Third Watch Ministries, NFP                                                           Bob & Ellen Bollow

P.O. Box 1283                                                                                         December 2025

Wheaton, IL 60187  

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We hope you have had a festive Holiday Yuletide time as we wind round through the Holidays. Our tree stood unadorned for over a week in its stand but it’s all lit up and ornamented now.  We got the star up on the chimney right before the first snow, which would’ve kept me off the roof. Then lots of shoveling that temporally knocked out what I would consider a pain-free back. God put me back together enough to make it through at school. But now the rain between the cold snaps makes me wonder why we didn’t just throw the vehicles into 4-wheel drive and call it winter wonderland.

A lot of life seems like labor in vain. It would not be hard to convince me that letting my driveway turn into a sheet of ice might end up with my sliding into my house while backing down the driveway. The dog walkers want my sidewalk cleared. And hey I like dogs. But some days I will walk around campus and no one comes to Christ and I have said ‘Have a good day’ or ‘God bless you’ to a dozen people who will not talk to me. But then someone, who was not sure they were going to Heaven, hears the Gospel and says then that they believe they were trusting in Jesus and are encouraged. Maybe these kinds of students fall into the category of Christians whose Churches are not regularly preaching the blood and righteousness of Christ. They were at one time saved by faith possibly, but all their church preaches is love and good works. They have come to believe they could not possibly be good enough to go to Heaven, which of course is true. These students often bump into me later and greet me like I am a good friend and say ‘God bless you.’ God gave them assurance of their faith when they talked to me.

I don’t know how many of the students I talk to fall into that group. But more than half of those I talk to believe they are Christians. I went through the Gospel with 218 students that I have a survey card for this semester. (Frankly all by itself that feels like a lot of work and I’m kinda tired.) Afterward, 85 of these prayed to receive Christ and 3 or 4 of those told me later they had prayed, though they had not when I was with them. A few more said they would pray later and I’ve yet to bump into them to find out if they did. Sometimes a student has false doctrine and I will offer them something to read. A few times they were agnostic after a childhood in the Church but took a book. A few were Muslims. Some are struggling with lies from their classrooms. Some have just seen me talking to others or walking around and want to find out what it is I have to say. I know that they might have seen me on a day I felt like nothing very positive happened. A few years back a girl said to me, “This is the third time you’ve asked me [to do a student survey]. OK fine I’ll do it.” That girl prayed to receive Jesus. A lot of things cannot be known about the labor of our lives or work for the Lord. I have had students tell me, “You sound like my grandmother.” And then after hearing the Gospel they pray to receive Christ and I know God is answering their grandmother’s prayers.

Oswald Chambers once wrote about how the Christian’s life is the source of a stream of living water [John 7:38] and they cannot know what it will nourish on the banks further downstream. Thanks for being willing to be that source for our ministry. We have a small Bible study going and Ellen still volunteers her time to run our books and keep us afloat in many ways. We are a tiny ministry, a “drop in the bucket” of God’s great plans. But “if a drop in the bucket is all I can be, at least what drops in the bucket is me.” Thanks so much for being willing to help us through your gifts and prayers to get to the bucket. We are really so very grateful for your giving us the opportunity to do something for the Lord and His kingdom.

These are the students who have prayed to receive Jesus this semester. An * means they said they would pray later.

RJ, Wendy, Jimmy, Jesse (Jesús), Jocelyn, Andrea, Kaleb, Gio, Lexi, JP, Michelle, Abby, Kylie, Tali, Brady, Matthew, Joey, Laly, Manuel, Johan, Lu, Alexa, Vell, Cooper, Leah, John, Tae, Ben, Marquese, Shawn, Emily, Jaylin, Tate, Teinua, Kaden, Jahmi, Luke, Prodigy, Antonio, Victoria, Daisha, Hubert, Lynette, Thalia [ta lee a], Damian, Jacki, Dayra, Q, Cynthia, Judith, Daniel, Chris, Dylan, Emmanuel, Zeke, Jamesha, Alex, Vincent, Jessica, Danny, Mimi, Naomi, Zianna, Khalel, Vinny, Eldon, Josh, Tyler, Chris, Tessa, Bobbi, Maryellen*, Londyn, Ethan, Justina [Hustina], John, London, Jack, Griffin, Kris, Natalie*, Ashley, Ohanny, Jasa, Braiam, Aaron, Connor*, Jesús, Clarissa*

May God bless you with a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, filled with His light and life, that all you do will prosper. Psalm 1:3

