The Lost Cause Ministries

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

–Isaiah 57:15

Evangelism Quote:

“The Law may express sin but cannot suppress sin.”

–Thomas Adams

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

1.  Friday, January 29, 7-10PM:  TLC Ministries will travel to Sundance Square in Fort Worth and share the gospel there.  If you would like to carpool from Justin, please contact Jon at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

2.  Saturday, January 30:  Harlem Globetrotter’s Outreach in Dallas.  Carl Kalbfleisch of Bezeugen Ministries will be taking a team.  They will be meeting at the corner of Olive and Houston Street at noon on Saturday.  You can get the details at Carl’s blog.

3.  Feb. 2nd:  University of North Texas, 10AM-2:30PM.  If you would like to join us, contact Tim Crawford at tim@lostcauseministries.com.

4.  Feb. 3-8:  The TLC Team will be on the road at the Super Bowl Outreach in Miami, FL.  Please pray for safety as they travel and for a fruitful outreach.

Evangelism Report:

University of North Texas:

Last week TLC was blessed to have not one, but two opportunities to preach the gospel at UNT.  Due to an error in the Dean of Students Office, we received a permit for Tuesday AND Thursday, under the sponsorship of the Coalition for Free Speech.  We were blessed when James Anderson, Tom Sadowski, Jeff Clayton, Jeff Pittman, and Chad Welty all joined us at one or the other of the outreaches.

Both days saw us have some atheistic hecklers, lots of tracts distributed and many one-to-ones.  We even got the following email in response to a tract:

“I received your pink card the other day and I was curious about the first question on the card. I thought I knew all of the answers, but realize now that I do not. The question I refer to is this, “When I die where, will I go?” Please let me know the answer at your earliest convenience.”  Bobby

Please be in prayer for this student.  We’ve emailed him back and are awaiting a reply.

Justin, TX:

Here’s a great example of what the Lord has been doing locally here in the town we live in, Justin.  This testimony comes from Tim Crawford:

I just wanted to say “praise the Lord” for His mercy and grace and give Him thanks for another blessed year! The holidays have passed and 2010 is here and TLC ministries have witnessed God’s work in the lives of many people. We are so thankful for the privilege to serve God in the capacity we have and for that we rejoice. As I sit in my office and reflect back over the year I can’t even begin to tell you how many God ordained encounters we have had. We have had the privilege to teach, train, equip and disciple God’s people and have seen many come to know Christ.

Please pray for Ronnie and Rosie as they begin their walk with the Lord. They are a couple who showed up at FBC Justin on a Wednesday evening out of the blue. I had the privilege to meet with Ronnie and share the Gospel with him in my office and we just seemed to hit it off. A dear friend of the family of Marian Temple had the same opportunity to meet with his wife and shortly thereafter they both professed Christ and are now walking with the Lord. They are attending church regularly and getting plugged into Bible study and discipleship classes (Ronnie will be with us on Tuesday and Rosie with the ladies group on Friday) Please pray for them as they are in Florida with Ronnie’s mom Vicenza who has cancer. We are praying for a chance for them to share the Gospel with their extended family who is Catholic while they are down there.

Another couple that received Christ was a young man named Casey and his girlfriend Misty. They has also been radically changed by God. They have turned from a life of drugs and alcohol and appear to really be walking with the Lord! They too are already getting plugged into Bible studies with us on Tuesday’s and attending church regularly (Wednesday and Sunday nights) it sure is refreshing to see people who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Please pray for them as they put off the old and put on the new. Casey and Misty both hit the streets Friday night with Jeff Pitman to share their faith with others and told me that it was awesome!  They have been evangelizing and sharing the word with there family members and have already brought three of them to church. Another young man that Casey brought to church on Wednesday night also gave his life to Christ so please pray for Juan. He to has heard the Gospel and professed Christ and said he was repenting and surrendering his life to Christ.

The last individual I am requesting prayer for is a young man named Stephan. He has been attending our church with his girlfriend for a short period of time and God opened the door for me to speak with him after a service last Sunday. He was clearly broken and realized for the first time that it wasn’t about him and it was all about Him! He told me that he was going to repent and get right with God. After about a 30-40 minute conversation he told me that it finally all made sense to him and he needed to get right with God. I said yes you do and gave him my ministry card and told him to call me when he got right with God. Well needless to say the next week he wasn’t in church so I thought I had scared him off but the following week he showed up and was looking for me. He came up to me and gave me a big hug and said thanks for helping me find God and then he said he got right with Him on Tuesday night!

Needless to say I am rejoicing at all the Lord has done and asking that everyone who receives this newsletter would commit to praying for these dear folks. Each one is a miracle from God and without going into long story I assure God has done some miraculous things with each one. I pray that you would join us in praying for Ronnie, Rosie, Casey, Misty, Juan and Stephan as they begin their new life in Christ. Please pray for growth and protection from all the enticements this world has to offer. Please also pray for their spiritual growth as they read and study God’s word and as they learn to trust and obey Christ. Please pray for us as we disciple, teach and counsel them on a weekly basis. God is so good and He is faithful.

Amen, Tim.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  There are times to plant, tend and reap.  The Lord has been very gracious.

Evangelism Resources:

1.  We’ve listed this here before, but it’s worth seeing again.  Pastor Rob McCurley, a pastor from South Carolina, on open-air preaching.

2.   Paul Washer on seminarians who claim they want to preach in a pulpit.  Excellent advice.  Find a street corner without a preacher and preach.

The Five Hundred @ Psalm 119 Conference (May 14-15)

We are pleased to announce that The Five Hundred, the outreach we’ve been doing the last couple of years with Transplant Ministries (Marcus Pittman), is coming to the Dallas\Fort Worth area!

For more information on the Conference,  go here.

To register for the outreach for FREE, go here.

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

–Isaiah 64:6

Evangelism Quote:

“Assurance is the fruit that grows out of the root of faith.”

–Stephen Charnock

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

1.  Saturday, January 9th, 4-7PM:  TLC Ministries will take the gospel to the NFC Wild Card NFL game at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX!  We will leave the Justin area at 3:00PM.  If you would like to join the carpool, please email us at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

2.  Tuesday, January 19th, 10AM-2:30PM:  TLC Ministries will begin this semester’s outreach at University of North Texas on the 19th.  If you are planning on joining us, please let me know at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Evangelism Report:

Big D NYE (Dallas, TX):

On New Years Eve, TLC Staff joined believers from Sovereign Joy Community Church in Keller and Liberty Lighthouse Church of Sherman in downtown Dallas to share the gospel.  It was a great way to end 2009 and begin 2010.  This is a typical “ball drop” celebration, with loud music and lots of drinking.  The organizers expected 40,000 party goers.  I don’t think that there were that many there, but there were many; probably more than 30,000.

Because of the noise, we focused on passing out tracts.   A couple of thousand tracts were distributed and we had many one-to-ones.  I spoke with a student from Texas Tech who, while holding a beer, declared that she is a Christian.  We talked about the gospel, what it is and what effect it should have in our lives.  I don’t think she “got it”, but she heard it and took one of the new 2012 gospel tracts from One Million Tracts.

The others had to leave early because of other commitments, but we (Tim and I) stayed and preached from 11:00-11:30PM near one of the gated entrances.  We preached with the amplifier and were heard mainly by the people waiting in line for the porta-potties.  A security guard tried to stop the preaching and said, “This is not the time or the place.  You have to leave.”  I told him that if he got a police officer to tell us that we were standing on private property, we’d be glad to leave.  We were standing on the public sidewalk and so he left us alone.

The gospel was preached.  We leave the results in the hands of our very capable, Sovereign God.

Cotton Bowl (Cowboy’s Stadium, Arlington):

On Saturday, TLC Staff was joined by Ron Martinez and Tom Sadowski as well as the folks from Bezeugen Ministries (led by Carl Kalbfleisch) at the Cowboys Stadium and we preached for about two-three hours at the Cotton Bowl.  It was refreshing to preach at this event since it was in the morning and people were not very drunk overall.  We passed out 2-3,000 tracts (with Carl’s total) and took turns preaching.

It was an excellent time.  Ron preached from many places in the Word.  I read Luke 10 and preached on it.  Tom also preached the gospel.  Again, it was a very good time of fellowship, service and trusting the Lord for the results.

