"Street Fishing" Photo Show

Note: Click the "speaker" button to turn on music.

Weekly "Fishing" Report (06-25-06)

Wednesday night I had a chance to go out on the streets with the youth from our church along with youth from the Vineyard and Cornerstone. While waiting for things to start, I had a nice one-2-one with a homeless lady I've seen around 6th Street before (I believe her name is Mary). She really liked some of the tracts I'd given her. We talked for a bit about Jesus, His death and what it means. I learned she didn't have a Bible, so I gave her a Gospel of John. She also took an Are You Good Enough To Go To Heaven? tract.

The primary focus for the youth that night was posting flyers around town for the Arise 2006 event, and looking for ministry opportunities in-between. We then split into teams. As my team scooted in and out of shops to see if the flyers could be displayed in windows or put on bulletin boards, I hung out in the parking lots to give out DaVinci Code tracts and talk to people. While in the Walmart parking lot, I saw a couple of teen girls and a young guy in a parked car waving wildly and pounding on the window to get my attention. When I went over, I recognized Amber & Ashley. They were some of the teens I've witnessed to and talked with on 6th Street. Sadly, they're still lost, but they've been eager to talk to me on different occasions. They were interested in the new tracts I had and also asked about the recording I'd done of our first witnessing encounter back in January. When I told them it was on my website, they wanted the web address so I gave them a couple of fishing team flyers with it on them. Along with everything else, they'll be going to the site and hearing me present the gospel to them all over again. Praise God!

If you'd like to listen to the MP3 of the first witnessing encounter I had with them, you can find it under the One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right. Look for the one called "4 Teens".

The Rooster Crow in Rogue River.

The "Fishing" Team was finally back together on Saturday! Greg, Randy, Terri and I headed over to Rogue River to share the gospel at the Rooster Crow. Around 4pm the vendors started closing up their stalls, but we were able to cover the area with a good number of tracts (mostly DaVinci Code and Million Dollar Bills). I had a good one-2-four with some young girls (Pressa, Cori, Taya & Samantha). Their ages ranged from 11 to 14. I think one thing that really touched me was Pressa (age 12) said she was afraid that God wasn't out there after we die. As I shared the gospel with them, her eyes were on me the whole time. I had her undivided attention, and she took in every word of the message: sin, righteousness, judgment and the amazing grace that was shown in the cross.

I've uploaded the MP3 to our audios page. you can find it under One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

A view from one lane of the vendor stalls.

With the sun beating down on us and things thinning out at the Rooster Crow, we chose to move to the more promising shade at Palmerton Park. Shortly after arriving there, I found myself in another good one-2-three with Keith, Chet & Nate. They said they were Christians, yet they believed in reincarnation as well as some odder things. I took the opportunity to share the truth. We walked through what the Bible tells us happens after we die: the reality of judgment and our need for the Savior. I explained how every other world religion can be summed up as "do" and Christianity stands alone because through Jesus it is "done".

I've uploaded the MP3 to our audios page. you can find it under One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

Someday I'll go back and preach from the bridge.

I hooked back up with the team and we headed down to the creek. There were perhaps 50 people or more either in the water, along the bank, or sitting in the shade. I almost preached from the suspension bridge that stretched above them across the creek. However, I ended up taking my stool down to stand amongst them. It was a great spot to open air! The water and landscape really helped my voice carry as I gave them the solid gospel.

I've uploaded the MP3 to our audios page. you can find it under One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

A couple of guys (Gary & Barry) actually clapped after the message! My throat was parched. They gave me some lemonade, while our team got to talk with them. Gary was suffering from back problems and his wife (Jerri) had also just come out of surgery to have a tumor removed from her stomach. Randy & Terri prayed for him as the rest of us gathered around. Gary & Barry had each gotten the What Hollywood Believes CD or Greatest Gamble DVD during the open air. I encouraged them to listen/watch them and then trade off for the other one.

It was a great time laboring in the fields. Praise God that He chooses to include in this foolishness of preaching!

