Stranger Things Have Happened

July 29th, 2010

It was the June Ambassadors’ Academy (#16) and everyone was out at the Huntington Pier preaching to all who would listen (and even a few who wouldn’t). The question: Who is the mysterious man sitting in a lotus position in front of me?

While I discoursed on sin, righteousness and the judgment to come, this guy never batted an eye nor wiggled a finger. He sat.

Behind him though, a few young men listened.

The mysterious man then disappeared! But another young man with a backpack appeared and listened intently, then…

What happened next was miraculous. You’ll have to wait until the 7:48 mark to see it.


(Thanks to Allen Peek for this compilation.)

Posted in Open Air | No Comments »

Destinations: Huntington Beach w/Ambassadors’ Academy

July 28th, 2010

This Saturday the Hope Chapel evangelism team will join 70 other evangelists from the Ambassadors’ Academy at the Huntington Pier. Talk about an atheist’s nightmare!

Meet at Hope Chapel at noon to carpool. We will be leaving promptly at 12:15.

Here’s an encouraging testimony from a man from Montana, Dale Adams, who was on my team at the Academy a few months ago:

Hello Steve,

I just wanted to share a couple of experiences with you that I have had over the last couple of weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | 6 Comments »

The Atheist Billboard Challenge

July 27th, 2010

I was on vacation in Sacramento last week where I preached an evangelistic message at a friend’s church; I took many pictures but I liked this billboard shot a lot. It was located just down the street from a Ghiradelli’s chocolate outlet on the east side of Interstate 5 in a little town named Lathrop. The question is valid.

Here’s the atheist challenge: Call the number on the sign (Toll free: 877-303-3344) and report back to me what they have to say and how you responded. (I have not yet called, so this is not a set-up. I will, however, call next week and post my observations.)

Christians, why don’t you call and let me know if the ad’s sponsors are solid in their doctrine and evangelistic message. (This would be fun if the consequences weren’t so dire.)

Posted in "DARE YA" Contest, Famous Lost Words | 3 Comments »

Wee Man, Giant Money

July 26th, 2010

Unless you live in Southern California and have eaten at his Chronic Tacos in Redondo Beach, or are a big fan of the movie Jackass (which I’ve never seen) in which he has a supporting part (as a skating Oompah Loompah!), or are a skater who is enthralled with this little guy’s style, or seen him kick himself in the head or try to break a stack of bricks with his head on YouTube, then you will have no idea who Wee Man is and how seriously he needs to know the Lord (like all of us).


Since handing him this Giant Money tract my daughters, Laurel Ann (pictured) and D.D., pray for his salvation everyday. Maybe he’ll read it and believe! Maybe you will pray for Wee Man as well.

Check out Mini Mr. T by clicking here.

Posted in Famous and Not-So | 3 Comments »

Sudden Death: Swimming

July 26th, 2010

A search-and-rescue effort was initiated after authorities received a call at about 10:45 a.m. of a possible swimmer down in the water, Det. Greg Carpenter with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. Read the rest here.

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | No Comments »

What’s Your E-vangie Tale? #39

July 24th, 2010

UPDATE 7/24/10: About 60+ students are still hanging in there after the halfway point!

WOW! Over 80 students signed up for our summer class (not all are pictured)! Revival? Possibly. A move of the Holy Spirit? Most definitely. Ahh, but how many will survive the entire 6 week course?

Every other week I’ll bring this post back to the top of the blog. Remember students, you get one bonus point for every three sentence adventure that you write about.

Even if you are not a student in my class I welcome you to share your own evangelistic adventure in the comments section.

My teaching notes are now available online by clicking here. I can even mail you a hard copy for free! Send me an email at PastorSteveAtHope@yahoo.com if you’d like them.

Posted in What's Your E-vangie Tale? | 150 Comments »

Preaching to Police at the Parade

July 22nd, 2010

At last month’s Lakers Victory Parade six evangelists preached to the estimated 65,000 people gathered in downtown Los Angeles. (Read the story here.)

Some new techniques were invented! When in a large crowd, stand on something as you hand out your Gospel tracts; people will grab them by the hundreds. Also, don’t forget those wonderful public servants: your local police department as you stand amidst the crowds. I had the opportunity to share the good news with the LAPD as they stood on the sidelines. (Watch their reactions.)

