Friday, April 2, 2004

10:51 PM Four days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Calvary sent a team (Wayne Kuna, Josh Pritchard, Nick Pritchard, Nick Borton) to deliver 5000 copies of “An Anchor for the Soul” to Calvary Chapel of Old Bridge, New Jersey. They distributed thousands of copies near Ground Zero. About five weeks later, we sent a second team (myself, Chris Jahns, Craig Hammond, Steve Meyer, and Seth Grotelueschen) to deliver 1000 more copies to the church and 5000 copies to the Word of Life team led by Rick Warken. Earlier today Rick sent me the following note:

I just gave away the very last copy of “An Anchor for the Soul” of the 5,000 you had donated for our use at Ground Zero after 9/11. Thank you once again for the donation. Could I request that you send us maybe 1,000 more for our ministries in NYC, Philadelphia and other major cities where we work through our ministries with Bible Institute students? We would distribute them through our Spanish MInistries and Open Air Evangelism teams.

We are happy to send the additional copies. Then Rick wrote again with this story:

A man received a copy of “Anchor” on Canal Street in NYC and the next day was walking on 43rd St near Times Square the next day. Well, when one of our students wanted to do a questionairre with him he said no but had received one of the books he was holding. He said he had read it already and had received the Lord last night and was wondering what he needed to do now. He has since been discipled.

It’s great to partner with ministries like Calvary Chapel, Word of Life, Prison Fellowship, and Good News Jail and Prison Ministries in getting the gospel out to people who need to know the Lord. 10:46 PM A new Sermon series on 1 Thessalonians has just been added to the website. There are 13 sermons, including “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Five Words on a Tombstone,” “Heavenly Rewards,” “Abstain!” and “Christian Aerobics.” 4:11 PM Kudos to Josh Edwards and Marshall Birkey for their interview in the Trapeze, the school newspaper for Oak Park-River Forest High School. The paper interviewed Josh and Marshall (and three other students) about “The Passion of the Christ.” They both did a great job of presenting their faith eloquently. Some excerpts: Josh Edwards: “I am a Christian and I do believe that Jesus dying on a cross saved me from going to hell.” Marshall Birkey: “There’s a line in the movie that says, ‘No one takes my life from me. I give it freely.’ Hue just gave it up, so that the people who were killing him, and crucifying him, and spitting on him and all that stuff, could have a chance to know God and go to heaven.” At one point a student named Darius who says he is a Zoroastrian asks why Jesus had to die for everyone else to know God. Marshall explains that Christians believe that Jesus died for the sins of humanity. He says that just as animals were used in the Temple as a means to cleanse one’s sins, Christians believe Jesus offered his own blood as the final sacrifice. In the same issue of the Trapeze, there is a point-counterpoint on the issue of abstinence versus birth control for high school students. Priscilla Reisinger wrote in favor of abstinence. She is a graduate of Oak Park Christian Academy. An excerpt:

Condoms don’t protect one’s heart or one’s conscience. Abstinence education teaches students to value themselves.

Josh, Marshall and Priscilla are part of the Allied Force High School ministry at Calvary.