Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake - 12/15/09

Tuesday, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake from 1:40 to 2:10. The lack of sunshine is a regular thing now and even though it looked like it was raining, it wasn't- everything was just wet.

Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park - 12/14/09

Monday, I went to the intersection of Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park from around 12:30 to 1:00. It was a "mild" day for this time of year- in the mid 40's, so I wanted to make sure and get out, but there was quite a wind blowing, which made it feel colder than it was.

I had a man walk by and look at the cross and ask, "They made you guys move down here?" He most likely was referring to the protesters that picket in front of an abortion clinic a block or so up the street, and I told him I wasn't associated with them.

Somebody passing by waved and I gave a head nod back because I didn't have any hands free. Someone else started honking their horn at me as they were driving by and as I started to wave, I saw a middle finger sticking up at me.

Do You Trust Jesus?

John 14:1 (ESV):
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

We need to place our trust in Jesus, but this is not the kind of trust you have in your local police department. I live in a very safe area. How often do I need to call up the police? Rarely, if ever. In fact, most of us look at the police as the enemy when we are driving. The first thing most of us do when we see a police car is brake because we are breaking the law by speeding. Is this how you treat Jesus? You are constantly in rebellion and hide from Him whenever you see His face? Do you only call upon Him when you need something? We need to have a deeper trust in Jesus. We need to depend on Him for everything.

Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake - 12/07/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake from 12:15 to 12:45. Snow flurries are starting to fly around and I'm missing summer! I wish the expressed temperature in Fahrenheit was the temperature in Celsius right now!

On Detroit in Lakewood - 12/04/09

Don't let the clear, sunny skies fool you- it was a blazing 35 degrees today! It's getting tougher to stay in one spot with the cross because the cold sets in really fast. I was out from 1:30 to 2:30 and handed out one tract to someone who told she was trying to read my cross. She told me she was very analytical and she needed to know what my cross said.

Dover Center and Lorain in North Olmsted - 12/03/09

Yesterday I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Lorain in North Olmsted. I was out from 3:00 to 4:15 and handed out one tract.

Center Ridge and Columbia in Westlake - 11/30/09

Monday, I went to the intersection of Center Ridge and Columbia in Westlake. Not much to report, just that it's cold!

"Love" is the Greatest Commandment?

I had a conversation months ago about the "Greatest Commandment." Everyone thinks the greatest commandment is to "love another." I got into a conversation again last week with the same person about this exact topic and I told this person it is not the greatest commandment. I had to get Scripture out and show it to this person:

Mark 12:28-30:
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Mark 12: 31-33:
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

So many people think "love one another" is the Greatest Commandment. It isn't- it is to love God first and foremost. Second is love your neighbor as yourself, but realize this: your keeping the second commandment is useless if you don't keep the first one.

I remember the conversation we had months ago: I asked this person what she would say to me if I came up to her and told her I wanted to know how to gain eternal life. She told me that all I had to do was love my neighbor as myself, since this is the greatest commandment Jesus gave.

Even if that were true (which I have demonstrated it clearly isn't) the fact is, none of us has loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have all lied to one another, stolen from each other, lusted after others (which Jesus says is adultery in the heart), and hated others (which Jesus says is murder in the heart).

We will all stand guilty before God on Judgment Day and He should sentence us to Hell, and rightly so. God loved you so much, though, that He sent His One and only Son to die as a substitution for your sins. To accept His forgiveness and have it imputed to you, you must repent, ask for forgiveness, and place your trust in Jesus.

You must surrender your life to Him. Trust in Him like a parachute. If you were on a crashing plane, merely "believing" a parachute would save you isn't going to. You must strap on the parachute, trust the parachute, and jump from the plane. In the same sense, you must strap on the Lord Jesus, trust Him with all your life, and abandon your sinful lifestyle (repent).

Please do so today. You may not have tomorrow.

On Detroit in Lakewood - 11/29/09

Sunday, I went to the intersection of Elmwood/Andrews and Detroit in Lakewood. It was a pretty quiet day aside from someone stopping by in a car headed westbound on Detroit to show me The Villager newspaper and the article about the cross. They asked if I had seen it, and I said I had.

People may have read the article but not thought twice about it, but if they end up seeing me on the street, I may implant a seed to search for this blog which can lead them to the gospel. As winter quickly approaches, temps are dropping- please pray I have the endurance to stay outside in the cold! I handed out about 12 tracts yesterday.

A Conversation With Debbie and Richard - 11/28/09

Saturday, I went to the intersection of Great Northern and Brookpark in North Olmsted. I was there from 12:55 to 2:00 and while I was there, two people stopped by to talk to me. The first person was pulling out of a parking lot and looked at my sign and responded that she was ready. She came back by and inquired about my cross and the motivation I had for doing this.

Her name was Debbie and I told her about Tony Miano's cross in California and a little about Living Waters and Way of the Master. She told me she was sitting at the auto repair shop behind me for 2 hours and the Lord really used the time to get her attention. She told me she was having problems praying effectively.

She said the Lord was showing her that she wasn't really putting Him first in her life. I think that is something we can all admit to. I told Debbie I try to follow Matthew 6:33 ("Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"), but we all still come up short.

We also got in a short discussion about holiness and being completely rid of sin in our lives. I agreed with her that we could be holy, but I disagree that we can be completely without sin. She told me to ask God about it and He will show me the truth, but I have God's Word which says in 1 John 1:8, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

A man named Richard had slowed down as he was turning and gave me a piece of paper that directed me to go to a website and watch two videos. He drove by again and stopped and came to talk to me. He told me the website was for a book he was reading about the love of God. I do not want to state the book here and endorse it because I have not read it yet, but I did look at most of the two videos and the theology was clearly sound in them.

The Gospels vs. the Epistles & a Warped View of the Trinity

I recently got into a conversation with someone on the street who appeared to have a lot of zeal for God, but when I spoke of sins Paul listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, this person made a comment to the sort of "Paul had some good writings, but he was not Jesus." I do not know if there was a certain sin in these 2 verses that I was referring to that hit a strong chord or not, but this person was big on the 4 gospels.

I recently got into a conversation with another person (who belongs to the Catholic church) about homosexuality and I was accused of being judgmental towards the homosexual lifestyle. Here is the list of sinners in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that will not inherit the kingdom of God: the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers. If you were to ask anyone if stealing was wrong, they would definitely say yes. They may try to justify that it really "isn't stealing when I take stuff from work," etc., but I guarantee that if you were to take something of theirs, it would be wrong.

I do not know why the specific sin of homosexuality is given the green light when the rest of the sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 are not. When I showed my relative this passage, I got the same answer that I got on the street: these were Paul's words, not Jesus'. This relative also referred to the Bible as a "history book." It should not surprise me that when I asked why God sent Jesus into the world I didn't hear anything about the forgiveness of sins and something about how Jesus was someone we could relate to in a human form.

