Update

I am in NYC unti April 1 (and won't be making any blog entries while I am here.) I am thankful to be working on music and spending time with friends. Tomorrow, I d, o the outreach with Suzi, Christine, Heidi and the team.

Angola

I have written a letter today to Wayne Guidry (the leader of our next table outreach to begin at Louisiana State Penitentiary) and plan to send it, along with copies of the articles I have had made today for the new outreach to begin at the spring rodeo at Angola next month. It is a letter about the specifics for the new outreach. I wish I could be there with him to do this table outreach. He will do a wonderful job. I also hope to sing with him the next time I am at Angola. I appreciate the prayers of the Christian inmates for me and their eternal testimonies of their love for Jesus. I've never had Christians make a more powerful impression on me in the authenticy of resurrected life.

Update

I'm off to bed to read my Bible. It has been a busy day as I am preparing to leave for NYC this week. I will be singing at Heritage Baptist Church NYC this Sunday morning and working on a music project and seeing my friends, Christine and Suzi, who lead the outreach in NYC.

I have a few more things to take care of concerning our new outreach at Angola prison next month, and I plan to get those done tomorrow before going out of town. It is always a busy time preparing for a trip. I am thankful I have all of the boxes shipped to Angola for the outreach next month.

Work Update

I have all of the materials boxed up for shipping out on Monday to Louisiana State Penitentiary for our table outreach at the spring rodeo at Angola. I have also placed orders for more materials to be shipped for the outreach table to be led by Wayne Guidry, a Christian inmate there.

GA Tech is really going well. John and Lee Rosser called to tell me that they were really busy last Thursday night! God is blessing the effort with a strong team of Christians there to offer answers to the students in God's love.

I am still at work to see if we can get a new table outreach going in Amsterdam, Holland and Zurich, Switzerland, in touch with people in both places.

Today I am calling a Christian who will possibly be able to lead the outreach at Little Five Points. I cannot do it, because of my travel schedule.

I am looking forward to being in Boulder, CO, April 7-11, with a packed schedule there to work with our new leader, Patty, at the outreach table on Pearl Street.

Thanks for the donations for travel expenses, postage and mailout supplies and for all of our evangelistic resources in every location.

LTW Update: GA Tech

Brief summary of evangelism last Thursday night at GA Tech from Robert LeBus:

Our Christian friend, Zack, who came out to work with us shared the Gospel with a young lady who came to make a profession of faith.

John and I spoke with a young man, Seena (I hope I got that right ), who was raised in the universalistic Baha'i Faith.

I had a couple of special treats: One was a visit by Kyle Davis a young Aerospace engineer and his girlfriend. We met Kyle the first week we had the outreach we were leaving and a young man approached us in the parking lot needing help with his Corvette. After we got his car going he talked with us for about 45 minutes. We are not exactly sure if he is soundly saved; he seems quasi emergent in his understanding of Christ.

Special treat #2 was that my old atheist friend and research scientist Greg Kennedy stopped by, and I spent some quality time catching up and witnessing to him and gave him lift home on my way off campus.

We had John Weisch, Ronald, Zack, myself John and Lee Rosser all there. We also encouraged four young guys who were studying the Bible in the lobby of the student center.

Shalom, Dwayna,
Robert LeBus

LTW Update: NYC

From Christine:

Hi Dwayna!

Because of what started to be a sunny and somewhat warm(er) Sunday, Suzi and I decided that instead of setting up the table in the tunnels at 42nd St/ 7th Ave, we would go to an oldie but goodie location-- in front of the NYC Post Office headquarters! After church I went to Heritage Baptist's office, where Pastor Recker continues to graciously let us store all our things, and we made our way out armed with the truth of God's word and excited to share with the lost of NYC!

Once we got outside, however, we noticed the sun kind of disappeared and there was a slight dip in temperature with stronger winds. Still, that didn't deter us and we continued on to set up in front of the Post Office. Once we got the table up and set some books and materials out, our first visitors were 2 men who asked if they could be free from addictions. Suzi answered, "You sure can, what addiction?" They both answered, "Alcohol." I smiled and answered that Christ could help free them, and Suzi proceeded to tell them a wonderful story about a man she met years ago who was struggling with addiction to drugs. She asked if she could pray with them and they willingly accepted and stood there with her as she prayed. They both took worship music CD's that we made, so I pray that they both will listen and that the songs of worship will pierce their very souls!

We also met and talked with 2 fellow Christian women who seemed amazed about the ministry and of all the books and information that were being offered for free. Both stood and talked with us for a little while, and we were able to warn them about the rampant false teaching in churches. One of the woman attends a church where Suzi and I first met at a Bible study, and she and Suzi recognized each other from the choir. One of the reasons why Suzi and I left was because we could see the Pastor was heading in the direction of Rick Warren's way of "doing church", but after talking about it with this woman, she was pleased to tell us that he must have seen the error of it, because he got rid of it all and is no longer being offered. If true, PRAISE GOD!!! It was a pleasure talking with her for a bit, because as we informed her that she could also see the error of some teachings. We gave her some books and CDs to help her be better equipped and hold fast to the faith. Her son seemed to be a skeptic, so we pray that a book she took from Josh McDowell will help answer questions he has and plant further seeds.

