Sharing the Spirit's Tracks!  

For stories about hearts being touched through servant events and mission opportunities, click here!

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We stole the idea from St. John, McMinnville, about giving out water bottles. We prepared chilled water bottles in the cooler of a local store, then put tags on the neck of each, with the name, location, and contact info for Trinity (most people in Mt. Angel still don't know there's a Lutheran church in the area because the huge catholic church is the only church in town - we're 3 miles out of town at a busy crossroads) on one side of the card, and John 4:13-14 on the other side. We set up a table and a banner giving the name and location of the church, at the corner where the 4th of July parade makes it's first turn. We loaded up wagons with coolers and walked along the route offering free water to the spectators. We also handed water to thirsty parade participants as they passed by. In all, we gave out 260 bottles of cool refreshing water. It was very well received and it was very satisfying to see so many people reading the tag. If they never come to church, at least they have a little kernel of God's Word in their pocket. The only drawback, if it really is one, is that I over bought on the water - we still have over 200 bottles tagged and ready to go. There's another street fair in Mt. Angel in August. I'll give them out then. I shared the idea with Miguel and he wants to do it at Hope next year because people fill Hope's parking lot to watch fireworks.

Anyway, thanks to Pastor Zander for the great idea! Hope he doesn't mind us "stealing" it.

7-6-07

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After seventeen years of being shut down, Dairy Queen opened up a new store in Anchorage . According to the evening news on TV, the lines to get in were so long that people were waiting for over an hour just to experience some of DQ's famous ice cream treats once again.  With a population of over 300,000 people, one would think that this phenomenon would have been more like a small town experiencing its first ever store. With the only other DQ in Alaska being several hours drive from Anchorage , the residents had anxiously awaited for this store to finally open.

Now imagine being in a small western Alaska village where a long line of children wait anxiously outside of a building being used for Vacation Bible School and Christian basketball camp. Click here for the rest of this story!

6-16-07

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I had opportunity to share a clear Gospel witness with a Jehovah Witness neighbor.   He was willing to come to my home after a pamphlet invitation from the JW group had been left as a door hanger at our home. The pamphlet included the question: "Who is Jesus?"  And, a question re: His Passion. I asked him to answer these questions for me.   He did.  And a solid exchange of the Gospel took place. 

Another neighbor was visiting over the fence with me during Holy Week.   The subject of concerning Jesus death and resurrection came up.   So, I gave a clear witness to the Gospel to her.   She also said that "Jesus Christ is risen today is her favorite Easter hymn.   I responded by saying this hymn will be the opening hymn at our church's Easter Sunday service.  And, I invited her to come.  BUT, she didn't.  So, during the week following Easter I had opportunity to share the service bulletin with her.  I said I wanted to verify that we in fact did sing that hymn.  She took it, but has not followed up on it with me.

But, the Word of God is planted again.

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TIM's FISH STORY

I teach 8th grade in a public school.  One day while my students (35 in all) were coloring the dissection of the frog before we actually did the dissection, I allowed the students to talk because they had been testing all morning long for 3 days.  Across the room I heard a tidbit of a conversation, "You know... the Resurrection??"  I saw Tim talking and explaining Christ's last days on earth before and after his resurrection to about 5 kids.  They were all listening intently and some had even stopped coloring. There were chill bumps on my arms.  I found myself over near that group on my rounds around the classroom and asked him about confirmation.  He went on to explain that and someone says, "Are you a Catholic?"  Tim proudly said, "No, I'm a Lutheran!"  I asked when he was going to be invited to join the high school classes and he said, "Fish is later that day." * Of course they all asked what is fish?  He asked them if they had seen all the fish on the cars driving around.  They didn't understand until he drew it and explained about the persecution of the Christians and how they would draw ½ of the symbol when they met someone else and if they were a Christian also they would finish the "fish".  The kids said "Cool".  I was very proud of him and could see that he could now very easily invite any of them to a function at church because he had laid the groundwork.  Praise the Lord, Tim.

* FISH is the name of the High School group at Tim’s congregation

4-15-07

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After returning from a week of vacation, my 2 person confirmation class had suddenly grown to 6! Praise the Lord. So now I am teaching confirmation twice a week to catch up the 4 new students.

