90 minutes to 100% certain

Think of a diagram ranging from -10 to 0 to +10 ......you could imagine that the numbers represent where a person is along their spiritual journey. -10 might represent someone who is a declared atheist, believing there is no God. -7 may represent someone who believes there is a God, but does not know who that is and how they relate to Him. -2 represents someone who agrees Jesus is the Son of God, but has not given their life over to Him. 0 represents the point where someone surrenders their life to Christ, and +1 and on signifies a life of growth and maturity in your faith.

During the evangelism training at Big Break, students were challenged to ask God for +1 experiences. This meant that our focus was on asking good questions, listening well and connecting the stories of others to the gospel and to their own personal stories of redemption. For some, hearing the gospel may move them from a -10 to -9. For others, these conversations on the beach transitioned them from a -10 to a +1 as they heard and understood the gospel, placing their trust in Christ.

Two of our students, Kelli and Cedrick, experienced this -10 to +1 scenario on the last day of our trip. We spread out along the beaches of La Vela, one of the craziest stretches in Panama City Beach, where MTV films, condoms advertise, and fraternities mark their party zone with flags. After being approached four different times by Campus Crusade members, a group of young men told Kelli and Cedrick they were atheists, and not interested in talking. Cedrick explains how the conversation unfolded after that: “I just sort of asked them if they would let me show how they could be 100% certain they were going to Heaven. He started out as an atheist and was held by the belief that basically everything was evolved from nothing. I turned his attention to one of the buildings in the background and explained how it was evident that whoever built the building had a design in place for it. You could tell that there was intelligence behind it which was the result of some architect. I then asked him that if it took intelligence to plan a building, how much more intelligence does it take to design the complexity of the earth, stars, moon, and all the life that comes with it. Then I talked to him about our God and how He revealed His truth through Jesus Christ... and proved it by resurrecting Him from the dead. One of the things God led me to say was how at the time Jesus was crucified, he was alone, all of his disciples had fled and one even denied Him. Jesus himself said he'd raise from the dead, and if this were not true, wouldn't He have been proven to be a liar? I asked him, ‘would you be persecuted, jailed, imprisoned, and crucified in the name of faith for a proven liar?’ That really got to him." 

What Cedrick explained struck a chord with them. They looked out at the vast ocean and admitted that it did make sense that there was a God who created it. Cedrick led them through the gospel, and two of them prayed and asked Christ in their life right there on the beach! Kelli shared in a separate conversation with the third guy, and he too accepted Christ!

 

UNT group heads out for our 15 hour roadtrip!!

 

 Karl, Cedrick and Moises

Lillian and I before the main meeting

 Proof that being Greek starts spiritual conversations! :)

 Students used picture surveys to begin spiritual conversations on the beach. Spring breakers were so interested to talk, they used their beer cans to keep the pictures from flying away

Lillian and Sam sharing


News story that followed two DFW students on the beach:
http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/Campus_Crusade_for_Christ_members_talk_to_spring_breakers_about_faith_118341064.html

Salt of the Earth

Big Break is a one-week mission experience that gathers students from colleges and universities from all over the country in Panama City Beach, Florida. Students spend the week growing in their walk with God, exploring biblical truths and learning how to talk to their friends about their faith. It will be a fun and faith stretching week as we seek to share Christ with people on the beach at the nations largest Spring Break spot. The Dallas team will be taking 6 students to PCB this year. Please pray for us:

• As we engage others on the beach/bars with the love of Christ (Acts 8:4)
• Against fear (Proverbs 29:25)
• That we would seek to love and serve others and live by example (1 Timothy 4:12, Colossians 4:5)

Here is a little vision about our trip:

Portraits of Home.

I guess when you go to college and move into the dorms you feel as though you are going away for 4 years..... I mean, you aren't going to make a permanent life in this place, it's just....your college town. Well, I never thought the Lord would have me "making a life" here in Denton, but He does have me here, and I am more in love with this city than I ever was as a student. Denton is the 11th largest city in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, growing constantly with over 45,000 students combined at both major universities. And I can't wait to serve here.

I wanted to show you some pictures of my city...... officially home :)