A woman from China came up, and she was pleased to take a Bible. She was happy and smiled brightly and said, "Thank you."

I spoke with a woman who was raised Catholic and went to the church because of her father, but she told me that at 8 years old she could sense something was not right with the priests of the church she attended, and she never gave herself fully to being a Catholic. Rather, she came to despise it, and she admitted that she has been trying to find her own way. It was interesting talking to her because she has knowledge of Christ and what He did on the cross and says that the way to heaven should be by faith; but a bit of the religion of universalism crept in, and she believes there is faith in all things or religions-- even ourselves. As she put it, "There is God in us," and this will save us. I asked her more about the statement "God in us", and she brought up being made in God's image. In going further, by what she answered, I could see she was talking about having a conscience; knowing what is right and wrong. But she attributed that to God being *in * all of us. So I stated that having a conscience does not mean that God is in all of us, but that by our sin we have a knowledge of the law and what is right and wrong. I also wanted to confirm with her that being made in the "image" of God does not mean He is in all of us but that we are a "image" of Him and possess elements of His personality; not that we are an actual being of God. I spoke with her more about Christ and His death and resurrection, heaven and hell, and that there are not many ways to God but just One. She said she did not fully believe in the Bible; I attributed some of that to Catholic upbringing; I gave her the Roman Catholic Scripture vs. Tradition tract along with Roger Oakland's book, Another Jesus? which explains in great detail the Eucharist Christ and how false that teaching is in response to who Jesus Christ REALLY is. I pray that she reads them and that God will open up her heart and mind to better understand His Word. She was a pleasure to talk with, actually, and I pray for her salvation!

While it was cold and windy, we still had a wonderful time as always telling people the Good News of Jesus Christ at the table. I pray for all those with whom we spoke and those who took materials that God will open the way to further understanding and discernment and the way of salvation. And I praise and thank God that we still have this opportunity and freedom to share Christ with others in a public setting.

May He continue to bless and keep Lighting The Way and all workers at locations around the world in His care!

To God be the glory!

Christine

New Table Outreach To Begin at Louisiana State Penitentiary

I am going to be super busy the next few days. Because of my busy travel schedule, I can't procrastinate in getting everything to Louisiana State Penitentiary for their spring rodeo AS WE BEGIN A NEW TABLE OUTREACH THERE. The inmates are making a sign reading "A Free Gift for You", and my Christian brother, Wayne Guidry, who is an inmate there will be leading it. I must place orders for materials and have them sent out asap and get all of this prepared before my next trip, so I have a whole lot to do in a short amount of time. PRAISE GOD FOR LETTING US DO THIS AT ANGOLA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nco8LcLlyuI

LTW Update: NYC

From Suzi:

Greetings from the Good News Friends,

Christine and I set up camp on Sunday which included a table full of Bibles, gospels of John, tracts, worship cds, books/dvds on cults, the occult, New Age spirituality, the purpose-driven/emergent/ecumenical movements, etc. We are grateful for such an abundance to distribute and prayed that the Lord would orchestrate divine appointments and lead searching souls to our table.

Two men came by who were both addicts, and one was in a gang. I shared with them that Jesus loved them and died for their sins and that they could have a relationship with Him and be delivered from all their addictions. We prayed together, and I invited them to Church. They were concerned that they wouldn't fit in. I explained that they would be right at home and that God's house is filled with people from every nation, tribe and color and that we all meet Him at the cross. They would meet others who have surrendered their lives and been delivered and set free by His power and grace alone. I told them of others who were in their same place.

Years ago I met a man who was so strung out, he lost his mother's car and asked me for a dollar to get a bus home. I prayed that Jesus would come into his life and deliver him from all his addictions and get him safely home. He came back a couple weeks later unrecognizable. He had surrendered to Jesus but needed to go to prison because of several warrants. While in prison, he studied the Bible and after he was released, he went back into the same prison to lead Bible studies. He led his parents to the Lord and on a trip to Israel with his father, he met his wife and they are serving the Lord together with 4 boys! Jesus can turn our lives upside down and right side up again. Nothing is impossible for Him! May these men come to know His salvation and healing as well!

Sometimes the Lord sends other Christians our way which is always an encouragement. Roseanne stopped by and shared about her two friends who were both in the gay lifestyle. They heard the gospel in 1976, were both convicted of their sin, repented and are both married today with children and have not stopped sharing about the power of Jesus to transform us from the inside out.