I performed a wedding last Sunday afternoon (right after Palm Sunday Worship). The wedding party attended chuch at 11:00 before the wedding at 12:30. I had the opportunity to preach the Word of God during the service, during the wedding ceremony, and then I talked to each non-member of the wedding party that afternoon after the ceremony. God is so good! I sensed many hurting people who heard that Jesus loves them and wants to be part of their life.

In all God gave me the opportunity to plant seeds of the Gospel to 41 people. Pray with me that they will grow strong.

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A story about a man named Boyd.  Boyd is a quadriplegic; paralyzed from the neck down.  The news item; shot at an Idaho Falls assisted living facility, told how Boyd was going to be able to fly back to New York to be with his family.  Here's the rest of the story! http://www.nowlcms.org/whats_new_article.aspx?WID=217&DID=3

4-01-07

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Shared Jesus Christ with a lady who had just started a restaurant in Port Townsend. She has been struggling both with the business and in her life in the past but knew Christ and appreciated the support in her life. I shared the verses of Hebrews 13: 20 -21 as support for her struggle. She said she was going to go home and read it. I asked her if she was a Christian and she said yes. I told her ( Are you a Christian is a phrase I use often in introducing Jesus to others). If they say yes I say great and if they say "no - why?" I tell them that I was going to invite them to become one since we could use a person like them in the family of believers and that they would make a great one."

My wife and I also keep little care packages in our car _ bottle of water, chocolate bar, power bar and a few other treats that we give to those begging along side the road. Includes in the bag are a few tracts on who Jesus is and some brief reading material on what Jesus has done for us and can do for them. The encounters are brief but the message in the bag is clear. It is given with a "God Bless You" and usually received with the same reply. We have given out many of these over the last year but are just staring to include them in our witness count.

7-25-06

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We have shared the love of Christ with people we meet our whole adult lives. At the district convention my wife and I decided that we would start to add to the numbers through our own "TTS" and "ABLAZE" process since our home congregation is not yet involved in either of these initiatives. We have set a goal in our church body but more importantly; time is short for each of us and we must become bolder in sharing God's love for us and for all people.

These three come from the event in the park during the convention and will begin our journey of "Making our lives count" for the Lord. I heard many wonderful stories of witness at the convention - I hope they get counted.

As a board member it is essential that I lead by example. I must take the time to register the work the Holy Spirit is doing through me and ask Him to open more doors daily; to share His love with those He places in my path.

6-30-06

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Ruth Purdy was baring her soul to her hairdresser. “You know, there is one nightmare that keeps recurring in my dreams, and even when I am awake.” “Yeah? what is it?”,  Stacy asked. “It is this: that at my funeral, the pastor in charge will not even have known me!” “Oh! Easy! I can fix that!”, Stacy laughed. “I’ll introduce you to my pastor. He’d love to get to know you!”

That was the beginning of some twelve visits with Pastor Manfred Berndt over the next two years. Ruth was loved by many. For her 90^th birthday bar-b-que over 400 came to her ranch. Her husband “Bud”, 76, worked long hours, was the regular chief cook for the annual October hunting party of six men, still piloted their small airplane, and was a highly respected leader in the county. As vice-chairman of the board, he helped raise over 20 million dollars for the new St. Luke’s hospital building. He loved to romance his wife.  Click here for the rest of the story!

5-5-06

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Al Johnston a veteran pastor of the Northwest District had a quandary. While he was greatly enjoying his ministry as a parish pastor in Tillamook Oregon, he felt compelled to relocate to be near his children. Al's wife Judy is fighting cancer and it seemed as if that was the best of all possible scenarios. But what to do occupationally when the three churches of the Yakima area all had at least two pastors with his arrival. The only ministry position available was to be the music minister for Bethlehem Lutheran church. This of course was not sufficient to live on so Allan took on a second part time position as Chaplain for Lower Valley Hospice in Sunnyside Washington.

5-9-06

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PRAYER–ARE YOU READY FOR THE ANSWERS? (Names and exact location have been changed because of HIPAA Laws but this is none-the-less encouraging.)

