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My youngest daughter has become a model!
I just finished setting up our store. It’s a humble beginning [like the rest of this project], but it’s a start! I’ll be sending off an announcement email to about 150 people tonight to try and stir up some interest in this ministry. Pray for us, we need it!
Peace,
Wow, another busy day around here!
I’ve been meeting with suppliers and getting quotes for The Love Story t-shirts. I think I found one today. Their bid has been the most expensive so far, but they also seem to have the highest quality operation. It’s important to us that these shirts be excellent quality at a reasonable price, and these guys seemed like they would be good partners.
Price has been a headache. We’re working hard to balance our family and ministry money needs with costs, so we can come up with a price point that gets these t-shirts into as many hands as possible.
Speaking of partners, I had a working lunch with the Missions Pastor of a large church near here today. I brought him the idea of our two churches partnering so that we can better reach the lost and hurting here in Cash. Our church has good facilities and resources, but not enough “bodies” to have a meaningful outreach. We have some wonderfully faithful people in our church, but they are old, and it’s physically hard for them to do much. This large church has a passion for missions and lots of people who would jump at the chance to be involved, so we hope Cash can become something of a mission field for them. It’s not going to happen overnight though, this process will take several months to a year to get up and running, so be in prayer for us.
Well, I’m back from exile. I’ve been having a lot of computer problems [especially with my dial-up!] but I’m on high-speed now, so as that cooking guy would say, “BAM!”
Let me give you a little update: Since losing my job and all its benefits, I’ve we’ve been forced to pretty much re-think our lives. We’ve decided to take The Love Story and bring it to the world. We don’t know how this will work, but we’re being faithful. I’m working on thelovestory.org, and a very basic version of it should be up before the end of the week. A HUGE part of The Love Story vision is putting up a comprehensive website for seekers, and those who want to learn better and fresher ways to live out and share their faith.
It’s going to take a lot of grace, prayer, and money to make this vision a reality.
We’ll rely on God for the grace, you and our other friends for prayer and anyone who can help out for the money.
Man this Internet is fast!
Peace,
Look, something has to change.
In the church today, we have billions and billions of dollars worth of resources and infrastructure. We have modern buildings, colleges and seminaries, excellent music and ministries as numerous as the sands of the sea.
What we don’t have is a heart for winning lost souls to Christ.
In 2003 it took 43 Southern Baptists to lead one person to salvation.
Something has to change.
It makes us uncomfortable to talk about evangelism. We don’t know how to bring the subject up. We are afraid of being rejected or ridiculed. We are afraid we’ll get mixed up and make fools of ourselves… So we don’t evangelize. We just sit there feeling guilty, hoping the preacher doesn’t bring the subject up.
Something has to change.
I’m not accusing anybody here, I’m the world’s worst at “evangelism procrastination.” If you think you feel guilty about not sharing the Gospel, try being a pastor! It’s not that I’m ashamed of the Gospel, it’s just that I’m so busy with my family, and my church, and my day job that it’s easy to run out of daylight before I find someone to share my faith with.
Something has to change.
I have prayed and meditated long and hard that the Holy Spirit would give me something, anything that would help me reach out to the lost. I’ve struggled, and wrestled, and screamed, and cried and rolled around on the floor begging God to let me have my vision. You know what I’m talking about… You’ve been in that place where you knew God had something in store for you, but you didn’t know quite what it was, so you pushed and pulled with the Lord trying to make him give it to you.
The funny thing is, when I stopped struggling and went to a calm place in my spirit, God spoke to my heart. He gave me the vision for an evangelism tool that I call The Love Story. It’s nothing new, it’s the Gospel presented in its simplest form: We are separated from God by our sin, God showed his love for us by sending his son to die and take away that sin, and his death washes away our sin and makes a way for us to be saved.
That is the real Love Story.
This is the vision God gave me to tell that story:
I’m going to take this “Love Story” graphic and put it on t-shirts. I’m also going to develop a GREAT website where people can visit to learn about God and his provision for us. There will be resources for seekers, students, and anyone else who wants to hear or share The Love Story.
You might be thinking that using t-shirts to spread the Gospel somehow cheapens the message or is in just plain poor taste. I’m sorry you feel that way. The Love Story is a conversation starter. Every time someone looks at your shirt, you’re presenting the Gospel. If they ask you what the triangles mean, you have the perfect opportunity to share your faith. If you get scared, mixed up, or can’t think of what to say… Just look down at your shirt!
If you can memorize three Bible verses, you can share your faith with The Love Story: For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. [Romans 3:23] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [Romans 5:8] For whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. [Romans 10:13].
Something has to change. This is my vision for that change. The fields are white with harvest, but the laborers are FAR too few. The Love Story is a way to bring new harvesters into the field. If one new name is written in the Lamb’s Book of life, it will all have been worth it.
Peace, and God bless you.