Evangelism Resources:

1.  Monergism.com is offering three FREE e-books.  Dabney’s “Christ our Penal Substitute”, Dickenson’s “The True Scripture Doctrine” and Brown’s “The English Puritans.”

2.  Here is a NetFlix for Christians: Puritan Picks.  It offers a wide range of solid DVD viewing for Christian families.

3.  Check out this great new tract from One Million Tracts!  Easy to hand out: “Did you get your man card?” Follow up with, “Do you know what God requires of man?” Easy spring board to the gospel! Only $3.00 per pack of 100.  

Psalm 119 Conference

Wretched Radio is doing an important conference right here in Keller, TX May 14-15! The Psalm 119 Conference will feature Phil Johnson, Todd Friel, Dr. Peter Hammond, Justin Peters, Paul Taylor (Answers in Genesis), and Emilio and Trish Ramos. The early bird registration is $69.00 and the student price is $49.00. There is a 10% discount for Wretched Club members.

TLC Ministries has been asked to help coordinate an evangelistic outreach immediately after the event on Saturday (similar to The Five Hundred event after Deeper). Please keep this in prayer as we make plans to mobilize hundreds of believers to take the gospel across the Dallas\Fort Worth area.

TLC’s Financial Condition:

Thank you for praying with us about our recent support cut.  Our salaries are currently at 50% of what they were just a few months ago.  If you can help, please send donations to:

The Lost Cause Ministries  P.O. Box 1125  Justin, TX  76247

Thanks!

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

–Revelation 1:8

Evangelism Quote:

“We are sure that only those who are ordained to eternal life will believe, and that God alone can add to the church such as shall be saved.  Nevertheless we cannot but observe with admiration that Paul, the great champion for the glorious doctrines of free and sovereign grace, was the most conspicuous for his personal zeal in the work of persuading men to be reconciled to God.”

–William Carey (sometimes called “The Father of Modern Missions”)

Note: We must agree with Carey.  In fact, if we agree with the first part of his statement regarding his theology and fail to imitate his example of following Paul (as Paul followed Christ), then we miss an essential element of New Testament Christianity.  May the Lord help us to have the theology of the Apostle Paul while having his passion for the gospel.

We can find many who have one or the other, but it is rare to find a man or woman who has both.

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

1.  Sunday, December 20th, 3:00-5:00PM: FBC Briar will be doing a Christmas caroling outreach at the Walmart in Azle. 500 Christmas gifts will be given to customers while the members sing. We have permission from the management to be there and they are supplying us with electricity for an amplifier and a keyboard. The gifts will contain a booklet from John Piper, a gospel tract, candy, and an audio CD of Pastor Randall preaching the gospel. In between songs, Pastor Randall Easter and Jon Speed will give short open-air sermons springboarding from the songs.

Pastor Randall has asked me to invite you all to come out and join in this outreach. As you know, a crowd always draws a crowd. Perhaps this outreach will provide the spark for you to do something similar with your own church next year.

If you are coming, please let me know at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

2. Thursday, December 31st, 9:00PM–?? TLC Ministries will take the Gospel to the Big D NYE event in Victory Park in Dallas, TX! We hit this event last year and it was awesome. Let’s close out a fantastic year sharing the Gospel with a full fledged effort to proclaim it with passion and boldness as Dallas turns out to party. This event will draw about 40,000 people who MUST be reminded that there is a God and that they are accountable to Him. Let’s exalt Christ! Carpools will leave the Justin TX area at 8:00PM. For carpooling info, contact Jon Speed at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

3. Cotton Bowl Classic Outreach: Saturday, January 2nd, 2010, 10AM-1PM. The Cotton Bowl comes to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. Ole Miss vs. OSU. The carpool will leave FBC Justin at 9:15AM. Once we are parked, we will set up an open-air preaching station across from the Walmart. We will pass out tracts, open-air preach and do one-to-ones. If you want to carpool, please contact me at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Evangelism Report:

Last Friday night, TLC Staff was joined by Tom Sadowski and Tim Crawford’s sons, Tristen and Brandon.  We met Ted Winton, Ron, and some other believers out on the streets in Sundance Square and had a good night sharing the gospel with the lost.  I was especially blessed as Brandon and Tristen took turns quoting Scriptures into the amplifier in between open-air preaching.  That might seem like a simple thing, but it’s a huge step for a couple of eight and nine year olds.

We had a couple of hecklers.  I was heckled by a drunk guy coming out of a bar.  When he saw Brandon standing next to me, he assumed he was my son, and told Brandon not to be brainwashed.  We hear this from time to time when we bring our kids with us out on the streets.  Anyone who is bold (or crazy) enough to open-air preach must be in some kind of cult, because after all, only people in fringe cults go out and preach the gospel (which is a commentary in and of itself on the “Christianity”, so-called, in the Bible belt).

A few observations I have used in the past that have helped defray this lame argument:

1.  “Where are your kids?  Don’t you want to bring them with you when you get drunk?  No?  Which is worse; letting a kid see his dad preach the Word of God or seeing him stumble through the door wretching his guts out?”  This would be the subtle approach.  Have your running shoes on and tied tight if you want to try this one.

2.  “My daughter is obeying the fifth commandment: Honor your father and your mother.  She is honoring me right now by telling people about the gospel.  She is honoring God by obeying His commandment to evangelize.  How about you?  Are you honoring or dishonoring your parents right now?”  This would be the guilt trip approach and is pretty effective.

3.  “God has established the authority of parents over their children.  When you disobey your parents, you disobey the authority God has established in your life and you are rebelling against Him.  When you disobey the government, you do the same thing (Rom. 13).  Repent of your rebellion and come to Christ.”   This just shuts them up because they’re usually too drunk to follow the argument.

Tom had a heckler who was a bit unusual.  At the risk of sounding completely non-P.C., I will describe him as an angry midget.  I guess the P.C. term these days is “a little person”.  In other words, he was inordinately short.  He came back a couple of times, paced around and yelled at Tom, “That’s not the gospel.  I know because I’m a Pentecostal and that is not the gospel.”  You never have a video camera around when you really want one.  It was one of those surreal moments in open-air preaching that I wish I could have recorded for posterity.

Believe it or not, we have fun when we go out because you just never know what is going to happen.  Most of the time, God shows up and does amazing things.  Sometimes people show up and do stupid things.  Merry Christmas to us.

Evangelism Resources:

1.  Here’s a good Christmas tip from our friend, Trish Ramos, of Fish with Trish.  If you have people at your church that don’t feel equipped to witness, but they can sing, recruit them for some door-to-door Christmas caroling and hand out some Christmas gifts as you go.  Check out the video here.

2.   You can get a FREE copy of Richard Wurmbrand’s book, “Tortured for Christ” at ChristianJobs.com.  Details are here.

3.   This is an interesting video clip of our outreach at UT Austin when we did the “Origin into Schools” outreach last month.  At the 2:18 mark, you can see some open-air preaching we did afterward, complete with atheistic, evolutionist hecklers.  Watch as the attitude of the Jewish student changes from animosity to respect.  Thanks to Betty Taylor for sending along this footage.

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Psalm 119 Conference

Wretched Radio is doing an important conference right here in Keller, TX May 14-15! The Psalm 119 Conference will feature Phil Johnson, Todd Friel, Dr. Peter Hammond, Justin Peters, Paul Taylor (Answers in Genesis), and Emilio and Trish Ramos. The early bird registration is $69.00 and the student price is $49.00. There is a 10% discount for Wretched Club members.

TLC Ministries has been asked to help coordinate an evangelistic outreach immediately after the event on Saturday (similar to The Five Hundred event after Deeper). Please keep this in prayer as we make plans to mobilize hundreds of believers to take the gospel across the Dallas\Fort Worth area.

Prayer Requests:

It’s official: our big pay cut has hit our paychecks effective this week.  We’re committed to keeping this ministry going no matter what comes, but if we do not receive the donations we need, it will be difficult to continue doing ministry on the same scale we’ve been able to the last two years. These are just the facts.

We have a lot planned for 2010: coordinating outreaches for the Super Bowl, the Psalm 119 Conference, Deeper Conference, another Texas Revival Series Meeting, assisting Ambassador’s Academy with team leadership, festival booths, NASCAR ministry, parades, college campus ministry across TX and OK, event evangelism, and our regular weekly outreaches.  Hundreds of believers will be mobilized, many others trained, and thousands will hear the gospel.

