Naomi – Page 7 – The GoodSeed Blog

Indiana Jones and the power of a visual aid

The power of a visual aid Some months ago, John Cross met with a pastor over breakfast at a local diner. Their purpose in sitting down together was to become acquainted with each other and for John to share about the ministry of GoodSeed and how it might be of assistance to other ministries.

Before John could launch into his presentation, however, the pastor began blitzing him with questions regarding GoodSeed and its approach to teaching. At one point, John was explaining GoodSeed’s use of visual aids and how many ordinary believers have found them effective in helping people connect with the biblical worldview.

John pulled out a visual aid he had with him and placed it on the table between them. “Let’s see how long it’ll take for this to help launch a conversation with someone here in the restaurant.”

Continue reading “Indiana Jones and the power of a visual aid”

Over 90 and trusting Christ for the first time

90-year-old man

Since the launch of The Story that Matters, we’ve seen individuals and churches give out hundreds and hundreds of the 64-page booklet. One reason people like to use this small book is that it provides background and information about the God of the Bible (who he is and what he is like), the problem of sin and the salvation that Jesus offers. For someone with no background about the Bible, the booklet uses a historical narrative to introduce God in a way that makes sense.

Recently, we received an email from Amanda.* She had ordered ten copies and passed several to her sister who helps care for an elderly neighbour. Amanda relates what happened:

Continue reading “Over 90 and trusting Christ for the first time”

Make the most of every opportunity

IV drip

Sometimes we have only a brief moment in time to share the gospel with an individual. Other times, as Peter* discovered, the opportunities for interaction may stretch over years.

Peter met Bill* under difficult circumstances. Peter himself had travelled quite a distance to the regional cancer clinic for a bone marrow transplant. Chemotherapy and radiation would later follow. Bill, on the other hand, was there to be by his wife’s side as she fought her own battle with cancer.

The first time the men met was in the elevator. The hospital served a wide area so it was only the common denominator of cancer that drew these two to the same location. As they made eye contact, Peter felt immediately that they would form a friendship.

Continue reading “Make the most of every opportunity”

Boy puts his faith in Christ after reading “The Lamb”

Recently, we heard from Wesley* on our Facebook page about a story unfolding in his church.

He’d been approached by a lady in his church who was concerned for her grandchildren. Wesley described GoodSeed’s book, The Lamb, to her and the woman immediately requested four books. When she received them, she gave the books to her grandchildren and waited to hear their response.

The mother of one of these grandchildren began reading The Lamb to her son each night before bed. The father, an unbeliever, would be sitting across the room, listening in.

Continue reading “Boy puts his faith in Christ after reading “The Lamb””

Special sleeves for “The Story that Matters”

Many of us desire to reach out to acquaintances with the gospel, but struggle to know exactly how to do it. Many of GoodSeed’s materials are ideal for people in just such a situation, equipping individuals with tools they can simply give away like a large gospel tract.

One such tool is our most recent booklet entitled The Story that Matters. Small, affordably priced and illustrated with modern, expressive line art, this sixty-four page book is an excellent tool to hand out to those you meet on the street or en masse to large groups.

Continue reading “Special sleeves for “The Story that Matters””

“I feel confident in my salvation now”

This is the second instalment in a two-part story. Read the first installment.

A Tale of Two Brothers: Jake’s Story

Paul encouraged Timothy to not “let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV)

In the following story, Jake* has modelled for me, a 30-some year-old believer, what it means to simply trust and obey the Lord as he provides opportunities to share the gospel.

Jake’s older brother, in turn, had earlier set an example for him by leading students through a simple explanation of the gospel in the schools he attended. Now, Jake is following in his brother’s footsteps, continuing to teach fellow students.

Continue reading ““I feel confident in my salvation now””

2015 TERM Seminar in Alberta, Canada

TERM Seminar: Visual AIds

In an ever-changing world filled with different worldviews and competing ideologies, how can we share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that doesn’t confuse the message or make assumptions of our audience? Does the Bible have anything to say to address a world of people who are indifferent or worse–cold–towards its message of hope?

The GoodSeed TERM™ Seminar is a time to stop and rethink evangelism in the context of our diverse world. This seminar takes participants into Scripture to see what it has to say about evangelism methodology. In the process, there springs to light an approach that Jesus used on the road to Emmaus. The architecture of “The Emmaus Road Message” (TERM) has proven effective–whether we are engaging the confused, the seeker or the hardened.

Continue reading “2015 TERM Seminar in Alberta, Canada”

Connecting the dots

What does it take to make a GoodSeed translation available?

( Read this in French / Lisez ce en français )

Rusty’s* desk is crowded. Stacks of paper, books, a MacBook with a blue sticker supporting local businesses and a coil of cables are being arranged to go into a sturdy backpack in preparation for a work trip. This upcoming trip will see Rusty pass through the UK, Germany, Italy and a few other places too risky to mention. Behind him, a map of the world is tacked to the wall not simply as office decoration, but as a way to visualize the remote locations where his contacts are located. Another wall bears a whiteboard covered in a long list of languages. Written neatly in a sloping hand, the list reflects the current translation projects GoodSeed has in progress. Many of the languages come from areas on the globe where the good news of the Bible is not readily available.

Continue reading “Connecting the dots”

Reaching out in the halls of public schools

This is the first installment of a two-part story. Read part two.

A tale of two brothers: Benjamin’s Story

Recently I had a phone conversation with Benjamin.* I had heard through the grapevine that he had been very active in reaching out to fellow students in public school, using one of our books, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Benjamin graciously agreed to share his story and how God used those years in his life and in the lives of others.

Continue reading “Reaching out in the halls of public schools”

The simple, unassuming and authoritative nature of the book changed my life

A while ago, we received an email from Hayden* who lives Down Under in Australia. His story was a good reminder of two important factors in our outreach with others. First, our testimony in a community really does have an impact—for better or for worse. Second, we were reminded that simply giving a book away can also make a big difference in a person’s life.

Hayden shared how he had grown up attending church with his family, one of the few in his small community. While he was taught a lot about the Bible, he found himself ultimately rejecting God’s Word based upon what he saw in the lives of his fellow church members.

“I didn’t see the face of Christ in that place and the fruitlessness—in both numbers and maturity—was very confusing.”

Continue reading “The simple, unassuming and authoritative nature of the book changed my life”