One man stopped by and said, "I used to be a Christian but have switched to New Age" and said it was working for him. I gave him a book, The Light That Was Dark, by Warrren Smith, who was into New Age spirituality before coming to Christ and then found that it followed him right into the "Christian Church". I explained it wasn't new at all but goes back to Satan's original lie when he told Eve she would not die but become like God. There used to be a clear distinction between Biblical Christianity and other persuasion,s but currently there is a merging of all faiths to form One just as the scriptures foretell. Hopefully, he will see the error of his way and genuinely turn to the only true Jesus of the Bible and not the counterfeit "cosmic christ".

We had many opportunities to share the good news, pray and give helpful information to those who are searching. May the Lord continue to use us to plant seeds, answer questions and point others to Him.

The harvest is truly plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers into His harvest. Matthew 9:37,38

By His Grace alone,

Suzi

Work Today

I am working still on my "Is There A Gay Gene?" booklet. I am really thankful for the suggestions and edits from Dr. Arthur Goldberg and Dr. Neil Whitehead.

I have also called Louisiana State Penitentiary about our table outreach to begin there next month.

It is looking about 90% sure that we will get to begin a table outreach in the red light district of Amsterdam, Holland. I am really excited about it. The law will not permit us to set up a table on the street, so we are planning to set up a table at a youth hostel in the red light district called "The Shelter." I hope God will provide money for Bibles in Dutch. I also hope to have a sign reading "Free Love (Romans 6:23)" in Dutch for the table outreach.

Can't Be A Homosexual Evolutionist

By David Kramer:

Homosexual acts, are they sinful? Let us examine this from a purely logical perspective and ignore religion for just a moment. According to religion, sin is anything that goes against God's law or nature as defined by God. Remove religion and define sin as something abnormal.

Psychologists and psychiatrists once classified homosexuality as a psychosexual abnormal behavior in the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The way things are entered into the DSM, however, is based on what society views as being abnormal. Thus normal is defined by public opinion, not concrete absolutes, or facts that work independently of opinion.

Classifying a mental disorder based on public acceptance or opinion of what is normal, is actually abnormal in itself. Most people will agree, slavery is not normal treatment or respect for other human beings, yet according to the methodology used to compile the DSM, it would be considered normal just several decades back.

Sexual conduct with children is also abhorred by many, and considered a psychosexual disorder but if tomorrow the majority of people decide it is okay then, according to the methodology of the DSM, it would be labeled as normal. A society that governs morals and ethics based on what the majority, or even a minority deems to be normal and acceptable is the abandonment of morals and ethics altogether.

Consider this, 2+2=4 every time. Two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen makes water, every time. In nature, there are absolutes. We can say heat is cold and cold is hot and redefine things in our mind to fit our psychosis, but in doing so can be completely wrong with reality. Imagine if we all decided that 2+2=5 going forward. We can believe it with all our heart and mind but when airplanes crash, cars fail to run, and our entire infrastructure that supports our society fails due to inability to model the physical universe through mathematical absolutes we agreed are now different, reality will surface in a very hard way.

In the book 1984, Big Brother insisted 2+2=5. Orwell demonstrates through this classic work of fiction how easily mind control can work when we redefine reality based on a point of view rather than adhere to absolutes. What then are the absolutes with homosexuality?

If one believes in evolution, then one who believes homosexuality is a genetically determined predisposition must also believe a homosexual person is a lower life form as it cannot procreate without going against its natural genetic norm. This is an absolute. Physically, yes, a homosexual can procreate through a heterosexual relationship, but doing so violates the natural order of a genetic order if the assumption is that this presumed genetic order is not a disorder.

One might argue that in the course of evolution, the genetic difference is a natural progression and could result in an asexual species. Given enough time, perhaps anything could happen, but one other absolute is that if homosexuals maintained their presumed disposition to same sex relationships, they could not reproduced to carry on the assumed possible evolutionary mutations. Thus if there is a genetic evolutionary process going on, it will always die out with the first generation homosexual, assuming homosexuals never procreate heterosexually.

Furthermore, if this is a process of evolving to an asexual state, how is this evolutionary given it would revert to a state of the origins within the theory itself.

If homosexuality is determined by genetics and not learned behavior or choice, then what about other behaviors, sexually and non-sexually in our society? For example, if a person is involved in bestiality is this sexual deviant behavior or is it genetically determined? If it is genetically determined then the same rules applied to homosexuality must apply to those predisposed to sex with animals. Imagine the debates over same sex benefits for a man and his dog, and equal rights for animals, and how estates are to be divided in the event of a separation.

If genetics are responsible for homosexual behaviors, then why are not genetics responsible for criminal behaviors we consider to be against normal society conventions? If a person is programmed at birth to be a murderer, rapist, or thief, then that person should not have to suffer criminal punishment by the logic used for justifying homosexuality. The person is only acting out what he or she has evolved into being genetically and perhaps that species of human is the superior being design to take humanity and life to the next level in evolutionary order.

