I explained to Aldo that God would some day bring a Kingdom of universal and everlasting peace, and that He would judge who would be allowed to live there.  I asked Aldo if he would like to find out God’s criteria for judging?  He said. “Yes, I would.”  Aldo’s wife, Mina, arrived, just in time to participate in the “good person test.”  The transformation of these two young people during the ensuing conversation was astounding.  The Spirit of the Lord came into their hungry hearts with great conviction, as they learned that the punishment for their sin had been paid by the same just and holy God to whom they owed that debt.  They both agreed that the Gospel of Jesus Christ made complete sense.  They allowed me to pray for them as newly born-again believers and they gladly accepted a Gospel of John and various other resources to read and study.

The fields are truly white and ripe for harvest, and the Lord knows how to bring each of his sheaves in!  Glory be to His Name!

I handed out LOTS of tracts!  We stood near the crosswalk into the park, so there were a lot of people going either direction.  There were a lot of families and a lot of young people—there was just a great mix of people in general.

Near where we were standing, there was a homeless man on a bike that had a trailer attached.  He had two parrots, and he would offer to let people put the parrot on their shoulder.  He told people, “We lost our home,” and he was looking for donations from people that took pictures with his parrots.  I walked over and told him I didn’t have any money, but I did have a Santa million dollar tract.  I gave it to him and took him through the good person test.  (He let one of his parrots sit on my shoulder.)  Other people came up, so I was polite and stopped talking so he could talk to others.  I didn’t get an opportunity to finish sharing the entire gospel with him because he left, but I did pray for him.  (I didn’t think to ask his name!  I will remember next time.)  After handing out tracts for about an hour and a half, we left.

I woke up the next morning feeling very glad that I had gone to hand out tracts.  Even though I only talked to one person (and didn’t even share the whole gospel with him), I handed out LOTS of tracts!  I know that some people will read the tracts and think about eternity.  Some may even repent and surrender their lives to Christ!

During the evening I had a great conversation with a young couple just talking about Christmas in the Park and what the true meaning of Christmas is really all about. The power of the Holy Spirit took over and away we went talking about spiritual matters.  I brought up God’s Law that opens the heart to show sinfulness in the light. They admitted that they would be guilty before a Holy God and their demeanor changed to a sad look of hopelessness. I asked if they thought they’d go to heaven or hell and they both said hell. After explaining what hell was like and asking them if they knew what God did for them so they wouldn’t have to go to hell they shook their heads “No.”  This was the moment to pour God’s grace out to them and explain why Jesus died and rose again, to pay the penalty for their sin so that if they would repent and turn to Christ they would be forgiven and receive eternal life.  I wrapped up and asked “When do you think you might pray to God to receive His Son Jesus?”   They didn’t waste any time and both said NOW! They prayed and received Jesus in their hearts and I welcomed them into the family of God.  (Don Butler)

For the third year in a row, NorCal Seedsowers hit the streets of Downtown San Jose on Halloween Weekend to proclaim Christ through Open Air Preaching, Tracting, Rapping and One-on-One Witnessing.

This video was produced by Depraved Wretch. If you would like to see more videos like this, support them!

On Tuesday, October 25th, NorCal Seedsowers passed out over 1,000 copies of the 180 Movie on the San Jose State University campus. This is a highlights video of our giveaway.

Teams from all over USA and Canada distributed over 200,000 180 Movie DVDs at approximately 115 different campuses. 180Movie has been views over 1 Million times on YouTube in under 1 month which is a record for a 33 min video.

To view more videography work by Depraved Wretch visit http://www.depravedwretch.com/films/
The featured song is “What Are We Waiting For” by Matt Papa

The following day we gathered at the same place for the annual 4th of July Parade. It was so easy to hand out tracts to people along the parade route. We ran out of them just as the parade was ending. Another fruitful 4th of July! We pray that those who received tracts and heard the gospel will turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ.

“There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

This last Saturday night I had the 7PM to 9PM shift at one of our tables, and had the privilege of talking to a young man named Jack.  Jack, as is true with most young people (he is 16), was full of bravado in front of his friends.  I asked him what he thought happened when he died, and he told me “I’m going to live forever!”  I asked him how he thought he would manage that.  He said, “Clean living.”  His friends got a laugh at that, but it didn’t take them long to wander off when we started talking, and without their influence, Jack turned out to be a very thoughtful, intelligent young man who asked good questions and I believe was really thinking deeply about the things we were discussing.  We had a great conversation, and he took a New Testament and my business card at the end.  He didn’t trust Christ then, but I think he left with a very different perspective on the reliability of God and His word.  I hope I will hear from him.

This was a good reminder to me that very often it’s the conversations that seem to start out badly that end up the best.  There have been many times when I’ve been tempted to walk away from a conversation, or avoid one to begin with, because “that person wouldn’t be interested” or “they are too arrogant or self-absorbed to listen to me,” when in reality it’s me who’s being too arrogant and self-absorbed to follow God’s leading and do what He says, regardless of what I think about it.  I’m sure Joshua had questions about walking around Jericho too.  But he obeyed, and the walls fell.  How many more walls would fall if we had the same attitude?  God is faithful, so step out in faith, and who knows, you may have the privilege of seeing something incredible happen!

Dan

History
Project Ezra began a week before Easter, 2009. While reading his Bible, project founder and street evangelist Tony Miano read: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). As he read that verse, he was reminded of the account found in Nehemiah 8:1-8, where Ezra gathers the nation Israel and, for hours, reads the Law of God to the people. And then the thought came to mind: “What if people around the world gathered on Good Friday to read the account of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?”