Challenge: Can you identify any of the Lakers as they pass by?


Thanks to Matt Maki for his excellent editing debut.

Posted in Abnormal Evangelism Ideas, E-vangie VIDEO!, Open Air | 13 Comments »

Destinations: Venice Beach

July 21st, 2010

We will be heading to the strangest place on earth this Saturday: Noooo, not Washington, D. C., but Venice Beach.

In the past we’ve made it a habit to preach in front of the outdoor beer garden first thing, but last time we tried it someone threw a beer glass. at us. Fortunately it hit a pole right in front of where we were standing and sprayed glass all around, yet didn’t hit us.

Another time, a waitress brought out the largest set of cowbells I’ve ever seen and started banging them to drown out the preaching; when that didn’t work she turned on a boom box and held it over her head.

And way before all these incidents someone splashed me with the entire contents of his water glass. (See that video here.)

I think we’ll skip the beer garden this time. Hey! But there’s always the Kush Clubhouse!

Meet at Hope Chapel at noon to carpool. Returning by 5:30.

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | 3 Comments »

Atheists (and others): What say you?

July 20th, 2010

This is a short clip from the TV show ER. What do you think of it? (Warning:Rated PG14 for some mild offensive language)

Posted in E-vangie VIDEO! | 50 Comments »

Appointment with Eternity #3

July 19th, 2010

Guys like this are reason enough for me to share my faith everyday….

null

And this is why I try to ask: “If you were to die today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?”

*See previous appointments by clicking here and here.

Posted in Humor | 4 Comments »

Sudden Death: Air Ambulance

July 19th, 2010

ALPINE, Texas (July 5) — A patient and his wife were among the dead when an air ambulance crashed shortly after takeoff from a West Texas airport, killing all 5 people on board. Read the rest here.

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | No Comments »

Preaching to the Hari Krishnas/LIVE!

July 15th, 2010

Here is the live video from the story I posted a few weeks ago. (Read it here.)

It’s out of love that I preach to these poor people lost in a false religion. Want to read about my reasoning? Click here.


(Thanks again to Allen Peek for his videography and editing.)

Posted in Abnormal Evangelism Ideas, Open Air | 17 Comments »

Lost Liberties: Mosque Arrest Follow-up Article

July 15th, 2010

Here is an article from the website of The Daily Pennsylvanian concerning the evangelists who were arrested while preaching outside a mosque on a public sidewalk that I posted on Tuesday. (Michael Marcavage, one of the evangelists arrested, contacted me personally about my post. See his comments from the Tuesday article here.)

Two evangelical Christian missionaries plan to file a federal suit against the University of Pennsylvania for what the missionaries said was an infringement upon their right to proselytize. Read the rest here.

***Here’s more info on the evangelists arrested at the Dearborn, Michigan Arab-American Festival. Hmmm, I’m beginning to see a pattern….

Posted in Lost Liberties | No Comments »

Destinations: AVP Hermosa Beach Open

July 14th, 2010

AVP stands for Association of Volleyball Professionals.

Thousands will gather to watch adults play in the sand, and, of course, the evangelism team will be there to help the beach-goers get their priorities in order.

Meet at Hope Chapel at noon to carpool.We will be returning at about 4PM.

See what fellow Hermosans think about God when we interviewed them awhile back by clicking here.

Next week: Venice Beach

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | No Comments »

Lost Liberties: Arrested Outside a Mosque

July 13th, 2010

This falls into the “What did you expect?” category. For the record, I wouldn’t do what these evangelists did. What’s interesting is that one of the men in this group is a friend of mine, Mike “Mad Mike” Stockwell, who was profiled here a couple of years ago when I first met him at the Ambassadors’ Academy. (Read about him here.)

This is a press release from “Repent America,” so the coverage will be, of course, one-sided.

PHILADELPHIA - Two Christian evangelists plead “not guilty” yesterday to false charges relating to their arrest for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Philadelphia’s largest Islamic mosque over the Fourth of July weekend. Their case now heads to trial.