Weekly "Fishing" Report (06-18-06)

The line at the DMV was slow in forming Wednesday morning. I attempted to strike up a one-2-one with a woman that was waiting at the doors. However, after a couple of tries at breaking the ice, she just didn't want to talk. I gave tracts to the others that had come to get in line in the meantime, but had to scoot off to work after that. Still, the seed was sown and the message of salvation was put into a dozen or more hands.

For the third Saturday in a row, I was solo down at Riverside Park. I started by preaching open air to a group of 10 to 20 people, with several others lingering around the area and on the playground. During the open air, a group of teens were sitting on a bench perhaps twenty feet away with their backs to me. I figured they weren't paying any attention to me, but they were. At one point during the open air, I offered a Greatest Gamble DVD to anyone who could tell me what God did to show he doesn't want you to go to Hell. One of the teens turned around with his hand in the air and said, "He came and died on the cross." Praise God! That just shows, you never know who's listening you when you're sharing the gospel.

I've uploaded the MP3 to our audios page. You can find and listen to it under the One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

Teens still sitting on the bench after the open air.
Their backs were to me, but they had been listening.

I also wanted to mention a couple of things I've started doing that seem to work well. I've been giving out What Hollywood Believes CDs and Greatest Gamble DVDs for the trivia questions and during the open air. Thus, if a person wins something and later breaks off from the open air, they're walking away with a full gospel presentation in their hands. Also, I tell them that someone there may get a gift card or $5 cash at the end of things. When I'm done, I pull a Bible (or new testament) out of my bag and ask who wants it. As you'll hear in the audio, no one raised their hand. I then open the Bible and pull out the gift card or cash saying, "Well, I thought someone here would get this. But I guess not. See, you were waiting for the card but it didn't come as you expected. Salvation also doesn't come as you expect. You don't go to Heaven for being a good person. You go to Heaven because you're a bad person that'd been forgiven. You missed out on the card. Please, please don't miss out on your eternal salvation." It works the same even if someone takes the Bible. I ask them to open to page 70 (which is John 3 in these New Testaments) where they find the gift card or $5. I then make the same point telling the others why they missed out on it.

After the open air, I did a sweep around the park and gave out DaVinci Code tracts. I then came across two young men (Tristan & Bryce) taking a break from frisbee golf. I asked if they'd do an interview for my website and we had a wonderful one-2-two. Both were professing Christians, yet missing some of the pieces for bringing the full picture of salvation together. This may be my favorite witnessing encounter to date! Tristan asked some great questions. We talked for over 40 minutes, covering the full count of the gospel (sin, righteousness, judgment, and AMAZING GRACE). Whether I got to plant a seed or water what was already there, I'm grateful that God lead me to these guys.

I've uploaded the MP3 to our audios page. You can find and listen to it under the One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

Stopping to read the DaVinci Code tract.

I had a couple of other encounters at the park, but I'll just share one more with you that was really encouraging. I wrapped up by passing out a few more DaVinci Code tracts. When I got to my car, a couple that I'd given a tract to approached me. The woman went to give the tract back saying, "I agree with everything this says. It's all about Jesus." I waved for her to keep the tract and give it to someone else. I told her she's going to come across someone later that I wouldn't have the chance to meet. She nodded, then stopped and said "You know what? I'm going to give this to my pastor and see if he'll go to the website and order some of these for our church." They attend Valley Chrisitan Fellowship in White City. I then gave a tract to her husband, so they had one to share with someone and another to give to the pastor. I also showed them the Million Dollar Bill tract and they loved that. As we talked, I learned that they've seen The Way of the Master on TV, so I left them with one of our Fishing Team flyers and a flyer for our upcoming mini-EBC to share with their pastor as well.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that for part of Father's Day we spent the afternoon at a classic car show in Medford. We got there towards the tail end of things, and since I was there with family I didn't get into any one-2-ones. I was still able to give out over 100 DaVinci Code tracts and meet another Christian that was very interested in our ministry (he also turned out to be my step-brother's cousin).

Pray for the seeds that were sown. May Jesus receive the glory He is due!

Rules of Evangelism

1. Pray, pray and pray some more. He who prays and doesn’t witness is a hypocrite, but he who witnesses and doesn’t pray is a lunatic. The battle is won in the prayer room. Witnessing is about being obedient and going out to reap the spoils of your prayers. John 17:20, Acts 2:42, Romans 8:26, Romans 8:10, 2nd Corinthians 13:9, Ephesians 6:18-19 & Phillipians 4:19 just to name a few.

