Wednesday, May 8, 2024

How To Read The Bible

A lot of people read the bible just like they would read any book starting at page 1. Unfortunately this often leads to people getting lost and confused.

Genesis starts of with interesting stories and Exodus but when you get into Leviticus it is filled with lots of legal stuff. Numbers is a lot of family trees. It is by this point people start to give up.

The bible is actually a series of 66 books that are put together in a single book this means you don't have to read it in order and you will have a better experience if you do not.

Ways Of Interpreting The Bible

When reading the bible there are actually 4 ways to interpret what you are reading:

  1. Literal. For example, Jesus actually was crucified. It is historical and is to be take literally.
  2. Allegorical:  Book of Jonah, a prophet spent three days in the belly of a fish. An allegory would be that Jesus spent 3 days in the tomb before he rose again.
  3. Metaphorical: This is using a metaphor to help explain something not easily described. For example, 
    • In 1 Corinthians 3:16 “You are a temple of God” is a metaphor. 
    • In Matthew 26:26-28 Jesus takes a loaf and says “this is my body” and he takes up a cup and says “this is my blood of the covenant” these are metaphors.
  4. Spiritual: This one is a more complex explanation but this article does a good job at explaining it. 
    Spiritual Interpretation In The Bible.

Upon your first read through the bible, take it slow and say a short prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide you through it.

Also assume things are literal unless it is specifically stated as a metaphor. 

For example the Parables like the one about a farmer sowing seeds and or of the new wine in an old skin.

There is software called Logos  which is very useful as a companion not just as you start out but as you get more advanced as well.

You can download it or there is a web app version 

 Better Approach To Reading Order

There are a few different ways people suggest reading it but I have found this method worked best for people I have discussed it with:

1. Start With The Gospels

2. Memorize the Promises

3. Start reading using a reading plan but always see how it points back to Jesus.

Start With The Gospels

Centering on the Gospels is the best place to start. If you consider the bible as the universe, the Gospels are the Sun (Son). (TAKEN FROM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4OoW1vmVZg)
For Star Wars fans, it is about watching 4,5,6 before watching 1,2,3.

Here is what I suggest:
  • Start with Mark simply reading through without worrying about taking notes like you would any other book you have read.  The reason I suggest Mark is:
    • It is written like an action movie so is a fast paced read.
    • It is the shortest of the gospels but covers most of the major parts of the story.
    • It is the least poetic or abstract so it is easier to understand.
  • One you have done that you can start a study on the four books of the gospel together by something called a Pericope. Some of the stories in the gospel are in multiple of the four books.
    Here is a list of the Pericopes In The Gospel Roughly In Timeline Order.

Memorize The Promises

There are lots of promises of God but the place to start is with the Top 10 Promises To Memorize

Start reading using a reading plan but always see how it points back to Jesus

There are a few ways to do this but I suggest you find plan to help you. There are lots out there but here are a couple good ones:

  • Faith Radio - Read The Bible In One Year - This gives you a list and you can start any day you want and then it tells you the parts to read together each day.
  • Five Day Bible Reading Plan - This one is meant to start January 1 of the year and it gives you a 5 day calendar with ones to read each day.
  • Bible.Com One Year Bible - This one is nice because you start any day you want and it gives you the link to read each section using YouVersion. This is good if you simply want to read online as it saves time looking up the scripture.
  • Alpha.org Bible In A Year - This one has an app as well as a website with commentary.
Regardless of which one you use I recommend searching for that passage and how it points back to Jesus. If you are using the Faith Radio one or the YouVersion one then check out New Life Church Bible In A Year Study . This will give you a good study on each section. You can go to the day you are on and get an idea on how it points back to Jesus and other meanings. 

If you have any questions about the passages you have read, feel free to reach out. Our contact info is available on www.sbgafa.com 

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

FOR CONTENT CREATORS: Your Logo and Title


To set up your channel you go to YouTube Studio once there you scroll down on the left hand side to customization



Once you choose this on the right hand side click on Basic Info. It is here that you can change the name. You are restricted on how often you can change this so pick something simple. 



