Eduardo’s Wife Is Dying

Finally, Eduardo was stepping out to his car. I had been gardening and hoped he would come outside. I ran to get the Magdalena DVD waiting by the front door and rushed across the street.

“This is for your wife,” I explained. “It is in Spanish.”

“Thank you,” he smiled weakly, the gold glistening on his teeth.

Eduardo accepted the DVD and I went on to tell him the movie was about Jesus and about the different women He healed. He thanked me and I concluded our brief conversation with, “We are praying for you.”

I wrote about our neighbors, Eduardo and Luz, before. They are Jehovah’s Witnesses and do not speak English very well. About two years ago, they accepted a “Jesus” DVD from me. (I only recently learned that JWs are not allowed to accept literature, so maybe a DVD or the Who Is He? Mini-CD are the best things to offer them.)

In just over a year, three families near us have faced the loss of a loved one. First, a seven-year-old granddaughter died from a car accident. Soon after that Eugene, a man in his fifties, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Now, Luz is dying at home and has daily hospice visits. I have been unable to communicate with Eduardo and Luz, but I have noticed her housekeeper has a Christian radio station bumper sticker on her car. I hope she has explained the Gospel to them and will also pray that Luz will be able to watch the Magdalena DVD and accept God’s free gift of life eternal or that God will miraculously heal her for His glory and to lead many of her family and JW friends to Christ!

This is also a reminder to all of us that we may not have more time to share with the people in our lives.

More help for reaching Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The Sower and His Seed

I learned a lot from Joe Jack Dement. Since the excellent video on the Parable of The Sower, featured in the last post, is only on the web temporarily, I am posting some thoughts I gleaned from this 80-year-old wheat farmer. Jesus explains the seeds and the meaning behind the birds, the footpath, and the other parallels in His parable. Mr. Dement’s knowledge of wheat farming adds to our understanding of the parable.

WHEN and WHERE
Just as the farmer casts the seed away from him, we can drop a little word about Jesus, a Bible verse, or a Scriptural truth as we interact with people every day. For instance, one day last week, I ran errands to five different stores. What normally would be drudgery for me was a joy as I shared a little conversation and tracts with nine people! My perspective was sowing, not shopping, as I went about my work.

WHO
We do not choose who gets to hear God’s message. God wants everyone to hear. God promises His Word will be active in a person’s life, even if we don’t see it. The seed becomes a fruitful plant over time and under the right conditions.

According to Mr. Dement, birds gather around the farmer, waiting for the seed sown on the path. Pray for the people who are not open to God’s Word to retain even a little bit of what you have sown. You do not need to fear that “the enemy” knows you are sowing. Pray for those who need to hear what you have to share with them. They are really the ones under attack!

Shallow soil means the plant will have no resistance and will dry up and die before maturity. To grow in Christ, people need to grow in their knowledge of the Word. As much as you possibly can, help this person get into the Word and into fellowship with believers. Even so, they may still have trouble when their faith hits the bedrock in their soul, so again, prayer is needed.

The seed growing in a weedy area was competing with a huge weed and did not yield fruit. Many people, rich or poor, are worried about their things and other financial concerns. When I share my faith I may even find that the Christians that I meet have not dealt with the weeds in their life and bear very little fruit for God. I suspect a lot of Americans are in the weedy category. Perhaps God will use the current economic woes to bring more people to follow him wholly.

I was very fascinated with the seed planted in good soil. One seed resulted in twelve plants, each with its own head of seed. I could not help but think of Jesus’s twelve disciples with their disciples. Farmer Dement said that 85% is a good, and a typical, yield. What if EACH Christian could leave a legacy of 85 mature Christians who are also telling others about Christ?

WHAT, HOW, and WHY
I named this blog The Sower because I envision that my Christian readers will be encouraged to speak about Christ frequently and everywhere. Thank you for visiting and please come back for more stories and answers to your questions to help you share your faith.

The Moral Choice

“Are you reading the Bible?” I asked as I sat at the kitchen table with a friend of our son’s, Aadesh.

“Yes,” he replied. Aadesh had asked for a Bible earlier this summer after I had told him that the Bible had a lot to say about financial principles.

“What are you reading?”

“Romans,” he replied.

Wow! I thought. What a deep book of the Bible to start in!

Aadesh explained that some other people had recommended Romans as a good place to start with to learn what God says about finances.

