The Evangelists' Guide To Video Recording Witnessing Encounters

I realize that I've been neglecting my blog for a while, and need to get back in the swing of things. And I thought that I'd start things back up with a how-to posting.

A few people have asked me recently how I make videos of my witnessing encounters. Some have thought that I use a body-mounted camera, like those now worn by British bobbies. Some have had questions about the legality of videotaping someone and putting it on YouTube. Some were curious of how I could chat without someone feeling like there is a camera being thrust in people's faces. So, without further ado, I give you:

The Evangelists' Guide To Video Recording Witnessing Encounters

(NOTE: This guide is not to be intended as legal advice. As always, remember to check your local law enforcement agencies concerning filming and open-air preaching in your area. Seek out qualified legal counsel if you have specific questions. Your mileage may vary.

If you choose to use this guide or any portion of it somewhere, all that I ask is that you please give credit where credit is due, and point back to this blog.)

The Goal of Filming:

What is the goal of filming witnessing encounters with people? Is it getting someone in frame? Is it proper lighting or position of the person? Is it making a great piece of cinematography?

No. The primary goal is the preaching of the Gospel.

You may have the fanciest camera, the most ideal backdrop, a physically-appealing subject, and the perfect degree of sunlight imaginable, but all of that is in vain if you are not preaching the Gospel so that the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sins through the espousing of the Law and Grace offered through Jesus Christ. If you forsake the preaching of the Gospel because your subject is unwilling to talk on camera, or because you are more focused on how the picture comes out instead of on sharing God's Word, then you could create an Oscar-worthy piece of tape and it would be absolutely worthless. Never take your eyes off of why you are really out there.

That said, when I film someone, I do so for education, information, and self-review. First, I film so that other unsaved people can see someone examined in light of their conscience, and hopefully they will likely respond with repentance and trust. Second, I film so that other Christians can see some of the situations and scenarios they may encounter while open-air preaching and witnessing one-on-one. Third, I film so that I can see if there were any areas in which I could improve, and then use that for learning and to adjust my speech, mannerisms, and approach. But I never lose sight of why I'm really out there--to do as Christ would in reaching out to the lost.

Equipment:

Beyond a Bible and some good Gospel tracts to pass out, the only other equipment I use is a videocamera. No fancy reflectors, boom microphones, or best boy grips running around. When used properly, this allows you to be the director, producer, cameraman, and narrator all in one.

The videocamera I use is a DXG 506V. While I'm trying to not make this sound like a commercial, there are several good reasons why I bought this camera:

Cost. Although it is a fancy-looking piece of equipment, I bought this camera at a retail store for under $100. I wanted something I could use without breaking the bank, and it gives me the functionality for making simple, decent-quality video. It works well for that.

Batteries and Memory. I like this camera because it uses standard AAA batteries, and SD memory cards. I always prefer universal batteries that I can swap out without having to worry about fancy chargers, odd or hard-to-find shapes, or costly replacements. SD memory card prices have dropped to about $6 per GB in bulk, which allows for about 45 minutes of recording time per 1GB card. So, with about $20 in supplementals for some rechargable AAAs and a couple of chips, I've been good to go without any extra spending.

Size. This camera is small. It's tiny. It's about the size of a deck of cards when stored, which means that I can hold it comfortably and near my body without feeling like I am intruding on someone's personal space. I can stash it in my pocket when needed, and don't have to worry about it being stolen. It can also be brought out, powered on, and running quickly. I still lose function of one of my hands while filming (which is irritating because I do tend to talk with my hands or use two-handed props or motions when preaching), but I'm not hoisting a beast of a camera onto my shoulder or peering through a viewfinder all the time.

Durability. My camera has been dropped, thrown, and smooshed countless times. The only damage it ever really took was when my 20 month old nephew did something to the LCD panel which prevents it from staying at a 90 degree angle when open, and that is pretty good, considering how he is a miniature demolition crew. It still works great and slowly uses the battery power, typically good for 4 hours of stop-and-go filming.

Drawbacks. While this camera is great, it has a few drawbacks. It does not zoom large distances well. The microphone has a limited range. It does not record things well in the dark. So, unless your target is relatively close, loud, and well-lit, your video may come out a little bad. But, I think all of the other things I listed are discount these problems, and prove why it is a great camera.

If you pay a few more dollars, you can get a newer HD camera from the same sort of retail stores. Remember to use your money wisely.

Environment:

When filming your subject, be aware of three main things: lighting, wind, and sound.

Your subject should be clearly visible from your filming angle without looming shadows or bright light beaming into the lens. If outside, try to find a place obscured slightly in shadow or away from direct sunlight. At worst, stand with your back partially to the sun to illumiate your subject, but be kind because this will cause your subject to squint, get hot, and not want to talk as long. Indoors, make sure that there is enough light to film, and there are no flickering bulbs, tubes, or monitors that will make the video crazy.

Wind can be obnoxious for two reasons. One, it distracts and interferes with things like hair and clothes. There is nothing like when your subjects have to repeatedly brush their coiffe aside or adjust their shirt just to converse. Don't forget about air conditioner or heater units, too, even when indoors. Doors that repeatedly open and shut, such as in indoor malls, can also send gusts through the area. Two, it can be picked up on microphones and drown voices out. Which leads to the point about sound.

Even though your setting may be well-lit and free of wind, there can be ambient noise that will kill any conversation being recorded. This includes large crowds, construction equipment, nature, or even a refrigerator going through its power cycle (true story--while being interviewed for a TV program at home, they had to unplug my freezer because the wireless mics kept picking up when it clicked on and off). At skate parks, I always have to contest with plywood and fiberglass slapping metal and concrete. Where possible, keep wind and noise to your back to prevent the microphone from picking it up.

Technique:

Remember that you are talking to your subject, and not to the camera. Similarly, remember that you should be looking at your subject for eye contact, and not the camera. I try to square up my subjects after I start filming, and only glance down occasionally when a person is starting to talk to make sure I have them in frame.

If they move around, move with them like a mirror, step for step. If you need to swivel, turn at the waist, not with the arms, or you'll shift attention to the camera, distract the subject, and probably cut off their picture in some weird way. Use smooth, slow, and easy motions, even for fast video.

Permission:

Generally, you can film on public property such as streets, sidewalks, parks, and fairgrounds with no permit or permission required. This can even include public transportation areas like buses and subways. There are some rules about "sensitive" areas like military bases and some governmental buildings, but otherwise you should be totally fine.

