Blindfolded

By Cheryle M. Touchton

The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7


I’ve never been a big fan of games that put a blindfold on me so it should come as no surprise that sometimes walking by faith and not by sight is a little troubling. I like to plan. I’m good at planning. God often treats me by letting me use that skill in organizational structures but mostly, God reveals His plans to me personally one traffic light and donation at a time. By the time Saturday night rolls around when I’m on the road, I’m starting to wonder what time I need to set the clock for church the next morning.

“I need a suggestion for church tomorrow,” I said to the campground attendant.

“Church? she said with surprise.

“You know,” I said. “That place you join others and worship God.” She laughed and I said, “I looked on my Church Finder app and drove around and didn’t see any. Any suggestions? I don’t much care what flavor it is as long as it is Christian.”

“I think there is one about a mile up the street. I don’t know the name of it but you could drive up there and look.”

I did. It was a tiny building. I couldn’t tell much about it and didn’t recognize the “flavor.” I called Bob to look it up on the internet. We still couldn’t tell much about the church but at least I found out what time to set the clock.

“What is God saying about which church?” Bob asked.

“I haven’t heard from Him. That’s why I’m calling you to do research.”

I don’t know why I do that – try to live by sight rather than by faith. I should have known God had my church picked out.

The next morning, I was aggravated when I woke up an hour before the clock went off. I grabbed my phone, looked at Facebook, and had a message from Facebook friend, Cheryl Kipreotis. Her church, Faith Alive in Laconia, New Hampshire was just 45 minutes away and because I was up early and dressed, I had exactly enough time left to get there. Coincidence? I think not. I bolted.

I walked up just in time and Cheryl was waiting for me. We’d been encouraging and praying for one another for awhile on Facebook and were excited to meet in person. We took a moment to hug and went in. Faith Alive’s faith was indeed alive. I relaxed and let the intimate fellowship and rejuvenating worship minister to me.

After church, Cheryl and her young granddaughter invited me to lunch. At Wendy’s, I noticed a mother holding a baby in the air and laughing. Then I saw another young boy.

“You are blessed with 2 boys,” I said.

“Actually, 3 boys and a girl,” she said, smiling. “My oldest son is 21.”

“No!” I said, shocked. “You can’t be old enough to have a 21 year old son.”

“Thanks,” she said, beaming. Her husband and daughter walked up.

“I love your body art,” I complimented, noticing the artistic detail. “Tell me about it.”

“We always use the same artist,” she said, nodding towards her husband. “I have spiders and vampires.”

“I know vampires are popular,” I said. “Tell me about the spiders.”

“I like them.”

“A friend of mine is the bass player from the band Cold. I sometimes meet his fans who have tattoo spiders to represent his band. Yours look different so I’m guessing they aren’t to honor Cold.”

“No,” she said. “I just like them.”

“Where are you from?”

“Plymouth,” she said. “We just drove over for the day.”

“I’m not from here either. I drove over to go to church with my friend. Do you go to church back in Plymouth?”

“No,” she laughed. “Our oldest son does. He’s started going to a Christian church. He isn’t the type of person you’d think would go to church so everyone is surprised about how serious he is.”

“I’ll bet it’s changed him,” I said. “Has he mentioned getting born again?”

She nodded. “He really likes it. Maybe it is because his friends go there.”

“It’s probably because he met Jesus. He’s probably praying for you. That’s most likely why I’m here. My job is to help people have faith in Jesus. I always ask people who prayed me to them.”

“He probably is,” she agreed, sighing.

“Did you ever go to church?”

The husband and wife looked at each other. She answered, “We went some to the Episcopal Church when we were younger.”

“Did you ever develop a personal relationship with Jesus?” They looked at each other again and both shook their head.

“What about the afterlife?” I asked. “Do you know where you’re going?”

“No,” she said. “I’m hoping for reincarnation.”

“Really? I hear that a lot. What do you want to come back as?”

“Probably a spider.”

Cheryl spoke up. “Then I’d probably step on you.” Great job Cheryl, I thought. The job of the second evangelist is to provide what I call the “color” and it was perfect -humor, no judgment, and truth.

“I thought about that,” the woman agreed. “I’d probably just get squashed.”

“Do you have any level of belief in Jesus – His birth, death, and resurrection? Have you heard that God loved you so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for your sins so you that you could really live?”

Again, they looked at each other and finally both nodded. “I guess we both still believe,” she said. “We were taught that when we were younger.”

“God loves you so much,” Cheryl encouraged. “He wants to have a relationship with you.”

