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    Preacher and the Bear: Exploring Evangelism's Forgotten Frontier
    Preacher and the Bear: Exploring Evangelism's Forgotten Frontier
    Preacher and the Bear: Exploring Evangelism's Forgotten Frontier
    Ebook128 pages1 hour

    Preacher and the Bear: Exploring Evangelism's Forgotten Frontier

    By B. Stanley Tieszen

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    About this ebook

    It is often the case that many who want to spiritually affect their circles of influence simply lack the tools necessary to do so. As a result, many faithful Christians fail to consider this biblical mandate. Through the use of Scripture and illustration, Preacher and the Bear will enable the follower to live more aware of God-appointed opportunities, to see who their real audiences are, and know how they might be more effective among them.

    Preacher and the Bear encourages a respectful investment into the lives of others who curiously and cautiously seek us out. In quiet and sensitive cooperation with the Holy Spirit, relationships are born, and God is pleased to work in that environment. Moreover, as the soil of our own hearts is conditioned, it affects the entire landscape of our experience.

    Through engaging narrative and thought-provoking ideas, Preacher and the Bear will empower individuals to reconsider what they think about evangelism and how they might more effectively engage the communities God places them in.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWestBow Press
    Release dateNov 17, 2012
    ISBN9781449775049
    Preacher and the Bear: Exploring Evangelism's Forgotten Frontier
    Author

    B. Stanley Tieszen

    B. Stanley Tieszen is a professional in the business community who has been involved in church ministry for over fifty years. He is a gifted writer and bible teacher whose ambition is to give instruction to the greater Christian community. In his earlier book “Preacher and the Bear, Exploring Evangelism Forgotten Frontier”, it was found to be acccepted by the Protestant and liturgical communities as well as the Catholic Church. Tieszen has a strong disdain for the distance often on display between those professing to be of one holy family and he constructs his articulation carefully intending to mend that disparity. Tieszen and his wife live near the Rocky Mountains of Montana and he enjoys studying Western American history.

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      Book preview

      Preacher and the Bear - B. Stanley Tieszen

      PREACHER

      and the

      BEAR

      EXPLORING EVANGELISM’S FORGOTTEN FRONTIER

      25151.jpg

      B. STANLEY TIESZEN

      logoBlackwTN.ai

      Copyright © 2012 B. Stanley Tieszen

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      ISBN: 978-1-4497-7505-6(sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4497-7506-3(hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4497-7504-9(e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2012921414

      WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      WestBow Press

      A Division of Thomas Nelson

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.westbowpress.com

      1-(866) 928-1240

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      WestBow Press rev. date: 11/15/2012

      Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Preface

      Introduction

      Chapter 1.     Spontaneity

      Chapter 2.     Holiness

      Chapter 3.     Acquaintances, Friendships, And Adversaries

      Chapter 4.     Life’s Work

      Chapter 5.     Opportunity

      Chapter 6.     Making Your Move

      Chapter 7.     Your Personal Testimony

      Chapter 8.     All Nations

      Chapter 9.     Love (Is The Launching Pad)

      Chapter 10.   Look And Listen

      Conclusion

      Afterword

      Study Guide

      PREACHER AND THE BEAR

      Exploring Evangelism’s Forgotten Frontier

      B. STANLEY TIESZEN

      Acknowledgments

      BEING a professional in any field characterizes you in a big way. To step out of that characterization is not only personally troubling, but it can also be rather traumatic for the connected family. Although I knew that someday I would write a book, I had no idea that it would happen in the middle of another career. Writing this book was, as a result, a bit traumatic. Though it took some time to understand the process I was going through, my close family was supportive and it is to them that I hold a debt of gratitude. My wife, Gayle, has forever been my greatest cheerleader and one who likely gave the most support behind the scenes. My son Ryan, and his wife, Kristi are more than my business partners. Ryan’s comments on my work were timely and encouraging and Kristi offered invaluable technological assistance. My son, Dr. Charles L. Tieszen, an author himself, gave me the most valuable information and kept my writing on track. Without his words of wisdom and the confidence he gave me during the journey, not to mention his editing skills, things would have likely turned out differently. Charles’ wife Sarah, and their son, Brahm provided me with a picture of rootedness that helped me as I thought about God’s love. Along with our other grandchildren, Matthew, Morgan, and Grace, these are my heroes.

