Photos from GA Tech Outreach

God is really at work with our busy team at GA Tech. I got to the Student Center only to find Taylah and her dad, Troy, engaged with students speaking with them in the hall, long before I got to the table. As usual, John and Lee had such a strong team for this outreach. The students are very open and happy to stop to take our survey, which leads us to speaking more with them about WHY we believe in absolute truth logically and a God outside of ourselves. Since many of the students consider themselves to be atheists already in life, we must first talk to them about the existence of God, before sharing what the Bible teaches (since they would consider that circular reasoning). It is great to see God at work to open their eyes, as we point out that God reveals Himself to those who are willing to repent and come to Him in humility...After the conversation about salvation and why we believe in the Bible as God's Word, they are invited to the table to take anything they want for free. The team sets up every other Thursday night from 7:00 to 9:00. (How I pray that God will do the same thing for our outreach at University of TN, as we are looking into setting up in the Student Center at U.T., inspired by how God is using this dynamic, Christian team doing evangelism at GA Tech.)

Muslims Proselytize on City Streets in NYC Suburb of Queens

When I saw these photos they made me want to work even harder in evangelism. Satan never sleeps! Take a look at this Muslim table offering free materials to people in support of Islam. A Christian friend of LTW stumbled upon it about a week ago in Queens and took photos to send to me. I guess it's just a matter of time, sadly, before I see such a table in Manhattan. (Notice there are no women behind the table with the men in this misogynistic religion.) These photos serve as even more confirmation to me that God will be glorified by my move back to NYC to keep our table outreach to share the Gospel of Jesus going strong, as we set up on 34th Street and/or Columbus Circle for the glory of our pure God (as opposed to the perverted 'Allah' in Islam). Notice these Muslims even have books about Jesus out on their table. It would be laughable if it were not so sad. Surah, chapter 4, teaches that Jesus never died, so there is no Savior in Islam. If they are zealous enough to spread these lies, we should be even more eager to proliferate the Truth about God and explain that, contrary to popular belief, all religions and belief systems are not one.



Never Give Up

As I've been preparing to move, I came across this quote sent to me from George and Goldie Shaw, (missionaries to the Jews in CA). I don't know who said it, but it is no wonder that I have kept it all of these years.

"Slow down, we say to ourselves; you've given much. Isn't it time to refrain from further sacrifice? Spare yourself. Why go on reading, studying, pursuing God? Stop this strenuous following after.

No! I say. That is not true. We can never stop growing toward God. Holiness is a dynmanic thing, a matter of motion. There is no static balance in the spiritual life. We're either moving toward God or away from Him...

So we must never let up, for our adversary does not...To know Jesus, to experience more of His life-giving power, to patiently bear our portion of His humiliation and suffering, to become like Him in self-sacrificing love--this is the work that must keep us busy to the end of our days."

Praying About New LTW Table Outreach in Philadelphia

Please help me pray about the possibility of having a new table outreach in Philadelphia to begin in the spring of 2012. I just got off the phone with someone who could lead it so well. We just have to pray for God's provision...

GA Tech Outreach Tonight

I am heading out to work with the team at GA Tech tonight. I'll post photos...

Work Update

(I wanted to explain that I have not been making blog entries, because I have begun packing boxes from morning until night for my move to Manhattan. It is an overwhelming task. I appreciate the prayers during this move, and I also HAVE NO DOUBT IT IS GOD'S WILL. I would certainly not be moving otherwise. I will be leaving for NYC again this Saturday to sing at Heritage Bapt. this Sunday and work with the team in outreach.)