On private property, including malls, shopping centers, and movie theatres, permission is typically required to be allowed to film. There are two ways of going about this: start filming and only stop when asked to cease, or go and seek permission before setting up and filming. If you choose to do the former and do it without checking first, know that no one, legally, can require you to turn over or delete your video; it is your property. At worst, the most they can do is ask you to leave or try to cite you for trespassing. And usually if you say that you are leaving, they will let you go and they would have a tougher time of making any charges stick. If you go down the latter route, and choose to make sure your actions will be fine with the property owners, you will most likely run into people not wanting you film in their establishments. They may cite state-church separation, permits, or other wacky reasons why you cannot film, but if it is truly their property, all you need is their permission to do so. It's more of a stigma and worry about liability that stops them from letting you film.

As for the permission of your subjects, the same sort of rules apply. You can film anyone on public property without their permission, so long as you are not intending to profit from the footage for advertising or commercial purposes (if you plan on using the footage for profit, generally you must have them sign or acquiesce to a likeness usage and release form). You can film people for informational and educational purposes, even for news reports. You can film someone on private property with or without their permission, but they may ask you to leave for trespassing. You can film private property from public property without having to require permission, like standing on a sidewalk and taping people walking on a privately-owned mall grounds. Although, you cannot film areas where reasonable expectations of privacy apply (e.g. bathrooms, through windows into bedrooms).

Age can also be a tricky thing while filming, too. If your subject is an adult, no one seems to care, and you can do with the video as you will. If your subject is a minor, sometimes people can get fidgety about them talking on video. The idea is that it can fall under "child exploitation," and someone will scream, "won't someone think about the children?!" Watch news reports interviewing high schoolers and kids, and note how many times they will not show their faces, depending on the nature of the story. Taking a camera and pointing it at kids at a public park will probably get you a visit from law enforcement pretty quickly, for fears you may be a pedophile.

My own take on all of this is to be polite, stick with adults when filming, and be discreet in privately-owned venues. I typically ask someone if I may film them and put the video on YouTube. Many people like hearing that they will be on the web, and say, "Yes." For those who say, "No," I put away the camera and continue preaching the Gospel, sticking with the goal in mind. It's more important that that person hear about Jesus Christ and be convicted of sin than moving onto someone else who will be less camera-shy.

I hope this helps enable you in getting out there and recording your witnessing encounters.

Bad Idea -- Listening To The Radio

I had to drive an hour away from my house to help my wife at her parents' house. It was a far enough distance to where I could pick up different radio stations. When we left the following morning, I flipped around the dial and came across a station where a most lurid conversation was taking place.

A young lady was talking to the three hosts about how she was addicted to pornography. She talked about how she would find places on the Internet where she could call up any genre of porn that she wanted, sit back, and enjoy watching them. She would do this throughout the day, and whenever she felt her boyfriend was not giving her enough attention.

This station had some sort of gimmick on certain mornings where people could call in, confess something to the hosts, and then the person with the most depraved, gross, illicit, or horrible confession would win some sort of prize. Callers from all around the region would phone the station and share things that they would not tell their spouses or best friends to try to win money or get tickets to events.

Contrary to what I was expecting to hear, the hosts were not condemning of her, but instead were trading tips, techniques, and secrets in searching out smut. They stopped just shy of naming websites outright. One male host talked about how he was perusing a rather obscene and odd type of sexual fetish on the web on his laptop while his own kids were in the room. It was not until his wife passed by in the backyard and banged on the window that he stopped what he was doing.

After they finished with that caller, several more people called in, including:

• A woman who stole prescription medication from the ER where her husband worked as a doctor, to sell it on the street.
• A hotel staffer who was trying to get her supervisor fired, even though her supervisor was her own mother.
• A daughter who got her own mother exported to Mexico for illegally living in the US.
• A driver who knew most of the police department in her town in a Biblical way, so she could avoid traffic tickets and checkpoints.

I noticed that while these people called in, the hosts were not clicking their tongues at the callers or condemning them for their actions, but were instead asking about techniques, disseminating the effectiveness of their actions, and making recommendations along the way. They sounded more encouraging than they did dismayed at what people were doing. For the caller who sold drugs, one host asked how much, and said, "Huh. Not bad."

While once upon a time we had the good sense to see evil and call it as such, it has now become a novelty, something practiced and spoken about freely with others. Instead of feeling guilt or even shame for behaving in ways that would normally be frowned upon, people now uplift debauchery, malevolence, and violations of God's Law. Even overhearing casual conversations and looking at the magazines while in line at the grocery store illustrate this lack of decency and civility.

I was glad when I lost the signal to the station, but I have to wonder exactly what will come next in the guise of entertainment or day-to-day living.

Keeping Kids Off Drugs

When I went shopping yesterday, there were two people standing outside the store with a table promoting the local DARE program. They were asking for money to help fund their cause, and giving out some toys and knicknacks for contributions.



For those not familiar with DARE, it was an organization launched by the police in Los Angeles during the 1980s to combat illegal drugs by educating kids in public schools. Narcotics were taking a huge amount of the department's time and resources at that time, so they wanted to teach children early on the perils of illicit substances, in the hopes it would reduce crime. They created, "DARE," an acronym for, "Drug Abuse Resistance Education," to promote this cause. As time went on, the program spread from Los Angeles to schools all across the United States to help curb drug use.

I walked up to the door and the young-faced man and woman smiled and asked, "Excuse me, sir, could I take a couple of minutes of your time? Do you know about the DARE program?"

"Yes, I do," I replied. "Actually, I was one of the first graduates of the program in the 1980s because I grew up near L.A."

"High five for that!" he shouted, slapping my hand. "Then you know how important the program is to help kids out."

"Actually," I said, "I've learned something since that time that is more important when it comes to the problem of drug abuse. You see, drug abuse is only one piece of a greater problem, called sin. Could I take a quick couple minutes of your time?" They both nodded, and I gave them each a million-dollar bill tract.

I walked the young man and woman through the Law and Grace of God, using analogies reflective of drug abuse, such as being arrested for controlled substance charges and being put in front of a judge. I told them about how our sins are just like someone breaking the law by dealing drugs or running a meth lab, and that sooner or later, we would have to suffer the punishment. But the good news is that someone took our place and paid our fine, clearing us of all charges. That person is Jesus Christ. They listened to the Gospel and understood what I was saying.

As I was wrapped up presenting things to them, I tied it back into their efforts and cause. "You see, when you're addressing drug abuse, you're only changing the behavior of the person and what they're doing. It's like telling a thief not to steal anymore. You may have stopped the crime, but it doesn't change the fact that the person will still be judged for their crimes. A behavior change alone isn't enough to be made right with God. And just like that, you will also be judged for the sins that you have done in this life, unless you repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ, that he paid the price for you."

