Friday, February 28, 2014

Divine appointments and 297 safe miles

Ron and I had got up this morning and were greeted by heavy rain. We packed the bikes and donned our rain gear for the ride back north. We met my old friend Craig Marston for breakfast, who opened the doors for us to minister in Key West. We then headed north on Route 1. As we approached the northern end of the Keys, the rain subsided and we stopped for a caffeine beverage for Ron as he was very drousy. Ron took the lead and was going to select a place to stop and get a drink. God did what God does and after removing my rainsuit, a man came up to me and began asking questions about my trailer. We had a nice discussion and I asked his name and where he was from. His name was Dave and he was from Wall Twp, NJ. I told him I was born and raised in NJ and I then asked what he did for a living. He owns a bar and a business involving Border Collies being used to chase geese from runways and corporate lawns. The conversation continued and it turns out that Verona Park (I was born and raised in Verona) is one of his clients. I asked if I could share something with him and shared the Gospel as well as one of Mark Cahill’s little books – “One Second After You Die”.

We parted ways and Ron and I continued north to Jupiter. We stopped at the Harvest Bible Chapel and set up for tomorrow’s M.A.D. Live Event. We then heaed to my friend Norm’s to check on his son Ben. Ben had been surfing the day before and after surfing he was doing something in the water and got caught up in a Portuguese Man of War. He had burns and welts across his stomach and arm and one tentacle somehow got in his mouth and onto his tongue. He was in pretty bad shape with a lot of toxins and ended up in the ER. He was home recovering and we went to see him. Ben is on meds and is feeling better although the wounds itch like crazy. He said the pain was so bad he would much rather have broken a bone than be hit by one of them.

We then headed north towards Port St. Lucie to spend the night at our friends Bruce and Kim’s home. On the way we stopped for dinner and prayed for our waitress Amber and we shared a Gospel of John with her. We are grateful to God for His protection on us for the 297 miles we did today.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Praise and worship

The couple we are staying with has a regular Thursday night event. 12-14 people get together and sing praises to God, share some testimonies, Scripture and pray. What a great time we had with these brothers and sisters in the Lord! It was a great way for us to spend our last night in Key West.

We were an answer to prayer! And its back to Key West!

Ron and I just had a meeting, arranged by the gentleman who is hosting us while we're in Key West. We met with the Pastor of the Glad Tidings Community Church. He told me he had been praying and asking God to send him an evangelist who could help equip his people to begin living a lifestyle of evangelism. Hmmm. He is going to book us to come back in the late fall and he said he was going to contact a number of pastors in the Miami area and get us bookings there as well. Praise God!!!!!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

All glory to God!

We finished part 2 of the MAD Live Event tonight. About 20 people attended and we praise God for 3 new followers of Christ! One lady was 92 years old! Another was in her mid 70s. How cool is that ! Praise God!!!!

Weather is supposed to be an issue tomorrow, so I plan on spending the bulk of the day on the phone trying to catch up with pastors. Friday morning we have a 275 mile ride back to Port St. Lucie before 2 more MAD Live Events over the weekend. Thanks for your prayers!

2 Diving Appointments each for us so far today!

God's been busy! So far today Ron and I have each had 2 Divine Appointments with people. I went out front to my motorcycle this morning and a man rode a bicycle up to the house across the street. He had the highest ape hanger handlebars I had ever seen on a bicycle. He said, "Good morning" to me. I greeted him back and commented on the high rise bars. He came over and we talked. He is a carpenter named Fred and he was working in the house across the street. We had a nice conversation and I asked if I could share something with him. He said, "sure!" I pulled one of the Gospels of John from my Tourpack and shared my faith with him. He said he would read it and thanked me for it.

This afternoon we went to the Advance Auto sort to pick up 2 spark plugs for my bike. Ron and I each were met by a person in the parking lot and two 30 minute conversations ensued. The man I met was named Rick Bush. He was 62 years old and has been sailing all around North and South America for the past 7 years since he retired. He was a fascinating guy! I shared my faith with him and also gave him a Gospel of John to read. He said he would definitely read it because he had interest in spiritual things. We talked some more and bid him safe sailing and left. Can't wait to see who God has lined up for us next!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Trip update and Divine Appointments

We rode 275 miles today to Key West. The weather was good and HOT. We had some adventures on the road when we got onto the Florida Turnpike and it required a Sun Pass and we didn’t have one. Long story but we got it all straightened out.

We stopped or breakfast at an IHop at 10 AM and had a waiter named “Mo”. His wife had just passed away and he was working as a Denny’s Manager and waiting tables to pay for her bills. We prayed for him and shared a Gospel of John with him.