"He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory." Luke 9:23-26

LTW Update: Rio Grande Valley, Sept. 3, 2011

By Curt & Janie Rolf
LTW: Rio Grande Valley Leaders
 
It was 8:45 A.M. in Harlingen, TX, and the temperature was 90 degrees and rising!  All was quiet until about 10:00 with only this sweet, elderly, Hispanic lady stopping to look over all of the materials on the table, especially Spanish materials.  She took a Spanish Bible.  It was good practice with my poor Spanish.  She found the Spanish tracts, Facts About Jehovah's Witnesses and asked if that was the name of our church.  We told her it was not, and we tried to explain our purpose of defending the Bible.  She understood and took that tract, as well as Is Mormonism Christian. 

A young lady asked, “How much is a Spanish Bible?"  She was astounded that it was free.  Since her English was perfect, I asked if the Bible was for someone else, and it was for her mother.  She took it with our blessing.  Another visitor seemed intrigued with materials about Catholicism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormonism.  We were pleased when he took them.  A grandma, sporting her bright, orange umbrella because of the sun, stopped by with her granddaughter.  After they took a few materials, we asked if they would report back next month on what they read.  The granddaughter said she would.  Some of our special friends, who love the Lord, came by and appreciated the gift of Dwayna's CD, Music For Kids.  Little Jaime stopped by and wanted the booklet, Where is God When Things Go Wrong.  He had asked for it in the past, so we gave it to him today.   

We found some booklets, Jesus Blesses the Children, at a Dollar Store, which visually depict the verses on our banner. (Mark 10:13-16 “Let the Little Children Come to Me.")  We’ll keep our eyes open for more.  Our coloring pages for this month were God’s Creation-Day Six, Animals/Dinosaurs.  We have had Sunday School teachers looking for materials in Spanish, and we have copies of the coloring pages available for such needs. Since the temperature reached 104 degrees, we left around 2:00. 

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

Needs in the Rio Grande Valley

Here is a request of materials. I am praying for God to meet these needs, because my move to NYC is very expensive, and there is no extra money at this time...I know God will provide as we pray for these needs to be met.

CHILDREN'S MATERIALS

1) "The Most Important Story Ever Told" - (I even prefer this to a Bible) - Now can get in Spanish -
about $2.00 ea. (could use 25 in Spanish and 25 in English) - Goes from Creation to
Resurrection + salvation message (animated pictures-great for kids of all ages).

2) Childlren's Bibles - NIrV - $4.99 ea. or $3.99 in case of 20 - Need at least 10 SPANISH (Santa
Biblia)

3) "Would you Like to Know Jesus?" - Toddler booklet - (could use 10 in Spanish and 15 in English) -
about $1.25 each.

4) "La historia de Jesus" - (The Story of Jesus) - story and activity booklet - (need 30 in Spanish 
only) - about .75 cents each.

Vanity Fair Praises King James Bible

I've been meaning to write about this for a while. In the May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair Christopher Hitchens lauds the King James Bible!

"An unbeliever argues that our language and culture are not complete without a 400-year-old Book--The King James translation of the Bible. Spurned by the Establishment, it really represents a triumph for rebellion and dissent. Accept no substitutes!"

"A culture that does not possess the common store of image and allegory [of the KJV] will be a perilously thin one.To seek restlessly to update it or make it 'relevant' is to miss the point, like yearning for a hip-hop Shakespeare. 'Man is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward, ' says the book of Job. Want to try to improve that for Twitter?"

Then Hitches, the author of the article, mocks the American Bible Society's "Contemporary English Version," and rightly so. The author quoted Philippians at his father's funeral from the KJV, and looked up the same passage in the "Contemporary English Version":

"...Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise."