While the young woman seemed very responsive to the Gospel, the young man said, "Yeah, well I still think I'll go to Heaven because I'm a good guy trying to do the right thing." Then he abandoned our conversation and went back to work, asking more people entering and exiting the store for donations.

Pray for these two young DARE workers.

Witnessing At 30,000 Feet In French

I flew back from Philadelphia this weekend for a business trip. After I boarded the plane, the stewardess informed me that I would have to move chairs. Apparently, the FAA frowns upon people with large medical boots sitting in the exit row seats (courtesy a nice sprained ankle from volleyball). She spoke to the two young men sitting across across the aisle from me, and asked if they would be willing to switch our chairs. They were happy to move and get a little more legroom.

When I switched chairs with them, I picked up a hint of an accent from one of them. Curious, I asked where they were from. The young man said that he was from France, heading home to Paris. "Oh," I said, "I speak a little bit of French. I learned it about 10 years ago and haven't used it much since then."

I started to have a conversation with the young man, named Rafael, in French. We talked about how he and his buddy were on their way home from going to Disneyworld. He was 20 years old, had just finished school, and was serving as a waiter in a restaurant. He had been to San Francisco before, and was thinking of being a waiter in New York City. We also talked about how he and his mother had traveled to Japan once before, and they could not find anyone there who could speak English, let alone French, in Tokyo. I recalled my travels to him of going to Japan for my honeymoon, laughing about the language differences that I encountered as well.

The captain came over the loudspeaker and said that our plane would be delayed for 15 minutes due to too much air traffic over New York, and they were trying to manage all of the flights. As we sat there for a few minutes, I knew that I needed to share my faith with Rafael.

"J'ai un question pour vous. Quand vous etes mort, que pensez-vous d'ou vous pouvez aller?"

("I have a question for you. When you are dead, where do you think you would go?")

"Je ne sais pas," il a dit.

("I don't know," he said.)

We spoke for the next 20 minutes, as I shared the Law and God's grace to him, almost all in French. I had to use English here and there, for words like "sin" and "repentance," but he would quickly provide me with their translations or equivalents. And sometimes I could remember one word in French, but not the antonym, and he would help me out, like, "What do you call it when you say something that isn't the truth?" and he would give me the word for, "to tell a lie," in French.

By the time I was nearing the end of our conversation, he asked me, "How many years did you say you learned French?" I told him that I took it for four years in high school, and that that was well over 10 years ago, and I haven't practiced much. "No way," he said, "you shouldn't be able to speak this well after so long."

I gave Rafael a couple of million-dollar bill tracts, and he was grateful for our chat. He needed to catch some rest, because he had only two hours sleep, and the flight to Paris would likely give him jet lag.

After we got off of the plane, and started walking into the terminal, a large black man came up behind me and said something. I couldn't quite pick it up due to the noise, so I had to have him repeat it twice. "Je parle le francais aussi. Je viens de l'Haiti," he spoke with a smile ("I speak French, too. I come from Haiti."). It turned out that I was speaking loud enough in the airplane
for Rafael and his buddy to hear me, there was another French speaker who was also listening to my Gospel presentation as well.

Pray for Rafael, his buddy, and the Haitian man and his wife.

Breaking Up Fights

I went by the skate park to try to find someone with whom I spoke on Monday. (That is another story in itself, and hopefully I'll have some video up soon.) I was expecting a quick in-and-out. Go to the park, find the guy, talk to him, and take off. Instead, I found myself in the heat of conflict.

As I approached the alcove in the middle of the park, there was a group of five boys, all about 17 or 18, who were scoping me out. I knew that something was in the works in their minds, because I've had some training on detecting possible problems and being aware of my environment. So, it was only a matter of time before one of them spoke up.

"Hey!" said one, stepping up rather brazenly towards me. His friends retreated slightly to the benches to chuckle and watch what would happen next. "I've got some religious questions for you." I said that I welcome such questions. He crossed his arms, and began quizzing me, hoping to find a fault, something I could not answer. "You know how long the Bible has been in English, right? So what if the translators of it got something wrong a thousand years ago or so?"

"Well, first," I said, "You have to remember that a thousand years ago, English didn't exist. There was a proto-language called 'Englisc' that was its predecessor." This caught him off-guard. Then, I walked him through some of the points I made in this post, talking about how an omnipotent God who could speak the world into existence should not have problems with making people write down words properly for a few thousand years.

As we continued on with question after question, while his friends listened from a distance, I got to know Cody and I sensed an opportunity to start into presenting God's Law to him. As we walked through the Commandments, he sensed that he was in trouble in the eyes of God. Suddenly, he went from an adversarial type of conversation to more of a dialogue and polite chat. His questions became more geared towards clearing up misconceptions he had instead of finding flaws and trying to best me. When one of his friends came by and said, "Dude, how's it going? Is he winning?" he said that I was taking him to school instead.

By the end of our chat, Cody realized that his lack of trust/faith in God was something important, and that it would be his undoing should he died. I recommended that he get right with God before he dies, and he agreed. He wanted to know where I go to church, and I shared it with him.

Not seeing the person for whom I was looking, I started to leave the skate park when I saw a wave of kids progress in one direction. I recognized that sort of mass migration, and knew that it could only mean one thing--a fight was about to start.

Two boys were squaring off, chest to chest in the parking lot, talking smack to each other. I walked up and stood in between them. "That's enough," I said. They split up, but people continued to linger in the parking lot, expecting something to break out. I made a quick call to my friends at the police department, and about 10 minutes later, a K-9 officer came by. It's amazing how quickly kids disperse when the law shows up.

And it's amazing how quickly the Law can also break up fights.

Scraping At Scabs

There was a trend in Christianity in the recent past that marketed Jesus Christ as a life accessory. This was presented predominantly during the Dot-Com Bubble of the early 21st Century to people who were well-off, living in middle-class or upper-class society. The pitch delivered typically went something like this:

"You have your life together. You are married, live in a nice home, have two cars, two and a half children, and a family dog. You have a good job, go on nice vacations, have the wide screen plasma TV, and your 401k is growing every day.

"But, there is one thing you lack. You need Jesus Christ. He will give you love, joy, peace, happiness, and all the things you want in life. You should become a Christian because you have a God-shaped hole in your heart, and He is the only one who can fill it."

Most people could see through this flimsy presentation about why they should become Christians. Those who rejected this sales pitch were generally already happy with things going well in their lives, so they had no need to add on a deity who they believed would restrict their freedom in how they lived (sinning).