In Him,

Bob & Ellen

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus. I found out Jesús [hey-suess] who I went through the Gospel with maybe 4 weeks back had prayed to receive Jesus. He had bleached to top of his curly hair and was a good-looking Latino guy with a narrow face and square chin, tall. After meeting him and going through the Gospel I bumped into him again 3 weeks later (last week). I reminded him of the prayer for salvation after he told me he was praying and trying to get closer God. I gave him Bible Promises for You explaining how the Bible verses could be turned into prayers. He’d said he was a former Catholic. I explained the Spirit as our guide and instructor and said asking for forgiveness based on what Jesus had done would allow the Spirit to live inside him and guide him. Then today, I came across him and he said he’d prayed to receive Jesus. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and I wrote his name and “forgiven!” in the front and said I would be praying a Bible verse for him each day. Later in the Cafeteria Clarissa* committed to Christ after hearing the Gospel saying she was kinda shy and would like to pray tonight. I asked, “Do you believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead, to you believe that is a true story. “Yes,” she replied. “Will you trust in that then to be forgiven for your sins?” I asked. She said “Yes again. “OK great!” I said then when you tell God you will know you are forgiven. So I gave her Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. She was smiling then. She had two colors of brown in her straight hair and glasses that were wire curved on the top and stop signs on the bottom and had a few pretty freckle birthmarks and a gold tiny cross around her neck.  I’ll be praying for her.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with good things from the Lord’s kind hand. We are getting a bit of a thaw here. I had a good day on campus and Aaron prayed to receive Jesus today and Connor (a curly haired, slight, blonde guy) said he would pray later. He had to run to Baseball practice saying after hearing the gospel and the prayer, “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been trying to do.” He thanked me and ran off. So I explained living by the Spirit’s power. Please pray for these guys. I’m grateful for your help. Aaron’s story is below if you have some time.

Aaron was sitting in a lounge with vending machines on the south side ground floor of the BIC. There are skylights at one end and some tables. He was wearing a green parka and sweats. He had an oval face sharper nose and sandy straight hair swept over in bangs from the left, clean-shaven. (He looked a bit to me like the comic actor Jason Sudeikis, though not as tall.) He was friendly. He thought he’d like to travel, was a kind guy. He later said he went to a Lutheran Church. I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” He thought out loud for a moment with a, “I would probably say ah…” and then said, “I feel like I’ve been a good person. I would like to leave that judgment up to you. I wouldn’t feel I’d be worthy enough to decide.” He thought the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 60-70%. I began to go through the Gospel with Him and when I asked him what Jesus had done back in history to take away the sins of the world (so God could live inside him) he knew Jesus had died. I began to explain the blood of Christ, cleansing us from sin and as a payment to God. I explained his righteousness. He would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to Him. This was ours through adoption if we believed by faith. He seemed to agree with everything as I spoke. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else and then asked if when he was asking for forgiveness if he had put it all together before to trust in it. He said, “I’ve been leaning that way.” “Well if you want to jump all the way into the pool there’s a prayer you could pray,” and I talked him through it and he said, “Alright.” I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven. “Sure,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. “Thank you so much,” he said after. I explained living the Christian life asking to be transformed by the Spirit’s power “Inside out”. I said now trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I talked him through a bit of a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would keep him in my prayers each day praying a Bible verse for him until Spring and one year after. “Thank you so much,” he said again. “You’re welcome,” I replied. Then shaking my hand he said, “It was nice meeting you.” “It was nice meeting you too,” I replied. I’ll see you in Heaven.” “I’ll see you there,” he said back and I headed off.

So Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed. I’m off to teach a Bible Study.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Braiam prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray he grows in his faith. His story is below if you have time.

Braiam was sitting in a row of chairs on the south side of the BIC building just before the last lounge as you walk west. He was wearing a black quilted winter coat and blue and black plaid pajama pants and was small in stature. He was athletic. He had inch long black bangs with flat straight hair on top, a fade on the sides and a sort of pointed nose and straight jaw line. He was clean-shaven. I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died and he said, “Find peace, be OK with life. Be peaceful.” I asked him then, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I would say proley (sic) that I know I committed sins, there is no reason to let me in…,” he paused then for a moment and said, “I actually don’t know.” I asked the likelihood he would go to Heaven and he thought 50/50. He went on to say, “I’m Catholic I have to say I’m sorry for my sins to and stuff get into Heaven.” I began to go through the Gospel with him and saying God had to take away his sin so He could live inside him I asked what Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world. “He sacrificed His Son,” he replied. I said, “Right he died for you.” I went on to explain the blood of Christ cleansing him from sin and being a payment to God. I told him that Jesus earned the righteousness of God, which was to his credit and that God adopted him and gave him all these things. He needed to receive Jesus by faith, believing Jesus was God, had died for his sins and rose from the dead. “Not that you just know the story but that that’s what you put your trust in so that if someone would say to you, ‘Why should God let you into Heaven?’ you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’”. Grace by Faith saved him. I asked then if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else and gave him the options in short of Islam and the Buddha. And then asked if when he was asking for forgiveness for his sins, if he was hoping that he was doing enough with church and stuff, or if he was trusting in what Jesus had done to be forgiven, or if he had not really put it all together. He said he compared himself to Jesus as a model. “Well, if you’d like to be forgiven for your sins trusting in what Christ has done there’s a prayer you could pray,” I said and talked him through the prayer. I asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. He nodded so I said he could pray it silently, I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven. “I’ll pray it silently,” he replied and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I went on to explain the Christian life, praying and reading the Bible and confessing to God when you fail. I explained then the Christian life “By the Spirit’s Power.” And then said Christianity was unlike other religions where you simply do good things on the outside but that you instead ask God to transform you on the inside; you become a good person and then you do good things. I explained the fruit of the Spirit giving him Galatians 5:22,23. I recited them and then said he could ask for more peace from God and ask for more faith when he had doubts and said, “Doubt your doubts and ask God for more faith, faith is a gift.” He appreciated that and then I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the righteousness of Jesus. “Yeah,” he said agreeing. “Thank you so much,” he said. I said I didn’t know if I would see him again as it was the end of the semester but I would pray a Bible verse for him each day, from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and he was grateful. I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet explaining each. I also said that the symbolism of the Mass was that the wine was symbolic of Jesus blood and the wafer symbolic of His body and it is to remind you that He died for you and so you are forgiven. “So when you take it you should just say, “Thank You.” The students were going into his classroom so I said, “If I see ya I’ll just say hi.” “Thank you so much Bob,” he replied. “You’re welcome,” I replied and he headed into class.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with the knowledge of Him and His love for you in every place. I had a good day on campus Thursday and Ashley, Ohanny and Jasa [Jay Sha] prayed to receive Christ so that was great. Please pray they grow in their faith. Their stories/responses are below if you have some time. Everyone was a bit different.

