Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things coming down from the Father of Lights. I had a good day on campus, though I was only able to find one person to go through the Gospel with Kendall, and he prayed to receive Jesus.  He had only been to church a couple times as a kid and had traveled to play basketball out in California at a boarding school.  He unfortunately is having surgery on his ankle tomorrow having broken it, torn cartilage in it and suffered ligament damage. It threw the trajectory of his life off and he was troubled by it. The rest of his story is below if you have time. Please pray he can grow in his faith and be completely healed.

Kendall was sitting on a couch in the hallway on the ground floor that winds past the bookstore. He looked a bit like another guy who sits there on Mondays but he made eye contact and I realized he was a different guy. He agreed to talk and seemed to be waiting for his girlfriend Ivanna to get out of class. He wore a grey zip up hoodie and grey sweats with light caramel work boots that were untied. He had fair skin and so was presumptively half white. He had an afro under a truck stop style hat. He had kind of a pug nose with a thin pencil thick mustache and a goatee under his chin, round face, not a big guy. The sides of his head were shaved up to his temples.  He wanted to have a million dollars in the bank and I later realized he probably dreamed of playing professional basketball. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, “That’s a good question… Wow I don’t know.” Not having gone to church. I asked him what he thought it was that got you into Heaven. And he said, “Good actions, trust in God or having a relationship with Him.” When I asked he thought he would go to Heaven saying, I don’t know I don’t plan on doing anything that He would not let me in so, 100%. I began to go through the Gospel with him and when I said God wanted to know and live inside him and so would have to take away his sins he said, “Wow.” He said, “Wow,” again when I explained the righteousness of God was to his credit. “So when He dies we get his righteousness,” he said back to me and I said, ‘Yes.” I explained Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good for them that love God and are called according to His purposes. God can turn even the bad things we do or happen to us into good things because He controls the future. I said, “It might not be exactly the good you want. But God’s not like bad girlfriend where when you screw up she’s like ‘we’ll see how you do.’ When you tell God you’ve sinned He already knew what you’d done and he controls the future so He is like, ‘Don’t worry I knew this would happen. I got a plan and everything will be for cool.” He said, “Say that again, so I repeated it and he said I need to write that down. So I wrote it in the booklet I explained then there were two options to be forgiven with God inside or you think something else. I asked, “Would you want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus?” He nodded.  I walked him through the prayer and asked if he would like to pray it silently. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you are forgiven and going to Heaven. Wanna do it?” He nodded. So I gave him the booklet and he prayed the prayer and then looked away and closed his eyes and prayed for a long while. When he was done I said the likelihood he was going to Heaven was 100% because the righteousness of Jesus was to his credit. He did not have a Bible so I gave him on and showed him the “Where to Turn” section and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I gave him Bible Promises for You and a Bible study on the deity of Christ. We talked more and I prayed over his ankle. He got a call as we talked saying his surgery was at 10:45 so I will be praying then. “Thanks so much, I really needed this.” He said. Then his friend walked up Henry who had prayed with me to receive Jesus earlier in the year. I recognized him right away by his glasses but he kept his mask up so I still don’t know what he looks like. I told Kendall I would be praying for him every day until Spring. He got my number and asked me to send him some Bible verses once in a while. He thanked me again and I said good bye to them. I got back to the truck to get another Bible and sent him Phil. 4:6 and 7. “Thank you so very much” he texted back.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things and you are enjoying the weather wherever you may be. There’s month early snows all over Europe, so I’m glad my yard still has green trees. I had a good day on campus and Jenn and Romel each prayed with me to receive Jesus as their savior. Please pray their faith is blessed with strength and assurance. Their stories are below if you have the time. Thanks for your help in prayer.