So, with only a few days for people to prepare, Tony called on his friends on Facebook to join him on Good Friday to read Matthew 26-28 aloud, in the open-air. The response was amazing. More than 170 people from more than 30 states and several foreign countries participated in “Mission Good Friday.” Even more exciting were the testimonies that poured in after the event. Many of the people who participated had never open-air preached. Having stepped so far out of their comfort zones to stand on a box in public and read the Bible aloud, a number of people reported that “Mission Good Friday” was the catalyst and encouragement they needed to try preaching the gospel in the open-air.

The next Project Ezra event was “Sermon on the Mount Saturday,” which was held on May 23, 2009. Once again, more than 170 people from around the world participated. More amazing testimonies came in, with many accounts of people breaking the evangelism sound barrier, as they read God’s Word in the open-air.

Taking It to the Next Level – The Project Ezra Strategy

Following Sermon on the Mount Saturday, and after consulting with Project Ezra administrators, Daniel Beaudoin and Bart McCurdy, Tony decided it was time to take Project Ezra to the next level, which meant more organized public readings of the Word and getting more people involved. The decision was made to organize Project Ezra readings every weekend and during all of the major holidays.

In order to fulfill the vision of organizing people around the world to read the Bible in the open-air every weekend, a strategy was needed to make such an effort manageable, as well as appealing to participants without overwhelming them. Here’s the strategy.

The Bible will be broken down into ten lists. The lists will follow Dr. Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System:
• List 1 – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

• List 2 – The Pentateuch

• List 3 – Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews

• List 4 – 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1&2 Peter, 1, 2&3 John, Jude, Revelation

• List 5 – Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

• List 6 – Psalms

• List 7 – Proverbs

• List 8 – Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

• List 9 – The Prophets

• List 10 – Acts

Participants commit to reading one chapter from one list, each week. Participants may choose any chapter they want from the list, and Project administrators will supply a suggested reading along with notes on how the passage can be used to enter into a gospel presentation. Participants will read their chosen chapter sometime during Friday, Saturday, or Sunday each week, if at all possible. Participants will then choose one chapter from the next list, to read the next week. And so on. Of course, participants can choose to read more than one chapter each week, if they like.

Tony Miano and the Project Ezra administrators will post reminders, reading schedules, and suggested chapters to read from each list. From time-to-time, Tony and the Project Ezra administrators will also provide devotionals about the Bible chapters they’ve read in the open-air, testimonies and pictures of other Project Ezra participants, open-air videos, and other material designed to encourage and equip participants. These materials will be posted on the Project Ezra Facebook page and official blog.

Project Ezra members will participate in mutual accountability by posting their Project Ezra testimonies, pictures and videos on the project’s Facebook page and/or blog.

What If I Can’t Participate Every Week?
That’s okay, although we encourage you to do so as often as you can. If you have to miss a week (or more), simply go to the Facebook page to see from what list you should choose a chapter of the Bible to read, for the current week. Again, this strategy is designed to make it easier for people to participate more often.

2011 Reading Schedule

All dates are Saturdays. Project Ezra participants should try to do their open-air Bible reading on Friday through Sunday of each week, if possible. See “An Introduction to Project Ezra” information for books of the Bible in each “List.”

Jan 1 List 6 Psalm 19
Jan 8 List 7 Joel 2
Jan 15 List 8 2 Kings 17
Jan 22 List 9 Isaiah 6
Jan 29 List 10 Acts 9:1-22
Feb 5 List 1 John 10
Feb 12 VALENTINE’S DAY READING
Feb 19 List 2
Feb 26 List 3
Mar 5 List 4
Mar 12 List 5
Mar 19 List 6
Mar 26 List 7
Apr 2 List 8
Apr 9 List 9
Apr 16 List 10
Apr 23 MISSION GOOD FRIDAY
April 30 List 1
May 7 List 2
May 14 List 3
May 21 List 4
May 28 SERMON ON THE MOUNT SATURDAY
June 4 List 5
June 11 List 6
June 18 List 7
June 25 List 8
July 2 FIRST JOHN ON JULY FOURTH
July 9 List 9
July 16 List 10
July 23 List 1
July 30 List 2
Aug 6 List 3
Aug 13 List 4
Aug 20 List 5
Aug 27 List 6
Sep 3 LABOR DAY READING (Matthew 11 &12)
Sep 10 List 7
Sep 17 List 8
Sep 24 List 9
Oct 1 List 10
Oct 8 List 1
Oct 15 List 2
Oct 22 List 3
Oct 29 REVELATION ON HALLOWEEN
Nov 5 List 4
Nov 12 List 5
Nov 19 List 6
Nov 26 THANKSGIVING/BLACK FRIDAY READING
Dec 3 List 7
Dec 10 List 8
Dec 17 THE TRUE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS – The Gospel of John
Dec 24 CHRISTMAS WEEKEND READING – (Luke 2 and John 1)
Dec 31 List 9

Welcome to Project Ezra!
Our hope is that you will be blessed through your participation and that you will grow in your love for and obedience to the Lord and His Word.

Dan Beaudoin
Project Ezra Group Administrator

Reading for Project Ezra in downtown San Jose

It has now been 5 years since John and I first got involved with Way of the Master. God has done a huge transforming work in our lives since we began actively sharing our faith.  Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would talk to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Agnostics, New Agers and everyone in-between and reason with them about the reality of sin, judgment and the cross of Christ.

God has shown me the importance of being in His word daily, praying without ceasing and studying to equip myself to be able to share the gospel with people so they can be saved. As Christians we’re the only people on the planet who have the answer to death. His Name is Jesus, and through repentance and faith in Him anyone can find forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon 1:6