This person did put a lot of stock in the Torah and the laws given to Moses because they were directly from God. In Acts 9:15, the Lord, Himself, told Ananias that Saul (renamed to Paul) is "a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel."

2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." You may say that these are Paul's words and not divinely inspired, but remember that Paul was called by the Lord Himself.

Back to the issue of homosexuality- if you want to take God's words on it- Leviticus 18:22 (from God Himself) specifically prohibits it. It is not one of the ceremonial laws that no longer apply.

On the issue of the Trinity, my relative reasoned that since Jesus = God and the Father = God, that believing in the Father or Jesus would result in salvation. Jews could believe in the Father and be saved, or one can believe in Jesus and be saved since they are both God. Furthermore, since Allah is the God of Abraham which is the same God as the Jewish God, Muslims can be saved by believing in Allah. This is not the way it works.

My attempts to quote John 14:6 were useless. Even though Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," since Jesus = God, the Father = God and Allah = the God of Abraham (the same Christian God), one can believe in any of the three and be saved. In addition to this, the second coming of Jesus will be both the first coming (of the Messiah) for the Jews and the second coming.

This is what happens when a low view (or lack there of) is taken of Scripture. I was accused of being closed minded that Jesus was the only way. It wouldn't have done any good to quote Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

I guess Jesus is just as closed minded. So, did Jesus take His cues from me or did I take mine from Him?

Expected Backlash From News Article

Today, an article was published about the message of the cross in The Villager Newspaper. I am expecting to take some heat from this article. I assume I will be accused of being "intolerant" of other views, narrow minded, and pushing my beliefs onto others. To those who say this: you are absolutely correct.

Jesus said in John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Not Mary (Jesus' mother). Not any of the saints. Not your dead relatives. Not Allah or Islam. Not Buddhism or Hinduism.

Not the Catholic church and their doctrine (see what Jesus said in Mark 7:1-13 about traditions established by man; and no, purgatory doesn't exist- c.f. Hebrews 9:27- you either have the blood of Jesus applied to you or you don't- there is no middle ground- c.f. 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Not Jehovah's Witnesses. Not Mormonism or any other apostate religion. That doesn't leave room for ANY other way. If you have a problem with that, your problem is not with me- it is with our Savior.

Jesus also said in Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." That narrow gate is through faith in Jesus alone and repentance.

Luke 15:7 says "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

So many people "believe" but lack the repentance part. Without repentance, there is no salvation (Luke 13:3). There are many other verses referring to repentance. Here are just a few examples: Matthew 4:17, Luke 5:32, Mark 1:15, Luke 24:47. The idea of repentance is stamped all over the Bible by Jesus. We are told to "go and sin no more" in John 5:14 and John 8:11.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (among other passages) tells us who will not inherit the kingdom of God: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

If you haven't done so already, repent and trust in the Savior today. Trust in Him as you would a parachute on a crashing plane. Merely "believing" in the parachute won't save you- you must strap on the parachute, trust it, and abandon the crashing plane. In the same sense, you must strap on the Lord Jesus, trust Him and Him alone for your salvation, and abandon your sins (repent).

There is good news for all of us who do this. 1 Corinthians 6:11 tells us, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Dover Center and Detroit in Westlake - 11/23/09

Yesterday I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Detroit in Westlake from 2:45 to 4:45. I handed out a few tracts, but mostly just stood with the cross. Winter is on it's way!

A Conversation with Rob - 11/22/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Elmwood and Detroit in Lakewood from 12:50 to 3:05. While I was there, a young woman who I think I had met last Sunday named Mirena was yelling down from an apartment (in the left side of the picture). She was yelling "Hail Satan!" and later came out onto the balcony. It appeared she was taking pictures of me and she uttered a blasphemy. I tried my best to ignore her.

Around 2:50, a young man named Rob inquired about the cross. He asked if I attended a local church that was nearby, and I told him I didn't. We started talking and I shared the Way of the Master method with him. He was big on how God is love and how God loves everyone. I told him that while God is love, he is also righteous and just.

I mentioned the necessity of repentance and he agreed, but he also told me that we are not to judge. Rob mentioned that God will use us as we are in life (e.g. prostitutes who came to Christ), but I made sure to hammer home the point that God also calls us to repent.

I mentioned a list of sins that were in 1 Corinthians 6 and Rob said that while Paul had some good things to say, he esteems the 4 gospels above them. Rob clearly knew Scripture and we could have gone back and forth, so I finally asked him what he thought of me with the cross. He told me that he had no problem with it and compared it to when John asked Jesus (in Luke 9:49-50) if others casting out demons in His name should be stopped, and He told them not to.

He mentioned he wasn't used to seeing things like my cross. I talked to him for about 15 minutes, but I cut the conversation short because I told my wife I'd be home at 3:00. I left him with a tract and 3 girls who inquired about the cross as I was about to wrap things up.

Dover Center and Lorain in North Olmsted - 11/20/09

Friday, I went to the intersection of Lorain and Dover Center in North Olmsted. I was out from around 2:00 to 3:00 and didn't hand out any tracts, but I did see Greg, who works at a restaurant across the street, who I had spoke to before.

A Conversation With Bob - 11/17/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake at 1:15 and snapped this not so appealing photograph. There was a bit of a wind blowing west, so I stood on the northwest side of the intersection. At 2:00, Bob approached me

He mentioned he got the message of the cross right away. He said he saw the sign, went home and read the Bible verse. I told him that so many people just believe, and he mentioned that it was repent and believe.

I told Bob we need to trust Jesus like a parachute on a plane. Merely believing in the parachute won't save you- one needs to strap on the parachute and jump from the plane. In the same sense, we need to strap on the Lord Jesus and abandon our sinful lifestyle.

Bob mentioned about repentance that we are supposed to participate in our salvation. While I admitted that our act of repentance (turning from our sins) was required, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. I mentioned God has done nothing wrong when we turned away and sinned and therefore we need to turn back, but that we can't add anything to what Jesus had done for us on the cross- that was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.

He said, "You know I thought about you the other day. I try to read my Bible a little every night, before I go to bed, and I read a passage about inviting people to the wedding and it said if the guests don't arrive, to invite everybody else. I thought, 'That's what this guy on the street corner is doing. He's inviting everybody else to the wedding feast, even though the ones who were invited may not go, so he's inviting the other people.' "

I added, "They need to make sure they have on the right wedding attire, too, when they get there."

He replied, "That's a good point."

I said, "To make sure they have the righteousness of Jesus applied to them."

I gave Bob a tract and also someone who appeared to be on their way home from school.

