A Letter From Sandi and Robert Flaaskog
OK before you read the following about God’s spirit sweeping a small town Easter weekend let me set this up.
I was invited to share Jesus in a small rural Missori town in a school building that a empty nester couple bought really cheap at an Auction. While owning this building a group of skaters were breaking in and skating the old Gymnasium when Sandi and husband Robert found that these were local skateboarders breaking in they posted their phone number on the door and wrote a letter letting the kids know they could just call and then they would come and unlock the doors so they could skate.. This couple is and was on fire for Jesus and before they new it they began to minister to these kids and their parents and the community through somthing they call the Damascus road skaters. This small German town is called Herman with 2700 in total population and a very strong Catholic Community God is making the impossble possble Many of the skaters parents as well as the skaters and others gave their lives to Jesus and then showed up the next day for the easter service held in the old schools choir room… This is the true power of a loving and gracious savior Jesus. Enjoy the following and pray for us.
-Tim B.
As most of you know we (Robert and I, Tim & Barb Flint, Mary & Trish Heaney, Randy & Patty Shepherd and Rose Gloe) hosted Tim Byrne, evangelist and professional freestyle skateboarder for Damascus Road in our old school gym.
What a great night for the Lord. Tim demonstrated his God-given skill (which is totally amazing ) to a crowd of approximately 130 (someone estimated), and out of the group, many gave their hearts to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Someone estimated 20 or more accepted Christ Saturday night. We are not so much intereseted in numbers but we are PRAISING GOD for allowing us to be a part of His move–it shows how ripe the “harvest field” is when you witness that many in a small town like Hermann. Many of the crowd we have never seen before, but of the ones saved by God’s grace, several we have been praying for; some for years.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE LORD IN HERMANN, MISSOURI and I know Tim is too. Robert and I were blessed with the opportunity to spend much of the weekend with Tim and it was so refreshing to spend time with a young man who is 100% sold out to the work of the Lord. He loves Jesus with such a pure heart devoid of the traps of the “Christian Commercialism” as we all are, too. We look forward to ministering to those who surrendered their lives to Christ. Please pray that they come to Damascus (or any other church where Jesus is lifted up). We are not interested in “growing our church” but only interested in growing the KIngdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing peopled bound for the Kingdom of Light and snatched from the Kingdom of Darkness. Pray God sends strong Christians to surround them and mentor them in the Lord, so they don’t get left behind wondering what happened to them, or if anything really did happen, at the moment they raised their hands to ask Jesus into their hearts.
What a blessing to see how God uses his evangelists like Tim to further his Kingdom and start the revival fires burning in our small town. A song comes to mind right at this moment that reflects my thoughts: What a Strange Way to Save the World… that God would use a mix of “strange” Christians (us) to minister with a “strange platform” (skateboarding) to a “strange group of people” you should have seen the crowd they were great) in such a “strange way!” (A live band, skateboarding, rollerblading, biking, and a professional skateboarder/evangelist) I LOVE JESUS!!!
What a great sense of humor our Lord has–we are still not quite sure what is happening, however, we are enjoying every minute of it and just trying to hang on as our Lord leads us through.
In Christ’s Love,
Sandi and Robert Flaaskog
Pray For Us
Glory to Jesus! I pray that we share in grace in truth as we follow after our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I believe my friends, God has convicted my heart to share more about His love and grace. It is a wonder how the sinners and the broken were so attracted to Jesus when he was on this earth and how the religeous despised and hated Him.
Do you wonder why so many Church gatherings done in the name of Jesus in this modern day attract so many religious critical types but the true broken struggling hurt sinners feel so rejected and neglected by the church (You and Me)? I just want to be more like Jesus.
This weekends outreach was an eye opener for me somtimes the things I preach on or judgmental about, I find myself battling those things personally. Through all the struggles and when the Devil is trying to mess us up God works all things together for His good and His glory and purpose. My battles are now giving me more compassion and love for God’s people. When we walk in the Holy Spirit we can no longer justify nor make a practice of Sin. I want less of me and more of Jesus and to walk everyday in His mighty Love and compassion. Pray for Us.
Outreach in Atlanta
I just got home from a one day outreach in Atlanta GA at a rather large traditional Methodist Church. I was brought there for the initial purpose of sharing Jesus with parents and to encourage them to open their whole hearts and give their whole lives to Jesus and to live what they believe.
The program is called Upwards Basketball these tend to fill my schedule in the month of March and certain denominations have this program for youth in the community. I believe they are for ages 1st to 8th grade and at the end of the season some churches use their budgets and invite a guest speaker to share with students and parents at the end season.
This is where I come in… I grabbed the mic and instantly broke down walls of stereotype skateboard guy. I allowed God’s spirit to speak through me and so many mom and dads grandpas and grandmas as well as kids raised their hands without bowing their heads or closing their eyes to recieve Jesus as their personal savior and Lord. A true public confession of Jesus being the Lord took place that day and alot of people responded.
