On Evangelism

Blessings, 

I thoroughly enjoyed the Woman's Conference on January 29, 2010 at Beach Church in Myrtle Beach. The speakers were Kim Hardy, Debbie Turner and Beth Greer. I was blessed by these woman and hope that my notes can bless those who were not able to attend.

The first speaker, Kim Hardy was a dynamic, funny, pointed woman. Her personality was accented by the red coat she wore. "Kim Hardy is an inspirational communicator and a unique combination of author, speaker, worship leader, singer, and Bible teacher.

 Her down-to-earth presentation style makes participants feel as though they've just met a new friend. 

Whether she's speaking about prayer, evangelism or challenges women face in their daily lives and spiritual walk, Kim shares with genuine and heartfelt sincerity. Her messages are rooted in the Bible and woven with humor and energy that make her listeners laugh, cry, and gain a new understanding of God's faithfulness. (http://www.kimhardyministries.com/default.asp?page=40321)"

Her 'talk' and new book are titled "Evangelism for Chickens."

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Acts 26:1-11--King Agrippa  is questioning Paul on the charges that face him. The point that Kim made here was: 

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR PAST TO SHACKLE YOU.

Paul admitted what he did before the road to Damascus.

Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"

Here Kim tells the story of when her daughter was 5. It was a typically busy and cold Michigan morning. Kim was rushing to get everyone bundled up and out the door. When she went to zip up her daughter's coat, the kind that zip up to your chin, she zipped a portion of her daughter's neck in the zipper. It was not a good experience for her poor child. Her daughter is now 14. No matter how cold it may be outside, she only zips her coat up to just below her clavicle/just above her sternum. She remembers what happened when she was 5. That memory keeps her from experiencing the full warmth of a coat.  

That thief will try to rob you of the full joy or the Lord. he will reming you of things that happened in your past. He will try to keep you from experiencing all that warmth of Jesus. He will try to keep you from evangelizing. 

Acts 26:19---- (Paul's Post Conversion Life)

Don't allow the challenges of life to distract our focus from God.

James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him"

God will give you wisdom. Just ask for it. Don't be afraid.

Even with your life's challenges. Tell someone about the HOPE that is in you. 

Acts 26:12--(story of Paul's salation)

John 14:6 "“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus is the answer. Jesus is the way. Don't be afraid to tell about Him.

Tell someone about Jesus. Pray for God to use you. Spend deliberate time with God. Talk to people--tell them about Jesus. 

Here Kim exemplifies a method of her evangelism for busy people. She will ask her cashier, waiter, person in line "Is there more to life than what you're experiencing?" Her suggestion is to give yourself a tool, ie. a track, to help you share your testimony. Some helpful suggestions to helping you evengelize

1. Make sure that there are no shackles to your past

2. Don't take your focus from God or the person you are speaking to

3. Share the Hope/the Gospel in your own personality  

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

The second speaker was Debbie Turner. A seemingly soft spoken and emotional south 

carolinian with a passionate plea to encourage women to Evangelize.