Nancy leads a Steps to Recovery Bible Class at her church.  She and her husband, Jerry, were both recovering from addictions and knew the power of God which led them to wholeness.  Located just a mile away from a VA Rehabilitation Center and Hospital, they thought their church would be a good place for meetings.  They and a couple of Christian friends would form the nucleus for the group.  For the first year, attendance varied from the two of them to half a dozen.  They kept meeting, they kept studying the Bible and the Twelve Steps toward Recovery, and they kept praying.

Jerry died a few months ago.  At one of the last Bible class meetings he attended he gave a moving testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit to bring new life and recovery, followed by a prayer for many to come to new life through the Word and the witness of this group.  The Lord took him home just two weeks later.  The church was filled to overflowing at his memorial service, and many heard the great news of resurrection and new life which Jerry believed so firmly.

The little group continued even as Nancy took a couple of weeks away for grief time.  And then she was back, trusting that the prayers Jerry had uttered and those the small group continued to raise to God would be heard.  As they continued to meet and study and share, God would send more candidates for recovery to them.  They were confident of that.

Six weeks after Jerry’s death, their Pastor called a couple of people from the group.  “Please pray that the people who talked to me this afternoon will be at your meeting tonight,” he said.  “Pray that God will reach out to them tonight.”

At 7:00 p.m. four people were present–two “regulars” plus the couple for whom we had been praying.  By 7:15 two other group members drove up and found half a dozen new people in the parking lot wondering which door led to the meeting.  By 7:20 four more showed up.  That evening sixteen people came under the influence of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s power.  And while such a group has a revolving constituency, the Steps to Recover Bible Class has doubled its previous average attendance.

Does the Holy Spirit continue to work through the Word?  Does God answer prayer?  This small but growing group in Southern Oregon responds with a resounding YES!   And we have learned, in addition to prayer, to set up extra tables and chairs. 

Submitted by one Tracked down by the Spirit, once retired, now refired.

4-7-06

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3-28-06

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Last November I contacted radio station KUIK in Hillsboro, OR in order to find out information about the possibility of airing the Life Promises gospel radio announcements for the Northwest District. The salesperson I dealt with was a fellow named Matt. In my e-mail correspondence with him, he shared that he had been raised in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, but was now going to another church although he was not entirely happy with the new pastor they had at that church.

The decision was made to have KUIK broadcast the week day Life Promises messages, and I started sending Matt “mp3” type computer sound files of the daily messages. Matt e-mailed back saying that he really enjoyed them.  After working with Matt for two months, he found out that he was no longer needed at the radio station. He called me to tell me about the job situation and to let me know that I would be working with someone else at KUIK in the future, but that he appreciated the message. We prayed together over the phone and then he sent me an e-mail with this text:
Pastor-
I thank God that we were able to meet.
Your messages have inspired me during a rough time and a difficult job.
I have faith that God will take care of me and my family and your prayer today recharged that.
I pray for God's will to be done and the vision to see that will.

My congregation and I started to pray for him in our worship services.
The “rest of the story” is that Matt finally did get another job that started on July 11th. He now works for a mortgage company and in the first week sold five mortgages when he was told that he would do well if he sold even one.
His last e-mail included this text:
Thank you and your congregation so much for your prayers. This job was better than I had hoped for. Prayers do work!
Bless you and your great church! Couldn't have done it without the prayers!
Matt

7-27-05

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7-12-05

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7/1/05

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Seed planting results in baptism: Ella is a 16-year-old girl who came as a servant to a recent week-long Soccer Camp outreach. She worked with the daily puppet shows for the K-2nd grade soccer kids.  At the end of the week she asked to be baptized. She was so excited and thrilled at her baptism, and we praise God for the privilege of having the Holy Spirit work through the Servant Event to bring her into His family. 

6/26/05

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6/27/05

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6/27/05

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On a trip from Anchorage to Seattle I sat next to a woman in her mid-forties. In our conversation she asked why I had visited AK and I shared that I work for the Lutheran Church, attending a Pastors’ Conference there. She shared that she was from Belgium and that the Catholic Church was nearly the state religion there. In fact, as young girl, she had gone to school at a convent.

