Crazy Story...

     So the other day I’m on my way to a track meet at Kansas University and I stop to get some gas.  When I went inside a man stopped me and asked what I had on the side of my car.  I told him they were pole vault poles.  He then saw the shirt I was wearing that said "I Run For Jesus”.  He shook my hand and said that was awesome and that he really like it and walked away.  Two seconds later he turned around and came back, shook my hand again, and asked me more about it.  At the time I was wearing one of my long-sleeve warm up tops that I get specially made for myself for when I’m competing… so it was a lot nicer than the t-shirts we hand out.  He kept saying how much he liked it and that he wanted it.  I told him I would give him a t-shirt but he just kept wanting mine.  I said I’d give it to him but then He said "no that’s ok.”  Then I realized that I had forgotten to even bring the box of t-shirts.  I explained to him how I keep doing this and feel like Satan is trying to stop this ministry and that I was so frustrated.  He then challenged me that many times we think it is Satan, but it could be God testing us to see how we will react to the situation.  That’s something I’ve been using ever since to help me look at things from both perspectives and has really helped in strengthening my walk with God.  After a long talk we exchanged information because he wanted to get some shirts for a youth group that he and his mom help out with.  He also wanted to learn more about our ministry and how he could help support it.  As he was writing down his information I thought about the verse where it says “when a man asks for your shirt, give him your coat as well.”  I just kept feeling guilty for wanting to keep this shirt for myself and saw how selfish I was being… I mean it’s just a dumb material possession and I have plenty of others.  So when he turned around I put the shirt over his shoulder and quoted the verse.  I then offered him my pants and hat (I didn’t have a coat).  Just shows how God can work through this ministry even outside of our sport to connect us with people we would have never imagined.

 

 

 

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A Mom's Perspective

As the Mom of Jason, I listened with interest and excitement as Jason told me about the ministry that he and Bethany were embarking on. I was so proud that they were stepping out in faith to follow God's leading.  In April of 2012 I had the privilege of going with Jason and the Hannibal Lagrange Track Team to the first meet where they handed out shirts along with the tracts that we made up.  The tract gives his personal testimony, as well as the “Plan of Salvation.”  Along with the shirt each person receives 3 tracts – one to keep and two to share.  Each person is challenged to be BOLD by wearing the shirt and sharing their faith with at least 2 other people. They gave out almost 50 T-Shirts that weekend.  That means that through this ministry, at just one track meet, the gospel has the potential of reaching over 150 people!  Below are just a few of the pictures that I took at that meet. 



This is the first girl to ask for and receive a t-shirt.

 

A group of girls on Jason's team wearing the shirts.

 

 

 

 

They really appreciated receiving the shirts!

 

 

This is one of the shirts that Jason wears which started their whole T-Shirt ministry.

 

 

Sitting up in the stands I could see that the word about the T-shirts was beginning to spread.

 

 

Some of the kids thanking Jason.

 

I noticed that kids kept wandering over to the area where the kids on the team were handing out the t-shirts.

 

The kids started to sit down and share their testimonies.

 

The crowd continued to grow.

 

Two of the girls on the team got so excited about sharing the gospel and extending

a challenge to other kids.

 

You could see that the kids were very intent as the group continued to grow.

 

... grow

 

What a joy it was to see kids take up the challenge!

 

I noticed that Jason seemed to be sitting off to the side and not participating much. 

I talked to him about it, and he said that he wanted to stand back and let the kids

on his team step up and take the challenge. Obviously it worked! Many of the kids

walked over to Jason to thank him for his ministry (and the shirt!).

 

 

One of the girls sharing her faith.

 

Even while the gospel was being shared, people continued to gather around and listen.

 

 

These kids took up the challenge!

 

Here is a whole group of kids that took up the challenge to be BOLD in their faith,

and committing to sharing their faith.

 

What an AWESOME day!  How wonderful to see a ministry take flight.  It touched my heart to know that the kids were truly listening to the gospel, and reading the tracts that were being handed out.  In fact they ran out of tracts before they finished handing out shirts.  People were coming back and saying, "We didn't get any of the tracts, do you have any more?" 

 

My prayer is that we will continue to see this ministry grow, with MANY MORE people being touched by God's word!

 

Debbie Scott (a.k.a. Jason's "Very Proud" Mom)

 

 

 

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Our Own Tracts

As the ministry took off, and we started giving out t-shirts, we decided that we should have a tract to hand out with the shirts.  This way we were not only giving them a shirt, but giving them a tool that they could use to share their own faith.  With the help of my Mom (I wrote it, she designed it) we soon had our own tract ready to go.  We printed 600 to begin with... enough to go with 200 shirts.  The object was to give 3 tracts with every shirt - 1 for them to keep, and 2 for them to give to others. Below is the a copy of the outside and inside of the tract. 

We weren't sure if the kids would read them or not,  We were pleasantly surprised to find that time and time again the kids were coming back to ask us if they could get additional copies to hand out.  We are now on our second printing of 1,500 copies.  With the number of shirts we are handing out, it won't be long before more copies are needed.  Nice problem to have!

 

 

 

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Welcome!

Welcome to our site.  We are excited about our t-shirt ministry where we are attempting to spread the gospel "one t-shirt at a time".  Please take a moment to look around and let us know what you think.

Currently we have been financially supporting this ministry on our own, but certainly would welcome others who would be willing to donate to the cause.

Please note that at this time we are only able to give these shirts out at the meets we attend.  We hope to be able to offer these shirts at a minimal cost in the near future.

 

 

 

I would love to hear from you, please take a moment to leave a comment!

