Today I went to the intersection of Center Ridge and Columbia in Westlake. I arround 11:20 and stayed until 1:00. Today was mostly quiet, aside from a guy rolling down his window to curse at me and another guy yelled out, "I'm ready for anything!"
Tomorrow is supposed to be very windy, so I am headed out in a few minutes with the cross to another location today.
Today, I went to the intersection of Center Ridge and Wagar/West 210th in Rocky River/Fairview Park. Depending on which corner you are on, you are either in Rocky River or Fairview Park. In this picture, I am in Fairview Park.
I showed up around 11:10 and stayed for a little over 2 hours. While I was there, I am pretty sure there was a guy with a sign up the road in front of Planned Parenthood. Someone asked me if I was holding a sign for abortion, and I told him I wasn't, although I am against abortion.
Two men walking on the sidewalk in ties came past and I gave them both gospel tracts. I told them to read the back side and they said thank you for the tract. They then asked me what my favorite cologne was. I told him I don't normally wear cologne, and he asked why not. One of them mentioned something about God's anointed with oil or God anointing with oil and made some reference to how I should want that in view of or in front of God. I told him the only thing I was concerned about was how God viewed me- a sinner saved by grace. At that point, they moved on. I saw them right before I left crossing the street again- they were probably selling something.
One man driving by asked what church I go to. I told him Lighthouse Alliance in Rocky River. I handed out five tracts today.
I have had two experiences with the police- both times were with officers of the Westlake Police Department. The first time an officer asked me to consider not being out with my cross immediately following school hours and someone called the police a few days ago while I was out saying I was making gestures.
With both encounters, the officers made it clear that what I was doing was not wrong, and the second time the officer said they have no problem with what I'm doing. After the officer told me why he had stopped and I told him that I hadn't been doing the things alleged, the officer left.
So far, I have only had positive experiences with the police. When I am approached by the police, I am not nervous and am friendly with the officers. I know I'm not doing anything wrong and there is nothing for me to be nervous about. I also understand the police are here to protect and serve and are just doing their job, even if it someone lied about me making gestures.
I am assuming they were said to be obscene gestures- I occasionally wave or give a thumbs up to people who give them to me, but I can't see the police responding to a call because the "cross guy" smiled and waved to me. Making obscene gestures while holding a cross would contradict the message I am promoting, and I'm sure the police know that and just have to respond to the call. After this officer left, I stood with my cross for another hour and a half with no problems.
If you are out on the streets with a cross or evangelizing, know your rights if you are approached by law enforcement, but please also be respectful of the police. I know that I am not doing anything illegal and there is no reason for me to be nervous when the police approach me. I also understand they are just doing their job. I will probably be approached by the police in the future, and I want to make it a habit to thank the officers for their service to the community.
Remember Romans 13:3-4: "For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.
Today, I went to Dover Center and Lorain in North Olmsted. As you can see in the picture, I added "NEEDGOD.COM" to the bottom of the cross. It isn't as visible as the other text, but some people will be able to see it. It was a pretty quiet day, aside from someone rolling down their window and telling me that God didn't exist. I said, "OK," and then said to myself, "says the fool in his heart." That's the response I should have given instead of just "OK." I was actually across the street from where I took this picture. I arrived around 2:00 PM and stayed for a few minutes past an hour.
After the rain cleared up, I went to the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge in Westlake around 4:20 and stayed for about 50 minutes. The day started off good with a brief conversation with a young man named Philip. After giving him a tract and him asking me if I was Mormon, he told me that he had just got out of basic training and started reading the Bible. He told me he mentioned a few things out of the Bible to a few people and they wondered what had happened to him. He told me he just started believing in the Bible for once and started going to church. I told him to take a look at the tract and he said he would.
Another young man named Alex pulled up and told me his wife, who works nearby and told him about me with my cross. He told me that he attends a local church in Westlake called Church on the Rise. I talked to him for a few minutes and gave him a tract and a few other things.
After Alex left, I went back to the intersection and a woman crossing the street and on her phone saw me and started looking at my cross and telling whoever she was talking to on the phone about. She looked at it once and repeated what it said- "Are you ready and Mark something." Then she looked at it again and she said "Are you ready? Mark 1:15 and NeedGod.com" to the person on the phone.
She mentioned I was an evangelist and something about how I was probably promoting a very limited message. I told her, "You're right. Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.' " She continued to rant about what I was doing called me a hypocrite among other things. She mentioned something that made me want to quote 1 Corinthians 1:18 (For the word of the crossisfolly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God), but I just kept my mouth shut instead of saying anything. I did not attempt to give her a tract.
I was called "freak" by someone passing by. Also, after the previous encounter, two people pulled up in a car in the parking lot behind me and were parked near me and I was getting a little nervous as they were there. They ended up leaving the parking lot and saying something to me, but I forget what it was exactly, but I think I remember hearing cursing.
A passenger in a car also took my picture as they were traveling west bound on Center Ridge, turning left onto Dover Center. I noticed a flash go off and the driver side window was up if I remember correctly- which will produce a lot of glare in their picture.
It is not my fault if any of these people get in an accident because they were trying to take my picture in traffic. If they want a picture of me that bad, they can park and come up to me. I still get the waves of approval, but I am seeing more hostility crop up. I think it is mostly the high school crowd. Someone also called the police on me yesterday saying I was making gestures.
I want you to watch the following video before reading my blog post:
The preceding video was from an actual abortion of a 12 week fetus. I don't know how any one can watch this video and tell me that is not a human being. My heart broke after seeing this baby, who was in the womb sucking it's thumb at the time, was murdered. You can actually see the baby "scream" for it's life. Not only is it murder, it is cruel and unusual punishment. The baby in the womb was ripped apart by a suction device and the head was crushed once the body was torn away from it.