She asked what Lutherans believed about baptism. I shared that we believe in infant baptism, if possible, but most certainly that baptism is an important part of our spiritual life.  I went on to say that we believe that baptism is an action of God and that He only could bring about a relationship with us since we, as humans, had no ability to make ourselves right before him. Not by what we do or say.

She questioned whether this was from the basis of “original sin.” I related that it could be in essence but the reality is that we are all sinful and cannot save ourselves.

She shared that, as a girl, she had seen that the convent had a cemetery with two sections. One section was well kept and the other was not. She had asked the sisters why the one portion was in such poor condition. She was told that those were the graves of the infant babies and those that committed suicide. Since the infants had not been baptized, they were not going to heaven. She told me that this had bothered her all her life and she could not related to a God that would do that.

I replied that I could see how it would be difficult to accept such a God and then I added that although Lutherans believe that baptism is a means of grace, it is not the only way God can work. I said we can point to one instance where entrance into heaven was given to one who was not baptized – the thief on the cross. Jesus assured him that he would be in heaven with Him because of his faith and yet he was not able to be baptized prior to his death. And, I said, this really speaks to me in that Jesus stated that we need to have faith like children to believe in Him.

The woman thought on that for a moment and then related that her five year old had come to her and asked, “What is forever?” She said that she is not a member of any church and did not practice the Catholic faith. She did not know where her daughter would get such as question. She wondered why a five year old would think such deep thoughts. I told her that I believed that God has placed the need for the eternal in each of us and even her daughter will consider these questions because of that.

I shared that Jesus wanted children to relate to Him and asked that they not be restrained from visiting Him. He wants to see faith like that in each of us. At this comment, the woman went into thoughts of her own and our trip soon came to an end. As we prepared to leave she wished me well. I bid her good travel and care for her family.

As with many “Gospel Opportunities” I often think I could have had better words or more to say; but as Jesus has promised, He will give us the words and they will never return void. This small conversation touched on a life long experience that negatively affected this woman’s view of God and the Spirit gave words that directly spoke to her experiences. That was enough for the time being.  The seed is planted and I am praying that the Holy Spirit continues to speak to this woman through others. It is a privilege to plant the seeds and have faith of child that they will grow.

6-14-05

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This is a story is about a member at a LCMS church in Idaho:

There is gal that was too shy to really speak to people. She was a great encourager and writer. She decided to use these gifts by writing letters to people who were in need of some “lifting up.” Eventually she moved  from sending letters to only church people, family and friends to those she heard of or read about in the community – even though she did not know them. She prayed and trusted despite misgivings and fear that when her heart was heavy for a particular person, she was to write them. Then she would continue to send letters and pray for these people. Sometimes she was blessed to know the outcome of the letters – but not always. She trusted that the seeds she planted would be watered, tended, and nurtured by the Holy Spirit to be harvested by the Angels at the proper time. She had a quiet and gentle spirit. There were few “non-recipients” that knew of her ministry.

One of the last letters she wrote was to a local community Doctor who had been in the news because of tremendous difficulties. The letter was beautiful. (I have personally seen it) Full of personal testimony in caring, loving, and unobtrusive words to lift up a brother in the Lord or point this man to Christ. She did not know if he was Christian or not – but she answered the call to “be God’s love.”

We do not yet know the end of the story, but past history of this woman’s letters would lead one to believe the seeds she has planted even from her deathbed will bloom through the work of the Holy Spirit. To be part of  Angels’ harvest (Matt 13:36-39) to the glory of God!

This IS Tracking the Spirit. Answering the call to step into the opportunities that the Holy Spirit prepares. Even more, seeking lost sheep, making opportunities that will allow for the sharing of Christ’s love. – through letters, interest groups, development of friendships and trust relationships, classes, sports activities, etc.

6-1-05

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4-26-05

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2/11/05

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I presented this to my people right after the convention. To date one family has shared with three people. As pastor I have shared with four people and hope that a couple of those will soon be members.

2/10/05

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Lutheran Social Services provided Christmas stockings to 1,545 children. Each stocking contained the message of the Savior's birth. We are now in the process of collecting and distributing Easter baskets with the message of the resurrection to our young clients and their families.

2/09/05

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For the past 20 months, my wife and I have endeavored to "mentor" a young de-churched couple I married. We pray for them and meet occasionally.

2/09/05