 On the night of Saturday, July 3rd, evangelist Michael Marcavage of Repent America (RA), and evangelists Ken Fleck and Mike Stockwell were compelled by God to witness at “Masjid Al Jamia” in Philadelphia. Upon arrival, they sang a hymn and began their outreach activities of open-air preaching and witnessing to the Muslims on the public sidewalk that were leaving the building. However, as they ministered, the evangelists were soon approached by a security officer from the University of Pennsylvania who told them that they could not preach on the public sidewalk outside of the mosque. When Marcavage stated that they were not leaving, the security officer radioed university police. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Lost Liberties | 13 Comments »

The Tract Gauntlet

July 12th, 2010

Strange new ways to share your faith are always hatched at the Ambassadors’ Academy. Here’s something we did on the Santa Monica Pier during Academy #16 called the Tract Gauntlet. Too many people were refusing to take my tract as they walked down a narrow passageway, so I enlisted five or six others to stagger themselves along the path. Did it work? To see other wild and wacky ideas, click here and here.


Thanks to Allen Peek for this video.

Posted in Abnormal Evangelism Ideas | 8 Comments »

Sudden Death: 4th of July Parade

July 12th, 2010

BELLEVUE, Iowa (July 4) – Two runaway horses pulling a wagon trampled spectators at a small-town Fourth of July parade, killing a 60-year-old woman and injuring at least 23 other people, four critically.

The horses bolted after one rubbed its head against the other, removing that horse’s bridle, police said. They galloped for several blocks with the wagon in tow, trampling parade-goers. The wagon flipped and ejected its two passengers, police said. Read the rest from aolnews.com by clicking here. (Thanks to Jaylene Daugherty for this.)

Posted in SUDDEN DEATH! | No Comments »

Police Intervention

July 8th, 2010

It was game 7 of the NBA Finals, Lakers Vs. Celtics, and here was the million dollar question: “If you died today, would you go to Lakers Heaven or Boston Hell?”

The evangelism team had preached everywhere on the property of the STAPLES Center with no interference whatsoever (click here to see). That is, until an overzealous officer from the LAPD told me I couldn’t preach using a sound system. I gently protested: “You are the first one, after all these guys [referring to the other officers of L.A.'s finest], who said we couldn’t do that. You’re the first one after all these guys….” The officer replied with a smile, “Someone has to step up.”

What’s an evangelist to do? Comply, of course. The guy with the gun always wins (see my article here). I continued to preach using only my voice. You determine which was the more peaceful method.


(Thanks to Chris Yarsab, who, unbeknown to be, recorded the whole thing.)

Posted in E-vangie VIDEO!, Open Air | 7 Comments »

Destinations: Hawthorne Car Show

July 7th, 2010

This is a new adventure. I heard from a car show enthusiast who attended last year’s event that tens of thousands of people milled about (see the video ad from last year). Sponsored by Teen Challenge, this car show’s motto is “Takin’ it to the Street.” We will do the same, sharing our faith with tracts, talking one-to-one, and by preaching in the open air.

To carpool, meet at Hope Chapel at a SPECIAL TIME: 9AM (The show is from 10AM-3PM).

Posted in AA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE | 3 Comments »

Evangelical Groaner: Paddy the Painter

July 7th, 2010

There was a Dublin painter named Paddy the Painter who was very interested in making a penny where he could, so he often thinned down his paint to make it go a wee bit further.

As it happened, he got away with this for some time, but eventually the parish priest decided to do a big restoration job on the outside of the Church.

Paddy put in a bid, and, because his price was so low, he got the job.

So he set about erecting the scaffolding and setting up the planks, and buying the paint and, yes, I am sorry to say, thinning it down with turpentine….

Well, Paddy was up on the scaffolding, painting away, the job nearly completed, when suddenly there was a horrendous clap of thunder, the sky opened, and the rain poured down washing the thinned paint from all over the church and knocking Paddy clear off the scaffold to land on the lawn among the gravestones, surrounded by telltale puddles of the thinned and useless paint.

Paddy was no fool.  He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty,
so he got down on his knees and cried:

“Oh, God, Oh God, forgive me; what should I do?”

And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Humor | 3 Comments »

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