A Conversation with Daniel and Mirena- 11/15/09

Today, I went back to Downtown Lakewood and initially stood at the intersection of Elmwood and Detroit. I arrived around 2:30 and at 3:00, John, an elder from church, joined me. We stayed until 5:00.

John wanted to pass out tracts, so we walked along the sidewalk on the south side of Detroit to Warren, crossed over to the north side, and came back to my original spot. When we got back to my original spot, John got involved in a conversation with a man named Daron and I got involved in a conversation with a man named Daniel.

Daniel is a Roman Catholic and he and I got into a conversation over apologetics. I ended up talking to Daniel for a little over 30 minutes and our conversation ultimately went no where- he wasn't changing his views and I wasn't changing mine. I need to remember not to get involved in conversations like this and just say to people that I am out here to spread the good news of the Gospel- that Jesus Christ died for our sins and whoever repents and places their trust in Him will have eternal life.

As John and I were about to leave, a young woman asked what my cross was about. Her name was Mirena (if you are reading this and I misspelled your name, please notify me of the correct spelling). She referred to this country as a "capitalist police state" that she lives in. She told us she is majoring in sustainability.

I do not know what college she is going to, but Baldwin Wallace has as Sustainability Major that resembles what she was describing. John tried to stay on a discussion about the Law, but our conversation was going off on many different tangents, including a discussion about if God exists, Jesus feeding the poor, different religions, and hypocritical Christians. I had to get going, so I cut the conversation off and gave her my email address and this blog address and asked her to email me to further the discussion.

A lot of people are starting to look up this blog on Google and someone left a comment on one of my other blog posts: "i think it is rude of you to come to my city. you can feel free to believe in god but i do not want my children exposed to it. i can keep the t.v. off if they are saying things i do not like but i can't turn off crazies with sandwich boards."

God exists and the only way to salvation is through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus commands all of us to go into all creation and spread the Gospel. Repent and trust in the Savior today!

A Conversation with Luke, Nikkea, and Sam - 11/13/09

Yesterday, I went back to Lakewood from about 1:15 to 5:00. My cross is just over 5 feet tall now- I was hoping to get away from it looking like an "I" and more like a cross, but it still looks like one. People still clearly know what it means, though, from the responses I get.

I stood at a few different spots along Detroit between Elmwood and Warren. My pastor joined me for a little bit around 1:30 for about 45 minutes. He got involved in a lengthy discussion with a man named Darius, while at about the same time I had started a conversation with a young man named Luke.

Luke inquired what the cross was about. I told him that it is appointed for a man once to die, and then comes judgment, and the question is, "Are you ready to be judged by God?" He said he was ready, and I asked Luke if he was saved. He replied, "I don't know." I then asked him if he was a Christian, he quickly answered yes.

I asked Luke what he would tell me I would need to do to become a Christian. He said, "Uhhh... love. Love one another."

I asked him, "That's it?" He replied, "I think so. Be true, maybe."

I told Luke that Scripture tells us we need to do two things for salvation- trust in the Lord and repent of your sins. I told him I know that it is a love message, but I broke into the law. I told him we've all lied, stolen, blasphemed, looked with lust (which Jesus says is adultery in the heart), and hated (which Jesus says is murder in the heart). I told him we are all guilty and deserve Hell and the reason we need Jesus is because we are all sinners.

I asked Luke if he had ever ready any of the Bible. He told me he had read part of it, and I asked him if he had ever read the Gospel of John. He said he hadn't. I told him that John 3 talks about being reborn. I asked, "I'm sure you've heard the term 'reborn' " and he said he had. I explained to him that when we repent and turn away from our sins, Jesus will give us a new heart with new desires and that is what is required to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

I told Luke that is the message I am trying to spread- what Mark 1:15 says: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." To trust in Jesus like a parachute- if you are on a plane that is about to crash, merely believing in the parachute won't save you. You have to strap on the parachute, trust the parachute, and jump from the plane. In the same sense, you have trust Jesus and repent of your sins.

I told him to read the back of the gospel tract I have given him. I also told him to read the Gospel of John and make sure what I was telling him was the truth- not to just take my word for it.

I also had a conversation with a man named Nikkea. He was also carrying a sign, but for a business that had just opened up. I told him about how my pastor was trying to hand out tracts earlier and how it was 50/50 with rejection and acceptance of the tracts. Nikkea is a born again Christian and we were talking about the sinful state of the world.

While we were speaking, a woman named Jenny came by and asked for information about the church I attend. She said she really admired what I was doing. She was clearly upset about something and said he need to find her way back.

Another woman also walked by and mentioned that I had an easy job- to hide behind a cross.

Walking past a coffee shop, a young man on his cell phone called out to me, but I didn't realize he was talking to me. Again he called out and I looked back, and I stopped and he came over to me. He told whoever he was talking to on the phone that he would have to call them back.

"I've seen you out here before! I told my youth pastor about you!" I wasn't really sure what to say, and the only thing I could come up with was asking him if he was going to make a cross. I really feel like the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians when he said, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom" (1 Corinthians 2:1). I make a lot more sense when I have time to write something, proof read, and fine tune it. I gave him a tract and continued on toward the intersection of Cook and Detroit.

I also spoke with a man named Sam who says he has been born again since 1961 and was telling me about his life as a comedian. While today was a fruitful day, there were also the usual people who curse at me and reject God.

Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake - 11/12/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake. The sky is clear today and the sun is shining, but winter is on it's way. It wasn't as windy as was yesterday and the temps are currently in the low 50's. I was out from 1:10 to 3:10 today.

Today was a quiet day. I am getting quite a few more honks and waves in Westlake. I don't know if people recognize me now or are support the message, but it's a nice change from the hostility I sometimes I get. There were a few people passing by on the sidewalks, but I had my hands in gloves. I need to start getting in the habit of taking my gloves off to give them a tract.

I also got a high five from someone passing by on a bike. I also noticed 5 separate people had searched for information on the "Cleveland Cross Guy" on Google by the time I came home, which is up from what I am used to seeing. I think it is from the increased size of the lettering at the bottom of the cross plus I also directed the cross at traffic in a different manner than I normally had.

Brookpark & Great Northern in North Olmsted - 11/11/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Brookpark and Great Northern in North Olmsted from about 3:10 to 4:30. The forecast was for sun and the mid 50's, but there were strong west wind gusts that made it tough to display the cross.

Today was my first day out with a new cross. I trimmed a few inches from the top of the cross and added it to the bottom. The height is still the same, but there is more room towards the bottom. I was able to move "Google" above "Cleveland Cross Guy." They are at six inches and seven inches tall, respectively, now. I think it is easier to read and will be visible to more people.