On this same screen you can add a description. This will appear at the top of your channel page but will only show the first 60 characters and then the user clicks to expand to see the rest.  This is important.

Ensure the first 60 characters of your description quickly describes your channel then you can go into details. Below is the description for my channel. Notice how the first sentence makes clear what my site is.  If you click on it you see the rest of the details.


The logo and background image is set on the Branding tab. The top image is your logo. It must be 98 x 98 in dimensions and the image must be under 4mb. If your image is larger you can use an image editor to reduce the quality. This is a logo so doesn't necessarily have to be crisp.
Below the logo is where you put the banner image. This image will be at the top of your channel. This is where you can put something a bit more flashy. It should excite people about your channel.

 If you require assistance setting up your channel, feel free to reach out. I am helping Christian Content providers set up their channels for free as God called me to share my gift for the kingdom. 

Please go and subscribe to our channel. Also check out other Christian content providers and subscribe, like and comment on their videos so they get promoted.  We are all on the same Great Commission so let's help each other succeed.

Feel free to reach out by filling the form or emailing either email address on contact me.  

If you would like to keep up to date on events, new videos, blog posts, etc. then give us your email on the on subscribe.




 




Tuesday, April 23, 2024

There are 4 types of people in the world!!!!

 Usually when you hear that expression it is someone who is judging or they may seem kind of rude but in this case we are simply wanting to make you aware of the 4 types of people Jesus referred to in the parable of the Sower and the seeds. Once you know who you are then you can look into changing from that group if you are so inclined.  Given that you are here it is likely that you are interested.

The parable of the Sower and the seeds can be found in 3 of the gospels this is how important it is. Some parables are in one or two but few are in all three.

  • Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23
  • Mark 4:3-8, 14-20
  • Luke 8:5-8, 11-15

Now you can get the full details in each section in the version of the bible you want. You can also check out verse-by-verse Parables of Jesus. The first 3 sermons are on this parable. 

Here we will simply describe the 4 types of people and what the next step is for them:

1. Non-believers: These are people who have heard The Simple Gospel and have decided it is not of interest to them. If you are here it is likely that you are not this type. 

Next Step: If you have a friend who is of this type then the best thing you can do is pray for them that God will open their heart to the gospel.

2. New Believer/Former Believer: These are believers that are excited about the gospel they feel they believe but either have not been tested yet or something happens in their life and they get discouraged and fall away from the faith. Jesus tells the story of the prodigal son who leaves and comes back and the father rejoices of his return. This is how Jesus feels about you. If you have been through something in your life and it drew you away from Jesus. It may be a loss or it may be something a pastor said that hurt or that you felt didn't make sense.  If this is you Jesus wants you back, he will heal your hurt or help you understand. It may have been a misunderstanding. Nobody is perfect, maybe the pastor misspoke or maybe you misunderstood him. Maybe he spoke right but you were not ready to receive it the way presented or simply were not ready to receive it.  

Next Step: If this is you please reach out to me or someone else you trust. We are human and thus imperfect but I will listen and do all I can to help you find answers. 

3. Growing Believers: These are believers that feel Gods guidance and are open to it in their lives. They are still growing and preparing to do the great commission or lacks confidence to start spreading the gospel. They are generally good to people but sometimes are afraid to share unless the person reaches out to them first.

Next Step: There are a few things you can do about this. If you lack knowledge then try putting aside time each day to study and pray to God that he will present opportunities for you to share. When he presents opportunities he will also provide you with the things to say. I find when God presents someone with a question often the answer is something I studied very recently so recalling it in part is easy because it is right there. You may not be able to quote it but you can quickly use your phone to find it because some of the verse you remember. If it is confidence you lack then find a buddy. If you and someone else start the conversation with someone then it is a bunch of friends talking and together the conversation can drift into a casual conversation about God and then you can first listen to what they believe and then share what you believe. This is a bunch of friends talking but God would have planted that seed and maybe they will come back to you later and say. Hey that is interesting. They know you are a Christian now and what you believe so God can sent them your way.  Don't be afraid to say "I don't know but I can look into that."  Then later look into it and the next time you see them you can share what you found. 