Return again to the absolutes by defining what a homosexual is, and that is someone who engages in sexual behavior with another of the same sex. Sex is an act. Many people live their lives without having sexual relationships with another person. People are said to be virgins until they have sex. It is not until a choice is made that a person is defined sexually.

When a person has sex, they are no longer a virgin. When a person elects to have sex with a minor, they are a pedophile, not before. When a person elects to have sex with both genders, they are bisexual. When a person elects to have sex with the same gender, they are homosexual. They key being, a choice is made and a line is crossed and an act is committed.

As children we play cops and robbers. We pretend, we act out, we think about being the bad guy if we are not the good guy. Even into adolescent years, perhaps even into adulthood the idea of robbing a bank and fantasizing about relishing in the spoils there of and the thrill of the get-a-way can go through our minds. We may even act such things out in plays or role playing mystery theater situations. Does this make a person a thief or criminal?

There is a distinct point at which one goes from thinking or fantasizing to becoming. Sex is an act, not something we are born doing. How we engage in performing the act determines our orientation. It is a choice therefore and not a requirement, just as having sex or not having sex is a choice. While we may have genetic urges to desire sex, perhaps even genetic predispositions towards what we find attractive, the choice of when, and who, and how we engage in sex is still a choice. Given it is a choice, one elects their own orientation.

Therefore, if sexual orientation is a choice, one must decide whether the choice is deviant behavior outside some absolute standard or not. For the purposes of procreation, it is certainly outside normal behavior. Two people of the same gender cannot procreate through sex with one another and therefore it is insane to try to do so. Sin is simply missing the mark, by God's law or by waste in the absence of God. Engaging in homosexual behavior to procreate will always result in missing the mark and therefore it is sin both religiously and apart from religion.

Sexuality is not purely for procreation, however, even in a Biblical sense. Sexuality also exists for human enjoyment and gratification. Certainly this can be attained through homosexual engagement, and therefore the argument used for procreation would not apply.

Learning is defined as a change in behavior. By reason, therefore, a change in behavior should result in learning. All of what we do should therefore result in either a behavior or learning, whether done privately or publicly. Any kind of sexual behavior is learning, which if done privately will manifest itself publicly in some form.

There is no concrete way of telling how private homosexual relationships will affect society when private behaviors result in learning which ultimately influence public behavior. One such behavior might be the push for equality. As discussed earlier, homosexuals, if true to their orientation, are destined for first generation extinction due to their inability to procreate. According to the evolutionary theory of survival of the fittest, homosexuals are a weaker species and fighting to attain equality for what nature will extinct is wasted effort, missing the mark, and therefore again sin.

Without introducing the concept of God, the Bible, or religious teachings, homosexuality falls short of what is normal in even an agnostic society. Introduce God into the picture and review the laws of Moses, accepted by Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, homosexuality is an abomination. Perhaps it is such not because God hates the persons involved in homosexuality, but because as the designer of the Universe, He knows how such behaviors go against the design absolutes even in His absence.

Update from George and Goldie Shaw (Missionaries to the Jews)

"To God be the glory,_great things He hath done" to borrow the first line of Fanny Crosby's hymn. What a victorious day we had at Santa Monica College. The MANY who prayed for this important outreach from Maine to California and the UK have blessed young people with the Word of God.

We felt appreciated from the start because a Chinese student came by the table to remark, "I'm glad to see you on our campus." Later, two Jewish young ladies asked us, "Why do you bring us Hebrew Bibles?" "We told them that we love Israel and the Jewish people who received the Word of God and kept it pure for centuries." They stayed a long time at the table and looked at all we displayed.

Many Hebrew Scriptures were given out, CD-ROM'S, DVD's, including some Magdalena DVD's, Farsi Gospels, tracts, and 31 Days Booklets of Psalms and Proverbs. Seth wanted a set of Hebrew Scriptures.

Lindsey, along with Jasmine, Manuel, Charlene, Immanuel, Aviva, Sam and Mira all received Hebrew Scriptures, either a Tanakh or a New Covenant or both.

"Sumalee" from Thailand responded to our remark that she came from the "smiling people." We saw the troubled soul as she asked, "How can I keep my smile?" When Goldie asked her if she had a Bible, she said, "Yes" We told her to cling to the promises in that Bible and to Jesus, her best friend. Another Asian young man named "Gunwoo" stopped. "What is the meaning of your name?" He replied, "To find something and then tell others about it." What a natural setting. We told him that we hoped he would read the Word and then tell others. Hyun's name means "light" in Chinese.

It was like this all morning, as the Holy Spirit's presence was real and powerful. Neva chatted with the beautiful "Ebony" who asked for prayer to do well in her classes. Sarah, a lovely Muslim ,wanted a Magdelana DVD. It tells the story of Magdalena and her release from shame. Pray with us for these jewels!

A very special Jewish believer joined us. Penina is a joyful witness for the Messiah as she has a loving outreach to both Jewish and Muslim unbelievers in person as well as Internet programming. She is a co-worker with the Hebrew/English Scriptures.