		"Debbie Turner Debbie Turner is a Christian Author and Speaker with a  passion for sharing the  life-affirming, unspeakable joy of intimacy with Christ.  Her inspirational teaching style penetrates barriers and  reaches deep into the heart to deliver  spiritual truth with insight, tenderness,  and clarity. Scripture lives and breathes  as she weaves biblical principles, compelling stories,  and humorous anecdotes into messages  that clearly connect God's Word to the triumphs  and challenges of everyday life.   Debbie accepted God's call into the ministry following  the tragic death of her beloved son,  Stephen. Since then she has traveled the US  and Canada inspiring others with proven strategies  for achieving success and overcoming  seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  (http://www.calltofaith.net/debbie)" Her message was titled "My identity is firmly  anchored in Christ" Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord"  and believe in your  heart that God has raised Him from the dead,  you will be saved." 1 peter 2:9  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,  a holy nation, a people  belonging to God, that you may declare the praises  of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" 1 peter 1:4 "and into an inheritance that can never perish,  spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you" James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so  deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but  does not do what it says is like a man who looks at  his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself,  goes away and immediately  forgets what he looks like. But the man who  looks intently into the  perfect law that gives freedom,  and continues to do this, not forgetting  what he has heard, but doing it—he will be  blessed in what he does." We as Christians are experiencing another  form of identity theft.  Spiritual identity theft.  Do we dare reject the identity that is given to  us by  Jesus Christ.  John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal  and kill and destroy;  I have come that they may  have life, and have it to the full." Don't let satan convince you to doubt your  identiy in Christ.  Transform things by living out  your beliefs in your home, stores, communities,  churches, etc.  How do you feel to know that you are CHOSEN?  YES YOU ARE CHOSEN BY GOD! The solution to this identity theft is the power that  flows to us from Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD  will renew their  strength. They  will soar  on wings like  eagles; they will run  and not grow weary,  they will walk and  not be faint." We are chosen, you  are chosen,  I am chosen.  Our identity is established  in Christ.  Evangelism puts us in  the direct path of  rejection. Fully  surrender our lives  to Christ.  John 9--(a man blind since  birth receives sight after  having mud on his eyes.  He is questioned by the  religious. But he doesn't care.  He unabashedly stands firm  in what God/Jesus has  done for him, regardless  of his ridicule).  We need to proclaim what  God has done for us! Our past has been redeemed.  Regardless of what  happens, we never  work alone.  Every step is  one step closer  to our glorious  homecoming.  Respond to your calling.  Do what you are chosen  to do! ********************************** Over the course of the  conference we watched  several short videos.  The message of the videos were  1. Pray 2. Engage 3. Connect 4. Celebrate 5. Disciple ********************************** Our third speaker was Beth Greer.  She is a woman that is  clearly wearing Jesus. " Beth Greer A native South Carolinian,  Beth grew up in Brazil, South America, where her parents served as Southern Baptist missionaries. She is a graduate of Columbia College,Columbia, South Carolina, where she majored in Spanish. Beth is a gifted  Bible teacher, speaker  and worship leader and finds great joy  in serving the Lord. She is committed to the truths of God's word as a wife and mother and is passionate about teaching and equipping the Body of Christ. She also has a passion for seeing those who are lost come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior (http://www.onepurpose.com/Bios/Beth.htm)" At the start of her talk she  challenged us to memorize  Psalm 139.  Then we read it together.  Remind yourself of the  goodness of the Lord.  Know that God has a  sovereign plan for you.  Not asking why, but  knowing that it is for  God's Glory! John 4 (The Samaritan woman  meets Jesus at the well  and learns of the living water).  Jesus got straight to the point.  He didn't beat around the  bush. He said what he had to say.  In John 4:6 we are reminded  that our God in heaven,  in his humanity got weary.  He knows what it is like to  become weary! Always do the father's will.  (Don't worry about being  politically correct. Jesus spoke  to a samaritan woman in a time  when men didn't even speak to  their wives in public,  much less samaritans.) The samaritan thought Jesus  spoke of regular water-- she was blinded to spiritual truth.  The samaritan woman had to  confess her sin  (She had had 5 husbands  and now lived  with a man that she was not  married to) God hates all sin regardless  of what the sin is. We  may feel that somethings are worse  than others, but God hates  all sin. All and any sin  separates us from God.  Jesus declares to the  samaritan woman  that he is the Messiah.  When she learns this, she goes  to tell the good news with  fervency and disregard  of her past and imposed  cultural restrictions.  She was wearing Jesus,  she was changed and was  never the same.  The people came to see Jesus  (because of the samaritan woman)  in their white/best robes.  They sat for 2 days to worship him.  The best things in life:   know, love and serve Jesus.  *************************************** We ended the conference  with the rest of what  the insightful and  entertaining Kim Hardy  had to say.  1. All Christians have  a story to tell (our testimony) 2. Expect great things  from God 3. No excuses allowed  when doing God's business (this is my favorite  quote from the  whole conference) "Go (or take people)  from being fans of  Jesus to becoming  followers of Jesus" Romans 10:9-10 "that if you confess  with your mouth the  Lord Jesus and  believe in your  heart that God  has raised  Him from the  dead, you will  be saved.  For with the  heart one  believes unto  righteousness,  and with the  mouth confession  is made unto salvation" 3 chicken insights  (on Evangelism) 1. Initially most people  don't want to hear  your story 2. People are busy 3. People are tuned  into their own story How do I tell His story  and my story? [Jesus is the Son of  God, JOhn 3:16,  Jesus died on the  cross for our sins,  Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day]

My story:

--tell it in mini-bites and small portions. don't give the movie version. Remember PEOPLE ARE BUSY

the story to tell

1. my life before Jesus (attitudes, mental health,what did you do to try to make yourself happy)

2. How Jesus changed my life (Where did he meet you, maybe you were a fan and then finally gave yourself over to him)

3. My new life in Christ (joy, provider, peace, comfort)

Submit to the Holy Spirit

You are not a pusher of but you are a proclaimer of the Gospel!!

Remember the God you serve is the only God. He is Jehovah Jireh --God our provider!

