{"id":302180,"date":"2010-12-17T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-17T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/the-good-news-goes-public\/"},"modified":"2010-12-17T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-12-17T17:00:00","slug":"the-good-news-goes-public","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-good-news-goes-public\/","title":{"rendered":"The Good News Goes Public"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for a creative way to share Christ?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-17.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"26.3M","filesize_raw":"27572590","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2821],"tags":[4722,4818,4159],"podcast_series":[7776],"cwp_profile":[9220],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-302180","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reaching-out","tag-christianity","tag-evangelism","tag-gospel","podcast_series-god-talk-at-the-mall","cwp_profile-rich-and-charlene-sevcik","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/302180\/the-good-news-goes-public","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/302180\/the-good-news-goes-public","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Z9xZSS9UZa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-good-news-goes-public\/\">The Good News Goes Public<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/the-good-news-goes-public\/embed\/#?secret=Z9xZSS9UZa\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;The Good News Goes Public&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"Z9xZSS9UZa\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Looking for a creative way to share Christ?","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2010-12-17.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 A couple of times a year Rich Sevcik and some of his friends get together and rent a kiosk at their local mall.\u00a0 They are not there to sell anything; they are there to share about Jesus.\u00a0 They recruit volunteers and train them.\u00a0 What they find is the volunteers wind up loving the work.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>We have had many, many volunteers who have said to us, \u201cI don\u2019t like doing this, but I am going to try it.\u201d\u00a0 After they have tried it\u2014after they have been in the mall for two or three hours and they have talked to a few people, they love it!\u00a0 They realize that this is what Jesus wants.\u00a0 This is not difficult.\u00a0 It is a great personal, rewarding experience for me as the person who is sharing the Gospel.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Friday, December 17<sup>th<\/sup>.\u00a0 Our host is the President of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey; and I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 Rich and Charlene Sevcik join us today to talk about their experience sharing Jesus at a kiosk in a mall.\u00a0 They will explain how you can do it, too.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 Thanks for joining us.\u00a0 There is a story I have to hear.\u00a0 We have been talking\u2014you should introduce our guests and tell what we have been talking about; but there is a story in what we have been talking about that I really want to hear.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You actually just want to pronounce Rich and Charlene\u2019s last name because you think you can do it with the proper Czechoslovakian enunciation.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You say [Sevick], right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Correct.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>But you were telling me before that in the [with an accent]\u201cOld Country\u201d they would have said [Sevchick], right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>That is right.\u00a0 My dad was an immigrant; so properly pronounced, that is it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>[with an accent] [Sevchick].\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Rich and Charlene live in the Bay area.\u00a0 They have been married for 22 years.\u00a0 Rich was an executive with Hewlett Packard in Xilinx in the Semiconductor business for more than 20 years.\u00a0 He put his engineering to use not long after he retired and began to pray that God would use you\u2014that He would give you a mission, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>It wasn\u2019t long after you prayed that God answered that prayer and gave you some direction.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Well, pointed you in the direction of the mall.\u00a0 Here is the story I am looking for.\u00a0 I want to know about the meeting you had with the mall management office where you said, \u201cYes, we would like to open up a kiosk here in the mall.\u00a0 We are not going to sell anything; we are just going to tell people about Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 I just want to know how the mall manager\u2014what did he do when you told him that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Actually, we had one of their sales managers and we had the general manager there.\u00a0 When we told them what we were going to do, they kind of looked at us in a kind of perplexing way; but they were very professional.\u00a0 Of course, they are used to running kiosks and stores and things like that.\u00a0 They continued with the conversation, but they did ask us a little bit more detail of what we were going to be doing in the mall.\u00a0 Since we hadn\u2019t yet been in the mall, we weren\u2019t exactly sure.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>The idea had not yet been fully baked, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Right.