Ashley was sitting at the end of the row of chairs at the end of the hall coming out of the SRC into across the SSC at a right angle to the hall going to the cafeteria. She looked between 25 and 30. She was African American and wore a green Camo print jacket and black leggings. She had straight hair in kind of a pixy cut, pretty classic black features, lips etc. She was friendly and said she wanted to travel. I asked her “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Um, who… that’s a good question,” she replied and then said she really didn’t know so I asked what she thought it was you had to do on earth to go to Heaven when you died. “Living according to God, being a good person,” she replied. She had gone to Church when she was a kid. I asked her what she thought was the likelihood she would go to Heaven when she died, “10%’s low 100, you’re sure, 50/50 ya got a shot?” “I think I’ve got a shot. I don’t know if it’s 100%,” she replied. I began to go through the Gospel with her and saying Knowing God was eternal life, that God lived inside her but God had to take away her sin. I asked what Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world but she could not think of anything Jesus had done. So I began to explain the Gospel to her in the way I usually do and I could tell she was believing all the Bible verses of the blood of Christ to cleanse her sin by His sacrifice so God could live inside her and His righteousness to her credit when God adopted her and made her His child. She needed to receive Christ by faith. I asked if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins. “Yeah,” she said. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked through it with her and asked reading,” Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” “Yeah,” she said again. I said she could pray it silently. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven, wanna do it?” “Sure,” she said brightly and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her living “By the Spirit’s Power” and reading the quote in the booklet as I always do if there is time, “Your walk with Christ depends on what you allow Him to do in and through you empowered by the Holy Spirit, not what you do for Him through self-effort.” I explained, “So the difference between Christianity and other religions is that Christianity is inside out not outside in. Other religions you do good things on the outside and the deity is pleased with you and takes you to Heaven or the Universe is pleased and you don’t come back as a cow or something. But in Christianity you ask God to change you on the inside and you become a good person, then you will do good things on the outside because you were transformed by the Spirit.” I said then the likelihood she would go to Heaven was now 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and forgiven in the front, “Awesome,” she said after I had written she was forgiven taking the book. I gave her a Bible study on passages where Jesus claimed to be God. And also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet to which she again said, “Awesome,” after I’d explained the content. I told her I didn’t know if I would see her again as the semester was ending but I would pray a Bible verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after. She looked at her watch and said, “I gotta get to my bus. “See you in Heaven,” I replied and her eyes widened at the thought. “God bless you have a wonderful Christmas.” “Thank you,” she replied, “I appreciate you.”  “You’re welcome, I appreciate you too,” I responded, grateful to see her faith. And she headed off.

Ohanny was a Latino guy with a curly mop of hair and a square chin. I asked him if it was a family name but he didn’t know and I later looked it up on line and it seemed no one is really named that either so hey. He was clean-shaven, good looking with a slight build. He had a slight accent. He was sitting at the counter of the cafeteria. He wore pale purple baggy sweat pants and a black puffy waffle stitched coat. For 3 words to describe himself he just said, “Like my space.” I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Well, I feel like at least for me I don’t see it as being a believer. Certain things I don’t agree on. [So] Just to be good, being nice to everyone shouldn’t be a problem,” he replied. I asked the likelihood he would go to Heaven when he died. “I hope it’s 50/50 I really honestly believe it’s 50/50 for everybody. At least how I see it people born in other religions still could be good people. Sometime more religious people are bad people,” he replied. “It says in the Bible that though some people are very religious God says, ‘Their hearts are far from Me,’” I replied in agreement. I said that the way I thought about people of other religions around the world if I met them I would tell them about Jesus. But as to where their relationship with God is it is really none of my business. I said God created them and as their creator God has a relationship with each one of them and what He is doing in their lives is up to Him. I said there were thousands of people in Iran for example Jesus was appearing in their dreams and telling them to pray to Him alone but not telling them much else so they were going out and finding Christians asking them what to do. He seemed to accept those ideas and I remembered later he’d said, “Liked my space.” So each person being know to God individually probably appealed to him on a personal level. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus was crucified to take away the sins of the world. I told him everything I usually say about the blood and righteousness of Christ and that he needed to receive this by faith. He leaned forward to follow the verses as I stood next to where he was seated at the counter. I asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done and he said, “Yeah.” I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and talked through it asking if it expressed the desire of his heart. He nodded in reply. I said he could pray it silently he acknowledged it did so I said he could pray it silently. Saying I couldn’t hear him but God would and he’d know he was forgiven, “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied and I think said, “Appreciate it.” He took the booklet and said, “The thing about me is this is the first time I have done this in English,” he added. He prayed to receive Jesus. I got out a Spanish booklet that explains the Gospel [a friend had given me a couple] and gave it to him saying he could read it if he wanted as it explained things in Spanish. When he finished I told him now the likelihood he would go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. He said then when I asked he went to a Catholic Church. “You know how you take the Mass?” he nodded. “Well the wafer is symbolic of Jesus body and the wine symbolic of His blood so it is reminding you He died for you and you are forgiven so when you take it you should just say, “Thank You.” I explained the Christian life to him; he had a Bible so I said he could read in John. I explained living, “By the Spirit’s Power,” and then living “Inside out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and he said, “Thank you, I really appreciate it.” I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would keep him in my prayers each day praying a Bible verse for him until Spring and one year after. He shook my hand I said, “Have a blessed Christmas you and your family.” “You too,” he said and saying he had to run to class I apologized for keeping him to long and he headed out.

