Sunday, May 13, 2018

A Poem for My Mother



My Mother

Some mothers like to bake a cake,
Or fry up eggs, or cook a steak.
But for Chinese with hearts that ache
My mother sometimes stays awake.

Some mothers love to shop for shoes
And brave Black Friday’s swarming zoos
And for ten bucks an hour lose.
My mother loves to pray for Jews.

Some moms prefer to preen their hair
And contemplate just what they’ll wear.
But even if she gets a stare,
My mother really doesn’t care.

Some women grab a paperback
Or binge on Netflix’s numbing crack
Or scan the tabloids in the rack.
My mother prays through midnight’s black.

Some ladies like to decorate
And of their house a god create.
But this one knows for heav’n to wait:
My mother fights at Sheol’s gate.

Some dainties dream of Paris trip
And cappuccinos coyly sip
While millions die in Satan’s grip.
My mother won’t let mission slip.

Some mothers only mollify;
Than speak hard truths they’d rather die.
Their kids dump God; they wonder why.
My mother talks like Christ is nigh.

Though all that I have said is true,
If I stop here she’ll run me through.
“Praise Christ, not me!” she’d say to you.
My mother’s God can be yours too!

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Meet Cyndi, a Fruitful Single

The Bible says that unmarried Christians can be concerned about the things of the Lord, how they may please the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:32-35.) But what does this look like in real life?

I got the idea to record a series of short audio interviews with unmarried Christians who are using their singleness fruitfully for the Lord. My hope is that these interviews will help more singles live lives of fruitfulness.

As a test, I am producing 5 interviews, each 15 minutes long, with 5 different Christians. If they prove helpful, I will set up a web site and produce more interviews that will be available to anyone online.

The first interview is with Cyndi, a widow who is using her singleness to disciple younger Christians and serve the mentally impaired. I would greatly appreciate your feedback, both positive and negative. You can find all of the interviews at www.fruitfulsingle.com

Also, would you share this message with any unmarried Christians you know?

Friday, March 2, 2018

Pre-order My New Evangelism Clothing and Save!


We have to wear clothes.  We might as well use them for Jesus.

With your help, I’m on a mission to create gospel-focused clothing that Christians will want to wear, and which will impact every non-Christian who sees it.  I had some great conversations with non-Christians as a result of my first shirt (released in 2016).  But I believe my new design will be even more effective.  

Click to zoom. 

If you want something dressier than a T-shirt, no problem: this new design will again be available as a polo shirt.  If it’s too cold to wear short sleeves, no problem: it will also be available as a standard sweat shirt, a quarter-zip “cadet collar” sweatshirt, and a hoodie.  (And if there’s some other style of clothing you’d like to see imprinted let me know!) 

If you pre-order, you’ll get a better price than if you wait until after they’re printed.  If you pre-order, you can also be sure to get exactly the style and color you want.  You can also opt to have only the back printed if you prefer to have a blank front.  

Colors: lots of choices!  Click the links below to view.  Keep in mind that since the text is white and the heart is red, light colored or red clothes will not display the design well. 

Pricing (valid only through March 6):
Tees: $7 each
Polos: $11.25 each
Cadet Collar: $20.25
Hoodie: $17
The above prices are for sizes Small to XL
Add $2 per item for 2X, $3 per item for 3X and $4 per item for 4X.

Tax: 6.35% (AZ residents only)
Shipping: a flat $6 within the US, regardless of how many or which kind of items you order.  (If you live locally and can get the shirt(s) from me in person, there is no shipping charge.)

If you want to pre-order, simply email me {daniel at evangelwear dot com} with the quantity, style, size, and color of shirts you want.  You do NOT need to pay now.  But you do need to send me your pre-order by the end of March 6

Lastly, let me remind you of the exponential increase in impact that comes when people wear matching clothing at the same time.  Two people entering Safeway wearing the same design catches more eyes than two people wearing designs that don’t match.  So perhaps you might want to get shirts for other members of your family or your church. 

