A Five Year Evangelistic Rose Parade Retrospective

Dec 28, 2011Steve Sanchez27 CommentsAA- EVANGELISM SCHEDULE, Parades

This Monday will mark the sixth year in a row that we’ve been going to the Tournament of Roses Parade. Here are some highlights (and lowlifes) from the previous five years. (See the end of the post for this year’s planned adventure on January 2.)

Earlier this year Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens and his wife Madeleine got some Gospel tracts from my daughters and their friend while riding on their wild Mustang float. (Read about it here.)

In 2010 “Righteous” Richard and myself got booed mercilessly by crowds of hundreds as we preached to the grandstands. (See below.)

In 2009 I reported on a story that wasn’t even shown on the major media outlets. Was it a hidden government agenda? An anti-Christian conspiracy… or worse? (Read about that here.)

Before that, in 2008 I preached for the very first time to the many standing outside the Porta-Potties until I was flushed in the face, so to speak. (Read about that here.)

And in 2007, the very first year we starting sharing our faith at this awesome event, George Lucas was the Grand Marshall…and a bogus Wookie almost ruined the parade! (Read about that here!)

What will happen this year at one of the largest parades in the world? Find out when you join the evangelism team at the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade on Monday, January 2, 2012.

Details: Meet at Hope Chapel at 5AM to carpool or meet the team at the end of the Metro Rail Gold Line at the Sierra Madre Villa station at approximately 6:15AM. We will take the train back to the Allen St. station and walk down to the parade.

Contact me at [email protected] or on Facebook for further info, or call me at 310-374-4673 x.121 and leave a message. I will get back to you.

Comments (27)

Jeremy
December 28, 2011
Reply
Great job!
Steve Sanchez
December 29, 2011
Reply
Jim,
Thanks for the advice. Psalm 1 prohibits me from accepting your suggestion, so I will discount it.
We will most definitely, as the Lord allows, speak the truth in love so others may have a fighting chance for Heaven.
Jim, as an atheist, you have chosen to reject the truth and follow a lie. I’m sorry for that. But please know that I and many others continue to labor in prayer for you and and the other atheists who I allow to post on this blog. My hope, in 2012, is that you may be awakened to the glory of Christ and be saved from your sin of unbelief, so that you may enjoy fellowship with the Father who made you and loved you.
I say this with a mixture of love and regret. Love, because I do care for you Jim, though I don’t know you and will probably never meet you. I don’t even know your real name! Regret, because some day you will die and know for certain that everything I and others have written to you is true. Sadly, unless you repent, you will never be able to see all that is good and right and pure and lovely and excellent and praiseworthy. You will never be able to enjoy the life that is truly life. You will never have hope and you will never know true love.
I expect your response to my gentle pleadings will be harsh as most of them have been. Surprise me and consider what I and others have said.
Happy New Year to you, Jim.
Jesus was born 2,012 years ago. Time began.
Yours is running out.
- foreverman
  December 29, 2011
  Reply
  Jim your atheist religion preaches that humans live and die and that is it. I hope you realize someday that you can live forever with God and his saints. Repent and believe the Gospel today.
- Nohm
  December 29, 2011
  Reply
  “atheist religion”
  There is no such thing.
  “preaches”
  No, definitely not.
  “humans live and die and that is it.”
  If you have evidence that suggests otherwise, I’m all ears.
  “I hope you realize someday that you can live forever with God and his saints.”
  That’s a religious belief. How do I compare that belief to other beliefs?
  “Repent and believe the Gospel today.”
  You haven’t given me a reason to believe the Gospel.
- Thomas Moore
  December 29, 2011
  Reply
  Well said Pastor Steve, well said!!! What it comes down to is that if Jim is right and the Bible is wrong then it won’t really matter in the end. Will go into blackness or whatever the belief is and that will be it. But if Jim is wrong and the Bible is right than Jim and all the other unbelievers that post on here are in big trouble! Just something to think about! Please repent (sins of breaking the 10 Commandments) and trust in Jesus alone for salvation!
- Steve Sanchez
  December 30, 2011
  Reply
  Jim, forgive me. I forgot that you are a relative newcomer to this site. I wrote an article especially for you and all the other atheists who demand proof awhile ago. The basic premise goes like this: If I show you conclusively that there is a God, that is, if I show you proof, then you will end up in Hell anyway.
  Please take the time to read this informative article. You will then understand why I will never show you proof. Ever.
  Here it is: https://stonethepreacher.com/2010/08/17/atheist-tuesday-damning-proof.html
  I hope this will settle your concerns once and for all, and that you will now understand why I don’t ever address the “proof” issue with the atheists apart from this article.
  Happy New Year, 2012! (The birth date of Jesus.)
Banana
December 29, 2011
Reply
Great work, Steve!
Thomas Moore
December 30, 2011
Reply
Ok Jim its your funeral I just wanted to give you something to think about. You seem to be a very hard hearted man I pray that will change for you one day. God bless!
- RubyTea
  December 31, 2011
  Reply
  Well, it’s everyone’s funeral. We’ll all die sooner or later. Although I’d like to live a good long while, the thought of the nonexistence of death does not frighten me, and I’m always amused when Christians think it should frighten me. If they have some evidence otherwise, I’ll listen, but so far, there hasn’t been any good evidence presented that anything of “me” will survive my death.
  - Thomas Moore
    January 1, 2012
    
