Make the most of Christmas

Want to make the most of the Christmas Season?

Here's a little tip of something that you can do with

your church family and friends to reach your neighbors.



If you'd like to download Christmas Carols, download the files here:

Christmas Carol Song Sheet 1
Christmas Carol Song Sheet 2

Feeling down? Why don't you take an hour and do this...

Pick some flowers...

Grab the kids...

Find a local nursing home...

Bring joy to a dark place...


Let them smell the flowers.


Share the Everlasting Gospel...

with those whose heads hang low...

"Pure and undefiled religion in the
sight of our God and Father is this...

....to visit orphans and widows in their distress,
and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

I can guarantee you will be blessed by the time you leave...

...and so will they.

Special thanks to my dear friends Damion and Julie
at HisCreations for providing these photos for my blog.
These photos are precious. They remind me of
decades ago when I was little and my dad
took me to see my great grandmother.
Thanks for capturing such wonderful moments.

8 reasons why you should stop picking and biting your nails

One of the things that convinced me to post this happened just about an hour ago.

Before I finished composing this blog, my good friend Jelena stopped by after a Laker game and we fellowshipped a few minutes. She heard I had rearranged some of my furniture and she wanted to drop in to check out the changes. Upon leaving, I walked her to the door and said "Let me read you something I've been writing tonight for my blog...maybe you'll get a kick out of it...it will only take a minute." After I was done reading the below to Jelena, she held her hands up and her nails were worse than mine! I was shocked. I looked at her in horror and said, "Oh no that's terrible." She told me that she got so nervous while watching the game that she had practically taken off her fingers.

Like Jelena, I bite the skin around my nails as well. I know...too much information, right! Well, I typically don't bite any of my other fingers but my thumbs tend to take a beating - maybe I'm lacking some sort of nutrient or something. But for some reason if I'm working on a project or answering emails, I'll just gnaw away. What a bad habit, huh!

So today is the day that I've had enough biting. I'm finished. I'm giving it up for good...or at least with the help of the Lord I'll give it up for good.

Recently, I passed out a few tracts and as I held up the red and blue curved illusion tracts to the cashier at the Dollar Store, I quickly hid my thumbs so that only my pointer fingers would show. How embarrassing.

So tonight, ladies, I pondered 8 good reasons why we shouldn't bite our fingers - that goes for the men reading this, too - especially while you are watching the Laker finals. :-)

If you have a problem with biting, I'd like you to think long and hard about these 8 reasons to quit and then I challenge you to stop biting your nails for good and don't waste your life on such trivial things.

Now for the 8 reasons....

8. You'll be a good example to the young women around you (Titus 2:3-5).

7. You'll save a good amount of money (perhaps Neosporin® would go out of business if we stopped all our biting)

6. Your fingers won't hurt for days (especially when you use nail polish remover, or cut lemons in the kitchen for a glass of cold ice-water, or eat salty foods)

5. You'll be able to freely pass out curved illusion tracts and not worry about others missing the illusion because they are so caught up with looking at your fingers.

4. You won't get sick as much (aren't kids supposed to be the ones we tell, "Now don't put your fingers in your mouth...you don't want to catch a cold!")

3. You will have more focused time (think of all the time and energy you spend biting your nails. My dad does stunt driving and with his spare time he is a Collision Avoidance Driving Instructor and trains young students at Willlow Springs Raceway how to do to handle their cars in stormy conditions. Then he takes the students to the race track where the rubber meets the road.
A few years back he invited me to come up to the track and for the first time I sat in the cockpit of a race car going about 60+ miles an hour around a turn - now that's enough to make you really chew your nails...I thought I was going to die!
In the classroom setting, he explains to the teens, "Imagine you're talking on the phone and watching television at the same time. Now think with me. Are you really focused on both things? I can guarantee that the individual on the phone is not receiving your undivided attention - the same is true when we talk on the phone and drive...so don't talk and drive!")
I bet the same is true when we work and bite our nails...so don't work and bite. :-)

2. You won't have to hide your fingers anymore - especially if your making food and trying to be hospitable to the guests who have been invited to your home for dinner (besides who wants to eat your lovely meal after you've touched their food with your swollen sored up fingers!)

And now for the number one reason why we shouldn't bite our fingers...

1. It will honor God! (1 Cor 10:31)

Will you take the One-2-One Challenge?

So you've passed out your first tract and maybe you've passed out far more than just one gospel tract and you're ready for more. Great job! Now I'd like to encourage you to take the next step and talk with someone about the Lord.

Here's Challenge Number 2:
You have one week from today to talk with an unbeliever about Christ. I call this a one-to-one evangelism encounter. You can talk with someone at the grocery store, the mall, or at work. Maybe you have been wanting to share the Gospel with your neighbor or family member--then post your story below on my blog or email me at email@fishwithtrish.com.