4. Believer doing the great commission.  At this point you are being a good and faithful servant. 

Next Steps: You may already be doing this but connect with other believers but type 4 and type 3 so you can learn from each other but in the case of type 3, you may be that person who goes with them and it builds their confidence into becoming type 4. When meeting with other believers, be open and share what you need prayer for. As you do what God has for you, there will be a spiritual battle so protection is important and prayer for people's hearts to be open is too. 

The important thing to remember is that the success or failure of you sharing is not up to you. The holy spirit will do the work we are simply ensuring everyone has the opportunity. You just sharing it with them regardless of how they respond makes you a good and faithful servant.

If you have questions about these 4 types or next steps or simply need someone to talk to about it. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. I am here to listen and help how I can. 

I feel God bring people to use as Blessings so if you reach out to me that is another blessing from God to me so don't be afraid to bless me with your connection.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

The Simple Gospel

If you are viewing this it is because you have been curious about God but something is standing in your way. Often it is because of the complexity of how God was shared with you. The gospel is actually quite simple but as humans we tend to complex it or place additional things on top either out of nervousness or because we feel it should be more complex. Here we are trying to keep it as simple as possible. It contains all the core elements but not all the clutter of individual denominations or disputable matters as the Apostle Paul worded it.

Here is the Gospel in a few simple points:

  1. We all have sinned at one point in our lives. If the first thought in your mind was that you have never sinned then I suggest you look back over your life and if you still can’t find anything then ask a friend. I am sure an honest one will point out at least one.
  2. Jesus was sinless and died on the cross for our sins. There is lots of evidence and proofs of this even prophecies in writings scribed long before he existed as a human. If you want to know more of it you can click the link and find lots of resources to tell you more. However the important thing is that you believe he did this.
  3. Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared to many after 3 days. Again you can click the link and dig into the resources that help with proof but the important thing in the simple gospel is that you believe this.
  4. It is by grace that we are saved. All we have to do is talk to him (in prayer) and accept it. This will begin a fresh relationship with you. There is nothing else we need to do to be saved. We may feel inclined to do things because of what he did but if we do nothing else we are still saved.

The next step is to bow your head and say “God, I am a sinner and I know you died for my sins. There is nothing I can do but through grace you have forgiven me and we can start our relationship anew. I invite you into my heart and life to guide me and protect me. Amen”

That is it. If you said that prayer and meant it. Welcome to the family. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. I highly recommend that you get in touch with other believers because just like anything new we start, it is good to meet others on the same journey to learn from. If you are not sure who to connect with reach out to me. I will be happy to share the journey with you and help you find others locally that you can connect with as well.

The easiest way to reach out to me is to send me a LinkedIn request. Tell me you said the prayer or let me know that you still have questions. I will help out however I can.

Monday, September 25, 2023

Part 2: Standing Firm In Hope Even When Things Are Hard

Sometimes the thing holding us back is fear of failure or struggling with adversity or facing times that are simply hard.  If you look at church history you will find that it is when the church faced persecution or adversity or struggled that is when it grew the most. Now I could write a blog article on how the early church flourished during a time of persecution but someone already write that article.

I will leave it to you to look at the stats on persecution in the 2020s but Forbes magazine determined that One In Eight Christians Worldwide Live In Countries Where They May Face Persecution. If you look at the USA where there is minimal persecution for faith you see the decline now look at the countries facing persecution to see the stats on number of Christians there.

More recently we are seeing the tide turning in North America regarding Christian Persecution right now we are not really seeing much persecution but you can see the trend coming.  We are seeing adversity and hard times. We are seeing people struggle with job loss, lack of food and housing.  We are seeing limitations placed on sharing faith in certain areas or buildings. Some accounts are people creating the hype but other times it is indeed limitation in sharing. 

