Sunday, June 29, 2008
Update on Augustus...
You'll be encouraged to know that he emailed me this weekend and said that he has been plugged into a church in San Antonio, TX where he is currently living.
He also shared that when he was with us, both Friday and Saturday after the radio program, he explained to that, "this is the first time that I haven't been drunk or high in years".
Please pray for Augustus. He received a tragic call this weekend. His brother was killed in Iraq (he stepped on a land mine) Augustus is really broken. He called Keith, my father-in-law, and Keith comforted Him with scripture. We also have been able to minister to Augustus through email.
I thought you'd be encouraged by what he recently wrote on his myspace profile:
"i just love to wake up in the morning and feel good and give thanks to the lord for another day that i am alive and for another beautiful day in which i get to live in because you never know what day will be your last. "
Friday, June 27, 2008
Hour 2 with Jerry the Bull Rider
You can listen to the broadcast here: June 26, 2008 - Hour 2
Hour 1 The Way of the Master Radio
followed up with them.
June 26, 2008 - Hour 1
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I should blog more often about my weed problem!
I ran out the door and started snapping shots of them working in my yard. "This is incredible! What are you guys doing?!!!"
"We came to bless you!" They said.
"Thank you so much!!!...thank you--thank you--thank you! You must have read my blog about how I was pulling my weeds the other day!"
I must have thanked them 30 times yesterday and they probably got tired of hearing sound like a broken record.
I thank Keith and Miriam for being the most wonderful in-laws any Christian girl could ask for. For years, before I was married, I prayed for the man I was going to marry. And in that prayer I asked the Lord specifically that if it be His will He would find favor on me and bless me with wonderful in-laws one day that would live to serve Him and be a blessing to me and my husband (whoever he was going to be).
From the met and then married Emilio, I was blown away by Keith and Miriam's generosity, hospitality, love for the saints, faithfullness, and most of all their desire to serve Christ above all things. Last year, they picked up their lives in California and moved to Texas to help plant Sovereign Joy Community Church. Though they would never say this about themselves...they serve with the church and others with joy, tirelessly. Keith and Miriam have blessed my soul in ways more than words can express and the Lord has answered my prayers beyond anything I could have asked or thought!
Eph. 3:20-21
Monday, June 23, 2008
Removing Sin at the Root!
I wanted to make use of the last couple hours of sunlight. My husband left to attend a church meeting and I grabbed a trash can, headed for the front yard and pulled away at the weeds that were out of hand--I thought I would surprise him when he got back home.
I have to admit, I'm not crazy about yard work but it turned out to be relaxing evening. The sun was still out but it wasn't intense, my house is in a cul-de-sac so it's quiet and I started pulling up the small weeds first which came up in a snap (actual photo above). But the weeds that were bigger where harder to pull. Weeds slide out best if you pull them when the soil is wet. Getting the root up is crucial. If you find that the weeds are breaking off at the crown as you pull, get a garden tool of some sort under the weed, and pry and twist as you pull it up.
A flexible pair of waterproof gloves will keep your hands free from thorns, and it's good to have a nice sitting pad, too--I didn't have this tonight and I probably will be paying for it tomorrow when I can barely get out of bed because of all the bending I did. :-)
As I was bent down, I began to think about sin and how if we don't deal with sin swiftly it will eventually take over our life and consume us. Just like the weeds took root and quickly were out of hand, sin is a snare! If we desire to be pleasing to our God we must get to the root of the issue and deal with our sin. We must repent. Anyone who has been born of God will hate sin. "A man is not established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous cannot be moved" (Proverbs 12:3). Ladies, we should be rooted and grounded in love and righteousness as we walk uprightly before the Lord (Ephesians 3:17). And don't forget to read your bible daily and allow the Word of God to saturate your heart like water. Soak yourself in the Word of God and like a swift garden tool it will pry any sinful root out of your heart so that you will be useful for the master and ready for every good work (2 Timothy 2:21). John Bunyan writer and preacher who is best known for writing The Pilgrim's Progress said, “Either sin will keep you from the Word, or the Word will keep you from sin.” (actual photo above)
Enter to Win a FREE copy of "Stop Dating The Church" by Joshua Harris
In "Stop Dating The Church Fall In Love With The Family of God", Harris explains the beauty of the church, our need for the church, what commitment to a church involves, what to look for in a church, and how to make Sunday the best day of the week. Stop Dating The Church emphasis that church is the place God grows us, and encourages us.
