Using Web Addresses

I had forgotten my tracts that morning, so I thought I would not talk to anyone. However, a conversation naturally opened up with Lindsay and I jotted down a web site address for her. Read more…

I have often written a web address on a slip of paper when witnessing to people, especially if English is a person’s second language or I do not have a tract with me.

Some easy-to-memorize web addresses you can use are:

For evangelism:
everystudent.com for college students

For discipleship:
growinginchrist.com for learning how to walk with Christ

These will work without the http:// and the www. Try it first, if you like, and then visit Global Media Outreach for a partial list of their ninety-plus evangelistic and discipleship web sites which you could memorize.

You can also make addresses easier by using tinyURL.com. I made one for the video presentation on my web site, which you may use:

tinyurl.com/whyjesuscame for a complete video Gospel presentation

and also two more:

tinyurl.com/whoisjesus-really for the Good News in dozens of languages

tinyurl.com/watchthejesusfilm for a film of the Gospel of Luke in hundreds of languages

If you just want to send a really short link by Twitter or texting, try using tr.im, which will assign a random shortened URL. (If you create an account at tr.im, it will keep track of your shortened URLs for you. With tinyurl.com, I have had to make my own list so I will remember them.) Of course, these really short URLs from tr.im will not be meaningful and will be harder to memorize, but not impossible.

Here’s one, ready to go for texting or Twittering:
Who Is Jesus – Really? tr.im/yboN

If you write an evangelistic blog on WordPress.com, they automatically provide short links now (wp.me), so you can send your evangelistic post easier as a text or a Tweet. Just click on “Get Shortlink” under your post title when you are writing or editting your post.

You could also write these shorter addresses on the back of tracts or make a business card with web addresses if you wanted to.

Please add your suggestions of websites you would use.

Reaching Urban Communities for Christ

“In the Bible, the word poor includes the weak the elderly, the mentally and physically handicapped, the refugees, the new immigrants, the working poor, the natural disaster victims, the unemployed, the single-parent families, and the orphans.” – Tim Keller

On Wednesday, July 22, Tim Keller, the pastor of Redeemer Church in Manhattan, joined Campus Crusade’s inner city ministry (Here’s Life Inner City) to discuss “The Gospel and the Poor: A Case for Compassion.” Tim and his congregation have a very successful urban ministry. In this video, he offers many suggestions about reaching diverse urban cultures.

You can be equipped and challenged by this interview.

Modern Parables

A friend directed me to Bible study videos of Jesus’ parables. The videos and extra materials are available to purchase on disc or as downloads.

Modern Parables is allowing us to view all six of their films in their entirety for a limited time. I particularly liked The Widow and the Judge and The Sower. I enjoyed the others, too. For more thoughts about The Sower video, go to the post at the main Sower site.

These videos could be used for evangelistic purposes and are of high quality. In fact, I sent the link to Modern Parables to a non-Christian. He wrote back that he will watch the videos on his plane flight today!

If you use any of these videos evangelisticly, please share your experience with us in the comments on this post. Thank you!

Choosing Your Faith

I highly recommend a book, Choosing Your Faith by Mark Mittelberg. Mark helps the reader discover how to choose what to believe. You can learn more about the book by watching Lee Strobel interview Mark about his book.

You may also want to have copies of the Choosing Your Faith New Testament. I have some in our home that I plan to give to people who are interested in knowing Christ. These paperback Bibles are in the easy-to-understand New Living Translation. The New Testament also features several of Mark’s articles about why we believe in order to help readers make a decision about their faith.

Tools for the Olympics

Read stories and testimonies of athletes, view video clips, and explore a personal relationship with God at Struggle and Triumph, a website from the Athletes in Action ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Struggle and Triumph is also a DVD that you can share with your friends. (The DVD is available in 36 languages).

Another website, Beyond the Ultimate, changes seasonally with whatever is the biggest sporting event at the time. Naturally, you will find Olympians on that site right now. If you read one of the testimonies and want to share it with someone, click on “Share This Story” in the right sidebar. You will have several choices, including sending an email with a link to the story, or posting the link on your Facebook profile. (I recommend adding a personal note in the email. Send one to yourself first to see if you like how your email looks.)

The Go for Gold website has links to over twenty country-specific “Looking for God” websites to help people begin their journey with God.

The Olympians continually challenge us all to run the race God has given us. You might like to use this moving video of Derek Redmond being supported by his father to communicate the Gospel to a friend. Your main point could be: we are weak, but our Father is strong and will help us finish the race.

The Four Circles

I hope you have the time to learn about The Four Circles from InterVarsity. The complete presentation of the Gospel and the cultural relevance of the presentation are fantastic! If you want to be challenged in your thinking of how we present the Gospel, I highly recommend these links:

A Christianity Today article explaining the concept behind The Four Circles.

How to present the Four Circles.

Video presentations of the Four Circles:
Part One
Part Two

James Choung’s blog, Tell It Slant , to get more information. (I particularly recommend his post on Napkin Sketching. Follow the links to see how corporations are using this effective communication technique – Dr. Bright used napkin sketching before the Four Spiritual Laws were available in printed form.)

Music Videos For This Site

I added music videos on a resource page on this site.

You can use music from the videos or the Sower playlist to:
• encourage others to witness,
• share the Gospel.

Of course, you could post videos on your web site of on Facebook or MySpace.

Feel free to add your ideas of how to use these videos or recommend more videos.