Guest Blogger - Kristen Rasor (My Assistant)

One of the hardest things about being married to an unbeliever is when your husband asks you to do something for him and you have to tell him no because your conscience won't allow. Like when my unbelieving husband asked me to make business cards for his hobby/side job that included a slogan that was not God honoring in the least. Despite his excitement I knew I couldn't do it; but how to tell him knowing he wouldn't understand and was likely to get angry?  

I prayed, asked for prayer, and waited for him to get home from work. 

And then I chickened out. 

Things were peaceful in the home, which wasn't always the case because of my faith, and I wasn't looking forward to that changing. 

The next day I knew it was only a matter of time until he asked if I had worked on the cards, so I decided to text him:

"I've been thinking about the business cards 

and I won't be able to help. My conscience 

won't allow. The slogan isn't God honoring. 

Not to take anything away from your skills 

at all though because they're off the hook 

crazy good."

And then, crickets. No reply at all. "What does THAT mean?!", I wondered. 

He came home that night, barely speaking to me, so I went for a walk and started praying hard. About two hours later he started talking and acting like nothing was wrong. "What does THAT mean?!", I wondered again. Only God knows for sure. 

It's now 5 days later and he still hasn't mentioned anything about my text or the business cards. I'm just trusting in The Lord and praying that He will use that text somehow to save him. 

If you're married to an unbeliever too, don’t lose heart in doing good. God knows what He's up to. Just keep running the course. :-)

From The Mail Bag

I love hearing your evangelism stories as they encourage me greatly; even seemingly simple ones like this one that came into the ministry yesterday. Great are the rewards in heaven. :-)

"I have to tell you about my last grocery store trip.  I saw the cashier and was certain I had given him a million dollar bill before, so considered not doing it again.  But then I saw the sacker was new.  I couldn't hand the sacker a million dollars and not the cashier, as that would appear rude.  So I gave both of them million dollars and the tract with all four movies on it.  The cashier said, "I love these million dollar bills!"  So I asked, "Have you read the back?"  He said, "Yes, I read all of it."  Then I remembered his face again as the cashier that told me once, "Look I already have one of these million dollar bills," as he opened his wallet to show me he carries it around with him. I have given him at least three million dollar bills, maybe more.  

I often don't hand them out to people I know for certain I have given them to in the past.  My reasons: 1. I don't want to be harassing. 2. That allows me to give that tract to someone else who hasn't received one before. But I learned from this grocery store trip that I should not worry about handing a tract to someone more than once. That person just might need another one and he or she can certainly pass them along to someone else who hasn't received one." ~Candace W. 

What Happens When An Evangelist Calls You

My friend transcribed our phone conversation from earlier today. I'm in blue, she's in red:

"Kristen, hi, I’m at the doctor’s office. I left my juice in the car, and I’m going out to get it and thought I’d call you about what you texted me earlier. Oh, hold on. Oh, here you go sir, don’t read the back’ til you think you know the answer. (Hands him a tract) So, Kristen, what was your text about?

Oh yeah, I just…Hold on. Here you go ma’am. See if you can guess the outfit. I’ll give you a hint, it’s not an Asian outfit. Kristen sorry, what was your question? I didn’t understand your text. 

Well I…Hold on. Sir did you get one? Don’t feel bad if you don’t get the answer right. No one has yet today. Boy, I didn’t expect there to be so many people coming in and out. Hold on. 

(Laughing) Here you go sir. Sir? He didn’t take my tract. 

Tackle him. Now what was your question, Kristen? Sorry, hold on.

(LOTS of laughing) Ma’am here’s a gift for you. Your outfit is so cute. 

So, Kristen, what was your question?"

(Laughing) What question? 

This lady stopped and read the entire tract, looked back and said "thank you" with a nice smile. 

This is the tract I was handing out. Available at: http://www.fishwithtrish.com/store/

Meditate on this Christian:

YOU KNOW THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE.

And HE. KNOWS. YOU.

BY NAME. 

If you reeaaally let that sink in, you’ll be like my friend the other night praying before she drifted off to sleep. She said she had a list of people to pray for, but never made it past “I know the God of the universe, and He knows me by my name.” She kept saying that over and over and over, dumbfounded and humbled.

She said it was unlike the first time she met a celebrity, and they said her name. She got puffed up. She remembered when her husband met a Dallas Maverick’s basketball player, and later overheard him telling someone, “Yeah, I know him.”

“You do?” she said to him. “What’s his phone number? His birthday? His mom’s name?”

He got the point. 

Her husband had gotten puffed up because he had met someone that many would like to meet, but few would.

The exact opposite happens when you know The God of the universe. Not everybody knows Him. Few will, actually.

And it’s humbling.

If He doesn’t know you today, humble yourself and turn from your sin, cry out to him for forgiveness, and trust the Savior (Jesus Christ). The moment you do this,  He will transfer you out of darkness into His marvelous light and He will then know you by name. (2 Tim 2: 19).

I Love Sundays

You may have noticed this Facebook post from yesterday:

(Pastor Emilio – Heritage Grace Sunday School)

And, if you were with me at church yesterday you may remember Pastor Emilio preaching in his sermon about some of the verses in 1 John that speak of loving the brethren, which is what we Christians do, we love each other!  In fact, one of the highlights of the week is getting to go to church because we can’t wait to see our church family and find out how we can serve them.

Emilio quoted verses such as 1 John 2:10 and 1 John 3:14, which speak of that Agape love, but 1 John 4:7 stuck out special for one church member who was listening. It says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” It stuck out to her because that morning as she was getting ready to go to church, and her unbelieving husband (Allen) was leaving to go on another one of his motorcycle rides, he said to her, “I’m going to have more fun than you are today.”

All that to say, #1 Her husband was wrong. #2 And he just affirmed the Bible. #3 Please pray for Allen’s salvation. :-)

4 Benefits Of Rain For The Christian (Especially those in Texas!)

Yesterday I read that Texas has had enough rain (just in the month of May) to cover the whole state by 8 inches. As much as many of us want the rain to go away, there are at least 4 benefits for the Christian, and if you can think of others I’d like to hear them: Here’s the four:

1. This monsoon of rain reminds us that this isn't our home and to not get too comfortable here. There is much work to be done, and Glory awaits!

2. Watching the news and seeing all things not anchored down being swept away by floodwaters reminds us to keep our minds anchored in Truth lest we be swept away by the culture rushing around us. 

3. There's been incredible lightening on display nearly every night. It's both frightening and awesome. Its power caused my friend and I to remain in my car in my driveway for almost 2 hours out of fear of being struck if we got out. And yet that's just a glimpse of how awesome and powerful God is. After all, He made the lightening and controls where it goes. Great reminder.

4. Yesterday, during morning rush hour, traffic came to a sudden stop on the highway because the floodwaters had risen up over the road (pic below). Traffic stood still for hours in both directions until work crews came to the rescue. Seeing all those people sitting there not moving reminds us of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” And of course, what a great opportunity to get out of your car and pass out tracts!

God has been so patient with the bikers involved in the shootout in Waco, TX, but sadly looks like his patience ran out for 9.

And for those that are left, I have to wonder, "how many God will redeem?"

Some of these guys are the worst of the worst, and thankfully God's in the business of redeeming the worst of the worst.

Remember Saul (Paul the apostle). He was a Christian persecutor. He was the worst of the worst, but God gave him a big heart change. Praying the same for those bikers. 

"Now for several days he (Saul) was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ." Acts 9:19-22