Coffee Devo with Pastor Jim
I was in Kentucky for a few weeks for Go & Tell Ministries and spent a few days at Mammoth Cave National Park. I visited three old churches that were built in the 1980s in the National Park. I filmed this Coffee Devo @ Good Springs Baptist Church, established in 1842.
Go & Tell Evangelism Workshop Testimonial
I was excited to be asked to teach the Go & Tell Evangelism Workshop for the Zeeland CRC Classis and to preach at the 3rd CRC in Zeeland. We had a fantastic turnout, with eight CRC churches attending the Go & Tell Ministries Evangelism Workshop. Watch Pastor Mark’s promo video.
Abbey of Gethsemane
I spent a week at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. I posted this Coffee Devo from the Abbey.
Go & Tell Ministries June Newsletter
We are so grateful for your support. Here is the Go & Tell Julynewsletter: https://mailchi.mp/goandtellministries/go-tell-ministries-june-2023-newsletter-15354227
Coffee Devo with Go & Tell Ministries by Pastor Jim
I recently taught a Go & Tell Ministries weekend in South Bend, Indiana. I had a free afternoon and toured the Notre Dame University campus. I filmed a short Coffee Devo on 1 Samuel 23:16 (NIV) “And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.
Go & Tell Evangelism Workshop testimonial
Hillside Missionary Church (MCUSA) from South Bend, Indiana, recently hosted a Go & Tell Ministries. Here is one of the participant’s testimonials about the Go & Tell Evangelism Workshop.
Go & Tell Ministries April Newsletter
Thanks for your partnership with Go & Tell! Go & Tell February April newsletter. We are so grateful for your financial support and prayers for the ministry as we seek to equip the church to “Share the gospel and make disciples!” https://mailchi.mp/goandtellministries/go-tell-ministries-april-2023-newsletter-15346079
Who discipled you?
In the forward on the Great Commission Study participant and facilitator book, I wrote a thank you note to Pastor Dave….”The pastor who discipled me.” I spent the night with Dave at his home in South Carolina, and we visited over pizza on National Pizza Day! That seemed appropriate since I developed a great love for pizza while I was a student at Indiana University and attended his church (Evangelical Community Church, Bloomington, Indiana). My Great Commission Study video series has seven videos (each 20-25 minutes) and a Facilitator and Participant book. This video series has Pastor Dave’s fingerprint throughout the materials. I am so grateful to have sat under his leadership and to count him as one of my best friends. I asked Dave to share some wisdom for those seeking to follow Jesus. Please watch his comments at:
Go & Tell Ministries March Newsletter
Thanks for your partnership with Go & Tell! Go & Tell February March newsletter. We are so grateful for your financial support and prayers for the ministry as we seek to equip the church to “Share the gospel and make disciples!” https://mailchi.mp/goandtellministries/go-tell-ministries-march-2023-newsletter-15117883
On Mary Poppins and Finding our Song
As a child, one of my favorite movies was Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is the most award-winning movie of all time and a timeless classic. The movie Saving Mr. Banks is about the making of Mary Poppins. Saving Mr. Banks focuses on P.L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins children’s novel. It is the story of the author’s battles with Walt Disney, who wants the rights to a feature-length movie. Walt Disney said he decided many years ago to make Mary Poppins into a feature-length film. He promised his girls he would make a movie from P. L. Traver’s book! Walt Disney was desperate to bring the story to film, but the author was against giving Disney the rights to make a movie out of it. Why? Because a lot of the book comes from her life experiences growing up. She had a father she loved who was an alcoholic, as well as an aunt who came to help him. This helping aunt became Mary Poppins. The author had a complex family background. For over 20 years, Walt Disney pursued the rights to make the book into a movie, culminating with flying Travers to Los Angeles to begin working on the project. Saving Mr. Banks shows that many writers use personal stories from their life, stories that are part of them. It was hard for Travers, as she had invested so much in Mary Poppins, so much of herself in the story. The film slowly reveals how Traver’s childhood and her father became part of her writing and the themes of her books. In the same way, our lives become the stories in which we proclaim the daily testimony of how Jesus impacts our life. The power of our lives is found in understanding how Jesus impacts our lives daily for His glory. Our testimonies of Jesus not only greatly influence others for the Kingdom of God for His glory, but they also significantly affect overcoming the enemy. Revelation 12:11 says believers “triumphed over [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Notice the “word” of their testimony, meaning these triumphant ones spoke verbally, without shame or fear. Some believe Christians should not verbalize their testimony but live it out daily. But it’s not an either-or proposition. Living the gospel message is essential, but it’s no more important than our verbal testimony since God has chosen “hearing” the Word to produce faith (Romans 10:17). A Christian who wants to live his life as a testimony to Jesus will love God above all else and love others above himself. When a believer shares what Jesus has done in his life and serves God and others in tangible ways, he will increasingly reflect the life-giving power of Christ into a dark and evil world. All believers are forgiven and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:18–19). A believer’s testimony also assists in conquering the evil one, and he cannot defeat us if we resolutely confess our faith in Jesus. You are a living witness if you have experienced Jesus’ forgiveness and been born again. Are you enthusiastic about sharing the testimony of Jesus with those around you? As we would tell others about a doctor who cured a physical disease, we should speak about Christ, who forgives our sins and lives within us. And by the Word of their testimony – the faithful testimony they bore to the truth. They declared their belief in Jesus and shared how Jesus has changed—and is changing—their lives. It was by this that they overcame the great enemy. We are called to be like the man in the gospel of Mark who continually told others what the Lord has done and is doing in his life. In Mark 5:19-20 it says: “Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you. So, the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” We overcome the enemy when we hold to the testimony of Jesus in our lives and share it with others. I was having lunch with some close friends after a Go & Tell Ministries weekend at a church in Indianapolis. We began to share the stories of Jesus in our lives when Jayna shared a word of her testimony with me. It was powerful and such an encouragement to me. Jayna shared this testimony with me: I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and gave my life to Jesus when I was about 6 or 7. I am thankful that God gave me that opportunity so early in life, but through the years, I’ve felt like I didn’t have a powerful enough testimony to share how I came to faith in Jesus. Over the years, I have heard several people giving their testimonies of how God miraculously saved them from abuse, addictions, suicide, miraculous healings, etc. I thought their testimonies were so powerful because there was a sudden change in their lives that they and others could easily see. And as I listened, I secretly wished I had a testimony worth sharing, something powerful that would impact others and draw them to Christ so I could feel like my life meant something, like I had a purpose. Then almost as soon as I had that thought, I heard a gentle voice saying, “You know, you have to have a test to have a testimony.” Wow! I knew that wasn’t my thought and began to think maybe not having much of testimony was ok; as long as I was saved, perhaps it didn’t matter. I felt like I’d had enough hard things in life to at least be able to empathize with others, so maybe I could be used that way? Well, God had other plans! A few months or so later, Covid
February Go & Tell Newsletter
Thanks for your partnership with Go & Tell! Go & Tell February February newsletter. We are so grateful for you financial support and prayers for the ministry as we seek to equip the church to: Share the gospel and make disciples!!!https://mailchi.mp/goandtellministries/go-tell-ministries-february-2023-newsletter-15110915
Go & Tell Evangelism Workshop Testimonial
I had a wonderful Go & Tell Ministries weekend at Hope C&MA in Indianapolis this weekend. Preaching at their Sunday morning worship service is always a blessing and honor. Pastor Kyle was excited to not only host the Go & Tell Ministries weekend, but they will also start the Great Commission Study video series in their church in a few weeks. Click on the link to hear Pastor Brian’s testimonial.