Jenn was sitting in the east-most atrium lounge in the BIC on the ground floor sitting at a table killing time before class on a laptop.  She wore an earth green sweater and black skinny jeans. She was not real skinny though. I never saw most of her face but she had one of those pretty birthmarks less than an inch right of her slightly wider nose and pretty long brown wavy hair. Looked Latina in complexion. She had just enough time to answer some questions. When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she said, “Let’s see… We all commit sins. But I don’t think I’ve committed really bad sin.” She thought she had a 60% chance of going to Heaven. She said she had gone to Catholic church but with the advent of the covid restrictions she and her family had gotten out of the habit. I began to go through the Gospel with her saying it would sound familiar. I told her God wanted to live inside her to know her but had to take away her sins to do so and asked if she knew what God had done to take away her sins. She nodded with a look in her eyes that said she didn’t know. So I just said something like “This is how He does it,” and explained the Gospel. When I was done explaining the blood and righteousness of Christ to her credit and salvation by faith I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in Jesus. “Yeah be forgiven,” she said. So I said there was a prayer she could pray and walked her through it saying she could pray it silently and she nodded and took the booklet and said. “I have to get to class,” and then began to pray. When she finished I quickly said, “This is 100% trusting in the righteousness of Jesus,” and writing 100% next to the question on the card questionnaire. I said she could now live by the Spirit’s power, showing her a statement in the back. I said let me just give you a book with Bible verses in it. And she said, “OK grabbing her things. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. “Thanks for talking with me,” I said getting up to go. And she said sure. I went down the hall and sat on the chairs to take some notes and she happened to be behind me a bit and passing me she sweetly said, “Thank you.” And I said, “You’re welcome.” And she headed around the corner to class just in time.

I went down the tunnel then over to the PE building and at the end of the hall past where you go to the pool was Romel. He was looking at some of the pictures, framed on the wall of the successful teams of past years. He said he was waiting to talk to a teacher. He had dozens of thin long braids coming out of his head showing a bit of afro that a black girl would wish she had. He wore an orange hoodie and black nylon tapered sweats. He played football. He didn’t have much time to talk but said he had seen me around and appreciated my spreading the word. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, God would probably say no to him. He didn’t feel like he had been doing enough good things but said it more like he hadn’t been staying in contact. He spoke with an urban slant to his words I really can’t capture. I wished a couple times I was tape recording him. I asked if I could explain what the Bible said and if his teacher appeared he could break it off and he agreed. When I explained that God wanted to live inside him but first had to take away his sins, I asked what Jesus had done to take away his sins. In response he pretty much just reiterated what I had said about God purifying him and living inside him without saying how. So I just said this is how it works and I explained the blood of Jesus and His righteousness and how God got paid for the damage we had done. I said that we owed Him a perfect payment for the damage we could not pay. When I finished being saved by faith I asked him if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. And he said he did so I talked him through the prayer then and he said ok. He took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus very expressively. He shook my hand then and said, “Appreciate you man.” I went to take the booklet back and said he could keep it but I wanted to show him one more thing, “Yeah I was going to ask if I could keep it.” “Sure,” I replied. I said Jesus could live inside him and explained the power of the Spirit. He really liked that idea as I explained God would give him as much success as would not end in disaster for him. I gave him Bible Promises for You and he enthusiastically said, “This will be useful.” I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I gave him back the booklet and he said, “I was feeling it as you said it.” Talking about resonating with the things I taught him. “Everything happens for a reason, you walking up to me here man.” “Yeah,” I agreed. “I needed this today, appreciate you man. We have a relationship.” I said I would see him around and he was very enthusiastic and fist bumped me and I headed out. Several of the black guys say hi to me on campus. They seem not to care about an association with the old white preacher.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a blessed day walking with the Lord, rejoicing. I had a good day on campus and Dom and Kaliyah each prayed with me to receive Christ. Please pray they are blessed and grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you want to spend the time. Thanks for your help in prayer.

Dom was sitting in the SE corner glass wall lounge on the second floor of the BIC.  He had a curly mop of brown hair, was average height and was wearing khaki pants that were tight at the ankles and a blue hoodie. He was a reserved guy. When I asked him what he would say to God if asked “Why should I let you into Heaven?” he said, “I don’t know what I would say.” I asked him what he thought got him into Heaven and he said without much conviction, “Just being a good person.” He thought he might have a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven and he hadn’t been to church since longer ago than he could remember. He did not seem to remember Jesus had died for his sins but I think it came back to him as I went through the Gospel. When I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else he said, “I want to be forgiven.” I asked him if he believed, “Jesus was God, died for your sins and rose from the dead, do you think that’s true?” He said. “Sure.” So I said if he wanted there was a prayer he could pray and walked him through it and asked if he thought that was the desire of his heart. He nodded and so I said he could pray it now silently if he wanted and know he is forgiven “Ahh, sure, sure,” he said affirmingly and he prayed to receive Jesus. I explained a life in Christ living by the Spirit’s power. I told him that now the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100% because Jesus righteousness was his. He did not want a book saying, “But I like the booklet.” So gave it to him. I shook his hand as he got up to leave and said, “Have a good one.” “See ya,” he replied and ran to class.