We crossed the 7 mile bridge where they filmed “True Lies”. We saw the part of the bridge where they landed the Harrier and the part of the bridge that they blew up with the missile. Pretty cool.

Pastor Chuck took us out to dinner and we had a server named Rashad. We asked how we could pray for him and he asked for prayer for the family of his 22 year old friend named Brian. He was walking along the sidewalk and tripped and fell, hitting his head. It killed him! We also got to share a Gospel with a young sailor from San Diego who was waiting in the restaurant with us before the meal.

We had a great time presenting part 1 of the MAD Live Event to a small group of people from the Eagles Rest Ministry. Part 2 is tomorrow night. We are blessed to be staying with a former Pastor and his wife for the time we are in Key West. Frank and Toni are great hosts!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Safely in Port St. Lucie

We arrived safely in Port St. Lucie after a 204 mile ride. We forgot to get some intel from Paul and Ellen on how to bypass Orlando. Boy did we have to pay for it. The 3 hour trip ended up being 4 hours....lots of traffic and traffic lights. God was gracious and we had no rain again today while riding. But boy is it HOT! We stopped for a haircut and a man named Mike cut my hair nice and short. He is a Catholic and I shared a Gospel of John with him and felt led to give him a 75% tip! Now it's up to the Lord.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Testimony that came in Saturday night after the MAD Live Event

Praising God!

Just have to share a short story. This morning I arrived at the church at 9:30 for Women’s Monthly Prayer. When our time came to an end, I slipped into the Evangelism Seminar. Loved hearing all his stories and encouragement. When we broke for lunch, there was a table of small booklets sharing the gospel including the gospel of John. So I prayed about which three to select b/c they all had different photo’s on the front and I knew that the Lord knew who would be receiving these booklets and which cover would be most interesting to each person.

Fast forward to later in the day. Now I am shopping at Publix and preparing for Robin & Art Dykstra’s Prayer shower tomorrow here at 3:00. I was also shopping for the Discipleship Training with Skip Gray next Friday & Saturday. One of the items on my list was 4 crates of water and they were heavy! When I checked out I asked the cashier if there might be someone to help me get them in my car. She went and found Stephen. He was a very nice young man, perhaps at the most 22 years old. We had a bit of chit chat on the way to the car about the changing weather. As he was helping me unload the water, he asked me what I was going to do with all that water. (Right then I knew that the prayer I had prayed earlier today was about to be answered...I prayed for an opportunity to share the gospel today and to give away 1 of my 3 booklets...after all “you have not because you ask not” : )

This was my answer to his question, “What are you going to do with all that water? I told Stephen that this coming weekend that we were having a conference teaching us about getting to know God better and learning more about His wonderful ways. His response was, “Oh, so it’s a religious gathering”... “Well, I said, not really, it’s more a gathering focusing on relationships with each other and God. I said to Stephen, “So what is your spiritual interest?” “Oh am am really in to Buddhism” he said..... and for 10 minutes he never stopped talking passionately and genuinely about how much he loved their teachings. I listened intently. He then went onto say that out of his loyalty he was strongly considering shaving his head and wearing the salmon colored robes they wear. He then continued to tell me how impressed he was with their character and authenticity. When I was certain he was done, I said Stephen, can I ask you a question? “Yes”. Have you ever read the entire Bible? “Well I have read some chapters” he said. I said, “But you have never read the whole thing, right”? “No I have not.” I said, “well here is some food for thought: How do you know it’s not true if you don’t have the whole truth?’' He said, “well that’s a good point”. I told Stephen that I had a portion of the Bible in my car that I just got today and wondered if I gave it to him if he would read it and give it some consideration. I said, “you mentioned earlier that you were open to everything, so I thought you might be open to reading something very important” He said, yes, I will read it”. I asked him if he was a man of his word and he assured me that he was. “As a matter a fact he said, the next time I see you here at Publix I will tell you what I think about what I read.”

Will you please pray for Stephen. The enemy has grossly deceived him, it really broke my heart. Will you pray that God would open his eyes, mind and heart to understand what he is reading in the book of John and be gripped by the love and grace of God. He is a young man who has let his heart be captured....but right now, it’s by the wrong God. Let’s pray that God captivates his whole being. He is so young, so impressionable....May Jesus Christ impress him beyond measure!

Our time was short b/c he had to get back to work, but it was amazing to watch God answer my prayer that was offered up only hours earlier! This song describes it all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuuZMg6NVeA

To the praise of His glorious name!

