, I suggest there should only be one reason for the believer. If you have been afraid to sin for the wrong reason, perhaps that is why you have no assurance.

There are two wrong reasons for being afraid to sin.

Reason 1: Wrong Theology

Are you afraid to sin because that will demonstrate you are not actually saved? Uh oh. That is wrong. Ponder this carefully.

Your fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control) is an excellent sign that you are saved (Galatians 5). While external transformation takes effort, it is relatively attainable. But having a heart change is impossible unless God has saved you.

On the other hand, your sins are only POSSIBLY a sign that you are not saved. Note this well: Christians sin. That’s right, true born again believers will sin (I John). If you sin, that does not prove that you are a false convert.

“But wait,” you say. “Doesn’t the Bible say that if we keep on sinning we are of the devil?”

It sure does, but that is the key: you keep on sinning.

Let’s not sugar coat this, if you are living in willful, unrepentant, persistent sin, you are not saved. You need to repent. Now.

But if you are a man or woman who is growing in holiness (love, joy, peace, etc.) and you are not living in on-going, willful sin, then be assured: you are IN HIM.

You are saved. You have forgiveness of sins. You are adopted into His family. You are His child. You have all of the rights and privileges of an heir. STOP DOUBTING.

“But wait,” you protest. “I don’t want to sin so that grace might more abound.”

That is good, but hear me well: YOU WON'T. If you are in Him, you will not, nor cannot be a grace abuser. Why not? Because you have a new heart and new desires.

Reason 2: Wrong Motive

Perhaps your motive for not sinning is to prove that you are saved. That too is wrong.

What should be your motive for not sinning? It is NOT to prove that you are in Him.

Your fear of sinning should be motivated by your position in and love for Christ. You loathe sin because you are in Him and you do not want to sin against the One you love so profoundly.

Let me demonstrate what I am describing with the Tale of Two Christians.

Doubting Danny

Danny has a born again experience. He can remember when God brought him low and he repented of his sins and trusted Jesus. He reads the Bible every day and his family notices that he is a different person. He has even lost a lot of his old friends because he is “so Christian.” But Danny has doubts.

Danny has mortified his gross sins. The pornography has ceased and the anger is gone…almost. You see, occasionally Danny still gets kind of mad. Not nearly as mad as he used to, but he still finds himself getting annoyed in traffic and short with the kids.

When Danny gets wound up, he recognizes his sin, apologizes to God and then frets that he is not actually saved. His worry ebbs and flows based on how well he is doing.

Assured Alice

Like Danny, Alice has a born again experience. She can remember when God adopted her and she reads the Bible every day. Her family notices that she is different. Alice has no doubts she is saved.

Why not?

Alice used to be a raging gossip who loved her soap operas. Now she hates those things. Unfortunately, Alice will sometimes find herself in a conversation and she will realize that she is spreading gossip. She bridles her tongue, apologizes to God and praises Him that He has rescued her and has given her a new heart. She asks Him to help her not sin again. As the day progresses, she will thank God for His amazing grace toward her, a sinner.

Unfortunately, Alice sins again. While flipping through the channels to find Wretched TV, she lingers for a few seconds on a channel that she promised God she would not watch again. Alice gets mad at herself. Turns off the TV and apologizes to God and thanks Him that He has so graciously saved such a fowl creature. Alice is filled with awe at God’s loving-kindness. She cries.

Alice is resolved to not sin again because she is HEARTBROKEN every time she does. She does not battle sin to prove she is a Christian, but she battles sin simply because she is a Christian who loves to please the Lord with obedience. She knows that when she sins, she has increased the suffering of her Savior and treated Him with contempt, something she hates.

The thought of abusing God’s grace is the furthest thing from Alice’s mind. Let me repeat: the thought of abusing grace is the furthest thing from a Christian’s mind. Grace abuse is the last thing a Christian wants to do. Let me beat that horse. Not only will Christians not abuse grace; they won’t even want to abuse grace.

Our motive for not sinning should not be to prove we are not a false convert, but because we stand in awe of His grace.

Look to the cross, rejoice in your Savior. Do not fear. You will not abuse His grace as you walk this way. In fact, you will sin even less.

Please, do not be a doubting Danny. Be an assured Alice (unless you are a man, then be an assured Alan). Trust Him. Rest in Him. Because you are in Him.

Then go, and serve your King.

Hitting the Streets

Hey guys and gals, sorry its been a few weeks since my last posting. I have been experiencing technical problems with my computer (big surprise) but it looks like we're up and running once again. I am very excited about the good weather returning and what that means for evangelism opportunities. Last weekend, we hit the park and had a total blast handing out tracts, getting into great conversations with people and even open air preaching. Parks officials came and had a listen to us and didnt even try to shut us down. They just told us we would be needing a permit next time for the amplification. Sweet!

This Saturday, it looked like it was not going to be a very good day at all. When I showed up, the place was empty, as you can see! But there were a few people milling around and setting up for cook-outs, and I had a buddy showing up in a few minutes who was expecting to see some evangelism in action, so I could hardly just pack it up and go home in defeat.

Randy is a solid believer with a heart for the lost who has been wanting to come out for a while and hit the streets. Today was going to be a great day because even though it started out slow, it gave us the purpose of mind to spend plenty of time explaining the gospel to people. We used some great tracts as ice-breakers to open up conversations about spiritual things. I really like the tracts we used today because they are so cool that even if someone doesn't like the message on them, they keep them anyway. Who knows how many times they will read the gospel and keep having those seeds planted? The curved illusions are always a big hit.

When we saw these women from a distance, we were intimidated by the thought of approaching them, but it turned out well. The woman on the left was especially frightening for poor Randy, who was valiantly giving his best effort to deliver the gospel to them, but she was having fun with him. Overall, they loved our tracts and encouraged us to keep sharing with others.

We encountered a lot of young people who have Christian parents who bring them to church, but they didn't really understand the gospel and how it all works. We were able to share with them about the difference between simply acknowledging the truth of the gospel and actually being born of the Spirit. These girls had all heard the gospel before, but didn't quite grasp the meaning or repentance and faith. We gave them each a few tracts and shared with them our own testimonies of how we became Christians.

What was especially great about today was watching Randy break out of his comfort zone and do some radical things for Jesus. He was a bit nervous at first, but after experiencing the Lord's faithfulness, he became more bold and more confident as the afternoon went on. This family was the last encounter we had today and Randy handled them beautifully, from start to finish.

That is the best part about going out and opening our mouths for the kingdom of God. We all have fears, and we are all afraid of rejection. But that is when we draw from His strength. We let His strength be made perfect in our weakness. Then He gets all the glory! We don't rely on our own wisdom or power, but upon the Holy Spirit. So determine that you will share the love of God with those around you, and when you feel afraid, ask for boldness, and see what the Lord does through you.
Just think, a couple of hours out of your busy schedule on a Saturday could make the difference for eternity for someone else. Don't hide your light under a bushel, but rather let it out for all to see. See you on the streets!!

If you are on Facebook, go to Sowing the Seed profile and become a fan. You will recieve updates on upcoming evangelism events that you can be a part of. We would love to have you along!