Jon is also currently working on two new books.  The working titles right now are: “Taming the Lion: How to Manage Your Fear” and “Confessions of a False Prophet”.  A study guide for group discussion is also planned for “Evangelism in the New Testament.”  He is also continuing to edit and write tracts for One Million Tracts.  Through this writing ministry alone, thousands will either get the gospel or be trained to share it.

At the same time, we face the reality that we must provide for our families.  Currently, neither the Crawford nor the Speed families have any debt outside of our mortgage payments.   Our salaries are being cut down to $30,000 a year.  Originally, we were getting $60,000 a year, but that amount was cut in July to $50,000 a year.  We can live on $50,000 a year in the Dallas\Fort Worth area and do the ministry we need to do.

We know that there are a lot of viable ministries out there.  An elder at a local church recently said to us, “You guys do more evangelism than all of the missionaries our church supports put together.”   We see that as a sad state of affairs, but we’re privileged to have this ministry from the Lord.  It is an evidence of His grace.

We’re not ones for mincing words.  We’ll make it simple and straightforward.  We need your help.  Preferably on a monthly basis, but every donation is welcome.

You can donate to the ministry using PayPal or by mailing a check to us at:

The Lost Cause Ministries  P.O. Box 1125  Justin, TX  76247

This ministry will continue no matter what.  The only question is, on what scale?  The Lord knows and we are content to trust Him.

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.”

–Colossians 1:16

Evangelism Quote:

“It is hard to carry a full cup without spilling and a full estate [wealth] without sinning.”

–Thomas Watson

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

1. TONIGHT, in downtown Fort Worth, 7-10PM:  We will meet on the corner of Main Street and 3rd Street at 7PM and do open-air preaching and one-to-one in Sundance Square in Fort Worth.  If you’d like to join us, and would like to carpool (leaves Justin at 6:15PM) then please contact me at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

2.  Sunday, December 20th, 3:00-5:00PM:  FBC Briar will be doing a Christmas caroling outreach at the Walmart in Azle.  500 Christmas gifts will be given to customers while the members sing.  We have permission from the management to be there and they are supplying us with electricity for an amplifier and a keyboard.  The gifts will contain a booklet from John Piper, a gospel tract, candy, and an audio CD of Pastor Randall preaching the gospel.  In between songs, Pastor Randall Easter and Jon Speed will give short open-air sermons springboarding from the songs.

Pastor Randall has asked me to invite you all to come out and join in this outreach.  As you know, a crowd always draws a crowd.   Perhaps this outreach will provide the spark for you to do something similar with your own church next year.

If you are coming, please let me know at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

3.  Thursday, December 31st, 9:00PM–??  TLC Ministries will take the Gospel to the Big D NYE event in Victory Park in Dallas, TX!  We hit this event last year and it was awesome.  Let’s close out a fantastic year sharing the Gospel with a full fledged effort to proclaim it with passion and boldness as Dallas turns out to party.  This event will draw about 40,000 people who MUST be reminded that there is a God and that they are accountable to Him.  Let’s exalt Christ!  Carpools will leave the Justin TX area at 8:00PM.  For carpooling info, contact Jon Speed at jon@lostcauseministries.com. 

4.  Cotton Bowl Classic Outreach:  Saturday, January 2nd, 2010, 10AM-1PM.  The Cotton Bowl comes to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.  Ole Miss vs. OSU.   The carpool will leave FBC Justin at 9:15AM.  Once we are parked, we will set up an open-air preaching station across from the Walmart.  We will pass out tracts, open-air preach and do one-to-ones.  If you want to carpool, please contact me at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Evangelism Report:

Dallas Christmas Parade (Downtown Dallas):

Last Saturday, TLC Ministries teamed up with Carl Kalbfleisch of Bezeugen Ministries  and we took the gospel to the annual Christmas Parade in Dallas.  All told, we had about 20 believers there passing out tracts and doing one-to-ones and several open-air preached as well.

From TLC we were blessed with a strong turnout: TLC Staff were joined by Byron Porter, Ron Martinez, Reuben Martinez, Jeff Wortham, Jeff Pittman, Chad Welty, Tyler & Priscilla McNabb, and Tom Sadowski.  This doesn’t include Carl’s team which included Jerad Shipman, Steve Dossin and his wife, Debra Fuhrman, Roy Cadow, and several others whose names I cannot remember.  Darrel Rundus set up a prayer stop at the City Hall venue with Chris Owen and Trey Rundus.

The team with TLC and Bezeugen passed out more than 11,000 tracts in just a few hours.  We set up on corners near the parade route and gave out Christmas tracts to parade goers as they came.  Others went out to the parade route and walked it as people waited for it to start.  We gave out Reagan Million Dollar Bills and Christmas tracts to the thousands of people who were waiting.  The organizers estimate that 350,000 people come to this parade every year.  After the parade concluded, we stood on various corners and continued passing out tracts as people left.  Tyler McNabb open-air preached to the crowds at the stop light.  When it was all over, we met at the Subway restaurant near the library for fellowship and a meal.

Please pray that those who received the gospel will respond to it.

Atheist Ministry:

Over the last couple of weeks, the Lord has been blessing us with opportunities to meet with fairly serious atheists about the gospel.

Last week, Jon and Tom Sadowski met at UNT with an atheist named Schilling who is a prominent atheist.  Schilling is extremely logical, which is ironic since in order for there to be logic, there must be absolute truth.   We talked for about an hour and a half about the gospel and some apologetics.  Schilling is considering working to sponsor us to come and set up a public debate on the existence of God.  Ironically, if this works out, he will be the second atheist to offer to sponsor our ministry at UNT now that the school has changed its free speech policy.

This week, Jon and Kim met with Elizabeth, who was one of the organizers of the LGBT “Kiss In” at the Fort Worth Stockyards back in October.  She is also a post-grad student at UNT.  Elizabeth had a need for food and several of us got together and pitched in to get some food for her.  About $400 was raised and it bought A LOT of food.  We talked for about 2 1\2 hours over dinner at a mall food court, and then went out to the car.  Elizabeth was overwhelmed at the generosity of Christians towards an LGBT activist.  She says that the words “thank you” don’t seem like they are enough.  We had a wonderful visit with her.

Please pray for Elizabeth’s salvation.  Her Christian background is from a large seeker sensitive church and she is dealing with a lot of hurt over the way she was treated there, where people are numbers that feed the church growth machine and the church is a program.  Elizabeth’s story ought to serve as a warning to pastors who rationalize massive church growth because they help so many people.  When the church loses its character as a family, the body of Christ, and a temple, and becomes a corporation, it can only hurt people and not help them.

Evangelism Resources:

1.  Wretched Radio is doing an important conference right here in Keller, TX May 14-15!  The Psalm 119 Conference will feature Phil Johnson, Todd Friel, Dr. Peter Hammond, Justin Peters, Paul Taylor (Answers in Genesis), and Emilio and Trish Ramos.  The early bird registration is $69.00 and the student price is $49.00.  There is a 10% discount for Wretched Club members.

TLC Ministries has been asked to help coordinate an evangelistic outreach immediately after the event on Saturday (similar to The Five Hundred event after Deeper).  Please keep this in prayer as we make plans to mobilize hundreds of believers to take the gospel across the Dallas\Fort Worth area.

2.  Here is  a great video report from our friends at Jeremiah Cry Ministries from their recent trip to Dublin, Ireland.

3.  Here is something that should make you squirm.  There is a doctor here in the Dallas area who is a former ordained Baptist minister who now performs late term abortions and justifies it because he “prays that their souls will return to God.”  He claims that he knows he is killing viable human life, but thinks it is okay because of his good wishes for the souls of the babies.  Watch the TV news report here.

4.  Here’s an inspiring, sobering video on counting the cost.   Easy believism is heresy.

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Prayer Requests:

TLC’s financial support has been cut 50% since July. Essentially, this means that we need to raise $40,000 to cover the loss to two salaries. This amount will bring us back to the post-July cuts. Please prayerfully consider whether you might be able to support this ministry.

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

–John 8:31,32

Evangelism Quote:

“O be not too quick to bury the Church before she is dead.”

