HEAD(hed), (n.) 1. the top part of the human body or the front part of an animal where the eyes, nose, east and mouth are. "Your brain is in your head." DIBS(dibz), (n.) 2. a thick, sweet syrup made in countries of the East, especially the Middle East, from grape juice or dates. [Arabic "debs"]--World Book Dictionary, 1976.
I'll explain what the title means in a minute. This has been Fall Break, and what a weekend it has been!
Thursday Night:
I took my boys to go see Team Impact at a local church. This is a group of body-builders who put on an amazing show of strength (breaking blocks of concrete, blocks of ice, blocks on concrete on fire, power-lifting telephone poles on fire, driving nails with bare hands, ripping phone books, and my personal favorite—rolling up frying pans into “burritos” with bare hands . . . and much more) and preaching the gospel. The reason why I took my boys to see this is to hear these men 1) put sports and body care in proper perspective. Many of these guys have worked out with and competed against big names, but walked away from the fame and glory of the body for 2) preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their testimonies are found on the webpage linked above.
We went back again Sunday night.
Friday Night:
Went to the State Fair. For some reason we got in less displays and more rides than our trip two years ago, but the day out was great fun—we needed the diversion immensely. I tell you, there is nothing better than seeing your kids laugh and scream and get turned upside down together for hours on end. Sure they scrap and bicker, but they spend more time having fun with one another—and watching my kids spin their guts out on “The Fireball” or some such contraption is the best thing in the world. Add to that the smells of Elephant Ears, fried mushrooms, foot long corn-dogs and very expensive lemonade . . . sorry, my eyes were rolling up in my head again. Good thing we tail-gate!
Only got to share the gospel in a couple of very brief encounters.
Saturday:
Leslie and I were able to enjoy a morning together sitting at the feet of Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Todd Friel and Emeal “EZ” Zwayne at the “Way Of Master ‘Transformed’ Conference.” We sat right behind Kirk Cameron’s mom.
One thing that impressed me about the conference was how “normal” (not hyped) it was. I know that may not sound like much, but as much as I wanted to get a picture of me and Ray or me and Todd I chose not to do it because it would be all about me. Just shaking a hand, saying “thanks for the hard work,” was enough. It was easier to relate to Ray and Kirk’s mom as ordinary people that way, and our time was not glazed over by “celebrity.”
Todd introduced the conference with the charge, “Are you willing to do what you hear, if it is biblical? Then evangelize!” Then he showed the video, “8 Reasons Why I Don’t Share My Faith.”
Ray talked about the difference between “transgression” and “sin.” Sin misses the mark, transgression goes far beyond simply missing. He also spoke of contrition and the importance of valuing what is truly valuable: God. Ray stressed the truth that the death of Jesus was to take away sin, not merely die because of sin.
Kirk Cameron stepped up next and talked on the Five Fruits of True Conversion, that we are saved to righteousness, offering to God a cup clean both on the inside as well as the outside. True conversion takes place when God cleans the inside of the cup, filling, washing, spilling over, cleaning both inside and outside to the praise of His Glory. The Fruits are:
1) Repentance. Matthew 3:8. Hate sin, not just be sorry you got caught with it; 2) Good Works. Colossians 1:10. Works point out integrity, backs up what is being said for credibility. The Holy Spirit empowers both to “be” and to “do” (something I’ve said for years); 3) Thanksgiving. Hebrews 13:15. The value of His blood should drive us to gratitude. 4) Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22ff. Find out if you have these by asking others; 5) Righteousness. Philippians 1:11. We don’t want “decisions” but true conversions from sin to righteousness.
Christians have conflict in the world because we serve a God of righteousness, putting God’s will and good pleasure above our own.
Ray spent the next session talking about “How To Get On Fire For God” using 1 Corinthians 2:1ff to show that if we are fearful, weak, have no eloquent speech and are trembling, then we qualify for the awesome task of preaching the good news of Jesus Christ! “Enthusiasm” means “en” = in; “theos” = God. Get on fire for God and people will come to watch you burn! AMEN!
Ray and Kirk closed the conference by talking about the role and ease of using tracts in evangelism and Kirk demonstrated the WDJD principle with some video.
Sunday Morning:
We took the whole family back to hear Ray preach on 1 Timothy 6:11-12, “Fight the Good Fight of Faith.” I think this was a version of his sermon “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition.” He stressed:
1) Know your task: the supreme object of the church is the supreme object of the Savior: Seek and Save the Lost; 2) Know your weapons: God’s Word and Prayer. We cannot pray without preaching nor can we preach without prayer. Prayer is no substitute for obedient reading and proclamation of God’s Word. 3) Know your Enemy. Of the world, the flesh and the devil, watch out for the flesh!
Monday night:
Went to Taco Bell. Passed out a few Million Dollars. Found three teenagers who needed something to do, so did a little Street Magic to break the ice, and gave them a gospel tract. At first, one girl was upset that I was talking with them. I had crossed a racial barrier and she was trying to get her friends away. I made her the center of attention of the next trick, a number trick where a number is written down on a paper, folded and passed for one to hold without looking. I asked the now-calming “agitated girl” some questions that causes her to produce figures at random based on her birthday and age, etc.. After some math, the end result agrees with what is on the paper and hidden. When the trick was over, she laughed and almost screamed, “How did you do that? Are you Jesus, or something?” My wife quickly told them who I was and we had a good laugh. I gave them another gospel tract and stepped out to leave, but we were not able to do so immediately, so I went back inside. The teens could not decide what to order, so sat down near the door. I brought over another magic trick and was finally able to present the gospel clearly through it. I wish I had a camera as they sat quietly, listening, jaws dropped open as I spelled out “Hell” in torn letters from my trick and a cross from the remaining pieces. One girl looked visibly shaken when being confronted by her sin and I think she saw her need for a Savior. The other girl and boy listened, a strange stillness in the midst of tacos and piped-in jazz music.
“O ye passengers, whom may God preserve! come up quickly in to the ship, hasten to embark, and leave your merchandise, and flee with your lives, and save yourselves from destruction; for this apparent island, upon which ye are, is not really an island, but it is a great fish that hath become stationary in the midst of the sea, and the sand hath accumulated upon it, so that it hath become like an island, and trees have grown upon it since times of old; and when ye lighted the fire upon it, the fish felt the heat, and put itself in motion, and now it will descend with you into the sea, and ye will all be drowned: then seek for yourselves escape before destruction, and leave the merchandise.—The passengers, therefore, hearing the words of the master of the ship, hastened to go up into the vessel, leaving the merchandise, and their other goods, and their copper cooking-pots, and their fire-pots; and some reached the ship, and others reached it not. The island had moved, and descended...
“VANITY, saith the preacher, vanity! Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back? Nephews—sons mine … ah God, I know not! Well— She, men would have to be your mother once, Old Gandolf envied me, so fair she was! What’s done is done, and she is dead beside, Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since, And as she died so must we die ourselves, And thence ye may perceive the world’s a dream. Life, how and what is it? As here I lie In this state-chamber, dying by degrees, Hours and long hours in the dead night, I ask “Do I live, am I dead?” Peace, peace seems all. Saint Praxed’s ever was the church for peace; And so, about this tomb of mine. I fought With tooth and nail to save my niche, ye know: —Old Gandolf cozened me, despite my care; Shrewd was that snatch from out the corner South He graced his carrion with, God curse the same! Yet still my niche is not so cramped...