Debbie

Tomorrow's plans....

Tomorrow morning we ride about 3 hours to Port St. Lucie. We'll be spending the night there before heading to Key West on Tuesday morning. We have part 1 of the MAD Live Event on Tuesday night and I am looking forward to seeing an old friend, Tim Bruso, while we are there. I haven't seen him since high school graduation. We'll be looking for this Divine Appointments along the way and doing our best to share Christ with the folks we meet.

MAD Live Event and First Divine Appointment

This was go be posted on Saturday night. However we had no WIFI so it is being posted one day late.

We completed the MAD Live Event today in Pinellas Park. We praise God for 4 people surrendering their lives to Christ in repentance and faith. We want to thank Bob and Esther for being amazingly gracious hosts for Ron me while we were in the St. Pete area.

We then headed 105 miles north to Leesburg to spend the night and next day with our dear friends from NJ, Paul and Ellen. They winter in Leesburg. As we sped along (at the speed limit of 70 MPH), I changed lanes on the bike and immediately realized there was a 2x4x8 laying across my lane. I have never hit a 2x4 on a motorcycle at 70 MPH before, but thankfully I got over it without incident. Ron then hit it as well without issue.

On the way we stopped for a bathroom break and God provided our first Divine appointment of the trip. We parked the bikes outside the rest area building and a female employee walked up and was picking up pieces of trash around our bikes. As she approached my bike and I commented on how hot it was to be doing that job in the parking lot. She said she prefers to do it after dark as it is cooler. I commented that it’s pretty hot with an engine between our legs. She agreed that it would be hotter on the bikes than in the parking lot. I got off of my bike, grabbed a Gospel of John and headed over to speak with her. I asked her what her name was and she said, “Molly”. I told her my name and asked if I could share something with her. She said, “Sure!” I shared my faith in Christ with her and explained that the book I was giving her was a Gospel of John with the plan of salvation outlined in the front. I offered it to her as a gift and asked if she would read it. She agreed to read it and share it with her son and she thanked me for it. We arrived at Paul and Ellen’s safely and enjoyed dinner with them. We’ll be going to church with them tomorrow.

Friday, February 21, 2014

A new way to pray for us!

This is my prayer for the ministry God has called Cathy and I to do. Will you pray this with us?

Blowing the Lid Off

On the one hand, the drive from New York to Chicago can be pretty long and boring. On the other hand, it can be an opportunity to get a lot of work done if someone else is driving. I was typing in my laptop computer while my wife was driving. (Not recommended to type on your computer while you are driving!) I was trying to meet some deadlines but my battery wasn't up to the task.

So after about an hour, the light started flashing and the beep started beeping. I'd gone as far as my internal power source would take me. So was my work time over? No, I have a power pack that plugs into the cigarette lighter, and I could work for many more hours; as many hours as I could work because that power source was unlimited.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Blowing the Lid Off."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Acts chapter 4. We're looking at some early disciples of Jesus who understood what power source to plug into. The whole city of Jerusalem was starting to turn against them. The most powerful men in the nation were trying to shut them down. They were at the limits of human power. The light was flashing, the beep was beeping.

Acts 4:24, here's their response. It says, "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. 'Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'You made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.'" And then they bring their situation to Him. The result? Verse 29, they pray, "Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.' After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God boldly."

These Christians rocked their city in the face of mammoth obstacles, because they understood that our internal power is limited. But they plugged into the external p ower source in the Throne Room of Almighty God.

It was my privilege to be involved in the leadership of Billy Graham's crusade in the Meadowlands some years ago. The arena held 18,000 people, and we had it pretty much filled the first three of those five nights. Many people were coming to Christ. Everybody was thrilled. But our committee had set up 8,000 chairs in the parking lot in case there was an overflow; kind of did that by faith. Well, for three nights those chairs were empty. Everybody was praising the Lord for the unprecedented crowd we had in the arena, and we should have been. We loved the results! I was very excited!

But I had this unexplainable restlessness, and I asked four or five committee members to join me after the meeting up in some arena seats for prayer. And I prayed. I said, "Lord, I feel as if you have more for us. I want to really get a hold of You. Together we want to believe You for whatever it is you want to do." And then we really prayed, "Lord, if anyone other than You is holding a lid on this crusade, blow the lid off right now."

The next night, just before Dr. Graham got up to speak, they handed him a note and he handed it to me. It said, "There are 13,000 people in the parking lot." We had jumped from 18,000 to 31,000 in one night. People were all over, listening to the gospel by way of a giant video screen, and the lid came off the harvest that night as multitudes of people streamed forward to trust Christ. I learned a new way to pray that week. I learned to plug into the unlimited power of God; to ask Him to blow the lid off anything He really would like to do.