I walked past Kaliyah heading down the hallway toward the bookstore. She was sitting at a counter height table. She looked mixed race. Small nose, lighter skin, she was pretty. She had straight black hair and a hairband on at the top of her forehead, long eyebrows. She wore a white blouse and black pants and boots. Once I thought about it and was pretty sure I had not asked her before, I thought I would try to talk to her on the way back. It is hard this year to remember with masks on. I kept walking toward the doors. There is literally no one in the science building this year so instead of going down there I turned around at the bookstore towards Keliyah at the far end of the hall. She was willing to talk. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “That’s a tough question umm… I would say I do good for the most part.” She thought she had a 90% chance of going to Heaven. She went to church from time to time but not regularly. I went through the gospel with her and she leaned in across the table to look at the booklet interested. When I said God had to take away her sins to live inside her I asked how Jesus did that and she remembered He had died. She resonated with the Gospel and said something like, “Oh ok” when I explained the righteousness of Christ. When I finished I asked f she’d want o be forgiven trusting in what Christ had done for her or thought something else she said firmly, “Forgiven.” I offered the prayer to her asking if it was the “desire of her heart” as written in the booklet. “Ah yeah,” she replied. I said she could pray silently. I explained the Christian life living “inside out” by the Spirit’s power. I gave her a Bible writing her name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I gave her a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You. I said I would pray for her until a year from spring asking God to bless her. I got up to go and she said, “Thanks for this.” and I said sure and headed out.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you are at rest in the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Nuvia prayed with me to receive Jesus. 70 students have now prayed to receive Christ after hearing the Gospel from me on campus so that’s been pretty great. I also spoke for a long time with a guy who’s in the works righteousness group on campus called International  Church of Christ. It is considered by many to be a mind control cult. Carlos and I had a good conversation however and I helped him to finally see even his good works were imperfect and not real obedience to Christ unless they were done in the power of the Holy Spirit. That seemed to finally sink in and he thanked me so I hope he will hold fast to it as the group he is in will not be supportive. Please pray Carlos grows in his faith along with Nuvia. Thanks for your help. Her story is below if you have time you want to spend.

Nuvia was sitting reading a paper on her computer. Her mask never came down but she had a pretty dot for a birthmark on her temple and long brown hair. She has a Latina name and looked of that heritage in coloring. She was dressed in a white parka and black pants with what they’d call sensible slip on shoes, petite in size. It turned out she went to Church with a friend. She was not sure she wanted to do a survey however asking what it was about. So I said to her that the big question was, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. You stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say? So it’s kind of about what the Bible say it is that gets you into Heaven, do you have an interest in hearing that or not so much?” “OK,” she replied. I sat beside her one the hall just past the windowed in lounge on the SE corner of the 2^nd floor of the BIC building, began to go through the Booklet with her. I explained God wanted to live inside her and know her and to do so He had to take away her sin. She did not know how Jesus did that so I explained the gospel to her. When I asked if she would like to be forgiven trusting in Jesus and what he had done so God could live inside her or thought something else she said, “That one pointing to the circle with God on the throne of your life. So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. I talked her through it and asked if it was the desire of her heart and she nodded. So I said she could pray it silently and God would hear, ‘Wanna do it?” I asked. And she nodded again and prayed silently to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her living by the Spirit‘s power “Inside Out”. I gave her a Bible study explaining ways Jesus claimed to God and asked her if she would like a book to read. She said she would so I gave her 20 Things God Can’t Do writing “Just Ask” on a couple pages by way of explanation and “By the Spirit’s power” in the front along with her name the date and “forgiven”. I said I would pray for her each day or evening until a year from next Spring. I thanked her for talking with me saying it might be a bit strange someone just walking up. “It’s happened before,” she replied. I smiled thinking God had broken the ice for me and said, “Well you have your own Bible and a church to go to so you should be set.” I got up and said, “Have a good one.” “You too,” she replied and then added, “Thank you.” I said “Sure,” and headed out.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking with the Lord in joy. Though the world gets further away from how we might wish it to be on one level hopefully this drives people to Christ. Matt and Tyler each prayed with me to receive Jesus today. Please pray they grow in the Lord and in their faith. Their stories are in my journal entry below if you have the time.