2. The power is in the seed, not the sower. You can always count the seeds in an apple but you can never count the apples in a seed. Everyone you share the gospel with, you lead to the Lord and they all make a decision. All you have to do is be a faithful farmer and sow the seeds of the gospel. God will do the rest. 1st Corinthians 3:6-8, Revelation 14:15

3. Don’t tell God how big your fear is tell your fear how big God is! God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear but of love, power and sound mind. Fear comes from the enemy but God uses it so we will lean on Him and not on ourselves, others or even worse, the world. Remember the antidote to your fear is love, for perfect love casts out all fear. 2nd Timothy 1:7, 1st John 4:18, & 1st Corinthians 2:2-5

4. Submit to the Lord, resist the devil and he will flee from you. If you will obey the great commission, fight through your fears and sow the seed of the gospel, amazing things will start to happen in your relationship with Him. From the first or second word out of your mouth the fear will flee and you'll find yourself supernaturally supercharged by the power of the Holy Spirit. You may go out dragging your feet but you will come back clicking your heels! James 4:7, 1st Peter 2:17 & Psalms 126:5-6

5. Never get mad at the blind man! If you were sitting at a bus stop and a blind man came by and tripped over you, would you say, “You stupid blind man, watch where you’re going!” Of course, you wouldn’t say that. Most likely you’d say, “Oh I’m so sorry, are you OK?” “Let me help you up.” Remember those people we witness to are blind and cannot discern the things of the spirit because they are blind to them. Be patient kind, loving and gentle as you instruct and reprove them. 1st Corinthians 2:14, 1st Peter 3:15, 2nd Timothy 4:2 & 2nd Corithians 4:4

6. Law to the Proud and grace to the Humble. Remember, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. So ask questions in order to ascertain if the person is proud or humble. Don’t just assume they are proud and hammer them with the Law when they may be humble, at the end of their rope and looking for hope. They made need the healer and not the hammer, but the only way you’ll know is to ask questions and evaluate their answers. Remember, the Law is good if used lawfully. Psalms 19:7, Proverbs 3:34, John 8:7, Luke 18:18-20, Luke 10:25-29, James 4:6, 1st Peter 5:5, Galatians 3:24, 1st Timothy 1:8

7. Always keep one eye on the cross. No matter what they say to get you off track, also remember the destination is the cross and God’s grace. It’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. When you take off for a flight the pilot files a flight plan. During the course of the flight they might make several adjustments but they never lose sight of the destination. So it is when we witness. Always keep your eyes and mind on the destination, not the distraction. 1st Corinthians 1:17-18, Romans 2:4, Romans 8:2 & Colossians 1:20

8. Love for the Lord and Love for the Lost. Our motive for witnessing can never be any more or less than love. We must always be focused on our love for the One who loved us so much He laid His precious and perfect life down for us. Remember, perfect love casts out all fear. John 14:15, John 14:21, 1st Peter 1:22, 1st John 2:5, 1st John 5:3

9. To be a "Complete Christian" and to have a full understanding of all good things you have in Christ, you must actively share your faith. The act of the one (sowing seeds), will enhance all the others (reading the word, prayer, compassion, fellowship, etc.). If you want to be successful, you have to copy a successful example. So, it stands to reason if you want to see God work in your life the way He did in the Prophets, John the Baptist, and the Apostles lives, you have to do what they did and take a stand for God. Daniel 12:3, Proverb 11:30, Matthew 6:33, Acts 1:8 & Philemon 1:6

10. You must remain humble in your walk, but bold in your witness. If Satan can’t stop you from sharing your faith he will try to make you proud that you’re doing it. The number one thing evangelists struggle with is pride. Do not fall prey to your pride, but rest and trust in the Lord and let the Holy Spirit do the work. Psalms 25:9, Proverb 3:34, Acts 28:31, Matthew 5:16, Matthew 23:12, Luke 10:19-20, Ephesians 4:2, James 4:10 & 2nd Corinthians 4:5