Could it be time for you to start praying that way; far beyond what any earth power source could ever be expected to do? To pray that way for your child, your church, your health, your finances, your future, your ministry. Come boldly and expect God-sized results. Maybe your power sources are all maxed out. Good! It's time to plug into the miracle power of God. Believe me, if you will trust Him, He can blow the lid off.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Columbia, SC to Clearwater, FL

Ron and I had a great day for travel. Today was scheduled to be the longest day of travel on our ministry trip. The weather was cool to start, then got really hot when we reached Florida (sorry for those in the cold north) We did a total of 520 miles on the motorcycles today. Sore butts were the result. It felt really good to get out of the saddle! We are being hosted by a retired brother and sister in the Lord, and boy is she a character! She came out when we arrived and said, "Welcome to the Bates Motel!" (Their names are Bob and Ester Bates). She calls herself Esther the pester. We went out to dinner with them and are getting settled into our room for the night. We are thankful for your prayers. God answered them with safety and great weather. We had a couple of close calls, but God is good and there were no mishaps. Tomorrow we have a lunch appointment with our contact Pastor. We are looking forward to a good night's rest!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Safely in SC

Ron and I drove through some driving rain and some freezing rain, and made it safely to SC. We had a blessed time with Pastor Don's Wednesday night home group. It included some devos from Exodus, testimonies and prayer for the needs of the group. We had a great time with everyone. Tomorrow morning we begin a 505 nile day on the bikes. The weather is looking good, so we praise God for that. Thanks for your prayers.

A Decision Only You Can Make - James MacDonald

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. —Colossians 3:23-24

Paul’s words in these verses are so practical we may gloss over their radical nature. Serving Christ isn’t just about obvious spiritual matters. There is no corner of our lives empty of opportunities to serve Him, no matter how menial or seemingly inconsequential the task He places before us.

In fact, other than your decision to believe in Jesus Christ, the choice to serve Him will be more formative in your spiritual life than any other decision.

Consider the way we’re to work. The word heartily doesn’t mean frantically. It refers to an all-in attitude. It also anticipates the joy we can experience when we discover God has actually wired and gifted us for certain tasks we can do wholeheartedly for Him.

And the commitment to serve heartily requires you to be in God’s Word. You cannot afford to wander away for days or weeks. Time in Scripture is like a briefing for the days’ activities in the place the Lord has called you.

Serving Christ also tethers your heart to the Cross. People are counting on you to be a faithful servant, whether they realize it or not. You have an awe-inspiring privilege to work in Christ’s kingdom. If you open your heart to this, you will begin to see an incredible array of service opportunities set before you each day.

As you begin to take steps of service, you will quickly find it isn't a lighthearted and carefree parade. There will be times of intense joy, deep camaraderie, and great fun—but also times when fatigue and discouragement are part of the experience. Humbling yourself and serving is tough, and it’s easy to want to throw in the towel when things don’t go as planned.

Colossians 3:24 is key, “You are serving the Lord Christ.” Especially when we get discouraged, we can rest in the truth that our lives and what we do aren’t about us, they’re about serving the Lord.

Now some will consider this choice to serve but do nothing. They’ll feel the tug of possibility, the longing that could lead to great things, but think, Not for me, that sounds too much like work. What a tragic waste of opportunity. Don’t be like that.

Do you want a life guided by the Lord, encouraged by His blessings, and marked by a sense of purpose? Choose to serve. If you ask anyone fully engaged in ministry for their story, you will find this connection is true: “If you want to be great,” Jesus said, “you must be the servant of all” (Matthew 20:26 NKJV). The life you were designed to experience begins with the decision only you can make: I choose to serve Jesus Christ.

Journal

Where are you heartily serving Christ right now? What have you found are the benefits of serving Christ?

Pray

Lord, I can hardly think about service without visualizing Your Son washing the filth from His disciples’ feet. The work itself was service, but the deeper service was in the unexpected choice. Jesus saw and was willing to do what others were ignoring or oblivious to. Lord, help me become the kind of person who can step into a situation and see where genuine service can be engaged in heartily without even being noticed. Continue to teach me to serve as unto You alone, Lord. In Your Son’s name, the ultimate servant, amen.

Prayers coveted for 3 week ministry trip that begins today!