Thank you for praying. Look what the Lord did in response to your love for the youth at this critical point in their decision-making and future understanding of who they are and where they are going.

George, Goldie, Neva and Penina

LTW Update: Rio Grande Valley

From Curt and Janie Rolf:

Although the day started out rainy, our first visitor of the day was a fellow who said he was a Catholic monk, ministering on his own to the ‘demon possessed’ all over the world. He asked Curt if he cast out demons. Curt said,"No." "Do you heal?" Curt said,"No." "Do you speak in tongues?" Curt said, "No, tongues have passed; there is no need to speak in tongues unless for the purposes of a known language. He asked if we would pull together a bag with all of the materials speaking about the occult. We included “The Occult Nightmare," a couple tracts on yoga, Islam, "Magic Anyone?" Bennett’s "A Priest’s Story," "List of Heresies," and "Six Roman Catholic Doctrines That Nullify Salvation." We also gave him the LTW card, “By God’s Grace.org,” and told him there was a wealth of information on that web site.

Another nice looking family approached the table, and as I offered a rainbow coloring page, the dad quickly backed away and said, "We can’t handle that."

Another dear gentleman stopped by and was frustrated with Christians allowing our political leaders to occupy their respective positions. He wasn’t too happy when we said, “God has appointed them to those positions and possibly for the purpose of bringing Christians to their knees to pray for our country and those very same political leaders.”

One of our last copies of “The Servant King” left the table. The empty-nester who took the book said, "Now I have time to read it myself."

Leo stopped by. I love that kid! We talked about the rainbow coloring page and how God created everything and everyone. He took 101 Last Days Prophecies and looked up the first one in Isaiah. He also said he was reading “Keys for Kids,” and we looked up Day 5. He read it. It was on divorce. I wondered if this might be an issue in his young life.

A young girl was handling a book as Leo was reading to me. I said, "The books are for adults." She put the book back and left. God forgive me!!! It was a BIBLE she was about to look at!

Again, while occupied with Leo, a lady asked if we had a Spanish, large-print Bible. I said, "No, but realized we did indeed have one. Thankfully, she did take a paperback Spanish Bible.

My special little friend, Ava, stopped by with her dad (our Pastor), and I asked if she would read the little toddler booklet, “Would You Like to Know Jesus?” She did. (Her reading skills are terrific!) I asked her what she thought about it, and with a big grin she said, “I loved it!" I asked her to take it on their trip out East, and read it to her younger siblings, Silas and Ruby.

As we were blessed with a badly needed rain, several people stood under our canopy. One lady took toddlers' booklets, as well as reading the Islam printout while she waited for the rain to stop.

It was a remarkably interesting day, even if we were rained out by noon.

I (Janie) certainly learned to be VERY cautious as far as having my own agenda. I’m so grateful that my God is so merciful.

Relying on Him as “He directs our paths” (Prov. 16:9),
Curt and Janie

"Is There a Gay Gene?"

I won't be posting a lot on the blog this week, because I am hard at work on compiling the new tract "Is There A Gay Gene?" Thanks to Dr. Neil Whitehead and Arthur Goldberg, the research is excellent, and all I have to do is compile what has already been written to make for a strong tract. My goal is to get it done this week.

Photos of our outreach in action at Venice Beach and West Hollywood

We now have a FLICKR account, which will be linked to this blog. I have uploaded images of our outreach on Venice Beach here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lightingthewaydwayna/page2/

LTW Update: NYC

Heidi speaking and singing at rally against Islam

From Christine about how our team did evangelism yesterday in NYC, making a profound stand on the front lines against Islam. Heidi was even interviewed on two television programs.

Today I attended with Heidi a rally in support of Congressional hearings this week from L.I. Congressman Peter King on Muslims and homegrown terrorism and the current push to try and institute Shariah Law in American courts. (Unfortunately, while we were to meet up with Suzi, mis-communication had her attending the Muslim rally spoken of in the article. We missed her but from her statement about her experience, she said it was intense as she handed out the truth and Gospel of John booklets to the crowd. God bless her efforts!)

Heidi was interviewed twice: NY One News and NBC Channel 4. At the end of the rally, she also suggested to the organizers they sing the National Anthem, so in closing, they gave her the stage, and she got up there to close the rally singing our National Anthem. She did great, and many people thanked her for it. I have also attached a couple of pictures.

The following is a link to her appearing in the interview on NY One news and the article below highlights her comment.

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/135060/city-groups-rally-ahead-of-u-s--muslim-hearings

Demonstrators in two boroughs gathered Sunday to protest an upcoming series of U.S. Congressional hearings on Muslims and homegrown terrorism. A rally in Times Square was organized by a coalition of more than 100 interfaith, nonprofit and government organizations who claim the hearing -- scheduled by Long Island Congressman King Peter King -- will demonize and alienate the nation's Muslims.

Among the few hundred in attendance was hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative -- a key supporter of Park51, the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near the World Trade Center.