11. Remember your place in the body. Evangelists are the feet of the body of Christ and while the body can survive without the feet, the feet can’t survive without the body. Always stay plugged into your church and maintain fellowship with other Christians. If you aren’t there to encourage and to equip the other saints to share their faith, than who will train them up? Remember it's the sheep dog's job to chase the sheep into the pen, but the Shepard's job to tend to the sheep. Never forget, you're no better of a Christian than someone who doesn’t share their faith. Our most righteous deeds are but filthy rags to God. Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 6:15 & Romans 10:15

by Darrel Rundus, founder of the Great News Network

Weekly "Fishing" Report (06-11-06)

I didn't preach open air at the DMV on Wednesday. This was by choice. I've come to a point where I decided if I haven't spent time in prayer and in the Bible during the days leading up to it, that I just shouldn't be preaching open air. This isn't an effort to be religious or formulaic about things. However, I just feel if I haven't spent time with the King, I shouldn't be looking to preach the King's message. That's where I was on Wednesday, and I hope you understand my heart in it. However, I wasn't about to leave the people in line that morning with nothing. They each got a Million Dollar Bill tract, and most were reading the gospel shortly after they had them in hand. Pray for those seeds that were sown.

I was on my own again on Saturday, and it was an unusual day. There wasn't much of anyone downtown along 6th Street, so I headed down to Riverside Park. However, there wasn't a large number of people even at the the park. Nothing like when I did the two open airs last week. There we pockets of people here and there, but they were occupied with things like a party or playing soccer.

Eventually I came across a couple (Malen & Melissa) sitting on a bench feeding the ducks and pigeons. I was able to break the ice by asking if they'd do a street interview for my website and that lead to a great one-2-two. She came from a Mormon family and he was pretty much agnostic. We talked for almost an hour! I shared the gospel and they asked some good questions. We covered sin, righteous, judgment and grace. Both of them said they'd never heard the gospel this way before and both said it made sense.

You can find and listen to the MP3 of the conversation at our website by clicking the One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

Afterwards, I gave them each a Gospel of John and an "Are you good enough to go to Heaven?" tract. I encouraged them not to just take my word for it. I told them to read the Gospel of John or a Bible if they have it, and to pray about what they'd heard. Malen said they'd be talking all of it over again that night.

Praise God! May Jesus receive the the glory He is due!

This was in today's Dallas Morning News:



(click to see it as a larger image)

Secret Service Confiscates Gospel Tracts

Secret Service Confiscates Gospel TractsI received this email from The Way of the Master yesterday.

Millions Confiscated

Today (Friday, June 2nd) the Secret Service seized a large supply of our Million Dollar Bill tracts from The Great News Network in Texas. They told them that someone in North Carolina tried to deposit one in their bank, and that if they didn't give up their supply, they would arrest them. Then they said they are going to seize our supply in California. If you want Million Dollar bill tracts, you had better order them pronto.

Ray also called in during the first hour of Way of the Master Radio yesterday to tell Todd Friel about it. Click here to listen.

Please pray for both ministries: The Great News Network and The Way of the Master. Also pray that God may use the publicity and press coverage this situation could stir up to further spread the gospel and bring our Lord Jesus glory.

Here's a couple of articles that have hit the 'net as the story develops.

Your Government at Work: Feds seize 'millions' – in gospel tracts

Secret Service Agents Seize Ray Comfort Tracts

Christians to battle Feds on 'million-dollar' tracts

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Update (06/03/06):

(Here's a note from Darrel Rundus, founder of the GNN.)

Hey Seed Sowers, Just wanted you to know the latest. God is taking what the enemy intended for evil and turning to the good. Today, I will be doing an interview on TV that I'm confidant will be picked up by most major networks. God will be glorified through this process so don’t panic; don't lose your heads, but rejoice and leap for joy for great is our reward in Heaven and on Earth! You can't pay for publicity like this! What an amazing God we serve. People all over the world will now hear about The Great News Network and The Way of the Master!

Please be in prayer for me as I do this interview and that God will be glorified by all that I say.

Click here to watch the video of the WB33 News interview here.

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Update (06/06/06):

Click here to listen to a radio interview Darrel did. May God get the Glory!