–John Flavel

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

Saturday, December 5th: 6:00AM–About noon:  TLC Ministries will join Bezeugen Ministries (and others) at the Capital One Bank Adolphus Children’s Parade.  This is a massive Christmas parade in downtown Dallas that will draw more than 350,000 people!  This is a “gift wrapped” opportunity to share the gospel as people wait for the parade to begin.  We will pass out tracts, do one-to-ones and open-air preach.

The carpool will leave FBC Justin at 6:00AM.  If you want to reserve your spot in the carpool, please let me know at jon@lostcauseministries.com.  Please bring money for breakfast on the road, and lunch (if you want to eat).

We are planning on parking near the corner of Main and Akard Streets and doing ministry at intersections near the main parade route (along Commerce).  Because of the size of the crowd, and the policies of the Dallas Police Department for this parade, it is very difficult to work Commerce Street prior to the parade.  We can easily work the side streets.  When the parade concludes, we will be able to work Commerce Street as people leave for their cars.

TLC, let’s plan on hitting this parade hard.  I know it is a busy time of the year, but this is probably the largest parade in DFW throughout the entire year.  If we miss this opportunity, we miss a golden one.

Evangelism Report:

Fort Worth Christmas Parade\Tree Lighting:

On Friday night, I traveled down to Sundance Square to do some witnessing in Fort Worth.  Unbeknownst to me when I scheduled this outreach, the Fort Worth Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting was scheduled for the same night!  Thousands of people crammed downtown Fort Worth.   It took me an hour to get down Belknap Street and parked.

Dan George met me there, along with Ted and Linde Winton and some others who do outreach there fairly regularly.  The parade was over by the time that I got there, but there were still many people in line to talk to Santa Claus and just wandering the streets.  We were able to open-air preach with a lot of freedom and people stopped to listen from time to time.  It was the usual crowd: many heckled half-heartedly, mocking as they passed by.  One college aged kid stopped on his bicycle to mock one of the guys from Jeremiah Cry Ministries as he preached.

But there were also people who stopped to sincerely listen, including Christians who were greatly encouraged by anyone having the boldness to step up publicly and proclaim the gospel.  One lady listened patiently while I preached the gospel and stepped up afterward to encourage us.  She asked us to keep being faithful because if one person is reached with the truth, then it is so important to that one person.  She said that she had also been a false convert and that she had come to Christ in reality.  Her husband came back a little later and handed me a $20 bill.  I tried to give it back, but he would not take it.  As I shared with some friends from church later, if we get money when we’re preaching it’s because people are usually throwing pennies AT us rather than giving cash TO us.

We also passed out hundreds of gospel tracts and had some one-to-ones.  The Lord was glorified and the gospel was preached.

Thanksgiving Basket Distribution:

I hesitate to mention it on this blog since it was not an official TLC outreach, but I do want to include it for your encouragement and as an idea for others.  Last Saturday, my wife and I helped with the Thanksgiving Basket Distribution at FBC Briar.  The church gathered at 9:00AM to assemble the baskets which included a turkey, pie crust, pie filling, dinner rolls, cans of vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.  We also included an ESV outreach New Testament, an invitation to come to the church’s annual Thanksgiving dinner, an audio message on CD proclaiming the gospel from our pastor, and a gospel tract called “The Problem and the Solution.”

The members of the church submitted names of people in their neighborhoods who might be blessed by this gift.  A total of 20 baskets were distributed.  We (me, Kim and a friend from church) took a basket to a dear family in Azle and had the chance to briefly share the gospel with them.  Then we brought two baskets back to Justin and delivered them to a couple of our neighbors.  It was a blessing to be able to give, through the church, both a tangible help during this season, as well as a thorough presentation of the gospel.

On Tuesday night, the church had their Thanksgiving Dinner and several who received baskets came out to the dinner.  Beforehand, there was a brief service where Pastor Randall presented the gospel.  Some who were visitors also heard the gospel in personal one-to-one conversation around the table.

I share this here because this is a simple outreach any church can do for a fairly small amount of money.  While we tend to highlight fairly intense contact evangelism on this blog, I think we need to remember that sound servant evangelism exists.  These were not turkeys given out without the gospel; in that case, they would have only been turkeys and stuffing.  But this was a meal that was given with the gospel in its fullness: the New Testament, the gospel CD, the tract, and the invitation to hear more.

I believe that a solid local church outreach plan will include both street evangelism and community servant evangelism, but it is not evangelism unless the gospel is included.

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Prayer Requests:

TLC’s financial support has been cut 50% since July. Essentially, this means that we need to raise $40,000 to cover the loss to two salaries. This amount will bring us back to the post-July cuts. Please prayerfully consider whether you might be able to support this ministry.

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

–2 Peter 1:20, 21

Evangelism Quote:

“He that doth not believe that there is a God, is more vile then a devil.  To deny there is a God, is a sort of atheism that is not to be found in hell.”

–Thomas Brooks

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

Friday, November 27th, 7-10PM:  TLC Ministries will be doing evangelism in Fort Worth, at Sundance Square.  The carpool will leave FBC Justin at 6:15PM.  If you want to carpool, you MUST contact Jon Speed at jon@lostcauseministries.com before Friday.

Evangelism Report:

University of Texas, Austin:

Last Wednesday, about 20 volunteers from DFW and Austin converged on the campus of UT Austin to distribute Ray Comfort’s edition of “Origin of the Species.”  We were armed with 2,000 copies of the book and a wide assortment of gospel tracts.  TLC thanks God for the following volunteers:  Alex Chen, Thomas Umstattd, Ted Winton, Tyler McNabb, Priscilla McNabb, Tommy Grider, Chad Welty, Byron Porter, Carl Kalbfleisch, Tom Sadowski, Andy Taylor, Betty Taylor, Chelsea Taylor, Juan Santos, Katie Townsend, Guillermo Miranda, Joel de la Garza, and several other student volunteers from UT.

We arrived at about 9AM on Guadalupe Street and quickly unloaded the van.  Once we gave out instructions and prayed, we began the distribution, which began around 9:40 or so.  We split the team up into three locations on Guadalupe and passed out all of the books in about two hours!  Of those books, only one had the introduction torn out by an angry atheist.  Richard Dawkins had recommended to students that they tear out the introduction.  In fact, they had intended on having more organized opposition, but they thought that we were planning the outreach for the 19th instead of the 18th and this simple change in strategy resulted only in minor opposition.

One biology professor and a few of his students had some anti-Comfort bookmarks and handouts that they scrambled around trying to give everyone who got a free book.  It seems that this professor did not have much confidence in the students at UT to discern truth from error.  Tyler McNabb and Priscilla ended up speaking with him for almost one hour over coffee after the distribution was over.  He could not account for the existence of ethics in his world view.  Tyler faithfully shared the gospel with him.

The first copy went to a prominent faculty member who claimed to be a Dean of one of the Science departments.  He just “happened” to be there while we unloaded and he knew what the outreach was about.  He did not want to take the book at first, but when we showed him respect for his title, he seemed to warm up to us.   When he began chatting about his rare collection of 19th century Darwin books, I was able to speak knowledgeably with him since I’ve sold used and rare books for about 15 years, including a first edition of Darwin’s Descent of Man.  This changed the conversation completely, and we ended up having a nice chat.  At the end, he still refused to take the book, until we suggested he add it to his collection, at which he brightened and said, “Yes, thank you, I will do that.”

After the books were gone, we began open-air preaching.  It wasn’t hard to draw a crowd since they knew why we were there and wanted to start arguing about evolution.  Many members of the team open-aired.  I was surprised at the number of hecklers who thanked me for preaching the way I did; we disagreed, but there was respect all around.  One young man who was Jewish (and asked some difficult but good questions) said that he could see that I respected him and loved him.  I was relieved because sometimes in the heat of the argument, it can be hard to communicate that.

Many of the team members had some very good one-to-ones.  In spite of the confrontational atmosphere, the gospel was communicated clearly.  God was glorified.

University of North Texas (Denton):

This report comes from Tim Crawford:

We had the privilege of participating in the Origin of Species project this last week and successfully distributed around 2,000 books in about 90 minutes on the University of North Texas campus. We had a team of about 15 people and they were sold out for Christ and all about bringing Him the glory He deserves. The UNT team was a wonderful bunch that truly had a heart to serve and a genuine love for the lost.