Ron Woudenberg and I are headed south this morning for a 3 week ministry trip. Tonight I was invited by Don Burnett of St. Andrews Evangelical Church to share my testimony with and the Gospel with a number of police officers in Columbia, SC. These Sheriff's officers are part of the church's "Adopt a Cop" outreach. We then embark on a 3,000 mile journey on motorcycle to include 5 MAD Live Events in Florida and sharing Christ with bikers in Daytona. I am very excited to be seeing some old friends, Tim Bruso and Craig Marston while traveling. Prayers for safety, no mechanical issues, good weather, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be appreciated between now and March 13th. Updates on fb and my BLOG will keep you up to date.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

One Roof

Norway is 35 times smaller than Russia, but they went head-to-head with Russia for the most medals won in the 1994 Winter Olympics. One of Norway's speed skaters won the gold medal in Lillehammer. A Norwegian skier stole America's spot at mogul skiing. And one after another, Norway dominated cross-country events. Little Norway was a big winner in those Olympics.

It wasn't always like that. In the late 1980s Norway finally decided they were going to set out to build a team of champions. There were several reasons they succeeded. But one had to be that top sports center in Oslo, Norway. It's a huge sports center where athletes from many sports train together in a single location. They can trade tips, they can encourage one another, and they can learn from each other's strengths. Apparently Norway was an Olympic winner because they did it together.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "One Roof."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Philippians chapter 1, beginning at verse 27, "Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel." By the way, this word contending is an athletic word. And then he says, "Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." This talks about how the Gospel can get to the lost people who desperately need to hear it. And it talks about how believers can shed their inferiority complex and start acting like winners. The secret just happen to be the same as that of Norway's Olympians that year; work together under one roof - at least spiritually speaking.

You know what? Usually we don't. We have our little denominational organizations, and our methodological cliques, and we're fighting each other over the distinctives of each group. This is no way to win! And we aren't. Jesus suggested why the enemy is so strong in our world. When He was accused of casting out demons in Satan's power, He said, "Come on! A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." He was implying that Satan's kingdom of evil is united.

Christ, on the other hand, allows us to choose, and so we fragment over this 10% we don't agree on instead of coming together on the 90% that we do agree on and this urgent mission every believer has to rescue the dying whatever it takes. Instead, Christians end up building a hundred little kingdoms instead of Jesus' one big kingdom.

We end up shooting at each other instead of at our real enemy. We could learn something from those Norwegian champions. Let's work under one spiritual roof! Let's learn from each other's strengths. Let's find a cause larger than our own performance, our own events; things that will pull us together. That cause is defined in this verse, "contending for the faith of the Gospel"; reaching the lost with the good news about Jesus.

I think there are two things that most of the believers in your community would agree on. There might not be a whole lot, but these are two you can get them to agree on. Number one, the people in your community are lost. Number two, Jesus Christ is their only hope. Is that not enough of an agenda to bring us together to do something about those lost people? We could only be divided if we have lost sight of the lost people that surround us, because there are so many more of them. Our only hope is to go into the rescue together. Does it matter - do we care - who gets the credit, who gets the glory as long as they're in heaven with us?

In the 1994 Winter Olympics the world got to see the secret of winning; coming together under one roof to prepare to fight for a cause greater than any one participant. We have a town to win; a community to reach. We have dying people to rescue. It's time we begin to pray together and plan together under one roof for the cause of the Gospel of Christ; the greatest cause on this planet. On the roof it says The Kingdom of God.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Incredible Divine Appointment today at the Chiropractor

Amazing Diving Appointment – I went to the Chiropractor this morning to have him work on my neck. When I arrived, the two treatment rooms were full and there were 4 others in the waiting room waiting for their turn. This has never happened before. So I figured it was going to take awhile for me to get into the treatment room. I waited about 15 minutes, then decided to save a little bit of time by making my next appointment before the treatment, rather than after. As we discussed the few open dates early next week, due to cancellations this week in advance of the Nor’easter coming, a man in ski bibs came in and stood at the receptionist’s counter near me. Rachel, the receptionist asked me why I couldn’t come later next week and I told her I’d be on a ministry trip to Florida, doing about 3,500 miles…2,500 of them on a motorcycle. I finished my conversation with her and the man who came in then said, “I need help…I am lost.” (Can you say open door?) Rachel asked where he was trying to go and he was from out of the area and was trying to find the Blue Mountain Ski Resort. I told him he was way too far west of Allentown and I didn’t know the best way to get there from New Tripoli, unless he went way out the way. I suggested Rachel MapQuest it for him and as she was doing that, he said, “So, what do you ride?” We ended up having 15-20 minute motorcycle discussion in the office and as he went to leave I told him I’d like to invite him to come on our Smoky Mountains Motorcycle Adventure in May. He said he was interested so I walked him out and grabbed a ministry business card from my truck for him. I also picked up one of Mark Cahill’s booklets entitled, “One Second After You….Die”. I asked if I could share this with him and he listened as I explained what the booklet was and what the truth in it could do for his eternity. We ended up in a 45 minute Gospel presentation and Q&A session in the parking lot. His name is Bob and there’s a lot more to the conversation, but I don’t have time to go into all of the details. I said to him, “Bob, I believe with all of my heart that God arranged for you to miss the ski resort and end up 40 minutes away at this Dr.’s office to meet me so I could invite you to go to Heaven when you die.” He said, “That thought has already crossed my mind.” I asked him if we could connect some time soon, and that I’d like to start a friendship with him. He said he’d like that and would contact me after he got home. Bob is 63 years old and I ask that you pray for him. Isn’t God amazing? Look at all of the things that had to take place for me to meet this man. And his heart was wide open. The seed has been planted. Now it is up to God to cause the growth.