He was very interested and seemed to agree with me as I explained how Jesus’ resurrection validated His claims to be God. I had never talked to Aadesh before about his spiritual background and was not surprised to learn he comes from a strong Hindu background.

Aadesh is leaving for Oxford in a few months and feels he needs to make a decision about his faith now because he knows he will face moral and ethical decisions as a neurosurgeon. I was really impressed with his humility in recognizing this need. He was willing to take a book from me called Choosing Your Faith by Mark Mittelberg which I had purchased with him in mind.

Our conversation went very well, but I later realized, because of his background, Aadesh views Jesus as one god among many. He is exploring which god to choose and I was really not on the same wavelength as he was. In the future, I will need to write to him about Jesus’ claims to be the only way to God.

Today, I am sending him a narrative version of The Roman Road and am trusting God to speak to Aadesh through His living Word.

Jury Duty and the Truth

Kathy arrived at the courthouse with two books and a bunch of snacks, expecting to sit in the jury pool all day. No one wants a missionary as a juror, you know. At least that’s what all her friends told her. Within the first ten minutes of sitting in the potential jurors’ holding room, four cases were called up and about 100 people were needed, including Kathy.

Kathy was intimidated sitting in front of the judge, the attorneys, and the defendant for voir dire, where the attorneys ask questions to determine the six jurors for the case. Some of their questions were personal and humbling. Then, an attorney looked at Kathy’s profile which showed that she worked for Campus Crusade for Christ. He came over to her and asked her what she did.

She was a little tired and out of it, but she bravely said, “I work for the Jesus film. Have you heard of the Jesus film?”

“No,” he replied, a little surprised.

“The Jesus film is the most translated film in the world. We just reached 1000 language versions this summer. My job is to go to other countries and record these new language versions.”

“Oh, okay.”

He seemed finished with her and she seriously doubted they would pick her after that. However, she was picked for the case and was later picked as the foreman, the person who facilitates the deliberation among the jurors and gives the conclusion to the judge.

After the voir dire, one of the other six jurors, Rob, asked Kathy more about what she does. Kathy shared her testimony with him. They talked about what he believed, too. He seemed to think that as long as you believe SOMETHING, it’s okay. Sitting in the courthouse, they talked more about truth and how important truth is.

“In a science lab you can easily determine truth quickly, such as, this chemical plus that chemical results in this reaction. But for things that happen in the past, you must rely on evidence and testimony,” Kathy explained. “Take the four gospels for instance. To have that many similarities between four different eyewitnesses is amazing! And they all were willing to die for their testimony.”

Later in the deliberation room, the jurors took as much time as they could to deliberate and still couldn’t come to a unanimous conclusion. At first, Rob was scared to judge anyone. Later, Rob was adamant about his view of the truth (the man’s guilt). Kathy prayed God would continue to show Rob that truth is important and that Jesus is the Truth.

Since Kathy works in an office with hundreds of Christians, she is around believers much of the time and finds it challenging to recognize everyday opportunities to share her faith. She had no idea jury duty could be so full of great opportunities. She admits being a little shy to talk to groups, but she spent all day with strangers who WANTED to talk with her about herself. She explained the Gospel to her captive audience, telling several people how Jesus changed her life. She is looking forward to her next jury duty opportunity to proclaim Christ boldly, speak up for the truth, and see what God will do!

NOTE: Most people get a jury summons in the mail and groan, but Kathy was excited. As part of her job, she had visited various countries where it is impossible for local citizens to have a voice in their government (and if they try, many are shot). So, Kathy considered it a great privilege to participate in a jury trial, as guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution.

The Jesus Memorial

I was not going to answer.

The doorbell rang this morning, and when Mike is not home, he has told me I do not need to answer the door.

Peering through the peephole, I saw an older man and a young boy. I still was not going to answer, just because I did not want to, but I felt compelled. I picked up a few tracts I keep by the door and turned the door knob.

The twelve-year-old boy held out a glossy flyer with a face of Christ on it. The man stood behind him holding a stack of flyers. “Would you like to go to a Jesus Memorial next Saturday?” the boy asked. “Would you take one of our flyers?”

“Is your church having an Easter service?”

“Sometimes we use the rodeo arena,” explained the older gentleman, “but this year we are meeting at Kingdom Hall.”

“Oh!” I replied. “We do not believe in the same Jesus. He is fully God and fully man.”