God showed us favor from the beginning and I knew that it was going to be an excellent day. I arrived on campus a little early  (about 8:30am) that morning to get the permits and make sure everything was set up prior to the teams arrival at 9:30am. I was a little nervous heading up to the Deans office to pick up the permits due to a change in the free speech policy. A week ago UNT had shut the doors on free speech to all outside groups and in order to get on campus now you must have a student group to sponsor you or you are not allowed on campus. We tried to contact them prior to the event to see if they were going to honor our permits because we had applied for them prior to the change in regulations.

By the day of the event we hadn’t heard back from any one. We did have a back up plan , if the permits fell through we had rented a vendor table that was set up right at the door of the Student Union where the foot traffic was very good. So I went up to the UPC office and picked up my vendor permit, got the tables set up and then headed up to the deans office and asked for the permit for free speech and she just pulled out the book and handed me the permit and said have a nice day!!! Praise the Lord!!! As I walked away I was thinking  WOW!  I now had both permits in my possession without any controversy or issues!

I headed to the parking garage to meet the team. It was approximately 9:30 and just like clockwork the phone began to ring and the teams were right around the corner.  We gathered around for prayer and I shared some brief instructions with the team and we were off and running. Everyone took a couple of cases and headed over to the free speech area and the vendor area.
After about the 3rd trip (I was out of breath and almost dead) I thought there has to be an easier way. Wouldn’t you know it, by the providential hand of God here comes two guys in a one of those gator on trash duty for UNT!   I said,  “Hey guys you got a few minutes to help me out?” I just have a few books here in my pickup truck that I need to get over to the free speech area. They said it was no problem and I thought thank you Jesus and I knew that either God was showing me mercy or I had just manipulated two guys to get out of the physical labor of carrying 2,000 books across campus!  Either way I am thankful they were willing to help me out and I was able to get everything over there and set up just before the first class change.

We had a blast and couldn’t get the books out of the boxes fast enough!!! I told everyone “make sure to read the introduction and see what the Crazy Christians are saying about Charles Darwin”. Many students were like thank you so much we really appreciate this. So many students are hardened to the things of God and anything to do with Christianity. We heard everything from thanks for the book and I am so happy it isn’t a Bible!!!
Some thought it was a horrible thing that we were doing and others thought it was great. Either way. the whole event was a success and God was glorified. The books were gone in about 90 minutes and we actually had people coming up to us asking us if we had more books but we were out.

After all the books were gone we all started passing out Gospel tracts and witnessing to everyone. It was great to see so many one to ones going on all over the place. Many atheists stayed around to talk and I had the privilege to speak with three very angry ones at length (30-45 min) and  the Lord really blessed the conversation. In the end they all shook my hand and left hearing a balanced presentation of the Gospel and being silenced by the law.After the conversation it  really seemed that there anger was gone and they understood better why we do what we do. Praise the Lord for a great day and thanks to everyone on my team for your labor of love and all of you back home who were praying for us! To God be the glory for the great things He has done!

Evangelism Resources:

1.  Here is a great gift for anyone.  Our friend, Abigail Miller, has released a NEW CD of her music.  The CD is called, “I Can Go In”.

2.  Way of the Master Ambassador’s Academies are coming up!

The Academy registration price includes all of the above, plus four nights stay in the beautiful Cypress Woodfin Hotel, 4-6 meals, training materials, and special gifts from Ray Comfort and Living Waters. In addition, all participants become full members in the Ambassadors’ Alliance Fellowship—the Alliance’s online community.This year we are opening the applications for all our 2010 dates. Now you can plan far in advance the date you would like to attend. Select the date below that works best for you.

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Evangelism in the New Testament Review:

You can check out this fairly balanced, non-WoTM review of Jon’s book here.

Prayer Requests:

1.  TLC’s financial support has been cut 50% since July. Essentially, this means that we need to raise $40,000 to cover the loss to two salaries. This amount will bring us back to the post-July cuts. Please prayerfully consider whether you might be able to support this ministry.

Praise!

Last week we mentioned that our ministry might be ending at UNT since the university changed their free speech policy.  On Thursday we preached there again and mentioned the change in the message.  A guy who most of us have witnessed to several times, Stewart, asked some clarifying questions, made a phone call, and then offered to help us get a student group sponsorship.  The kicker?  Stewart is an atheist!  We thank God for Stewart and his willingness to help us get access to the university until we can find a Christian student organization to sponsor us.

Evangelism Quote:

“A minister may fill his pews, his communion role, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more.”

–John Owen

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1. Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth: Thursdays, from 7-9PM. Truck to truck witnessing. Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).2. Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney): Saturdays from 7-8AM. Witnessing to the Hispanic community. Spanish tracts and one-to-ones. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3. Skate Park (Allen): Saturdays from 10-11PM. One-to-ones with skaters. Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

TLC will be doing street evangelism as a follow up to the one day training at FBC Briar on November 14th. We will be at the Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth from 6-9PM. We will meet on the corner of Commerce and Third Street, in front of the Barnes and Noble. The carpool will leave Justin at 5:00PM.

Evangelism Report:

NASCAR Dickies 500 (Texas Motor Speedway):

For an excellent report on this outreach, with photos, please visit Ron’s new website.  Thanks for this update, Ron.  4,000 tracts distributed, one-to-ones with police officers, hippies, and more!

Skate Park (Allen, TX):

This report comes from Byron Porter:

A rather large disturbance broke out at the skate park this week.  There was a fight that broke out as soon as Jeff and I arrived. It seemed that a 20 year old decided to choke a 14 year old teen after which the police arrived to maintain peace.

There seems to be a trend that the police arrives during evangelism locations I’m at as this is the third time to encounter such situations.

We made our way to the teen who was choked and began to use what happened as a segue to spiritual things but I think he was more willing to have adults around him as comfort rather than talk about God. So the conversation really did not get anywhere. Everyone was so keyed up, that Jeff and I escorted the boy out of the park till his parents arrived.

However this gave us opportunity to run into a few skate boarders who recognized us from the previous weeks. German, his cousin Alex and Jose approached us and recalled that we are always talking about “God Stuff.” German then showed us a small metal cross he carries with him always. He said it keeps him safe and represents how godly he is.

German has had a difficult life and though this relic gave him a sense of purpose, I mentioned that I makes him an idolator. What followed was an hour long talk about God’s Law in the scriptures.

Though German and his friends had a form of godliness, it took explaining point by point from scripture that idolatry is the default inclination of mankind. It was difficult for him to release the image he had formed of his god.

We gave him a Bible and he said he would read it. Please pray for German that God would show him truth and he would forsake idolatry.

Evangelism Resources:

1. We’re very excited about this new tract that has been developed as a coordinated effort between TLC Ministries and One Million Tracts. It is a 2012 tract, springboarding from the popular upcoming movie and using Revelation 20:12 to preach the gospel. The cost is only $2.50 per pack of 50. These are postcard sized and contain a full gospel message. We think that these tracts will have a life well past the premier of the 2012 movie–perhaps right up until December 12, 2012!

2. Speaking of tracts, it is time to start thinking about what gospel tracts you are going to send out in the mail with your Christmas cards. Here’s a fun tract from One Million Tracts: Naughty or Nice? The cost is only $3.00 for a pack of 100 business card sized tracts.

Evangelism Training:

Saturday, November 14th: TLC Ministries will be doing another one day training at First Baptist Church of Briar (Azle, TX) from 9AM-1PM. We will do an outreach that evening from 6-9PM in Sundance Square (Fort Worth). If you are not from the church and you are planning on coming, please email me at jon@lostcauseministries.com

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Prayer Requests:

1.  TLC’s financial support has been cut 50% since July. Essentially, this means that we need to raise $40,000 to cover the loss to two salaries. This amount will bring us back to the post-July cuts. Please prayerfully consider whether you might be able to support this ministry.

2.  The University of North Texas has officially changed their free speech policy.  TLC will no longer be allowed to come on campus unless we get sponsorship from a recognized Christian Student Organization.  Please bathe this in prayer since UNT has been one of our best venues and this semester has been the most fruitful in our experience.

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.”

–Luke 24:46-48

Evangelism Quote:

“If a hardened heart is to be broken, it is not stroking, but striking that must do it.”