Through these times we need to stand firm in hope. We need to continue to build up in the faith and continue to share our faith and more importantly reach out to others struggling whether they are believers or not and love them, feed them, heal them in Jesus name. On Sept 17 at Life Together the pastors wife Tanya shared Galatians 6:7-9. It talks about reaping what you sow. This refers to all aspects of our walk including our gifts, our finances, our time. We will see this is a common theme in this set of videos as well.  

Right now in my life I feel trapped. I feel the adversity and hardship and everywhere I look I see no exit.  On Sept 17 at church Pastor John read Jonah 2. This is when he was trapped in the fish in the physical world but in the depths of Hell in the spiritual world. Just when he felt trapped, God provided a way. I feel this will be a common theme as we go through this set of videos. You may be feeling the same way as me and are awaiting God to provide the exit.

1. This video is on 1 Peter which is right after the loss of Paul. The message digs deep into Standing Firm In Hope Even When Things Are Hard The verse that always stood out to me in 1 Peter is "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:8-9 KJV This verse emphasizes what we learn in Matthew 25 that we need to reach out to others struggling whether they are believers or not and love them, feed them, heal them in Jesus name. In 1 Peter 1 it is clear that test will refine you like gold is refined when heated however he is clear that we are not to use hardships and testing as an excuse to be disobedient we are called to be holy as he is holy. We need to continue to be obedient to him. 

2. This video is called Wheels Off and it starts with the story in Exodus 14. If you fast forward to 2:46 in this you will hear a very important line that matches our theme. "It is possible that God has led you and is setting you up for his glory and you think you are trapped and its on purpose and there is no way out."  This is where we get in trouble God tells us what to do and we do not do so and we wonder why there is a problem.  Does that not feel like Deja vu? That was also part of Jonah 2. Now when you reach the 32 minute mark you get the story in Acts about Paul and the demon possessed girl where the demon is following them around and claiming the truth of who they are. At that point Paul exercises the demon and they are brought to the town square and singled out as troublemakers for their business.  Right after that you will hear reference of the coming persecution and how we know its coming. We need to be obedient to God and and stand firm in our beliefs.

3. The next video is How To Lose A Battle. The first cause is not having a strong leader instead the leader panics and makes rash decisions or runs away. The second cause was location. They allowed the enemy to place the battle in a location. The third cause was listening to the wrong voices. Through this sermon we hear the same thing that the leader refused to obey what the lord had said and refused to stand firm in their beliefs. The common denominator was pride instead of being humble and trusting in God. Proverbs 16:18 "pride goes before destruction"

 4. In this video is from FLC Columbus on September 17, 2023 and contains much on using our gifts for the good of the kingdom and being obedient to what god has called us to. A key theme is "You reap what you sow". If you fast forward to the 4 minute mark you will hear how we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The thing that stands out is how others in need are willing to help others with rides home with the groceries. At 6:43 mark it references 1 Peter 4:10 "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." which means each of us should use the gifts we have received to serve others. At 10:30 it talks about how the church is taking care of ALL gods people that they did all they could to make the church accessible to those with various special needs.  At 33:40 it talks about how God is awesome telling all the parts of the body to work together and perform their tasks. The prior sermon which you can watch by going back one day in the channel is from 2 Kings 4:1-7 about a poor widow and the olive oil. She freely gave what little she had. She was obedient to the prophet and obeyed what she was instructed. All her debt ended up being paid. This one is on 2 Kings 4:8-18 and about a rich woman. She freely gave what she had and she was blessed with a son so she would be taken care of. We are given an example of not doing this as well.  

5. The lesson we learn in the previous video was: "You reap what you sow" regardless of whether it is time, money, our gifts or whatever God has provided to us.  Our focus should be on helping others.  It reminds me of that hymn "Freely, freely you have received. Freely, freely give" so this will be video 5.