But for those who, "accepted Jesus," for the benefits of these reasons, they often later walked away from the faith. When life got hard and tough times arose through job layoffs, medical problems, economic woes, or other calamities, they turned around with anger, disdain, confusion, and sorrow towards their Savior. They had been promised great lives and contentment through Jesus Christ, and because they did not receive what they were told to expect, they abandoned Christianity and went away with a grudge.

This trend still exists still in some circles today, but has become relatively passe with the current recession and worldwide financial problems. In a time where the cost of food and gasoline is expected to rise 20% over the next year, promises of plenty and self-actualization ring hollow to ears that have already been through troublesome times. A new trend has emerged in its place, focusing instead on healing hurts and providing solace to past pains.

This new trend can be likened to picking at an old scab, where Jesus Christ is instead presented as someone who can make emotional injuries go away, instead of a courier of bliss. In this method, the unbeliever is petitioned to come to God because at some point along their life, someone has hurt them badly. Even if the person is a relatively normal, well-adjusted individual, the depths of the past are probed for even the remotest relational scar, which is then torn open once more and vivisected until the person cries out for the pain to go away, at which point the Savior is applied like a bandage.

Many pastors, in their altar calls, are now saying something like the following:

"I want to let you know that if someone has hurt you in your life, through abuse, neglect, harsh words, Jesus Christ is here to patch those wounds. You may have grown up in an abusive household. It's possible that one of your family members is going through some disease like cancer, and you're seeing them fall apart in front of your eyes. You may have lost your job and your husband is divorcing you. Someone may have even stolen your bike when you were a kid, or embarrassed you by giving you a wedgie in the school hallway, and you never got over it. I want you to know that you need to hear that Jesus Christ loves you and cares about you. And if you want to make Him the Lord of your life, please say this prayer privately...."

For those who have an open wound from recent problems, this promise of a healer sounds either wonderful or too good to be true, and a similar reaction happens like those whom were promised greatness. But for those who do not have a gaping psychological sore, it does not resound with the same level of imperativeness. So the person has to be convinced that there is a blemish on his or her life that was never cured. Past agonies are dredged up, magnified, and held up to show that the person has a tear that never stitched itself together, even if mundane, such as an errant rude comment from a parent in the heat of a moment of anger. And when the person has had enough of mentally revisiting times past, he or she is told that the salve can be found in faith.

Does Jesus Christ offer healing and restoration? Absolutely. But when this is made the motivation for coming to salvation, it builds up a false hope and expectancy of being innoculated from any further harm, in the same way that a person guaranteed happiness and joy would expect nothing but good things to enter into their lives. In both situations, when disaster and woe inevitably come knocking, the person is casting their hope on immediate deliverance from these circumstances through their profession of faith. And if their trial is not quickly put to rest, they can turn on their Deliverer.

The New Testament makes no promise that by becoming a Christian that someone will be saved from peril in this life, emotional or otherwise. Jesus Himself said that His Gospel would cause divsion even within households (Luke 12:51-53). The world would hate Christians simply for the name of Jesus Christ (John 15:18). The Apostle Paul suffered both medically (2 Corinthians 12:7) and through trials including beatings, stonings, shipwreck, and starvation (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), proving that even those who had a personal, supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ could still suffer.

The true Gospel, and not a message of contentment or Fruedian introspection/breakthroughs, must be presented to all men. This message must contain the truth about God's judgment and wrath towards sin, and the atonement, grace, and salvation found Jesus Christ. It is only through the preaching of this truth that someone will come to Christ and be able to bear infirmities and praise God properly for joys in their lives. When a person understands the deliverance from sin and standing as an enemy of God, no matter where his or her life may go, or what obstacles arise, that person has true comfort and peace in the knowledge that this life is temporary, and that that person will spend eternity glorifying his or her Father in Heaven.

The modern-day scraping at scabs, misconstrued promises, and preaching of everything but the core of the Gospel must stop.

"We're Sinners, But We're Not Evil."

On my way home yesterday, I tuned into the end of a local Christian talk show. The host was in heated debate with some of his callers about the wicked nature of man. The callers into the show argued that, sure, we are all sinners, but we are not evil. The exchange went something like this:

Host: Hello, caller.

Caller: Hello, I'm calling because of the point you said about us being evil. I'm a Christian, and I know we're sinners, but I wouldn't call us evil.

Host: How would you define, "evil?"

Caller: I would call a murderer or a rapist, or someone like Adolph Hitler evil.

Host: So what about things like lying?

Caller: Well, that's a bad thing to do, and we're sinners, but still, we're not evil.

Host: And when the Bible says that lying is a wicked act, that doesn't make us evil?

Caller: Well, no. God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

Host: But God isn't going to differentiate the sin from the sinner. God doesn't send lies and murders to Hell, He sends liars and murderers to Hell.

Caller: ... well, still, we're not evil.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

The reason I bring this up is because of a witnessing encounter I had a couple of weeks ago with a young girl who could not get her mind wrapped around mankind's evil nature. In explaining to her how one lie makes a person a liar, just like one murder makes a person a murderer, she turned this idea upside-down and asked the opposite.

"Suppose," she asked, "you have a man who is completely wicked. He does evil all day and all night. But on one occasion, he does something benevolent. He heals someone of a wound. Wouldn't that one healing make the man a healer?"

To show her the problem with this thought, I pointed her to Heaven. "Heaven is a perfect place, right?" She nodded her head. "And if anything imperfect entered into Heaven, it would no longer be a perfect place, right?" I could see that she was slightly confused by this idea.

"Imagine for a moment that you have two buckets of paint. One is completely white, and one is completely black. If you put even a single drop of black paint into that white bucket, it's no longer white, right?" She agreed. "From that point on, it's a shade of gray, even if it's a tiny little bit.

"Now, no matter how much you pour white paint into the black bucket, even if it overflowed over, it would still be a shade of gray as well. You can never remove the blackness from the bucket. This is the same with what you are talking about."

We continued talking about how the bad person cannot enter Heaven without corrupting it, and no many how many good things someone does, they cannot erase their own wickedness. This made sense to her, but she still did not like hearing how we, mankind, are essentially bad, wicked, and evil.

The truth is that we all think that we are all good (Proverbs 20:6). We all think that what we do is right (Proverbs 21:2). But, our hearts are deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). None of us do good (Romans 3:10). All of our works are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Mankind is evil. And unless God changes us, we never see it.

Video -- Casey & Devon

Casey and Devon had just decided that they were going to move from Oklahoma to Castle Rock after spending time visiting family on vacation. They came to the skate park to check things out, and I spoke to them and Devon's teenage brother, Cavin. After the camera was switched off, we kept talking for about another half hour about matters of faith, namely, their perceptions about Christians in the Bible Belt.

Pray for Casey and Devon (and Cavin).

