jeff mikels

This week we executed a plan that I had been brewing since last year at this time.

You may already have read about our “Black Friday” Hot Chocolate Giveaway. On that day, we gave out nearly 500 mugs of hot chocolate or coffee to shoppers braving the local Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving. Well, this week, we gave out flying discs to families at the fireworks show on Purdue’s campus on July 4. It was a blast, and it was a big success too.

The setup

At the top of this post, you can see the final design for the flying discs that we bought through <www.dollarimprint.com> for around 70 cents each once shipping was included. The design on the top is a gradual spiral (which looks really cool when the discs are flying) surrounded by the words “stop spinning, find your center, reach higher | southside church” our phone number, web address, and core value verbs are also printed on the top.

We ordered T-Shirts with a tye dyed look and a very similar logo design on the front and the back. Here’s a picture of what they look like.

The elements of the plan were simple and very much like the hot chocolate giveaway:

• Give a free flying disc to every family out there until we ran out or it got dark.
• Have two tables set up to take registrations for a free drawing to win an iPod shuffle or other prizes.
• Have all our volunteers wearing matching T-Shirts.

I should soon have a picture of what the setup looked like.

How it went

In all, it was a very successful event. The volunteers had a lot of fun, the people who received the flying discs were very appreciative, and a large number of people signed our entry forms. I don’t have a final count yet of those who were willing to be added to our mailing list. It was so cool to look across the field of families waiting for the fireworks to start and to see hundreds of purple flying discs whizzing through the air all over the place. It was really exciting.

On top of it all, I personally was able to get in some good conversations with at least 4 different families who were very interested in checking out one of our Sunday Gatherings. Who knows if they will actually make it this week, but I believe we really put our name out into the community in a positive way.

I’m really eager to hear more feedback from our volunteers and also from people who may visit our church because of this outreach. If I hear some good things (or criticisms) I’ll post them here. If you would like to chime in with your opinions please add your comment. I want to know what other people think about this kind of outreach. I especially hope that events like these let people in Lafayette know that there is a church around here that cares about them and is willing to invest in their lives in a way that makes their lives a little bit better (and a little more fun too).

Last Friday, we experienced a great success in ministry. We served people free mugs of hot chocolate and coffee in front of Wal-Mart. It was a great experience.

It came to me on Black Friday

The whole idea came to me last year on the day after Thanksgiving (“Black Friday” as it has been called) while I was standing in line at a Best Buy store in the bitter cold of November in Chicago. » Click here to read the rest. «

A new website has recently been created by Justin Carboneau called sharemytestimony.org with the primary purpose of giving people a place to share their personal testimonies online. It’s an interesting concept, and his web design isn’t half bad, but I’m personally unsure of the value such a site might have. From the website:

This site was started to encourage people to share their testimony about how they came to have faith in Christ. It is also meant to inspire people to grow in their relationship with God, by seeing how God has worked in the lives of people across the world. My hope is that every Christian who visits this site will share their testimony, because everyone who accepts Christ as their savior has an incredible story to share with the world.

What do you think?

While reading The Purpose Driven Life tonight, I had the thoughts run through my mind that went something like this:

• If I really want this book to affect me, I need to ponder it through my day.
• If I want to ponder it, I need to have it condensed into ponderable form.
• I really appreciate the small ponderable devotions in books like that of Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest.
• Why should that way of life change be limited to devotionals?
• Why not create an evangelism tract that is designed like 28 days of Utmost?

I’m thinking it might be a really worthwhile project. Just give people a verse or passage of the Bible and a little thought to ponder for a day, spend some time with them personally to work through any questions, and let God speak to them on His own schedule. Honestly, why would we think that major life transformation would really come about in 5-15 minutes with a gospel tract? Isn’t that why statistically, it takes a person 7 times hearing a gospel presentation before it really sinks in. What if we had an evangelistic tract that was simple, ponderable, and created to sink in over time?

I think I’m going to do it!

God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in every- thing. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.

Ephesians 4:15 MSG

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:9-10

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Corinthians 1:9

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may par- ticipate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:3-4

And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

Philippians 1:6 NLT

The thief comes only to steal and kill and de- stroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:3

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:12

receive it

GOD, I have sensed my need for you, and I have sensed you at work in me, but I have sought fulfillment apart from you. I have served myself instead of you. I have sinned. I believe you sent Jesus to die in my place, to make peace with you for me, and I believe he is alive today with you. Please forgive me. Do your work in me. Fill me with your Spirit. I surrender my life to you today in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! … We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

2 Corinthians 5:17, 20

[Jesus said,] I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

John 14:12

For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

1 Peter 1:23 NLT

Isaiah 65:17-25

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and re- joice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusa- lem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hun- dred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my peo- ple; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy moun- tain,” says the LORD.

Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel—’God is with us.’

Isaiah 7:14 NLT

…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

[Jesus was] tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

[Jesus said,] “I and the Father are one.”

John 10:30

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

John 14:6, 11

“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied…. Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Mark 15:2, 15

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was cruci- fied. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

Matthew 28:5-6

After his suffering, he showed him- self to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:3

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:3-6

He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!

1 Peter 2:24 NLT

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

Romans 4:25 NLT

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11