Matt was finishing some lunch in the Cafeteria and said he’d answer some questions after he asked and I told him what it was about. He was a solid looking dude, an outdoorsman, mentioned his father hunts. He had kind of a “Wreck it Ralph” look crossed with a dock worker with a mop of stick straight blonde hair pushing out from under a SOX ball cap. He wore a blue/grey T-shirt and jeans. He looked athletic and it turned out he had just finished a season of baseball. He thought he might want travel to see the Holy Land as a relative had recently been there. When I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked why he should be let into Heaven he said, “I don’t know what I’d say. I feel like if there’s something that I should be let into the kingdom of God [for] it’s no longer in my power to change. I know some people say as long as you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and others say if you sin at all you are not going to be let in, so then no one is. I think as long as you make a point to serve, your best, God it will come around to help you out.” He said he couldn’t say how likely it was he would go to Heaven but he thought he might have a 50/50 shot. He listened to the Gospel closely and accepted the points. At the end I asked if he wanted to be forgiven believing Jesus was God had died for his sins and rose from the dead or thought something else. “I’d want to be forgiven,” he replied. I said there was a prayer he could pray to ask for forgiveness and for God to live inside him and explained the prayer and living by the Spirit’s power “inside out” and then asked again if he’d want to pray, “You wanna go for it?” “Sure,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I then said the likelihood he would get into Heaven now was 100% trusting in the righteousness gave him a Bible study then and asked if he wanted a book. “Is it a small one?” I said it was just topics and Bible verses and gave him Bible Promises for You after showing it to him and him saying he’d take it. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I said I would keep him in my prayers for the next year until Spring and then one year after. He seemed grateful and we talked some more about the times and what might happen. Showed me a picture of a dirt bike he inherited from his grandfather he’d worked on some. He gave me some small engine advice and then had to head to class so we said good bye. Great guy to talk to.

I stayed in the cafeteria and circled around and then asked Tyler if he would do a survey for a Bible Study group. A black guy, he had narrow, kind of classic shaped face and a 2 inch afro. He had just a here and there growth of beard on the sides and a pencil width mustache, chin beard. He wore a wine colored puffy coat over a grey/blue hoodie and black pants. We realized (talking after) I had asked him before to talk but he had been busy and I sad sorry to bother him and he said, “It turned out good, everything happens for a reason.” He had a couple bites out of a sandwich. He said he’d just gone to a Bible study and felt like he was ok. Usually I just let it go at that point but I asked him, “You wanna just answer the one big metaphysical Question?” “OK” he replied and I asked him, “Say you are walking down the road and you get hit by a bus so you are dead and you stand before God and he says, ‘why should I let you into Heaven?’ what would you say?” “Wait what?” He said. So I gave him a grin and shortened it to, “You died and God asks you: ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’” “I kept his word” He replied after thinking a moment. I said, “The Bible says something a little different would you want to hear what the Bible says in little booklet? Or not so much?” “OK,” he said and I began to go through the Gospel with him. I said God wanted to live inside him but first He had to take away our sin. He did not seem to know what Jesus had done to take away his sin. I explained how the Blood of Christ cleansed him in 1John 1:7 and then God could live in Him. I explained how God got paid by the perfect life in Christ for the all the damage we had done that we owed God something perfect for but could not pay and the righteousness of Christ to our credit. When I had finished the Gospel I asked if he would want to be forgiven of if he thought something else. He said he wanted to be forgiven and so I said there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it. I asked if he wanted to pray and he said, “Yeah,” and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained living “inside out” by the Spirit’s power. I said the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100%. He said he had been to a 7^th day Adventist Bible study just before lunch. I explained they were probably right that the Church should not have changed the Sabbath Day. There was no suggestion in the New Testament that they should do so but that I had never thought of Sunday as a Sabbath anyway. He agreed he had not either it was just a day he went to church. I explained in the New Testament in Hebrews 4 Jesus is our Sabbath rest. We are also the Temple of God in the New Testament. So we are at the temple everyday resting in Jesus, so every day is the Sabbath. “But they are not keeping the Sabbath anyway,” I pointed out.  I asked if he knew that one of the most basic things that was not allowed on the Sabbath was to kindle a fire, get it going from cold wood. He said he knew that. I explained the internal combustion engine to him. I pointed out cars effectively run on gas the user has sparked into flame. They use a machine to do it but they have in fact kindled a fire, a small explosion in the cylinders,  just to drive to Church. I said I have never met anyone who says they keep the Sabbath say they left their car running since the day before the Sabbath. But that is what they would have to do. These groups have never even thought about it. We talked some more about the Christian life and how Jesus fulfilled the Law. I gave him Bible Promises for You. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I gave him a Bible study also. He was very grateful and thanked me a few times and I said sure and I would see him in Heaven and I headed out.