\u00a0 Actually, another funny story\u2014We were basically led by one of pastors that if we were going to do something like this, we should have a pastoral steering committee.\u00a0\u00a0 We should have a group of people praying for us.\u00a0 We actually formed a pastoral steering committee, and we had five pastors on it from different churches.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe presented the idea to these guys.\u00a0 One of them\u2014his name was John.\u00a0 John looked at us several times at these meetings and said, \u201cYou are crazy.\u00a0 You can\u2019t go into a mall.\u00a0 You can\u2019t win.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t going to work.\u00a0 Nobody is going to be interested.\u00a0 This is crazy.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>It is Old School.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes.\u00a0 He told us we were a bunch of Old School couples\u2014you know, we were older.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnyway, the other pastors thought it might be a good idea.\u00a0 Everybody said, \u201cHey, it is worth a try.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTo finish the story:\u00a0 We got in the mall.\u00a0 The very first day we were opening the very first kiosk, we had another lady working with us\u2014one of the volunteers.\u00a0 Charlene and I were busy cleaning the kiosk, polishing it and setting up our Bibles, our books, and all this kind of stuff.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI noticed out of the corner of my eye\u2014the other lady\u2014the volunteer\u2014she was talking to a shopper.\u00a0 They were having this great positive, animated conversation.\u00a0 I thought the shopper was a friend of hers who just happened to be walking by, right?\u00a0 About 15 minutes later, the volunteer comes up to Charlene and me and says, \u201cYou might want to come over here and pray.\u00a0 This lady is accepting Jesus as her Lord and Savior.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You are setting up shop...\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Right.\u00a0 Yes, we are setting up shop on the very first morning, ever.\u00a0 Almost the first person walking by the kiosk is this lady shopper and she accepts Jesus.\u00a0 That evening we got on email\u2014actually that day we had three more salvations that day.\u00a0 We got on email and I told our steering committee pastor group that we had had four salvations that day, including the very first hour of the morning.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tJohn\u2014he is a great guy, by the way, and has a sense of humor.\u00a0 John replies to my email about, \u201cGod is blessing us.\u201d\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 \u201cThis is great.\u201d\u00a0 John replies back and he says, \u201cWell, it just goes to prove that God can use any stupid idea.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe was kidding, right.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Let me just clarify for listeners.\u00a0 This is a kiosk in a mall where you are not selling anything.\u00a0 You have literature that you hand out.\u00a0 The sign says, \u201cGod Talk\u201d; and you just invite people to come over and have a conversation about faith, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Exactly.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>And you do it a couple of months a year.\u00a0 It is not in the mall every month.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I was curious about this because you don\u2019t do it at Christmas time.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Tell me about why.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>The way malls operate\u2014they are a retail operation.\u00a0 They are privately owned, and they want to make profits. During Christmas, all the stores are filled and all the kiosks are booked out.\u00a0 For a typical renter of a kiosk, the mall does not only charge rent but they also get a percentage of their revenue. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>And you aren\u2019t making any revenue.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>We don\u2019t make any revenue.\u00a0 We purposely give away Bibles, and we give away a lot of things; but we don\u2019t make any revenue.\u00a0 So in terms of the totem pole\u2014they are not going to let us in during the Christmas season.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I would also think during the Christmas shopping season, that wouldn\u2019t be the ideal time to stop and have a conversation about Jesus.\u00a0 But at Easter time, or back to school, there is a little more margin in people\u2019s lives.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Right.\u00a0 The first part of the week\u2014it is very slow.\u00a0 People have spent the weekend in the mall--they are going to the movies; they are eating out; they are shopping; or just hanging around in the mall.\u00a0 Monday through Wednesday afternoon late or Thursday, the mall is somewhat quiet.\u00a0 We have found, though, that during those quiet times, people are really sometimes more open to stopping and talking.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe weekends when it is busy\u2014Thursday afternoons through Sunday\u2014it can be a mob scene in there.\u00a0\u00a0 We usually try to keep the kiosks having at least three, sometimes four volunteers for those busy moments.\u00a0 We usually have three-hour time slots that volunteers come in the mall and share their faith in the mall.\u00a0 A lot of times we have so many people will say, \u201cCan I come again?\u00a0 Can I volunteer again?\u201d\u00a0 Of course, we are very thrilled.