To grow spiritually we need food for the soul, (God's Word) and exercise. Today we exercised our faith. 900 believers gladly changed their Sunday morning routine to exit the normal fashion of worship --- God's heart rejoiced as He went before us and welcomed our acts of service. With great enthusiasm His children who had ears to hear at the Crossroads of HWY99 at HWY 120 chose to make Jesus visible today! By allowing His light to shine through, a sea of green sang joyfully and prayed soulfully together before the same green army went out into the ripe fields of Manteca. Brigades of believers took God's love to the streets today! Team choices:
Help fix a fence for a widow, paint fire hydrants, pick up trash along the river, plant trees, help a disabled couple with home projects, tidy up the Tidewater bike trail, visit the elderly in rest homes, take clothing to battered women at Haven of Peace, help out at the County crisis center. There was a prayer team, and a street connecting team who entered conversations about Jesus with intention while handing out water and jackets to the homeless. We prayed that the Lord would provide opportunities as the Holy Spirit opens the hearts of those they came face to face with.
Door to door, behind Walmart, and where-ever the homeless dwell, they shared their shining countenance and their two minute commercial of what Jesus has done for them ---followed by a direct question: "Would you be interested in talking about eternal life?" Today people from every walk, all wearing the identical inner garment of the Holy Spirit, and all wearing the same matching outer garment, a green T-shirt for Christ, mobilized for the purpose of getting people to notice Jesus ALIVE behind the scenes, in our hearts,
and through our hands! People in the community of Manteca noted something invisible encouraging people to boldly speak the name and works of Jesus. People saw an unstop-able passion that empowered souls to inquire deeply about the needs of their neighbors. Later at the picnic, we were told that several were brought to Christ through the door to door witnessing and many more souls received seeds that shall be harvested at a later date! Don Bionaz, a builder and his wife live in Ripon and when business is slow, Don ministers to the homeless. He cooks up 30-40 hot breakfast burritos and delivers them at 7:00AM along the Stanislaus River in Modesto. A reporter for the Modesto Bee was there with his camera making news about the seeds of good being sown today!
"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had not root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying 30, 60, or even a 100 times. Then Jesus said "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.....the farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecutions comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop...30, 60 or even 100 times what was sown....He also said,
'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." Mark 4:1-33. These green t-shirted folks previously admitted their need for God, they had willingly
turned from their ways, they bloom with belief that Jesus Christ died for them on the cross and that He rose from the dead---they prayerfully invited Jesus Christ to come in and reside as the Holy Spirit and change their ways into His will.....and today these PEOPLE served others as Jesus had served them! At noon we gathered at Woodward Park to share the story of what we felt, what we saw and how the prayers for those we served - changed our hearts. TAKE JESUS to the streets again on 10-10-2010 - AMEN
To grow spiritually we need food for the soul, (God's Word) and exercise. Today we exercised our faith. 900 believers gladly changed their Sunday morning routine to exit the normal fashion of worship --- God's heart rejoiced as He went before us and welcomed our acts of service. With great enthusiasm His children who had ears to hear at the Crossroads of HWY99 at HWY 120 chose to make Jesus visible today! By allowing His light to shine through, a sea of green sang joyfully and prayed soulfully together before the same green army went out into the ripe fields of Manteca. Brigades of believers took God's love to the streets today! Team choices: 
Help fix a fence for a widow, paint fire hydrants, pick up trash along the river, plant trees, help a disabled couple with home projects, tidy up the Tidewater bike trail, visit the elderly in rest homes, take clothing to battered women at Haven of Peace, help out at the County crisis center. There was a prayer team, and a street connecting team who entered conversations about Jesus with intention while handing out water and jackets to the homeless. We prayed that the Lord would provide opportunities as the Holy Spirit opens the hearts of those they came face to face with. 
Door to door, behind Walmart, and where-ever the homeless dwell, they shared their shining countenance and their two minute commercial of what Jesus has done for them ---followed by a direct question: "Would you be interested in talking about eternal life?" Today people from every walk, all wearing the identical inner garment of the Holy Spirit, and all wearing the same matching outer garment, a green T-shirt for Christ, mobilized for the purpose of getting people to notice Jesus ALIVE behind the scenes, in our hearts, 
and through our hands! People in the community of Manteca noted something invisible encouraging people to boldly speak the name and works of Jesus. People saw an unstop-able passion that empowered souls to inquire deeply about the needs of their neighbors. Later at the picnic, we were told that several were brought to Christ through the door to door witnessing and many more souls received seeds that shall be harvested at a later date! Don Bionaz, a builder and his wife live in Ripon and when business is slow, Don ministers to the homeless. He cooks up 30-40 hot breakfast burritos and delivers them at 7:00AM along the Stanislaus River in Modesto. A reporter for the Modesto Bee was there with his camera making news about the seeds of good being sown today!
"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, 
because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had not root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying 30, 60, or even a 100 times. Then Jesus said "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.....the farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. 
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecutions comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop...30, 60 or even 100 times what was sown....He also said, 
'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." Mark 4:1-33. These green t-shirted folks previously admitted their need for God, they had willingly 
turned from their ways, they bloom with belief that Jesus Christ died for them on the cross and that He rose from the dead---they prayerfully invited Jesus Christ to come in and reside as the Holy Spirit and change their ways into His will.....and today these PEOPLE served others as Jesus had served them! At noon we gathered at Woodward Park to share the story of what we felt, what we saw and how the prayers for those we served - changed our hearts. TAKE JESUS to the streets again on 10-10-2010 - AMEN
October 11, 2009 I lived in Manteca, Calif and therefore I joined a nearby local church. Crossroads is a non-denominational AWESOME bride of Christ! The pastor and staff have remained the same for over 20 years and the church started in the pastors living room. In October 2010 I moved into a rental house in Stockton that the Lord provided through a co-worker. I returned to Quail Lakes church in Stockton and conducted the 2nd study group "Pursuing More of Jesus" in February 2011. Deb Larsen, Diana Cloos, Kathy Lutz, Barbara Atkinson attended.
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