Gone Fishin'
(for men)

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations..."
If you know your Bible, then you probably recognize this as the first part of the Great Commission, given to the disciples by Jesus in Matthew 28:19. This verse didn't apply just to the disciples of the early church, or just to going and discipling different nations. It can be as simple as merely sharing the Gospel with a classmate, a coworker, or a stranger you happen to pass on the street. In the past week or so, I have been blessed with multiple opportunities to follow this command in real situations.
For me, this all began, or at least began to grow larger, in attending the Way of the Master evangelism course at my church, which both gave encouraging tips for evangelism and provides tracts and resources for starting a conversation with a stranger. The interesting thing about these tracts is that many of them are 'ice-breakers', or gospel tracts with a unique gimmick attached to make it look appealing to an unsaved person who might happen to receive it. For example, I've seen a small pamphlet of the world's funniest one-liners, with a gospel message contained several pages in, and a pair of curved cards, one pink and one blue, which are meant to create an optical illusion and collectively relate the important message on the back. Then there's my personal favorite, the million dollar bill, which, with the appearance of money, is sure to attract many people.
I've had small experience with some of these before, but this past week, I wanted to try something new. My school hosted an annual event known as "Mix-It-Up-Day", when students are encouraged to meet new people, talk to other students they don't know, and sit apart from their normal crowd at lunch. When I heard about this, knowing that the course I had taken encourages sharing the gospel with strangers, I thought, "What an amazing opportunity to witness." So I prayed about the idea, trying to seek God's direction above my own, and then ordered three packs of million dollar bill tracts from the Way of the Master website, in hopes to give one to everyone at lunch.
And I did, for the most part. There were some who initially refused my offer of a million dollars, perhaps knowing what it was or maybe just not caring at all for fake money, but most everyone in my lunch period did receive one, and as I gave them out I encouraged the recipients to read them and really think about the message. Most likely not everyone did read them--I heard rumors the next day about a few students trying to use the tracts in school vending machines. However, I did receive some feedback from people who had clearly read it; some from fellow Christians who were glad to have seen such a thing, and some from people who were clearly unsaved, a few who blatantly rejected and insulted God, and who really, really need prayer and salvation. Hopefully the Lord will use me to continue to reach these few in the days to come.
Note: Just to clarify for the above story, I don't mean to sound like the hero of this expedition. I have been used to do these things, but Jesus deserves all the credit. Without Him I would have no reason to evangelize, nor the ability to do so. I mean, look at me; I'm naturally an introvert. None of this ever could have been done without the Lord's power. With that in mind, I shall proceed to relate the next event.
This past Saturday, my youth group got together for an event which had been anticipated and, I must admit, somewhat feared by many of us, myself included. We all traveled to a bus stop in downtown Lynchburg and set up a few tables, serving free hot cocoa, various candy and other goods, and most importantly, the message of salvation from sin and eternal life in Jesus. Many people came by, and we made an effort to share the gospel with each one we met. Armed with the incentive of free stuff and a handful of tracts (I still had a few million dollars left over), I set out to see how God would use me during this time.
The first man I talked to was, thankfully, receptive to my message. I presented him with the gospel message shown on the back of the bill tract, explaining that all have sinned and that we all need Jesus' forgiveness to resuce us from death. Sadly, though he was polite and attentive, his mind was closed to the truth; he reminded me of how many different religions existed in the world, and seemed to say that one couldn't be sure which one to follow. Though he seemed to have a fairly decent knowledge of the Bible, he said he had read parts of the Qu'ran and other such books as well, and seemed to see the Bible as a product of man rather than God. In short, he missed the point that Jesus is the way, meaning the only way. He had a bus to catch before the conversation progressed much further, and is probably still in need of prayer.
Another man I talked to (as I later realized, I neglected to learn any of their names, and thus cannot refer to them any more specifically than I do now) was less talkative and gave me a shorter conversation. His theology seemed correct and he agreed in word with everything I said; seeing as I only met him very briefly, I had no way of knowing whether his life reflected these words or not. He and many others shall be prayed for, just in case.
Sadly, I did do one thing which, though I may never learn the result of it, was likely to have turned out to be a mistake. At one point an apparently homeless woman approached me asking for some change or a few dollars. Fighting against my selfish instinct and hoping to be able to give unto "the least of these" (see Matthew 25:40), I somewhat reluctantly relinquished the only real, non-tract bill I had on me at the time--a twenty. This was met by great rejoicing from the woman and also by me being approached by two other men, with similar requests. "We're homeless too.", one of them said. "Can I have some money?" As I had just given up my only cash, I was forced to say no to these two other men, which earned me some disappointed glares and a few choice words. One of them told me that the woman was an alcoholic and would spend all the money on beer, without sharing any money with her 'friends'. Though I wouldn't have been surprised if these men were alcoholics as well, I realized that what they said was probably true and that I had probably made a great mistake. All I can do now is pray fervently for the trio and not let myself get discouraged. To summarize what my youth pastor probably would and has often said to situations like this, "Don't get discouraged and condemn yourself when you mess up. Satan will try to get you down and make you feel unworthy of serving God, but just get right back up and keep serving God anyway." Though it may have been a foolish move on my part, I trust God to bless good intentions, and try to trust in Romans 8:28, which says, "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."
For the most part, these evangelistic endeavors have been a great encouragement to me, and hopefully to many others. After these instances I feel more comfortable in getting out of my comfort zone and sharing with a stranger who would probably otherwise be doomed to hell. Though I'm certainly not perfect and probably not quite to the point I should be, I intend to keep working and keep serving God. If anyone has similar stories, I'd certainly like to hear them--and if not, why don't you go make some today?