    Hello RubyTea! Here is an article addressing this issue (sorry I did not have a link so I had to put it on here completely):
    Is There Evidence for Life After Death?
    by Hank Hanegraaff
    “Philosophical naturalists (including most evolutionists) believe that death is the cessation of being. In their view, humans are merely bodies and brains. Though they reject metaphysical realities such as the soul, there are convincing reasons to believe that humans have an immaterial aspect to their being that transcends the material and thus can continue to exist after death.
    From a legal perspective, if human beings were merely material, they could not be held accountable this year for a crime committed last year, because physical identity changes over time. We are not the same people today that we were yesterday. Every day we lose millions of microscopic particles. In fact, every seven years or so, virtually every part of our material anatomy changes, apart from aspects of our neurological system. Therefore, from a purely material perspective, the person who previously committed a crime is presently not the same person. Yet a criminal who attempts to use this line of reasoning as a defense would not get very far. Such legal maneuvering simply does not fly even in an age of scientific enlightenment. Legally and intuitively, we recognize a sameness of soul that establishes personal identity over time.
    Finally, freedom of the will presupposes that we are more than material robots. If I am merely material, my choices are a function of such factors as genetic makeup and brain chemistry. Therefore, my decisions are not free; they are fatalistically determined. The implications of such a notion are profound. In a worldview that embraces fatalistic determinism, I cannot be held morally accountable for my actions, since reward and punishment make sense only if we have freedom of the will. In a solely material world, reason itself is reduced to the status of a conditioned reflex. Moreover, the very concept of love is rendered meaningless. Rather than being an act of the will, love is relegated to a robotic procedure that is fatalistically determined by physical processes.
    While the legal and freedom arguments are convincing in and of themselves, there is an even more powerful and persuasive argument demonstrating the reality of life beyond the grave. That argument flows from the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The best minds of ancient and modern times have demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that Christ’s physical trauma was fatal; that the empty tomb is one of the best-attested facts of ancient history; that Christ’s followers experienced on several occasions tangible post-resurrection appearances of Christ; and that within weeks of the resurrection, not just one, but an entire community of at least 3,000 Jews experienced such an incredible transformation that they willingly gave up sociological and theological traditions that had given them their national identity.
    Through the resurrection, Christ not only demonstrated that He does not stand in a line of peers with Abraham, Buddha, or Confucius but also provided compelling evidence for life after death.”
  - Thomas Moore
    January 3, 2012
    
    Hey Jim, while you do make some interesting points at the beginning of your reply to the article I posted, it is the fact that you actually take the position that Jesus did not exist that is troubling. Have you actually studied any history before? Have you actually studied the history behind the Bible? Have you actually with an open-mind looked into for example the archeology of the Bible? Because if that really is the position that you are going to take than there is not much else that anyone can say to you because of the alternate reality that you have created. It is just plain sad.
    My big question for you would be what evidence is acceptable to you when it comes to the creditability of the Bible, Jesus’ existence, etc? Or better asked how much more evidence do you want to see that would give the Bible creditability in your eyes?
  - Nohm
    January 3, 2012
    
    “My big question for you would be what evidence is acceptable to you when it comes to the creditability of the Bible, Jesus’ existence, etc?”
    Corroborating accounts outside of the Bible, that happened at the time of the events in question.
    There aren’t any, and there should be many if these stories are true, which is our problem.
  - Nohm
    January 3, 2012
    
