On the brink of being a blessing

Bro and Mrs Ralph Juliuson from Oklahoma City are "teetering on the brink of being a blessing!"
They arrived a couple of weeks ago to visit the Holcomb family and do what they can to be a help to the work here.
They have played piano, sang specials, and taken part in the street ministry and everything else that is going on. Bro Ralph has also preached for us a couple of times.
They dove right in and have really been an encouragement to us all.

Great blessing during afternoon rush hour

This young couple saw us standing for Christ during afternoon rush hour, and they were so excited to see the Truth being proclaimed on the roadside that they stopped to find out more about us. They live in Lendava Slovenia, just a few kilometers to the north, where they attend a Baptist church.  It was a great blessing to see their excitement and joy and for them to have a desire to lift up Christ with us.

Amen

Amy Winehouse - Heaven or Hell?

Anytime a famous person's death is published in the news, the first thought I have is, Did their eternal soul go to heaven or hell?
Admittedly, I only know that I am saved and going to heaven and I cannot possibly know about anyone else.
However, I do know from the Bible that musical talent and fame can't take anyone to heaven.
The only one who can save is Jesus Christ. By faith in Him you can be saved, guaranteeing you a place in heaven for all eternity, regardless of your popularity, talent, or wealth.
Did Amy Winehouse ever place her faith for salvation in Jesus Christ and Him alone? Only she and God know that. Although apparently gifted as a musician by some worldly standard, her life was sad and pathetic. The only thing that matters to her today is her relationship with Jesus Christ.

This is what the Bible says about how to be saved:

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Ro 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Ro 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ro 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ro 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Ac 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ...
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.


Being idolized by the world doesn't save anyone from Hell.
Having a great fortune doesn't purchase a place in heaven.

God is not impressed with worldly fame. God is not impressed with great riches and musical talent.

God sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay for Amy Winehouse's sins. God offered her the free gift of eternal life, if only she would believe on Jesus Christ and call out to Him for salvation. God gave her years to accept the free gift of eternal life.

Did she ever accept Him? If not, it is eternally too late for her.

It is not yet too late for you.

Romanian Roadside Auto Repair & Evangelization

Not being much of a mechanic makes my experience at Romanian roadside auto repair all the more special to me.
One road I needed to get back across the border from Romania to Hungary was closed for construction, forcing me to detour through a region that was not on the GPS systems at all. As I meandered through the Romanian countryside vaguely knowing I was headed in the general direction of Hungary, there was a lady standing on the road trying to flag down some help after her car broke down.
Thinking this was going to be strange, since I don't speak Romanian, and I am not good at fixing modern cars and I only had one small tool (a miniature Swiss Army Knife/Nail Clipper), I quickly decided to pull over to assist.
After all, no one leaves a lady standing on the road in need of help.
Strange as it may seem (shocking really), I was able to diagnose the problem with the car in about one minute. It was the exact same problem I had fixed on a friend's car in 1981 (30 years ago). All I had to do was cut one small wire, peel the rubber coating back from it and re-attach it. All of which can be accomplished with just one tool (a miniature Swiss Army Knife/Nail Clipper).
Even though the lady spoke no English, I was able to understand that she was glad I came along.
Then, and most importantly, I was able to pass along to her some Romanian gospel tracts and gesture to her that she should read them. With a look of appreciation in her eyes, she readily indicated she would read them.
How often does a guy from America drive a car from Croatia through
the countryside of Romania and stop to fix a lady's car, and just happened to have gospel tracts in the language of the lady he stopped to help?
I wonder if she got the message and got saved. God was sure working hard to see that the message got delivered.
Thank God for detours.

(Do you carry gospel tracts on you? What kind of an opportunity might you get if you did? What opportunity have you missed?)

Great time in Brasov Romania

Last Thursday I arrived in Brasov, Romania to spend a few days working with and learning from Bro Gerald Sutek, who has been street preaching for many years.
We are having a great time preaching in the town square along with a group of over 20 young Americans who came for an intense 7-week Bible course taught by Bro Sutek and Bro Brent Logan.
I had the opportunity to attend 5 days of classes with them and it has been a blessing.
Friday night is street preaching night in the town square. The police come regularly to harass the preachers, attempting to stop the preaching. The law in Romania permits public preaching, but the police have continued their pattern of intimidation for the past seven years anyway.  Please pray the brethren will remain bold and continue to declare the word of God.