I went back into the office and apologized to Rachel. I said, "I am sorry I missed the appointment, but that man needed to hear about Jesus." She said it was OK, but that I had to wait another 45 minutes if I was going to see the Dr. I told her I couldn't because I had a lunch appointment with a young man I am discipling and mentoring. But that's OK, because the Diving Appointment trumps the Chiropractic appointment any day of the week.

First MAD Live Event in VA!

Divine Appointment - On Saturday night we were blessed to be able to have dinner with our former pastor Hans Josephsen. He started Valley View Chapel in Long Valley, NJ back in 1977. We went out to dinner with him in VA. God picked the restaurant and our server. Her name was Kathy. We had an awesome time with her and she stayed as we prayed for her and her prayer requests. We also asked God to save her for eternity. She came back later and told me that she has been a waitress for many years and on one had ever prayer for her before. She said it was the best thing that had ever happened to her at work. I asked her if she was attending church anywhere and she said, "No". She said she was raised Catholic and I told her I was too. I asked her if she was doing anything on Sunday and she said she was off for the day. I invited her to come to the MAD Live Event at Winfree Baptist Church. She said she would come to the 11:00 service, and I jokingly threatened her telling her that if she didn't come, we knew where she worked. Lord willing she would come on Sunday and that will be the day that she gives her life to Christ.

We completed our first MAD Live Event in VA today. We had over 80 people attend and we praise God for 4 new decisions to follow Jesus Christ! Lots of great feedback and discussions at the end. AND...our waitress from the night before came to the training!!!! Although she could't stay for all of it, we were blessed that she came and she said she would watch the DVD set of the training if I would send it to her. I gave the pastor her contact info and he will follow up with her. The DVDs will be sent today!

Friday, February 7, 2014

We are doing our first MAD Live Event in VA this weekend!

It's amazing to me that we have done 367 MAD Live Events in 19 states and Canada and we've never been in VA! This weekend that changes and we praise God for this booking. In the eastern US, we still have not been in WV, DE and VT. We are looking forward to God opening doors in these states sometime soon!

Saving Lives With the Newspaper

I love to read my newspaper; a bit of a news junkie. I have to confess it's one of life's simple pleasures, but it's an important part of my day. I've found out that a newspaper isn't finished though when you finish reading it. Oh, no, no! It's more than informative. A newspaper is useful! It's well worth the little money I spend for it. And, of course, today I can get a lot of that news online too. But what's in the news is useful for wrapping fragile items, or storing them or shipping them. We were just doing that the other day. And let's see, it's useful for killing flies. A newspaper is useful for lining pet cages. You need that. It's useful for building a fire. Oh yeah, and what's in the news or in the newspaper is useful for saving lives.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Saving Lives With the Newspaper."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke chapter 13, and I'll begin reading at verse 4. Jesus is speaking to a crowd, and He says, "Those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Now, Jesus here is referring to what was probably the headline of that day - the collapse of this tower in Siloam. Today that tower disaster might be equivalent to, let's say, an earthquake where a number of people died, or a plane crash with a lot of fatalities. Jesus uses this headline to get people thinking about their lives and thinking about Him. He says, "Remember that disaster we just all heard about? Well, you know, those people are no different from you. It pays to be ready. What if that had happened to you? Have you repented? Are you right with God?"