    “Have you actually studied any history before?”
    Yes, and when I was a Christian I was heavily into “Christian history”. It’s one of the main reasons I lost my faith.
    “Have you actually studied the history behind the Bible?”
    When I was studying to be an evangelist, I was very much into the “history behind the Bible”.
    It too was one of the main reasons I lost my faith.
    “Have you actually with an open-mind looked into for example the archeology of the Bible?”
    Not just an open mind, but a believing mind.
    This, again, was one of the reasons I lost my faith.
  - Thomas Moore
    January 6, 2012
    
    Thank you Nohm for the reply(s), but those questions were not directed toward you though. I admit that one area that I have not done deep or extensive study in is extra-biblical evidence. I have done some but I would like to do more. But Nohm for you to say that there are “not any” evidences outside the Bible is you either lying or it is a declaration of ignorance. I would recommend to you Nohm and any others on here to get a hold of the Archeology Study Bible as one great and large resource. It is a great resource on showing the validity of the Bible rooted and grounded in history. Get a copy, do research, dig.
    This is just a curiosity question for you Nohm, what evidence or lack of it caused you to “lose your faith”? (Maybe I have asked you this before in the past?)
    Also how is it that secular sources have gained so much clout as being better some how because they are “un-bias” when in reality every person has a biasness to them believer or unbeliever. The question is not whether you have bias position or not, but who has the “right” bias position?
    God bless!
  - Nohm
    January 6, 2012
    
    Hi Thomas,
    “Thank you Nohm for the reply(s), but those questions were not directed toward you though.”
    I know, but I still wanted to throw in my two cents.
    “I admit that one area that I have not done deep or extensive study in is extra-biblical evidence.”
    There isn’t much, and none of it is from the times of the events in question.
    To be clear, I’m talking about evidence that confirms non-trivial, extraordinary claims. For example, “Egyptians existed back then, and had Pharoahs” is a relatively trivial claim. “Seven supernatural plagues affected the Egyptians” is a non-trivial claim.
    “But Nohm for you to say that there are “not any” evidences outside the Bible is you either lying or it is a declaration of ignorance.”
    Well then, thank goodness that that isn’t what I actually said.
    Let me quote myself:
    “Corroborating accounts outside of the Bible, that happened at the time of the events in question.
    There aren’t any [corroborating accounts outside of the Bible that happened at the time of the events in question], and there should be many if these stories are true, which is our problem.”
    And, as a clarification, I’m talking about non-trivial, extraordinary, and definitely supernatural claims.
    “I would recommend to you Nohm and any others on here to get a hold of the Archeology Study Bible as one great and large resource.”
    I must emphasize that I was really into this stuff when I was studying to be an evangelist.
    “It is a great resource on showing the validity of the Bible rooted and grounded in history. Get a copy, do research, dig. ”
    I did. What I found was that yes, some trivial claims (like, “this city existed” or “Egypt had Pharoahs” are definitely supported by non-Biblical sources at the time of the events. Unfortunately, what I also found was that none of the supernatural claims had any support.
    If you know of any, I’m all ears.
    “This is just a curiosity question for you Nohm, what evidence or lack of it caused you to “lose your faith”? (Maybe I have asked you this before in the past?)”
    There is no one “straw that broke the camel’s back” for me. For me to explain how I lost my faith (and there is a post on wearesmrt where I try to tackle this, but I skip a lot of details) would be a long essay.
    The nutshell is: I was using a completely different method to evaluate the claims of my own religion as opposed to the method I used to evaluate claims of other religions (or other supernatural claims). Once I started to use the same method in all instances, my faith fell apart.
    If you want to know what’s really wrong with your religion, ask a Jew or a Muslim. 😉 (The point is, they view your claims just as absurdly as you view theirs, often due to presuppositionalism.)
    Again, that’s just the nutshell version of my loss of faith, so please don’t read too much into it.
    “Also how is it that secular sources have gained so much clout as being better some how because they are “un-bias””
    I don’t think that’s the reason they’ve gained so much clout. I think the reason is because they’re consistent with the viewpoints of people of widely different religions/beliefs/viewpoints.
    It comes down to corroboration, and also the method that is used.
    “when in reality every person has a biasness to them believer or unbeliever.”
    I completely agree. It’s when people of many different biases all agree, that’s when we have corroboration.
    And it’s also the method used, which was designed to remove human biases. Double-blind tests are a great example (but not relevant).
    “The question is not whether you have bias position or not, but who has the “right” bias position?”
    And my point is that no one has the right bias position. I accept claims that are corroborated by multiple bias positions.
    As a trivial example, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Sikh, Baha’i, Hindu, and Buddhist historians all agree that WW2 happened, who the allies were, who the axis were, who the leaders were, the general description of the major battles, and so on.
  - Nohm
    January 6, 2012
    