Here's a side by side comparison of my new cross (on the left) with my new cross (on the right):

I gave one tract to someone who was at the stop light traveling south on Great Northern. They rolled down their window and asked, "Ready for what?" and I gave them a tract.

A Conversation with John Paul and the Lakewood Police - 11/09/09

Yesterday, I went back to the intersection of Elmood and Detroit (and Andrews as another cross street) and I stayed out with the cross from about 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Normally I can only take up to 2 hours standing out there, but for some reason I was able to stay for 5 hours today.

A man named John Paul approached me and he was telling me a bit about his experiences with Christianity and how he was a victim of the modern gospel. I explained to him that the reason we need Jesus isn't because He will make our lives better, but because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I told him if you look at the early church in Acts, you will see all of the apostles (with the exception of Paul, but quite possibly him too) were martyred.

I told John Paul that we have all lied, stolen, blasphemed, looked with lust (which Jesus said is adultery in the heart), and hated (which Jesus said is murder in the heart). We need Jesus as our Savior, not because He is going to make our life better.

John Paul mentioned he believed there were other ways beside Jesus. He mentioned it would be good if he could imagine God as a person. I told him he could- as Jesus Christ- He lived here on earth and He is God. I also told John Paul that Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. I gave him a tract and told him to take a look at it.

I was also approached by the Lakewood Police. This was my first encounter with Lakewood law enforcement. The officer told me people were saying that I was acting a little crazy or saying some things. I told the officer I hadn't said anything except to a few people who passed by that talked to me. I told the officer that I've also dealt with the Westlake police and that people don't like the message of Christianity. He said, "that could be."

I told him I was just trying to get people to think about if they are ready to be judged by God. He asked me if I lived in Lakewood and I told him I reside in Westlake. He asked what brought me to Lakewood and I told him my pastor and I meet in Rocky River for coffee and I just continued down Detroit Road to this spot because it is a good location. I told him that every one needs to hear the gospel- and he said, "Can't argue with that."

The officer asked for my ID to know who he was talking with, which I showed him. I know I haven't done anything wrong, but I am not out here to cause any trouble. I would rather be on good terms with the police than being standoffish and create a problem.

The officer asked me if I was harassing anyone, and I told him I wasn't, although I do sometimes pass out gospel tracts. He mentioned he didn't know if something just happened or someone wasn't religious and called. I told him I get it and I expect it.

I also tried giving the officer a tract and he said he wasn't allowed to take it, but he is Baptist.

A Conversation with Solomon; Matt and Crystal; and Charlie - 11/08/09

Yesterday, I went to Sinagra Park in Lakewood at the intersection of Cook and Detroit in Lakewood. While I was there, a young man by the name of Solomon came by on his bike and stopped and inquired about the cross.

I went through the Good Person test with Solomon and he saw his guilt in the sight of God and how he should be sentenced to hell (just like everyone of us). I explained the necessity of faith and repentance and Solomon had quite a few questions.

Solomon asked how God would view something he had done previously, and I told him that if we accept Jesus as our Savior, that God won't even look at the past. It is taken care of through the blood of Jesus. I mentioned that isn't to say there may not be consequences for our past actions, but God is not going to judge us based on them. Everyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior will be held accountable for their deeds, though.

Solomon asked me about people that have never heard the Gospel message, and I told him that we all have a conscience that tells us it is wrong to do things.

After about an hour, I moved to the intersection of Detroit and Elmwood because there was more pedestrian traffic in this area.

Shortly thereafter, a man wanted to see what the cross said, and I showed it to him and said, "It is appointed for man once to die and then comes judgment." I gave him a tract and he and his girlfriend crossed the street. A while later, he and his girlfriend approached me on the sidewalk again. Their names were Matt and Crystal.

They were curious about my church, and I gave them my pastor's business card and also directed them to our church website. I also gave them a Big Money tract which they liked. They inquired about if we printed the tracts ourselves, and I told them that we purchase the tracts.

At this point, I made sure to go through the law and gospel. I told Matt there is nothing I can do on my part to actually save a person- they have to do it themselves. I told Matt that we're all liars, thieves, blasphemers and how Jesus views lust as adultery in the heart and hate as murder in the heart.

"We are all guilty, and we should all go to hell, but Jesus died in our place. He tells to repent of our sins, place your trust in Him and you will be reborn. He will give you a new heart with new desires- it's what John 3 talks about."

I was rushing to get through it because they seemed to be in a bit of hurry.

"Do you guys have Bibles at home?"

"Do you got a Bible," Matt asked. I dug into my backpack and pulled out an ESV New Testament Outreach Bible and gave it to them. I told them I only had one on me, but that I would go to my car and get a second one for them, which I did.

A little while later, Charlie came up to me. I asked him if he was ready, and he replied, "I'm saved. He told me, "We have to build that relationship." I gave him a million dollar bill, and he said, "It takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing."

I told him about my inspiration for the cross (Tony Miano's cross) and how I added Mark 1:15, which were Jesus first words preaching: "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel." I told Charlie I am trying to get people to understand that it is more than just believing- it's repentance also. Charlie told me that it's a total conversion- I agreed.

Charlie shared something he had written down in the sermon he heard in church. "If you give everything to God, but do not give yourself, you give nothing." I agreed again and quoted Matthew 10:39: "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." I told Charlie I am completely transformed from what I used to be and he said he is too, but that he has to keep it going.

I handed out about 10 tracts yesterday.

Lorain and Porter/Butternut Ridge in North Olmsted - 11/06/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Lorain and Porter/Butternut Ridge in North Olmsted from 2:30 to 4:00. This is a new spot for the cross and I'm not really a fan of it because of the way the intersection is set up (it is actually a 5 way intersection). It was tough to find a good spot to be visible by almost everyone like at my other intersections, but the cross was still visible to many. I picked this spot because it is close to North Olmsted High School.

There were a few students walking home from school and I was able to hand out tracts to a group of about seven and then a group of about three. Both groups asked me what my sign said. I said to a girl in the second group, "It is appointed for man once to die and then comes Judgment. Are you ready to be judged by God?"

She responded, "Yes."

I asked, "You are?"

She said, "Wait, what?"

I asked again, "Are you ready to be judged by God?"

She asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

Either her or one of her friends responded to my question, "Actually, no."

One of them also replied, "I'm ready."

I had already given them gospel tracts at this point and told them to read the back side because their one friend was beginning to leave and they wanted to follow behind. I wanted to go through the law with the one girl, but didn't have the chance, but at least they left with tracts.

Dover Center and Detroit in Westlake - 11/04/09

Yesterday I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Detroit. I was there from 3:40 to 5:00. No conversations and didn't hand out any tracts, but vehicle traffic is still heavy and a lot of people looking at the cross and some more finding this blog. It it is supposed to warm up this weekend a bit- looking forward to that.

Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake - 11/03/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge from 3:05 to 4:05. Foot traffic virtually non-existent at this point with the temperatures dropping, but the vehicle traffic has not decreased at all. When I arrived, a man in an SUV started yelling, "Are you ready?! Yea!" A little while later, someone (I think it was the same guy) yelled out again, "Are you ready?!" The cross is still getting a lot of looks and I'm hoping it is making some people think.

Sinagra Park in Lakewood - 11/02/09

Today I went to Sinagra Park in Lakewood, at the intersection of Cook and Detroit Road. I showed up around 11:20 and stayed until 1:20. Someone in the crosswalk across from me stopped to take my picture- hopefully they will find this blog or at least look up Mark 1:15.

A man walked by and mentioned he was a Christian and told me I was doing good with my sign. When he walked by again, I gave him a tract and we started talking about a few things. He told me he was having trouble in his marriage and could possibly be getting a divorce. He mentioned his struggles with sin and how he would like to be out on the streets, also, but at times he feels like a hypocrite. I told him God wants us to take the first step in repentance.

He also told me he has been reading the Word, but it has been just a story to Him. I told Him about my experiences when I started first reading the Word- Luke 13:3 and the necessity of repentance, John 3:3 about being born again, Matthew 5:21-22 about hate being murder in the heart, and Matthew 5:27-28 about how God views lust as adultery in the heart.

He also asked me what my views on marijuana. I told him Romans (Romans 13:1 to be exact) says to submit to authorities, and our government has said not to use it. He said he knew this, but this wasn't a manufactured drug like crack, but that it grew naturally. I said that poison ivy grows naturally, but we do good to stay away from that, too.

He left with a few tracts and my prayers will be with him.

Brookpark & Great Northern in North Olmsted - 11/01/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Brookpark and Great Northern in North Olmsted. I stood with the cross from 2:40 to 3:40. What looked like a group of teenagers pulled up to the light on Great Northern and one of them asked about my sign and if it had something to do with church.

I told him to search on the Internet for "Cleveland Cross Guy" and after that I said to him, "It is appointed for man once to die, and then comes judgment. Are you ready to be judged by God?" He replied, "No, I'm good." I hope the others in the car at least had a seed planted in their head or may be curious to see what the message of the cross is.

A man on an electric scooter on the sidewalk crossed Great Northern and asked me what I was selling. I told him I was trying to spread the gospel. I asked him if he was ready, and he said, "Yea, I've read them." I tried once more, but he again said, "Yea, I've read them." I'm not sure what he was referring to or if misheard or misunderstood me.

A Pastor and a Catholic Teen - 10/30/09

Today I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Lorain in North Olmsted. I arrived at 2:45 and stayed until 5:00. It was in the low 70's today and I really think this is it for the warm weather. After a short while, a man came up and said he wanted to extend his blessing to me, "For standing on the battlefield, for the kingdom of God."

I really appreciate when I get people who stop and give throw their support behind the cross. His name was Dennis and he pastors a local church that gathers in the west side of Cleveland. I showed him a Way of the Master tract and went through a quick law and gospel presentation to show him how I evangelize.

Dennis asked me if I met anyone from Islam or a Jew yet, and I said I had not. He told me Jews are interesting because they are God's people, but they don't think they need to receive Christ. His timing was impeccable, as I encountered a teenager shortly thereafter who said he was Jewish.

I told Dennis about how I just had a Bible study on that in Romans 2:26-29, about how the Jews' circumcision is regarded as uncircumcision if they fail to keep the Law. He told me he can only imagine what Jesus went through in His day.

A little later, I had a group of three male teens walk by and the cross caught one of their attentions. He told me he was Catholic and pulled a gold chain of a cross out from underneath his shirt to expose it. I asked him if he knew any of the commandments. He mentioned, "Don't disrespect your parents. Don't kill." Either him or his friend mentioned "Love thy neighbor."

I asked him, "Let me ask you this- do you think you've kept the Ten Commandments?" He said, "No, because I don't know the rest. What are all of them?"

I proceed to go through the first seven and when I got to the seventh (adultery), he said he had never broken that. I asked him, "Well, have you looked at a woman with lust, sexual desire?"

"Yea...."

I say, "Jesus says if you look with lust, you've committed adultery in the heart. Have you ever called someone a fool or an idiot?"

"Yea."

I say, "Jesus says you are liable to judgment."

"Well, that's not my fault."

I say, "It's not your fault? Who's fault is it?"

"I dunno..."

I gave him a tract and told him to read the backside of it. "I have a question. Doesn't it say in the Bible God is going to forgive you for all your sins?"

I told him, "God is a forgiving God, and He will forgive you of your sins, but do you know what you must do for God's forgiveness to apply to you? It doesn't just apply."

"You have to pray."

I ask, "Pray?"

"Yea, and try to follow His commandments."

I say, "But none of us have kept His commandments. We've all broken them. Have you kept them?"

"No."

I say, "OK, neither have I. That leaves us guilty. God should send us to hell because we've broken His commandments."

"That's why we pray for forgiveness."

I ask, "But how does that forgiveness apply? Does He just grant it willingly?"

"No... we sacrifice ourselves, right?" His friends were starting to distract him a bit at this point.

I ask, "Do you understand why Jesus died on the cross?"

"To forgive us of our sins."

I explained the necessity of repentance to him to have the forgiveness of sins. I asked him if he had ever heard the word repent in church, and he said he hadn't. He told me he had gone to a Bible school and how he had to memorize certain prayers for his first communion. At this point, he and his two friends walked away.

I handed out 3 tracts today.

Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park - 10/29/09

Today I went to the intersection of Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park. I was out with the cross from 3:10 to 5:00. This was only the second time I have been at this spot with the cross at this time of the day. I gave a tract to someone who asked me what church I was from, and I told him that this wasn't about a church, this was about the Gospel and he was pleasantly surprised at that.

The cross definitely was drawing a lot of looks today- probably because this is only the second time at this spot at this time of day. I handed out 2 tracts today, but otherwise, it was pretty quiet today.

Why I Am Opposed to Hate Crimes Legislation

Today, President Obama signed into law an expansion of hate crimes legislation. The AP reports, "The new law expands federal hate crimes to include those committed against people because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It also loosens limits on when federal law enforcement can intervene and prosecute crimes, amounting to the biggest expansion of the civil-rights era law in decades."

Let's consider this when dealing with speech condemning homosexuality.

On the surface, this law may sound like nothing to worry about, but this is the first step towards limiting free speech. Read on in the article: "We must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits; not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear," Obama said.

"Not only break bones, but break spirits?" If we speak out against homosexuality, aren't we going to be breaking people's spirits?