“All you need to meet Jesus is a mustard seed size of faith.” I gave the Gospel scriptures. I noticed both of her older children listening so I pulled out 2 liberty bracelets and gave each one of them a bracelet, retelling the Gospel using the colors of the beads.

“Your older son is probably praying for you to meet Jesus. Can I lead you in a prayer doing that right now?” They agreed and we prayed. When we finished, I asked each member of the family if they had prayed. The mother, father, and 6 year old son met Jesus. Their daughter did not.

“Call your son today and tell him you asked Jesus to be your Savior,” I encouraged. They excitedly agreed. “I can see it on your face – you are feeling the Holy Spirit. I’m sorry but you won’t get to come back as a spider – you will be in heaven one day with us and your son.”

“Will you be my facebook friend?” I asked. She said yes and we exchanged contact information. What a good day. Cheryl and I loved being used by the Holy Spirit.

I thought back to the frantic internet search the night before and the setting of the clock. I could have just gone to sleep without thinking about church and God would have awakened me at exactly the right time to accept the invitation waiting for me in Facebook.Unfortunately, that feels too much like a blindfold so next Saturday night might find me searching again. Any suggestions?



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Everyone Is Ready - But Not Everyone Is Willing

By Cheryle M. Touchton

The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:35-36 NIV


The settings were the same – nighttime conversations around the campfire. The message was the same – All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. The evangelist and the Holy Spirit were the same. The first night a couple heard the Gospel and said no. The second night, seven friends heard the Gospel and all seven met Jesus. Why?

The answer most give to that is that the people the first night weren’t “ready.” Logical but not Biblical. Jesus scolds us for saying the harvest needs more time. He goes on to tell us to open our eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest! If people needed time to get “ready,” why would multitudes have met Jesus at Pentecost or Billy Graham revivals? Why would seven people pray to meet Jesus at the same time? If ready was a requirement, the odds would be against so many getting “ready” at the same second. I agree that people are “ready” now for salvation because the Bible says it and I have witnessed it so many times.

So, why did the couple say no? The answer is simple…they weren’t willing…yet. There are many examples in the Bible of people who were not willing. Think about one of the two thieves on the cross or the rich young ruler who walked away from Jesus without Jesus.

So why would people be unwilling to say yes to Jesus? Maybe, they don’t believe yet or believed at one time but never met Jesus personally so they stopped believing. That is why it is so important to speak the Gospel scriptures to people – it will not return void and will continue to work long after we leave. The combination of the scripture and the Holy Spirit testifying to the truth of it is impossible to ignore for long.

I think the more common reason people say no is that they are damaged. At some point, they gave Christians, Christianity, and/or the church a try. They most likely were taught “about” Jesus but not told how to “meet” Jesus and never developed a love relationship with Jesus. Then, something disappointed or wounded them and they bolted.

At the first campfire, I walked outside with Shiloh. The couple loved dogs so they called her over. They introduced themselves and when I tried to introduce myself the woman said, “We know who you are. We saw your website on your camper and looked it up on my I-pad. I’ve been all over it.”

“And you still talked to me?” I teased. They laughed. “Are you believers?”

“We believe in something,” the man said. “A higher power. I tried church but it didn’t work for me.”

She said, “It doesn’t have to be Jesus. It can be more than that.”

“What about the next life? Where do you think you’ll go.”

“My mother used to tell me I was going to hell,” she answered.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, stunned by her words. “Why did she think that?”

“She didn’t like what I was doing. She was Catholic and told me constantly I was going to hell. I don’t believe her. I’m a good person and think I get more than one chance.”

“Being bad doesn’t send us to hell,” I said. “We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death but God’s gift to us is eternal life if we ask for it. My favorite line in the entire Bible is that all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. That’s a promise. Christians are forgiven, not good. When you went to church, did either of you ever develop a relationship with Jesus?”

“Can’t say that I did,” the man said. She also shook her head.

You know the end of the story. They had some belief at one time. The church and the faulty theology of a parent let them down. They left the church without meeting Jesus and were not willing at this time to give Christianity a second chance. I spent another hour chatting about life in general, and enjoying their company. I didn’t need to debate them or beg them to meet Jesus because I trust the word of God and the scripture to continue working.

So what happened the next night? I arrived at the crowded campground and was put in an area mostly filled with tents. Seven friends, aged 21 and 22 were having a high school track team weekend mini-reunion.

“I hope we won’t be too loud for you,” one said. His words rendered me speechless as I pondered the volume of the many rock concerts I’ve evangelized at and six grandchildren running around my house.

“I don’t think it’s possible for noise to be too loud for me,” I said. “However, I might decide to join your party later.”