6.  God Time. This is specific time daily that you sow into time with God. It doesn't matter how much time you give but is ALL about being intentional and consistent. One way to do this is schedule the time in your calendar as a repeated appointment with God for that set period of time then when someone wants you to do something you explain to them that you have an appointment with God during that time and you can do the other task later. The key point is mentioned at 49:38 "God time is a priority and a necessity"

There will be more added to this playlist over the course of the year. As I add videos they will be referenced in additional blog posts.  I look forward to growing together from Only Fans to True Followers of Jesus together. 

This post is part of a series that compliments the Only Fans To True Follower Of Jesus YouTube Playlist of the same name. If you have not already we recommend you go to Part 1: From Only Fans To True Follow Of Jesus to experience the first part of the playlist.


Monday, September 18, 2023

Part 1: From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus

Starting on Sept 10, 2023 I feel God has been pushing me to create this new series based on my original content and other YouTube content that will push Christians to go From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus. From examining myself I realized that I became a follower when I was a teenager but waited 2 decades to be baptized when my son had a dream that we were baptized together so we did.  Now another 2 decades later God is pushing me towards the book of Acts and from follower to true follower of Jesus.  

This journey started during my tech fast when God put on my heart to study the book of Acts.  Then throughout 2023 that kept coming up as a common theme in the videos I was watching and helping others with. Other videos kept coming up and some of those will make it into the playlist as well. 

The week of August 20th on Neighborhood someone told me about this church called Life Together in a post.  It was like the church in Acts they said.  I was intrigued especially since I was aware of the book Life Together and thought how it may be related.  It turns out the pastor was inspired by God to create the church from the book of Acts and given the name. He was unaware of the book at the time but later found out about the book and realized God was actually doing similar with him as when he inspired the book author. Just like the early church spent life together not just 20 minutes on a Sunday so does Life Together church.  They take care of each other and build each other up, they focus on unity in the body understanding that others have different beliefs but as long as the core beliefs of the gospel as Saved By Grace Alone is there then the other stuff is disputable matters.  Sunday August 27 I attended the church and realize it embodied those beliefs. They did service together and then lunch followed then a group went downtown and spoke to the community sharing love and the gospel with those who were interested.  Monday nights they do bible study. On Wednesdays they spent from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm preparing things together for the food bank which opened at 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm where they shared food with the community to take home but also shared a hot meal with them for dinner and listened to their struggles and offered prayer and an ear to hear.  At 6:00 pm they then had a bible study as a church as well as those who wished to stay that came for the food bank if they wanted.  Saturday they had practice for the music worship and then Sunday together again. I only did the Sunday to start getting my feet wet.  

The next Sunday I went by the church but remembered they were moving to a new building for service. I saw the sign and glanced to quickly at it. I ended up at the new building and Elim church was holding their service. I stayed to listen and they spoke the same things about unity and the church working together confirming the same message that it is what we do outside the walls of the church that matter most.  Interestingly enough back in June God had me stumble over a sign for Hope Bible Church in St Catharines and the message of that service was about unity in the body and the importance of what we do outside the walls of the church that matters that we are being trained inside the church to go out and do the Great Commission.

Now on September 10th at the new building there were 3 churches all attending the same service together in unity: Elim Church, Life Together and Faith One.  Each with their own beliefs but now connected in fellowship together.  Next week Faith One will be back in Niagara Falls but going forward Elim and Life Together are going to be one church called Life Together.  The message was the same about being followers and about unity in the body.  This Sunday I took part in the entire process.  We did service together, celebrated how Life Together was now 12 years old with lunch and cake and then walked out to Pelham Road and Hwy 81 and carried signs but also spoke to those around about how Jesus loves them, that he love everyone.  We were standing in front of a Spanish church that happens to be on that corner. Curious on whether their attendance will increase next week.

Now onto the From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus. You can access the full playlist and watch in order. I will explain the videos here as well and you can click the links below to watch each video as well.