Remember telling a story

ask

listen

learn

Most importantly PRAY, Bathe in Prayer, Pray, Pray and Pray some more. Pray before, during and after witnessing. 

DON"T BE A CHICKEN!!

WIN IT!

Hi, 
I found this contest and absolutely love it. All you have to do is leave a comment! Do you want to WIN, I do so I had to share this with you....you can help me win. 

http://www.fiberfarm.com/2009/11/shepherding-camp-giveaway-2

This is for AS STATED ON THEIR WEBPAGE "A Shepherding Camp Give-a-way. The Shepherding Camp is a six-day, five-night fiber vacation at a farm  You’ll stay at their farmhouse, help them take care of the flock, and knit and spin yourselves silly.The price for Shepherding Camp is $1300 for up to two people. The accommodations are a private room with two twin beds, so it’s a great trip for two girlfriends or a Mother and Daughter. We can, in some cases, host a third person for an additional charge. While we encourage you to spend some time with our flock, you can do as much (or as little) farm work as you choose. If you’ve ever considered having a flock of sheep or herd of Alpaca of your own, Shepherding Camp is a great way to find out if shepherding is for you."

There is other stuff do to in the area too. Just leave a comment at their site! Good Luck!

I am so uncommitted

Well, It's been a while. Our lives changed with the sooner than expected passing of GG. We had a melancholiac Thanksgiving weekend. Our December was filled with Christmas-y things. DH and I were in the Christmas cantata at church. My little people were in the children's play. I helped with the rehearsals and during the play. All of the kids did wonderfully. DD sang a solo, and she felt the need to sing into the microphone for all of the 'all' songs. Her hambone tendency worked out great--it made the other kids sing louder. DS was a sheep, DH was a shepherd. That was cute too. Our Christmas was spent in GA. It was wonderful to be with all my family. We truly had a great time. We stayed for a week. I think the only reason we left GA is that DH's great Aunt called to invite us over for supper on New Year's Day. So, we decided that it was time for us to go home. I ate collards on new year's day--it was the best I've ever had, but i still didn't like them. 

My DH and I are off of soda and are making an honest effort to eat better. No seconds, leaving food on the plate, eating soups. We're exercising, well were trying too. DH has lost 10 pounds so far. I have lost about 7. I am excited to see what God has in plan for us this year. 

Hobby Hunting

My In-laws were in town last week. I hope they had a good visit. It was uncharacteristically HOT while they were here. Then, it rained and rained which was followed by cool weather. This, of course, created perfect weather for FUNGUS!!!! 

The growth of these peculiar wonderments excites me. My kids in their youngness share my exuberance for finding mushrooms; I wonder if it will last. When they want to share their fun about fungi with others, I have to explain to them how not everyone appreciates all of God's coolness. LOL. (or my dorkiness)

I still haven't found the charger to my camera, so I have to rely on my phone camera . The pictures are close to unacceptable, but they are all I have. 

If after reading the descriptions, anyone has any information pertaining to the ID of these mushrooms, please let me know. 

Our location is South Carolina. We are under 50 miles to North Carolina. 

1) Cap is scarlet red to reddish orange to orange with yellow margin

small fragile mushroom

cluster of 6+ mushrooms growing in grass

It's october

gills appear to be unequal

stalk appears to be translucent yellow at substrate and orange brown near cap. it detaches easily

gill colors are buff or yellow

cap shape is conical to umbonate in differing levels of maturity

cap less than 1.5 cm

no visible ring or scales

MAYBE a waxy look to cap

maybe a Mycena or a Hygrocybe

but my resources don't indicate any specific species

2) Puffball growing on ground in grassy area, including adjacent to mobile home. Numerous.

cool wet weather in october

appears to be stalked with cute little spines

inside of mature spore releasing specimen appears to be olive-brown with puffs of brownish green

outside of mature puffball is cracked

interior of immature pure white

measured up to 5 cm

pore opening at top in mature

this appears to be the gem studded puffball aka the common puffball, 

Lycoperdon perlatum 

There also appears to be a different nonpedestal puffball. This looks like the spiny puffball or L. echinatum but it's range is only to Pennsylvania. 

