"Uh-Oh" Club - for ladies only

Each Thursday my friend Kristen and I go to a local University and witness to students. A couple weeks ago as we walked into the campus cafeteria a young student was walking out. I couldn't help but notice how horribly low her shirt was. I quickly handed her a tract and said, "Did you get one?" She took it. Then, in a low horrified voice, I covered my mouth and said to her, "Uh Oh!" as I pointed several times at her chest area. She frantically looked down, as if she had no idea, and started buttoning everything up. Then she responded, "Thanks." I wonder how long she walked around the campus with her shirt like that -without anyone saying a word.

Yesterday, when I got home from evangelism, this was in my inbox from, Kristen:

I went to a fast food restaurant today, one where you drive up and order your food, and then a carhop brings it to your car. As I was contemplating what to order, I noticed three guys looking at one of the female carhops that was on roller skates. As she rolled by me, I saw exactly why they were looking at her. Her shorts were the shortest shorts I have ever seen on a human being, and everything in the rear was showing. Immediately, I thought, “I have to do something! Like leave this place! I don’t even know this girl, how can I correct her attire? Surely, one of her co-workers will say something.” My panic attack lasted about thirty seconds, and then I knew that I had to be the one to say something to her. Clearly, none of her co-workers had, and they weren’t going to. So, I placed my order and waited for her to bring it out. But a different girl began walking toward me with my order. Lord, could this get any more awkward? Now You expect me to ask the carhop that brought my food to tell Shorty-Shorts to come over to my car? Needless to say, that’s exactly what I did and she came skating over. I couldn’t even look up as she was rolling toward me; I knew this was going to be painful for both of us. I had never said anything to anybody about their dressing immodestly, so I had no idea what I was going to say. “Yes ma’am?” she said.

“Hey, I just wanted to tell you that those guys were kind of gawking at you, and I think it’s because your shorts are so short. I’m sure you didn’t realize. Just thought you would want to know, because I know I don’t like it when guys gawk at me.”

“Oh, thank you. It’s because my shorts are too big, and they kept falling down, so I had to belt them up high.”

“Well, I just thought you would want to know, because I don’t like guys gawking at me either,” I said again for some reason.

“Well, thank you.” And she rolled away.

Now, I have no idea if she made any adjustments to her shorts or not because I left rather quickly, but at least I said something. Driving away I thought of all the things I should have said and done, but in my nervousness totally forgot about, such as handing her the gospel tract that I had in my lap at the ready. But I didn’t kick myself too badly because it was my first time confronting someone in this way, and I knew, that just like with evangelism, it would get a little easier each time. -Kristen

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If you're reading this and you can relate in any way to these two accounts but you've been nervous to say anything, just know you are not alone. There are now two of us doing this and if you start that will make 3! :-)

Join the "Uh-Oh" Club. And I'm not joking. I want to hear from you. Here's what you can do, the next time you see a lady that is dressed in an immodest fashion: Hand her a tract and say something to the effect of, "Here, this is for you." Or you can say, "Did you get one of these." And then point to the immodest area and with a horrified look, say "Uh -Oh". And better yet, perhaps you can talk to her. Either way, I'd like to hear what happens. Either send me an email (email [at] fishwithtrish.com) or post below.

Confronting someone in this way is not easy. But don't forget, that just like with evangelism, it will get easier each time.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Trish


"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3 (italics mine)

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30

Jeans or No Jeans? That is the question.

"Hi Trish, when the Bible says "modest apparel," do you think that it means that women shouldn't wear jeans or any pants in general? I don't wear those "skinny" jeans that are popular today, but just your average Levi's. Would you (or should I say would God) think that they are acceptable for a woman to wear? Most of the women in my conservative church wear skirts most of the time, even when they aren't in church. " Bridget

Bridget, Thank you for inquiring. There are modest jeans and immodest jeans, to say jeans are a sin is to go further than Scripture and thus legalism. Just remember that we are always in the presence of God and should dress to show our reverence to Him, no matter where we are going (1 Cor 10:31).

Personally, I typically don't where jeans or pants. I have several pairs in my closet but I'm not very comfortable wearing them. I tend to wear skirts a lot though. They are comfortable and fit almost any occasion. As I'm typing this, I have one on. And the green one in the picture featured in the post is my favorite.

I may have taken my 'skirt' wearing to the extreme, however. For sometime now, I've wanted a leaf blower for my yard but spending $40 was out of the question. So like a good steward, I found one on Craigslist for $10! Not a bad deal.

My husband looked at the picture online and thought it seemed decent so he bought it for me, brought it home, and like a good husband he tested it out first. It was super loud. No wonder it was inexpensive.

He blew a few leaves out of the garage and then I gave it a whirl. Oh wait; did I mention I was planning on doing yard work wearing my favorite skirt? 30 seconds later my skirt was sucked up into the engine of the obnoxiously loud leaf blower. Now I know why it was so inexpensive. There was no engine cover! The lesson that day was twofold: there are some things you don’t buy on Craigslist and don’t garden in a skirt, especially your favorite one.

Picture above: Taken in front of Yad VaShem in Jerusalem (Holocaust History Museum). I just got through witnessing to this young lady who was with a group of people called "Walk About Love".

Who can say, "Tracts don't work"?

This email came into Living Waters yesterday:

"I met a man at the gas station the other day. He gave me a trillion dollar bill. Made me think about my life. Thanks, George"

I wrote back, saying:

"Dear George, Thank you for writing. I'm glad that someone cared enough to hand you a gospel tract. I hope you read the back and that you have made peace with God by repenting and trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior."