“Come on,” one of them hollered. “Join us any time.” I was teasing and they knew it so I continued to walk Shiloh, set up camp, and then blogged.

When I finished posting, I walked Shiloh and one of them asked again if they were too loud.

I laughed and explained that I went to rock concerts so noise didn’t bother me.

“Come over and talk to us,” someone invited. You don’t have to ask me twice.

“You go to rock concerts?” one of them exclaimed. “Which one?”

“I’ve been to Bonnaroo several times.”

A collective impressed gasp came from the crowd sitting in the dark around the campfire. The girl closest to me said, “It is our dream to go to Bonnaroo. Which bands are your favorite?”

“I am a musician and like most kinds of music,” I said. “I especially enjoy the Celtic music that is so popular. I hate to disappoint you but as much as I enjoy the music, I don’t go for the music.” I went on to tell them why I went.

“That’s cool,” the same girl said again.

“Are any of you Christians?” I asked.

“I go to Christmas Eve mass,” a young man volunteered. “I love it but I don’t really believe in that stuff.”

“Why do you go?”

“For my mom.”

“On behalf of mom’s everywhere, I want to thank you. We moms like that kind of stuff. It sounds like you grew up Catholic. Did you go through confirmation, communion, and confession?”

“I did but I haven’t been to confession since I was ten.”

“Maybe you haven’t sinned since you were ten.” Everyone hooted at that.

“Well,” I said, “If you’ve sinned, you are in good company. We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. What about the afterlife? Do any of you have any clue where you are going next?”

Most shook their heads.

“My dad teaches a Bible study,” someone volunteered. “He talks to me about Jesus all the time.”

“That’s great but I’m pretty sure you don’t get after life cred because your Dad teaches the Bible. The Bible says all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. I think that means you have to do it for yourself.”

“I have a confession to make,” the young man who hadn’t been to confession since he was 10 said.

“I’ll listen to your confession,” I offered and everyone laughed again. I loved these polite young people and felt blessed to be so accepted.

“I’m a hypocrite. I say I don’t believe but when I get in trouble, I pray. I guess it is because I was taught to pray. I don’t understand it and I think praying when I don’t believe means I’m a hypocrite.”

That was it. I knew it was coming. I had thought to myself…wait for it…wait for it.…My heart soared. It was what I call the Holy Spirit Hook. Everyone got quiet. I felt the power of God flow through me and knew what to say next.

“You are not a hypocrite,” I assured quietly. “It just means that deep down, you believe. Almost everyone does at some level. God built you with a God shaped hole. You might try to put other things in it but nothing else fits but God. May I lead all of you in a prayer to meet Jesus right now? The Bible says that if you have a mustard seed level of faith, you can meet Jesus. That is tiny and you all have that much.”

I held my breath and waited. They looked at each other. The one who labeled himself a hypocrite finally said, “Sure…why not. Let’s do this.” They all nodded their agreement and we prayed. After the prayer, they all sat silently and let them enjoy the moment. Finally, I told them that what they were feeling was the Holy Spirit and He was theirs forever. I also told them that the angels were throwing a party because they met Jesus and that an angel party was even better then a Bonnaroo party. Everyone laughed.

So why did they say yes? They all had been to church and still believed at some level but had never met Jesus personally. Eventually, they stopped going to church but because they hadn’t been damaged, they were willing to say yes to the simple invitation.

It’s been a great week. 15 people said yes to Jesus. Probably double that said no but if they gave me a chance to speak the words of the Gospel over them, I have faith that they will eventually meet Jesus. The harvest is ripe. Don’t miss the reaping – it is the sweetest thing anyone can experience this side of eternity.

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Shiloh's Shenanigans - Rough Road Ahead

By Shiloh The Shepherd’s Sheep Dog 

Mommy - Cheryle M. Touchton

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9


“Traffic jams in the mountains usually mean something terrible has happened,” Mommy muttered as we sat there. We waited for over an hour as one by one, they turned each car around. I warned Mommy about everything passing us but she didn't seem to appreciate it.

“I have no idea how to get where I’m going,” Mommy told the man when it was her turn to turn around. Since Mommy usually tells people how to get to heaven, I knew she probably wasn’t talking about heaven.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Mommy, I thought. That’s what you usually ask.

“The KOA Campground.”

 “It sure is going to take you a lot longer to get there,” he said.

Mommy sighed. “It really will take a long time if I don’t how to do it. I don’t see but one way there on the map and I tried reprogramming the GPS with a roadblock but it just says route unavailable.”

The man rattled off a series of several highways, towns, and turns. I've traveled enough with Mommy to know she still didn't know how to get there. It sure would have been easier just to tell him how to get to heaven.