I saw Jesa from up above over the glass belly high railed wall on the second floor of the Student Services center building. You can look down on an area where there is seating. I had met her the day before talking to a solid Christian guy I know, Jordan. He sits at a counter height table near where she was on Mondays. I can some days spend an hour answering Bible questions for him and other black guys near where she sat. Jesa is a pretty black girl her hair is past shoulder length and naturally in tight curls really full with some lighter tint in it here and there. She wore black leggings and a pullover sweatshirt. So I thought I would go down and see if she would do a survey. She was sitting alone with her back to the wall at a table for 4 and I asked her if she would do a student survey about God and stuff. “I got you,” she replied. So though I had only got her name before I think Jordan had told her about me as after I had left them and she was willing to help me out on my quest. She pulled her bag off the chair beside her so I could sit. I asked her one thing she wanted to do before she died and she just said, “Be happy.” She wore braces and was pretty with something of a button nose and otherwise classic American black features. I asked her, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I don’t know,” she replied. I mean I don’t really think it’s based on your actions, I think it’s based on your heart. Some people have changed for the better. I think I have a good heart that’s why.” She thought she had a 90% chance of going to heaven and said she went to a Christian Church. I began to go through the Gospel with her and telling her knowing God was that He lived inside us and this is eternal life. I asked her what Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world. “Well he did a lot of things, He floods the world,” she replied. I said, “Yeah, well this is what Jesus did.” I went on to begin to explain the Gospel and when she saw the cross she said, “Oh,” in a way that said she remembered now. I explained the blood of the sacrifice of Christ and the righteousness of God he earned to her credit when God adopted her. All God had done was hers if she received this by faith. Not that she just knew the story but that that is what she put her trust in as an adult so if someone would ask her, “’Why should God let you into Heaven?’ you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’ That would mean you had faith in Jesus.” She was then saved by that faith. I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins or thought something else, giving her the CliffsNotes version of Islam who had a different god or the Buddha. “Definitely that one,” she said pointing to the circle I’d described as God inside to give her strength and take her into Heaven when she died. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked through it and asked if it Expressed the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she replied I said she could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear but God would and she’d know she was forgiven. “Wanna do it?” asked. “Yeah,” she said and I handed her the booklet and she prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her living “By the Spirit’s Power” Christians are living “Inside out”. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and forgiven in the front and she said, “Thank you” grateful to see it written down as I handed it to her. I gave her a Bible study on passages where Jesus claimed to be God. And also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told her then, the likelihood she would now go to Heaven, trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. I told her I would pray for her from now until Spring and one year after. “Thank you,” she said as I got up to go. “Thanks for giving me your time,” I replied. “Of course,” she replied cheerfully and I headed off.

The last guy I talked to was a Christian in the PE building, Burton, A tall lean black guy with an Errol Flynn mustache neatly trimmed afro. “I was gonna go home but this was why I stayed,” he said. “So you’d have some stuff to share with people?” I asked. “No for me,” he said with a smile, encouraged.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism this past week if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Third Watch Ministries, NFP                                                            Bob & Ellen Bollow

P.O. Box 1283                                                                                    November 29, 2025

Wheaton, IL 60187  

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

 Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Well it is officially the Christmas season as I have gotten my star on the chimney atop, before the snow today, on the old cape cod we call home. I can still get up there, though I’ve begun to use my age in my presentation of the Gospel on campus.