"Not only inflict harm, but instill fear?" Aren't we instilling the fear of God by telling people homosexuality is a sin and they need to repent? The writing is on the wall.

The article continues: "At the urging of Republicans, the bill was changed before it was passed in Congress to strengthen free speech protections to assure that a religious leader or any other person cannot be prosecuted on the basis of his or her speech, beliefs or association."

While this may be true for now- we have a president who speaks of people's "spirits" being broken. Doesn't this sound like we are going to be arrested for hurting someone's feelings?

Center Ridge and Columbia in Westlake - 10/28/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Center Ridge and Columbia in Westlake. I was there from a little after 3:00 to 5:00. I have never been at this intersection during this time so I am hoping a lot of new eyes got to see the cross today.

Today was a pretty quiet day. When I set up my tripod to take this picture, someone in one of the north bound lanes of Columbia asked me what I was taking a picture of. I told them I was an evangelist and take the picture for this blog. I handed her a gospel tract and told her to read the back side when she got a chance.

I gave a tract to someone walking by and she wanted to make sure I was advocating the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. Also, a security guard came out from the Cuyahoga Community College Corporate Campus (to the right of where I am standing in the picture) and politely asked me if I would considered moving.

Tri-C has an issue on the local ballot to fund education and he mentioned they didn't want my sign to be confused with all their campaign signs. He acknowledged that I wasn't doing anything wrong, and I told him that he was correct- that I was on a public sidewalk. I asked him if it would help if I crossed the street to an opposite corner, and he said it would, which is what I did for about the remaining half an hour.

I know I didn't have to move, but I completely understand their position and after this coming Tuesday, the signs will be gone and it will no longer be an issue. I gave the security guard a tract after I told him I would move and he gladly accepted it, saying he likes to have things to read. I handed out a total of 3 tracts today.

A Converstaion With Steve - 10/27/09

Today, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake. I started displaying the cross at about 12:55 and stayed just shy of 2 hours.

Shortly after arriving, a woman came out of GetGo (a gas station), came to the corner and was waiting to cross the street to go to Circle K. I gave her a gospel tract and she asked what it was. She told me she had just gone to a women's retreat. She said it was fun and very inspirational. She said a guy had come into the store and asked her if she was a Christian, and she answered she was. She said he mentioned she should read "The Shack" and asked me if I had read it. I gave her my disapproval of it.

At about 1:45, a man approached me. I gave him a gospel tract and he said he had to come over and see if I was real and he proceeded to poke my arm. He said, "I've seen you out here a couple times." I asked him what he meant by if I was real.

He told me, "I've been having dreams, manifestations." We just had missions conference at our church recently and a missionary spoke of people in their respective countries they serve in having dreams, and I honestly believe God works through dreams.

I replied, "OK, what's your name?"

He replied, "Steve."

I said, "Steve? I'm Mark."

"I' saw you out here a couple times, and I thought, 'That's weird.' Some of them are apocalyptic, some of them are this verse."

I asked, "Mark 1:15?"

He said, "A lot of people drive by and pay little or no attention. If anybody will believe me, it will be you. I have met Satan- twice. It's just good that you're out here."

I asked, "Are you a Christian?" He affirmed he is.

I told him I was just out here trying to sow some seeds, and hopefully another will reap. Steve mentioned this is a fallen world we live in. He mentioned that he's made his mistakes, and I replied we all have.

I said to Steve, "Well, you understand that Jesus died on the cross, but do you know what Jesus tells us to do?"

Steve replied, "To preach the good news."

I said, "That's part of it- that's the Great Commission, but do you know what you must do to receive His forgiveness?"

He said, "To accept Him."

I said, "That's one part, but the other part is repentance- turning from your sins. That's what I'm trying to get people to think about. I've believed in Him for as long as I can remember, but I never repented of my sin. I never turned away from my sin. That's what Mark 1:15 says: 'The time if fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.' There's so many people who don't repent and continue to live in their sin."

Steve mentioned this world is full of corruption, filth and garbage. I told Steve that the Bible tells us to live in the world, but not be of the world. Steve tried to reference the verse and I pulled out my Bible and turned to 1 John and read 1 John 2: 15-16: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world."

It was when I started reading these verses that a guy across the street started heckling me and startled me a bit. I started again and finished it.

I told Steve about how Jesus views lust as adultery in the heart and if you hate someone or so much as call someone a "fool," you are liable for judgment.

Steve told me, "The biggest misnomer, I think, is that people don't realize how grave it is to judge. You notice the splinter in your neighbor's eye, but not the log that's in your own. We're so quick to look upon other people and scrutinize them but we ourselves are just as prone to the same error."

I mentioned if you finish reading that Scripture, you will see that it says to first take the mote out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to deal with the spec in your brother's eye. "It's not necessarily saying, 'Don't judge,' but first deal with the problem in yourself, and then you will see clearly."

I mentioned that if I were to go around and curse and blaspheme, I would have no right to go up to someone and say to them, "How dare you do that?" Once I have dealt with the problem in myself, then I will see clearly to help them.

Steve mentioned that it's unfortunate that inevitable things are going to unravel. I told Steve the end is coming, but we don't know when it is- not even Jesus knows. He mentioned the way things are shaping up, he tends to think it could be sooner rather than later. I told him I tend to agree. He mentioned that about 1.5 million abortions are performed each year and the disintegration of families.

Steve and I talked about some of the signs that the Bible talks about. He said, "They were talking about these wildfires in California. They're talking about the flames being 3 to 400 feet high. Now if that's not Biblical... Could you image the 2 of us standing here with flames coming at you?"

Steve mentioned, "You have earthquakes, mudslides- I remember there was an earthquake a couple of years ago in Iran. It killed 40,000 people. 40,000 people died in a matter of... moments."

I told Steve that 150,000 people die everyday and most of them don't know Jesus as their Savior. At this point, I said to Steve, "Let me ask you- are you ready?"

He replied, "Yea." I asked him if he practiced repentance and faith. Steve said he prayed every day and night. He mentioned some of the sinful things he had previously done, but I pressed him again on repentance.

"The thing I am trying to get people to understand is that they need to repent, also. We need to trust Jesus. It's like being on an airplane that is going to crash and there is a parachute that can save you. You need to do more than 'believe' in the parachute to save you. You need to trust that parachute, strap it on, and jump from the plane to be saved. In the same sense, we need to trust in the Lord Jesus. Strap Him on and abandon our sins."

Steve asked me if I ever go to other places, and I told him about some of the other places I went and mentioned this blog and my church's website, which are both on the tract I gave him. At this point, he had to get going.

A while later, a woman stopped at the light on Dover Center asked if my sign was about the Apocalypse and I told her it was just a general salvation message and walked over to her car and gave her a tract. After about 10 seconds, she said, "You know, Jesus said love thy neighbor. Jesus forgave. We are all God's children." If I had to make a guess, I would say she was feeling convicted for her sins.