“Please say that again,” Mommy begged. The man looked hot and tired but he repeated it.

Mommy turned Hallelujah around and immediately called Daddy.

“Reroute Tom Tom using the roadblock feature,” Daddy suggested.

Mommy sighed again. “That was the first thing I tried. Tom Tom doesn't think it can be done. The worker seemed to think it could.”

“Where are you?” Daddy asked.

“I don’t know. Hang on.” I knew Daddy was sighing. Everyone is happier now that Tom Tom has a Where Am I? button.

When Mommy finally told Daddy where she was, he was quiet for a few minutes. “It sure is going to take you a lot longer to get there.”

 “That’s what the man said. I know the first two turns but remember nothing after that.”

“What are the turns he told you about?”

“I've already made them.”

“But what where they?”

“Bob!” Mommy said. “Breathe. I can hear your blood pressure rising through the phone. I’m safe.” She told him what the worker said.

“OK,” Daddy said. “I see what he’s doing. Here’s what you do.” He repeated the instructions a couple of times. Mommy kept getting confused and suddenly lost cell coverage. Poor Daddy and Mommy.

“Shiloh, we’ve got to do this on our own,” Mommy said. No we weren’t. We had God. He would help Mommy remember. Besides, eventually Tom Tom would find us.

“This road sure is bumpy.” She didn’t have to tell me that! Mommy quietly concentrated on navigating the bumpy twisty roads, remembering what Daddy said, and avoiding colliding with the bumper-to-bumper frustrated drivers in both directions having the same problem.

“Oh no,” Mommy wailed. “The sign says rough road for the next 3.5 miles. How much rougher can it get?” I’m young but even I have learned not to ask that.

I thought about our first year together. It was like that bumpy road. We thought it was bad with all the twists and turns but along came a sign that said Rough Road Ahead and sure enough, the road got rougher.

When I first moved in, Mommy had been on a bumpy road. She was still sad about my older sister Belle and her Aunt Ka Ka dying. Mommy tried to train and play with me but it was hard to enjoy my puppy antics when she was so sad.

Just as she was getting better, the road got rough again when Granpap got sick. We rushed to Jacksonville to take care of him. Mommy went to the hospital and I spent most of my days in the laundry room. When Granpap got better, we went back to State College and I was happy because I had Mommy back.

Then Mommy got sick. She was in the hospital a week. This time, I was locked in the apartment bathroom during the day. When Mommy finally came home, she had to rest. I kept doing what puppies do and Mommy wasn’t very happy.

Finally, Mommy got better and we left for our first journey. I’ll admit I didn’t behave very well that first week but in my defense, Mommy’s rough road had caused my training to be bumpy.

We had enjoyed the first 10 days of the trip when suddenly the phone rang and there was another sign –Rough Road Ahead.” Grandpap had had a stroke. We were in Texas and made a mad dash for Jacksonville. Mommy went to the hospital and I went to the laundry room. In just three days, Granpap went to heaven. I stayed in the laundry room as Mommy and Uncle Vaughan made funeral arrangements and tried to take care of Ginny.

I wondered if our rough road would get smoother but it got rougher when Ginny was rushed to the hospital. Just 29 days after Granpap went to heaven, Ginny joined him there and I went back to the laundry room while Mommy and Uncle Vaughan made more funeral arrangements.

Mommy was sad a long time. She leaned on God and gradually got better. She started training and playing with me again. I got to meet a Mommy who wasn’t having to concentrate so hard on navigating bumpy roads. This Mommy was fun and I wanted to learn from her. I got excited when I realized what an important job I had – I got to tell people about Jesus. We were both excited when we led the first person to Jesus together.

But back to the rough road in New York. We arrived safely and Mommy finally got to call Daddy. His directions had saved the day but you and I both know that it was nothing short of a miracle that Mommy found her way through dozens of mountain roads without Daddy or a GPS.

Since we left home 6 days ago, Mommy and I have led 5 people to Jesus together and talked to many more. I’m not perfect – I still get too excited about birds and Mommy doesn’t like it that I can get out of every restraint she puts on me but at least I’m listening to her. We’re a team! Mommy says all Christians are a team too and everyone needs to do their part proclaiming what the Bible says about salvation.

We found out later that like Mommy suspected, a terrible accident had caused our roadblock. I sure hope someone had told the people who died in that accident about Jesus. Their rough road either ended forever because there are no more tears in heaven or the road just became unbearably horrible.

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The Step Into Eternity

By Cheryle M. Touchton

The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

“How old is your dog?” I asked the campers sitting across from Hallelujah.