You know what Jesus is doing here? He is modeling an approach to reaching people that honestly is just as relevant today. I call it "headline" evangelism; using the news to open a door to talk about Jesus. Now, if you're a follower of Christ, there are probably some people that you are spiritually burdened for, who you want to have in heaven with you someday. Some days you find yourself saying, "You know, there's got to be a way to open a conversation." And you wonder if some day they are going to say to you, "You know, we talked about everything, but you never told me about this Jesus you know." You want to, but you don't know how to get started. Well, here's a way. Ask God to show you attention getters in what's happening in the world, what's reported in the news; things that could help open a door to a spiritual conversation.

Larry and Pat were a couple we were very burdened for, and one day we were talking about the dramatic world changes that had been taking place. I said, "You know, it's amazing how much of that is predicted in the Bible." They said, "What do you mean? Like what?" Well, that led us into a discussion of prophecy, which led to a discussion that Jesus is Lord, that's why He knows what's going to happen, which led to a discussion of who Jesus can be to us.

Sometimes it might be a story of a sudden death that's in the headlines, a crash, an accident. And I find myself saying, "You know, it's good to know for sure where you're going to go when you die. It's so good that it's possible to know you're going to heaven." And somebody goes, "Really? How can you be sure you're going to heaven?"

See, that's when you can bring up the good news about Jesus. Maybe it will be all the struggles some successful public figure is going through, or struggles that show that success doesn't fill the hole inside.

Often the world's bad news gives you the golden opportunity to share God's good news. Today's headlines, consecrated to God, might just help point someone to Jesus Christ. So, you actually could be saving lives with the newspaper.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Praising God!

Praising God! Here's an email I received tonight:

"Your MAD presentation at Radius Church in Columbia,SC was the absolute best program on evangelism that I've ever attended. There was not one second of boredom. I came away from it a changed person. Every where I go I look at people as an opportunity to share the gospel with. I tried to talk my pastor into bringing you to my church but he has someone with a PHD coming. A title doesn't mean anything to me. If you ever come to SC again for any of your presentations, I will attend. God is certainly using you to change lives."

Are you regularly late for church?

One of my pet peeves is people who cannot be on time for worship on Sundays. Some people come to church late every week for one reason or another. Are you late for work every day? No? Why not? Is it more important for you to be on time for a job working for an earthly boss than being on time to meet with your God to worship and praise Him? What if He was late getting to you?

From the Life Application notes in my Bible on Exodus 29:37: "Notice the overwhelming emphasis on the holiness of God. The Priests, clothes,Tabbernacle, and the sacrifices had to be clean and consecrated, prepare to meet God. In contrast, today we tend to take God for granted, rushing into worship and treating him with almost casual disregard. But we worship the almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Remember that profound truth when you pray or worship, and come before him with reverence and repentance."

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Forgiveness: It's a Choice

James MacDonald - Senior Pastor - Harvest Bible Chapel

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. —Matthew 6:14-15

Studied alone, these verses might lead someone to assume God’s forgiveness is conditional. They read like an exchange—we forgive, our Father forgives; we don’t forgive, our Father doesn’t forgive. But this passage refers to only part of our relationship with God. To clarify, Jesus wasn’t saying we get forgiven by forgiving. He was teaching that people who are forgiven by God become more forgiving people—not perfectly, not entirely, but increasingly. If we remain unforgiving toward others, it reveals we neither understand nor have truly received God’s forgiveness.

In any context, forgiveness always requires a choice. It can’t be forced, and it isn’t a feeling. Authentic forgiveness flows out of a decision apart from emotions—often in spite of painful feelings. It's the choice to release someone from an obligation that resulted when they injured you. Forgiveness is what God has done for you in Christ and asks you to do for others.

For many, the real question regarding forgiveness is, “Is it always necessary? Do I really have to forgive? Aren’t there some offenses that are simply too painful to forgive?” Though our sinful world abounds with examples of seemingly unforgivable actions, rejecting the necessity of forgiveness means we haven’t considered the cross and recognized how seriously God treats it. It also means we have failed to see the personal consequences that result from not extending pardon.

God didn’t make you with the capacity to carry forward the residue of all the negatives from your past. He doesn’t expect you to store it or ignore it. “Emotional baggage” is an understatement. It’s more like toxic trash or radioactive waste—unstable and explosive. You must get rid of it. But you can’t throw it in a mental closet, lock the door, and hope for the best. If you try, the pressure will build until the closet explodes, throwing shrapnel on everyone around you.

Our limited capacity to bear unforgiveness points to the necessity of forgiveness. Pardon is a basic act of self-preservation.

“I can’t forgive” is simply another way of saying “I won’t forgive.” Claiming inability to forgive hides the choice you are making. Until you get to the place where you understand that refusing to forgive is also choosing to live in the bondage and misery of unforgiveness, you won’t forgive.

