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Trek 2008 - June 25 Sowing Report - The 6 E's
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Trek 2008 – June 25 Sowing Report – The 6 E’s
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
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 persecution 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-thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown. Mark 4:14-20 NIV
I’m a farmer and my job is to sow seeds. I will describe some of what happened on Char Cooley’s birthday, June 25, 2008. I spent most of the day sowing seeds in Rockford Illinois. (See pictures - Illinois – Rockford) I call the sowing activities God calls me to the 6 E’s – To Evangelize, Exhort, Educate, Encourage, Exorcise, and Ease.
Evangelize
One evangelistic encounter today fell on such fertile soil that I had to share it. Angela was my lunchtime server. She was friendly, beautiful, and helpful. I asked her secret, hoping she would say Christ.
Instead, she said, “I’m high on life I guess.”
“Are you a Christian?” I asked.
“Not really,” she said. “I believe in Jesus. My dad was lonely and asked me to go to church with him so I’ve been going to a Baptist church. I’ve even started reading a Bible.”
“Do you believe Jesus is the son of God?” I asked.
“I do,” she said.
“Have you asked Him to be a part of your life?”
“No,” she said. “I think believing in Him and trying to live like Him should be enough.”
“Oh sweetie,” I said. “It is not enough. Jesus gave us free will and we have to choose Him. To become a Christian, we have to confess our sins and invite Him into our life. If you’ve been in a Baptist church, you’ve heard that before.”
Angela nodded and I continued, “If you believe in Jesus, what are you waiting on? This is your life and eternity we are talking about.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I really don’t. Something just always stops me.”
“Why don’t we do it right now and settle the issue,” I said.
She looked quickly around. “I don’t want to offend my other tables.”
There was only one table within hearing distance. The woman quickly spoke up, “You won’t offend us.”
I looked at her and asked, “Are you a Christian?”
She smiled at her husband. “We both are.”
“Angela,” I said. “This is more important than anything else you will do in your entire life. Can we invite Jesus into your life right now?”
“Yes,” she said enthusiastically. “Why not?”
I took her hand and said, “Repeat after me.” I slowly led her through a prayer, confessing her mistakes, her need for Jesus, and belief in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. She carefully and reverently repeated each phrase.
When she finally said the words, “Jesus, I invite you into my life,” I sighed with relief. I could hardly speak. The husband and wife at the next table sat spell bound through it all.
Angela beamed and took a Pocket Full of Quarters card. “Thank you,” she said as she left to help her next customer.
Exhort
Five sales clerks in a department store were sitting around kibitzing with each other. They were teenagers and young adults -full of vim and vigor, confident that their life was going to go well and their ideas were right. One was drawing an amazing sketch while others watched.
I walked up and said, “I hope you are using that God given talent for God.”
It turned out he had grown up in church but was expanding his theology to include many other religions.
“Don’t you think it is all one God?” he asked.
“Are you talking about Mohammad, Jesus, and Buddha?” I confirmed.
“Yes,” he said. “What is important is that people understand that God loves them.”
You can probably guess my response as I firmly quoted scripture. He had the grace to look sheepish. He quoted scripture back.
In course of that conversation, another sales clerk, a high school senior confessed he had stopped going church. Again – you can probably guess the scolding I gave. I kept my tone light and teasing but I had his attention.
A third young woman had three boys - 2, 4, and 6. I laughed and said, “I am going to pray for you. I hope you have them in church or your life will be miserable when they are 12, 14, and 16.”
I gave them all cards with quarters and left as quickly as I appeared. They stared stunned and bemused. I have no idea what kind of soil those seeds fell on.
Educate
My undergraduate degree is in Music Education. I have 30 additional graduate hours in education. I taught public school for a year and Yamaha Music School for many years. I say this to demonstrate how interested I am in learning and education. I love to study, dissect, and investigate. I’ve spent much of my life teaching something. I’m told my writing voice is that of a teacher. That may or may not be a good thing, depending on how much you liked school. I write and post stories every night and know by the number of website hits that seeds are sown. What I don’t know is the type of soil it falls on.
I spent the morning of June 25, studying Mark 4:14-20. When I got to verses 18-19, I did a double take. There were 3 things that can make us unfruitful – worry, deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things. I love lists and had not noticed this one.
While studying, a girlfriend called, having an aggravating morning. I pointed her to Mark 4:18-19.
She gasped, “I’m worried.” I could feel the wheels in this Godly woman’s mind turning as she made up her mind not to worry. She e-mailed later about how fruitful her day was. Those seeds fell of fertile soil.
Encourage
A woman leaned heavily on her cane as she limped through the lunch line. Throughout lunch, her husband patiently and lovingly cared for her. I introduced myself and said, “I’ve watched the two of you and have been so impressed. It is obvious you love each other and it is inspiring.”
Their last name was Sword. They live one day at a time and are Christians. Mr. Sword smiled. “She had a stroke 10 years ago. I could have lost her. She was in the hospital for a year. I’m blessed to be able to do this.”
“She is blessed to have you,” I said.
His wife nodded, and said through slurred words, “I am blessed to be loved by him.” They looked lifted by the conversation and this time, instead of sowing seeds, I felt like I had poured a little water on slightly dry soil.
Exorcise
My Bible says I can pray and bind the power of Satan. Books about witchcraft and spells sit on bookshelves of the major bookstores. There is usually a crowd, sitting around in comfortable chairs, engrossed in the study of the occult. Occasionally I begin conversations with these budding witches but today, as I drove by a major book chain, I had another idea.
I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my evangelism tracts that look like dollar bills, and went inside. I marched back to where the books on the occult were shelved and started taking them off the shelf. I prayed over each book, binding the power of Satan over the person/s who would read the book. I folded my tiny dollar bill tracts so they looked like dollar bills and placed one inside each book. Through it all, I nervously glanced around; sure I was going to be caught.
Bob called while I was in the middle of my spiritual warfare and I told him what I was doing.
“Should I just go ahead and get the lawyer now?” he asked.
Ease
My favorite work is easing the pain, confusion, or physical burdens of those around me. I’ve helped people wash clothes, changed tires, offered rides, and even cleaned a stranger’s car seats after their errant dog.
At breakfast, a woman walking on a cane was having trouble walking and balancing her plate.
“May I help?” I asked.
“My granddaughter is supposed to be helping,” she said.
Guiltily, her granddaughter jumped up, ran over, and grabbed the plate. Victoria was 13, had been on the road with her grandparents for weeks, and was bored. She went to Catholic school but wasn’t a Christian. As often happens, offering to ease a burden, leads to an evangelistic opportunity. I talked with her and gave her a card.
Later that same day, I was in a department store and saw a small girl’s mouth quivering. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I can’t find Mommy.”
I’d already met and talked with her mommy earlier. I pointed and the child bolted gratefully. I said after her, “God bless you.”
So there you have it, a day in the life of the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady. There was more but you get the idea. God delighted me by letting me be with Angela when she invited Jesus into her life. My calling is to sow seeds and trust the harvest to God. The soil condition is up to the individuals.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.
This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road as a traveling missionary, send your tax deductible contribution to Pocket Full of Change Ministries, POB 51205, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240.
© Pocket Full of Change Ministries
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