I handed out a total of 5 tracts today.

Brookpark & Great Northern in North Olmsted - 10/26/09

Today I went to the intersection of Brookpark and Great Northern in North Olmsted. I arrived at 12:30 and I was warmer than I expected to be with the sun beating down on me. I hadn't brought my water, so I left after only an hour. I handed out 2 tracts to people passing by and one man declined a tract when I told him it was a gospel tract- he said he wasn't religious. I tried to get him to keep it and take a look at it later, but he declined. Also, someone yelled "Hail Satan!" as they drove by. If they only knew what they were saying... maybe they do.

WeST LIFE News Article About the Cross

Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake - 10/22/09

Today I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge at 12:45 and stayed until 2:45. The leaves are really starting to change around here and it is really beautiful! What an artist God is!

A man asked me, "Ready for what?" I told him about the message of the cross, and he told me he was ready. I should have given him a tract anyways, but I didn't. I haven't been handing out many tracts lately due to decreased traffic on the sidewalks, and I need to get back into the mode of handing them out. Chance of rain is 100% for tomorrow- not sure if I will find a break in the rain to get out.

The Pharisees and the Catholic Church

If the law was enough for people in the Old Testament and Jesus had to sternly correct the Pharisaical additions to it, why isn't the Bible (the doctrine of Sola Scriptura) enough for us today?

The Catholic Church amounts to the same as the Pharisees of Jesus' day. It is they who Jesus spoke of in Matthews 23:15: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."

Motivation and Effectiveness of Standing With the Cross

I have a family member who has said to me that "standing around with a cross doesn't impress anyone." My motive for standing with the cross is not to impress anyone. When I was interviewed last week by a newspaper, I tried to make the interview as much about the cross and repentance as I could, even when the reporter asked me about my motivation to start doing this and other questions.

I am not trying to impress anyone, nor am I trying to earn my salvation. I have even spared the local public from giving me a nick name by putting on my cross "Google: Cleveland Cross Guy." My hope is that people will be curious enough about the cross, do a search on Google, find this blog and be brought to salvation.

This family member also said this to me: "As I have said before, if you demonstrated selfless giving, that would be more of a reflection of Christ. I know a lost of people that have lived at the Rescue Mission (an organization in Youngstown, Ohio). They are taught Christ but after they are fed, clothed and have a bed to sleep in. Words are meaningless if you don't show kindness."

It is useless for me to try to justify what I am doing to this family member- explaining the ineffectiveness of "Friendship Evangelism," the fact that we never know when we are going to die, or not dealing with the fact that we are all sinners and that is the real reason we need a Savior.

The people I am targeting with my cross don't need fed, clothed, or a bed to sleep in. They have all that. Therefore, I have to come up with a different way to reach them. I do not know what the outcome of my evangelistic efforts will be, but I do have these words of Jesus in John 4:37-38: "For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

I am sowing seeds by standing out with my cross, even if they take years or decades for another to reap. I have also had the privilege of reaping what others have sown by being on the streets through one on one conversations.

It seems like I can never do the right thing or do enough- not that it is any of their business of how I serve the Lord. It is often said by them that I am a "fanatic" and apparently there is something wrong with that. I do not have a problem- it is the rest of the world who thinks they are "Christians" because they prayed a prayer and never made a lifestyle change and surrendered their life to Jesus.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:25: "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." He also said in John 12:24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

Unless you die to yourself, you will never produce the fruit God has intended for your life.

Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park - 10/21/09

Day two of our Indian Summer here in Northeast Ohio and I have to admit- I love the warm weather! If you look at my post from this location on Sunday, you will see I was bundled up in a winter coat. Tomorrow has 65 to 70 in the forecast and after that, I fear it will be cold until next Spring!

After awaiting for and receiving the shipment of Origin of Species - Origin Into Schools with my pastor and a few others at church, I headed out to Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park. I was officially in Fairview Park, but the cross was visible to traffic coming from and entering into Rocky River as well. I arrived at 2:50 and stayed until 5:00. This is the first time I have been at this location at this time.

Around 3:15 a man came up to me on the sidewalk and asked what Mark 1:15 is. I told him, "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel."

He replied, "That's the law of God." He mentioned that it applies to us today.

I responded, "I know. That's what I'm trying to get everybody to think about. Scripture says, 'It is appointed for a man once to die and then comes judgment.' That's what I'm trying to get people to think about- are you ready for judgment? It's not an 'end time' message'-it's like you mentioned- it's for everyone."

I gave him an Obama Trillions and he told me the message is lost when I hand out a tract with him on the front. I gave him a Celebrities Million instead, which he said was better. He said, "God Bless" and departed.

A man stopped at the light gave me a thumbs up and said, "Praise the Lord! It's great to be reborn!"

There was also a man who was heckling me from his car, asking me, "Why don't you go help somebody?" I think it is the same guy who has heckled me twice in Lakewood.

I have noticed a few more people have found this blog by searching Google for "Cleveland Cross Guy." My prayer is that they read The Message of the Cross post and be brought to salvation, if they aren't already saved. Knowing what Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, though, I know most of the world isn't saved.

A Conversation With Ron - 10/20/09

With Indian Summer in effect here, I went to Sinagra Park in Lakewood from 1:00 to 4:00. I haven't been in Lakewood for a while and I ended up stayed for 3 hours today.

After a while, a man named Ron passed by on the sidewalk and took an extended look at the cross. Ron told me he was named after Ronald Reagan, back when he was an actor. I handed him a Celebrity Millions gospel tract and he offered up some laughter. He started reading the back of the tract and got to the part about lust being adultery in the heart.

During out brief chat, Ron told me that he is Catholic, but he admitted he doesn't attend church regularly. I told him the law was not given for us to keep it, but to show us our sinfulness and our need for Savior. I also told him about the necessity of repentance and offered up the parachut analogy.

Ron asked me for some descriptions of hell, so I offered up these: a place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth," and "where the worm never dies." It sounded like Ron knew about hell being fiery, but he cringed when I told him these two additional descriptions.

After reading the tract, Ron and I ended up talking about the commandments and I told him that the Catholic church leaves out idolatry. I told him Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Ron told me he had a close experience with death. He told me he had been mugged (although he said he had no money on him) and during the ordeal, he heard a gun shot go off. He told me that at this point he prayed to Mary and hoped she heard his prayers. I told Ron I had just finished re-reading the New Testament and no where does it say to worship Mary.

He also mentioned Purgatory and I explained to him why Purgatory doesn't make sense. The Catholic church teaches that one goes to Purgatory for refining before they enter heaven. I told him this amounts to us doing something for our salvation- which is not what the Bible teaches. I told him there is only heaven and hell.