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 all good things from above. I did not have many students to talk to today but Ash, the last person I talked to, prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray she is blessed and her boyfriend’s parents, who she lives with, will take her to church. Her story is below if you have the time.

I came across Ash in a largely empty school, pretty much the story of Mondays with few classes scheduled. I think it may be the only day she comes to school.  She was wearing a grey sweatshirt with some picture print on the sleeve and front. She was pretty, a small girl with long brown wavy hair, tinted on the frame of her face that had a sharp jaw line. She had printed socks pulled up over her jeans to just below the knees that were torn. When I asked her what she would say to God if asked why He should let her into Heaven she said, “I don’t know.” Then thinking about it more she said, “I been a good kid”. She had a bright disposition and really seemed interested to know the Gospel. She said she had “never” been to church. Some kids say that but they mean “regularly” and it will turn out they had gone a couple times with a friend or relative. She had never gone once. I explained the entire Gospel for salvation in the blood, righteousness and resurrection of Christ. That her good works could not save her because she could not do anything perfect. I asked her if she would like to be forgiven for her sins trusting in Jesus that He was God had died for her and rose from the dead, or thought something else. She said, “I would like to be forgiven.” So I said there was a prayer she could pray to be forgiven. I talked her through it and explained what it meant and said she could pray it silently right now and she would “know she was forgiven and she could start up with God, ya wanna do it?” “Yeah,” she said sweetly and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I went on to explain how God lived inside her now and all the power she needed to live the Christian life He wanted to give her by His Spirit ‘Inside out.” She did not have a Bible so I gave her one that had the ribbon maker in the “Where to Turn” section that would answer biblical questions. I put her name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I also gave her a Bible study and explained it to her. I gave her 20 things God Can’t Do and a card for a church website she could watch videos. It turned out she lived in Batavia and I didn’t know a church that far west. I told her the likelihood she would go to Heaven now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus was 100%. She said her boyfriend’s parents went to church. I asked if she would like to go to church with them, she said she would. She said that she saw them praying sometimes. I said I was sure they were praying for her and would love to take her to church. I said she could tell them she had received Christ (and I explained again the use of that word and read her the Bible verse again (John 1:12 “As many as Received Him…”). Or tell them she had “trusted in Jesus as her savior” and they would probably understand what that meant, saying she could show them the booklet. She was a little shy to ask them. I gave her my number and said Ellen and I could meet her at school to have a Bible study. She seemed to want to do that so I hope we can arrange it. I asked if she had any questions and she said, “Is it too late for me to learn all this?” I said it wasn’t that she’d learn things all her life. I said the Holy Spirit was in her and would teach her and give her power for anything in life she asked for help with, giving her as much success as would be good for her. She said, “I get a thought for the day each day. Today it said, ‘Your life will change today’ I think that was you.” I told her I was sure it was and that sometimes God will use things like that to tell us something is going to happen. I got up to leave saying I would pray for her until spring and then a year after. I stood and said, “God bless you.” And as I walked away she said, “Thanks for talking with me.” Thanks for talking with me,” I replied and she pulled down her mask so I could see her face when I was across the lounge area on the 2^nd floor of the BIC so I could see her face and smiled at me and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. I only talked with two people but it was worth the walking around to find one.

In Him,
Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a good day walking with the Lord. I had a slow day on campus. I got through the Gospel with 3 people. So I did plant those seeds. Olivija (Olivia) a Lithuanian heritage girl with long blonde curls and glasses did commit to Christ up on the 3rd floor of the BIC. She seemed engaged with the verses and explanations. She said she would pray tonight and so I am hopeful she will trust in the Lord.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry I am hopeful the work today will bear fruit.

Blessings in Christ,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with joy and peace in believing by the Spirit’s power. I had a good day on campus and Keagan and D’Andre each prayed with me to receive Jesus. A young black woman with 6 inch braids dyed blonde, Josie talked with me for a half hour in and around going through the Gospel with me. She seemed close to coming to a relationship with Christ. There seemed to be some political correctness in the way. But she said she wanted me know the conversation was really just what she needed and she thanked me for listening to her. She was really grateful to have talked. It seemed she had a lot of things going on and changes in her life so I hope she will receive Christ so she can be guided by the Spirit from the inside. She took the booklet.  Thanks for your kind help in prayer. I’d be grateful if you would pray a blessing on these lives. Their stories are below if you have the time.

