We rearranged our lives to make sharing the gospel possible

organizerGoodSeed staff Jeremy* hung up the phone and stared at the hastily scribbled notes in his small notebook. Joy gripped his heart as he considered all that the Lord had been doing through the faithful witness of one couple, Ron and Laura. Jeremy had conducted a training session some years ago that the two of them had attended. It had made such an impact that they went home and began rearranging their lives so they could be more active in sharing the gospel.

Laura had told Jeremy over the phone, “Ron used to work construction on job sites long distances from home, which made it difficult for him to be involved in these studies. But God has helped us rearrange our lives so that he now has a job only two minutes away.”

Was this drastic change worth it? Laura said, “This is the easiest thing we have done with our lives… but not the quickest.” Sharing a clear gospel with others takes time, but the results are worth it. Both Ron and Laura felt that the tools provided by GoodSeed gave their outreach a greater impact.

Laura said, “When you learn to share the gospel this way [with these tools] it simplifies your life… you know what to do!”

Jeremy marvelled at what the couple had done. He smiled as he reviewed the stories they had shared with him.

Continue reading “We rearranged our lives to make sharing the gospel possible”

Can there be hope for such a man?

Storm and glassSometimes we are tempted to view certain individuals around us as “lost causes,” too far gone or too hardened to ever be reached by the gospel. Charlie* was such a man. Hearing how his life has played out, one would be tempted to think that there was no hope for him. He was a drunk and suffered from depression. Occasionally, he would explode into a fit of angry violence. And he was serving a long, long sentence in a maximum security prison for a double murder. Can there be hope for such a man?

Continue reading “Can there be hope for such a man?”

The clearest explanation of the sacrifice Jesus made for us

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

Creek StoriesWe had previously shared the video testimony of Ashley Murphy, a member of Soteria Church who came to faith in Christ through reading The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Many others in this church have also come to faith through this book. Dave and Kelly Bell are two of these.

Here are quotes from their testimonies:

“The book, Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, I kid you not, is the clearest explanation of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and how we were separated from God prior to that… Reading that book established the understanding for me that Jesus is the bridge between us and our new connection with God.” — David Bell

Continue reading “The clearest explanation of the sacrifice Jesus made for us”

The darkness that I carried around was lifted

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

Last year, Willow Creek Baptist Church (fondly known as “The Creek”) was a host church for one of our TERM Seminars. It was exciting for our staff to interact with the pastor and the congregation because many in the church had come to faith with the help of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. A number of their members have shared their testimonies on video.

Here is one from Ashley Murphy. This is a quote from her story:

It didn’t make sense before that. Reading through The Stranger, everything clicked, everything finally made sense. It was the first time that I ever felt that… Jesus did that for us, that I could have my sins forgiven. The darkness that I carried around… it was lifted…. That was huge because I’ve lived with it my whole life…. This has made such a difference in my home and my marriage…”

Continue reading “The darkness that I carried around was lifted”

I never had the courage to read the Bible

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

 

Reading FieldnotesMarion* had read little of the Bible during the 20 years she had been away from church. She felt it was too daunting. Recently, however, she started going to church again and even offered to help prepare the meal for a session of a marriage course. To thank her for her effort, one of the leaders, Kat, gave Marion a copy of Fieldnotes, GoodSeed’s annual compilation of testimonies.

Reading through the book, Marion was struck by the stories of those who began with no knowledge of the Bible but, by the end of each account, had come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Continue reading “I never had the courage to read the Bible”

Remember the road we’ve travelled

vietnamIt is 1979. Minh Trang* is three years old. In the cover of darkness, his family boards a makeshift boat on the coast of Vietnam. The boat is meant to hold 20 but 70 frightened people are crushed together, shoulder to shoulder. It is dangerous in the rickety vessel because it can capsize in a heartbeat. But to suffer at the hands of the communist regime is worse. Minh’s parents decide to risk this flight in the dark.

Thus began more than eight months at sea. Minh has never forgotten that terrifying time. Eventually, after many trials and a circuitous route, his family landed in Canada. They had escaped death but not misery. It was a struggle for Minh’s parents to rebuild their lives. They had been doctors in Vietnam but now in Quebec, they had to be re-qualified as Canadian physicians. There was a quota system for foreigners so both parents struggled as they learned French, worked at menial jobs, took care of the children and laboured towards being certified as doctors.

Minh remembers those difficult years. His parents eventually qualified as doctors and inspired by their perseverance, he too has become a physician. But even as life improved, Minh was searching for something more. He wanted answers to what life was all about.

Continue reading “Remember the road we’ve travelled”

This one makes sense!

wheelchairLorna* had been bedridden for years. The cold walls of hospitals and nursing homes were all too familiar to her as she lived day after day in a routine of doctor visits and prescriptions. Lorna’s fragile health was the result of years of physical abuse from multiple men in her life and teenage alcoholism. Lorna had come from a traditionally religious background, but she knew so little about hope and freedom. And with few friends and a family who didn’t bother visiting her, each passing day accentuated her loneliness and isolation. She felt like a prisoner in her wheelchair.

Belinda first met Lorna when she was a caregiver in her home. Belinda’s heart broke over Lorna and she did what she could for the older woman but they lost touch soon after. Belinda continued to pray that salvation would come to Lorna and her family and hoped that one day they would reconnect.

Continue reading “This one makes sense!”

Preacher, can you help me?

Michelle
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)

Car wreck

It was a warm Sunday in late fall. The church service was over, and Pastor Sam,* his wife Karen, and their seven children enjoyed some time of fellowship with their friends before piling into the van. Sixteen-year-old Andrew hopped into the driver’s seat of the big 15-passenger van, and Pastor Sam settled into the front passenger seat. They only lived a few miles from church, but every little bit of driving practice was good experience for Andrew. Once Karen and the children were settled in, Andrew drove out of the parking lot and onto the highway. It was little Stephanie’s fourth birthday, and they were looking forward to an afternoon party at home with family and friends.

One moment there were the happy sounds of the children talking, then CRASH! The deafening screech of tires was followed instantly by the sickening sound of crunching metal. The children erupted in screams. Sam was disoriented but regained his senses quickly. Glancing back, he was shocked to discover the front of a black pickup actually in the van! It had smashed through the two rear doors.

Continue reading “Preacher, can you help me?”

These are miracles for us!

School

Ada and Konrad* told our German staff, “These are miracles that we’ve personally experienced…we can only marvel at them!”

Konrad is the principal of a school in a German city. Though it is a Christian school, he could clearly see that many of the students and their families had little understanding of the Bible. He wondered how he could help them know God better and understand the gospel message.

He recalled how he and his wife, Ada, had gone through a Bible study that used the German edition of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. That course had helped them both in their faith, and now Ada was regularly leading ladies’ studies with it. Konrad began informing the students’ mothers about Ada’s studies. Were they interested in attending?

Continue reading “These are miracles for us!”

A scene straight out of the book of Acts

Staff Writer
Latest posts by Staff Writer (see all)

A scene straight out of the Book of ActsIn a quiet German city, the Monday night study had come to an end. Fourteen participants had been coming together once a week for fifteen weeks. Several were believers who had wanted to learn more about the Bible. Others were accompanying friends who had never read the Bible before. In this gathering were Germans, Russian-Germans and Italians. And in all the weeks that the group met, no one dropped out.

There was nothing new or radical in what was taught. The study leader simply used the German edition of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus to take the participants though a simple and coherent explanation of the gospel message. For many in the study, they heard the gospel clearly for the first time.

Continue reading “A scene straight out of the book of Acts”