"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.