Here is what to do: Leave a comment below with your name and some way for me to contact you if you win (email or blog link is fine). Comments will be opened through next Monday and a winner will be randomly chosen next Tuesday. Open to U.S. residents only.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
"You shouldn't be yelling at people!"
We decided to move locations. Brandon grabbed the box and we moved our group a bit south near a local Starbucks. Not many people were around but Brandon preached on the corner anyway. He was loud enough that some of the young people standing near Starbucks could hear him from across the street where two teenage girls were upset. So Javier (another brother from Sovereign Joy) began talking with the two girls. One girl in particular was extremely mad.
Sadly, today, young men and women like these are the product of their seeker sensitive churches that have diluted the message of the gospel to the point were it's almost unrecognizable. The truth is that Jesus' message was clear, "Repent or you will perish" (Luke 13.3). The worst part of all of this is that should this young lady have met Jesus in the first century, she probably would have disagreed with His style of preaching as well. It is important for us to preach the pure gospel even if it offends--because it will (2 Corinthians 2:16). Think about it like this, Jesus was perfect and they still killed him!
I thank everyone who has come out to evangelize week after week and to those who have joined us for a brief season--thank you! I am grateful for your lives and it brings me great joy to serve the long alongside of you. Thank you for serving Christ in such an honorable way and for representing him well.
Special thanks to The Way of the Master Radio gang and Todd Friel for the wonderful plugs on the air week after week. If it wasn't for the radio program men like Dennis (who helps to oversee Sovereign Joy's evangelism team) Dietrich, and Javier plus many others who aren't named or photographed wouldn't be apart of this evangelism team or Sovereign Joy.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"Karen if you had one question to ask God what would it be?"
So we asked, "What do you think about what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago?"
"I think that was something brave that he did." She responded.
We went through the 10 commandments again so that Enrique could hear what she heard and by the time we asked him if he had ever looked with lust, his mouth was wide open--he seemed to see the seriousness of violating God's holy law.
Then we explained to them the good news that Christ is their only hope and that He is their only means to be forgiven before a just and holy God that He died on the cross 2000 years ago to pay the penalty that sinners deserve and that if they repent and trust in Him they will be saved.
"What do you need Christ to save you from?" We asked them. "From Hell." They responded.
We encouraged them to think about how long eternity is and to cling to Christ as if their life depended on it--because it does.
Before we departed ways I showed them the Million Dollar Bill tracts and the Pink and Blue tracts (my favorite). See their faces in the last two photos they really enjoyed these tracts.
I gave Karen a hug and they thanked us several times for stopping them. "God bless you guys...God bless you guys!" Enrique called out as we walked away.
You can listen to the radio broadcast here!
"You caught us a little off-guard, but you couldn't have come at a better time!"
Witnessing to the Jewish community is always a treat because they know the 10 commandments and they're likely to understand their transgressions before Yahweh. Our prayer for Michael is that he would come to embrace Jesus as his Messiah and long awaited King.
After I got back home, from the Southlake Town Center, this email was in my inbox and I thought I would share it with you. It was written to me by Molly (the young girl (left) wearing a pink shirt).
"Hello!
It's Molly...one of the girls that was friends with that Jewish guy you interviewed today in Southlake! I just wanted to say I think it's really cool what you're doing. You caught us a little off-guard, but you couldn't have come at a better time! Some girl in Barnes & Nobles, where we were walking from, randomly went up to my friend Mike and said, "I know it sounds really random, but God really values you." Not to me. But him. I thought that was so cool and I told her so, even though Mike said, "Yeah, that's cool" kind of dismissively (he thought she said 'guy' instead of God and didn't really understand her.) So we went around looking for her after I figured out he misheard her to apologize to her and explain what happened. But anyway, I wish you luck with the radio show! And now, me and my friends have a great story to tell! Me and my two friends are all different religions, and I wondered if they'd disagree with what you were saying because I'm not sure on Judaism's views on evangelism and I know Catholics don't really approve of it (that's what my friend Lindsay is). But anyway, yeah, that's all I have to say. God moves in mysterious ways. God bless you!
Sincerely,
Molly"
You can listen to the radio broadcast here!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A bit of TRIVIA plus a good springboard for the Gospel....
Here's a few hints: He lived from 1773-1841 and was born Berkeley plantation, Charles City County, Virginia. His nick name was "Old Tippecanoe"; "Old Tip". He married Anna Tuthill Symmes in 1795.
Still no clue who this man is?