  1. Earlier this week I had met a fellow Christian that introduced me to the Three Circles method of sharing the gospel.  I had heard the term before but was not aware how it worked.  I found a video on it and this is the first in this playlist. It is short and will be very valuable in sharing for those struggling with that.
  2. On the way home God inspired me to create a video that was short and simple.  God loves you regardless of whether you love him or not
  3. When I got home I was relaxing and playing games on my phone and listening to music when the Reunion Church message came up about Only Fans.  I just had to watch it intrigued by the title and a big fan of the pastor.  
  4. Next I went to the Wellspring Community Church service as this is one of the service I watch every week. It turns out it too was about True Followers. They have been going through the book of Mark for about a year now and this week aligned to the crucifixion of Jesus and the woman taking him to the tomb to be buried. All the disciples had fallen away and Peter had denied him 3 times but the women stayed at the cross with Jesus at risk of their own personal safety. In fact Rachel Starr Thompson who was preaching mentioned the earliest secular source about Jesus is a letter from Roman soldiers about women they tortured and then they told him about Jesus.  It is amazing how God places these things together to make them stand out. 
  5. I was then onto the next service I watch on a Sunday only to find that Hope Church Niagara was starting a new series called The 5G Life.  Guess what it is about?  Well it is about how as Christians we start off as babies but many never graduate from those early stages to becoming true followers that go out and share to gospel with others. 


    Note how point 1 is about clarity and how 3 Circles is about clarity in sharing the gospel. Not how point 2 is about unity and that earlier in this post the focus was unity in the body.  Consistency is about living it out in our life outside church. Maturity was discussed in Only Fans and in the Wellspring sermon where he talked about being followers but when the pressure was on some stayed and others reverted back. Urgency has to do with the fact that you could die at any moment or Jesus could return and if you didn't accept Jesus gift of salvation you would end up saying What The Hell instead of Praise the Lord.  Oh wait I forgot that part.  The message on Sept 10th at Life Together by Jonathan Hodgins was entitled "What the Hell or Praise the Lord". The premise was that there was a sense of urgency in spreading the gospel or people would end up after dying saying What the Hell because they would be judged and be surprised by its severity or end up in Heaven by grace not anything we deserved and say Praise the Lord. The Hope Church series will be ongoing so the other parts will appear later in the playlist.
  6.  As I went back through some of the retro clips from earlier this year some became very relevant. One example is this one about Catholics. Many Protestant Christians especially on YouTube but not exclusive to that are very critical of Catholics so this question clears up any confusion about the topic. Are Catholics Saved? The answer may surprise many but really it shouldn't.
  7. This next video is a review of the book Life Together. It is not long and provides a good summary of the concepts at a high level. I recommend reading the book but this will help for now.
  8. This service further enforces unity and provides lots of verses to support it.  Homo(notso)genius
  9. Now this video provides a truth that we have all known for a long time now but ignore. It is short and to the point and something Non-Christians often comment about. Casual Sinning & Church Attendance. The full service is really good to watch but this short calls it out in one simple short clip.
There will be more added to this playlist over the course of the year. As I add videos they will be referenced in additional blog posts.  I look forward to growing together from Only Fans to True Followers of Jesus together. 

If you are new to this blog please go back and read our welcome post. It will further explain where SBGAFA came from and the purpose of this blog.



Sunday, September 10, 2023

Welcome To Saved By Grace Alone

For those joining us here welcome and for those already following us on YouTube thanks for the support.  On January 1, 2023 at midnight we launched our first video but this is not the start of the journey in fact it started near the end of 2022 when Rachel Starr Thompson guest spoke at Wellspring Community Church in Welland Ontario and introduced us to the Tech Fast Challenge she was doing through the winter months and challenged others to do. As I am a Techie I had to adapt the challenge a bit. I was allowed to watch and listen to Christian content online only. I was allowed to use Discord but only to answer messages from my family.  I was NOT allowed on any social media platforms other than Discord for any reason.