All for the glory of our Lord Jesus.
Happy New Year - Be Alive
Happy New Year! I am sorry I have not kept up this blog….I have had an awesome and blessed year in ‘07 and the last 3 outreaches of the year are by far the largest and busiest. I began the month of Dec. Speaking at a banquet dinner for my friend Brad Butcher with (Passion 4 People International) to encourage people to come along side the ministry in prayer and support, “after all we are the body of Jesus Christ” and we are ALL called to pray for one another especially the ministries all over the world.
Liz and I went to my parents in Missouri for Christmas and had a 2 week break it was awsome then we went to Springfield, IL for the state wide YEC convention to share Jesus alot of decisions were made to follow Jesus and God was truly lifted up.
Liz flew home to the West Coast the following day and I got on a plane to head to the biggest New Years bash\venue in the U.S. Winterfest held at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. 10,000 people the top Christian music artist and an insane schedule\program. Most people that read this know I am not a big fan of marketing and the commercializaion of our Lord Jesus, and since they booked me as a speaker\ performer I shared the love of Jesus and also the dislike for commercialism and consumerism that the church (You and Me) get readily caught up in. The bible says “We are not to save up treasures on this earth where everything is temporary, but to store up treasures in the everlasting Heaven.”
My point is often times we spend God ’s money on hype and vapor we build up our little kingdoms and not the eternal kingdom of Heaven. I admit I am guilty of this but as we go into 2008 God has ripped these earthly desires out of my heart and I have drawn closer to Jesus and I give everything and lay it all down once again.
I am now at the Big God conferance in Myrtle Beach S.C. I love this event because these are my friends and even though there are a few thousand people here, It still has that living room family setting where you can just share Jesus, perform the gift God gives you and know that Jesus is truly lifted up. A lot of people responded to the love of Jesus and that is all that matters.
My word for anyone reading this is to lose your life so you can be alive in Christ Jesus.
God bless.
The Harvest Is Ready
Hello everyone I have been pretty busy this month getting hit with silly everyday mishaps please pray for us that God would teach us and that we would be listening to the Holy Spirit in the midst of these trials.
God really used us last week in Moberly, Missouri! The church was awesome they are all about going into the community and picking up kids (BUS MINISTRY) who for the most part would cause trouble in a real quiet boring everyday church settings. Everything went awesome they even let me preach for the 2nd service and an older lady stood and gave her life to Jesus.
That night for the bus ministry students there was around 400-500 people and I would say a good portion of them stood when it came time to invite them to know Jesus. This was an amazing trip and Jesus gets all the glory. I am so thankful that God uses all those who are willing.
“The harvest is ready but the workers are few.” Go and share Jesus with somebody today..
Freedom Experience in Corpus Christi
I am in Corpus Christi TX. seeing God’s spirit pour out on an event that combines local churches to reach out and see the true good news of Jesus come alive in so many hearts.
I was invited to a young adult prison on Nov. 6th where God’s spirit moved and 26 out of 28 surrendered there hearts to Jesus! The cross becomes so real when sin is so visible. Instead of the reminder of, “You are going to drown if you don’t swim”. God used us to throw the lifeline (Jesus) and share his true LOVE and GRACE.
That first night of our FX event we had around 2000 people and a little over 350 decisions to follow Jesus….Praise God!!!!!
Keep praying, we had even more decisions the next night,we had a packed house at around 4000 in attendance! It seemed half the crowd responded to the good news of Jesus…All for the glory of God!
I am writing to encourage all of you. Thank you again for all your prayer support.
All For Jesus!
-Tim B.
10 Outreaches in September
The month of September had so many moves of God that I cannot begin to name them. We saw altogether in 10 outreaches around 600 people give their lives to Jesus. This was by far my busiest month and with all the travel combined I was home for only 6 whole days. Liz and I continue to have the hearts of missionaries and view everything in the scope of God’s love for this world and we give up our whole lives for this spreading of love through our Lord Jesus.
God is doing so many things as he continues to use me as his servant the more of God’s word I pour in the more I will pour out. I am preparing myself for battle everyday with the evil of the air in that unseen world. Pray for us as more doors continue to open that we would be prepared to fight the good fight for Jesus and not be caught in this celebrity lucrative christain market where many enter in and leave cooled down and beatin up forgetting their first true love. I give up everything for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. All the things this world has to offer fail and fall short of a life truly lived for Jesus. I ask God that we all recognize everyday that crucified life that the Apostle Paul spoke of. Give your whole heart and life to Jesus nothing else matters.
August and September Missions
God is continuing to open our eyes to this lost and dying world. Liz and I are continuing to have a heart and passion for the forgotten and broken people of this world, and a call to dedicate our whole lives in the work of missions.
I started out this month in Houston, TX where I skated on stage and shared my heart and God’s love for his people.
The next weekend I flew to Rock The Desert, a huge festival (40,000 people) located in Midland TX.