"My concern is that if the perception that in the Arab-Muslim world that Muslims are under attack, the perception among the youth here that Muslims are under attack by their own members of Congress, by their own government, this helps radicalize people. And we need to reverse that cycle of radicalization," Rauf said. "That is why I suggest if he wants to have hearings, have it around radicalization and extremism, because that's our common enemy."

A few blocks away, another group called the Liberty Alliance rallied in support of the hearings.

"Basically I'm supporting the right of every American citizen to know who are in the midst, who are living among us, who are plotting to take down our current form of government, our current judicial system and replace it with something that's so totally foreign to what we have in this country as a foundation," said one rally participant. (which was HEIDI)

While appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, King defended the hearings and says although a vast majority of Muslims are outstanding citizens, he's concerned about perceived efforts to radicalize the community.

"Whether it's Major Hassan, or whether it's Shahzad or whether it was Zazi in New York, these are all people who are identifying in one way or another with al-Qaida or al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. So it's an international movement with elements here in the United States," King said.

Meantime, a group of Queens residents held their own demonstration Sunday.

Protesters joined City Councilman Daniel Dromm outside a community office on 75th Street.

They say hearings on perceived Muslim radicalization aren't the solution, and that they won't make anyone safer.

"You Peter King as a Congressman should know better. You Peter King are responsible to represent everyone in your district. You have Muslims in your district also. Shame on you Peter King for doing this," Dromm said.

"Targeting one community takes us back to an era similar to what happened with the Japanese after World War II, what happened under the McCarthy era. We're spreading fear and hatred rather than tolerance and justice," said DRUM Executive Director Monami Maulik.

Protesters say King, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, has a history of targeting individual communities and say they want to keep Queens a diverse place to live. The hearings are scheduled to begin Thursday.

---------------------

From Susan Young:

Praise God that we were able to stand for truth today! I told my friend, Patricia, about the rally, and she, too, was interviewed and on Channel 7 News. I forgot my cell so never found any of you but had many opportunities to share with Muslims, agnostics and atheists. At times it was very intense but as I shared the love of Jesus, that He is God's Son and that He died on the cross for us and that there is salvation in Him alone, many accepted tracts and gospels on John. May the Lord bless the seeds that were sown! May He continue to use us and raise up more to earnestly contend for truth and our precious faith!

God bless you all,

Suzi

LTW Update on GA Tech Last Thursday

Hi Dwayna,

It was truly a blessing to be out at GA Tech again this last Thursday. The more time that I spend sharing the truth of God’s Word with the students, the more that I understand the great need for us to be there. There is so much deception and confusion among the students regarding spiritual matters.

For example, I spoke to a young Japanese lady named Alice Shen who stated that she did not believe in special creation by God. She also held the contradictory beliefs that all morality was relative but yet still believed that all religions were not equally valid in one’s attempt to know God. According to her view, Jesus was simply a good teacher, but He is not God, and there is no life after death. I had the opportunity to share with her some of the exclusive claims of Christ and evidence that backed those claims. While she would not say this openly, I suspect that she was a Buddhist given her belief systems and her background, or at least influenced by Buddhism to some degree. She gave us her e-mail and is open to receiving more information and further contact.

We met another student named Gin. He believed in evolution, that all religions were equally valid, but yet he believed there was an absolute morality apart from God. He was very vague and was not willing to expound further on some of his beliefs. However, toward the end of the conversation he said that he had never considered the claims or the life of Christ, and he began to openly show emotional hostility toward the message of the gospel. He suddenly avoided the issues by claiming that we can’t really know reality or if we even exist and that for all he knew that Robert Lebus and I could be really just be robots. This is pretty scary stuff for a guy that is studying to become an engineer at GA Tech. Please pray for him, that the Lord would take the blindness from his eyes to this deception and open them to the truth.

We spoke to a student, Jordan, who claimed to be a Christian but made non-Christian responses as he claimed that everything was relative, the Scriptures were distorted, and that homosexuality was not a sin. Obviously a homosexual, we had the opportunity to discuss this further with him and gave him a booklet entitled, “An honest look at what the Bible says about Homosexuality.”

Another student named Ericka believed in special creation by God, the Bible was the Word of God, that Jesus was God but yet somehow believed that everything was relative. After reasoning with her about her contradictory ideas, she saw the error in her thinking and then acknowledged that truth must be absolute by nature. After further discussion, she revealed that she has a Roman Catholic background; we discussed some of the contradictions that Rome teaches in contrast to what the Bible teaches. We gave her some literature showing the error of Rome’s teachings versus the Bible, and she was very willing to receive it with kindness and much humility.

Lastly, we spoke to Matthew who said that he thought that evolution was the greatest proof for God’s existence, the Bible was inspired by divine revelation, but he was not sure about Jesus. Lee and Robert spent much time with him sharing evidence from the Bible for Christ and the resurrection and His claims of eternal life and what He accomplished at the cross. They talked about what happens when you place your faith in Christ and how you become a new creation in Christ. He believed that we are all simply like animals through the evolutionary process.