      Preface

      THE church is going to change drastically in the next decade. The question isn’t, will we survive? The question is what we will look like in the days ahead. Some believe Christians need to live relevant to our culture in order to maintain any type of connection, while others find safety within the close proximity of the church and its membership. I believe the people of God need to mobilize, to fan into flame the flicker of light that burns within each of us to influence others for Christ.

      The only way to do this is through the maturation of the church as its members seek holiness. This radical, transforming energy will become the stimulant that stirs some beyond the safety of the church while becoming the relevance the world is attracted to. I believe this is a job of enormous magnitude. It isn’t just one book and one author’s attempt to mobilize. It’s about a network of people, practicing an awareness of their lives being incarnate and affecting their particular part of the world with enthusiasm and a clear, concise direction, bent on effectiveness through loving God and loving people.

      The clergy play an invaluable part in training its parishioners to become these participants. While worship is paramount, church attendance can no longer satisfy the deepest longings of God’s people, and nor can the pastorate be recognized as those elite few with the answers to the world’s questions. So it needs to become the ambition of the church—God’s people—to be prepared for this divine infusion into our communities and the world.

      Introduction

      This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

      —John 15:8

      ONE beautiful, early fall day, a friend and I rode our horses up the west fork of the Boulder River in Montana. This was an annual event for us, to ride as far as possible in one day, observe the turning colors of the quaking aspen, smell the cool of pristine nature, and return before dark. We always dressed in the nature of a true cowboy from top to bottom. My friend, having a desk job, especially prefers to use this as an occasion for charging his mental batteries. I, on the other hand, am dressed reasonably cowhand, not quite as picturesque, you might say, but practical. I wear a silver belly hat, a great pair of handmade boots, and my spurs. Knowing that what might be perceived as beautiful in one moment might just turn into something life threatening the next, I also pack a loaded .44 magnum!

      It was late in the day, and both our horses, wet from perspiration, were glad to get turned back toward the trailhead. Each knew a bucket of oats awaited them at the trailer. We, of course, looked forward to an ice-cold beer. I was now riding in the lead. We went into a slight depression in the trail, and as we did, I noticed something moving quickly through the clearing ahead. All that could be seen from my vantage point was the top of an animal’s back. My mind immediately swung into high gear, with the impulse of a deputy on high alert. I put the spurs to my horse’s flank, pulled the strap loose from my scabbard, and turned my head just enough to say to my riding partner, Bear! As we looped through the depression and into the clearing ahead, we reined our horses to a quick stop. And there, at the edge of the tree line, was the backside of a large bear.

      In an instant, the bear heard us, and forever planted in the theater of my mind is the picture that followed. In a microsecond, he wheeled around to see who or what had encroached on his space. I knew immediately had it not been for the threatening size of our horses, we were as good as dead. This was a grizzly bear. It was large, and he was stunningly gorgeous. Based on the roundness of his face, the little ears, the grizzled hair, and his size, I knew from earlier study the probable length of his teeth and claws. With his speed capability, he could have closed our distance in a heartbeat, but fortunately for us, he chose not to. The grizzly turned and walked into the woods.

      You may have already guessed it; the bear is a subject I just love to talk about. My curiosity about them began a long time ago, when I discovered a book about bears and their attacks on humans. Being an outdoorsman, I picked it up and not only read it but purchased others like it. I subscribe to magazines about bears, clip articles about bear attacks out of the newspapers, and devour anything and everything I can to gain a better understanding of these creatures. I have discovered that although they have poor vision, they have an incredible sense of smell. And while they may appear fat and dumpy, they are lightning fast. They are both predator and prey. Follow a bear through the woods, look over your shoulder often, and see which of you is really being followed. What attracts me most about bears, however, might not be what you would expect. I am intrigued by certain characteristics that parallel the lives of Christian men and women, and we would be wise to learn from them. Although there are a good number of these similarities, I have chosen only one to illustrate.

      Here in North America there are two types of bears, the grizzly bear and the black bear (the black bear is a species, not a color; some blacks are actually brown). There are a number of things that set these two animals apart, but the one that affects both humans and bears the most is the fact that the grizzly is unable to adapt to changing surroundings. Consequently, the invasion of people to the high country of several

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