I had fun seeing friends that are in some of the bands, as well as performing and sharing along side my bro’ illusionist Brock Gill. God used us mightily and we were stoked to see young and old alike gathered in the name of our Lord Jesus.
The trip that made the top of my list was when Liz and I got invited to Anchorage, Alaska. I was there for a youth conference called Fusion Alaska. I took the stage and shared how Jesus rescued my soul from Hell. I was there with Steven Curtis Chapman and Geoff Moore (who are both Christian music legends). I saw a few people give their hearts to Jesus and that is all that matters. We were so thankful their kindness. Thank you so much Mike, you really went above and beyond to bless Liz and I. The sights were beautiful and the food and lodging were just over the top.
I then flew from Alaska to Kentucky where I met my friends for a three day event called The Freedom Experience. Over 300 decisions for Jesus and thousands in attendance which was incredible, we had a blast seeing God truly use our foolishness for his Kingdom. To God be all the glory.
My busiest month is about to begin, pray for our strength and that it would be all about Jesus.
Oh’ you can check me out in next months Thrasher mag for the new Untitled Skateboards add.
A Life Without Compromise
In my travels over the past few years, I have witnessed some sad things about some people involved in the ministry. I am reminded of Jesus’ thoughts in Matthew 24, “Watch out that no one deceives you, many will come in my name,” I have seen my share of ministries and ministers that were more concerned with the outward appearance. Jesus to them is just something you throw on like a change of clothes. To some the word Christian is just a belief system with some good moral guidelines.
What hurts me most is to see Jesus’ name used for personal gain and glory. I have seen this in the flourishing Christian market with its colorful authors, musicians, and polished orators. As well as, the “outreach” that some TV preachers try and share with the world, only to end up portraying God as a Genie in a bottle.
I do know and have witnessed those who are bearing good fruit out in the world. These genuine believers are living out the Christian walk in a true way and showing Christ’s love to those around them. I also know that Christ died for us ALL, even with all our sin. I see why Jesus had to endure so much pain. I just hunger for more out of this generation; a rise of gospel revolutionaries that live the messy Christian life that the apostle Paul talked about.
My outward package is a long-haired know-nothing skateboarder that no one expects to do much more than entertain. The end result is God getting the glory because He chooses a person without worldly credentials to lift up his name and share the Good News. This message is reaching young and old alike and drawing them to lives of repentance and service.
Please pray for Liz and I as we seek to live a life without compromise.
Hawaii, Florida, Oklahoma, Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina and Georgia
We started this month in Maui. My good friend Ivan from XL-TV invited Liz and I over for a week long outreach/vacation that really turned into a call to missions in Africa. We did the outreach in a town that I cannot pronounce. The event was free and had a lot of performers with a feel of the traditional island culture. It was amazing with a lot of decisions for Jesus. As for Liz and I, we had an amazing time together that I will never forget.
The day after we returned from Maui, I had to fly across the U.S. to Tampa, FL. I was at a Calvary Chapel church alongside a few bands. I was the speaker for their regional conference. I also skated on stage doing a few tricks. The kids were stoked so that helped. Then I shared the message of Jesus and a lot of people raised their hands to make Jesus the Lord of their lives’s.
I came home for a few days, then flew out to speak and skateboard at a camp in Oklahoma. It was awesome! I even had few kids there that I had met in prior visits to Oklahoma. There were over a 1000 teens at the event.
The next trip was our last Asphalt Assault tour date in Pinetop, AZ. During my demo I was not feeling well and I could not breathe ( because of the High elevation) so my good friend Vic Murphy shared the message of Jesus and gave an invitation. Over 50 decisions were made that day. All for our Lord Jesus.
I went home for a few days then flew out to The Rise festival in Orange City, IA. Basically a typical festival set up. They had a few bands, speakers, performers etc. The cool thing is, this event is run by my good friend Rob Rossboom who has Muscular Dystrophy and uses that as his platform to share the hope in Jesus. He reminds me that no matter what life brings your way, God makes all things for good and His glory.
Me and Vic Murphy and his team of BMX riders were in an the action sports area where we both shared the good news of Jesus and young and old alike gave their lives to Jesus right there in a parking lot. This was an amazing event and God really used all of us once again.
I flew out the next day to Charleston, S.C. To an event in Beaufort at an Episcopal church. I skated and the spirit of God flowed through me even though I had know idea on what the lord wanted to say to these people. Then the hammer dropped and the fresh convicting loving Grace and truth message proceeded from my lips. It was a true call to follow Jesus and recognize sin.. Old and young alike came to Jesus that night in the beautiful church courtyard.
My last trip for the month was outside Atlanta GA at a camp. I got right off the plane with hardly any sleep and right on to the venue where I poured out my heart once again for brothers and sisters to commit their entire heart and being to Jesus.
What an amazing month! I have been challenged in so many ways. I am seeing many flaws in my own heart and parts of me that I have not fully let go to Jesus. I want to live for Jesus without compromise. Please pray for us..