Answer: William Henry Harrison was the 9th President of the United States of America(1841). William served the shortest time of any American President -- only thirty-two days! He also was the first President from the Whig Party. He had won his nickname, "Old Tip," as the tough commanding general of American forces who defeated hostile Native Americans at the Battle of Tippecanoe in the Ohio River Valley in 1811. He had become ill after delivering his inaugural address outdoors in the cold March weather without a hat or a coat and died of a respiratory infection, probably pneumonia. He was the first President to die in office. Harrison's grandson, Benjamin Harrison, would become President of the United States in 1889.
It's a great lead-in to a gospel message. All you have to ask is, "Who was the 9th President of the United States? Most people have no clue. Give them the answer and then say, "Did you know he only served ONE month as President before he died?" It goes to show, 25 out of 25 people die and you never know when your time is up. What do you think happens when you die? Do you consider yourself to be a good person?"
Special thanks to Mark Sohmer for the idea.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Winner for this Week is....
You're the winner of "Hollywood Be Thy Name"!
Please email your address to email@fishwithtrish.com and your book will be in the mail!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
"My head is spinning..."
After the segment, Josh was sweating and looked stunned. "My head is spinning after talking to him." Josh explained, while referring to Todd Friel (Host of The Way of the Master Radio). "He really asked a lot of good questions."
Prior to going on the air, Josh said he was open to all kinds of religions, and that he believed there to be many ways to God. After he spoke with Todd and we followed up with him, things changed. We explained to him that scripture says Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6) and he began to realize that he didn't believe there were "many ways", but rather deep down he knew Jesus was the only way.
Emilio and I urged him to examine himself to see if he was in the faith. We gave him examples of true marks of a Christian life and left him with a strong exhortation to read Scripture and to examine his fruit and see if he has fruit worthy of repentance.
The good news is that Josh just "happens" to live in the same city we live in, so we invited him out to our church and hope and pray he joins us one day soon. But if we never see him again we trust that today he heard the Gospel message loud and clear.
If you would like to listen to the radio broadcast click HERE.
"This wasn't a trip...it was a journey!"
My husband Emilio explains our follow-up with him in this way, "Antonio fit the perfect definition of lost, when I asked him if he knew why he was created, why he was alive today, and where he was going, he quickly admitted, “I don’t know my purpose.” This of course was the perfect opportunity to tell him that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Antonio at first explained to me, “I got on the radio to have a guy tell me I am going to hell?” But after considering what Todd had to share with him, he was actually grateful and recognized his need for the Savior."
Please pray that God would Antonio would cry out to God to save him. He was really relieved to hear of what Christ did on the cross. We explicitly defined what it meant to repent versus just confess, and that to follow Christ meant forsaking all things. If you would like to listen to the radio broadcast click HERE.
Don't Sting Them
So when you have a "bad" witnessing encounter, take courage friend and don’t get upset and “sting” the individual. Just move on to the next person. Remember not to take it personal. It's the message they are rejecting. I'm comforted by Jesus' words that are for the Christian, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt 5: 11-12).
There's no such thing as a bad witnessing encounter. Every time we share our faith it is a winning situation! Special Thanks to Mark Spence for the analogy--it's stuck with me during times that I am tempted to "sting" an individual who has rejected the Gospel message.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Enter to Win a FREE copy of "Hollywood Be Thy Name"by Ray Comfort
Hollywood Be Thy Name answers questions like, "Why did the crime rate triple in the U.S. in the late 1960s?" and "What fueled the hatred of Christianity that led to the Columbine and Virginia Tech massacres?" plus "What was it that Hollywood did in 1968 that changed everything?"
Ray Comfort presents the Gospel message clearly and biblically throughout this book and it's a great gift to for an unbeliever.
Here is what to do: Leave a comment below with your name and some way for me to contact you if you win (email or blog link is fine). Comments will be opened through next Monday and a winner will be randomly chosen next Tuesday. Open to U.S. residents only.Sunday, June 8, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Looking For a Solid Church?
At Sovereign Joy Community Church (SJCC) the Word of Almighty God takes precedence. Above all else SJCC believes in the supremacy of rightly dividing the Word of truth through expository proclamation. In an age of uncertainty, skepticism, and easy-believism, SJCC is committed to displaying the glory of God through the Word of God being preached and applied. SJCC is unique in its equal emphasis upon heartfelt, God-centered worship and praise. SJCC takes all of their vision for preaching, theology, and worship and applies it to practical outreach by evangelizing the lost on a regular basis.
If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and are looking for a solid church that teaches the Word of God expositionally, has a high view of worship, and reaches out to the lost. Come visit Sovereign Joy Community Church. Visit HERE for more information!
Friday, June 6, 2008
"Would you like a hot donut?