Note to Self
Things I've learned from experience
Don't use "the dog ate my homework" excuse any more than once or twice a week. Some of the teachers are starting to get wise.
Find out why everyone but me, even the teachers, seem to skip school on Saturdays and Sundays.
When bored at work at Burger King, refrain from yelling out, "Food fight!" It took forever to clean up that mess, some of the customers were asked to leave, and when the managers saw it, I just knew someone's pay was going to be docked.
It also does not become a Burger King worker to hang out in the ball pit of the play place during work (they never let us have any fun).
Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to fire other emplyees.
At church, when the offering plates are being passed around, keep in mind the eighth commandment: "Thou shalt not steal."
When Jesus said, "Come to me, and I will give you rest", He didn't mean you're supposed to sleep in church.
When driving, always remember one simple rule: Gas on the left, brake on the right.
If you get pulled over and the cops try to give you a ticket, your friend Mr. Washington usually cannot change their mind.
I should learn how to read one of these days.
Also, learn from experience: On TV, when they say "Don't try this at home", they really mean it!
Play-doh should not go in the microwave, nor should the cat be washed with the laundry.
Take some pointers: play Star Wars music at my wedding. But no need for a big, fancy reception. Burger King will do just fine.
Fire is hot! Ouch!

When we last left our story...

Okay, I totally haven't been on here in, like, forever. Exaggeration, yes. But still, it conveys the proper meaning. As some others of you have said, it's been a long time. It's become a ghost town, even.
Not that I don't want to go on, just that my computer is an idiot and doesn't let me post stuff very easily. So I thought I'd post something now, while I temporarily had access to a different semi-public computer. The thing is...I don't really know what to post. So, without further ado, a random list of things that have been going on in my life lately.
1) Corn maze! Those of you from my church youth group (most of you who will read this), we went to a Corn Maze way far out somewhere in rural Virginia on Saturday. That was fun, but it took our group forever to get through, and there was the guy who kept giving us false directions. Good thing nobody was allergic to corn.
2) Wednesday night evangelism course with Way of the Master! Some of us from church have been coming to that to learn how to be more bold and effective in sharing God's love--yes, even with total strangers. I'll admit, the concept is still somewhat intimidating, but I think we're making progress.
3) Driving range! It's a school course where we go on some special range place to learn how to drive. I actually took it over the summer, and almost passed, but didn't. So I'm taking it again this week. Except since I had already done it, the instructor let me cut the time short, and I finished yesterday--and passed! Praise the Lord. I don't really like driving that much, but at least I can do it now, and go on to the actual road course soon.
4) Work! Well, I actually got this whole week off from work at Burger King, because I thought I would need it for the driving range the whole week. So I have a little time off, which means work is going very well.
5) Star Wars! I want to randomly talk about Star Wars 'cause I've been reading a series of Star Wars books, and last night I talked to this one guy about Star Wars. I'm reading the Last of the Jedi series, in which Obi-Wan and the few other remaining Jedi after epsiode III have to survive despite the empire's constant vigil against them. The books are individually somewhat short, but the fact that it's a series and that the writing is good makes up for it.
6) See You at the Pole! This morning was SYATP, in which students at schools all across the nation get together at the flagpole in the morning to pray. We shared Bible verses, prayed, and sang worship songs. Always a good time, and an awesome opporotunity to be a witness to the secular environment around us.
Ok, so that's about all the newsworthy stuff that has happened as of late. Hopefully I'll get my own computer that actually works soon (I almost have enough money; maybe within a month), and can then post more frequently. In light of See You at the Pole, even though not all of you who read this may have been there, I want to close by sharing this verse: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the father in heaven." -Matt 5:16 Basically, it means we should live in a way that lets everyone know what we stand for. We should let our lives reflect Jesus' love so that people will want to come to Him. That's it for now. Until next time!

