Lighting The Way Worldwide

There is an unreached people group in Nashville that only gets bad press in the local news: the families living in the projects of East Nashville. Even churches are afraid of doing evangelism there, as no one had been going until members of our team set out to love especially the children and tell them about how to be saved, something most of them had never even heard of before.

How absolutely thrilling and humbling that God would let us go into this high crime district of domestic violence and drugs to light the way weekly with Bible verses, Bible stories, books, Bibles and tracts for the kids to offer them new hope. We play games with them, teach them songs from Child Evangelism, play live music for them with other songwriters and musicians in Nashville, and tell them how to be saved according to the Bible and have a relationship with God as their Father through Jesus.

These sweet kids run up and greet us with hugs when they see us coming every Wednesday. They love the songs we are teaching them like “Did You Ever Talk to God Above?”, “This Little Light of Mine” and “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.” They all clap and sing along and have learned the right answers about whether or not Jesus is God and how to have a relationship with Jesus as their Savior and Friend through being born again into God’s family. The Gospel is truly a light in the midst of darkness there in these rough projects.

At the close of one of our times together, an intoxicated parent was passing by one of the little boys there with us and began cursing at him. It was truly like night and day after all we had shared from the Bible about God’s pure love. When I asked one little girl to give an example of a “sin,” after just teaching her the meaning of the word, she said, “Shootin’ somebody?” I answered, “Yes, shooting somebody would be a sin.” They are raised in a whole other world from what most of us have known.

Lighting the Way Worldwide has an outreach of evangelism to these children in the projects of East Nashville. In this area known for its shootings, telling these little kids who are being raised there about Jesus is no doubt close to God’s heart. When we first began telling the kids how to be saved and who Jesus is and why He came to die, it was like we were off somewhere in the outer regions of Africa, as the kids could not answer even the most basic questions about Jesus. As we returned week after week, the children really began to understand and respond. Publix donates food, and I plan to speak with Walmart about a donation pertaining to basic needs of the kids like school supplies. Thank you for your prayers and donations to make this outreach possible and to keep it going.

We work with accomplished musicians in Nashville who bring their instruments for the kids to even get to strum a mandolin, guitar or banjo for the first time. Slowly we have begun to get to know the parents as an evangelistic outreach to them also. Especially the single mothers have been receptive as we continue to give the children materials to take home for their parents to read to them, which also lets the parents know more about Jesus, too.

We began doing one “Bible Club” program in the area of their main playground, which grew in number week after week as the kids would gather and word began to spread. When we then saw children playing outside afterwards in a whole other section of the projects, we felt led to repeat the program there for another club. We do two programs in different areas, back to back on Wednesdays beginning at 4:30, so as to reach as many kids with the Gospel who live in these projects as possible.

“Let the little children come to Me… for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God.” 1 John 3:1

Video of Outreach in Action to Kids in the Projects

How the Character Counts Club Began

More Photos

We finally began an outreach in downtown Nashville in the summer of 2019 after praying for God to let us have one there for many years. The mission field is mainly to the tourists who are coming to Music City from all over the world. Copies of my book for women ‘Happiness No Man Required’ about the meaning of truly falling in love vs. humiliating addiction and God’s faithfulness in the area of dating are also available in this location that boasts of having more bachelorette parties than even Las Vegas.

The downtown culture of Nashville has become a cross between Canal Street in New Orleans and some sort of wanna-be Vegas in that many of the tourists come here to get wild. Though the money keeps flowing into this gentrified area with a few posh highrises, downtown has been described as “trashy” and “raunchy.” More MGM casinos are soon to come for gambling. Since Amazon has moved its headquarters to downtown, the traffic will only get worse as they are working on the road expansions. How sweet of God to give us a spot to set up in the heart of it all for His glory with nearby parking (at 27.00 per every two hours).

In this location, our materials are mainly addressing addiction and the true meaning of a relationship with God through Jesus vs. mere religion. We also have booklets for people practicing occult spirituality as America’s New Age foray continues to be sweeping through parts of the Bible belt.

Many of the free tracts and booklets on the table can easily fit into a woman’s purse or a man’s back pocket, as we have chosen these things on purpose as this Christian outreach is about the last thing most pedestrians would expect to find on their beeline into the bars. Loud country music blares from 5th down to the river in all of the honky-tonks downtown. Crime is also continuing to escalate with pick pockets and even some shady homeless characters who line the sidewalks sometimes becoming rambunctious from too much alcohol. It actually feels unsafe to be walking there late at night. Due to how so many people are drunk at night, we have made this a day outreach of evangelism based on apologetics for any of the tourists or locals passing looking for love, offering God’s love through Jesus to any lonely heart who wants Him.

Amidst the neon lights flashing, if any place needs a light for Jesus in the midst of darkness, it is downtown Nashville. We are thankful to shine such a light with the Gospel that sets men free where we can share the good news of how, though Satan sets us free to sin, Jesus sets us free from it.

“…My peace I give to you not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27

“Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin…If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34-35

This park is different from the other areas we have done outreach in Manhattan in that it is known for being the most liberal. It is the most popular area of activism where New Yorkers frequent to protest against conservative agendas in politics, which they associate with Christianity. It is about the last place in NYC you would think of finding a Christian table, which makes it the perfect place for our Lighting the Way Worldwide outreach of evangelism based on apologetics.

With people embracing occult spirituality in the form of selling talismans and tarot card readings, we offer a safe space right there beside such vendors to people from all backgrounds, belief systems and walks of life, where anyone is greeted with dignity and respect, if they would like to know about Jesus.