I’d planned to walk briskly back to my camper when suddenly I felt that “drawing” sensation that means the Holy Spirit wants me to begin a conversation. I’d just left the showers. My hair was dripping wet, I had no makeup on, and my towel, pajamas, unmentionables, and toiletries were trying to escape my bear hug. I regretted not rolling stuff up in my towel and wondered what embarrassing articles of clothing were visible. I thanked God I’d at least changed out of my pajamas.

“Today is her 1 year birthday. We gave her a hot dog to celebrate but she’d never had one so she didn’t know what to do with it,” the wife said.

“Wow,” I said. “My dog eats everything I drop – food, paper, plastic, or medicine – she doesn’t discriminate. She sits around waiting for me to take my eye off of my food. She would eat a hot dog in one gulp.”

They both laughed. “Where are you from?” I asked.

“Just a couple of hours from here. I see you’re from Florida.” the husband said.

“You are observant. You saw my tag,” I said. “I don’t really know where I’m from.” Again, they laughed as I explained that I lived in Pennsylvania but have a house and two vehicles registered in Florida. When I told them why I was in the campground without my husband, they laughed that same way people always laughed when I told them I was Cecil Milligan’s daughter. Daddy was quite the character so I think that is a good thing.

“Yes,” I sighed. “My life is unusual. You probably saw me fighting with my rambunctious puppy today. Birds are her undoing. You’re dog hasn’t made a peep since I’ve been standing here.” They grinned and didn’t argue, which meant they’d seen the scene we made when Shiloh bolted up and after the bird in the air and I got tangled up in Shiloh’s leash...all while still in my pajamas. I took solace in the fact that the people I was talking to were also still in pajamas. That’s life in the campground.

“I’m a Christian,” I said. “I like to ask people where they go to church.”

“I’m Methodist and she’s Catholic,” the husband said.

“How long have you been married?” I asked.

“48 years,” he said.

“48 years and you still haven’t got that worked out yet?” I quipped. They both went to laughing.

“I go more than he does,” she said. “I’m Catholic. We’re scared not to go.”

“Do you ever go together?”

They looked at each other. The wife answered. “He went for the children’s Christienings.”

“Do you both know where you are going in the next life?” I asked.

“Can you really know that kind of thing?” the wife asked. “I hope I go to heaven. That’s why I go to church so much.” The husband was silent.

“It beats going anywhere else. Your church offers you an alternative that your husband and I don’t have but purgatory doesn’t sound very good either.”

“No,” they both agreed. Up until that point, the conversation had been light with laughter. However, I noticed the haunted look in her eyes. She was worried about the afterlife.

“The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We know everything we’ve done wrong which I’m sure is why you’re worrying about where you are going in the next life.” She nodded solemnly. The husband remained silent.

“The Bible does say that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. Do you both believe that Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead?” They nodded.

“My favorite line in the whole scripture is ‘All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” The wife sat frozen, listening to every word. The husband abruptly stood up and went inside to finish packing. I was disappointed that they wouldn’t be meeting Jesus together but I continued. She didn’t seem to notice that her husband had bolted.

“Can I lead you in a prayer calling on Jesus to be your personal Savior?”

“Please,” she whispered hopefully. We prayed together, confessing her belief in Jesus, asking again for the forgiveness of her sin, and finally asking the big unasked question - Jesus would you come into my life and be Lord and Savior. The relief on her face was instant.

“You’re really good at this!” she exclaimed.

“All I did was share what the Bible says about salvation. The Holy Spirit did the work. He called me over here. The Holy Spirit testified to the truth of what you were hearing and convicted you. You were willing."

I went to my camper, fixed my hair and face, and returned to give her a copy of my book, The Secret to Everything. The husband grinned, welcomed me back, and was back to his jovial self. He made no mention of what had happened but she hugged and thanked me.

Like many faithful church attendees, she’d already done the hard part – she believed in the virgin birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. She knew she was a sinner and was desperately trying to be good enough for Jesus. I love the look on people’s faces when they realize how simple it is to have what they crave so much – grace. The step into eternity is such a simple step – but it changes everything.





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E'sy Encounter - The 6 E's of Divine Encounters

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady



I confess – I love alliteration. It is probably corny but it makes me smile. Besides, it makes it E’sy to remember. This blog post is about the 6 E’s of Divine Encounters. At events geared specifically to evangelism, we spend most of our time doing just 1 of the E's, Evangelism. During these journeys though, God sends at least 6 different kinds of Divine Encounters – which I’m pretty sure include all the 4 meanings of salvation as described in yesterday’s blog post as well as the rest of the Great Commission.

