Think Outloud

Interview with a Missionary

James Nichols — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:16:53 +0000

On our final day in Las Vegas, I had the joy of riding along with a missionary, Jeremy, as he made some contacts in the area. As we rode around, I did a brief interview with him. The sound is not so great but his vision for reaching the Eastern European community in the Vegas area is fantastic.

Chapel Service @ “The Mission”

James Nichols — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:53:21 +0000

Our day of serving at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission ended with a chapel service. The residence who are staying at The Mission are required to attend. Others come for the spiritual food that’s offered alongside the physical food. On this night, our mission team were asked to lead the worship.

What follows are four videos of the chapel service. Each video is less than ten minutes so you can “stop & start” your viewing as needed. In total, the service lasted around half an hour. I encourage you to watch all four video clips. Each holds a special blessing of its own…

William Alfred: An Interview

James Nichols — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:19:42 +0000

From a distance, they are the homeless, the drug addicts, and the less fortunate among us. But up close, they have names and faces. They are real people. Some have held important jobs. Others have family in nearby states. They were once loved by someone special…and in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, they are lovable still.

Meet William Alfred. This is his story.

Las Vegas Rescue Mission

James Nichols — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:04:53 +0000

This video is longer than the others I’ve uploaded but well worth the watching. If you ever had any doubts about our youth’s and adult’s ability to serve Jesus…well, doubt no more. I saw the hands and feet of Jesus from the oldest to the youngest member of our group. How proud I was to be their pastor. How proud I was of the testimony they gave for Christ in their service.

Watch and enjoy!

Block Party Missions

James Nichols — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:09:39 +0000

One of the easiest and most effective tools in mission work is the block party. Simply defined, you find a location (in our case a local park), set up your “stuff” (in our case bouncy machines, volleyball, etc) and pass out food (in our case pizza). What happens next is amazing. We saw tons of kids and adults join us for a fun time…and in the midst of the fun, Jesus was shared!

Here’s a little video of some of what happened.

Mission Team Devotion – Tuesday

James Nichols — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:20:18 +0000

Sunset at the Canyon

James Nichols — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:42:01 +0000

God’s Big Ditch

James Nichols — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:19:12 +0000

So they call it the Grand Canyon. I’d never been there. You have to figure from the name that it’s big, but big doesn’t even begin to describe it. Grand? Maybe. I think they should have called it the Ginormous Canyon…or maybe God’s Big Ditch. Either way, it’s pretty cool and something you have to see with your own eyes to appreciate!

A Big Hole (or…”A Holey Experience!”)

James Nichols — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:01:21 +0000

Ever been to the giant meteor crater just off I-40 in Arizona? Well, we have! It was incredible. The short story is that a large meteor struck the Earth a ga-zillion years ago. What happened next? Uhh…let’s just say you wouldn’t have wanted to be there on that day. It would have made the Book of Revelation look like a day at Disney World. Here’s a little glimpse into our side-trip adventure.

Painted & Petrified…(No, not me!)

James Nichols — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:49:41 +0000

We had a chance to stop for a drive through of the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. These sites were truly amazing. If one wonders if God exists, it only takes a look around at His creation. The rocks and trees truly do scream out His praises and glory!