You might wonder how being old helps to talk to the young? I think God makes students talk to me in truth, and I’m not sure what their specific thoughts are in being willing. There’s plenty of Professors in their classrooms who appear older than me (ha, at least to me). But I will throw my age in at the end if they have prayed to receive Jesus. I’ll say, in revisiting the question of my student questionnaire, What’s the likelihood you will go to Heaven when you die? “The likelihood you will now go to Heaven is 100%, trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. ‘Cause how righteous is Jesus? 100% righteousness. And what’s His righteousness worth? It’s worth an infinite amount! And His blood is worth an infinite amount, so there’s enough for you and me both. When you think about it, I’ve sinned way more than you, because I’m old. You know you sin every year. So if we both died right now, I’d have a big pile of sin though God forgave it each year, and you’d have a little pile. So if God looked at our piles, you’d have a little pile because you are young and He might say to me ‘We need to talk.’ But He’s not going to look at our piles. He’s going to look at the good He made out of them. So it seems like cheating, but if we both died right now I would get in too.” Sometimes I will add, if the student is not already packing to run to a class, “The Bible says, He will remove our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12). That’s how God forgets our sin yet remembers us.  He remembers us as those who partnered with Him to do the good.

Once, long ago in seminary, I said this in a presentation against Atheism: In an evil world like ours, you have to be all-powerful and all-knowing to know and do the Good. You have to be all-knowing (Omniscient) to know what the good thing is to do. And then you have to be all-powerful (Omnipotent) so that the action you do can remain good in its effects in an evil world, in perpetuity. So only God can know and do the Good. So Jesus said, in Mark 10:18 ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’

 My neighbors next-door are gone today. But the kind man to the east, Dan, just shoveled their driveway as I wrote this. I’m a little back of the storm since it is still falling and all I did was the first pass of blowing off the cars and the deck with my leaf blower (a trick I learned a couple decades ago from my friend across the street who parks on his driveway). So you might say to me, ‘Your neighbor Dan just did a good thing.” But for Christians we know that the good things done are only kept good in their final outcome by God. If we partner with Him by His indwelling Holy Spirit we can then do the Good. Calvin once called this “Common Grace,” where God’s benevolence is ensuring the world holds together in some measure.

It matters who does the work. When God does the work, it’s worth an infinite amount.  And that is frankly what I am trusting in on campus as I walk around and tell the Gospel to students. That God will be doing the work to bring them to Himself. And then I pray for them each day until Spring and then one year after, that they might grow in the hope that as Christ says, “No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28&29)

We are so grateful for your help in doing college ministry. It keeps me on campus and provides the evangelism materials I use & give to students. This year so far, with a few weeks left, 79 students have prayed to receive Christ with me or told me they would pray later and I found out they did. Also, Maryellen committed to Christ at the resale shop when I was Christmas shopping. She worked at the counter. So I’m praying for her too.

Please mention these students in your prayers.

RJ, Wendy, Jimmy, Jesse (Jesús), Jocelyn, Andrea, Kaleb, Gio, Lexi, JP, Michelle, Abby, Kylie, Tali, Brady, Matthew, Joey, Laly, Manuel, Johan, Lu, Alexa, Vell, Cooper, Leah, John, Tae, Ben, Marquese, Shawn, Emily, Jaylin, Tate, Teinua, Kaden, Jahmi, Luke, Prodigy, Antonio, Victoria, Daisha, Hubert, Lynette, Thalia [ta lee a], Damian, Jacki, Dayra, Q, Cynthia, Judith, Daniel, Chris, Dylan, Emmanuel, Zeke, Jamesha, Alex, Vincent, Jessica, Danny, Mimi, Naomi, Zianna, Khalel, Vinny, Eldon, Josh, Tyler, Chris, Tessa, Bobbi, Maryellen*, Londyn, Ethan, Justina [Hustina], John, London, Jack, Griffin, Kris

May the Lord bless & keep you as we begin this Christmas season, celebrating the Gospel message.

In Him, 

Bob & Ellen

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your finding rest and peace with a grateful heart as we head into Thanksgiving Day. Classes are cancelled on campus on Wednesday before thanksgiving as students used to not come for the most part anyway. But I had a good day on campus on Tuesday. I had a long friendly talk with a former Muslim who described herself as between religions. We hit it off and I’ll be praying for Maya. Griffin and Kris each prayed to receive Jesus. Please pray they grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you have some time.

Griffin was sitting in a row of chairs as I come into the buildings through the computer center (inside tip it’s beside the parking lot closest to a door and Illinois has cold winters). They removed the lockers across from him but I have a secret place to lock my coat. He had a black t-shirt with a white graphic on it and black sweats. He had a mop of wavy hair the bangs swept from left to right. He had a round face and a day’s growth of what looked like a full beard. He seemed a pretty meek soul but described himself as competitive. It might have been he just didn’t have a lot to say. He was an online gamer and when I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died he said, “Definitely have kids.” I replied that he’d be the cool dad who could teach gaming. Saying you want a family is a tell every time (so far in my limited experience) that you are a Christian or will pray to receive Christ.  I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I would say that it all depends on my actions. If I truly deserve heaven he would let me in and if I don’t I don’t deserve it.” He went to Church “sometimes on Sundays” and thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to heaven. As I went through the Gospel I asked him what the big thing was back in History that Jesus did to take away the sins of the world. He either misunderstood the question or didn’t know at all. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he had kind of a bemused shape to his mouth; I frankly could not tell if it was responsive or just the natural resting shape of his mouth. But I just prayed in my heart he would hear and said what I usually say about the blood and righteousness of Christ his sacrifice and resurrection. This he could receive by grace through faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven or thought something else and he said, “I want to be forgiven.” I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it asking if it expressed the desire of his heart. He nodded it did. I said he could pray it silently and asked if he’d want to, “Yeah,” he replied and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I quickly explained the life in Christ “By the Spirit’s Power” living “Inside out” transformed by the Spirit. And I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. He had to go so I quickly gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100% and told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. And he was on his way and I headed off to sequester my jacket.