–Richard Baxter

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1.  Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth:  Thursdays, from 7-9PM.  Truck to truck witnessing.  Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).2.   Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney):  Saturdays from 7-8AM.  Witnessing to the Hispanic community.  Spanish tracts and one-to-ones.  Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

3.  Skate Park (Allen):  Saturdays from 10-11PM.  One-to-ones with skaters.  Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

1.  November 5-8, 2009:  TLC Ministries will assist TXARM with ministry at the Texas Motor Speedway.  We will distribute tracts at the gates, assist with handicap transportation (do ride along one-to-one witnessing), and other opportunities.  Each day you MUST sign in at the TXARM Ministry Tent site and wear TXARM shirts identifying you to the track officials as a TXARM volunteer.  In order to get into the campground, you must also have a parking permit from TXARM.  If you did not receive one, you need to catch a ride with someone who does have one.

Suggested Ministry Times:

November 5:  Noon (literature distribution at the gates).

November 6:  10:30AM and 6:30PM (Qualifying and the NCWTS race).

November 7: 11:00AM (O’Reilly Challenge race).

November 8: 11:00AM (Gates are open, Dickies race starts at 2PM).

2.  TLC will be doing street evangelism as a follow up to the one day training at FBC Briar on November 14th.  We will be at the Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth from 6-9PM.  We will meet on the corner of Commerce and Third Street, in front of the Barnes and Noble.  The carpool will leave Justin at 5:00PM.

Evangelism Report:

University of North Texas (Denton):

This report comes from Tom Sadowski:

On this particular day—seemingly the first one in recent memory on the UNT campus without at least some rain—Jon and Jason (Sides) took care of most of the preaching. Jeff Pittman, Sunny, Jon’s wife Kim, and a brother named Roy (and his dog) were also present. I, Tom, had some excellent conversations with passing students, though Jon did hand the mike to me toward the very end of the time, so I guess I was the “anchor man” for the last 15 minutes, with the theme of the blood of Christ much upon my mind as I preached, beginning with the incredibly profound Passover passage in Exodus 12 that of course ultimately points to the PRECIOUS blood (“. . . and when I see the blood, I will pass over you . . .”).

The main thing I wanted to relate here from this day, however, is a brief account of a conversation I had with a student named Beth. As either Jon or Jason was preaching, I began to notice her, wearing big, dark sunglasses, standing at a bit of a distance for what seemed like several minutes. So, of course, I went over to speak with her. As it turned out, she was supposed to be observing something out of the ordinary—and this most certainly qualified—in order to give a report on it for a class. She was friendly, and didn’t seem to mind the interruption.

Beth had a Roman Catholic upbringing, but had pretty much jettisoned it after reaching college age, and was now just more or less irreligious, though not at all arrogant. I never really could see right into her eyes behind those dark glasses, but I trust that she saw the earnestness and love—by God’s grace alone—in my own, as I spoke at length with her about the Gospel and her need of Christ. Amazingly, as I got around to quoting one of my most favorite verses to her—“. . . it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe (1 Cor. 1:21)—she and I both heard Jon, in the background, quoting that exact same verse in his open-air message. It was a profound sort of moment.

Some minutes later, when we parted ways, after giving her a “Lies College Students Hear” tract (written by a pastor friend in Missouri, but having penned in my email address for possible further contact), I could only pray, from deep within, that God would make the whole encounter a lasting memory for her, and one that would of course culminate in the saving of her soul. I recall saying to her at one point that this was quite likely the one and only time that she and I would ever get to converse like this, as is so very often the case with students we encounter and talk to—ONCE—on campus. I would say to all of you dear evangelistically minded friends reading this, as well, that we continually ask God for the grace to view every such conversation, and even every open-air sermon, in light of the fleeting nature of our time, days, and yes, even our very lives here on earth.

Southlake Town Square:

This report also comes from Tom Sadowski:

Jon and his daughter Samantha and I (Tom) met up with Roy again (and his dog) and a sister named Debbie (hope I have your named spelled correctly, Deb) for this outreach. Not quite a “ghost town” this evening, but very far indeed from the maddening crowds of summer. There never were enough folks to justify preaching, but we did have some good conversations. Speaking for myself, I spoke with two young men, Brandon and Joe, for 10 mins or so, who listened politely and seemingly closely. Brandon was a professing believer, while Joe never really said, but was only an occasional church attender. They seemed appreciative and thought-filled, or so it appeared, as they walked away.

The most noteworthy encounter of this evening, though, was with a lady in her 40’s named Pam, whose out-to-lunch, estranged husband had recently tried to take advantage of her generosity, and, having had a history of such antics on his behalf, she was “probably” going to end up divorcing him, I think is how she put it. Pam was RC (Catholic), and said at least twice that she knew that Jesus was right there always with her, and that she knew she was going to heaven for sure, although she couldn’t really explain why she was so sure. In sad reality, I’m fairly certain that Pam had no clue whatsoever as to whom the real, biblical Jesus is.

Afterward, it hit us all as pretty profound that in this case, we did not approach her, but that she approached us, five strangers, in the dark, three of them men, wanting to talk. She had an appearance of self-confidence and stability, but deep down I cannot but believe that she was hurting and crying out, in some real measure. We all shook hands with her, twice in fact, and gave her some tracts and our best well wishes as she walked away.

Trunk or Treat Event (Highland Village):

This report comes from Byron Porter:

What differentiates a non-profit from the Church should be obvious.   Christianity is the only way that offers forgiveness of sins. However if what we do as Christians in our endeavor to reach the community neglects the proclaimation of the gospel then we look no different from a secular social justice movement.

TLC Dallas joined with The Village Church Dallas Campus for their annual Trunk or Treat outreach. And the Gospel was indeed proclaimed.  I along with Chris Diggs took roles as Prayer Walkers/Evangelists charged with surrounding the event in prayer along with other volunteers as we shared the Gospel with families.

Many conversations were had, but the most outstanding in my memory was with a group of 20 teens who descended upon the the church grounds dressed as vampires. Initially I addressed the entire group but as they split in two, Chris handled the others breaking away. And a couple Of the guys came back to thank us for sharing hard truths with them.

I actually had one (of many) conversation in Spanish where this man visiting from the surrounding community immediately spoke of our necessity to be justified by Christ! It is always a great encouragement to run into someone who is truly convicted of sin and knows the Gospel.

Many of the church members were energized to have examples of how to share Christ and in my estimation is indicative of the direction and fruition of what God is doing here regionally. It seems like more men and women are joining in as co-laborers for the truth as their concern for the lost increases.

A few others from TVC joined us Sunday afternoon for evangelism at the Shops at Highland Village. Of which we met Patrick who is a former Episcopalian and is frustrated with the church. He mentioned his anger that a local mega-church he had been recently attending shunned he and his expecting girlfriend. It was this instance and a few other points of hypocrisy in his eyes that made him hate the church.

Listen–God does not have a wonderful plan for your life. He has a wonderful plan for your eternity if you are in Christ. Selling God’s promises as draw cards to join the church, only to administer the yoke and enforcement of moralism without the gospel, is just as atheistic and godless as intentional lawlessness.

He mentioned that church people are supposed to be loving. When Patrick told us of his relationship and expectant baby, I did not back down from preaching the Law to Him and the consequences thereof, but that God grants mercy through His justice poured on Jesus. And that Christians are to love just as God has also loved us through much sin before and even after our conversion. If we never preach consequences of sin and let that sink in before giving the Good News then that would be the most unloving self-righteous thing.

Yet sin should still be identified as such and that was made clear to Patrick. We preached that Christ was crucified for sin and a legal transaction happened on the cross. The hardened shell that we first encountered began to soften with the explaination of the full counsel of God and Patrick was actually appreciative.

He took my and Chris’ number and accepted a bible as well. We told him that we are glad for them going through having his baby and wedding.  And that we would be happy to help any way we can.

Yes we can preach God’s wrath justly abiding on sinners who will not repent and trust Christ, while also showing His love and common grace.  Even biblically. And those whose hearts the Lord opens, ultimately will hear.

Evangelism Resources:

1.  We’re very excited about this new tract that has been developed as a coordinated effort between TLC Ministries and One Million Tracts.    It is a 2012 tract, springboarding from the popular upcoming movie and using Revelation 20:12 to preach the gospel.  The cost is only $2.50 per pack of 50.  These are postcard sized and contain a full gospel message.   We think that these tracts will have a life well past the premier of the 2012 movie–perhaps right up until December 12, 2012!