"Pro-Choice" should be called what it is- "Pro-Abortion," or better yet, "Pro-Murder." A lot of people are "Pro-Choice" and see nothing wrong with this. They say it is a "woman's right" to have an abortion. The fact that this child was conceived was no fault of its own. A lot of people may say this is a matter of the law, and since the law allows it, it is OK. I want to discuss that.
Romans 13 tells us to submit to authorities. Romans 13:1 says, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." I am not denying the fact that government has been instituted by God, but as my pastor said in a sermon on Romans 13, there are both godly and ungodly government. A government that endorses murder is definitely not a godly government.
What would you say of the Nazi Germany government? They endorsed and executed the murders of millions of Jews and others.
I have linked Planned Parenthood to Nazi Germany before and have taken heat for it. I posted this status on my Facebook profile after attending the Komen Race For the Cure in Cleveland with my cross: "20,000 people saw the cross yesterday at Komen Race for the Cure. Supporting Komen (who gives money to Planned Parenthood) is like supporting Nazi Germany for their revitalization of the German economy in the 1930's." I stand by that comparison.
I do have an issue with Planned Parenthood. Others have pointed out to me that Planned Parenthood provides other services besides abortions. Yes, that is true. Hitler also revitalized the German economy and put many people back to work and made Germany into a military powerhouse. Should Hitler be commended for that?
This argument reminds me of witnessing to people who think their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds and that will earn them their salvation. In light of the above example, do you see how faulty that argument is? A lot of people say Planned Parenthood does a lot of good. Some will say that about Hitler, also.
A government should govern according to God's Word. That includes making laws that prohibit the murder of unborn babies. That being said, obviously not all the laws instituted by a government (and subsequent rights granted by) comply with God's will. Just because the government gives you the right to fornicate outside of marriage and have an abortion doesn't make it right.
A prime example is Roe Vs. Wade (which legalized abortion). You may say, "I don't believe in God- don't push your agenda on me." It doesn't matter- God exists, whether or not you want to believe it. That doesn't change the fact that you will ultimately face Him on Judgment Day and stand accountable to Him.
You may say a woman has a right to her own body. To this I say everything we have has been given to us by God. You don't have a "right" to do whatever you want. You may think you do, but you don't. All your actions should bring honor, praise and glory to the Lord.
There are a lot of "rights" given to me by this country that contradict God's laws. Fornication (a major reason abortions are taking place) is a prime example. Again, you may say you don't believe in God and don't push my agenda on you. It doesn't matter- He still exists.
You may say that this baby will be born unwanted. That is not the baby's fault- that is a result of your sinful nature to break God's laws. The Bible calls us to repent of our sins and place our trust in Jesus Christ. Had you been practicing repentance as the Bible calls us to, you wouldn't have been in the situation to begin with.
Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." Even if you have had an abortion, God wants you to repent and trust in Jesus as His Savior. Jesus said in Luke 5:32, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
We are all sinners and have broken God's laws. We have all told lies, stolen, used the Lord's name in vain, looked with lust (which Jesus says is adultery in the heart), hated one another (which Jesus says is murder in the heart) and we will all stand guilty before God on Judgment Day and He would rightly sentence us to Hell for all of eternity- but God loved you so much that He sent His One and only Son into this world to die on the cross for your sins, your transgressions. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins in His life's blood. The Bible tells us we must repent of our sins and place our trust in Jesus to be saved. If you haven't done that, I plead with you, please make today the day you do.
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Today was a lot nicer than yesterday- the temps were in the upper 50's or lower 60's and the wind was very light (barely noticeable). I arrived at the intersection of Center Ridge and Columbia in Westlake around 12:30.
After no more than 15 or 20 minutes, a Westlake Police officer drop by and motioned for me to come over to his car. I offered a warm, "Hi," and he told me that he had received a call that I had been making gestures as cars were going by. I told him that wasn't true and that I was just standing there, silently. I do occasionally wave to people if they wave to me or give a thumbs up, but nothing obscene.
He asked me if I was taking pictures, too (I bring along a tripod so I can set up my camera and set it off by remote). I told him that I like to document where I go. I told him again I wasn't making any gestures and was just trying to warm people or their impending judgment. I told him we never know when we're going to die. He answered, "Absolutely. We have no problem with that." I told him that I am sure there are people opposed to the message (obviously). I did not try to give the officer a tract (another Westlake officer told me they weren't allowed to accept anything), but I wish I would have tried.
I had a man ask if the message on the cross was in reference to Judgment Day. I told him it was. He told me he was ready, although God would find him guilty. I am assuming that since he said he is ready for Judgment Day and he acknowledges his guilt that he also knows of the forgiveness offered through Jesus' blood. I think I also told him to look up Mark 1:15 and do what it says.
Two younger people drove by and sneered at me "God doesn't exist. You're wasting your time."
Another woman also asked me what Mark 1:15 is, and I told her- "The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." She said she would look it up. I passed out a Big Money tract to someone passing by, but missed a few other opportunities to hand out tracts. I stayed at this location for 2 hours today. I'm not sure how much longer I will have the opportunity to be out on the street and also the winter is right around the corner.
Hover over the following verses: Proof God exists: Rm 1:20-22 God's perfect standard: Mt 5:21-22 More of His standard: Mt 5:27-28 What God did: Jn 3:16-18 What you are to do: Ac 17:30-31