Evangelism

In the last 3 days, I’ve had at least 3 evangelism encounters. Two heard about Jesus and took the Jesus Challenge, which is to ask the Jesus you don’t believe in to prove He is real. One prayed and asked Jesus to be her Savior. Evangelism is proclaiming to the lost what the word of God says about salvation and inviting them to meet Jesus.

Exhortation

Exhortation is a little like fussing at someone but for other Christians only, with Holy Intentions, always over a clear Bible principle, and under the clear direction of the Holy Spirit. Shiloh and I were at Wal-Mart on Monday night doing our usual “thing” of asking people where they are going in the next life.

“I think I’m going to heaven but I sure haven’t been to church very much,” a woman said.

“When you get to heaven and God asks why He should let you into heaven, what would you tell Him?” I asked.

“Because I’ve asked Him to be my Lord and Savior,” she answered quickly. “But I won’t have to tell Him because He will know me.”

“So you know the answer. If Jesus is your Savior, you’re right. What has you doubting it?”

“I don’t really. I think I feel guilty for not going to church.”

“Guilt is the enemy’s favorite weapon to make us doubt our salvation. Why aren’t you going to church?”

“Because I moved here to help my daughter and I have to drive my granddaughter to work on Sundays.”

“You’ve made this conversation easy. The Holy Spirit is talking to you. Do what it takes to get back into church. God wants you in church – the word of God says it and the Holy Spirit is leading you to it. Find a church that works with your schedule – churches have gotten very creative with church times – but get back in church!”

“You’re right,” she said. “I will.”

Let me repeat - exhortation is only for Christians. It is telling someone a truth that resonates with what the Holy Spirit is already saying. It is NOT giving someone your opinion about what they should do – it is encouraging them to be obedient to the word of God and what the Holy Spirit is saying to them. To non-Christians, the Bible says this would seem foolish so don’t waste your time and get yourself in trouble for nothing.

Educate

“Do you know what an evangelist is?”

“No,” answered the young woman who had just asked what I did.

“An evangelist helps people come to faith in Jesus Christ by giving them the good news of what Jesus has done for them. I travel the country helping people meet Jesus. Do you know where you are going in the next life?”

She didn’t but now she does. In this case, educating her about what evangelism was became the doorway to her meeting Jesus. By the way – the purpose of this blog post is education.

Ease

This is about easing pain. “My husband died five years ago,” a woman said, shaking her head as if she could shake away the still raw grief. When I care enough to look for it, most people reveal in the first five minutes what is hurting them the most. It is as if physical or emotional pain follows them like a cartoon rain cloud showing up in every square regardless of where they are.

“I’m so sorry,” I said touching her shoulder.

“It’s been a long time,” she said, literally stepping back.

Moving closer I said, “But it still hurts. Do you know the Great Comforter?” She did but she had forgotten and needed a reminder.

The point of these encounters isn’t to offer human comfort – it is to help them allow the Holy Spirit to ease their pain. We usually have about 60 seconds to respond or in their hopelessness, they will also shake off our attempts to help. Speak scripture – it won’t return void. Pray with them for comfort. Ask others to pray for them. I have a collection of grief scriptures on my website and usually carry a give-away grief scripture card.

Encourage

“Have you read your Bible yet today?” I asked after bragging on two 13-year-old girls for so clearly stating their faith in Jesus. They stopped their bikes and laid their fishing gear on the ground to pet a barking Shiloh. They were cousins, born again, knew they were going to heaven, and had been baptized by their born again grandfather.

“Not yet,” one smiled and quickly answered. Great answer – truthful but offered me hope they would take the encouragement I’d just offered.

“The bay you are headed to is beautiful.” I held up my iPhone. “My Bible is on this phone. I was just there reading it and praying and saw some others fishing. Make sure you take your Bible the next time you go fishing.”

“We will!” they said happily as they picked up their poles and bait and rode away.

There is a fine line between encouragement and exhortation and it is all about motive. I was truly impressed with these sweet and faithful girls and didn’t want them to miss what I had just experienced at that bay. It wasn’t about obedience. I wanted to help them to soar as if on eagles wings.

Exorcise

“I won’t go anywhere!” Her speaking tempo had increased. Her tone dropped at least two steps. Her eyes narrowed. She’d just been relaxed and giving me friendly advice about the town. When I told her I was a Christian and asked where she was going in the next life, everything changed. When something changes that fast, I know I’m dealing with the enemy.

“Who do you say Jesus is?”

“He is just a man! Not God.”

“If Jesus were really the truth, the way, and the life as He said he was, and no one came to the Father except by Him, would you want to know it?”