At such a translation, he responds:

"Pancake flat: suited perhaps to a basement meeting of A.A., these words could not hope to penetrate the torpid, resistant fog in the mind of a 16-year-old boy, as they had done for me. There's perhaps a slightly ingratiating obeisance to gender neutrality in the substitution of 'my friends' for 'brethren,' but to suggest that Saint Paul, of all people, was gender-neutral is to re-write the history as well as to rinse out the prose. When the Church of England dropped the King James Bible, in the 1960s, and issued what would become 'The New English Bible,' T.S. Eliot commented that the result was astonishing 'in its combination of the vulgar, the trivial and the pedantic.' "

"...The Tyndale King James translation, even if all of its copies were to be burned, would still live on in our language through its transmission by way of Shakespeare and Milton and Bunyan and Coleridge, and also by way of beloved popular idioms such as 'fatted calf' and 'pearls before swine.' It turned out to be rather more than the sum of its ancient predecessors, as well as a repository and edifice of language which towers above its successors. Its abandonment by the Church of England establishment, which hoped to refill its churches and ended up denuding them, is yet another demonstration that religion is man-made with inky, human fingerprints all over its supposedly inspired and unalterable texts..."

[Though Christopher Hitchens is not a believer, even he appreciates verses from the KJV and the maturity and wisdom of God's precepts. I enjoyed the points he made in this article very much. I agree about some of these slang, dumb-downed "Bible" translations. It is a reflection on our culture, as our immature culture is a reflection on them.]

Email Exchange Today on "All" and "World" in Scripture Interpretation

An email I received today (concerning the Hebrew Roots Movement):

Dwayna,
I was surfing found your blog today. Then I ran across this posting: http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2008/10/beware-of-bill-cloud-and-decoding-bible.html
[...]

Then I read your words: “Nowhere in Romans 11 does it say that ALL of Israel will be saved.” But surely you have read: Romans 11:26 "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob"...I pray that I turn away from all ungodliness as well as His body of believers so that we may do His word and love our neighbor.

My answer:

Dear His Bondservant,

Thank you very much for writing. I am happy to explain.

“All” needs to be qualified when interpreting Scripture, just like the word “world.” For instance, in 2 Cor. 5:19, the Bible teaches that God was reconciling the world to Himself. Really, the whole world? The whole entire planet? If He was reconciling the entire world, then there would be no existence of hell, because the “whole world” would be reconciled in salvation. The word “world” there is in reference to every nationality; meaning, there are no distinctions when it comes to God’s grace. So, “world” has to be qualified.

Take Romans 5:18 for instance. The Bible teaches that “all” men died through Adam, so that justification of life could come to “all” men through Jesus. Does justification /eternal life come to all men in that no one perishes in hell? Do we believe in universalism? Of course, we know that people perish and go to hell apart from repentance and salvation, because Jesus taught more about hell than He did heaven. “All” has to be qualified. It means that only “all” who have been predestined to be justified and given life; so the “all” is limited and has to be qualified. How do we know this? In Matthew 20:28, the Bible teaches that Jesus gave life to “many” (as opposed to “all”). In that verse we see that Jesus only gave His life as a ransom for “many.” Does this mean the Bible has contradictions? Absolutely not. It is just that we have to use proper interpretation by taking verses in context with other verses.

See 1 Timothy 2:4-6. In this passage, it is written that God desires “all” men to be saved. Really? So God does not get what He wants? He wrings His hands in frustration, because, although He is God, He can’t have His way? OF COURSE NOT. That is not what the verse means. God would not be God over all if He were not powerful enough to get His way.

See John 10:11, 20-27, and we see that Jesus has “His sheep” and not all people are included as “His sheep.” See verse 26: “You don’t believe, because you are not of My sheep.”

So, in Romans 11:26, you are right in that the Bible does say “all”, but that “all” has to be qualified, because it does not mean universalism for Israel!

Thanks again for writing. Remember that if you turn your back on Christians, you are turning your back on Christ, because we are His Body.

Sorry for the confusion, but the Bible very clearly teaches that NOT all Jews will be saved just because they are Jews. God will be true to His people, just like Romans 11 teaches, and He will stand by His covenant with the Jews, but that does not mean that if a Jew does not believe in Jesus that Jew will not perish. There is only ONE way to the Father, and that is through the Son. By God’s grace, He will draw many Jews to Himself and save them BY GIVING THEM SAVING FAITH IN JESUS AS MESSIAH, not just because they are “all” of Israel.