Just that quickly, the man mumbled something and left. I was a little surprised because Jehovah’s Witnesses would usually want to get into a discussion. I suspect he did not want to do that with the boy present.

The whole idea of a memorial service for Jesus struck me as so odd. Again, in hind sight, I think I would have said something to the effect that Jesus is alive, not dead!

Also, I did not want to open my door and I did not pray before opening my door. If I had been thinking about THEM, instead of ME, I could have had a better attitude and said a quick prayer, which may have resulted in a different ending to this story.

So, I offer this story in case someone comes to your door this week and invites you to a Jesus Memorial. You can be better prepared than I was. I also wrote on my Sower Tools website this week about some different ideas you might try for reaching out to people at Easter.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15b NIV

More help for reaching Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The Spirit-Filled Life, Part Two

Just one week later, Beverly was radiant. I approached her after the church service.

“How was your week?” I asked.

“God was so good,” she replied. She had asked God to resolve a long-standing accounting problem at work and it cleared up that day. By Friday, when she normally would deal with the week’s stresses by having dinner and cocktails with friends, she ordered ice tea.

“What did your husband think?

“It’s funny,” Beverly explained, “but it’s not my husband that encourages my having a few cocktails. It’s me. He hasn’t had a drink in fifteen years! He’s actually said before, ‘you don’t have to drink if you don’t want to’. It’s more me and the relaxation thing. I believe the crux of the matter is the stress that comes with my work and finding a new/alternative way to blow off some steam!”

Beverly then shared about a phone call from two girlfriends on Wednesday. Both had had too much to drink. Beverly was able to call one of her friends back on Thursday. She shared how God was helping her and encouraged her friend to return to church.

“It was good for me to be aware of how silly my friends were when they were drunk,” Beverly continued. “I love the interaction with our friends, and I think it’s important that I face the temptation to drink because it’s always going to be there one way or the other throughout the rest of my life. It’s a matter of my being willing and able to listen to my ‘inner voice’. One of the girls I socialize with is one that I’m praying for her salvation, and if I avoid contact with her, how can I ever share the gospel with her and be a witness as far as the changes in my life? I’ve already told her that I’m going to church, and shared with her.”

Beverly and I had exchanged a few e-mails during the week after she had prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. She closed one of her e-mails with: “What you showed me yesterday regarding asking forgiveness immediately and not letting the guilt fester is important for me to do. I’ve already put that into action. Thanks for your concern and help. Please keep in touch with me.”

So already, in one week, Beverly has applied allowing the Holy Spirit to direct her life and begun sharing about her new life with her family and several friends.

Part 2 of 2 < Prev Next >

In Memoriam

Even though we had known each other for fifteen years, I did not talk to our neighbor, Sonia, very often. We would have a little conversation once in a rare while. We prayed together out on the street the morning of 911. I had not really talked to her much since that morning as I stood at her door early in 2007. She invited me in and our conversation took an unexpected turn.

“Rajan is an alcoholic,” she told me. I was shocked! I never suspected Sonia’s husband had a drinking problem.

“I’m thinking about a divorce,” Sonia confessed.

I was stunned as I knew Sonia is a strong, charismatic Christian and that she travelled frequently in her ministry to others. I encouraged her to trust and obey God and to stay married. By the time I left, Sonia’s mood had shifted. She was praising God and decided to stay with Rajan. I was rejoicing, too, that God had led me to her home that day to keep her from making the wrong decision.

And then, on December 31st, we were just about to start our annual family New Year’s Eve party with food, games and a movie when the doorbell rang. Mike opened the door and stepped out to talk to Sonia. In a minute, he motioned to me to join them.

Sonia was sobbing as she explained that her seven-year-old granddaughter was dead. Little Janel’s spinal cord was damaged in a car accident. She had been brain dead for three days and the family had stopped life support that afternoon.

The funeral home was packed out and overflowing yesterday. The family spoke of their trust in God and assured us that Janel knew the Lord and was now with Him.

As we start a new year and in thinking about my experience with this neighbor, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you for 2008:

• Our lives are short. I don’t know how long I will live or how long anyone else will live. Young girls and old men. Close family and distant strangers. Struggling Christians and confirmed agnostics. Today is the day to share my faith with them.

• I should not have assumed my Christian neighbors were “all right” and did not need me. I was naïve to think they would not have struggles.