But when you realize forgiveness is the best way to keep life healthy and your relationship with God unhindered, you will make it as important as He does.

Journal

Are there wounds and weights you are carrying that are beyond your capacity? What is your plan to deal with them? If God says forgiveness is necessary, how are you answering Him?

Pray

Lord, I know it could not have been easy for Your Son to immediately forgive the men who pounded nails through His hands and feet to attach Him to the cross, but He did. Forgive me for wanting the best way to be the easy way. Forgive me for putting off forgiving because I think it will easier later. And forgive me most for presuming on Your forgiveness while I withhold it from others. Let the reality of Your total and completely undeserved forgiveness of me drive my willingness to forgive others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Monday, February 3, 2014

An incredible God we serve!

I am teary eyed and praising God for how He works. I did a mini-MAD Live Event for 333 high school students at the Ben Lippen School in SC. Here's some background before you read the conclusion:

"If you want to be encouraged by one of our seniors check out this 2 minute video. Of course I am a little bias, but she wrote her voice over after hearing Don Sunshine in the special chapel on January 10th. She said she was convicted by his challenge of using platforms for Jesus not just yourself. This video is a piece to a full ride scholarship at Parsons School of design in NYC. It will be posted on their website. Enjoy and be encouraged!"

What happened?

"John - Kelly Adams wanted me to pass this onto you. One of the BL students who heard Don Sunshine speak here in Hoke a few weeks ago was so moved, she literally went home that night and changed her entire video presentation that she was sending in with her scholarship application so that it would include her faith more boldly. She is getting a full-ride scholarship to Parsons, a prestigious design and fashion school in NEW YORK from it! And as a result, this video will be featured on their website too!

The Ben Lippen head master showed this video and told the story to the entire group for the open house there last month. Kelly also said that internally they have not stopped talking about what a great impact Don had on the kids. It is so cool! Please pass it on to Don too."

The Heart (and Mind) of the Matter

James MacDonald - Senior Pastor - Harvest Bible Chapel

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:16

One verse has been considered by people of faith through the centuries as the most important statement in the Bible. It’s the centerpiece. It summarizes what God has done and highlights an unavoidable decision you must make. Everything starts and flows from its truth.

Nothing in this life truly makes sense until John 3:16 makes sense. In order for that to happen, both your ability to think and your capacity to feel have to be fully engaged in the choice God offers in this verse. Choosing to believe requires your whole heart and mind.

This crucial message from our heavenly Father starts with His love. This action on God’s part should never be taken for granted. There’s nothing that requires God to love us, and at times there is very little about us that’s loveable. He loves the world as only our Creator can—despite our rebellion and rejection. “God so loved the world” because He chose to do so.

In order to effectively doubt or reject God’s love, we have to ignore its ultimate proof: “he gave his only Son.” Yes, He sent His Son, and the Son willingly came. But here is the truth that God gave His Son, in order to demonstrate His love.

Gave also means “allowed Him to perish.” The crucifixion of God’s Son came at the hands of men, but under His permission. The Father's love allowed that terrible act because the death of His Son made life possible for many. Jesus took our place as sinners on the cross. Because God loves, He gave.

God’s choice places our most important decision before us. The phrase “whoever believes in him” actually divides humanity into two groups: those who choose to believe in Him and those who don’t. Whoever believes receives one result; whoever doesn’t believe receives a different result. Just as those who believe in Jesus receive eternal life, those who reject Jesus are subject to eternal death.

The phrase “shall not perish” reminds us of our fate if God doesn’t intervene. The reason we perish is sin. Acknowledging our sinful reality is called repentance. It’s more than regret or feeling sorry; it’s a deep-seated desire to turn around from the direction we were headed. We turn away from sin so we can turn toward the One who loves us.

Agreeing with God’s accurate view of your sinfulness is the repentance part of trusting Him. Believing in Him means you put your full weight down on His love for you. It's choosing to believe with your whole heart not just that God loves, but that He truly loves you as you are, with full knowledge of your shortcomings. Beyond an intellectual agreement, you must embrace God’s love for you as your ultimate source of forgiveness, hope, direction for living, and eternal life.

In John 3:16, God's truth comes close and confronts you. You can’t remain neutral about the choice to believe in Jesus. Either you do or you don’t. And it’s the most important decision you will ever make.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

MAD Live Event in Woodbury, PA

Completed a MAD Live Event today at the Woodbury Church of the Brethren in PA. We had 120 people attend and we praise God for 2 people who gave their lives to Christ!