Here's a note from the Million Dollar Bill page at the Living Waters online store.

The Secret Service is going to be very busy if they want to be consistent in their pursuit of justice. Typing “Million dollar bill” into Google gets 35,800,000 results--sites that say things like, “It looks real, feels real and even smells real.” If we are issued with a “Cease and desist” order, we will immediately do so until this is sorted out. In the meantime, we have our printers ready to run off 100,000 million dollar bills that comply to their requirements (1 ½ times larger). So these will be bigger and better than the bills that were seized by the Secret Service, as we have since improved the artwork. We will keep you updated. Thank you for your prayers and encouraging emails.

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Update (06/07/06):

Here's a link to a video capture of the local ABC News 8 interview that took place at the Great News Network headquarters. This was aired locally (June 6) during the 6pm news.

Here is a You Tube link for those just want to watch it online (little out of sync).

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Update (06/08/06):

Click here for an article and video for an interview Darrel did with NBC News 5 in Dallas.

Latest note from Darrel Rundus:

The federal judge will be ordering them to return our tracts and make a formal and public apology stating we broke no laws. This should vindicate GNN and let the world know we never engaged in any illegal activity.

Praise God! Amen!

Weekly "Fishing" Report (06-04-06)

If you read our newsletter from two weeks ago, you may remember my last DMV open air with the Jehovah's Witness in line. Apparently I'm working my way through the religions and cults. This time I had a Jew in line, complete with long beard and skull cap. (Mind you, for a small city of 25,000 that's unusual.)

He tried to object and heckle me over keeping the 4th commandment. I simply acknowledged that breaking even one commandment leaves us guilty of breaking them all. I told him I was guilty of breaking them all in spirit if not in letter and that seemed to quiet him. I don't have alot of time between when a line starts to form and the doors open (maybe 7 to 8 minutes), so I can't banter with hecklers. I try to respond to them as I can and keep moving (some I just have to ignore). Another man objected to me being there with a "captive audience". I pointed out the contact info I had for the city attorney and Officer Blaich verifying it was public property. He wasn't happy, but he backed off. The doors opened and they started walking in as I was finishing the "selling your eyes" analogy. I didn't get to pass out tracts, but the seed was sown.

The main difference I wanted to point out is, following up on last week's Fishing Report I really just sought to lean on God for the open air that day. I told I Him I wanted it to be His Spirit, His truth and His heart that was shared. After listening to the audio, I noticed my tone was a little different than it sometimes is. It was softer, more conversational and pleading. As I spoke, one woman really listened. The jewish man also kept eye contact with me and paid attention after I responded to his initial heckling.

Praise God for including us in the foolishness of preaching.

1 Corinthians 2:3-5
I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Randy and Terri were caught in a family emergency and Greg was still out with a bad cold, so I was running solo for street fishing yesterday. Once again, the lesson from last week lead me to lean on the Lord and what He had in store. After a simple and honest prayer, I headed out. I felt drawn to just kind of plant camp at Riverside Park, and that's what I did. I preached the gospel open air at two different locations. I'd do a little trivia challenge, giving away small stuffed animals and some CDs as people gathered. Then I'd use the tombstone I had with me to springboard into the topic of death and why we die, which lead into the full count of the gospel: sin, righteousness, judgment and grace.

After the first open air, I learned that a couple in the crowd was from out of town. Apparently, they'd just stopped off for a break at the park. They were interested in what I was doing there and asked for my website info. Along with the Million Dollar Bill tracts I'd given out after the open air, I gave them a Hell's Best Kept Secret CD with my website address on it.

After the second open air, I got to talk with a woman that had sat and listened the whole time. I broke the ice with a Million Dollar Bill and learned her name is Suzie. She was diagnosed with liver cancer three years ago and had been given three to five years to live. She said that she agreed with everything I'd shared. I asked if she was sure about where she'd spend eternity and she said yes, she was at peace with that. I also asked if she was born again and she said yes. I gave her a How To Live Forever Without Being Religious book (which contains the Gospel of John, commentary from the Evidence Bible, and Save Yourself Some Pain). I was about to ask if I could pray with her when her phone rang with a call she'd been waiting for. Please pray for Suzie.