• I need to be in prayer and available if God would choose to use us further to help our neighbors through the difficult years ahead. I need to pray that Rajan turns to Christ and not to alcohol and that this child’s death may even be used to heal their marriage.

Ramadan

I could not keep my eyes off his name tag. The check-out clerk did not look Middle Eastern, but his name tag read, “Ramadan.” I knew Muslims fast during daylight hours for thirty days during the month of Ramadan.

“I have never seen anyone with that name,” I observed. “Is that your faith?”

“Yes,” Ramadan replied. “I was born during Ramadan.”

Since I knew Muslims have a great respect for Isa (Jesus), I offered him the Who is He mini-CD. Also, because I wondered whether Ramadan would be interested in printed material, I felt confident he would check out this small powerhouse tool. The minis-CD has an entire Bible, apologetics, the Gospel in 27 languages and more!)

You can also have a part in reaching Muslims for Christ through praying for them. TODAY begins the month-long observance of Ramadan. Since 1992, various groups have encouraged Christians to pray each day for the lost Muslims of the world during Ramadan. You can receive daily prayer requests through e-mail from this site or, if you prefer, go to this other site and click on a calendar for the prayer requests of that day.

Muslims are open and hungry for the Gospel and many are coming to Christ. According to Joel Rosenberg, more Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus today than in any other time in history. He also reported on a radio broadcast with Focus on the Family that the believers coming from Muslim backgrounds numbered 500 in Iran in 1979, the year the Ayatollah Khomeini took over. Because of his radicalism, many Muslims were disillusioned so that today, more than 1 million Iranians from a Shiite background have come to faith!

When the doors seemed to close to missionaries, the doors never closed for God!

According to 30-days.net, “80% of new Christians in South Asia come to Christ as a direct result of supernatural encounters. More than half of new believers in Iran have had a dream or vision of Jesus and at least 35% of all recent Turkish conversions were in response to a dream and/or vision.”

God promised people would see visions as we draw close to the Day of the Lord. (See Joel 2: 28 – 29. I just read today about an entire village that had a vision of Christ in the clouds which prepared their hearts for a “Jesus” film showing.)

Your love and prayers can change our world!

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. . . For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have?” ~ Matthew 4:44, 46a

Up in the Air

Sometimes it might be difficult to get a conversation going. You’ve been there, I’m sure. Perhaps you’re seated next to someone for a transcontinental flight, like I was last month. After repeated attempts, I just could not get into a spiritual subject with Shelly.

“Are you interested in spiritual things?” I finally just asked her, like stepping out into mid-air.

We went through the “Would You Like to Know God Personally” booklet even though she indicated she was a Christian. Again, I was not very confident of her spiritual foundation, so I felt I must present the Gospel and not assume she was a believer.

When we were finished, I asked, “So what do you think God wants you to do, now that He had you sit next to me?”

“I think I should start going to church,” she replied.

This will be a big commitment for her as the only church she likes is 45 minutes away.

I have had other instances where I am standing there praying for someone and just do not seem to get any ideas on where to take the conversation. .Perhaps God did not want me to speak. (Paul was forbidden to speak in Asia in Acts 16:6. God’s plan was to use Peter and others to take the Gospel to these people. See Acts 2:9; I Peter 1: 1.)

So, I recommend at least trying to speak with people. Most of the time, natural opportunities come up as you are available. I try not to use the lack of knowing what to say as an excuse

The Seed of the Church

The details were grisly and shocking. The brutal murder of three Christians has the attention of many people in Turkey and around the world.

Susanne, the wife of the German missionary, told reporters, “Oh, God forgive them, for they know not what they do,” quoting Jesus’ words on the Cross.

Her words are powerful in a world where revenge is the norm.

We do not know at this time what the impact of the murders and of her forgiveness will have on Turkey. Throughout the centuries, wherever martyrdom occurs, the church grows. As Tertullian, the historian, wrote, “in the blood of the martyrs lies the seed of the Church”.

I am impressed today that I need to be praying. I am going to start a page in my prayer notebook to write the names of martyrs in order to pray for the good that God will bring.

The first ones I am adding are: Tilman Geske, Pastor Necati Aydin, and Ugur Yuksel.

Will you join with me in praying that the seed sown in Turkey will grow to bring many Turks into God’s kingdom? God will make sure their deaths were not in vain.