I couldn't get over the great service. Before I had time to settle in and while all the others were waiting to find their seats, the flight attendant asked me if I would like a beverage. In shock, I politely declined.
Shortly after we took off, the nice attendant came back with a little glass bowl filled with cashews. I was so delighted and hungry--I could hardly wait another second to eat those cute little things. I was craving something salty. I quickly reached for the glass bowl, and in the process I burnt the tips of my fingers. I didn't think they would be hot cashews!
After devouring mine, I looked over at the gentleman sitting next to me who was fast asleep--he hadn't even touched his cashews. He's really missing out, I thought.
By now I was wanting something sweet.
The attendant came back and asked, "Would you like a hot donut?"
"Absolutely!" I exclaimed.
That's exactly what I was craving, she must have been reading my mind. She was so professional and was providing wonderful service.
With a big smile, she took the donut off the platter she was holding and extended it to me, making sure her fingers weren't touching it.
I began unraveling the white hot towel that she gave me--hoping to find a little hot donut somewhere hidden inside (this must be a new thing to keep donuts fresh) but there was nothing there!
She had asked, "Would you like a hot TOWELETTE?" She had a heavy accent so I had completely misunderstood her.
"What in the world is this for." I thought. So with the towelette in hand, I turned my head to look at what the others in First Class were doing. Surely they would know. Some were wiping their hands, others were wiping their entire faces off. I followed suite and began wiping my hands.
Minutes later she brought me a wonderful meal and then a hot chocolate chip cookie for dessert--now we're talkin!
Moral of the story...don't get first class if you don't know what you're doing!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
She Took the Challenge!
"Connie are you up for a challenge?"
"Sure." She said.
"Here it is, I'll give you one month to open air with your husband...what do you think about that...are you up for it?"
"Sure."
I could tell that Connie was excited but nervous at the same time. The good news is she did it! She open air preached for the first time!
We had another phone conversation at the May Ambassadors' Academy, after she open air preached, and here's my remembrance of what the we said,
"Wow Connie, I'm so happy you did it..." I exclaimed.
"I waited till the very last day but I keep the one month mark." She explained.
"That's wonderful Connie! Praise the Lord! ...so how did you feel afterwards?" I inquired.
"Well, I got up on the box two other times that day...so for a total of 3 times!"
"Wow...unbelievable...that's great Connie! It's really the first time that's the hardest isn't it?" I asked.
"Yep!"
Look what Connie emailed me after our last phone conversation:
Hi Trish, It's me Connie. I just wanted to thank you again for the challenge you gave me. Something exciting has come about from it. Not anything that I expected. You see I do not really have a fear of public speaking. The Lord has allowed me to minister to the ladies in our church for many years now, by speaking at events and ladies retreats. Last September I had the opportunity to speak on a piece of our armor - "The Gospel of Peace". Now at this point I had only handed out tracts and had done a few one on ones. Well in sharing I shared what our evangelism team does, letting them know my fears and that I could never see myself open air, but would continue to do one on ones.
Fast forward to last Sunday. Brett being the proud husband that he is, let the whole church know that there was a few new open air preachers in the congregation (he does morning announcements), naming us.
You would not believe how many women came up to me saying "You said you would never do that. What changed? What was it like?" I could see the wheels turning. Some of these women are even in leadership and I could see an excitement about them. Not an excitement about me and what I had done, but an excitement of maybe what they could do.
I was able to encourage several of them that they could step out and do the same. A few of them said that they are even interested in going out with us next time. Praise the Lord.
I have been praying about each lady that approached me last Sunday and I have a personal challenge for each them. This Sunday I will ask each of them to take a challenge. It could be handing out tracts and for some to do a one on one. As for me I am hoping to sign up for the August Ambassadors' Academy.
Many Blessings To You,
Connie Coronado
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Winner For This Week Is...
Becc@!
Congratulations!
You are the winner of "Where Has the Passion Gone"!
Please email your address to email@fishwithtrish.com and your CD will be in the mail!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Jeremy couldn't take his eyes off this!
And we (Liz, Leon, and John) followed up with the good news
and gave him a bible afterwards because he didn't have one.
Jeremy couldn't take his eyes off the Word of God.
Immediately he clung to it and opened it to
search the book of Psalms and began searching the Word.
"I remember this one verse..." He explained.
"It's something about God making my hands ready for battle."
Jeremy "happened" to live near San Diego (where Leon lives)
so Leon suggested a solid church for him to attended.
Praise be to God! Please keep praying for Jeremy!
You can to May 29, 2008 - Hour 2 it starts about 20 minutes into the program.