    A couple of clarifications:
    1. Let me rewrite one paragraph, please:
    I don’t think that’s the reason they’ve gained so much clout. I think the reason is because they’re consistent with the results of people of widely different religions/beliefs/worldviews.
    2. The “method” I was referring to is the scientific method. I wasn’t clear on that, I apologize.
    3. I don’t accept non-trivial claims just because some single secular source makes it, and certainly not just because someone claims a lack of bias. It’s when those claims are corroborated by other people, especially people of different biases, that I’ll accept the non-trivial claims.
  - Thomas Moore
    January 10, 2012
    
    Nohm thank you for your reply, God bless!
- Thomas Moore
  January 1, 2012
  Reply
  Hey Jim, Happy New Year! Yes it is possible that you are in the situation that Pharaoh is in, but God is the only one who knows that information ultimately (Jesus was the only one who knew the hearts of people, another reason that he was and is God. The Bible gives a lot of information on the evil state of the human heart but when it comes down to individual people and where they are with God only God knows). As a disciple of Jesus Christ I’m called to pray for you and many other things with the means to the end being that I grow in my fellowship with God. That is God’s greatest reason for prayer, not to get things from God but to grow in fellowship with Him and to grow in love for Him.
  So what it comes down to is I don’t know your heart, God does and yes there are people in situations like Pharaoh or the kind of apostate situation talked about in Hebrews 6:4-6. But I don’t know the individual hearts of people so I don’t know who is ultimately where with the Lord, but I’m still called to pray.
phil
December 30, 2011
Reply
Steve:
Matthew 25:23 KJV: His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Steve your determinism to preach the Gospel and your patience in handling naysayers is admirable. You are also very kind towards the atheists and nonbelievers who post here. You are the proverbial light on a candlestick.
God bless and Happy New Year to you.
- Steve Sanchez
  December 30, 2011
  Reply
  Awwww, shucks. Thank you very much, my friend, whoever you are! 🙂
phil
December 30, 2011
Reply
Jim
The promise is eternal life, unimaginable happiness and no more sorrow. So what ever the saints and the saved are doing in Heaven or on the New Earth it won’t be boring.
Have a Happy New Years Jim.
Scott deBeaubien
December 31, 2011
Reply
Great work Steve! Looking forward to the Parade on Monday, Cheryl and I will both be there!
Just wanted to briefly comment about getting the chance to read your blog and be on some of these outings this past year. This has definitely been the highlight of our year, to learn not only about evangelizing, and more of the way the “Old time” preachers did it, but also to learn more about what Jesus meant when He was talking about things like He came to fulfill the law and that we should obey the 10 (His) Commandments.
I think it’s so funny when folks (prejudicially) point to the notion that you are “obsessed” with death. You just need to watch the MSM for a few minutes to discover that they are the ones who are totally preoccupied with death. Humans as a whole seem to have this fascination with death, and yet few think of what comes after they die. That’s your key difference is that you care enough to point that out to them (that they really should think of Heaven and Hell and which way they’re headed).
The greatest gift of all you’ve given me this year is the knowledge that I will not personally save anyone. I’ve always known that, but you really drove that point home and taught me that whether I save someone is not what’s important, what is important is doing what Jesus said: To get out there and share the Gospel, tell folks about Him!
2011, although it’s been a difficult year, ranks right up there as one of the best in terms of my overall spiritual growth. Cheryl and I are very blessed to have found a great bunch of believers at Hope Chapel. Leaving our home behind in Colorado was hard, but you’ve helped us transition and now we have a new home.
God bless you!
- Steve Sanchez
  January 1, 2012
  Reply
  Wow! Thanks Scott.
  As D.T. Niles once wrote: “I’m just a beggar telling other beggars where to get bread.”
  Happy New Year!
  - Thomas Moore
    January 1, 2012
    
    I like that quote been thinking a lot about that one lately!
josie
December 31, 2011
Reply
Steve,
I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year. You are an inspiration to many Christians.
I
Romans 10:15 (New King James Version) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!
- Steve Sanchez
  January 1, 2012
  Reply
  Thank you so much, Josie! Happy New Year to you and yours!
Don C
January 2, 2012
Reply
Exactly. Give me oblivion. So much more peaceful. Besides, who would want to spend eternity with people like Steve, who insist on forcing themselves and their views upon everyone…