 





God's Plan Of Salvation

If you have never made a personal decision for Christ, I would encourage you to consider the following:

1.    You are a sinner – no one is innocent (Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10-18)

2.    The consequences of your sin is death – not just physical death, but eternal death (Romans 6:23)

3.    Instead of YOU paying the consequence of YOUR sin, Jesus Christ paid the price by giving us the gift of eternal life.  He paid that price by dying on the cross for YOU.  Not only did He die for our sins, but He was resurrected – which proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.  (Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8)

4.    If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Would you like to accept the Lord as your Savior? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation!

 "God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!”

If you have made a decision for Christ because of this T-Shirt Ministry or the scripture presented, I would love for you to let me know!

More About Me

I currently serve as the Assistant Track and Field Coach at Hannibal Lagrange University.  I have been competing in Track & Field for over 17 years.  I have tried to use the talents and abilities that the Lord has given me to honor Him.  I have had some success along the way by winning several National Championships and competing with some of the best athletes in the World - always with the dream of someday making it to the Olympics.  I don't know if that day will ever come, but I place it in God's hands to see where He leads me.

As a Christian I've always wanted to stand out, be BOLD, be a disciple for Jesus, and spread the Word just like He did.  However, to be honest, I've never been very good with words and going up to people to tell them about Jesus.  So I figured if I can't say it, then I sure can show it and live it out through my actions.  I now wear a shirt that tells those around me what I'm all about and why/who I am competing for.  Ultimately making it to the Olympics doesn't really have a lot of value in God's eyes or any kind of eternal worth.  It is all about bringing more people to accept Jesus into their lives.  This is my, and hopefully your, “True Goal.” 

This is why my wife and I started this ministry - we want to get these shirts out to open more doors and opportunities to spread God's Word.  I have started a ministry that is encouraging our student athletes to share the gospel as they compete in meets across the Midwest.  We are making an impact for Christ on and off the playing field “one t-shirt at a time.”

 

 

 

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Be BOLD About Your Faith!

John 3:16 tells us how God sent his son, Jesus, to die on a cross to free us from the bondage of sin.  This is the ultimate sacrifice of laying down one life for another.  As we go through this life we need to remember that Jesus did that for us - for you and for me personally.

Just like we are athletes and competitors in sports, Jesus was also a competitor.  He was a competitor for every individual's heart with the ultimate goal of that person believing in Him and asking Jesus to come into their life.  He was not shy about this in any way.  He was BOLD.  He stood up.  He spoke out about his beliefs and told everyone why He was here on earth and why WE should lay down our lives, be BOLD and follow Him.

In the Bible it tells us to be like Christ.  That first starts with giving up our old self and being reborn into a life of Christ where we are followers and disciples of His Word.  I'm not saying that this is easy in any way.  It is a tough thing to believe in something you cannot touch or see, but that is where “Faith” gets involved.  Just like if you were to fall backwards into a group of people, you are going to need faith to believe that they are going to catch you.  However, with Christ you can be assured that He will always be there to catch you when you fall.  He will be there in the good times and the bad, and will give you the strength to get through anything.

What about you?  Are you going to be like the rest of society?  Are you going to keep your faith to yourself?  Are you going to be scared to look, say, or be seen differently?  Or will you be like Jesus and lay down your life, take up the cross, and become a BOLD follower for HIM?



 

 

 

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A Ministry Is Born

My wife, Bethany, and I had been discussing our desire to start some type of a ministry that would encourage others, especially young people, to share their faith.  We kept talking and praying about it, asking the Lord to open a door for us.

After I graduated from Cedarville University I no longer had a team to compete under, so several of us decided to create our own team… Competing for Christ (CFC).  We printed jerseys with different sayings which we wanted to be used to glorify the Lord.  My personal thinking was that when I go to a big track meet I know that I’m not going to be able to talk to everyone about Christ.  I also know that people are always watching, so I figured “actions speak louder than words.”  Since that time I have been sharing my faith by wearing t-shirts with “i Vault For Jesus” on it.  In 2012, at Hannibal’s (HLGU) first meet of the season, I was wearing one of my shirts when a girl pole vaulter from another team came up and asked me about it.  After I finished explaining why I wore it she said she wished she had one.  It was like a light went off, and the concept for the ministry was born.

 

Beth and I prayed about it and felt God’s leading to purchase shirts to give out.  We started out with just two sets of shirts, one that says “i Run for Jesus” and another that says “i Vault for Jesus.” Now, the ministry has taken off so much we have shirts saying “i Throw for Jesus,” “i Jump for Jesus,” “i Compete for Jesus,” and have even had requests for shirts saying “i Coach for Jesus.”  Why the lower case “i” you might ask?  That is so we remember that we are so small compared to God and all He does.  I don’t want to be put on the same level as Him.

 

We now take our shirts to all of our track meets, and have begun a ministry that is encouraging our student athletes to share the gospel as they compete in meets across the Midwest. The HLGU athletes wear shirts that say “i Run for Jesus.”  When someone asks about their shirt, it opens the door for them to share their faith with that person.  After they explain, they give a shirt to the person.  Along with the shirt they receive three tracts… one to keep and 2 to share.  In exchange for the shirt we ask that they promise to tell pass on two of the tracts to two other people and share their own testimony with them.  Our athletes are now saying, “the best part of the meet now is not pole-vaulting, running or placing first, it’s seeing athletes from other teams proudly wearing our shirts.”

 

This ministry has really opened people’s minds to how easy it really is to share God’s word and I believe it makes them more comfortable doing it even when there is no shirt involved.  It has been a huge team bonding thing as well and has really made us a tighter team…other teams have really started noticing us more.”

 

After just a year from the start of the ministry, we have passed out more than 500 shirts at meets and camps across the Midwest.  God has been really good to this ministry in opening doors and we can’t wait to see where he takes things this year.  Our athletes are truly making an impact for Christ on and off the playing field “One t-shirt at a time.”

 

 



 

 

 

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