Grace upon grace,

Dwayna

Running the Race to Win

"...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 
Hebrews 12:1-2

LTW Update

I begin work on the next Lighting the Way unpdate tomorrow. If you would like to be added to the list for e-newsletters, please email me at Dwayna@ltwinternational.org .

Dan Hubbard let me know today that he has been asked to speak at a Calvary Chapel about our outreach in West Hollywood, hoping to get more Christians involved and educated on reaching the homosexual community for Christ. We rejoice in this opportunity and are very thankful for the prayers and support from the pastor in Southern CA to have such a seminar on "A Heart for Him" to teach how to reach people with the Gospel who are struggling with same sex attractions and gender confusion.

'The Purity Principle'

I want to recommend a great, little book by Randy Alcorn called 'The Purity Principle.' Here is an excerpt:

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah 2:8...An idol is a God-substitute...Our sexual behavior reveals who or what rules our lives...Purity is always smart. Impurity is always stupid...The punishment is built into the sin. Shame, degradation, and warping of the personality follow as a matter of course. Scripture describes those who have surrendered to their lust to live in immorality as "receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." Romans 1:27. That's the way God's moral universe operates. We get to choose our own path...

Work Today

It is a bookkeeping day for me, as I have a mountain of receipts to go through from my last month in New York. I am also trying to sell my car, now that I am moving. It is such a busy day with so much bookkeeping and an apartment filled with boxes to pack. I also need to prepare for singing at Heritage Baptist NYC and my next session of piano/vocals next month in New York. It is so great to be busy doing work I love. I am heading out of town to meet with ASCAP soon, in order to get all of my songs registered properly. The days are flyng by...

LTW Storage Unit Now in TN

By Claudette Litz, Lighting the Way to the Smokies Outreach Leader
September 19, 2011

As I have been unpacking boxes of LTW materials and trying to organize the new storage unit in Sevierville, TN, I am so excited about how God has blessed this ministry.  Only He could have burdened hearts to give the money necessary to purchase the Bibles, books, tracts, cds, dvds, and other handouts.  Although I could not capture the extent of His materials in photos, I have tried to show the size of the unit and the amount of work done by Dwayna to pack many boxes and unload them in their new space.  God will continue to use each item for His glory, as I send the needed ones to each of the leaders in the various LTW locations across America and abroad.  Retirement has been a great blessing in my life, because serving Him has taken on a new adventure through this ministry.  May God continue to be glorified as we are obedient to His Great Commission. --Claudette Litz

Recommending 'In My Father's House' by Corrie Ten Boom

I can’t say enough good things about this new book from Lighthouse Trails, ‘In My Father’s House,’ by Corrie Ten Boom, telling of “the years before the Hiding Place.”

I began reading the book on a plane and could not put it down. The maturity of Corrie, even in her youth, will inspire any Christian to live according to the wisdom of God. It is obvious that such maturity is produced as a result of sober obedience to the Bible and a serious life lived in light of eternity. I also appreciate how Corrie recounted that her family never had to be told to respect their father as the head of the home. It was understood in the home by everyone, as if there was no other way to engage in decision making.

Her father and mother raised the children in such a way that respect came naturally. Corrie’s parents made Psalm 32:8 their life verse when they married, and it became a directive for Corrie’s life as well. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide thee with Mine eye.”

This book is a companion for anyone who loves the Lord enough to experience the honor of persecution to any degree as a result of obedience.

It is encouraging to see through Corrie's life how the Lord prepared her for the concentration camps and sustained her faith supernaturally, even as a child...It testifies of God's faithfulness to His own.


On pages 81-82, Corrie recounts how her mother was deathly sick, and she was afraid. The family did not have hardly any money. She was sitting in the dining room discussing the situation with her father.

“Father, what must we do? Everything is so terrible!”

“Don’t forget, Corrie, underneath us are the everlasting arms. We won’t fall.”