I gave Ron my pastor's business card and he also left with a Big Money tract, an Obama Trillions tract and with an extra tract for his friend. Ron seemed interested in the message of the cross and although he said he didn't have a computer, he was going to go to the library after our discussion. He wanted to look up my blog to read about the message of the cross that I have posted here. Please pray for Ron that he comes to repentance and true faith in our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dover Center and Detroit in Westlake - 10/19/09

After leaving North Olmsted and stopping at home for a minute, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Detroit in Westlake at around 3:10. Not very long after I arrived, a Westlake police officers pulled up in the parking lot behind me.

Knowing that they were there to talk to me, I walked over to him and he asked, "Just standing out here with your sign? That kind of stuff?" I said, "Yea."

"We got some calls, some people who are concerned for some reason. Is there something going on with you? What have you got with the tripod?"

I told him I just like to document where I go and I mentioned that I was taking pictures of myself and that I was on a public sidewalk. I started talking about the cross and quoted Mark 1:15. It was clear I wasn't doing anything wrong and they received a call and just had to respond to it. Apparently people were concerned I was taking pictures- the officer said people are watching too much TV.

Another officer pulled up and I gave the officer who I was talking to a tract, telling him they are what I hand out. I also gave one to the other officer. They said "Hey! It's a trillion dollars!" with a laugh. I thanked the officers for their service in the community and told them to read the back of the tracts when they got a chance.

I went back to the sidewalk and then headed back to officer in his patrol car and gave him a Big Money tract also since he liked the trillion dollar tract. I asked him if he happened to know an officer in Fairview Park who I had spoken to at Summer Fest because I was wondering how he was doing. He didn't happen to know him. I left at 5:15 and on the way home, I exchanged waves with someone on Detroit who had stopped to talk to me once before.

Brookpark and Great Northern in North Olmsted - 10/19/09

My first stop today was Brookpark and Great Northern in North Olmsted around 2:20. I was hoping to stay for two hours, but there were some moderate wind gusts, so I packed up after about 20 minutes and headed north to Westlake.

God Working in My Life

Usually every Monday I meet my pastor at a coffee shop in Rocky River by the church. I showed up today and after waiting about 15 minutes, I called my wife (who works with his wife) and found out that his son was sick today and he wasn't coming. At this point, I headed out to my wife's employer's parking lot to swap cars to take her car to get an oil change.

As I was getting in her car, I noticed a man walking on the sidewalk with a bag. I started her car and went to leave and saw the man fallen, lying in some brush. I asked him if he was OK and it was clear he needed help. I tried to help him stand up and he said he needed to sit back down, so I helped him back down and parked my wife's car (it was in the middle of the parking lot) and came back to help. He tried to stand up again with my help but wasn't able to gain enough strength to continue to stand.

At this point, someone came out from my wife's employer and someone had called for an ambulance. The fire station was within about 200 feet of where we were, so they arrived very quickly. At this point, the paramedics took over and started treating the man. You may say this is just a coincidence, but I know it isn't. My wife mentioned that I have been having a lot of these situations lately- and I know they aren't just coincidences. If you want to see God working in your life, surrender your life completely to Jesus and just see how God will use you.

When I took my wife's car to get an oil change, it turned out her car need two new tires, brake pads and new spark plugs. There was an issue getting the parts, so I ended up waiting a few hours to get this all done. During this time, I was able to strike up a little rapport with the guy working there by showing him some websites on the 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV) written on the back of his jacket. I wanted to show him the gospel tracts I give out so I gave him one, and it turns out he is familiar with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron.

After he left, I went up to the guy at the counter and showed him the tracts, also. I most likely wouldn't have given him a tract otherwise. This is something I really need to work on- giving tracts out to cashiers. I am so nervous of being rejected, but I need to remember that by not giving people the message of eternal life, it is the opposite of loving others. Even if I am rejected, so what? I can't wait to see what else God has in store for me!

"Jesus Judy"

My wife and I had dinner with my parents today and my mother asked me if I remembered one of her friends named Judy. I didn't go into this with the intent one way or the other to talk about religion (I knew if I did, it would only be a dead end), but it came up. She said she called her "Jesus Judy" because all she talked about was Jesus. She was making a reference to how I always talk about Jesus. I do not think Jesus is the only thing I talk about (to say that literally is a stretch for anyone- for "no seeks after God" [Romans 3:11]) , but it must come off that way.

If anyone else were to tell me that, I wouldn't have much of a problem with it, but when it comes from family, it rings a little differently for some reason. What is even more troubling is that it comes from someone who claims to be a born again Christian.

Ezekiel 36:26 says, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." It should be natural for a born again Christian to want to talk about Jesus. Consider all he has done for us.

We (myself included) have all sinned and deserve death for our sin (Romans 6:23). That is not harsh- that is the truth. I think more people need to be told this. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and died as a propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25). He took on death so you wouldn't have to go to Hell if you repent and trust in Him. He paid the ultimate price for nothing of his own doing, but something we did, and you want to scold someone for "only" talking about Him?

I can't talk about religion to my father. He is Catholic and when I try to bring up Scripture, he always blows me off. I tried explaining that I don't watch Dancing With the Stars because they dance around practically naked on that TV show and I don't want to fall into lust by watching it. He compared me to a legalist and he didn't see the problem with occasionally having a thought like that.

He told me the way I am acting (in his mind, legalism) is how it used to be and how the Catholic church has gotten more "liberal" recently. He described how it used to be prohibited to eat anything from 12:00 on the night before service down to just one hour before if taking communion. The ironic twist is that this is legalism and he doesn't see it, yet calling sin for what it is in one's life is prohibited because Jesus said not to judge. This is so frustrating because so many people use this as a defense! Read the rest of the paragraph and don't take it out of context!

Matthew 7:1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

It would be wrong for me to call out sin in your life that I am participating in myself, but once I have dealt with it in my life, I see clearly to help you.

He also acted like every "translation" of the Bible had different meaning. I mentioned they had the same meanings, except the New World Translation (used by Jehovah's Witnesses) and he asked me how I couldn't be sure about it, also. This is about where I cut my losses.

He also scoffed at me when I mentioned repentance and said he had just repented- through confession. I tried to explain the difference between the two but he wouldn't let me.

It is very frustrating to have two parents, one who says they are a born again Christian and then my father, a Catholic, who won't talk about religion- even his own. My mother thinks MacArthur is too harsh on the Catholic church. My father is the product of a religion where he is taught he can earn his way to Heaven by going to confession and not having any mortal sins on his soul when he dies. This is self-righteousness at the core and I will continue to condone Catholic doctrine.

What in the world is going on here?