The Adventures of Leumas: NoCombust

"It's like...like I can't do anything anymore, without this happening, endangering me and people around me."
-Lou S. Cannon

"I'll be just going about my business, and then suddenly, boom, it happens. I don't know what to do anymore..."
-D. Struction

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-Lou S. Cannon

"Thanks, NoComubst. You changed my life."
-X. Plosion

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This has been a public service announcement from the Adventures of Leumas.

Testimony

Ok, I'm gonna try another spiritual post, because as I'm writing this, no one has commented on my last one. This will just be a place to put your testimony--how you came to salvation, what God has been doing in your life lately, or anything of that sort. I'll tell mine, and anyone who wants to can tell theirs in reply. Ok, here we go:

I was raised in a Christian home, which is always good. When I was like four, I prayed to receive Jesus into my heart. Of course, when you're that young, you pretty much believe everything your parents tell you without thinking about what it really means for you. So technically, I was a Christian, but it didn't have a huge impact on my life. Though I was encouraged to live up to the name I had taken on myself, I found that it wasn't always the most fun; I was often bored during Sunday school, and even though I enjoyed reading, I often procrastinated on reading the most important book of all, the Bible, and would go weeks or months without opening it. For a while, I was what some would call a "carnal" Christian.

As my childhood progressed, my life seemed to get worse. Between fourth and sixth grades, I found that other students took great joy in insulting, belittling, and otherwise being unkind to those students who weren't the most popular, of whom I was one. I had few good friends and began to be sad and angry at everything. I doubted that God really cared for me. In seventh grade, things changed, though not necessarily for the best. I did join up with a group of friends who I began sitting with at lunch, and while I enjoyed the company, the fact that I did not have a strong footing in my faith left me susceptible to temptation. These friends were a bad influence on me, and while I must take responsibility for my own actions, they led me to thoughts of sinful things that I otherwise may not have come across, and the thoughts led to choices that quickly formed into habits. During this year, I was further from God than I have probably ever been before, and my foolish choices had led me deeply into a life of sin.

In the summer between my seventh and eighth grade years, things began looking up, though I didn't see it at first. Due to a new job opporotunity on my father's part, my family moved from Bristol, Virginia, my home for the past eleven years, to Lynchburg, Virginia (or technically, Campbell County), where I still am now. Initially I hated the idea of moving; my entire life (save for the first two years which I didn't recollect) had been spent in Bristol, and all my 'friends' were there too. But Lynchburg turned out to be an unimaginable blessing. Our first few months there were spent in search of the right church, and in late September 2003 we came across one called Calvary Chapel. This church was different than ones I had been to before; I noticed that my fellow youth group members actually seemed to be close friends with each other, and within our first few visits to the church I realized that they placed a large emphasis on one's personal relationship with God. I came to the truth that my own spiritual life had been severely damaged, and after some prayer and striving to get right with God again, I vowed to leave my old ways behind forever.