"Mormons Are Christians, Too."

While I'm busy editing video to post some more witnessing encounters, I thought that I would throw up a quick post on the apologetics and witnessing to Mormons.

The reason behind this post was because on Friday night, I went back to the skate park at Castle Rock with two cases of water and a small camera bag packed with tracts. As I made the rounds, there was a woman, probably in her 40s or 50s, sitting along one of the planters, watching her two sons and one of their family friends skate. I offered some water and the tallest boy took one. When I offered the kids and mom some million-dollar bill tracts, they all took them. I began asking questions of faith to lead into sharing the Gospel.

The tallest boy, the family friend, said that he was a Christian, a Seventh-Day Adventist, specifically. The other two boys and mom identified themselves as Mormons. I spoke to the tallest boy and said, "As a Christian, what does it take to get into Heaven?"

Before he could answer, mom interrupted. "You know," she said with a certain smugness, "we Mormons are Christians, too."

I paused for a moment, and said that I would like to come back to that point in a few minutes. Immediately, it was as though a huge wall came crashing down between mom and me. She directed the three boys to get back to riding their bikes, and they did as they were told.

As the boys left to ride around, mom sat with her nose upturned, looking down through her glasses, crossing her arms, but not making direct eye contact with me at all. She said that no matter what I said, she called herself a Christian and that was it. While she did not go really beyond that, I could sense that saying much more would be provoking her to make a scene, so I politely went to witness to others around the park.

In hindsight, this was dumb. Even if she made a scene, she would have wound up drawing teenage skaters around her, which I knew would probably cool her temper, and provide an even greater opportunity to share the Gospel because healthy conflict draws a crowd. At the worst, she would have contacted law enforcement, and I would have been in the clear, courtesy First Amendment rights on public property. I should have remained more concerned about her soul and the souls of the three boys instead of letting her be.

Additionally, I've studied Mormon apologetics for some time, and know some of the better points to open discussions with them that are great for transitioning to a (true) Gospel presentation. I've listed a few of these below to help equip fellow believers in witnessing to Mormons. These are the ones that I prefer the most, and are not an inclusive list of everything that can be used.

Remember, these concepts are for opening the door to a conversation, and not to be used as the means for trying to persuade a Mormon to leave their false religion. The Holy Spirit does the conviction and change; we need to present God's Law and Grace in preaching the Gospel to them. Those are the critical things that must be done.

-Are Mormons Christians? One of the best ways in addressing an objection like I encountered, where Mormons claim that they are Christians, is to explain things through the eyes of a Christian. Ask something like, "If I, as a Christian, want to go to a Methodist, Baptist, or Presbyterian church, I am welcome to do so, because we are joined as one in the Body of Christ. Even unbelievers may enter any of the services. Would I receive the same welcome as a Christian in trying to enter one of your Mormon temples?"

This argument shows that there is something that differentiates between Mormons and Christians, if equal access is restricted. While there are some elements within Christianity that may be restricted, such as Communion, and certain individuals who may be restricted due to their behavior, access to worship for normal, saved Christians is not prohibited.

-Is the Bible the Word of God? If you ask a Mormon if the Bible is the true Word of God, you'll likely get an answer like, "Yes, and so is the Book of Mormon." But ask the question a second time for confirmation, and this time, the answer tends to be, "Yes, the Bible is the Word of God, insofar as it is translated correctly."

This response is a perfect bridging point. Ask about what makes it a correct translation. The answer may vary from how a prophet interprets it to how it gets written down. The key part here is to cover some degree of factual bibliology. Ask what makes more sense: one person's interpretation of the translations, or the coherency of Scripture through translations of the original Hebrew and Greek dating back through thousands of translators over thousands of years? The person would typically be reticent to say that one person could trump all of them, but sometimes they have more confidence in their "prophets" than they do in secular and religious scholars.

Then direct the Mormon to their own KJV Bible that they typically possess when trying to convert people. Ask them what qualifies a person to be a prophet of God. Surprisingly, most of them cannot identify the litmus test anywhere in the Bible. Direct them to Deuteronomy 18, which lays out how if a person who claims to be a prophet ever makes a prophecy that does not come true, that prophet is not of God, that he should be ignored, and that he should die. Emphasize the cost of the error in making a false prophecy by looking at Deuteronomy 13.

After all of this, ask the Mormon if Joseph Smith has ever made a prophecy that never came true. Chances are that the Mormon will think that Smith was infallible with his predictions. Any discernment website on Mormon history will show a number of failed prophecies, including a family friend who was supposed to have great business and success within a year, but who died in the winter. Ask them what would then happen, Biblically, if this is true.

Sometimes, Mormons will try to turn this argument upside down by saying that it was not translated or understood correctly, since their primary line of faith lays in their prophets. But when you remind them that this is from their own Bible, it discredits their argument.

-Handy verses. There are a number of verses in the Bible that can be quickly used when certain arguments come up. I've listed some of the situations below and the verses that disprove them:

• We have to earn something / do something to be saved, such as baptism. Ephesians 2:8-9.
• There are many gods. Isaiah 43:10-11, 44:6, 45:5-6.
• Jesus Christ was a created being. John 1:1-4.
• Jesus Christ was the spirit brother of the devil. Ezekiel 28:15.
• Joseph Smith was visited by an angel. 2 Corinthians 11:14.
• Jehovah and Elohim are different entities. Deuteronomy 4:35, Psalm 100:2.
• There is no Hell. Revelation 20:11-15.

Pray for those lost Mormons.

Concerning The Pride of Man

One thing I've been recognizing more and more in my public preaching of the Gospel is the prideful nature of man. Usually, it's a subverted sort of pride, not one that stands boastfully and thumbs its nose directly at God, but one that undermines His power and elevates man. The best way to describe it is to recount a situation that often arises when speaking about God's nature as the Creator.

Invariably, in public speaking, someone will contend that we are the byproduct of random chance through evolution. We are nothing more than millions of years of animals that have become one degree larger, faster, and smarter than our ancestors, they say. That science proves that we have steadily evolved over the years, when science itself also says that everything should wear down with time, but somehow we have bypassed this Law of Thermodynamics and defied nature itself.



At that point, I typically show them how we know there is a Creator because of Creation itself, a popular evangelical witnessing way of proving the lunacy of believing in evolution. I direct their attention to their shoes, and ask who made them. "A shoemaker," they reply. I state that they know there is a shoemaker because their shoes exist, although they may not know who the shoemaker may be. I then direct their attention to nearby buildings, and ask who made them. "Builders," they reply. I again state that they know there are builders because the buildings prove their existence. After this, I direct their attention to the clouds, trees, sun, moon, stars, mountains, grass, rocks, and all the natural phenomena around us. I illustrate that for there to be these elements of Creation, there must be a Creator who designed all of this, reminiscent of what Paul said in Romans 1. I run through the basics of Genesis to show that God created the world and everything in it in six days to complete the thought and defeat the argument.