If She Did It--So Can YOU:
Below you will find a few accounts from my dear friend Michelle (21 years old) who took me up on a challenge I extended to her a couple of weeks ago. I gave her one week to witness to one person. Below is what she wrote me. I think you will find her writings encouraging. Michelle writes day-by-day and describes step-by-step what she did. I hope these writings relieve you to know that you're not alone in taking bold steps to overcome your struggles and fears to share your faith:

1st step towards my challenge...
Sent on Monday, April 28th 2008, 12:47 AM
Hi Trish, I had to work tonight and I got a 15 minute break. In the break room there were two other people taking a break at the same time. Pheobe, Matt and I got into a conversation about religion. Matt said he didn't believe in anything at all. Pheobe didn't tell me what religion. I told them that I was a Christian. Phoebe asked me "Are you a die hard Christian?" I asked her what that meant. She said "Are you one of those Christians that say you have to do this or you are going to hell?" I told her yes. She decided to say "But I am a good person. I'm close to perfect." I told her that "No one is a good person and that only God is perfect." She kind of chuckled and I had to leave because my break was up and I had to go back to the check stand. I just wanted to let you know how my week is going so far with your challenge of having a one-to-one conversation. Although I haven't gotten there yet, I am working my way there and plan to have one by this Saturday like you challenged me to. I love you so very much! I can't tell how much you blessed me on Saturday. Thanks. Michelle

Another baby step...
Sent on Tuesday, April 29th 2008, 8:17 PM
I walked up to a girl at my college campus and asked if I could sit down.. I asked her what she was studying and she was studying for an accounting test. I pulled out my bible and I started to pull out a tract but then I put it back. I got scared and didn't start a conversation. But it was a step. I actually said hello to a girl I had never met before and walked up to her and asked if I could sit down. I felt so depressed when she left. But I am moving forward. Michelle

Well... I did it. I initiated my first one-to-one conversation.
Sent on Sunday, May 4th 2008, 1:08 PM
I did it Saturday night around 6pm. I initiated my first one-to-one conversation. Here is my story. I had been watching a couple of girls beside a fountain down in Glendale and they were just chatting together. I felt this deep feeling inside of me tell me to go and start a conversation with them. I told myself no in my head. But it kept nagging at me to share with them. So finally I said yes.. My heart was pounding in my chest. I looked at my dad and said to him that I want to have a conversation with the girls. Oh no... I thought there is no turning back now... My dad asked me if I wanted some back up and if I wanted him to go with me. I shook my head yes. So we headed over to them.

We walked up to the girls my heart still pounding in my chest. I had a couple million dollar bills with me. "Did you get one of these?" I handed it to them. "Do you know what the million dollar question is? What?, they asked. "Do you know what happens to somebody when they die?" Silence. She said something that I don't remember. I had no idea what to say next. I looked to my dad for help. "Well what do you think you have to do to go to heaven? Be a good person?" he asked. One of the girls said "yes." "Would you like to go through a good person test to see if that is true?" he asked. "Yes." I then took it from there. "Have you ever told a lie? Yes she replied. If I lied to you what would you call me? I don't know, she replied. I then look up at my dad again for help. He said "It rhymes with fire and starts with an L." She shrugged her shoulders. "Liar." I asked her "Have you ever stolen anything, even something small, downloaded music that you didn't pay for?" "No." "Have you used God's name to express disgust, like saying Oh my g.." "Huh" She wasn't understanding. Her friend standing next to her try to explain. "Like saying Oh my God." "Yes." the other girl said. That's called blasphemy. The girl still didn't seem to understand. The other girls phone started to go off. She said "You know what we have to go. Our ride is here." "Oh Okay." I said.

And that was it. That was the conversation I had. After that I talked to my dad and he said that he thought there was probably a language barrier between us...After that I was able to hand out about 4-500 tracts that night. When I got back to the car, I broke down in tears. I was so sorry that I couldn't really get in a deep conversation and share the gospel with those two girls because I was literally shaking with nervousness, my heart pounding and stuttering my words a lot and they had to leave as well. That was a huge step out of my comfort zone... Never before had I taken so huge a step in my life to share the gospel with someone.

About one week later Michelle share the good news with another person, she writes:
My friend and I together were able to have a one-to-one conversation with two 15 year old boys. We were able to get through the law and the gospel between the two of us. It seemed so much easier sharing the law and the gospel when I had someone that ping-ponged back and forth with me. She would do one section and then I would and we would go back and forth. Love ya! Michelle

Will you take the Tract Challenge?

Years ago, when I met my good friend Liz I realized that she struggled with speaking to strangers (even Christians) let alone evangelizing. So I began to challenge her week after week with small steps to help her overcome her fears. These challenges helped to strengthen her confidence in the Lord and gave her boldness to eventually share the gospel. Now she's unstoppable and not the same woman she used to be. I would like to present these same challenges to you. And if you are up to it please take these challenges to heart. Remember this Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion."

Here's Challenge Number 1:
If you have never passed out a tract, I would like to extend a personal challenge to you. You have one week from the time you read this blog to pass out one single tract. Then post your story on my blog. I will read them and then present a new challenge for you in the week to come.

Living Waters has the best creative tracts I've ever seen. If don't have any tracts you can purchase them HERE. Then when your tracts arrive, you have one weeks time to pass out your first tract.

Charles Spurgeon said this with regard to winning the lost:
"Brethren, do something; do something, do something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov's idea of war is mine: `Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy! Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God!"