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we go in the mall and we do work with other churches, we go to their churches and we do training for them\u2014getting them prepared\u2014just doing a little hour training that tells them what the mall rules are so that we are being able to go back again.\u00a0 We can\u2019t go against any of their rules.\u00a0 We also do training on giving a few little techniques that we have learned to try to entice people to come and share.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>That was going to be my question.\u00a0 How many of the conversations occur with you stepping out like you did\u2014you mentioned earlier\u2014where you talked to a gang member and told him, \u201cGod has something to say to you\u201d ? I mean, that is pretty pro-active.\u00a0 How often do they just come up and ask you a question?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Very rarely actually\u2014when they just walk up to us, unsolicited at all.\u00a0 What we do in our mini-training for volunteers is we train people\u2014as shoppers are walking by the kiosk\u2014we are right there in the traffic area\u2014as people are walking by, we hand out free things.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs people walk by, for example, we will hand out free <em>Decision<\/em> magazines from Billy Graham or we will hand out a church invitation.\u00a0 Around Easter time, most churches will have a special Easter program.\u00a0 We will hand out a church invitation.\u00a0 As people walk by, in the course of a month, we will hand out 10,000 church invitations, for example.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs people are walking by\u2014shoppers are coming by\u2014we train the volunteers to smile, extend your arm, and say, \u201cWould you like to have a free Billy Graham magazine?\u201d or \u201c...a free <em>Men for More<\/em> invitation to a website?\u201d\u00a0 We are always giving things away in the mall.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs people accept the free gift\u2014we then train our volunteers\u2014we trained ourselves\u2014you know, we\u2019ve learned this over the years\u2014the easiest question to ask is, \u201cAre you going to a good church right now?\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes people will stop and answer your question.\u00a0 Sometimes they will keep walking, right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf they stop and they answer your question, then we lead that conversation into, \u201cHey, we are having a spiritual survey,\u201d or \u201cWe are having a raffle,\u201d\u2014for the teenagers, we talk about a raffle.\u00a0 We will have a daily raffle for two movie tickets and a box of popcorn.\u00a0 For an adult, we will say, \u201cWould you like to take our spiritual survey?\u201d\u00a0 That way we get the person to stop and at least take a minute or two to fill out this little spiritual survey\u2014it only has four questions on it.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs they are filling out the spiritual survey, we train ourselves and our volunteers to engage in a conversation.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to a good church?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWhat church are you going to?\u201d\u00a0 They almost always say, \u201cOooh, I don\u2019t remember.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>The name of it!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong><strong>\u201c<\/strong>It was two years ago...\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You did mention earlier that like 93 percent of folks in the Bay Area don\u2019t go to church.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Do not go to church.\u00a0 Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>The question is almost a setup for that kind of answer you are talking about.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes.\u00a0 We have learned a lot by being in the mall all of these years.\u00a0 By the way, everything we have learned, we put into our training.\u00a0 Our training materials are available on the internet at our website Godtalkinthemall.com.\u00a0 Any church, anybody listening to this broadcast\u2014you can go to our website\u2014you can get a hold of all the information\u2014everything we have learned and everything we do\u2014all of our free handouts\u2014we have pictures of it up on the website.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>We have a link at our website FamilyLifeToday.com to your website.\u00a0 So if folks want to stop by, they can just link over and find the information you are looking for.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>One of the things that you equip people to do that I have found fascinating\u2014by the way, I really agree with this\u2014just equip them to share their own story of how they came to faith in Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Exactly.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>People are interested in other people\u2019s stories, especially around spiritual matters.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>That is my favorite way to talk with people\u2014find out where they are in their lives and trying to draw something from myself that I can share with them of how God has really worked in my life over the years\u2014how He has been there for me\u2014how He has not failed me\u2014how He is our best friend\u2014our Hope, and our Source.\u00a0 I tell them, \u201cIt is not the next job or the next relationship,\u201d I said, \u201cJesus Christ is your Source.\u00a0 You need to look to Him.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPeople are looking in all other directions.\u00a0 I talk to young people, and they will have a new pair of tennis shoes, a new bag, dress, or something.