uh...this is true!!!

here is a video with ed gungor, a pastor in tulsa ok, articulating reaching people in a very understandable way...even practicle. this was a very simply put and very well said. i related with about everything he said and thank God i realize now that full time ministry isn't getting a paycheck from a church or a ministry, rather full time ministry is a way of life. it's what i am not what i do...i have worked for churches. i have worked for ministries. i have been paid extremely well and have been paid very little for my work "in the ministry" but when it comes down to it working with a bunch of christians in a christian environment, talking about christian stuff is not minisry!!! yes you can minister in those environments of course but just because i work "in ministry" doesn't mean i am in full time ministry. ministry is serving people, sharing the gospel, helping those in need...whether someone is paid for it or not doesn't dictate it. well put ed, well put!

all i got for now...peace!

i love to see this...there really is nothing better

so uh some friend of mine...well, acquantinces that i have known for a long time recently sent me an update on there website that i thought was really challenging and rewarding to see. the site is http://www.globalventures.tv and there names are john and martine smithwick . they are relentless at going to unreached nations and i love it. i was recently asked by them if they could use some of my songs about "reaching people" for an upcoming reality show that shows real life evangelism and of COURSE i said yes. it's why i wrote the songs...i was super blessed by some of the videos that had on there new globalventures.tv page and wanted to share it with you as well...i sat and watched a few of them with tears in my eyes watching people come to jesus. man! it really is the best thing to see. when 1 person comes to jesus man all of heaven rejoices. when someone who doesn't have any hope of hearing the gospel because they are unreached and someone like john goes i have to sit back and ask myself how can i help? what can i do to further the gospel...i hope the video below touches your heart like it did mine...



peace seeya next time!

thoughts from a fallen champ

most of you know how mush of a crazy MMA or mixed martial arts fan i am...one of the best was found dead last week while on a desert excursion all by his self...this is a link to a news page that talks about it...he was a former UFC middle weight champ, and i was surprised at some of the things he said in this video that was filmed a few weeks before his death...

back in the studio

finally back in the studio. i am recording 4 "full productions" songs. at this point i am really happy with the way things are coming out. and it is going very fast where as before it took, it seemed, forever to get something done...not only that but the songs seem better and more thought out than before...the songs just seem better. i think the biggest thing is i am not going into it blind like before. i knew what to expect therefore it has made it easier to get things done quicker. i am really excited about the songs i am doing and i can't wait for you guys to here what we have been working on. for the most part most will know 3 of the songs because we do them at church, but to hear them with full production on a cd is exciting to me...i will probably make this small project some sort of an EP and send it off to some labels, you know, see what happens. either way i am glad to be recording again.

peace out

like a good neighbor

ok so i haven't posted in awhile...and i realize that you can get busy and not make it a priority. not that posting on a blog is a huge priority but i do enjoy it and wanted to get going again...the whole reason i started this blog was to keep myself accountable and to share my walking out of witnessing to people...you know, talk about telling people about jesus without reservations!!!

so the other night i had to get something out of my car around 1030 at night. this would be a walk to my car that would open up a door, uh not a car door...wow that was stupid, ok nevermind, anyways... it would be a walk to my car that would mean more than getting something. so my neighbor who we've known since we lived where we live was sitting outside taking a late night smoke and of course i said hello as normal...got what i needed to get out of my car, walked past her again, and again said the normal seeya...then the door opened wide, somehow a question was raised about my church and next thing you know i am sharing the gospel with her...i was simply talking to her about jesus taking our place, and that God is not mad at us...as i was just getting done sharing 2 other neighbors showed up and interupted (not on purpose) the conversation...because of it i really had no way of praying with her at the moment. although tonay and i would have made a it a point to finish that conversation, pray with her...none the less my neighbor asked about our church. i gave her the information and went back home...

sunday rolled around and incomes my neighbor and her daughter who is 6 years old. my wife pulled her in and had her sit next to her during service...long story short mark one of my pastors gave an invitation to receive jesus at the end of the message...my neighbor raised her hand and prayed the prayer...prayed the prayer of salvation...yes she in fact asked jesus to come into her heart!!! this my friends made so happy because we have been planting and watering "if you will" for months and to see it walked out on sunday was really a wonderful thing...my neighbors for the most part know why we are in scottsdale and why we moved here...so 1 by 1 they are hearing about why i am here and who i believe in...thank God he is faithful...

below is one of my favorite hymns and i have always loved singing it. this whole thing with my neighbor reminds me so much of this song and how jesus paid it all...seeya next time...

man what a sobering message...

if you can watch the whole thing it will definitely remind us of the work ahead of us as the church. i am so inspired about reaching people. hearing this message i am reminded of how much i love to see the lost, those who don't know jesus, reached. at the end of my life i want to say that i lived to see this world reached with the gospel...what a great and wonderful job we have!

just found this interesting read, hmm might be an idea

found this article surfing the internet and thought it was interesting. sounds like we might need to revisit this idea. although it didn't bring the results they intended it's still something we should always be pursuing, reaching people with the gospel, bringing people to jesus! take a read...

In 1972, Campus Crusade for Christ had a huge evangelistic conference in Dallas, TX called Explo ‘72. Attendees were equipped and sent home with the vision of sharing the Gospel with every person in the United States of America by 1976. Though it did not happen, the campaign did “reach” millions with the Gospel.

Phase One of the project was to wear buttons and have billboards and newspaper advertisements that read: “I Found It!” (’it’ meaning eternal life). Phase Two involved trained volunteers making millions of evangelistic telephone calls. Those who prayed with the volunteers, were “visited by the volunteers, given follow-up literature, and encouraged to join a Bible study group in their neighborhood.”

By the end of 1976, 6.5 million people had been contacted, and 536,824 people had indicated they trusted Christ for salvation (60,000 of those joining the neighborhood Bible study group). It was estimated that 50 million people saw the television special that went along with the campaign! Amazing stats...seemed quite effective at “reaching” the United States with the Gospel.

“Though the campaign’s statistics seemed, good, the campaign drew criticism from experts on church growth. Win Arn noted that few of the converts actually joined local churches. For example, in Edmonton, Canada, 1,700 workers from 63 participating churches recorded 1,009 decisions for Christ. Only 250 of those people actually attended one Bible study, and not a single person became a church member as a result of the campaign. In Indianapolis 823 volunteer made 28,976 telephone calls. These calls produced 1,665 decisions for Christ. However, only 242 attended a Bible study, and only 55 became church members. Of these, 23 were transfers from another church. Therefore, the net gain in membership in area churches was 32”

Now this is singin!!!