Kris was a Latino guy, mop of brown hair, sitting in the hallway of the north side of the BIC on the second floor, just down from where we have Bible Study. He said before I’d done more than asking him to do a survey, “I’m in between. I go to Church sometimes. I don’t know which way I’d go,” I saying he wasn’t sure he was going to commit long term to a Christian church going life. He wore glasses that had black frames across the top and a mustache with about a day’s growth of beard, full lips. He had a warm face with a ball chin and a kind demeanor. Had on a jacket and sweats. I asked him one thing he would want to do before he died and he said, “Get married to someone I love.”  I asked, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Wow. I feel like if you… I always had a pure heart; I never had intention to do evil.” I asked what he thought the likelihood was he would go to Heaven. “Zero to 100?” he asked. “Yeah,” I replied. He thought he had an 80% chance of going to Heaven and then said, “Maybe a little bit optimistic.” I said all I usually say about eternal life, it is knowing God—that He lives inside you but has to take away your sin. He did not seem to know or remember in the moment what Jesus had done to accomplish that. I went on to say we owe God a perfect life and must be purified to enter God’s presence, Heaven isn’t just a place it’s the presence of God. Jesus lives a perfect life for us and His blood and righteousness are given to us by God adopting us. He could receive Christ by faith. I gave him the options in CliffsNotes versions of Islam and the Buddha and asked “Do you want to be forgiven of do you think something else?” “I think I will probably be forgiven,” he said in a tone of voice suggesting the other was not really an option for him. “Well if you’d like to be forgiven there’s a prayer you can pray,” and I went through it with to him asking reading the line, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” He nodded it did saying, “Yeah.” I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven. “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied and he prayed then to receive Jesus. I began to explain the Christian life to him. He had a Bible. I said to read in John and to pray and that when you fail God always forgives you because of Jesus. I told him the likelihood would now go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. I also I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. “Thank you,” he said pleased taking the book. I gave him a Bible Study, explaining it and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I stood up to go and told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. God’s plan to change the world is to make good people by living inside them with His Spirit. They change the world. I’m just looking to for people to sign up.  “Thank you,” he said shaking my hand. “You’re doing a good thing here.” I thanked him and was on my way.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism last week if you had a chance. God truly blessed. Two weeks of classes are left.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with good things from the Lord and you could rest in His love for you. I had a good day on campus as I encouraged a couple Christians and had a long conversation with some of the guys I talk to. And Jack prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray he grows in his faith his story is below if you have some time you want to spend.

Jack was sitting alone in the 1^st floor hallway of the west science building on the south side. He didn’t have any gear, a backpack or laptop. I more often than not don’t talk to kids without stuff in the science buildings. They are on a break from class and don’t have time their possessions back in the classroom. But the place was a ghost town approaching the Thanksgiving break and the timing wasn’t at a break as no one else was in the halls. So I asked him. He was a good-looking solid build guy with a boyish face, perfect skin and a mop of brown hair, a mustache and a goatee. He wore a black satin jacket with white lettering I could not make out. It was maybe a company softball team name, wore black sweats and a solid black t-shirt. He said he wasn’t a student and was just waiting for his girlfriend. “Wanna do a survey anyway? The big question is ‘You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?’ It’s what the Bible says is the answer to that question,” I said. “Oh yeah I’ll do that,” he said enthusiastically. So I began with him. He was really friendly. I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died and he said, “Spread the word of God.” I asked the question again, what he would say to God. “Probably off of the morals that are in the Bible. So if it was today I haven’t done enough of it, spread the word… so not today.” I asked the likelihood he would go to Heaven. “10% hopefully when I get older I’ll be closer,” he replied. I asked if he went to Church and he didn’t right now, “I read the Bible on my own.” “Try to figure it out from that?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world. So I began to explain what that meant for him concerning the blood of Chris to cleanse him and be a payment for sin and His righteousness—that God adopted him and Jesus rose from the dead. This was all a gift to him when received by faith in the name of Christ. “So if you believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead. Not that you just know the story but that that’s what you put your trust in. So if someone would say to you, ‘Why should God let you into Heaven?’ you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’  That would mean you had faith in Jesus.” I said he was saved by grace through faith and not his works. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins. “I do,” he replied. I said if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it and asked, reading, “It says here, ‘Does this prayer express the desire of you heart?’ Would you say it did?” he nodded. I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven, “Wanna do that?” “Yes sir,” he said. And he prayed then to receive Christ. I had just enough time to explain the Christian life to him “By the Spirit’s Power.” Living, “Inside out.” His girlfriend walked up then and was briefly distracted by her phone. “It’s true as you get older God will probably make you into a better person by His Spirit inside you,” I said referring to his earlier statements. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven in the front. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet also and a Bible study which Isabella his girlfriend also tuned into. I asked her if she would like a promise book and she said she would so I wrote her name in the front handing it to her. I suggested he could explain the booklet to her. I said I would pray for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him and I told her I would pray for her too. She was a on the pretty side, oval faced Latina girl, pointed chin with brown hair parted down the middle and she had a nose like Anjelica Huston. They were pleased with the idea they would be prayed for. “See you in Heaven man,” I said shaking his hand.  “Thank you so much,’ he said standing to go and two steps away his back to me he said, “Have a great day.” “Yeah, thank you,” I replied and they headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed,

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters and Christ,

I hope you morning was blessed so far with good things from above not merely leaves from above, my yard if full of them. I had a good week on campus and Ethan, Justina [Hustina], John and Thursday London all prayed with me to receive Christ on campus. London’s story is below if you want to spend the time. Please pray she grows in her faith.

