Posts

2012: The End?

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This morning my friend Lisa joined me in sharing the gospel with folks at the Fargo Street Fair. During this outreach, we saw ten people pray to receive salvation. I also encountered a man who tried preaching to me. When I asked him where he would spend eternity when his life ended, he replied “2012” and then rambled on about why he believes the world will end on December 21st of that year. Another man I talked to minutes earlier also made reference to 2012. Late last year I saw the motion picture “2012”, which I thought of as a mixture of “Armageddon”, “Titanic”, and “Independence Day.” Although the movie was well produced, it was biblically inaccurate. First of all, “2012” showed the whole earth flooded by a great tsunami. God promised in Genesis 9:11, “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Secondly, the Bible says the world will suffer th...

New Disciples in North Dakota

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This week I returned to Fargo, North Dakota where I was born (but raised in the bordering city of Moorhead, Minnesota). For several days prior to arriving here, I had recurring thoughts of sharing the gospel at North Dakota State University, a college some of my family members attended. My late grandfather also taught entomology there. Two days ago as I was preparing to leave a Caribou Coffee shop in West Fargo, I noticed a young man working on his laptop and felt impressed to minister to him. Tito wasn’t sure of his eternal destiny but prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Tito is originally from Manhattan and I noticed him wearing an MSUM (Minnesota State University Moorhead) shirt. But strangely enough, Tito is a student at NDSU. I took that as a confirmation that God wanted me to minister there that day. After riding my bike to NDSU and briefly resting in the Student Union, I went out evangelizing and set a goal for 10 salvations. Nine more names were a...

Get Off The Fence

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A lot of people have a tendency to put things off until the last minute. Unfortunately, that includes receiving salvation. Examples of procrastinators in the Bible include Pharaoh delaying deliverance from the plague of frogs in Exodus chapter 8. When the Apostle Paul presented the gospel to Felix in Acts 24, the governor’s reply in verse 25 was to meet again “at a convenient time.” When you are out evangelizing, you’ll encounter people that claim they will get right with God at a later time. Some have this idea they must clean themselves up first before they can commit their lives to the Lord. Yesterday in Lincoln, Illinois, the Lord led me to approach a woman sitting by herself on a park bench. This woman used to go to church but had backslidden and admitted to having an affair with a married man. I reminded her of various Scriptures including Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” After mi...

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

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Dear Mr. President, I’m a Christian missionary who has previously lived and worked in Washington, DC. I write this letter out of concern for the great nation that you currently lead. Yesterday you held a “Gay Pride” reception at the White House. I first found out about this after discovering a lesbian teenager was invited to attend. Constance McMillen, a Mississippi high school student, had her senior prom canceled because she couldn’t take her “girlfriend” to the prom. In an interview two years ago at Saddleback Church in California, Pastor Rick Warren asked you to define marriage. You replied, “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian...it’s also a sacred union. You know, God’s in the mix.” As a Christian, Mr. President, why are you publicly endorsing lifestyles that clearly go against God’s word? As a brother in Christ, I strongly advise you to read Romans 1:18-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. By encouragi...

Hospitality and the Harvest

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Being a missionary can be an exciting adventure but it will challenge one to go beyond their comfort zone. In her book “Tramp for the Lord,” Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom wrote about traveling from place to place having to sleep in a different bed every night. This elderly Dutch woman was grateful for the many people who gave her places to stay so she could share God’s love throughout the world. I believe Corrie reaped a harvest of hospitality as a result of her family hiding Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines hospitality as “the act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.” There are numerous examples in Scripture of God’s people extending hospitality. In Genesis 19, Lot eagerly invited into his home two traveling strangers who turned out to be angels. Lot not only housed and fed his guests but also protected them from the Sodomites. In return, the ...

Dana Key (1953-2010)

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Last night I was surprised to learn of the death of Dana Key, one half of DeGarmo & Key. This group was among the pioneers of Christian rock music. (It’s also interesting to note Key was a direct descendant of Francis Scott Key, the author of "The Star Spangled Banner.”) DeGarmo & Key were the first Christian group to have a music video appear on MTV. Strangely enough, the original video for their song "Six, Six, Six" was pulled from rotation on MTV due to violent content. MTV was supposedly unaware that DeGarmo & Key were a Christian band when their video for "Six, Six, Six" included a short scene of a man representing the Antichrist being set on fire. DeGarmo & Key were allowed to submit a re-edited version, which was placed back into rotation. While I didn’t listen to DeGarmo & Key’s music a whole lot, Dana wrote a book that impacted my life as a young Christian. “Don’t Stop the Music” was a response to the anti-"Chris...

Your Way or Yahweh

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Before the Interstate Highway System was constructed, a popular road Americans traveled on was Route 66. At one time, this legendary highway stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles. Nowadays, you will find historical markers where this highway once existed including the town of Atlanta, Illinois from where I’m writing this article. There is another well-known highway once numbered 666 located near the “four corners” section of the southwestern United States. Route 666 was often referred to as “Devil's Highway” because of the number associated with the antichrist. Partially because people kept stealing road signs numbered 666, that highway has since been renumbered 491. Spiritually speaking, there are many people traveling down Route 666. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Yet multitudes believe that they will be okay for eternity traveling down paths of their own making. Last night, I stoppe...