There are two usual outcomes from here. The first outcome is a person who was legitimately stumbling over what they have been taught about evolution being able to grasp the idea of Creation. This is an infrequent occurrence, but a joyful one when encountered, as it commonly shows a softened heart and the acting of the Holy Spirit in that person. The second outcome is a person who, although having their question addressed and answered, reaches and struggles for another exception or claim on which to grasp. And, over time, I have studied and noted the most common protest to which the objector will flee and use:

"The Bible was written by the hands of man, so it must therefore be full of errors from the thousands of years of transcription."

Let's establish what just happened in this moment. After examining the claims of Creation itself, where a person generally passively or actively accedes to the concept that there is a God who could speak the Universe into existence, who designed everything from the smallest quarks to the largest clusters of galaxies, He couldn't get writers over the ages to properly communicate what he inspired approximately 36 people to document over a few thousand years. That the God of Everything is incompetent or inept enough to where His Word would not be transcribed properly until He decides that it's time to close shop. That an omnipotent Lord who knows even the thoughts and hearts of men since the beginning of time would be stifled by the penmanship of scribes.

Historiography, archeology, and epigraphy of the Bible aside, what this demonstrates isn't a simple misunderstanding of bibliology, but the sinful and prideful nature of man. What it says is that the sovereignty of man on this world trumps the power and authority of God. It says that we have the ability to interfere with God's divine Will and obfuscate what He really wants to see accomplished on Earth. That our alleged incompetence would exceed God's might. That we would be gods in our own right.

And, it's not just in this topic or type of conversation where I am seeing this elevation of man's position and the expansion of pride, but even within the doors of the Church. A fellow believer told me recently that Christians can, "get in the way of God," by their actions, reminiscent of this post I wrote about the fallacy that, "people like Jesus, but it's Christians that they can't stand." This is the idea popularized in books like They Like Jesus But Not The Church, where the behaviors of people who use the moniker, "Christian," would stop God's hand from reaching out and saving the souls of those whom He draws to Himself (John 6:44).

God has clearly demonstrated in the Bible in thousands of verses that nothing will get in His way, that nothing is impossible for Him (Luke 1:37). And to think that we, the poor, sorry creatures that we are, would somehow be able to stop Him from doing anything is a huge sign of pride and a mark of shame.

A Change of Scenery

Yesterday, instead of going to the skate park in Castle Rock, I decided to go to Redstone up in Highlands Ranch.

(Image from http://www.denverskatepark.com/redstone.html)

One of the first things I noticed about Redstone is that its layout is compact, maximizing the amount of land with as many bowls, ramps, and terrain as possible. This also makes the course more challenging than some skate parks in the state, with very little room for novices. But, for those skaters and bikers who are really good at what they do, they can do some pretty amazing tricks.

The second thing I noticed was that by designing the park this way, it makes it really hard to get around the park to reach people because there are no large common areas. So, when I walked in to set up and give out water, I thought that there were only four people riding around. It took me a minute to locate a large group of kids hidden by the terrain, and then I found that I had to hurdle a concrete wall to get to where they were sitting. And later, when I was leaving the park, I slipped down a ramp and fell pretty good on my side. It's clear that the park was not designed with any pedestrian traffic in mind. You're either on a board, blades, or bike--otherwise you're on your butt.

Tales of bruising aside, there were an interesting group of young people around the park. When I first started handing out water and tracts, about eight kids came over to listen to what I had to say. One of them was a 16 year old boy who said that he had just been released for attempted murder. As I was hitting the major points of my message, he would keep speaking up and interrupting.

Would you consider yourselves to be good people?

"No way, dude! I'm a sinner on my way to Hee-eeell!"

How do you think all of you would measure against the Ten Commandments?

"Yeah, weren't they thrown down to the ground by some guy?"

For example, have any of you ever told a lie?

"Yeah, baby! Cuz I'm love doing it!"

And what do you call someone who lies?

"Hey, you should really talk to that guy sitting down over there, because he's a satanist."

Eventually, when he realized that I wasn't going to play by his rules in sharing the Gospel with the kids who need to hear it, he rode off shouting, "666! I love Jesus!" I think the other kids were glad when he went away, too.

Amongst the kids who stayed around were Britney and Isabelle, both 15 years old. They both professed to be Christians, with Britney adding that she was a Seventh-Day Adventist. When I asked them to evaluate their lives in light of God's Law, both admitted that their lives were not showing lifestyles of righteousness. Britney admitted to having just ended a 15-month relationship with a boyfriend, and that he took more of her focus than God did. She also said that she was transcribing much of the emotions she had for him onto God, so that when he did something wrong towards her, she would then get mad at God. I pointed out that this violated the First and Second Commandments, with her boyfriend being equal to or taking precedence over God. The two girls stepped aside for a moment for a phone call.

I started speaking to Jesus, a 15 year-old biker, who said that he had been wandering away from God recently. He said that he knew God wanted him back in relationship, but that he was rebelling against God. He said that he was starting to repent for his sins. I urged him to make sure that he was right with God.

The two girls then came back to where I was speaking. I asked what was going on. They said, "We were supposed to be on our way to a church youth group activity, but we thought that we should stay here and listen to you, because what you're saying is more important." It's a sad state of affairs when kids would rather take the time to listen and speak a stranger who is sharing God's Truth than to go to a church youth group.

I continued speaking with the girls about a wide range of topics, from why bad things happen to "good" people, to why the world is broken, to why God can both love us and be mad at us at the same time. It was clear that they were wrestling with questions, in trying to grasp the Christian faith, while at the same time having some serious reservations. I admonished them to make sure they were right with God, and would reiterate the Gospel while others would come up and listen.

On my way out of the park, after I tumbled down the ramp, I met a 20 year old skater named Matt. I had noticed him skating earlier and praised him for his tricks, giving him a million dollar bill tract. He said that he already had a whole bunch of them from church. I asked if he was a Christian, and he started getting very agitated, telling me that he knew he was a sinner, that he liked what he was doing, but that Jesus was on his side. I told him that wasn't completely true if he was living a lifestyle of sin and not being repentant for his sins, citing Hebrews 10 and 1 John. He said that it was better to get his sins out now so that he could live a good life afterwards. I told him that if he knew that what he knew he was doing was wrong, he should stop now, because we can't guarantee when we will die. He finished his conversation with me by saying that he wasn't going to die soon, and that he didn't want to hear any more.