3)Mushroom group of approx. 8 growing in grass

cool wet weather october

cap and stalk white turning brown

convex or bell-shaped cap

gills appear free, close together

partial veil present, ring present on stalk

immature gills appear pink

mature gills appear chocolate brown

bugs, flies, gnats on mushroom (maggot found escaping during spore print)

spore print appears to be dark brown

cap is about 1 and a half inches to 2 inches

no noticeable smell

This is probably the Meadow Mushroom or Agaricus campestris

4)Mushroom found alone and in groups in grassy yard (found near above mentioned meadow mushroom)

cool wet weather october

ruing present

cap is yellowish or creamy brown or brownish yellow

stalk and immature gills appear off white to creamy yellow

mature gills appear gray or purplish brown

cap has rough edges

gills appear to be free, maybe adnexed

gills are close together, numerous

spore print is brownish

no noticeable odor

maybe Garland Stropharia, Stropharia coronilla 

S. coronilla's range is only supposed to be to NC, but I feel this is an accurate match. We are not far from NC. It is possible the range has grown.

5)tough orange jelly-like/coral fungi

no cap and stem

found on a car path (not really a road, more like a drive way with 2 paths of gravel)

the fungi was growing on a submerged piece of decaying wood near grassy meadow

fungi was firmly attached to the substrate

cool wet weather in october

tips are slightly darker than rest of the structure

maybe an antler jelly

most 'branches' are unforked (a few are)

seems to bruise brown after much handling

possibly a Calocera sp.

6)small fragile brown mushroom

widely spaced gills

brown stalk

no ring 

cap conical with possible striations (found damp with dew)

found in grassy pasture

it looks like the lawn mowers mushroom, Psathyrella foenisecii  but it may be out of season

I'll take healing for 100 Alex....

I haven't exactly stuck to my every monday thing, but I didn't believe it when I wrote it. However, the utterance of the commitment has at least prompted me to write about once (every other) a week. Looks like my DH may come home for good. PTL!!

My kids have been taught and can successfully do somersaults. Believe it or not, but I can too. I was  trying to teach them the somersault technique, but I was 'skeeered' to try it myself. It has been years and 50 pounds since I last attempted one. Finally, I thought I should try it and actually show my little people what exactly I was trying to get them to do. To my surprise, I didn't hurt myself! So, I did about 100 of them. Oh, I was sore the next day. A few days later, my kids impressed with the way mommy can tumble, begged me to do another. Remembering my triumph, I strived to display the perfect tumble. As soon as my feet came up, there was a booming echoing CRACKkkk. To my surprise, it originated from my neck. My neck was immediately sore, and I couldn't go through it's full range of motion. I thought surely this was not good, but what the enemy intends for evil--God will use for good. GLORY! I slept well that night: an astonishing feet for normally I awake to excruciating tearful pain in my lower back. [The pain is an intense pressure on the bones, but I also feel pain, tingling and numbness down the left side of my butt, my left thigh radiating all the way down to my left foot which had been numb for several days prior to the neck CRACK incident. From my own description, I know that the psyiatic nerve is involved and perhaps a slipped disk or something not right with the vertebrae.] When I awoke, it was moments before dawn and I could feel both feet. I was able to sit straight up in bed (I have been rolling out of bed, onto my knees and then pushing myself up with the help of the bed. There were some days that I couldn't even roll, and the only thing that got my outta bed was prayer and the need to mommy my kids).  I think that somersault-neck crack was used to pull, stretch and realign my back.  Prayer Works. God Heals.

Princesses and pirates on parade

Chick-fil-a in Myrtle Beach had a princess and pirate dress up day. We went. They got a free meal just for dressing up. We were dressed up by Halloween Express; we are related to the owner of the Halloween Express in Colonial Mall in North Myrtle Beach. 

They each got a voucher for a free game of putt-putt golf after they completed the scavenger hunt. Then, they had a contest. The pirates (about 15) were first. The cows and the manager were the judges. DS really worked his 2 year old pirate aRRRRRggg. He had a cute little cutlass and a darling parrot. HE MADE IT TO THE FINALS!! He and another of the finalists, were dueling the entire contest. DS with his cutlass and the other with his hook. Unfortunately, DS didn't bring home the win. We decided it was because he was only 2, and the judges figured it could better be appreciated by an older kid. The child that DS was dueling with won. However, DS did score 2 free kids meals for 2nd place. 

The princesses (about 30) were up for their competition. DD was shy at first and behind everyone. I told her to say excuse me and get to the front. She did. The manager said for the girls to show their princess faces. I told my DD to smile...and she turned it ON. She wore the cutest most adorable smile and kept it on while the cows walked the line appraising the princesses. It was so special. DD WAS A FINALIST TOO!!! She kept the dazzling smile on AND SHE WON! She received 52 free kids meals vouchers.  What an unbelievable blessing. It was a lot of fun too. Now DD has proof that she is a true princess. 

My hambones

My pirate

my princess