\u00a0 I say, \u201cThat is going to make you happy for the next two or three weeks.\u00a0 Then pretty soon it is going to be called, \u2018that old bag or those old shoes,\u2019\u201d I said, \u201cBut Jesus Christ is going to be with you forever.\u00a0 You can know that He is there in the middle of the night when nobody else is there.\u00a0 You can call on Him and talk with Him.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo much of this that we share in the mall is our own personal experiences where we have been and just showing how God has been with us over all these years\u2014over 60-some years God has been there with us and will take us all the way to heaven.\u00a0 That is what I like to tell the young people.\u00a0 We are not just talking about today.\u00a0 God loves you right now, but He wants you to go all the way to heaven with Him.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI talk about the hair on the heads\u2014these kids have a ton of hair\u2014I\u2019ll say, \u201cGod knows every hair on your head.\u00a0 He knows everything about you.\u00a0 He knows the good; He knows the bad; and He knows the ugly about us.\u00a0 He loves us and He loves you just the way you are.\u201d\u00a0 It is just a great blessing to share with the people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>The thing I want our listeners to capture out of what you are saying, Charlene, this next generation of young people\u2014although they may not look anything like what we looked like when we were that age\u2014they have a soul.\u00a0 They have a deep, profound need to know God.\u00a0 Are you finding these young people really do want somebody to reach out to them in a meaningful way and express the love of God?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I am amazed at the kids who are so open to this.\u00a0 They will listen to us.\u00a0 We thought, \u201cWhy would these young people want to stop and talk with us older folks?\u201d\u00a0 We have volunteers in the mall who are in their 80\u2019s.\u00a0 They are some of the best people to share about Christ with these young people.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how they are drawn to them.\u00a0 They have told us, \u201cIt is the Holy Spirit at work.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>It is the godly thing.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>It is a godly thing.\u00a0 They are just gorgeous.\u00a0 I said, \u201cWe just need to sit back and just watch you two work in the mall and do your volunteering.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I think part of what we have learned from the teenagers, in particular, is unfortunately their parents are not there for them.\u00a0 When they see older folks like us willing to talk with them, they are actually drawn to us.\u00a0 We have had some awesome conversations with these teenagers.\u00a0 It is kind of shocking sometimes what they are going to tell you is going on in their lives, but they are looking for some parental guidance.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 We can be there, help them, and steer them in the right direction, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I am trying to imagine going to my local mall office and saying, \u201cI would like to set up a kiosk.\u00a0 We are going to call it God Talk.\u00a0 We are going to share about Jesus with shoppers.\u201d\u00a0 I would think there would be some mall offices that would say, \u201cThat is not really what we want happening at our mall.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>A few years ago we did get an article in the <em>Decision<\/em> magazine about God Talk.\u00a0 As a result of that Billy Graham article, there were about 14 different churches across the United States that attempted to launch a mall ministry.\u00a0 A few of them we are in contact with.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor example, in Syracuse, New York, there is an operating God Talk in the mall.\u00a0 They do it every August and every March as well\u2014just like we do.\u00a0 We share best practices and all that kind of good stuff.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere was an attempt in Naperville, Illinois.\u00a0 That church went to a local mall; and the local mall management, once they understood what they wanted to do, said, \u201cNo way. You are not coming into our mall, and we are not going to do this.\u201d\u00a0 Yes, it does depend on the local mall management.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things that I think God has made really clear to us in the last five years that this is a godly thing, right?\u00a0 We have to be in prayer.\u00a0 In our area and with other people we are in contact with across the United States, we are always telling people, \u201cBe in prayer.\u00a0 Be in prayer before you talk to the mall management.\u00a0 Be in prayer before you go in the mall.\u00a0 Be in prayer while you are in the mall.\u201d\u00a0 It is all about praying that God will move and that the Holy Spirit will be empowered in our lives, right?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYes.\u00a0 It is very clear that some mall management does not want this going on.\u00a0 They own the mall, right?\u00a0 They are in charge, and that is private property.\u00a0 We have to respect that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>It would seem to me that the mall management would be interested in anything that called these young people to morality, to walking with Christ, the Ten Commandments.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face it, we have a generation of young people who are getting their cues from the world.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>And a lot of them hanging out at the mall wherethe mall management might go, \u201cYou know, if you can help us with this, we will pay you.