I spent time reading many books and listening to songs on my Spotify playlist and watching lots of Christian YouTubers. Here is a list of highlights and their impact:

1. Seeds By Rachel Starr Thompson - I read the first book before the challenge but book 2 during. This book instilled in me that our example in how we live our life out in the world is where we have the greatest impact on others.  People walk and mimic what we do and say.

2. Ruslan, Mike Winger, etc - I watched a lot of the big name YouTubers like Ruslan and Mike Winger especially his live q & a videos. I was learning a lot from his videos.  

3. Watching You by Rodney Atkins - This song made me cry but had a similar message about how the son watches his father and learns from him  

4. Stop Worrying by Troy Black - I actually stumbled upon Troy Black when he did a prophetic word on Ruslan and it was dead on according to Ruslan himself, some details he would not have known unless God gave them to him.  The book was powerful and taught me that if I followed God's calling and purpose he would always provide us with what we need to do what he has called us to do. This reminded me of in 2020 how God brought me the verse Romans 8:28 three times in the same weekend from very different sources.  On the same weekend I stumbled upon Manifest on Netflix and the whole show was about Romans 8:28 and their calling.  I binged watched the full season on the Friday night.  On Saturday a  Non-Christian friend pinged me on LinkedIn and started to talk to me about life and purpose and where he should head next in his life. We chatted about his options for his career and the best place to go. During the conversation he knew I was a Christian and he said a friend of his had given him a verse that he felt he should relay to me as we were discussing purpose it was Romans 8:28.  Odd, I thought.  I mentioned it to my girlfriend about the 2 occurrences. Sunday came and we watched a sermon at The Meeting House streamed because we were all locked down.  During the service Bruxy Cavey was speaking on a topic that had nothing to do with callings or purpose then right in the middle of if he stopped and said "God is prompting me that someone watching needs this."  He quoted Romans 8:28, nonchalantly and then just continued the service.  I thought I imagined it but my girlfriend turned to me and confirmed I was not.  She heard it too. After the service we rewatched that part and sure enough it was true.  This was what God was putting on my heart but I had no idea why.  Then a few years later during the fast it had come forth and I was learning more.

There was lots more that was guiding me as well.  Christmas week was tough. I was struggling a lot mentally. I remember for Christmas I got a Rubber Duck this will come into play later.  Between Christmas and New Year's Eve I started having dreams and remembering them. This is rare for me as I don't typically remember my dreams.  The first was actually something he put on my heart before the Tech Fast. He told me I had used my gifts for many years to help the tech and marketing community needed to share my gifts to expand the kingdom.  As he had shared that before I was not surprised by that dream.  The second dream was the Saved By Grace Alone logo and I heard a voice say this is ALL that matters.  Everything else is causing division and we need to focus on the basics and bring many.  I saw a harvest of grapes which made sense because I was living in wine country.  The third dream was more bold, showed the YouTube logo and said many are struggling.  As I awoke from the dream the Rubber Duck was sitting on my nightstand looking at me. I thought back to my days as a developer and how I used it as a debugging tool. I would explain the problem to the duck and by doing so find the error in my logic and thus the bug.  I told this to my nephew and he told me in Alpha that they did something called the 3 minute gospel where someone was dying and you had to explain them the gospel in 3 minutes so they could be saved.  This became my first video Rubber Duck Evangelism.  These 3 dreams together led to the channel being launched New Years Eve right at Midnight.  

From the launch until now I have been creating content when prompted by God to do so but the main goal is to help Christian YouTubers under 1,000 followers build their audience.  I have had many reach out to me offering me advice and I have been sharing this with others both through messenger and IRL and also in the comments of their videos.  God has been expanding their audience sometimes through my advice and sharing of their content but also by God inspiring them to create amazing content that the algorithm loves.

I look forward to see what God does through the end of the year and beyond.  I have been hearing a lot about 2024 and that the harvest is ripe but the reapers are few. 

Starting September 18th we began a new series based on the From Only Fans To True Follower Of Jesus YouTube playlist. check out Part 1: From Only Fans To True Followers Of Jesus 




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