2.   Speaking of tracts, it is time to start thinking about what gospel tracts you are going to send out in the mail with your Christmas cards.  Here’s a fun tract from One Million Tracts: Naughty or Nice?  The cost is only $3.00 for a pack of 100 business card sized tracts.

3.  Christian Audio is offering a great free download this month.  John Piper’s book Desiring God, is now available for FREE during the month of November.  Simply add the download format of Desiring God to your cart and enter the coupon code NOV2009 when prompted during checkout.

4.  Here is an excellent message from C.J. Maheney called Sovereign Grace.  As our friend, Josh Williamson, at Operation 513 says, “If we are to present salvation, we had better know the doctrine of salvation.”  We agree.

Evangelism Training:

Saturday, November 14th: TLC Ministries will be doing another one day training at First Baptist Church of Briar (Azle, TX) from 9AM-1PM. We will do an outreach that evening from 6-9PM in Sundance Square (Fort Worth).  If you are not from the church and you are planning on coming, please email me at jon@lostcauseministries.com

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Prayer Request:

TLC’s financial support has been cut 50% since July. Essentially, this means that we need to raise $40,000 to cover the loss to two salaries. This amount will bring us back to the post-July cuts. Please prayerfully consider whether you might be able to support this ministry.

Evangelism Memory Verse:

“But now a righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all and upon all them that believe.”

–Romans 3:21,22

Evangelism Quote:

“The upright soul is constant in his profession, and changes not his behavior according to his companions.  Oh, that I might never through shame or fear disown Him who has already acknowledged me!”

–George Swinnock

Regular, Weekly Outreaches:

1.  University of North Texas (Denton):  Tuesdays, from 10:00AM-2:30PM.   Free Speech areas vary, but we usually try for Area C, next to the University Union, down the hill from the eagle statue.  Our backup is usually Area A, in front of the Union, directly across from the Baptist Student Ministry building and the bus stops.  Contact: Jon Speed (jon@lostcauseministries.com).

2.  Truck Stop on I-35 W, north of Fort Worth:  Thursdays, from 7-9PM.  Truck to truck witnessing.  Contact: Ron Martinez (ron@lostcauseministries.com).

3.   Day Laborer Camp (Mckinney):  Saturdays from 7-8AM.  Witnessing to the Hispanic community.  Spanish tracts and one-to-ones.  Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

4.  Skate Park (Allen):  Saturdays from 10-11PM.  One-to-ones with skaters.  Contact: Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com).

Special Outreaches:

1.  Friday, October 30, 7-10PM: TLC Ministries will be doing evangelism at the Southlake Town Square in Southlake. We will meet at the plaza behind Brio’s Restaurant at 7:00PM. The carpool from FBC Justin will leave that parking lot at 6:30PM. If you would like to be a part of the carpool, please contact Jon Speed at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

2.  November 5-8, 2009:  TLC Ministries will assist TXARM with ministry at the Texas Motor Speedway.  We will distribute tracts at the gates, assist with handicap transportation (do ride along one-to-one witnessing), and other opportunities.  Each day you MUST sign in at the TXARM Ministry Tent site and wear TXARM shirts identifying you to the track officials as a TXARM volunteer.  In order to get into the campground, you must also have a parking permit from TXARM.  If you did not receive one, you need to catch a ride with someone who does have one.

Suggested Ministry Times:

November 5:  Noon (literature distribution at the gates).

November 6:  10:30AM and 6:30PM (Qualifying and the NCWTS race).

November 7: 11:00AM (O’Reilly Challenge race).

November 8: 11:00AM (Gates are open, Dickies race starts at 2PM).

Evangelism Report:

Sundance Square (Fort Worth):

This report comes from Tim Crawford:

TLC had a great time in Fort Worth on Friday night sharing the Gospel. Chad Welty, Tom Sadowski, Jordan Hale, Thomas Brocato and myself headed out to witness around 6:30 pm and ended up getting there around 7:45 due to the crazy traffic.

This was the first time out on the streets of Fort Worth for for Thomas Brocato and Jordan. Tom Brocato and I started right off witnessing to a man in front of Barnes and Noble named “The Colonel”. He was an interesting guy who claimed to be an Atheist and looked like someone from the old ZZ Top band. As we shared with him the fallacies of his religion it was very evident that he wasn’t hearing it. I noticed he was a little drunk but we still had a great conversation with him. After some apologetics and listening to some very crazy beliefs we were able to steer the conversation toward the gospel. We spent some time laboring around his points of view and eventually felt it was time to move on so we presented the truth of the Gospel to him one more time and took some pictures and went on our way. Please pray for “The Colonel”  salvation he was a very nice guy just lost and in need of a savior.

The rest of the group had went on ahead and meet up with Ted Winton and his team on the corner of 3rd and Houston. We caught back up with the group and I paired our team up and felt it best to spread out and do some one to one’s. Chad took Jordan and headed one way and I took Tom B. and headed the other and Tom Sadowski stayed on the corner and preached.

Tom and I spent some time passing out tracts and witnessing and had many great one to one’s. We meet this Catholic guy who’s name escapes me but I think it was Michael. He was from Boston and in town for a wedding and was hanging out on the corner having a smoke at this bar waiting for his wife to come. She had just landed in DFW so he was going to pick her up and they were going to spend the weekend in Dallas for the wedding. This was a great conversation because Tom was a former Catholic and was able to connect well with this guy and he was really listening. We spent some time in the law and showing him how are good works just aren’t good enough. It seemed like a very logical thing to him and he listened and agreed with everything that was said. I can only pray that the words we shared will show him that Jesus Christ is our only hope no matter how good of a catholic you are. Please pray for his salvation and hope that his trust is completely resting in Christ and Christ alone.

We meet back up with Chad and Jordan who had some great one to ones as well. They had a chance to share with a security guard over at the bank named Jordan. This guy was going through the ringer of life and struggling with a wife who had committed adultery and now is leaving him and all kinds of other stuff. He was broken and hurting and was very appreciative that Chad and Jordan took the time to share the Gospel with him. He was able to talk about his situation and also hear the good news and see that there is hope in Christ no matter what the situation is. There are so many broken people out there that just need someone to talk to. I praise the Lord that those guys were able to minister to JordanChad left him with all his contact information so hopefully we will hear from him again. and make that connection.

We made our way back to the corner where everyone was hanging out and I told Jordan it was his turn to preach. He said ok and took the mic and started doing his first open air! I was thinking man that was easy, just like passing out tracts don’t ask them just tell them  to take one and they usually will. Anyways he did a great job preaching and in the meantime we were able to witness to a Hispanic family who listened intently to every word! I was blessed to see these new guys getting after it! Tom was witnessing and was preaching!

Well it was nearing the end of the night and we were about to leave and we meet up with these three girls that Ted was witnessing to. One was from Cambodia named Tatiana and she wasn’t sure about religion. Her girlfriend who’s name escapes me was from Malta and she was born again two years ago and struggling about how to share this with her family because they were all Muslim. The third girl was named Putti and she was soundly saved two weeks ago! There testimonies were incredible and for me it was the highlight of the night! I couldn’t believe the stories about there families and how God had brought them all together in a supernatural way, what a blessing. I know that God was really working in Tatiana’s life and it wasn’t by accident that all three of those girls were together. The one  from Malaysia said to me that her family and others who are from her country will kill people who name the name of Christ, and that is why she can’t tell her family she is saved!!! The other girl Putti told me she grew up in a Buddhist home and was an atheist and God saved her two weeks ago! The third one Tatiana was confused about religion but clearly open to the Gospel.

Please pray for there safety and growth of these girls as well as Tatiana’s salvation and the rest of those we spoke to.  I am grateful for the opportunities we have in this country to share the Gospel on the streets and can only pray that God will send up more laborers. The harvest is truly plentiful but laborers are very few. Please if you have an interest or are curious about hitting the streets and what it might be like then contact us! We would love to have you join us.

Holy Conversation

This report comes from Byron Porter:

1 Peter 1:15,16 mentions that we are to be holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written be holy as God is holy.

I can’t think of any holier conversation that to speak the gospel and lift high the cross of Christ. That those who believe may be justified by faith.