"Hey, Matt," I shouted as he zipped off, "please make sure that you don't die soon."

Pray for Britney, Isabelle, Jesus, Matt, the parolee for attempted murder, and all of the other kids at Redstone.

"I'm A Good Person"

I went out to the skate park yesterday armed with cases of bottled water and a fistful of tracts like I do on most Monday afternoons. I met two bikers whom I had not seen before at the park named Jared and JT. While most bikers ride around and do a trick here or there, these two were out in full force, doing stunts that I had not seen since 1986's Rad (once again showing how old I truly am). These guys were almost pros, had been to most parks throughout the state, and knew which ones were good and which were bad, even though they were both only 16 years old. They thought that Castle Rock was pretty decent.

As I began to share the Gospel with them, Jared said that he would go to Heaven because he's a good person, and had not done anything truly bad in life. When we started to go through the Ten Commandments, he realized how he had fallen short of God's standard. His language and speech changed the longer we spoke, with substituting in different words. He would say, "Because I am good," and then quickly correct himself and say, "Because I thought I was good," showing some of God's conviction on his heart.

Then, he revealed something. He was a Christian.

At least, he had thought that he was a Christian. Jared and JT had both been going to churches for most of their lives, were active in youth groups, read the Bible, prayed before bed, celebrated Christian holidays, prayed before meals, had families that spoke of Biblical things in their homes, and yet they had never heard the Gospel before.

I know his story all too well, because I lived it myself, even being baptized on my 18th birthday, but still living a private life of sin, destined for Hell. So many churches today never preach the simple Gospel message. So many Christians never address the matters of sin and judgment in sharing their faith. And so many people sit in pews and stadium seating every Sunday, believing themselves to be right with God, when they are putting their trust in their own works, and not in Christ.

When we were wrapping up our conversation, I asked them if they had ever heard the reason for Jesus Christ sacrificing Himself on the cross before like the way I presented it. Jared said he hadn't. He thought that his own goodness would get him into Heaven, but now he knows differently. I gave the two a number of tracts and told them that they should now use the experiences they had in their lives and go before God to ask for His mercy.

They said that they would use the knowledge that they had from their years of religion and, "get smarter." I told them that they should repent of their sins and ask God to make them wiser. "After all," I asked, "what is the beginning of wisdom?"

"Wis?" replied JT.

I have to admit, I had to laugh at that one.

Pray for Jared and JT.

Video -- Kevin and Jarryd

This is a video I took last week while witnessing to the kids at the skate park. There are two things worth noticing in this conversation I had. First, Kevin echoed a popular thought today, held especially by young people, that they can party it up and then make amends with God before they die. Second, it's always interesting witnessing to a Christian. There are so many Christians nowadays who cannot describe salvation completely, and worse yet, their own friends cannot describe it. My brothers and sisters, we must be reaching out as Christ to the lost, even in our own homes and neighborhoods, and tell them the truth.

Feel free to also check out the other videos on the SkateParkEvangelism GodTube channel. There are many good encounters there.

Meeting The Parents

It's always interesting when parents show up as I'm preaching and sharing the Gospel to kids at the skate park. You never know quite what they will think or say when they see a tall 31 year old man talking to a group of kids. And I can't blame them for being concerned; being a father myself, I'd wonder what is going on if someone was talking to my teenager at a park.

I've had a few parents take notice, come up, and make a point of standing right in front of me so they know I'm there. I've also started conversations with a few of them to see where they are at spiritually. Most of the parents, truthfully, have little or no involvement with the kids at the park. Some pull up, drop off or pick up their kids, and then are on their way. Some parents have no contact with their kids because of problems at home, and/or the kids have run away to live elsewhere. A few parents will sit in their cars or stay around, but that is usually for younger kids. The majority of the parents never even come by and see what's going on, which is scary in itself, because there is no park staff or supervision to watch over what people are doing there, even late at night.

Yesterday, though, there was a dad who was watching his young son ride his bike around. Dad was on a bike himself, riding above the bowls and ramps. As I sat on one of the benches, talking to a teenager about how we cannot save ourselves from Hell, he came by to listen. He chimed in about the Holy Spirit convicting people, and then rode off for a while. It was kind of surprising and unexpected to have another believer do a drive-by like that.

I have also been witnessing to a boy named Nate for a while. I gave Nate a copy of the New Testament and several Bible tracts along with explaining the Gospel to him a few weeks ago. He came by later and told me that he had been, "doing better." I asked if he had truly repented of his sins, and he said he had not. He was still doing things he knew he should not be doing. I started repeating the Gospel once again to him to make sure he understood where he stood with God.

Meanwhile, dad and his son roll on up as they were leaving. The son was surprised to hear us talking about matters of faith. He asked who was a Christian. I raised my hand. I said that I was talking to Nate about Jesus Christ. It turns out that the son and Nate are good friends. He then turned to Nate and asked if he was a Christian. Nate said he was not sure.

The son, without skipping a beat, then looked at his friend and said something with such sincerity, honesty, and love, it almost made me want to cry. "Nate, I don't want you to go to Hell. I want you to join me in Heaven." Nate lowered his head and kind of muttered to himself before skating off slowly.

This little boy had more compassion and concern in his heart for his friend than some people have for their own families. Many people who call themselves Christians never so much as utter a word about their faith to their closest relatives, even knowing what awaits them after they die. And many make simple assumptions that their relatives are well off and already believers. But when this boy heard the uncertainty in his friend's voice, he wanted to do everything in his power to help save his friend's soul. This boy truly had the heart of Christ for his friend.

Dad then looked at his son and said that he should invite Nate to church. "Do you think he'd be able to come?" he asked his dad. Dad looked around and said, "I don't see his parents around here. Chances are if he can come here without their supervision, he can come to church on Sunday morning. I mean, it's a safer place than here, right?"

Touché.

Pray for Nate, and give glory to God for the dad and son.

They Like Jesus, But...

Last Sunday, a guest speaker at our church showed the video below, to show that Christians, "have an image problem." The speaker said that people like Jesus, but it's Christians they don't care for, because of the way people who have used the label of "Christianity" have behaved in the world has turned them off from wanting to follow after Christ.



While, yes, there are people who have labeled themselves as "Christians" but then behaved nothing like it, such as those at the Westboro Baptist Church, I knew that there was a problem with this video and this idea, but couldn't put my finger on it at first. After thinking about it for some time, I realized what was wrong: it's not that these people like Jesus, but they like their own ideas about Jesus. And, in almost perfect timing, I experienced this same problem the following night at the skate park.