Needless to say, I didn't totally leave my old ways behind. Though I would certainly like to, my flesh is weak, and the sinful lifestyle I had previously built still had a strong presence in my life. But God is merciful, and He gives me victory over sin; with Him, I am enjoying freedom from my past and new life in Jesus. I have made many true friends at my new church, and the past three years of my life have been progressively better, more than I could have conceived before moving. Though I wasn't seeking Him, God blessed my life far beyond what I deserved, and I know that He can do the same for you, too.

Temptations

Hey everybody. On a more spiritual note than I've been doing so far, I wanted to talk about temptation. I've been struggling with it on and off, and I wanted to get some feedback, hear what you think about it, and if I should pray for you.
First of all, what kinds of things do you get tempted with? You don't have to be specific if you don't want to. A big one for me is materialism, wanting things or money instead of God. Another one I struggle with is lust. How about you all?
Also, what do you do when you're tempted? The logical course of action should be to get away as fast as possible, but a lot of times that's not what we do. Sometimes when I get tempted I think, "Well, I already sinned by thinking about it, so I might as well just do it anyway." I fail to acknowledge that there is another choice. But that mindset has led me to failure more times than I care to admit. I have to keep reminding myself of I Corinthians 10:13, which basically states that there is always a way out when we are tempted.
Why do you think we get tempted? If we truly trusted in God, we would know that what He has for us is far better than the brief pleasure and eternal destruction of sin. A lot of times we're not fully trusting in the Lord, which I think definitely makes us more susceptible to temptation. What do you all think about all of this? I'd like to hear some feedback. Please pray for me, and if you're struggling too, I'd be glad to pray for you. God bless, and remember, when you are tempted with evil, do not give in!

Bibleman

Hey, did anyone ever watch Bibleman when you were younger--or even when you were older? I've been a fan of such for years and have recently been re-watching all of the Bibleman movies (or technically, home videos) my family has. Even though they're geared toward kids, this is a really good show; it combines superhero action scenes, corny jokes and humor, and most importantly, teaching of God's word and principles. I really enjoy just about every episode I see.
Granted, I did prefer the older ones to the newer ones. Early on in the show, up to the fifth one that came out, The Incredible Force of Joy, Bibleman {Willie Aames} had a partner named Coats {Marc Wayne}. After that, Coats had to leave for reasons unexplained on the show, and was replaced by Cypher {Brady Williams} in the sixth episode, Conquering the Wrath of Rage. I still mostly enjoyed the episodes with Cypher, and I watched his ascent from when he first started with a pretty much regular-looking outfit to where he is today, with a full suit of spiritual armor and his own pair of light-arc weapons. In my opinion, the show started to take a downward fall in 2002, with the release of Jesus Our Savior parts one and two, and the show lost two of its greatest assets: Brian Lemmons, who had done a hilariously evil job of portraying the villain for seven episodes straight, and his sidekick Ludicrous, who though he had been portrayed by four different actors throughout the course of the series, was still a rather humorous contribution to the show. Also, the original Biblegirl, Tracy Henao, showed up in Breaking the Bonds of Disobedience, released in the early 2000's, but only remained for two episodes before the position was taken by Heather Hazelwood. Now, with the most recent Bibleman episode, A Fight for Faith, even the original Bibleman left the show, and was replaced by Josh Carpenter, actor Robert T. Schlipp.
Not that there's anything wrong with the new Bibleman show. Obviously, as long as the show still teaches kids about God, it is still a lot better than most of the shows out there these days. And there's nothing wrong with Robert T. Schlipp, Heather Hazelwood, or Jef Scott, who now portrays the villain. I suppose that I was just used to the old ones, and when they all started to change, it just wasn't the same, just like when the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers of my kindergarten days switched to Power Rangers Zeo, and eventually developed into the umpteen different incarnations they have been seen in today. It's not really the same. Bibleman is still cool--I even met the original Bibleman, Cypher, and Brian Lemmons in person once, shortly before the release of Disobedience. It's a good show, but I prefer the old classics. Have any of you ever watched Bibleman, and if so, what do you think?