“Not really,” she said. It wasn’t a no and she didn’t ask me to stop so I continued.

“If all who called on the name of Jesus could be saved for all of eternity, would you want to know it?”

She softened and paused for just a moment. “I don’t know.” That was it – what I call the Holy Spirit hook. It was permission to take it one more step.

“That wasn’t a no. It is enough for you to take the Jesus challenge.”

“What is that?”

“Ask Jesus – the Son of God – the Jesus you don’t believe in if He is real. Ask Him to prove it to you beyond your ability to disbelieve.”

She agreed. Her agreement was enough. I left before she could take back her commitment.

The secret to dealing with the enemy is pray silently to bind the demons, show no outward fear – which means to take no offense or argue with what they say, and to speak scripture. The enemy has no power over us if we arm ourselves with prayer and scripture. The second we begin to argue with the enemy, we've already lost.

In summary, all of these encounters and more happened in the last three days and while I haven’t had as much sleep as I normally require, I feel as if I am soaring on eagle’s wings. When we wake up to prayer, meditation, and Bible study and ask God to send us out, He does. It feels like automatic doors open up before us in any direction we head. Don’t miss it.



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Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2014: The Calling

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady


It always starts the same way. “God, do you really want me to go?” It is actually a two-part question – do you want me to go again and do you want me to go now? I get an answer from God and then I argue – with God and Bob. I say things like, “The signs seem like I shouldn’t go” or “maybe God is trying to tell me to delay.” My personal favorite is, “Maybe God is trying to tell me it is time to stop traveling.”

Hubby Bob won’t argue about this. Supporting this call to ministry is a call on his life and he takes it seriously. His life scripture is James 1:5-6. His shortened version is, “Ask God and don’t blink.” My paraphrase is ask to God for wisdom and act or you will get seasick. Once either of us hears from God, Bob forges ahead with the preparations…without blinking. When I want to slow it down and examine things, he sees that as blinking – which of course I argue with because I don’t want to admit that I blink so much. The reason Bob works so hard preparing for these trips and at ministry events is because He has heard the call, said yes to God, and refuses to blink until He hears differently.

I wish I could say it is that black and white for me but it isn’t yet. It is easy to talk myself out of going on these journeys across America – especially if I’m walking by sight and not by faith. I don’t know anyone else (with the possible exception of Jesus and the apostles) who actually travels the country proclaiming what God says about salvation so I can scare myself into thinking it is a little nuts. I doubt myself and wonder if I heard God wrong. If I tried to describe how hard getting ready for these trips was, you would think I was exaggerating so I dread the preparation. I love my husband and miss him when we are apart. These trips are physically and financially challenging and even potentially dangerous so I can get almost anyone who loves me to try to talk me out of going. Gas prices are high. I could evangelize anywhere – why not just stay home and evangelize? Oh…and let’s not forget the business person side of me – there are more cost effective ways to evangelize. If I look at it by sight, traveling around simply makes no sense.

Here is the thing. The Bible promises that I can have wisdom from God – that I can have knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry it out. I don’t have to depend on signs from God, all I have to do is ask, listen, and act. In fact, trying to read the “signs” from God is a little like trying to read tealeaves and is potentially just as dangerous because when God calls us to do something, the enemy usually puts roadblocks in front of us. Those roadblocks can look alarmingly likes signs from God and we could end of doing the enemy's will instead of God's.

Here is what God said to me first in 2002, in each year afterward, and again in 2014. I’m called to proclaim what the word of God says about salvation and to help other Christians learn to do the same thing. Specifically, I’m called to do this in America – in all 50 states. It is my call to patriotism because I know that Jesus is the only hope for America. Even more specifically, I’m called to demonstrate living by faith by allowing God to lead me where in America He decides to send me, do what He says, and then testify to what I see God doing. Tools like campers, cars, tents, blogs, Facebook, computers, iPhones, specific events, and even dogs may change, but the call is the same – help Americans hear and proclaim what God says about salvation.

So what does God say about salvation? All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. The Greek word for “saved” is Soza and it means four things; 1) saved for eternity, 2) healed, 3) preserved, and 4) delivered. The big events God calls this ministry to do are thrilling – they are the fruits of what you and I faithfully do together. After all, the Bible says that the harvest is ripe and we are blessed to be called to reap. At events, we work fast and do one thing – we lead lost people into an eternal relationship with Jesus.