 Keagan was sitting in a windowed in second floor lounge in the BIC building on the northeast corner. He didn’t seem to have a lot going on and said he’d answer some questions. We ended up talking a while. He had dark mop of red hair on top that was brown and cut short on the sides, a thin mustache and some growth of beard. He had a grey fleece on with a zippered collar, thin guy, sharp nose. He said he went to a Lutheran Church. When I asked him what he would say to God he thought for a bit then replied, “I would say I wouldn’t try to fight for my place in Heaven. If He thought I deserved it I’d respect that if he thought I didn’t I’d respect that.” He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven saying, “’Cause I mean Religion is important to people in as long as you’re forgiven, and believe, you’ll be let into Heaven and at the same time no one really knows for sure.” He went on to suggest he didn’t know what to do to be forgiven. I agreed that though there were lists in the Bible of things that if you did them you would not go to Heaven there was not an exhaustive list of things that if you are sure you did them you would go to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with him. I said that if God lived inside him, if he knew God that way, God was eternal and the source of life so he’s have eternal life being one with God. God could not live inside him because of sin I explained. But he did not know that Jesus had died to take away his sin or seem to know the Gospel at all. He listened, very interested, to the perfect payment for his sin in the death of Christ. I explained receiving Him by faith. When I finished I asked him if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done and he took a moment but then said, “Be forgiven of course.” So I asked, “Do you believe Jesus is God, died for your sins and rose from the dead, do you think that’s true?” He paused for a moment and then said he could not prove it true it that way, “But I believe it.” So I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I walked him through the prayer saying if he wanted to he could pray it silently and God would here and he’d start up with God. “OK, yeah,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I explained more a life in Christ by the Spirit’s power and gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet writing his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I gave him Bible Promises for You and the Rose publication “Why Trust the Bible”. I gave him a Bible Study on the ways Jesus claims to be God connecting to the Old Testament. I got up to go after we’d talked for a while and said, “I’ll see ya in Heaven,” shaking his hand.” He thanked me and I headed out.

 D’Andre was sitting a chair length away from the next guy at a table full of football players in the PE lounge, (all of which are probably all sick of my asking them to do a student survey). But several have said yes and come to Christ. They probably don’t get up in my face because all of them have Grandma’s that are Christians. D”Andre was very a big dude. He said they’d turned him from defensive back to offensive line because he had put on some weight. The top of his head were ringlet curls that were brown the sides were short, he had lighter skin and a smaller nose, thin mustache and chin beard, good looking guy. He wore shorts and a red hooded sweatshirt. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “Damn.” I kidded him right away that was the thing he for sure shouldn’t say and he smiled and thought some more. Finally he said, “I honestly don’t know.” It turned out he had not been to Church except with grandparents as a kid. He later said his Dad prays every night and has prayers memorized and he doesn’t know how he memorizes them and he wouldn’t know what to say. I said, “He probably prays for you and that’s why we are talking.” That suggestion made him think a moment. When I explained God had to take away his sin to live inside him and asked him what Jesus had done to take it away he could not think of anything. But he tuned right in as I explained how Jesus blood and righteousness saved him by faith. I asked him if he would want to be forgiven or thought something else and he said, “Definitely be forgiven.” So I said there was a prayer he could pray and after explaining it said if he wanted to be forgiven he could pray it silently and start up with God and he nodded and I said, just pretend I’m not here. I gave him the booklet then and explained living by the Spirit’s power “Inside Out”. I said anything God gave him to do he should ask for help to do it. God would give him as much strength to succeed as would not be harmful to him or lead him off a path God had for him. So I gave him Max Lucado’s Pocket Prayers and wrote his name and the date and forgiven and I gave him Bible Promises for You and another copy of it to give to his dad, hoping it would provoke a conversation. I gave him a Bible study too. I got up to go and said, “I’ll see you in Heaven.” “For real,” he replied enthusiastically and I headed out.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God blessed again and I’m grateful.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was filled with Good Things from the Lord. I had a good day on campus encouraging some Christians one of which, Donovan found assurance after I explained what it mean that he said was trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus. “Thanks for this,” he said gratefully as I got up to go, giving him  Bible Promises for you. Brooklyn & Sam each prayed with me to receive Jesus today. Their stories are below if you have some time please pray they are blessed in their newly confessed faith in Christ.

Sam was sitting in the cafeteria at the counter looking to the outside. He was eating and had kind of the better than average looking every man appearance. He had a days worth of beard growth and wore sweats, a purple hoodie and grey pants. Not a very big guy, sandy hair. He had a triangular nose and a Clark Kent hair cut. He said he had been to Lutheran Church as a kid. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, “’Cause I believe.” He was hopeful it was more likely he would go to Heaven than not. When I asked him how Jesus had taken away his sins he knew Jesus had died. He took in the Gospel closely and understood it as I talked to him about the righteousness of God earned by Christ that could be to his credit. He was really attentive through the entire thing and it was nice to talk to someone who was eating and could have their mask off. As I finished I asked if he’d want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done and he said he would. I told him there was a prayer he could pray to be forgiven and I explained that God living inside him would give him power to live the Christian life, “Inside out”.  I suggested he might have grown up with some of this story, and I know you said you believed, but if you were just believing in God in some general sense, and had not placed your faith in that to be forgiven, the Bible says “the demons believe and they shudder”. I said if he had not had a chance to trust in what Jesus had done there was prayer he could pray and I talked him through it. “I hadn’t but I would like too,” he replied. “OK,” I said “wanna do it?” “Yeah he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I explained then that now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave him 20 Things God Can’t Do writing “Just Ask” on a couple of the pages and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front along with “By the Spirit’s Power” and gave him a website for a local church. I had explained everything in the Christian life was by the Spirit’s Power. I gave him The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet and a Bible study. We hit it off and talked for a while. I told him I would pray for him for the next year or so and he was very grateful and I headed out.

A couple hours later I was back at the cafeteria and Brooklyn walked in and sat at the counter looking outside as I was headed back across the room. She was African American and had red sweats on that looked cotton and white tennis shoes. She had a nose ring on the right and crisscross braids and lengths of brown wavy hair, a bright white smile and a cute demeanor. She was a cute kid. I asked her if she wanted to do a student survey and she asked, “Is this for CRU?” I said the booklet was CRU’s booklet. I said the main 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?” “I don’t know what I’d say.” She said I said, “Would you like to know what the Bible says about how you get to Heaven?” and she said, “OK.”I began going through the Gospel with her that God loved her, wanted her to believe in Him and to know Him where He would live inside her with His Holy Spirit. He did this by first taking away her sin. She knew Jesus had died to take away her sins. I explained everything about the blood and righteousness of God and that her good stuff could not take away her bad stuff, “You’re bad stuff is still out there kicking people around and there is not much you can do about it.” “It doesn’t go away,” she agreed. “But God says He can turn your bad things into good things because he controls the future. In Romans 8:28 it says ‘All things work together for good for them that love God and are called according to His purposes.’” I explained that sometimes it isn’t even a bad thing you’ve done but just something that happens to you. You miss the stoplight and it makes you late, but the crossing gates were broken a little ways down the road and if you’d made the light you’d have been hit by the train. So sometimes God takes care of us that way too. I explained that she could be forgiven if she placed her trust in Christ and believed and I asked if she believed and wanted to place her trust I Christ. She said she did and it seemed right to her because she had “always been around it.” I said if she wanted to be forgiven trusting in Christ there was a prayer she could pray and I walked her through it saying she could pray it silently and that I wouldn’t hear her but God would hear and He’d forgive her. “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yes.” She replied firmly and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to her living “inside out”. I gave her 20 Things God Can’t Do also and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” on the front. “I’m going to show this to my friend,” she said. So I asked if she would like another booklet and she said she would so I gave her one. I went back to the survey and said, “I never asked you this but the likelihood you will go to Heaven now is 100%.” And I explained trusting now in Jesus righteousness to be her righteousness in God’s eyes she would get an A. “I would like to get an A,” she said as if that had not happened yet in her first year of college. I said it was better to get one in eternity where it lasts forever, your GPA starts over at your next school. “Yes better to get one from Him,” she replied happily. I told her I would keep her I my prayers and encouraged her to tell the CRU staff she had prayed the prayer in the booklet saying they would be happy. She was happy about that and like the staff girl at school. Then I 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 Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things from above. I had a good day on campus and Karina and Vernon each prayed with me to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. Thanks for your prayers. Their stories are below if you have time.

 Karina was sitting in the circle of couches outside the door of the cafeteria. I asked if she wanted to do a student survey and she said she had already received information about the Bible Study on campus. I said, “This is a little different and a different group on campus. The main question is ‘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? So it really about how the Bible says you get into Heaven. Would you like to know or not so much?” “Ok,” she replied and I sat on the table in the middle of the couches and we talked. She wore a southwestern patterned pullover fleece, kind of an Indian blanket look, and leggings. She had long brown flowing hair. She had a cute face with a pointed nose and chin and high cheekbones. I asked her what she would say to God and she said, “I don’t know.” She had gone to church a couple times as a kid but said she didn’t know what got you into Heaven. When I asked what she thought might get her in she said, “Probably good deeds.” She hoped she’d have a 50/50 shot getting into Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with her and she listened to it all making eye contact the whole way through so I hope that was a good sign, unable to see through her mask. So as I finished explaining why Jesus had died how His blood cleansed us and righteousness surrounded us. I said we were saved by faith. I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done so God could live inside her. She said, “Be forgiven for my sins.” I said, “Do you believe Jesus is God, died for your sins and rose from the dead? Do you think that is a true story?” She said she did saying by way of explanation, “Yeah. That’s what I was told growing up so it is what is in the back of my brain.” So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I walked her through it and said if she’d like to she could pray it silently and God would hear and she’d know she was forgiven. “Yeah,” she replied and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. She did not have a Bible so I gave her one and showed her the “Where to Turn” section for questions she might have and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” in the front and said she could also email me with any questions. “This is my first Bible,” she said happily. I explained living the Christian life “inside out” by the Spirit’s Power. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name in it. “Thank you so much,” she said taking the book. I gave her a Bible study and explained how Jesus claimed to be God. I said I would pray for her each day for a year asking God to bless her. Then I got up to go and she said, “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!” I said, “Sure.” And if I saw her I’d say hi.

I had come across Vernon earlier in the day but he did not have time then. As I was walking into the tunnel connecting the PE to the BIC building I lost reception for a text I was going to send and came back out to stand by the outside door at the beginning of the tunnel. Vernon walked up and said, “This is Divine.” I did not know what he meant and he said, “You were gonna ask me some questions?” So then I vaguely remembered and we began to talk walking over to some chairs. He had a hat on that was a light brown knit version of Gilligan’s in the TV show with the shipwrecked tour boat. He had a mustache over his lip the width of a pencil and a here and there beard he was working on. He wore swats with a stripe up the side and a brown T-shirt and carried a jacket, had black military style boots on. He had the occasional tattoo on his arms and when he laughed his almond shaped eyes crushed into squint. When I asked him what he would say to get into Heaven he said, “I never ran from my sins, I fought back. I believe. I believe there is a higher power. Nobody is perfect but as long as we admit that we’ll be right. Hopefully that’ll get me in.” He thought he had an 85% chance of going to Heaven. Saying, “I definitely look out for people. I give them what I can, maybe not money, but I try to make somebody feel like they’re just not another number.” He began to listen to the Gospel and when I asked what Jesus had done to take away our sin he said, “He died.” I explained what the death of Jesus did and that “God got paid” by the perfect life of Jesus for all that we owed for what we had damaged with our lives. I said we did not go to Heaven because we were good but because Jesus was and we were connected to him. I said he could believe in faith. “So if someone were to ask you why God should let you into Heaven the answer would be, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’” “Hum,” he said getting it. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else and he said. “Yeah the first one, forgiven.” So I said there was a prayer he could pray if he wanted to be forgiven and talked him through it offering it to him as something he could pray silently and he nodded and then spoke softly aloud praying the prayer. We were alone at the end of the hall. He finished and looked my way and I said, “Amen,” and he said, “Amen.” I explained the Christian life to him living by the Spirit’s Power, “inside out”. I gave him the book Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front and gave him a Bible study on the deity of Christ. We talked some for a while on how crazy things were getting. I told him if he saw me to flag me down and I would give him a Bible. I somehow forgot to get another one out of the Truck earlier after giving one to Karina. I said he was right to say it was divine that we met again, “A divine appointment” and I would see him in heaven and he could tell me how things went, saying I would be praying for him each night for a year. He liked that and we parted ways. He did not seem to have much in terms of possessions and I left praying God would care for him in the winter ahead as the supply chains are all being deliberately broken now by Government actions.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed and keeps leading me to people and even leading them to me.

In Him,

Bob