There were many other things that happened that evening, and the Lord was glorified through the events of the evening.

Robert Lebus had this to say: I am so thankful that God would be so kind as to let us share in the bringing of the Good News of Salvation in Christ, the Greatest King that ever shall be. Also, that the God we serve is magnificent in His Love and forgiveness. In His coming wrath for the sake of his own name, he must punish the wicked.

I/we pray for Matt, Gin , Jordan and all the others with whom we shared the Good News. I am very very excited about the oppourtunity we have to reach those so isolated from the Gospel at GA Tech.

John and Lee (and team)
http://www.john-lee-ministries.org/

When Was Christ Crucified?

From Keith Mason:

The Christian Church has traditionally observed that Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday (Good Friday / Easter Sunday), but a careful examination of Scripture reveals that this position isn’t Biblically supported. The Bible never says Christ died on Friday, nor does it say He rose on Sunday. It does say that Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath, and that the women went to the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) and found it empty. We do know that according to Mark 15:34, Jesus died at the "ninth hour" which would have been about 3pm (nine hours after sunrise).

One of the problems with a Friday/Sunday theory is our Lord's own statement which says: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). There is no way you can fit three days and three nights (72 hours) into a Friday/Sunday scenario. (Some know about this verse and suggest a Thursday crucifixion, however one of the problems with this view is that although you can get three nights if you count Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night, you only get two days, and we need three days; there are other problems with a Thursday crucifixion too).

The solution becomes evident when one realizes that there are other Sabbaths besides the weekly Saturday observance. The Jews have annual Sabbaths in addition to the weekly day of rest (for example, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Tabernacles, Passover, among others). Just as, say, July fourth can fall on any day of the week, so can these annual special Sabbaths.

During the week of Jesus’ crucifixion there were two Sabbaths. This becomes clear when we read the Gospel of John: "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘it is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away" (John 19:30-31 NAS, Emphasis mine). The NIV Bible says "…and the next day was to be a special Sabbath." John went out of his way to tell us this was a ‘high day’, a ‘special Sabbath’.

If the reference in Matthew about three days and nights means 72 hours, and if the ‘special Sabbath’ was on Thursday, it meant that Jesus died at 3pm on Wednesday. This means that Wednesday night, Thursday, Thursday night, Friday, Friday night, and Saturday would be three full days and three full nights (72 hours) "in the heart of the earth." Jesus rose sometime Saturday night, and when the women went to the tomb on Sunday morning the angel said, "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is not here. He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body" Mark 16:6.

Further evidence supporting the two Sabbaths view is found in Matthew 28:1. In most modern Bibles it says, "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb" (or something very similar, depending on the translation). But in the original Greek the word translated ‘Sabbath’ is plural, and should be rendered, "Now after the Sabbaths, …"

Further information of interest: If you read Matthew 27:15 in the Amplified Bible, you’ll learn that the ‘special Sabbath’ that week was in fact Passover. This makes sense because Jesus was "the Passover Lamb that takes away the sin of the world" (see John 1:29, Exodus 12:3-23). NOTE: To look up the verses and translations mentioned in this article, one can go to www.BibleGateway.com .

LTW Update: Venice Beach

From Mike, LTW leader for Venice:

We arrived just before 9 am to set up, and we met Pastor Avalon. He set up the booth next to us and was giving out food to the homeless and sharing the Gospel to passers-by. It was nice to have another group of Christians with a table so close. Just after we finished putting the materials out, a young man came by and looked at a few of our books. He took the book "Redefining Christianity" and mentioned that his mother recommended that he read it. A man from Malibu named Frank spoke with me (Mike) for close to an hour, and we discussed a number of apologetics topics. He had accepted Christ in prison and was interested in street evangelism. He only had a New Testament, so we gave him a Bible before he left. He also took the tract "Science Confirms the Bible." A homeless guy in his late teens came by to ask for prayer. He had been struggling with a drug addiction. Dan was not there yet, but I prayed for him and encouraged him to come back later to talk to Dan. Unfortunately, we didn't see him the rest of the day.

Dan had come from feeding the homeless, and during the outreach he had met a homeless Christian man named Jason. Jason came with him and stayed at our booth all day long. He had an extensive knowledge of the Scriptures (having committed many passages to memory), and he also was quite gifted at rapping the Gospel. He asked for a copy of the book Deceived on Purpose. Evan and Kevin also accompanied Dan and helped us minister to the people stopping by.

A teenager with a very young boy looked over our materials. We gave the boy a rubber bracelet with Bible verses. Awhile later a man named Rodney rode by on his bike and spoke to Dan for an extended period of time.