I had a couple of one-2-ones as well. One was with a couple of homeless guys (Tim & Shawn) that were unfortunately too under the influence to cover much ground. I left them and several of their friends with Million Dollar Bills. The other one-2-one was with William, a gentleman that had been reading his Bible. He had a number of packs on his bike that he said he rode from city to city on a pilgrimage as he preached the gospel. We got to talking and I started to share the WDJD witnessing steps with him from The Way of the Master. The more we talked about the mirror of the Ten Commandments and how the Law is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24), the more unusual he began to act. When I asked him why he thought Jesus died on the cross, he flatly said it was because men killed him. I pressed him on it, and he said Christ was the Son of God, but not God. He came up with other weird ideas that his Ten Commandments and mine weren't the same (claiming Jesus changed them with his references in Matt 19 and Mark 10). He also said we believed in a different Jesus. He got really paranoid. I was trying to bring it back to the cross and his conscience, pleading with him that if he believed in a different Jesus than what's revealed in the Bible the very matter of salvation is at stake. He got agitated in a manner that obviously revealed either a degree of madness or something demonic beneath the surface. I prayed for him as he stormed off, sensing the Holy Spirit reminding me that Satan could quote scripture and even the demons believe in Jesus. Pray for William.

I've posted the MP3s from the three open airs. You'll find them under the One-2-One & Open Air Audios link along the right.

One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven

If you're not familiar with Mark Cahill, his website is www.markcahill.org and his book One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven is a must read for serious Seed Sowers. Click below to watch one of Mark's videos by the same title.

The Love in the Cross

Here's something I began thinking about last night, and figured I'd put it into words to work it out...

Genesis 22:2
“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

I find it interesting that this is the first use of the word love in the Bible. I did a search at BibleGateway.com and found two modern translations (NIV & CEV) that mention "love" once or twice prior to this, however, the vast majority of translations all agree that Genesis 22:2 is the first use of the word love.

It's very telling that the first mention of love is within a story that is a "type" or foreshadowing of the love another Father would demonstrate in sacrificing His Son. However, the next time (at the cross) the killing blow would not be stayed, blood would flow for the remission of sin. Abraham knew he was acting out prophecy, because he named the place "The-LORD-Will-Provide" (YHWH Yireh) in verse 14.

God's love cannot be seperated from the cross. The Old Testament points towards the cross, the new covenant and the sacrifice. In the New Testament God's love is nearly always mentioned in direct correlation to Christ's sacrifice.

John 3:16
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 5:8
"God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

1 John 4:10
"This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

God is love. I agree. However, God is also holy and righteous. How angry is God at sin? Look to the cross! How much does God value justice, righteousness and truth? Look to to the cross! Look to the battered and bruised body of the Son of God, as the blood streams from His wounds. Witness Him endure the fury of a holy and just God, making His life an offering for sin. Listen to Him cry, "My God... My God... why have you forsaken Me?"

Jesus died for our sins, OK... but that's only part of it. Otherwise, Jesus could have declared Himself to be the Lamb of God, say that He came to die for the sins of the world and had someone stab Him with a sword to take care of it. No, scripture tells us Christ had to suffer as well as die.

Isaiah 53:10
"It was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief."

Have you seen the movie The Passion? That's merely a depiction of what happened that day 2,000 years ago, to the degree that we as an audience could stomach it. Even then, the producers had to go back and tone it down, releasing a "light" version of the movie for those who couldn't handle the violence. What really happened was so horrific, when Jesus was writhing in agony in our sins God brought darkness to conceal Him and keep the world from gazing upon His suffering (Luke 23:44-46).

There are really only two dispositions for God: love and wrath. To deny or diminsh one leaves us unable to fully recognize or appreciate the other. When we deny the wrath His righteousness and justice require, and only choose to recognize Him as a loving, forgiving, doting and blessing God then we deny what the cross represented. When God's love cannot be seperated from it, we must take into account the full impact of the cross to appreciate the full impact of His love.

That takes me back to Genesis 22:2, where the first mention of love in the Bible is purposely placed within the context of a father facing the sacrifice of his son.