He wrote back today, with this:

"I read the back... Repenting is what I got from the message. I think it is my time. I would like to talk to that man again. Is there a church in my area? Lakeland, Fl."

My response:

Dear George, great to hear from you again. When you say, "I think it is my time" you are right. The time is now. And Jesus said, "Whoever comes to me I will never cast out" (John 6:37b).

Come to the Lord today, George, and cry out to Him and ask forgiveness for your sins and trust in Jesus Christ. And read your bible daily. Today is the day of salvation. You may not have tomorrow.

As for a church, I'd recommend visiting 9Marks, which has a church finder. Type in your zip code, and see which churches are near you. The churches listed on 9Marks subscribe to good doctrine. http://churchsearch2.9marks.org/

In addition to that, The Master's Seminary posts a map where you can find Master's graduates that are pastoring churches in your area. Just because a pastor graduated from Master's doesn't mean he's solid, but chances are good that he is. At the very least you'll know he received solid Biblical training and the church where he serves would be a good one to check out. http://www.tms.edu/AlumniMap.aspx

And I would highly recommend that you get plugged into the Ambassador’s Alliance Fellowship online and meet other people who evangelize and perhaps you will find someone who knows of a solid church in your area. Once you have joined and become an "Associate Member" of the Ambassadors' Alliance you can use the MAP feature to locate individuals living near you. http://ambassadorsalliance.com/app_associate.shtml

Below are some wise words from a good friend (Todd Friel) which I think might be of help to you in your search for a solid church. I'd encourage you to read it all.

And last but not least, read "Save Yourself Some Pain":
http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=81&Itemid=229

God bless you!

Trish

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How to Find a Good Church
Almost 25 questions that will save you a lot of Sundays - Todd Friel

Looking for a good church? Join the club. Church-shopping can be a long and painful process.
To shorten your search, call the pastor of the church before you visit and ask the following
questions. This might save you a lot of Sundays.

1. What is man's biggest problem, sin or self esteem?
Seeker sensitive and felt-needs churches focus on man’s hurts and problems. The Bible says
that man’s biggest problem is sin.

2. What must a man do to inherit eternal life?
Repent and trust is the Biblical answer. If the word “repent” is never used, say, “Thank you.”

3. How do you deliver the salvation message?
Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says. Does he encourage people to simply say a prayer? Does he tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts?
The salvation message should include: God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, God’s response (hell), God’s kindness (Jesus on a cross), man’s response (repentance and faith).

4. How hard is it to become a Christian?
The “formula” is simple, doing it is not. It is not easy to believe.

5. How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and judgment?
Balance is key. This should not be the only emphasis, but it should be a regular emphasis.

6. How seeker sensitive is your church?
It is o.k. for a church to be “seeker aware” but seeker sensitive means that they lean toward
seekers and not the saved.

7. Who do you do church for, seekers or members?
“Both” is not acceptable. Church should be done for members and the unsaved are welcome to attend.

8. Do you dumb down your sermons?
If he says yes, he is probably not trying to wean his members from milk to meat. Answers like,
“We try to make our sermons accessible to everyone” are sermons that are not meaty.

9. What is your mixture of topical vs. expository preaching?
Topical preaching is fine, but if a pastor never or rarely preaches expositionally (verse by verse),
then you are going to be learning from the pastor and not God’s Word.

10. Do your sermons emphasize theology or are they just relevant?
Everyone should say their sermons are relevant, what you are looking for is if they teach
theology.

11. Describe your youth programs.
If fun and games is the major (and usually first) emphasis, you have a youth program that is trying to compete with MTV.

12. Describe your evangelism programs.
Don’t just accept, “We have an evangelism committee.” Dig. Are they serious about saving
souls?

13. What church growth model do you follow?
Hopefully they don’t have one. Churches should be reaching out to the lost, but churches that
are plugged into new church growth models tend to follow man’s modern ideas rather than the
Bible.

14. How much do you give to missions and the hungry?
Again, this reveals the heart of the church. While most churches give to missions, many never
consider the poor.

15. Do you believe the Bible contains no errors or contradictions?
No equivocation allowed here.

16. Do you believe in a literal 6 day creation?
Jesus did (Matt.19:4).

17. Do you believe in a literal hell and eternal punishment?
Jesus did (Matt.25).

19. When you distribute the Lord's Supper, do you emphasize the need to examine
yourself?
Paul did (I Cor.11:27-32)

20. Can a person who is living in a persistent lifestyle of sin inherit eternal life?
Sinners can certainly be forgiven, but practicing sinners cannot inherit eternal life (I John3:8,9).

21. Does your church exercise church discipline?
Paul said we should (I Cor.5).

22. Do Sunday school teachers, nursery, and youth volunteers fill out an application to answer questions about their core beliefs and salvation, or are all volunteers accepted because of a lack of volunteers?

23.What are the essentials of the faith?
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Salvation through faith alone, the inerrancy of Scripture.

24. Do you have a cross in your sanctuary?
Many remove it because they fear it will turn off seekers. They should glory in the cross.

Enter to WIN 1 "Save With Fear" Poster!

Bottom of the Poster Reads:

"And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Jude 1:22-23 KJV http://www.livingwaters.com/

Click HERE for a larger picture.

Here's What to do to Enter Your Name to WIN:

There are 2 Ways to enter your name in the drawing...

1. For 2 entries, post this give away on your website, blog, or social networking site like Twitter and Facebook.

2. For 1 entry, simply enter your name below (in the comment section) and a way for me to contact you if you win.

Contest ends Sunday, June. 26, 2011 at midnight (CST). Open to US residents only.

I will randomly pick 1 name and the winner will be announced later in the day on Monday, June. 27, 2011.