I didn’t know that expression, and I asked, “Is that in the Bible?”

“It certainly is. Moses spoke those words to the sons of Israel.”

“How does that help us right now?” I asked rebelliously.

“Girl, it makes all the difference. Moses tells us in the Book of Deuteronomy that God is a dwelling place. We have the promise of security when His arms are beneath us…holding us…supporting us…strengthening us.”

Thirty years later I was lying on a dirty mattress in a concentration camp. It was pitch dark, and in that restless room, Betsie lay so close to me that I could feel her heartbeat. It was irregular and feeble. I tried to think of something comforting to say to her…and suddenly I remembered the dining room, the red and black table cloth, and Father saying in his calm voice, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”

“Betsie, are you asleep?

“No, not yet,” she said weakly.

“Remember what Father told us, ‘God is our dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms.’”

I can’t be sure, but I believe she must have smiled in that black barracks.

“Oh, yes, Corrie, and they will never leave us.”

“The eternal God is their refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33:27

Prayer for Pakistan

Our leader for the Pakistan outreach, Pastor Babar kamran, asked for prayer that he and his family stay healthy with the Dengue Virus going around, which is causing Dengue Fever with 33 people killed by this disease in Lahore and Faisalabad, Pakistan. There is also much flooding in the area.

Moved the LTW Storage Unit to TN this Week

We hope to post photos soon of the storage unit to show just how much we have done this week in order to keep it all organized. It was no small job packing up all of the materials and renting a Uhaul to transport the storage to TN (in order to save money and be efficient with my planned move to NYC to lead the outreach there.) It has been a very busy week. My mother, Claudette Litz, will be handling the mailouts from the storage location now in Sevierville, TN. It is half as much financially, so I am thankful for the monthly savings in funds for LTW. I got the truck back to Atlanta last night, and I slept really well!! I am thankful the ministry locations here in Atlanta are going strong now without me, but I do hope to join the teams some time this month. I am preparing to move back to NYC to lead the outreach there, since our former leader, Christine, is now off to Japan to work as a missionary there and hopefully begin a LTW table there at some point.

This Week at Sovereign Grace Bapt. Church

It was so kind of Jon Cardwell to invite me to sing and share about LTW at a pastors' conference this week in Anniston, AL, at his church, Sovereign Grace Bapt. It was a full day, as I left Atlanta around 8 A.M. and returned at 11:30 P.M. I'm thankful for my dear friendship with the Cardwells and greatly appreciate their prayers and support of our evangelism through Lighting the Way. They are hoping to eventually begin a table outreach in the Anniston area with their church.

LTW Update: Last Night in West Hollywood

From Dan and West Hollywood team:

Mohammad and his friend stopped by at about midnight. We believe Mohammad was from Egypt because of his dialect.  Mike started to talk with him in his native language, which caught him by surprise. We just happened to have some materials from Ministry to Muslims. After looking over them, he took some and went on to find his friends. Another man came by, and we prayed with him.  I asked him if there was a time when he asked God into his life.  He answered in the affirmative.  I told him that the struggles in our life are meant to show us our total dependency on Him; that is the first step in a personal revival--seek His face by prayer and read His Word.  He took You Are Precious In God's Eyes, and we put our email sticker on it, so he could follow up with us, if he wished.  He said we would hear from him soon.

A man about seventy years of age kept walking by and looking at the signs.  Eventually, he stopped and asked how he could have assurance of salvation.  This began a lengthy discussion.  Mike referred him to 1John 5:13, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."  He stated that he was under a huge burden of sin. The Lord continued to lead people to our table. Many stopped to read the signs, as they looked surprised to see us there.  In one of the pictures, you will see the gay flag flying nearby. It is very touching to see some obviously under conviction who pass by several times and finally get the nerve to stop. We had an endearing conversation with such a person last night, and he was receptive to everything we told him about how to abide in God's pure love...He took several resources from our table. God revealed Himself in us tonight, as we reached the lost in West Hollywood. 