An elderly man whom I recognized came by and was trying to ask us difficult questions. He is an atheist who used to stop at the booth years ago to speak with Bob Pegram and me. He asked about Noah's Ark, dinosaurs, genetics, and several scientific issues. I had heard many of these questions before, and I believe I gave him solid, Biblical answers; he eventually smiled and said "We'll have to continue our discussion later," and he walked away.

A lesbian lady stopped by and spoke with Dan. She had attended seminary and rejects the portions of the New Testament that were written by Paul. She insisted that Jesus never condemned homosexuality directly, and Dan countered that Jesus' implies that he agreed with the Old Testament teaching on homosexuality. She also believes that the Bible only speaks against homosexuality between men, but not between women. Dan pointed out that the original marriage covenant established by God was between a man and a woman.

A little while later a woman named Maria came by. She has spoken with Dan numerous times and appreciates his non-condemning demeanor. She understands the Gospel message but refuses to believe it, claiming that God is a woman, and that the Bible was written by men who belonged to a patriarchal, discriminatory society. I didn't hear all of their conversation, but Dan told me he has brought up the fact that everyone has biases, and this does not mean that their claims are false. He told me that she seems to enjoy speaking with him and has told him that he usually gives her something to think about. Regarding her argument that the authors of the Bible should not be trusted because they had biases, I pointed out that we could then be skeptical of her claims since she has a bias against the authors of the Bible.

Throughout the day we had a fairly steady stream of visitors to the table, and we were thankful that the Lord gave us the opportunity to be out sharing His Gospel.

The team began the morning on Feb. 12th feeding the homeless alongside our table of resources and Bibles.

Jude 3: "contend earnestly for the faith..." The spiritual smorgasboard of Venice Beach is a wonderful place to fulfill the Great Commission...
We have books on our table for Hindus, New Agers, gothic teens, people who don't believe in hell and generic devotionals for Christians, along with Bibles...
Mike at our outreach table on Ocean Front Walk where all books, tracts, articles, DVDs, CDs of sermons and Bibles are free to anyone interested in answers about God based on logic and reason...pointing them to the cross of Jesus... and His resurrection.
(Our table is to the left as the homeless line up for free food, led by Dan and the team)
We can trust God to bring people over, and He does!

Our table and the tent with free food for the homeless

More people began stopping at the table around noon, and the team had a very busy day.

We offer materials for Moslems, Jews, Catholics, Protestants (on contemplative prayer and the emergent church, seeker friendly movements), Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists...with many materials for people involved in New Age spirituality such as the book, The Light That Was Dark. We even have Bibles in Hindi and Tamil for Hindus, CDs of sermons and DVDs to answer the "Riddle of Reincarnation" from a biblical perspective by Walter Martin, as well as "Pure Passion" testimonies of former homosexuals and sex addicts who've left that lifestyle to walk in newness of life in Jesus.

We have DVDs from Caryl Matrisciana on everything from yoga to Islam

http://www.caryltv.com/ ...

and articles by Berit Kjos on a plethora of subjects and Carl Teichrib on globalism with scientific information against evolution from Jim Tetlow.

We are making friends with the neighborhood and plan on returning again soon.

We have a DVD called "The God of Wonders" by Jim Tetlow and "Unlocking the Mystery of Life" against evolution; we have booklets teaching Bible prophecy and 101 Scientific facts to support the Bible, articles, radio interviews with Jan Markell and various guests discussing current affairs from a biblical perspective and sermons on "The Deity of Christ" by Tommy Fox and "How We Can Know the Bible is God's Word" and "Angels" by Hollie Miller.

We have copies of a DVD by Carl Teichrib teaching why people are not gods and sermons on Zen Buddhism by Walter Martin from a biblical perspective...

People are invited to sit with us and ask questions or comment about any of our materials.

We enjoy getting to know people better and giving them answers based on the Bible.

It is rewarding to see God at work, as He brings people over to the table who are seeking for the Truth. It is our pleasure to share the Gospel with them.

We have a sign reading, "Come find out what God has to say about your future for free."

Instead of reading palms like our psychic neighbors on the boardwalk, we tell people what the Bible says about eternal life through Jesus.

We have to define our terminology, because there is certainly more than one "Jesus" being preached at Venice Beach! (2 Corinthians 11:4)

God brings Christians by who encourage us and even offer to work with us.

Mike at our table on the boardwalk

Eileen, a member of our team, has done an excellent job organizing all of the materials.

(It is sort of like a mobile Christian Research Institute. We want to offer logical answers based on the Bible to people with any belief system, from all walks of life.)

It is evangelism on the front lines. Mike, Eileen and Dan sure make a good team. God is bringing more Christians from various churches who want to get involved.

By the end of the day, the team had made friends with many people strolling through the neighborhood and vendors alongside Ocean Front Walk.

Even an adorable, little dog didn't want to leave the shade of our table!

Eileen with friend from the neighborhood

Nothing happens by accident, and we are thankful for every person the Lord lets us meet for His glory at Venice. There is no greater place on earth for a missionary.