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Exactly right.\u00a0 That is exactly what has happened.\u00a0 After we have been in the mall for a couple of years, the same Oakridge Mall, the mall management actually realized that the theft rate inside the mall had dropped significantly.\u00a0 It turns out\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tthat most of the theft is done by teenagers.\u00a0 We are there telling teenagers right from wrong, right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You are busting up the gangs right there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>That is right.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 Actually the mall management\u2014for example, the story about Jay and the drug gang\u2014the mall general manager knew about that gang and knew that it was later disappearing.\u00a0 He knew about that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHonestly, we are in the mall talking about Jesus.\u00a0 Every month we are in there, there will be one or two shoppers who will complain to mall management about having let us be in there.\u00a0 My personal opinion is one of the reasons why the mall management lets us come back all the time so far is a God thing; but they are aware of the fact that we are making a difference in the culture in the mall.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never forget the question that Bill Bright, the Founder and President of Campus Crusade for Christ, used to ask people.\u00a0 He would say, \u201cWhat is the greatest thing that has ever happened to you in your entire life?\u201d\u00a0 Charlene, how would you answer the question?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I would think coming to Jesus Christ and walking with Him, and Him accepting me with the good, the bad, and the ugly, and knowing that I have eternity in my future...\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You got it right.\u00a0 He would ask a second question, \u201cWhat then is the most important thing we could do for someone else?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Amen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>To introduce them to Jesus Christ.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Absolutely.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I actually was thinking about introducing you guys and having you take off your shoes; but it is radio so it wouldn\u2019t make any difference to our listeners.\u00a0 I just thought about this passage in Romans 10.\u00a0 It says, \u201cAnd how are they to preach unless they are sent?\u00a0 As it is written, \u2018How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Amen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>You have beautiful feet.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI am praying that this broadcast is going to cause some people to look down at their feet and go, \u201cAre my feet beautiful?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I need a pedicure; I need a Gospel pedicure.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t(laughter)\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Seriously, I am kind of making light of this; but in all seriousness, I really believe this is the time for people in the church\u2014individuals, singles, marrieds, single-parents, divorced people, grandparents\u2014to engage this next generation and to take the Good News to them in relevant, fresh ways.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFamilyLife has been re-tooling everything we are all about here\u2014addressing the needs of the next generation through some video events and curriculum to reach out to young couples.\u00a0 You are designing an idea and have launched an idea that needs to be rolled out by dozens of churches in dozens of cities across the country.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Charlene:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Amen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>I pray that will happen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>This could be the hot new mall franchise right here.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>There you go!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>God Talk, right?\u00a0 Let me add a couple of other thoughts.\u00a0 Getting into a mall, you have to deal with management and you have to organize\u2014and it is best if you have a few churches\u2014it does take some overhead to get going.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think Charlene mentioned earlier, you can go into a flea market.\u00a0 You can get a table for one day in a flea market.\u00a0 One Christian person, one individual, can go do that in a flea market for a day; or you can go into the Farmer\u2019s Market for a day.\u00a0 There are a lot of ways of starting.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnother thing I would like to add is that we spent a lot of time recruiting volunteers.\u00a0 Most of the time when you approach a Christian individual and you ask them if they would like to share their faith and you offer an opportunity, their quick human reaction is, \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 They get anxious.\u00a0 There is fear.\u00a0 There is worry.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOne of the things I want to share:\u00a0 This really is very basic theology, first of all.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to be a theologian.\u00a0 You just have to know about Jesus.\u00a0 Charlene loves to do, \u201cYou share your personal relationship with Christ with these individual shoppers.\u201d\u00a0 This is not theologically-challenging.