The past weeks have been just that: Holy Conversation. Jeff Ramsey and I had opportunity to talk at length with a few guys at the Day Labor spot this past Saturday. This was Jeff’s first one to one where he led all the encounters. He spoke with Cesar as I translated and found that his fear of witnessing to another culture was really not so different afterall.

Cesar knew of sin and the responsibility weighing on him but Jeff still explained the significance. It was interesting because the lapse in time required for translation gave Jeff opportunity to think about what he would say next while conviction could bear down on Cesar.

We spoke with another Spanish speaker who had never heard the gospel!
He never heard of God’s commandments nor justice nor propitiatory attonement. God used Jeff to introduce him to the cross and afterwards we gave him and someone in earshot listening a Bible!

Jeff mentioned that he had not been through training in how to witness so we later joined Jon and Tim as they led a one day training event at Lighthouse Church in Sherman, TX.

Evangelism training is so important, and a willing heart to share the Lord Jesus with the lost is where it all begins.

We went out with the church to evangelize at a local park where many conversations were had. But the effectiveness and confidence in biblical training increased the hunger to share our faith. I am always energized by other Christians who are not ashamed of the gospel.

Many conversations were had later that night at the Skate Park and even had Police arrive to confront a group of kids. I used this as illustration of what the law is meant to do because God is just.

The group of atheist kids were very hardened to the gospel already at 15, but I pray that God would wake them up to His word. One of the boys took a tract regardless of his friend’s disinterest and offered to email me sometime in the future.

Liberty Lighthouse Church (Sherman, TX):

On Saturday, we did a one day training at this church.  About 20 people were in attendance and were greatly encouraged.  We went to a park in Sherman and had some very good conversations.  Two small children professed faith in Christ.  I don’t recall their names, but please pray that their parents will take them to a good local church.

Evangelism Training:

Saturday, November 14th: TLC Ministries will be doing another one day training at First Baptist Church of Briar (Azle, TX) from 9AM-1PM. We will do an outreach that evening from 6-9PM in Sundance Square (Fort Worth).

Evangelism Resources:

1.  The Holy Epidemic Conference in Melbourne, Australia is November 13-14 and will be streamed live on their website.  We recommend checking this out if you can handle the time change.  Guest speakers are Forbes Morrison (open-air preacher from Adelaide), Lionel Letcher (pastor from Frankston), and Chris Sandford (director of One Million Tracts Australia).

2.  The Fisher of Men Conference in New Whiteland, IN is November 14.  Jose and Amy Muniz of the Jesus Crew will be speaking and giving testimonies.  Registration is $14 for the early bird price and $20 at the door.

Road Trip:

It’s officially time to start registering for this year’s Super Bowl Outreach in sunny Miami, FL! This year, the NFL is combining the big game with the Pro Bowl. Both will be held the same week in the same venue, making the Super Bowl an even bigger event for Biblical evangelism! So, at this year’s outreach you have an option. You can come for just the Super Bowl during the last half of the week (Feb. 4-7) or you can come for the whole week and hit both games (Jan. 29-Feb. 7). The “short camp” will be $199. The “long camp” will be $399. Accommodations will be at the Gold Coast Christian Camp. To pre-register, a 25% down payment is required to hold your spot.

The TLC team is planning on going for just the Super Bowl outreach itself. To sign up for the carpool, email jon@lostcauseministries.com.

Prayer Request:

TLC’s financial support has been cut 50% since July. Essentially, this means that we need to raise $40,000 to cover the loss to two salaries. This amount will bring us back to the post-July cuts. Please prayerfully consider whether you might be able to support this ministry.

This week we offer an abbreviated update since we’ve had a very busy season here lately.  Please keep us in prayer as we seek to rejuvenate.

Evangelism Quote:

“Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love.”

–John Bunyan

Evangelism Opportunities:

1.  Thursday, October 22, 7-10PM: Truck Stop Ron Martinez has been faithfully sharing the gospel at the Pilot truck stop off of I-35W and 170 (near Cabella’s and…more importantly…IHOP). Basically, he’s doing some “truck-to-truck” witnessing there. TLC wants to support what Ron is doing out there with some helpers. Ron will head up the teams that go there, providing instruction for newbies. If you’re interested in joining Ron, please email him at ron@lostcauseministries.com.

2. Friday, October 23, 6-11PM: Sundance Square TLC will take the gospel to Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. The carpool will leave Justin at 6:00PM and will meet anyone else who is interested in joining us at the corner of Commerce and Third Street in front of Barnes and Noble at 7:00PM. jon@lostcauseministries.com

3. Saturday, October 24, 7-8AM: Mckinney Day Laborer Camp TLC East Side is doing open-air and one-to-one outreach at the day laborer camp in McKinney, TX. Spanish speakers are needed to share the gospel there! Please don’t limit your outreach to the Hispanic community to annual mission trips to Mexico; reach the lost right here in North Texas! To get involved, contact Byron Porter at byron@lostcauseministries.com.

4. Saturday, October 24, 10-11PM: Allen Skate Park TLC East Side is doing outreach at the Skate Park in Allen, TX. To get involved, please contact Byron Porter (byron@lostcauseministries.com) or Jason Sides (jason@lostcauseministries.com).

5. Tuesday, October 27, 10AM-2:30PM: UNT TLC will be doing evangelism at University of North Texas at Free Speech Area C, adjacent to the University Union building (student union). If you are planning on coming to this outreach, please contact Jon Speed at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

6. Thursday, October 29, 7-10PM: Truck Stop Details same as #1 above.

7. Friday, October 30, 7-10PM: TLC Ministries will be doing evangelism at the Southlake Town Square in Southlake. We will meet at the plaza behind Brio’s Restaurant at 7:00PM. The carpool from FBC Justin will leave that parking lot at 6:30PM. If you would like to be a part of the carpool, please contact Jon Speed at jon@lostcauseministries.com.

8. Saturday, October 31: Byron Porter of TLC East Side will be coordinating a Halloween outreach in Dallas. If you would like to get the details, please email him at byron@lostcauseministries.com.

Evangelism Report:

This past week was an insanely busy week for TLC Ministries.  Josh Williamson and Heath Pithouse were in town from Australia.  They are with an evangelism ministry called Operation 513 and have been touring the USA doing evangelism ministry.

This week we took the gospel to the U2 concert in Dallas, UNT in Denton, OU in Norman, OK, Sundance Square in Fort Worth, the “Kiss In” stage by a pro-homosexual group in the Stockyards of Fort Worth, and the West End Marketplace in Dallas.  Of course, this does not include the faithful work of the men with TLC who were at the Truck Stop or at the Day Laborer Camp and Skate Park.

To write about all of these outreaches individually would take more time than you have to read about them.  So, here’s a brief inventory of what we saw the Lord do:

• A friend open-aired for the first time at U2.

• An atheist who has been having some personal issues and who has been listening to us every week at UNT thanked us for preaching.  He asked for prayer last week!

• Friends of the ministry asked Jon to do a wedding ceremony for them.  They had just moved out of the student housing at UNT and planned on getting married by a Justice of the Peace.  They are Christian students who desired to honor God by having a Christian do the wedding.  Several witnesses were present.  Congratulations Lakeitha and Jordan!

• On the campus of OU we preached to fairly large crowds each time a class changed.  The Christian students were greatly encouraged by open-air preaching that was not condemnatory, yet not compromised.  Backslidden Christians came to repentance, unbelievers were convicted by the truth of the gospel, and atheists were confounded.

• We preached at a GLBT protest\event dubbed a “Kiss In” in the Stockyards.  Again, the gospel was preached.  TLC\Operation 513 did not go to protest, but to proclaim the gospel without malice.  Praise God, one homosexual man came out of the event to speak to a pastor and a Christian friend.  He is leaving the homosexual community and is seeking Christ.  Please pray for him.

Evangelism in the News:

Here is a link to the Kiss In at the Stockyards.  There is a brief clip of Jon preaching.

Evangelism Training:

1.  Saturday, October 24th: TLC Ministries will be doing a one day training at Liberty Light House Church in Sherman, TX from 9AM-2PM. We will do an outreach immediately after the training in Sherman. The church is located at 110 West Mulberry Street in Sherman.

2. Saturday, November 14th: TLC Ministries will be doing another one day training at First Baptist Church of Briar (Azle, TX) from 9AM-1PM. We will do an outreach that evening from 6-9PM in Sundance Square (Fort Worth).