These events are so amazing that this year, I asked God why I couldn’t do less wandering and focus on more events. Events are shorter and less time away from Bob, sometimes Bob gets to go, more people get “saved,” and events cost less than wandering. It made sense to me. God promises understanding and while I’m sure He sighed heavily, He blessed me with a deeper understanding of His purpose for these trips. Yes, on these trips, people will still get saved for eternity but there is so much more to salvation. On these trips, I can slow down, live by faith and go where God sends me, dialogue with Christians and non-Christians, spend hours or even days with them, deal with the rest of what it means to be saved – healed, preserved, and delivered and take the time to share stories with you. Christians who stop at what we jokingly call “fire insurance” because it keeps them out of hell are cheating themselves out of the rest of their salvation. When God instructs this ministry to proclaim what He says about salvation, He wants us to proclaim the complete definition. Like Paul Harvey was so famous for saying, these trips are “the rest of the story.”

Thank you to everyone who helped me this week gain a deeper understanding. Thank you Bob for continuing to prepare for this trip while I was busy blinking. Thank you to everyone who cares enough about people and your country to be a part of this amazing call from God. Let’s go out and together, proclaim all that God says about salvation.

To those of you who get just as excited about how many people get saved for eternity at special events, don't be disappointed if you don't see the numbers as high when I walk by faith across America. Remember the rest of the story, read the blogs, look at your life and make sure you are experiencing all that is available to you through your salvation, and help Christians around you do the same thing.


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He "Really" Got Saved

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Change Ministries

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:14

"Daddy really got saved,” a woman called to tell me.

Puzzled, I answered, “I remember.”

“No, I mean really,” she said excitedly. “I know you prayed that little prayer with him but I questioned him later. He didn’t understand what he had done. I said, ‘Daddy, do you have any idea what you just did?’ He didn’t know what to say. We had prayed for him for years so I wanted to make sure. Everyone had talked to him. After you prayed for him, he sounded the same for a while so I know he wasn’t saved. Then someone else began teaching him and he changed. He even started going to church. I don’t know when it happened but now he is really saved.”

I tried to explain but she didn’t understand. Such is the life of an evangelist. Good thing we don’t do it for the credit. We wouldn’t be fulfilled. Her daddy had called on the name of Jesus and was saved back in November of 2013. I saw the Holy Spirit do a mighty work in his life. I knew he was lost and had prayed for an opportunity to give him the gospel. Miraculously, he came into the same bank I was in the day I prayed for that opportunity. I gave him the gospel. As usual, he argued but finally prayed to meet Jesus. His daughter witnessed the entire thing. She wept and hugged me. For a few minutes, she enjoyed the miracle.

Then doubt set in. She expected her daddy to be instantly changed. She wanted proof. The poor guy. His daughter interrogated him. I know him well and I can just imagine that interesting curmudgeon’s response to her grilling. He wasn’t ready to drop 90 years of ranting about Christians or admit that he’d been wrong. He knew what he was doing with me and I saw the moment he reluctantly surrendered to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. This man is strong willed. Trust me, no one could talk him into doing something he didn’t want to do. He needed time to process. His family pushed the panic button and didn’t trust what had happened. Instead, they doubted that God had answered their prayers and rejected their miracle. The result was months of unnecessary fear – all because of trying to apply human logic to supernatural events. I love this family and hate that they suffered unnecessarily.

Here is what really happened. God heard the prayers of the family. God answered my prayer and sent my friend to the bank while I was there. Her daddy met Jesus. Unfortunately, he didn’t pass his family’s test for salvation but he did pass the Bible’s test – he got saved. When you call on the name of Jesus, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a package deal. God sent someone to disciple him and because this man now had the Holy Spirit, what used to be nonsense, made sense. He even eventually even went to church – which is what new Christians do. God sent one miracle after another. That is how the Holy Spirit works when people call on the name of the Lord to be saved. I know it because the Bible promises it and I’ve seen it happen. That wasn't a "little" prayer - it was the prayer of calling on the mighty saving power of Jesus.

I’m thrilled that this daughter is finally sure of her father’s salvation but he got saved there in the bank. Everything that happened afterward was expected but slow growth. If someone you love gets saved, trust it. We often don’t see signs of the fruits of the spirit for weeks or even years after someone gets saved but the Holy Spirit is working once he is invited in. In my experience, most people don’t completely change in a heartbeat and neither did this man but it began when God opened the door and sent him to the bank. No one will ever take the wonder of that away from me because I expect and receive miracles often enough to recognize them. Trust the process – trust the Bible – trust the Holy Spirit. Expect miracles and believe them when they happen.


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Cheryle M. Touchton, the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady, is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries.  She and the Missionary Dog Shiloh travel the country as missionaries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org.  This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep Shiloh the Missionary Dog and the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at

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