My wife and I went to a charity event Monday evening for our adoption agency, and when we got home, we forgot that we ran out of dog food that morning. I went out and picked up a bag from the pet store, then swung by the park at about 9:00PM to see what was going on. Surprisingly, even this late on Monday night, there were at least 40 people around the park. With all of the year-round schools off for Independence Day week, many kids are free to roam at night. I took a case of water and some tracts, and walked over to the benches where some people were sitting.

I first spoke with a 20 year-old named Josh, who knew he was likely headed to Hell. After we walked through the Gospel, he knew that he needed to repent, but wanted to do that later on in life. He wanted to still live wildly for now, but then make right with God before he dies. I pointed him to the nearby bench dedicated to a 17 year-old who died in an auto accident, and told him that he couldn't guarantee when he would die. He and his friend sat and thought long and hard about what I siad.

Then, I moved onto a group of five teenagers who were taking a break from skating. Two of them were Ethan and Wes. Ethan called himself a Christian, but had integrated other beliefs into his faith. Wes did not have any predetermined religious beliefs, and was generally open to all faiths being potentially true.

As I shared the Gospel with them, Wes started nodding his head along with the points I was making. It looked like God was starting to reach out to him. Ethan, on the other hand, was rejecting much of the truth of the Gospel, saying that God would punish murderers and rapists, sure, but was not going to be as hard on people who do minor things like petty theft. Even though what we were covering was basic Christianity, Ethan resisted many of the core beliefs of the faith. He said that he loved Jesus, that He died for his sins, that he had repented, but still pushed back on matters of sin and judgment, saying that everyone will get what they believe is right when they die.

Finally, after chatting for a while, I hit Ethan with a direct question. "Ethan, does your god send liars to Hell?" He said, no, that his god would never do such a thing. "That is the difference between your god and my God," I said. I quoted Revelation 21 to him, which says that all liars will have their place in the lake of fire. He rejected it and said that this was not his Jesus, who would never do such a thing. "You're absolutely right," I said, "because your Jesus is something that you created as an idol."

Just like with Ethan, many of the people in the video show that they have created a Jesus in their own image. Jesus was, "the first punk rocker." Jesus was, "black." Jesus was, "philanthropic." Each one of these people like their idea of Jesus, and have made Him a nice guy in their minds. And when these people are then asked about Christians, it's kind of like saying, "I like you, but I hate your wife." The truth is that if people took the time to read through the Bible and learn about the real Jesus, some of them would be convicted, but many of them would reject what God's Word says about Him.

Going back to what started this post, the speaker at church later made the point that, "People were drawn to Jesus," when He was here on the earth, because people wanted to be around Him, see His miracles, and learn from Him. That is true. And, people were also drawn to Him because they wanted passionately to kill Him. We have about ten instances in the Bible where people tried doing things like pushing Jesus off of a cliff and running Him out of town. Even the masses at His unjust trial shouted out, "Crucify Him!" and, "His blood be on us and on our children!"

If Jesus instead lived in this day and age, many of the same people who were on the video wouldn't think, "Jesus is cool, man." They'd be trying to do the same today.

Pray for Josh, Wes, Ethan, and their friends.

The Origin

For many years, I lived as a false convert. I knew how to look like a Christian, how to talk like a Christian, and how to act like a Christian on the surface, but down below, I still lived a wicked, vile life. My heart was full of sin, I lived in disobedience and as an enemy of God, and had I died, I would have gone to Hell.

After I heard the true Gospel, and the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sins, I repented and put my trust in Jesus Christ. Since that time, I have been living for God, truly been born again, and He has become my life. And, because of His goodness, I have made it my personal endeavor to share the Good News of the Gospel in obedience and gratefulness to Christ. I do this not for myself, but so that God gets all of the glory.

Now that the important information has been covered, here is the rest of the story.

My name is Christian. I am 31 years old, married with two children, and live in Castle Rock, Colorado.

(Image of the town and the rock formation from Wikipedia.)

Since being saved, I wanted to share the Gospel publicly with others. I knew how badly they needed to hear about Jesus Christ, and wanted to do everything in my power to reach out to them. I passed out tracts wherever I could, started conversations with people to share the message of the Bible with them, and spoke to people whenever I could about God's Word. But, I knew that I needed to do more and preach publicly to groups of people, starting within my own town.

Unfortunately, Castle Rock, while being an idyllic setting and a great place to raise a family, is like many towns in America nowadays, where the places where people tend to congregate is on privately-owned property, where the owners are typically reticent to allow open-air preaching to take place. Even with the huge factory outlet shops nearby and numerous strip malls and shopping centers, those areas were off-limits to spontaneous preaching and witnessing en masse.

In the spring of 2008, my church started a program where small groups were expected to engage in some sort of community service project. We were asked to reach out to our town and do good works in helping our neighbors out. But, I was disappointed that the sharing of the Gospel was not something highlighted as a part of this work; I would even say that directly speaking about our faith was perhaps frowned upon, for fear of pushing people away.

Ignoring the stigma, I knew that no matter what my small group of believers chose to do, we had to share the Gospel with them. Doing good works without telling people the reason why we do such works typically creates happy, satisfied people who believe in the goodness of man who walk away smiling, still on the road to Hell.

As I drove around one afternoon, praying to God for some wisdom on what to do, I crossed the bridge going over the highway, and found what I needed.

(Image from http://www.denverskatepark.com/castlerock.html)

Castle Rock has one of the best skate parks in the state. It covers several thousand square feet of park space, is located near the center of town, and typically has at least two dozen people riding around at any point in the afternoon. On some days, like Friday nights, there can be over 100 people skateboarding, riding BMX bikes, and hanging out near the parking lots. Many of the kids and adults who go by the park are the usual person-next-door, and some are people who live on the streets after running away horrible homes, addicted to drugs, sex, or with other problems.

With the warmer weather, I had a great idea--give out free water bottles to the people while preaching the Gospel. I called the police department, park and recreation department, and
town clerk, and found that there were no restrictions so long as I was not asking for money. The park is public property, which means that it falls under First Amendment freedom rights, which means that there are no real rules prohibiting open air preaching. I had found a place where I could reach people publicly and share Jesus Christ with them.

After I pitched the idea to my small group, a few weeks later, I began going to the skate park to check things out and do some trial runs. I found that the kids were appreciative for the water, and they patiently listened to everything I said, some having questions along the way. Over time and multiple trips, I have seen some people convicted by the Holy Spirit, some people who were ready to hit me for preaching, and gotten to know many along the way.

This blog details the encounters I have at skate parks and with people around the country, thoughts about the Christian faith, and modern topics in Christianity.