My first conversation was with a girl who did not want a booklet I had gone through with her saying it did not sound Catholic enough. I asked her if she believed Jesus was God and had died for her sins. She said she did not know. I asked if she had had her first communion. She said she had. I pointed out the symbolism in the Mass was the blood and body of Christ. That was news to her. She did not seem quite capable of participating in college course work to be honest. But I had filled out all I usually say in the booklet and used it later with London reaching over a table where it would be difficult to write.

London was sitting in one of the recessed alcoves cut into the wall along the third-floor edge of the SSC lounge. She sat beside Daisha who had trusted in Christ in about the same spot on October 1^st this year. They sat in stuffed chairs with a coffee table in front of them. I did not recognize Daisha who had long light brown straight hair last I saw her and a winter watch cap on her head. She now wore long straight black braids. London is African American and had long braids past her shoulders that kinked in bends as they cascaded down out of squares on her head. She had a diamond shaped cute face and a button chin and wore the butterfly wing shaped lenses, now popular, they were clear plastic. She wore a black hoodie with lines of rhinestone bling on it and leggings ending in caramel and black faux fur boots. I asked if they wanted to do a survey, Daisha said she already had but went along at first so London (who had left the decision to her) would do it and then backed out. I had asked London as I stood before them “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I have been an upstanding citizen,” she joked. “I never sin,” she added. I asked if she ever told a lie. “No, well maybe a fib,” she replied. “Those are called ‘white lies’,” I replied. I sat on the floor on the other side of the round table. As she then did the survey she said the citizen line again and added, “I’m selfless.” Not repeating she hadn’t sinned. Possibly a few lies had come to mind. I asked her the likelihood she would be let into Heaven when she died and she said, “60-40.” I began to go through the Gospel with her. I wanted her to listen and she was a little less than serious so I prayed in my head as we spoke and as I began reading the Bible she became very somber and began to listen closely. It seemed God was working in her. I said God had to take away her sin to live inside her. “OK,” she said seriously. So I asked what the big thing was back in History that Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. She leaned back and spread out her arms as Jesus might have nailed to a cross and searched for the word and finally said, “Crucified.” It amused them both that she had dramatized it in response and Daisha smiled at her and she said, “Yeah that’s me being crucified.” But she stayed with me as I read the Bible verses. I quoted some to her about the blood and righteousness of Christ. I read that he rose from the dead and the only way to God was through Him. “God adopts you and makes you His child and gives you the blessings of His family. He gives you the sacrifice for your sins the blood that cleanses you and the righteousness of God that surrounds you. So you got someplace to go, Heaven, and something to wear when you get there, the righteousness of God.” I said all this was hers to receive by faith. If she believed Jesus was God had died for her sins and rose from the dead, not that she just knew the story from growing up with it but that that’s what she placed her trust in as an adult. “So if someone would ask you, ‘Why should God let you into Heaven?’ you’d say because Jesus died for me,” I said. “Ohh,” she said as if someone had just given her the answer for the test question. Grace by faith saved her. Not her good works. “Say you had a boyfriend for about 3 weeks. You thought he was pretty cool but then you found out he was cheating on you and stealing your stuff. So you cut him loose. He comes back in about a week and says, ‘London I know I really did you wrong. I was even stealing your stuff and selling it for drugs but I just want you to know, I’m gonna be nice to my next 3 girlfriends. You’d be like, ‘That doesn’t help me at all.’ Because you can’t to something good over there to fix your bad stuff here.” I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done so God could live inside her and give her strength or if she thought something else giving her the CliffsNotes options of Islam and the Buddha. Then asked again, “So would you want to be forgiven?” She nodded really quick short little nods. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. I read it through for her and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. She nodded really quick short little nods again. So I said “Ok and I handed her the booklet and said, “Just pretend I’m not here.” That made her laugh and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I began to go through the Christian life with her. Her mom had a Bible but she didn’t so I gave her one. It was the same one I had given Daisha and I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front which she really liked. I gave her Bible Promises for You and also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and told her Strobel’s story. I gave her a Bible study and I told her I would pray a Bible verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless her. I explained the Christian life living by the Spirit’s power, “Inside out”. She asked me to pray for her math class she was doing poorly in. I said I would. She thanked me and was happy and I headed out.

 So thanks for your prayers for the ministry this week and evangelism if you had a chance. God truly blessed.

 In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a blessed day in Christ and were able to serve Him in kindness by the Spirit’s power. I had a good day on campus and John prayed to receive Jesus. Please pray he grows in his faith.