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tActually, after you have talked with a couple of people, we have had many, many volunteers who have said to us, \u201cI don\u2019t like doing this, but I am going to try it.\u201d\u00a0 After they have tried it\u2014after they have been in the mall for two or three hours and they have talked to a few people, they love it!\u00a0 They realize that this is what Jesus wants.\u00a0 This is not difficult.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are always being friendly.\u00a0 We never argue with anyone.\u00a0 You don\u2019t ever want to argue with anybody about Christ.\u00a0 You are always friendly.\u00a0 You are always loving.\u00a0 You always stay on the positive track.\u00a0 When you do that, it is a great experience.\u00a0 It is a great personal, rewarding experience for me as the person who is sharing the Gospel. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThere is nothing to be anxious about.\u00a0 I actually think it is the Devil at work\u2014the Devil is putting garbage in our brain cells and telling us that this is going to be scary and telling us that this is difficult.\u00a0 It is not! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMost important of all, Jesus said, \u201cGo and be My witnesses and I will be with you.\u201d\u00a0 We are not out there on our own.\u00a0 We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit with us.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>And He promised to put the words in our mouth.\u00a0 If He put us before kings, He will tell us what to say.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Rich:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>And you guys have done a great job on your website helping people who hear the idea and think, \u201cBoy, we could do that.\u201d\u00a0 They have a desire to do that\u2014you can help them with whatever they need to know so that they can execute it in their city, wherever their local mall is.\u00a0 We have a link on our website FamilyLifeToday.com to your website.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI hope we get a lot of folks who click on and learn more about it\u2014see how easy it is and then round up your small group from church, get a couple of churches together, or make a project out of this.\u00a0 Do it at Easter time, do it at back-to-school time, or pick a time that is right for everybody who is going to be involved.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, go to FamilyLifeToday.com.\u00a0 You can click on the link that is there.\u00a0 It will take you to Rich and Charlene\u2019s website.\u00a0 That will answer any questions you might have about doing something like this.\u00a0 If you do it, drop us a note and tell us how it went.\u00a0 We would love to hear hundreds of stories of people heading out to the mall to share the Gospel.\u00a0 Let us know how it works for you.\u00a0 We will be anxious to hear your story.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNext week will be Christmas Eve.\u00a0 Then two weeks from now it will be New Year\u2019s Eve.\u00a0 Before you know it, it will be 2011.\u00a0 We have just a couple of weeks left before the end of the year and a couple of weeks to take advantage of the matching gift opportunity that has been presented to us here at FamilyLife.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSome very generous friends came to us and said, \u201cHow can we encourage <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> listeners to step up and help support the program?\u201d\u00a0 They came up with a little more than $2 million in a matching-gift fund that they have agreed to use to match every donation we receive during the month of December on a dollar-for-dollar basis.\u00a0 So if you make a donation, your donation is doubled; we get to take double advantage of your generosity.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo we are asking listeners to either go online at FamilyLifeToday.com or to call us at \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t1-800-FLTODAY.\u00a0 You need to do it in the next two weeks.\u00a0 If you can do it today, that would be great.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCall 1-800-FLTODAY.\u00a0 Make a donation over the phone, or go online at FamilyLifeToday.com and you can make your donation online.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEither way, I just want to say, \u201cThanks,\u201d in advance for whatever you are able to do in support of this ministry.\u00a0 All of here at FamilyLife appreciate it, and we are grateful for your partnership with us here in this ministry.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWith that, we have to wrap things up for today.\u00a0 Hope you have a great weekend.\u00a0 Hope you and your family are able to worship together this weekend.\u00a0 I hope you can join us back on Monday.\u00a0 We are going to introduce you to a young man who took a step of faith and invited a homeless man to move in with him.\u00a0 You will meet Chris Plekenpol on Monday and hear his story.\u00a0 I hope you can be with us for that.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.\u00a0 On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.\u00a0 We will see you back on Monday for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t2010 Copyright \u00a9 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>www.FamilyLife.com<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/302180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302180"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=302180"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=302180"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=302180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}