Thomas Umstattd Jr.

The Thin Line Between Creepy and Charming

Yesterday I tweeted “The only difference between creepy and charming is permission.” Some explanation is in order. No, I did not go on a date last night. No, I did not have yet another awkward encounter with a woman. But there is a story here and an interesting conclusion. The tweet was the result of three completely unrelated things blending in my mind. Thing 1: Barrack Obama There has...

Christmas Evangelism Boot Camp #3

It is here. CEBC #3 Registration is now open. Watch the CEBC promo on GodTube. This outreach will help you face your fears as you serve with other Christians who desire to “preach the gospel to all creation”.  If your commitment to Christ compels you to grow as a witness who serves effectively, inoffensively, and biblically then register today. For more info about the Christmas Evangelism...

My take on the gifts of the Spirit.

From the archive… Some are gifted at intercession, but we are all called to pray. Some are gifted at understanding the scriptures, but we are all called study the Word. Some are gifted at mercy, but we are all called to act with compassion. And some are gifted at evangelism, but we are all called to fulfill the great commission. Sharing the Gospel is just as essential as prayer and Bible study...

My Idolatry of Evangelism

Its the first of the month. Another post from the archive. My Idolatry of Evangelism I have a confession to make. I have made an Idol out of Evangelism. Sin is a two-sided coin with unrighteousness on one side and self righteousness on the other. Idolatry is unrighteous and idolizing evangelism is self righteous. I have taken something good and substituted it for the best. I now see in my life...

The Failure of Jesus Christ (and why we need to fail to be like Him)

"Success is a poor teacher." My dad must have repeated this maxim a hundred times as I grew up. There are some lessons that only failure can teach. If you want to mature, you need to fail. Jesus failed. So should we. Jesus’ Failure After bringing Jesus out of the desert, God calls Him to preach in Nazareth where he is unable to do many miracles because of their lack of faith (Matt...

Ecuador Day 3 – Sunday March 16

Today we visited a Ecuadorian Baptist church. We missed the regular service and only got to visit the Sunday School which didn’t make a lot of sense since it was in Spanish. Yes. This is Popcorn and dried banana slices. Its an appetizer and not that bad Iglesia Means Church People leaving the Baptist Church. One interesting thing about the church was that a dove had somehow found its way into...

The Idolatry of Safety – Part 1

When did we start expecting our missionaries to come back alive and unharmed? If you look back through church history you see this is a new expectation. Back in the day, the Christians who went out to preach the Gospel had already died (to themselves). They saw their lives as nothing. The Moravians packed their luggage in coffins as they went out to the nations of the earth. Sometimes they even sold...

Balance in Evangelism (Video)

Here is a talk I gave at the 2007 Christmas Evangelism Boot Camp. You may recognize the first few minutes as from my blog. The audio quality improves dramatically after about five minutes. Summary Learn the principles that ground good evangelical methods. Learn to balance your presentation of the Gospel between Spirit Truth and Love. In this talk we discuss the challenges to balanced evangelism and...

The Boy and the Pool (parable)

A family once had a pool party at their home. Friends from all over filled their back yard, laughing and talking as they mingled around the grill. While no one was looking, a two year old boy toddled over to the pool and fell in. Soon a lady pointed the child out to the group. “That kid can’t swim.” She said. “Then help him?” a guests replied. “Oh no,” the lady responded. “I am...

Christmas Evangelism Boot Camp 2007

The second annual Christmas Evangelism Boot Camp is coming up this December 21-23rd. We will learn about Biblical Evangelism and then go to the Austin Zilker Park Trail of Lights to share the Gospel. This is one of my favorite times to share the Gospel 1-2-1 all year long. The Zilker Park Christmas Tree is a family friendly witnessing opportunity. The CEBC is free although meals and materials are...