A homeless man came over and told us he was hungry.  Mike took him to the pizza place and bought him a couple of slices.  Mike asked him if he knew the true Christ, and he answered that he was saved by the blood of Jesus.  He wanted one of Dwayna's Meditate On This booklets.  I spoke to a vendor near our table, and he wanted to talk about the Islamic religion.  At his request, I brought him a tract which points out the difference in Islam and Christianity.  After many other conversations with people God brought to us, a lady came by to encourage us in our service to the Lord.  She was a graduate of a Christian university, and we appreciated her interest in missions. To God be the glory in this outreach of evangelism He began for Himself and for the glory of His pure love, as He continues to keep it unadulterated in West Hollywood, CA, alongside the gay bars.

LTW to the Smokies Update

From Claudette Litz, leader
September 9, 2011

The highlight of today's conversations with people about Jesus was with two young men from India.  As I introduced myself to them, I could tell they were eager to hear about the materials on the table.  I showed them the book, God Almighty in the Hindi language, and one of them took it with much appreciation.  As he continued to look at other books on display, his friend and I talked about how Dwayna went to India and sang in the schools there as a young girl.  He listened as I told him about how this ministry was about Jesus Christ and His love for all people.  We have tables like this to honor Him in Pakistan, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines, and across America.  He asked for one of Dwayna's music CDs were she sings three original songs, "Wish I Could Give You Jesus," "Prayin' You Back Home," and "Give Me Jesus."  They left with the DVD by Eternal Publications, God of Wonders, and the book, First Steps.  Only God knows how He will use these materials in their lives.  I told them He is the One who gave them these gifts, but the greatest gift He gave to all of us is His Son.

It was a beautiful day with hardly a cloud in the sky, and there were buses of tourists in the area for various events in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  Most of them stopped by the outreach table.  Each conversation was meaningful, from children listening to the story of Jesus using the colors in the Wordless Book, to a very sweet couple from Egypt.  They took the DVDs, Countdown to Eternity and God of Wonders, and repeatedly hugged me with kisses on the cheek, as is their custom.  A pastor and his family, from the 1st Baptist Church of Dixon, TN, was very complimentary of our work, and we had fun talking about their great school system, since I retired from the Williamson Co. Schools in 2007.

After receiving a call from my mother saying she thought her foot might be broken, I started packing up, and immediately a local family came over and offered to help me.  All of us worked together, and they carried everything to the car for me.  They will be visiting our church, and the wife is planning to be at our ladies' mission group for Bible study on Monday night. 

I am reminded of a hymn about missions that I sang as a young girl at Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN:

There's surely somewhere a lowly place

In earth's harvest fields so wide

Where I may labor thro' life's short day

For Jesus the crucified

So trusting my all unto Thy care

I know Thou lovest me

I'll do Thy will with a heart sincere

I'll be what You want me to be

Claudette Litz

Little Five Points (Atlanta) at the LTW Table Last Month

Anthony is doing such a great job leading the team in outreach at Little Five Points. He and a team of Christians from East Point Church set up the table outreach every other Saturday, answering questions based on the Bible from people of all ages and all walks of life. I am so thankful that the Lord had me move here to begin this outreach, and now Anthony and team are doing great leading it without me! I hope to have a more detailed update from the team to post soon. Anthony sent these recent photos last week for posting and said that the team is challenged most to reach nominal/cultural "Christians" with the Gospel --people who are actually not saved according to the Bible (but believe they are.) The team explains what it means to be a Christian, as it is a relationship with God no religion or hierarchical piety can offer. It is a relationship with Jesus, the only pure God that death could not hold...The team explains that we know this pure God through the Bible. All the sermons on CD and DVDs and tracts, articles, books and Bibles are free to anyone passing interested in turning from sin and knowing God as a Father and Jesus as a Friend.