We have books specifically for this area like Be Still and Know that You are Not God and The Light that Was Dark. For NYU students passing, we also have booklets about the veracity of the Bible like Why Believe the Bible?, Where Was God on Sept. 11th? and Is Anybody Out There?

It is like the Venice Beach of NYC. No wonder a taxi driver said to me, “Be careful. It is very dangerous in Union Square,” when I told him about beginning a Christian outreach of evangelism there.

In this artist hub, our table actually fits right in. The evil spirits flee as the team likes to begin with praise songs at the table with a guitar. And, like any other location, God draws people over to find out more about Jesus.

“Our lives are invincible until He calls us home.” –Charles Spurgeon

With courage, the Atlanta team is now setting up on a regular basis in outreach to Muslims outside a mosque in Atlanta with materials specifically for reaching Muslims with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This mosque is also in the area of GA Tech. Since they expect GA Tech students to be passing as well, they have a few booklets and tracts for students who may have questions about the veracity of the Bible.

It’s touching that God would use us to shine a light for Jesus, offering peace, hope, Truth and love to a people group touted as being against Christianity, thought by some to be “a religion of hate.”

The team is using the same table they have to set up elsewhere around Atlanta in places like Little Five Points and Marietta Square, except that this location has a banner reading “A Free Gift for You” with materials in Arabic, English and other languages specifically for Muslims.

Our Christian team of men explain to Muslim men the difference between the real Jesus and the Isa of Islam, as Surah, chapter 4, teaches he never died on a cross for our sins. Using discernment and answering every question with answers based on logic and reason about what the Bible teaches, this is a very exciting outreach location of evangelism based on apologetics!

When Lighting the Way Worldwide began in 2002 at Venice Beach, we had the pleasure of meeting Jimbo Mullen and his family when he was attending the Master’s Seminary at Grace Community Church, where LTW began as a church-wide ministry in Los Angeles. We were instant friends.

After all of these years, Lighting the Way Worldwide is honored to partner with Pastor James Mullen and his team at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Brandon, FL, as they literally reach prostitutes and addicts on the streets of Tampa, as well as have a powerful jail ministry. They are lighting the way for broken people –who are often otherwise rejected by the church—by giving them Bibles and telling them how to be saved through Jesus.

Lighting the Way partners through sending the Tampa team resources specifically for people struggling with sexual addiction, alcohol and drugs. We have sent various materials through the years, including copies of our Christian-based book for women Happiness No Man Required—50 Tips for Single Women to be Happy With or Without a Man to give to prostitutes and booklets for addicts from RBC Ministries called When You Just Can’t Stop as we pray for Pastor James Mullen and the team from Westminster Presbyterian Church in their powerful, weekly outreach on the streets of Tampa.

We gave out 20 copies of my book ‘Happiness: No Man Required’ to prostitutes and strippers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans last week. It was amazing how God led us to the right women and kept us safe. Every single woman took the book without hesitation and thanked me. Each one promised to read it.

On the way to the first outreach I said to my cab driver, “I know I will be okay, because the Lord is with me.” She said, “I hope so, Honey, because them pimps will kill you.” [sic] I said, “Well, I was not afraid until I got into your cab!” We both laughed. I told her that I knew God had already provided the money for me to go back to Barnes and Noble after my book signing the previous day and purchase twenty of my own paperbacks (at retail for a total of over 400.00 spent). He would make a way for us to offer them for free to the strippers and prostitutes on Bourbon Street.

Well, He did just that! We had absolutely no problem as we walked down Bourbon asking God to show us the women who needed it most. I went with another Christian, and we were silently praying as we walked for God to lead us.

We would spot a woman who looked like she needed the book, and I would approach her with a smile and say, “I have just had a Barnes and Noble book signing in Metairie, and we had some books left over. Would you like a copy of my book ‘Happiness: No Man Required–50 Tips for Single Women to be Happy With or Without a Man’ for free?” Each woman smiled and thanked me without hesitation. They high-fived me and laughed with comments like, “That’s my kind of book!”

It was as if we were the same, even though we looked so differently on the outside. Beneath the tattoos, multiple nose-rings and prostitution, they were women just like me. I knew I could be just like them and far worse off if it were not for the grace of God on my life.

On the last day we were there, God led us to a woman who had been crying. We gave the last book to her. I told her I had signed it, and she added, “But, I want you to write MY name in it.” We went in a bar to get a pen, so I could put her name in it. She said she knew it was for her. As we were walking out of the bar I asked, “Do you know if you died today you would go to heaven?” She answered, “No.” I asked, “May I pray for you now?” She said, “Yes, but I don’t want to cry anymore.” I told her that crying does not kill us but sometimes all the ways we try to avoid or numb pain can. I prayed for her–explaining the Gospel in my prayer– and for God to give her new life.

Another woman was observing us as we prayed off from the sidewalk with a look of disdain. I could tell I had said enough and could trust Jesus to do the rest in the life of the sweet, broken, young woman who took the book. She said she had a daughter and wanted the best life for her daughter, too. I could sense the Holy Spirit at work. I have never had a more fulfilling experience. There is no greater joy this side of heaven than when a Christian gets to tell someone who is hurting about Jesus. The light of the Gospel shines even brighter the darker the place, like the French Quarter of New Orleans…

http://lightingtheway.blogspot.com/2016/12/ltw-update-bourbon-street-outreach-to.html