Recently my family has been campaigning for Charles Van Zant, who is running for state house of representativtes. We've had the opportunity to collect petitions, make phone calls, and go door to door talking to voters and handing out literature. Last week I made two campaign videos and put them on youtube. You can watch them below...and if you're in the district, please vote!

Fight for Life

Second Ammendment Rights

I’d heard this verse for a long time, but last week while I was working at Camp Good News, I heard it with new ears. It was early morning, mid-week, I was fighting a cold, and spiritually, I was worn out from pouring out everything I had each day at camp…

God urged me on thru that verse, and it kept me in the Race for the rest of the week. He told me not to hold back from serving because I was tired, but to faithfully work and count on His encouragement – the watering that will surely come from Him.

• 75% of Americans say they are willing to listen to someone talk to them about Christianity.
• 88% say they would enjoy an honest conversation with a friend about religious and spiritual beliefs, even if they disagree.

With the odds in our favor, why not start that eternal conversation today??

My top 5 favorite conversation starters:

5) Do you have a Christian background?

4) So do you have a home church?

3) (If you are concerned a professing Christian isn’t saved) I’m interested to find out, how did you get saved? OR What is your testimony?

2) What’s going on spiritually in your life?

1) Can I ask you an interesting question…what do you think happens after you die?

I'm surprised every time how much people appreciate an honest conversation about spiritual things we all think about. Try the "chat approach" to witnessing next time you have a chance.

Times I use it:

- On friends and acquaintences

- Waiting in line

- Telemarketers

- Any time you're around people!

This week, Mon. thru Fri. (today) Kember and I began work as counselors at Camp Good News (CGN). CGN is a Christian day camp with the motto “the camp that changes lives! CGN seeks to teach kids about Jesus who might not have a chance to learn about Him otherwise. I had a blast my first week of work! I was assigned to work with the 5-8 year old boys along with another counselor named Randy.

Our day would start at 9:00 AM with staff worship and devotions. For half an hour, we would sing praise songs accompanied by the bongo drum, read the Bible, and close in prayer. Meanwhile, the bus rolled in and kids started filling up the auditorium. Once the staff devos broke up, the counselors picked up their kids. Randy and I took our little guys – ten of them - out to the basketball court to do devos with them. I loved getting to spend that time teaching them about God...but we had to find creative ways to get the boys to sit and pay attention.

Some of the other activities that filled the days were daily swim hour in the lake, art, Bible lessons, and missionary story time. On Monday morning, our group played with the slip-n-slides. A huge sheet of thick plastic was stretched out on the hill with three slip-n-slides set up near the top. The boys went wild! They ran and slid and splashed all over the place. Randy and I had fun racing them down the hill on our stomachs. We all were soaked when we came inside for Bible! We had a daily field activity - classics like ultimate frizbee, and some homemade ones, like the “marble toe crunch”. Creative play in Oak Hall was also a part of every day. Oak Hall is one-room building full of checker games, puzzles, blocks, books, and a humongous bin of Legos. The possibilities for fun in there are endless.

Although working at camp IS tons of fun, it’s also challenging. Keeping discipline, order, and peaceful relations between ten little boys gets interesting. Like on Monday morning. Right before Randy started the devotion, a couple boys were walking around the edge of the concrete pad, one or two others drifted off in search of acorns or stray marbles, and the others chatted. As I watched the scene unfold I thought “What should I do? What have I gotten myself into??” Although the task looked daunting Monday AM, we found ways to accommodate our campers’ individual needs as the week went on. Breaking into two groups during devos helped the boys focus, and making 8 yr. old Alex (our wanderer) my “special helper” prevented him from wandering. :-)

As I spent some time in the Word early this AM, I read a verse from Exodus: “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” God spoke to me thru that verse. It was like He told me “Take care of those kids at camp in my name – for ME. I will repay you in my own way – I will bless you and give you what is right.” He truly blessed this first week at camp...I can’t wait to see what He is going to do at Camp Good News in the weeks ahead!

I came across this list today, and remember my mom compiling it several months ago. I may have mentioned some of these resources at one time or another, but I thought I'd like to post our entire favorite list up to this point.

*************

 Websites 

www.wayofthemaster.com

Learn how to share your faith through on-the-street witnessing clips, free audios and more…

www.livingwaters.com

Tracts and other evangelistic tools

www.pocketpower.org

Receive 30 free Gospels of John a month to hand out – choose your cover!

Books

One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven – Mark Cahill 

Out of the Comfort Zone – Ray Comfort (autobiography)

The Evidence Bible – Compiled by Ray Comfort

Commended by Norman Geisler, Josh McDowell, Dr. D. James Kennedy and Franklin Graham. Finalist in the 2002 Gold Medallion Book Awards.

This summer my sister and I are planning to work as counselors at a Christian children’s camp. Today was the second day of staff training. Before hand, I prayed that I would have an opportunity to witness to one of the staff. The workers are supposed to be Christians, so I though that maybe I’d run into a false convert. But the Lord surprised me!

During the session before lunch, two young businesswomen came and spoke to our group about how to help autistic campers. Afterwards, they stayed and ate lunch with us. One of the ladies sat down at my table, and we made light conversation. I thought about witnessing to her, but I didn’t want to push anything. “Besides,” I told myself, “You don’t witness to a professional!” God made me stop. “…Or, do you?”

I asked her if she had a home church. She replied no, that she’d slipped away from “that kind of stuff”. But she grew up Catholic. “I think it was a good influence on me. I probably want to get back into religion once I have kids so they can grow up around it,” she said. When I followed up with “What do you think happens after you die?” She paused with bright eyes, clearly thinking hard. “I think it’s like in the movie ‘Ghost’! The guy’s spirit hangs around and fixes problems before disappearing…I hope it’s like that.” I grinned. “It would be NICE it were like that! But you can know for sure what happens. The Bible says in Acts ‘it is appointed for a man once to die, and after that, the judgment’…” We went on to have a wonderful, interactive conversation. She really cared about the topic, and was very open to the Truth. After sharing the Gospel and talking about what is means to repent etc., she looked down, nodding her head. “I think that’s really important…that’s a lot to take in…”

Over the past two months, God has been showing me people lost in sin in unexpected places (Christian speech tournaments, Christian camps…). It’s caught me off guard, and reminded to me to always be ready to share the Gospel – to keep on my spiritual toes and have my feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel… you never know where another fish will turn up!

Recently I discovered a CD that has quickly become my favorite. Laura Story’s debut album, “Great God who Saves”. It’s packed with solid lyrics, amazing vocals, and great accompaniment. Grace seems to be the theme of the album to me, and each time I listen, I come away feeling showered with His grace. Check out Laura Story on iTunes or on her website at http://www.laurastorymusic.com/.