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Don't Waste Your Singleness!

If you are an unmarried Christian (whether never married, widowed, or divorced), would you take a few minutes to fill out my short survey?  And please forward this on to other single Christians you know.  Let's use our singleness to full advantage for Jesus!

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Are You Like Lu?

"This woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did."  Acts 9:36.

My friend Lu went to be with the Lord recently.  You need to meet her.

I met Lu because we both served on a team of volunteer representatives for the Voice of the Martyrs from 2006 to 2012.  Lu was not the most gifted of my teammates, or the strongest.  Besides the normal wear and tear of 70+ years of living, she had more serious health conditions including hepatitis C. But because of her incredible drive, she accomplished more than any of the rest of us. 

When VOM announced that they wanted to find churches willing to host regional conferences around the country, only one of my team decided to take up the challenge: Lu.   She organized a VOM conference at her church in Flagstaff, Arizona (not a metropolis), and 500 people from as far away as Wisconsin showed up.  Lu had intestinal surgery just days before the conference but still was there in person to make sure everything ran smoothy (and it did).  She had things organized down to how many cookies each volunteer needed to bake.

When a church in Southern Arizona asked for a VOM rep to come speak, none of the nearer reps (including myself) could find time.  But Lu drove 5 hours each way, spoke, and so connected with the people that one of them became a rep himself. 

The woman seemed to have only two speeds: gallop and collapse.  When she did collapse, she rebounded quickly, often within hours. 

Some hard workers are stoic or sour.  Not Lu.  She often signed her letters, "Joyfully, Lu".  And joy exuded from her pores.  She loved whatever she did.

Over the years we were together in the same car for at least 5000 miles, not to mention all the hours outside of the car.  We faced all kinds of situations.  Lu reacted to unexpected challenges and opportunities better than many people half her age.  I never saw her afraid.  She had an indomitable confidence in the goodness and sovereignty of God.

I worked with Lu toward the conclusion of her life, a life filled with service to Christ.  Lu and her husband Dick met at Bible college and Dick planned to become a pastor.  But not long after their marriage, meningitis permanently shattered Dick's emotional capacities.  Lu, the "weaker vessel", had to become the strong one in their marriage.  She did this with unusual grace, helping Dick to use his remaining abilities to their fullest.  She was strong in a way that made the men around her better leaders, not weaker.  They went on together to serve support roles in a variety of ministries, including Wycliffe, where they became friends with founder Cam Townsend and went through the jungle training camp in Mexico.

I don't even remember all of the things she did.  She hosted tea parties for girls.  She smuggled Bibles into China.  She loved to pray, and was with me in the most powerful prayer meeting I have ever seen.  She gave her wedding dress to a girl in Pakistan.  She was what a normal Christian is supposed to look like.

Dick and Lu

All of these feats were fueled by a deep, daily love relationship with Jesus.  These were not the works of a woman seeking glory from man or merit from God.  She knew that she did not deserve Christ's love or forgiveness, and it bubbled out of her in everything she did.

Want an 8 minute taste?   Here's her VOM "retirement" speech from 2012.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Justifying Our Luxury

A few days ago I discovered the following videos.

In the first, TV preacher Kenneth Copeland takes possession of a new jet for his ministry.  (They still are trying to raise another $2.5 million for upgrades.)

The second video shows Copeland and another preacher (who also has a jet) discussing why they "need" a jet for their ministries. 

The videos are sickening, but I don't share them here to bash prosperity preachers.  Hopefully you are discerning enough to already know that these men are preaching a false gospel.  Rather, I share these videos in order to ask whether we ourselves are guilty of using similar rationales in justifying luxury in our own lives, on a smaller scale. 

As Christians, we claim to follow a Man who didn't even own a pillow, and to respect an apostle who wrote 1 Corinthians while hungry and homeless.  I am not advocating a vow of poverty or financial asceticism.  I'm suggesting that we re-examine our reasons for believing we need the things we buy.