Street Fishing

On this edition of the Street Fishing Podcast, Kris finds Aaron on a pier, in Pensacola, FL. Aaron, a professing Christian, is a fundraiser by trade.

Aaron affirmed the gospel Tony shared with him. But the two had some different views regarding how the gospel should be communicated.

Although it was a good conversation, there is something Tony would have done differently had he had it to do over again.

In this episode of the Street Fishing Podcast, Tony chalk talks two conversation with two very different people, on two university campuses.

The first conversation is with Sam. Sam, along with thousands of other people, attended a Climate Strike Rally on the campus of the University of Iowa. The featured speaker was Greta Thunberg. Sam professed to be a Christian, but it didn't take long to discern that the gospel Sam believed was "green," not biblical.

The second conversation dates back to 2012. Tony talked to Brianna on the campus of Cal State University Northridge. Brianna, a Roman Catholic freshman psychology major believed that confession and God giving people second chances is where her hope lied. That's not what she would believe by the end of the conversation.

One tool Tony uses to get students on university campuses to stop long enough to talk is a dry erase board. On the board Tony will write “Today’s Question,” which usually addresses a somewhat provocative subject. Tony poses the question in a “multiple choice” format, which promotes discussion.

On this particular day, Tony's question to the students was this: “The world's main problem is.....” He gave students the option to choose between the following answers: poverty, lack of education, sin, or other. 

Jason, a University of Iowa freshman finance and economics student of Chinese descent, believed a lack of education is the world's main problem. His was not a surprising response considering he was a student at one of the most prestigious and liberal schools in the Midwest.

Jason’s answer began a wonderful conversation about his worldview and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There was a time during the conversation that Tony believed he saw tears in Jason's eyes.

On this episode of Street Fishing Podcast you will meet Michael.

Kris Lapata was out street fishing in downtown Pensacola, FL, when he came across Michael. He is a former (15 yrs) firefighter who is now restoring and modifying vintage Ford Broncos. Michael believes in a "higher power." At least he did before our conversation.

Michael heard and understood the gospel and he may visit Kris' church.

On this episode of the Street Fishing podcast, Tony once again partners with Kris in Pensacola. Kris finds Abraham and a friend on vacation from Ohio. Abraham professes to be a Christian. This is one of those all-too-rare encounters in which Tony meets someone who is likely a Christian AND can articulate the gospel.

Tony transitions the conversation to a discussion about "Friendship Evangelism."

Tony leaves Abraham with this question: "When they start rounding up Christians in America, will there be enough evidence to convict you of the crime of Christianity?"

On this episode of the "Street Fishing" podcast, you will travel back in time with Tony to August of 2017. Tony and a small group of evangelists traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, in the wake of a tragedy that took place there.

A group of white supremacists and neo nazis converged on Charlottesville to protest the proposed removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from a local park. A group of counter-protesters arrived and violence ensued.

During the second day of the protests a man intentionally drove his car through a crowd of counter protesters. Several people were injured and a young woman named Heather Heyer was killed.

During Tony's time of ministry in Charlottesville, he was approached by a young woman named Jenkins.

Jenkins identified with the LGBTQ community.

On this episode of the Street Fishing podcast, Tony introduces a new street fisherman. Kris Lapata goes fishing in Pensacola, FL.

Kris found Joseph near the beach. Joseph made a profession of faith in Christ while spending two years in jail for a drug-related offense.

Joseph affirmed the gospel he heard from Tony, but he also had some beliefs that seemed to be a mix of "Your Best Life Now" and karma.

Tony shares a conversation he had with Gino while out crosswalking.

Gino believes God judges on a scale and that the scales of justice will be in his favor. He's wrong.

In this episode of the Street Fishing podcast, Tony is the street fisherman.

Tony met Joshua while crosswalking on the corner of Harrison and Locust, in Davenport, IA.

Joshua approached Tony with a smile on his face and a bottle of cold water in his hand. He wanted to thank Tony for being on the streets sharing his faith.

Joshua professed to be a Christian, but he quickly began to confess habitual sin in his life.

Is Joshua a Christian or is he simply fooling himself?

Tony and Bart team up once again in this edition of the Street Fishing podcast.

Bart returns to Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA, where he finds Marla. Marla sat in 100-degree heat, at a small table covered in literature. Marla is a Seventh Day Adventist.

Learn some of what the Seventh Day Adventist religion teaches.

Do Tony and Marla believe the same gospel?

Listen and find out.

This is the premier edition of the Street Fishing podcast.

The program begins with Tony sharing the history of how he got into broadcasting.

Then, it is off to Redding, CA, where street fisherman Bart McCurdy finds Mike at the Sundial Bridge.

Mike has faced a number of challenges and came to faith in Christ later in life.

Is he saved? Is he born-again?

Bart talked to Mike after he got off the phone with Tony. Wait until you hear what Mike is thinking of doing as a result of the conversation. I hope his wife is ready.