I’m increasingly getting into the swing of doing ministry in my new setting. The two Vesper services here at Countryside Village (half hour service on Sunday afternoon) in September and October went well. We had 15 and 20 in attendance. The next services will be Sunday, November 19 and Sunday, December 17. Please pray that God will bless those who come out. Then ask God to guide me about whether to continue these services in the New Year. Bible Broadcasting Network is starting work on producing my program in Portuguese, to be broadcast in Brazil. We have work being done to enhance this website. And we are distributing more of my books. May all of this translate into many lives being impacted for Christ during this holiday season, and beyond.
Here are three recent emails from listeners:
Dear Mr. Golz, I love your few minutes with me every morning! I love your perspective and the way you relate life in 2023 with biblical times and people. Please don’t ever stop! Have a blessed day my friend! Your Sister in Christ, Dawn, Dwight, Il
Hi Lud, I listen to your Getting God’s Message program on BBN every weekday morning. Thank you so much. It’s been an incredible blessing to me. On today’s program, you mentioned a book entitled “Light in the Night,” I think. I was wondering how I could obtain a copy. Please let me know. Thank you so much! Megan

Hello Pastor Golz, Every day I read your post and enjoy what you share. Thank you for taking your time to post the material. I read your posting for today regarding Paul’s vision in Acts 16 verse 9.
You indicated in the post that you’ve written a book titled: Light in the Night for Living in the Day.
This particular passage is significant to me in a personal way. Thank you, Wendy

I thought I’d share an old Serendipitous Encounter this month:
I was 17, and a Sr. in High School. That January I came back to Christ. I stopped going in my wayward direction, the first step in repentance. About half a year later I started in a new direction, the second part of repentance. I began going to YFC rallies every Saturday night and soon joined their choir. One night the featured testimony was from a couple of bodybuilders who first demonstrated lifting weights and then gave their testimonies. I thought to myself and then prayed to God, “If You can use these dumb guys, surely You can use me!” Now, I can’t say that was a proper prayer, but God answered it before the rally was over. The YFC Director led a service at the Skid Row Mission in town every Sunday. After the rally God prompted me to ask the Director if I could go the next day and share my testimony. He was delighted. When I got there, I thought my audience would be homeless guys and/or drunkards. They were there, but there was a choir there also with the front row full of teenage girls. I got up, and embarrassingly said, “I’m glad I’m saved,” and sat down. The director got up quickly and said, “You might not think that was much of a testimony. But what Lud said is the most important thing anyone could say. Thank you Lud for sharing.”
Apparently, I was dumber than the bodybuilders. I found out, after they came to trust in Jesus Christ, a mature Christian started mentoring them in how to share their faith. I took a bus for about an hour each way every Sunday to join them in those sessions at their gym. After each session they would go out and stop people to share the gospel with them. I went along and watched how they did it.
Shortly after that our church was having some evangelistic services. A man saw one of our church men walking down the street with a Bible under his arm and followed him to the church. They got into a conversation and sat down in a pew. I was going to a preservice prayer meeting, but when I saw the two men talking, I went over and joined the conversation. The stranger’s frumpy clothes wreaked with the smell of alcohol. I sensed the man from the church didn’t know what to do next and excused himself. I continued the conversation. Soon people were beginning to sit down in the pews, so I suggested we go down to the basement to continue our conversation. When we got alone, I asked him point blank, “Do you believe Jesus can save you?” He nodded yes. So, I said, “Then get on your knees and ask Him to save you.” He did just that, and when he got up, he smiled and to my surprise started singing some choruses he had learned as a child over sixty years ago. He was drunk when I met him. He was sober when he got up from kneeling and praying.
Salvation and having your life changed is a miracle. He was in his 70’s, had wasted most of his life as an alcoholic, but now was going back to work as a prospector in the forests of the interior of British Columbia. We corresponded for about half a year sharing what we were learning from our Bible reading, until I left home for college. He continued walking with Jesus. This whole journey was filled with serendipitous encounters that led to my first experience of participating with God in bringing a man to faith in Jesus Christ.