John was standing in front of a bulletin board right before you enter the SSC Lounge on the third floor. He had a coat and a back pack on the couch behind him so I asked if he’d do a student survey about God and he agreed. He had on a navy-blue hoodie and sweats. He was shorter and had a diamond shaped, short face with a small flat nose, perfect skin. His hair was in dreadlocks that reached his chin. He was friendly and had gone to church when he was younger more, the business of college had him seldom going. He wanted to travel the world. I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” He threw out a couple “Um’s” and finally said, “Because I lived my life following in your steps.” He thought he had a 75% chance of going to Heaven. When I asked him what the big thing was Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world he said, “Crucifixiation.” Which might be a new word but hey it fits the fact that the end result of being crucified is asphyxiation, so possibly the word could be descriptively put together. But he was actually an articulate intelligent guy he had just missed by a bit on the word. He listened closely to all I said and about the blood and righteousness of Christ and the adoption as children of God. I said he could receive all this by faith and faith saved him. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done, then the Holy Spirit would live in him and give him strength and take him to heaven when he died or did he think something else? I then gave him the CliffsNotes version of Islam and of the Buddha. “So would you want to be forgiven or do ya think something else?” I said again. “I’d go with a life entrusted to Christ,” he replied. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it and when I finished he said, “Amen,” affirming it. I asked if he would want to pray it silently. “Yeah,” he said enthusiastically and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus finishing with another, “Amen.” I told him that now the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I explained the Christian life reading the Bible Praying and living “By the Spirit’s Power” “Inside Out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front which he really liked and he thanked me. I also gave him a Bible study explaining it and the Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him some of Strobel’s story. I told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after.  “Asking God to bless ya,” I said. “Thank you so much,” he said getting up to go. “You’re welcome, God bless you,” I replied and he headed off through the big lounge to the West visibly happy.

I talked with a Muslim, Abdullah, for an hour and a half as he questioned me and presented arguments for the Quran and against the Bible a bit. We ended on very good terms so maybe I’ll speak with him again. I gave him the booklet I use and a Bible study on Jesus claims to be God after he said Jesus had never said he was God. I pointed out Jesus claimed to be God both by actions and words regularly, like walking on the sea, showing him the statement in Job in the study. I explained the Trinity explaining that God could become a man is that was a definition of what God could do. We each described God differently. But I explained if the right description of God was that He could become a man there is only one God so that is simply what God can do. It’s not like there are several other God’s who we can compare to and say God just doesn’t do that. He mentioned that the infinite could not become the finite but I said that those were philosophical categories that did not apply to religion. I suggested that using philosophical propositions like that did not really clarify religious categories concerning God. He thought for a moment and agreed seeming to think of another application of that he would also reject. I defeated some of his statements concerning the Bible. We talked about medicine, a direction he hoped for educationally and had a lot of agreement there. I gave him a Creation Ministries International magazine. We talked about the flood, Noah and evolution, which neither of us bought but for development inside a species. But I could tell he was listening to Dawa arguments that were not well thought through. The Muslim Dawa apologists are allowed by their religion to lie to people like me. Unfortunately for their Muslim hearers they are also being lied to and the arguments are poorly contrived. He said the Bible called the head of Egypt “Pharaoh” but the Quran and scholars now said at Joseph’s time in Egypt they were merely called Kings. I pointed out that there was no written language in Joseph’s time (most Egyptology denies the Jews were there anyway). Hieroglyphics could not be literally made into language but were at best paraphrased sounds and would be impossible to be certain of his statement. I also explained the Egyptian timelines contradict most of the archeology of the rest of the digs of North Africa and Europe. Officially scholars claim that they only have unearthed 10% of what could be known about ancient Egypt. I said that if I told him I understood about 10% of what could be known of Islam he would agree I would make a lot of errors about what I speculated about the other 90%. He agreed. We compared some stories in our two books. I explained the Genesis account. One of his arguments was that the Bible had been changed from the one endorsed by the Quran. But I said he would have to come up with an unchanged Bible (from maybe 65 AD giving a different message) with facts stating Jesus was not God, had not died or risen from the dead thus predating the existing Gospels to demonstrate it had been altered. No such text has ever been found. Scholars who were not Christians have said we have the original NT in Greek and know where variants go wrong, he did not know that was true. He asked if I thought the Bible had been written by men. I said yes it was all written down by men but God inspired the thoughts in their heads which was practically no different than an Angel giving God’s thoughts to Mohammed through an Angel. We talked about memorization of the text vs. writing it. He had some things he believed were scientific statements in the Quran the people of the time could not have known, but I pointed out the actual level of scientific knowledge of the people of the ancient world was unknown to us.  [85% of the knowledge of the ancient world was destroyed in the burning of 3 major libraries. The Romans burned Carthage, a technologically superior culture and the Library at Alexandria was burned twice.] He said he saw me often sharing the faith and respected me for that so I was glad to hear that. I hope that also means the Muslims at school are not seeing me as a threat or would be inclined to harm me. I am polite to them and most simply say they are Muslim as a way to say no when I ask to do a Survey for a Bible study group. So it was interesting and I hope helpful to talk to Abdullah.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob