Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking with Him in His wisdom and love.  I had a good day on campus and felt led right away to head over to the Health and Science buildings and had a good conversation with Elizabeth. Later in the PE building Ryan prayed with me to receive Christ. Please pray for Elizabeth’s relationship with Christ to be restored and for Ryan to grow. Their stories are below if you want to spend the time. Thanks for your help.

I had another conversation with my lawyer who said unless there was a study showing the lack of efficacy of a plastic face shield I was right in believing it limited my free expression of the Gospel and I could continue to wear it on campus. I wear a neck gator to pull up if anyone official gives me a hard look. But since they have used the cops to hassle me already and have not bothered two other Christian groups on campus and a couple different cults he said anything else they said to threaten witnessing on campus was actionable. But I’d rather just be left alone so thanks for your prayers for protection.

Elizabeth was an older student I would guess to be over 30. She was in the SW corner lounge of the west most science building. She had a short straight dark brown hair cut. When I asked her 3 words to describe herself she said, “Quiet, angry and fair.” When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she said, “You owe me.” It turned out she had been “on her knees” for several years asking for some direction or relief from God that never came. She finally decided to turn her back on God and change things herself. She said she felt like now God was asking her to come back, “but it’s too late.” She also had an unsupportive Church at the time. I heard her out and said I could not argue with her experience. I wasn’t there and it is just what happened. I said in my own life when I have sought direction I eventually got up and did what I thought I should do and found God giving me the power to do it. I said, “I would just say, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that was your experience. And you were treated that way. I can’t explain why things go the way they do some times.” I said I’d had several churches throw me under the bus and so I decided to do a ministry apart from them (though I’m the poorer for it). I knew how she felt. I apologized again. I had gone through the Gospel with her and offered her the prayer and she did take the booklet. When people have been rolled over by the Church or believe they have been abandoned by God, I try to remember to apologize. I’m a pastor and I try to remember in some ways, in the minds of people listening, I am a representative of God and of the Church. Many people can make the first step toward a healed relationship with God if the hurdle of hearing someone owning what happened to them (in an official position or capacity) simply says they are sorry. It seemed to have a positive effect as we spoke and I left her. I’ll be praying God heals her heart and her relationship with God is restored. I think often enough people blaming God for not hearing them were never in a saving relationship with God, in which case He is in no obligation to hear.

Ryan was a big dude wearing grey sweats and a dark blue hoodie. I never saw his face as he had to jump and go into class as we finished and his teacher being right there I did not feel like I could ask to see him. He had a short rough top afro and rimmed glasses. He was on the floor of the hallway just down from the PE lounge sitting on the floor. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I study your word and go to church every Saturday.” It turn out he was Adventist when I asked him if his church had a Saturday and Sunday service or if it was just on Saturday. I said there was really no reason to change the Sabbath day and I thought his church got that much right but that Jesus is our Sabbath rest and he nodded in agreement. [I did not go into it with him but I believe because we are the Temple of God—1Cor. 3:16—everyday should be treated like a Sabbath day honoring the Lord with our lives. And Col. 2:16 says we are not accountable to the old Sabbaths days of the Law. Hebrews 4 says we enter rest in Christ Jesus. So He is our Sabbath rest, regardless of what day you might set aside for a community time of worship or preaching.] He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. When I asked him what the big thing was that happened to take away his sins he guessed, “Prayer?” I said, “It’s something Jesus does.” But he had nothing so I said it would come back to him as I went through it. I explained the Sacrifice for our sins the Blood that cleansed us and the Righteousness that surround us to our credit. He seemed in agreement with all I said and I used some stories to make him laugh and we hit it off. I asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins and he said, “I would want to be forgiven.” I continued saying, “You know you grow up in the Church and hear it all but now being a man you have to make a decision if you want to trust in Jesus to be forgiven.” He nodded in agreement. So I said if you wanted to tell God you want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus there is a prayer you can pray to tell him and I walked him through it asking if it was the desire of His heart. He nodded it was so I said he could pray it silently. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven and going to Heaven.” He nodded again and the students were showing up for class. But he prayed to receive Jesus. When he finished I said going back to the survey question, “This is 100%: Because if you are trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be your righteousness—how righteous is Jesus? 100% righteous. And what’s his righteousness worth: An infinite amount. So there’s enough to cover an old Biker like me that’s done some things and a young man like you that hasn’t even gotten around to much yet.” He seemed to be smiling at that. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front of 20 Things God Can’t Do. And I gave him a Bible study. We both stood up then from being seated on the floor and I said I’d pray for him every day for a Year. He thanked me 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 Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you day was blessed today with good things and you had joy and peace from the Lord. I had a slow day on campus today. After 90 minutes I lost track of how many students had said they were not interested. On one hand I was thinking, at least I found more than 10 people or so I had not talked to to ask. Finally a Roman Catholic girl politely listened. I think the Bible verses influenced her a bit so I gave her a Bible study on the deity of Christ. A while later an agnostic guy listened to the Gospel over his lunch. But he seemed unchanged for having done so. At the end of the day I talked with an African American guy, Ope, with rectangular metal rimmed glasses and a short afro very short on the sides. He seemed interested to know the gospel though he went to Church. In the end he said he did not know if he wanted to be forgiven and have God live inside him. I offered him a book and he said I have one showing me Plato’s Republic. I told him I had been a Philosophy major and he said he’d kind of thought so based on all my analogies. I told him some philosophers I’d liked and told him about Pascal and Kierkegaard’s leap of Faith. He listened more and I explained that you had to be all knowing and all powerful to know and do the Good. All knowing to know what would result in a good outcome and all powerful to insure the consequent events resulting from your action would create good in the end. You had to control the effects. I felt the Spirit while I talked to him and he seemed to appreciate the talk. I thanked him for listening and told him my email was on the back of the booklet that he kept.

So I hope the seed planted today or seeds in some way blessed. Thanks so much for your prayers. There really are so few people as students begin to drop classes. But I know God can have someone pause to hear as the semester goes on, I’m grateful for the chance to tell a few.

Thanks so much for your prayers.

Blessings,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you are enjoying the Autumn weather somewhere. I had a good day on campus and got a couple good seeds planted. I had a second, long talk with Paraskevi a Greek 30 year old mom of 2 who is a student this year. She is close to committing to Christ. I bumped into a girl, Rachel, finishing up an invitation to receive Jesus with her. She had to run last we talked before I could finish. She is in another Bible Study on Campus but has not asked God to forgive her based on His work on the Cross. She asked to take the booklet, so I am hopeful she will trust in the Lord. JC, a Filipino guy, short with a round face and near circular glasses was close to trusting Christ and seemed to just want more time to think it over. There is a Christian I met in his class (Charlie) who I hope will encourage him. He walked by as we spoke.

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,

Hope ya had a good day walking in the light of the Lord’s love for you. The world is getting pretty dark, but He loves us. I had a good day on campus as Garrett prayed with me to receive Christ. I also came across Gabriel who said he would pray before class on August 25^th and he said he had, so I gave him a Bible Study, already having given him a promise book. He had a pencil thick mustache and chin beard and was wearing a watch-cap today and cross earrings. I had been praying for him off and on but now I’ll begin to pray for him each day. Garrett’s story is below if you have a moment.

Garrett seemed like a pretty serious guy, sitting in a lounge with two others in it up on the 3^rd floor of the BIC. He had a short hair cut and square everyman features, sandy hair. He wore a grey hoodie with Mickey Mouse on it in a hollowed out silhouette and dark grey sweats. He said his family had stopped going to church when he was young, not being able to find one they wanted to attend. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I’ve tried my best to avoid sin.” He thought he had a 50/50 chance of getting into Heaven. I went through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died to take away our sins. He stared at me pretty intensely off and on as I spoke. And it turned out he was tracking well. I asked if he would want to be forgiven with God living inside him or thought something else and he said, “Be forgiven with God inside.” I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it. Asking if it was the desire of his heart, he nodded.  I asked if he’d want to he could pray it silently and only God would hear. “Yeah sure,“ he replied. And he prayed to receive Jesus taking a long time to do so seeming to put it in his own words. I explained what I usually do about a life living by the Spirit’s Power and living “Inside Out”. I gave him 20 Things God Can’t Do and a after explaining that anything conditional in the book could be done in the power of the Spirit if he would “Just Ask “I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” on the inside and along with by the Spirit’s power. I told him I would pray for him each day for a year and said that now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. He had to head out so I said thanks for talking to me and headed out the door of the lounge.

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 held joy and peace in Christ to bless you. I had a good day on campus and at lunch. An African American Student, Aniya and a Latina Student Amaya, each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray they are blessed. Their stories are below if you have some time.

Aniya was sitting reading in the ground floor hallway that goes on to head towards the bookstore, close to where you come out of the other buildings. I guess you are in the SRC there. She was wearing a blue long-sleeve sweatshirt and had long black straightened hair past her shoulders. Her blue jeans were cut off at the ankles and she had white tennis shoes on. When I later saw her face as I walked away, she had a cheerful bright cute face.  When I asked her what she would say to God if she died and He asked her why He should let her into Heaven she said, “He would say Yes.” I asked her again then what she would say to be let in. She said, “I know I’ve made mistakes. As I am standing right in front of Him I would say, ‘I pray you would change me and cleanse me.’” She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. She said she went to Church. I began to go through the Gospel and she did not seem to know what God had done to take away her sins. So I continued going through the Gospel with her and she listened closely to everything I had to say. I asked her if she would want to be forgiven for her sins, trusting in Jesus and what He had done to cleanse her from sin. Or if she thought something else, stating a couple other religious possibilities. “The first one,” she replied. I said that if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked through the prayer explaining it. I said she could pray the prayer right now silently. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear you and you’d know you were forgiven.” “Yes thank you,” she replied. And she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I took it back saying she could keep it and explained living by the Spirit’s power. I gave her a Bible Study on the deity of Christ explaining a bit of the content. I also gave her 20 Things God Can’t Do explaining how anything the book said she needed to do, God would give her the power to do by the Holy Spirit in her. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” on the inside. I said there were 100 Bible verses the writer thought were important in the back. “Thank you. I have a Bible but have not looked at it in a while.” I said I would pray for her each day for a year. She was grateful and I got up to leave turning to see her face as she took down her mask and we said goodbye.

Amaya was lying on a bench on the second floor of the BIC building waiting for her friend to get out of class. I never saw her face under her mask, as I had to end a bit rushed since her girlfriend came out of the classroom, but she had pretty eyes and the perfect eyebrows shaped just so. She had long dark hair past her shoulders, styled a bit. She had long white nails and her jean jacket over a black mock turtle sleeveless top had shredded sections up the arms and elsewhere to look distressed.  I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “I have a lot of compassion my mom taught me. I always forgive and I don’t judge. I understand going to church is important too. My Dad is an alcoholic and has been sober 1 year. I have compassion on him because I know he is trying.” She thought she had a 90% chance of going to Heaven. She listened closely to the gospel and seemed very interested. She did not seem to know what Jesus had done to take away her sins but guessed, “Confession.” I said that was true you needed to confess and God would forgive, but the priest is telling you God forgives you because he knows God got paid and went on to explain how the Blood of Christ forgave her. I had finished all of the Gospel except trusting by faith when her girlfriend showed up. But she was at once captivated by her phone (probably because she had not been able to look at it in class) so that gave me a few moments to finish. I asked Amaya if she would want to be forgiven for her sins, trusting in Jesus, or thought something else and she said she would want to be forgiven. So I said there was a prayer she could pray and talked through it with her, asking her if she would want to pray silently, “Yeah we can do it,” she replied and she prayed to receive Jesus. I gave her a Bible study with just a bit of a description and then gave her the book Bible Promises for You. I wrote her name and “From Bob” in the front and she said, “Oh that’s my Dad’s name.” “Oh cool,” I replied and then wrote “forgiven” and the date saying, “That’s the day you were forgiven and you can always remember.”  “Thank you so much,” she said in response as I handed her the book. I told her I would pray for her each day for a year and said the likelihood she would go to Heaven now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus was 100%. “Thank you so much,” she said again and I said thanks for talking with me and headed off leaving her with her friend.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry on campus 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 and He protected you from every form of evil. I had a pretty good day on campus. I hopefully got some good seeds planted and an African American guy Fashawn prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray he is blessed. His story is below if ya want to spend the time.

Fashawn was sitting in the hall that leads one to the books store on a couch. He had thin braids in a mop 4 or so inches long, but the back of his head was mostly shaved. When I saw his face as I walked away at the end he had full lips and a slightly wider nose, handsome guy. He had black skinny jeans on with shredded knees and patches, a dark grey hoodie. When I asked him what he would say to God if he died and He asked “Why should I let you into Heaven?” he said without hesitation, “Because I’m a good person.” He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. He had been to church, but covid had thrown off his attendance. I began to explain the Gospel to him and he leaned forward to listen, very interested. I explained each of the points, asking him what the big thing Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world was, and he knew why Jesus had died. I explained the Blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin and the imputed righteousness of Christ which seemed new to him. But he gave ascent to things I said, nodding, or by voice through his mask. As I finished explaining faith in the work of Christ saved him, I showed him the circles in the booklet.  I asked if he’d want to be forgiven for his sins, trusting in what Jesus had done and he cut me off before I could explain what other religions taught saying, “Nah, I’m the one on the right.” (The circle with Christ inside you on the throne of your life.) So I said, “It seems like you hadn’t had a chance to trust in this, put all this together before?” He agreed nodding so I said, “If you wanted to be forgiven, there’s a prayer you could pray.” I walked him through it, explaining it and said he could pray it quietly where only God would hear and he nodded and prayed to receive Christ. I explained the Christian life walking by the Spirit’s power “inside out”. He did not have his own Bible, saying he thought he had one in his room that was his brother’s. So I gave him a Bible, putting his name and the date and forgiven in the front. I showed him the “Where to Turn” section in the back to answer questions and encouraged him to email me if he had any. I gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ and 20 Things God Can’t Do writing his name and ‘by the Spirit’s power’ in the front. I’d asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died and he said, “Make my mom proud.” So I gave him Bible Promises for You, saying he could tell his mom he’d received Christ and give her a present. Somehow it came up I rode a motorcycle and he said his dad used to until he almost killed his mom on it. I told him I prayed when I went on a ride. I told him that trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness, the likelihood he would go to heaven was 100%. I told him I would pray for him for a year and he said he’d pray for me too—what could he pray for? I said that I would be patient talking to Jerks. “Yeah we wouldn’t want you to bust a cap on anyone,” he replied and I agreed that would be a bad plan. I got up to go and he was grateful 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 and the weekend holds fellowship and joy in the Lord for you. I had a good day on campus and Cam a big offensive lineman on the football team prayed with me to receive Jesus. I also sat and talked with Tia, a small Latina girl (who is effectively in a cult group on campus). I have bumped into her on campus a few times. Those details are below if you have time. Thanks for your prayers for me and the students who come to Christ.

Tia knows the Gospel. She is a professing Christian but is in the Chicago International Church of Christ. This is effectively a cult-like group on campus that used to be called the Chicago Church of Christ and came out of the Boston Church of Christ. They teach that your righteousness and baptism save you along with the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Of course, we have no righteousness of our own to offer God. She asked me some questions and asked about baptism today; saying someone they had been teaching had rejected her pretty severely when she brought it up. We sat out on a bench in the sunshine outside the SRC building. I quoted Paul saying in 1Cor. 1:14 to her “I thank God that I baptized none of you” saying he would not have said that if it had been salvific to baptize. He would have gone after it right away with everyone.  I also explained that Peter teaches baptism saves you by an appeal to God for a clean conscience (1Peter 3:21). She asked, “What about Christ’s saying that they should baptize in Matthew?” I said that was a directive to the Apostles that they should baptize, but Jesus does not say that someone is not saved were they not baptized. If there was some kind of delay between their baptism and when they believed in Jesus as their Savior, placing their trust in Him, there is no passage that says this will send you to Hell. I explained that the Holy Spirit enters you when you believe and seals you. There is no place in the Bible that says the Holy Spirit enters you when you are baptized. You are one with the Holy Spirit then when you believe and you cannot go to Hell because the Holy Spirit cannot go to Hell. I said baptism is a religious work and there is no list in the Bible of good things you must do to be saved, though there is a list of evil things that if you do not do them you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. I recited some then and she agreed. I asked her what she thought the Bible taught about baptism and she said she had gotten a teaching on it when she had first gotten involved with the Church but had not studied it deeper. I accepted that. We talked a bit more and she ran off to work at Starbucks. So I will be praying we can talk further.

 Cam was sitting in the PE lounge. He is a very big dude, an offensive lineman for the football team.  He’s African American. He had a round face and soft features, a large nose (like John Krasinski from the Office TV show) and dark skin. His hair was pulled up into a ball over his head, and he wore grey sweats and a dark blue t-shirt, purple stud earrings. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I don’t know. I tried my hardest even though I messed up and I’ll keep messing up. I think that’s all people can do. I know I failed you a lot, I have tried. If I had more time I’d keep trying.” He thought he had about a 60% chance of going to Heaven. He listened carefully to the Gospel then and agreed with me as I went. I asked what the big thing Jesus had done to take away his sins was and he said, “I’m not from here. Back at my Church in Indiana my pastor gave this sermon. It was before I believed anything about God, and it was like he was right in front of me like we are talking across the table.” Cam didn’t seem to be able to communicate the content of the sermon but he was trying to express when he felt like he’d had an experience with God. I’ve had people tell me about an intense experience in their lives when I asked that question before. “Well, God takes away your sin with Jesus,” I replied after we said a few more things about what had happened in that sermon, “and I think that your pastor would say something like this about how that happened.” I went on to explain the Gospel and Jesus’ cleansing blood, which he agreed with, and the imputed righteousness of Christ. I talked about receiving Christ by faith and not by trying to do good things. I asked him which kind of person he was. Did he want to trust in Jesus and what he had done to be forgiven for his sins or did he think something else? “I would love to be forgiven for my sins,” Cam replied earnestly. I said that if he wanted to be forgiven, there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it and asked if it was what he wanted and he said yes. I said he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear him, but God would hear and then he would know he was forgiven trusting in Jesus. He said “OK,” and I said, “Just pretend I’m not here.” And he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I told him he could keep the booklet when he had finished and used learning the plays on a foot ball team by drilling over and over and the outside would become the inside until it was automatic. “Right,” he agreed. “But Christianity is the opposite,” I said. “You ask God to transform you on the inside by His Spirit and then you become a good man who does good things on the outside. Everything is by the Spirit’s Power. The book of James says you do not have because you do not ask, so just ask. God will help you to do anything that He wants you to do and make you as successful in doing it as you need to be to continue on the path He has for you.” I told him if he was trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness, the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave him a Bible study on ways Jesus claims to be God and the book 20 Things God Can’t Do and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” and “By the Spirit’s Power” in the front. As I got up I said I would “pray for him each day for the next yea.r” “This is perfect timing,” he replied. “’Cause life has been throwing me a curve ball. I think this was meant to be,” he said happily. “That’s good to hear, thanks man,” I replied and I headed out having said I’d see him around.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day had joy and peace in Christ to guide it. I had a good day on campus by the day’s end when two African American students, Anthony and Laila, each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray they are blessed. Anthony took a real step of faith. Juan was close to the kingdom, a soccer goalie at school wearing a Yankees cap in the PE lounge. Classic good-looking Latino guy with a short hair cut, businessman features. He felt he needed to think about a commitment to Christ.  Anthony and Laila’s stories are below if you have some time.

 Anthony is about 6’5″. He was wearing shorts and white socks and grey Crocs with a light gray hoodie. He had a round face (I saw as he walked away) and kind of a pug nose. His Afro was about 5 inches high pushing out of his hood. He was sitting under the stairs near the doors of the SRC building. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I feel like I can’t really tell God. He should know. He sees all the bad people do. So someone could lie even though He sees everything but it would be a trap.” “Like a trick question?” I put in. He agreed. “The thought of Heaven is scary though—you die, where you go after.” I asked him the likelihood he would go to Heaven and he similarly said, “I hope, I can’t really say.” I went through the Gospel with him and the righteousness of God and asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. “The easy answer is ‘Be forgiven for my sins’. I believe in God, not the God that is taught.” He went on to say there were so many different likes of Bibles, (he meant translations I think). I agreed there were certainly more than 40, but they were like a teacher in a class having everyone put a sentence in their own words. They would be a little different but they would mean the same thing. There are not translations of the Bible that say Jesus is not God, did not die for your sins and rose again from the dead. None of the translations change doctrines. I said the Greek and Hebrew scholars have nailed down what the translations came from and you can get a Bible that is simply trying to be as close to the original as you can get in English.  (Cult translators btw might change a verse or two. But there are so many ways Jesus claims to be God and even Old testament passages saying the Messiah is God. They change a couple a bit, to try to get around Jesus deity, but miss the majority.] That really seemed to settle something for him, explaining something he had not understood. And he said, “You really changed my perspective.” I talked to him about the prophecy in the Bible, saying Isaiah 53 said Jesus would die between two evil guys and be buried in a rich man’s tomb. I said the Bible has many prophecies in it that are fulfilled in Jesus. The Gita of the Hindu faith and the Quran don’t ever predict the future. That is how you know God wrote the Bible. Other people wrote those books. Only God knows the future. I explained how Christ could live inside him, giving him the power to live the Christian life, and he would be forgiven. So I talked him through the prayer expecting to just say you could think about this and pray it later. But instead I offered it to him in that moment, asking if that is what he would want. I asked him if he would want to take a step of faith and ask God to continue to help him understand. He said the prayer was like what he had heard in a friends Bible study he had attended. (I imagine those people were praying for him.) He hesitated and I said I do not want to pressure you at all and he said it was weird praying, talking to someone you cannot see. I agreed, but then he prayed to receive Christ and seemed happy. I explained living by the Holy Spirit’s Power. I gave him a copy of The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet and providentially turned right to the chapter that was titled, “With all the differences between the New Testament manuscripts how can we trust the Bible?” I said that was kind of what he was asking. I gave him a copy of the Bible Study on the Deity of Christ which begins with Isaiah 9:6 and explained how the Old Testament taught the Messiah would be God. I also gave him the book Bible Promises for You encouraging him to read the Bible. I wrote his name and the date, “By the Spirit’s Power” (explaining he could ask for more faith or anything he needed from the Lord) and “forgiven!” on the inside and he liked that and thanked me. I said he could text me any question he had or email me and I gave him my number. He seemed happy about that. I told him I would pray for him every day for a year. “That’s hard to believe,” he said. I said it might be, but I make a list of people who pray with me and pray for them every day and it is a habit now. He accepted that and had to run for his ride. He flashed me a smile as his mask came off so I could picture him when I prayed for him.

Laila was sitting at a counter height table as I began to walk out past the bookstore. She said she’d do a survey. I was so tired at that point I was almost disappointed, having gone through the Gospel with quite a few students today.  She had a cute small face and did not seem very big over all, ran track at school. She had a hoodie on with some Anime characters on it and a ball cap with a long thick braid coming down out the back of her black baseball cap. She wore a black mask that she pulled up as we began to talk. So I got her name and began. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven and she said, “So I can see my Grandma before He sends me down,” and she laughed. She thought she had more than a 50% chance of going to Heaven, that she thought would get more likely as she got older and got more done. She seemed to be listening attentively to the Gospel. Her pretty eyes seemed concentrated, but I wasn’t sure at all how receptive she was to the verses. When I finished I asked her if she thought she would want to be forgiven for her sins or thought something else. “I get a lot of people coming up and talking to me about this kind of stuff and this seemed accurate. The rest seemed like a load of bull.” I mentioned the Holy Spirit’s power to help her if He lived inside her and then said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I walked her through it. I asked her if it was something she believed and wanted to pray. She nodded and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I told her then she could keep the booklet and said it had more about faith in it and explained living “Inside out” where first God transformed you and then you did good things. She said she liked to read, so I gave her the Bible Study on the deity of Jesus, how He claims to be God. I also gave her 20 Things Go Can’t Do explaining how anything the book said she needed to do, God would give her the power to do by the Holy Spirit in her. I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven” on the inside. She seemed grateful and I said, “Thanks so much for talking with me and praying with me. It’s so kind of you.” “You’re welcome,” she said cheerfully. “Have a good one,” I said walking away. ‘’You too,” she replied and I headed out to the truck.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things in the Lord as you walked with Him. I had a good day on campus and Leo and Jake each prayed with me to receive Christ. Please pray a blessing on their lives in Christ. Jake had some personal struggles he was going through. Their stories are below if you have time. I have had no further contact with the police also so I am grateful for that, though my Lawyer has had me figuring some things out with others on campus.

Leo was sitting outside on a bench to the west of the doors into the SRC. He was enthusiastic about talking about God. When I asked him one thing he’d want to do before he died he said, “Find out the truth of God.” He looked and sounded Latino. He was trying to grow a beard here and there (had the Michael Jordan mustache that isn’t really one going). He was not a big guy; his ears had gages in them no bigger around than a pencil. He had a good looking face, kind of a young Ricardo Montalbán, crossed with Marlon Brando with much more youthful features. He had on a black and white shirt, styled like a bowling shirt, black Jeans and black tennis shoes with a white stripe. The top edge of a tattoo was just visible on his chest and he had some ink on one forearm. He said he had been a Methodist, a Mormon and a Baptist. When I asked him what he would say to get into Heaven he struggled with a response so I said, “What is it you think will get you into Heaven?” “Deeds and actions,” he replied. Then he said, “By how I behaved when I was alive.” He was sure he would go to Heaven, 100%. Though at first he said it was a hard question. I went through the Gospel with him, explaining that we don’t go to Heaven because we have done good, but because Jesus is good. I explained that his good deeds and actions pleased God on one level. But they could not pay for his sins, as only perfect actions could pay for destructive actions we’ve done. But we are not perfect so we cannot pay, so God pays Himself. He becomes a man and lives a perfect life for us, sacrificing Himself. As I finished the Gospel, I asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins, trusting in what Jesus had done for him to be forgiven. He asked me to say it again not realizing I was asking a question. I said it a bit differently and he said, “Go with Jesus.” I said that if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done, there was a prayer he could pray.  Then God could live inside him with His Spirit and give him the strength. The Spirit would transform him on the inside so he could do good things on the outside. I walked him through the prayer and asked if it was the desire of his heart. “Yeah,” he replied. If he wanted to he could pray it silently to be forgiven, I told him and he nodded. He took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life more thoroughly and the Fruit of the Spirit. I gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Jesus and 20 Things God Can’t Do writing his name and the date and “Forgiven!” on the inside of the book along with “Just ask” and By the Spirit’s power. He thanked me and I told him to email me if he had any questions.

I said hi to Karina who was sitting without her mask, only seeing her later from a distance. I had not gotten a good look at her before with it on. I told her I was praying for her.

Jake was sitting in the cafeteria at the window counter. He was about to watch a paintball fight video on his computer. He had very short red hair on the sides and a slightly longer stick straight mop on top. He wore a red hoodie and green baggy pants, had earrings. Looked like the creative type. Thin face, sharp good-looking features, not a big guy at all. He said he wanted to travel out of the US and see Germany. He was German and Irish (the latter of which he credited for his bright red hair). He showed me the silver cross around his neck and I said, “This will be a good conversation then,” smiling.  When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I may have made some mistakes but I have learned from them and become a better person because of it.” He said it had been a few years since he’d been to church. He also said, “I needed this,” and said, “Sorry I’m a little emotional,” as we talked. He seemed to have some hard stuff going on, though it did not seem to be his girlfriend who he mentioned or school. I later asked him if I could pray for anything specific or a category, he just said, “Personal.” I said, “Good enough,” and said I’d ask people to pray for him. Please pray he finds comfort or resolution. I went through the Gospel and Christ’s imputed righteousness and salvation by faith not by works. I asked if he would want to be forgiven, trusting in Jesus and he said he would. I slowly talked him through the prayer asking if he’d like to pray it. “I did as you were reading it,” he replied. I said, “Ok, Amen?” and he said, “Yeah.” I told him that the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness. I gave him 20 Things God Can’t Do and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ too. He thanked me a couple times and I shook his hand saying I would pray for him. “Nice to meet you,” he said as I grabbed my backpack to go. “Nice to meet you too,” I replied. I’ll see you in Heaven.” He smiled at that and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. God truly blessed. 36 people have trusted Christ as Savior so far since school began this semester.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope ya had a great day walking with the Lord. It is still warm and sunny here, but a Grand Solar Minimum is predicted and a cold winter ahead. So I am grateful for the warm days outside.  Henry prayed with me to receive Jesus today. I’d be grateful for your prayers to bless him if you have a moment. I had a long hour and a half conversation with a Muslim guy, Anas (pronounced like Honest without the T. he told me). He took the Bible Study on places Jesus claims to be God in scripture. I offered him a Bible Promises for You Book but he said he could not carry that around, but had a bible on his phone he read sometimes. He grew up as a boy scout and learned some of Christianity there. He was disheartened by the lack of commitment he saw in the young Muslims he knew or had met. He had moral hopes for the world, but I said as Christians we believed most people would have no hope of even being moral without the power of the Holy Spirit in them, and they were not. He was a tenderhearted guy with a thick beard and mustache from Pakistan. His family has a booth in the mall where I get patches sown on my Biker vest so I hope to get in to see him sometime. Henry’s story is below if you have time.

Henry is African American and had a 4 inch afro with a rough top. He wore a black rock band t-shirt and grey sweats. His mask had been down when I first walked up and I saw he had a pencil thick mustache and a goatee. Good-looking guy. His glasses were the style with black tops and half-circle clear bottoms. He was sitting in the lunchroom beside a sandwich from subway still in the wrapper where it remained while we talked. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked why God should let him into Heaven. “I could say a lot of things…” he replied, paused and then said, “I always had faith in you.” Seeming not to want to sound proud, he said he had an 85% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he was very interested to hear the explanations. When I asked, he knew Jesus was “sacrificed” for our sins and he went to a Bible-teaching church as he described it. I explained the righteousness of God Christ had earned on our behalf that can be to our credit by faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins, trusting in Jesus or if he thought something else, and explained other religious options. “I would want to be forgiven for my sins trusting in Jesus,” he replied. So I walked him through the prayer and read, “It’s says here ‘Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?’ Have you ever actually said to God you would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done to save you?” I asked. “I haven’t really said it, I gotta be honest,” he replied. So I said he could pray the prayer right now silently and know he was forgiven, trusting in Jesus. He took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I went on to explain living “Inside out” saying he could have power to live the Christian life “By the Spirit.” I gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Jesus and 20 Things God Can’t Do writing his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front along with “Just Ask” and “By the Spirit” “Thank you, I appreciate it a lot.” He said.  I thanked him for talking to me and as I got up he said again, “Thank you I appreciate it a lot.” “Sure” I replied smiling. “I’ll see you in Heaven and you can tell me how things went.” And I headed out. Seeing him later outside the cafeteria I told him I would pray for him for the next year and he said, “Thanks appreciate it.”

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

In Him,

Bob