Blog Category: Stories

No Longer Alone

I was wondering if you could let Josh McDowell know how much his talk at Lancaster Day of Prayer meant to me. Hearing his life’s story struck a chord with me. So similar and so different. You see I came from an abusive Christian home. I was forced by family to be with a female cousin at every family reunion and every time our families visited back and forth. She sexually abused me during those times. I told my mom but was told it was my responsibility to tell her to stop and so forced to be with her. I …

Set Free by Faith

From our staff: “At a conference we met a missionary to Wales who shared this incredible story of how our ministry is making a difference in unlikely ways: “A prostitute in Wales had been given a copy of Josh’s book, More Than a Carpenter. She read it, was convicted of her life-choices and gave her heart to Christ. She began reaching out to other prostitutes, giving them copies of the book and sharing about Christ. “To date, this former prostitute has led 26 other prostitutes to Christ after reading More Than a Carpenter. “Now, each day when the Welsh coal …

Opening Eyes

From our staff: “Once, Josh and I were in Vancouver, B.C. for a conference. Almost 2,500 Canadians came from all over the area (some drove 24 hours) to attend this conference titled “Hidden in Plain Sight.” Josh spoke at the opening and closing sessions, presented at a workshop, and spoke at a local church on Sunday. He also shared his life story at a lunch for 450 businessmen and women. As you may know, during several years of Josh’s childhood, he was sexually abused by a hired farmhand. At the business lunch he shared how he had held onto that …

Books for the Batboy

From our staff: Recently, we held an Apologetics Seminar at a church in California. One of the people helping me for the weekend was Dan, the Missions Pastor at the church. He shared his story with me of how our ministry influenced his life: “I grew up in a religiously diverse family. My two sisters were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Mom and my other sister were Christians, and my dad was into New Age. Needless to say there were a lot of arguments on religion in our house. So, I decided to put that area aside to figure out when I was …

Answers within Reach

Dear Josh: I wanted to write and tell you what an amazing impact your book, “More Than a Carpenter” has had on me and my youth ministry. It is a great resource for high school and college youth pastors and youth leaders. I am a youth leader at my local church and lead a small group. About a year ago we were having a discussion and my freshman boys were asking me a lot of deep spiritual questions that made me realize they were searching for real answers, not just doubting or being argumentative. Questions like, “How do you know …

“Carpenter” in France

“More than a Carpenter” has been given away on campus, at special Christmas and Easter events, at doctor’s appointments, and in various other situations, and we are so excited to see the interest people have shown, especially because it is definitely not the expected typical French response. “We gave about 50 copies of the book to those who came to the special Christmas event we organized for the students. One of them, Thibaud, told us that thanks to reading the book he became convinced of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Another young man, Stéphane, who is an atheist and not …

Indestructible Joy

Josh: I have a great story to tell, and will try to give you the very abbreviated version here. Around 2006 a business acquaintance, John, and I got acquainted on a more personal level, and went on a few dates. About a week into this ‘dating’ phase, I learned that John did not share my faith in Christ, and did not believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the Life, so I told John that I did not want to continue a dating relationship. John got pretty upset with me, and asked me if I knew how …

Easy-to-Understand Truth

The first book I read by Josh McDowell was in May 2016. It was The Witness. Right after, I devoured Josh’s biography Undaunted. This book completely inspired me! Christians also need inspiration from time to time! I made a firm decision that I will use the book Undaunted to the maximum as a helpful tool for evangelism. This book encourages. It has various examples of a hard life, of attempts to disprove Christianity, but in the end, the conclusion is the Truth of Christ! I also use Josh’s books during evangelism in order to prove the reliability of the Scripture, truth of …

Inter-Generational Ministry

From one of our staff: Once we were in Lafayette, LA, where Josh spoke at a conference. While there I had several people share how our ministry has impacted their life and the life of their families. One woman told me that her sons were heavily influenced by Josh (and the ministry). Every time they’d hear of Josh being in Houston, their youth group would load up and head out. In the mid-1990’s they were at our Counter the Culture / Right From Wrong youth event held at the Astrodome with Newsboys and Rebecca St. James. The Astrodome was packed …

Answers on YouTube

Hello there! I would just like to thank you for posting videos of Mr. McDowell on YouTube. My 7-year-old son loves to hear the Bible and asks wonderful questions. Recently he asked how we can know that the copy of Matthew we read is what Matthew wrote down. It was wonderful to be able to find a video–on YouTube of all places!–that quickly and clearly explained an answer he could understand. Thank you for your generosity and service in sharing such valuable knowledge! Want to know more? Watch this video on the work of a Jewish scribe: Check …

Teaching Teens

Josh, Just wanted to say, I was a student of yours for years, and an intern for a summer. Ten years later you remembered who I was. Just thought I’d say thank you for remembering, and not being afraid to teach teenagers heavy apologetics on a level they could understand. Hey man, I don’t know if you can receive messages or not, but I just wanted to say thank you for all that you’ve done in your life. My youth pastor shared your story and your book about apologetics and your life has really inspired me. I’m glad …

Always Hope

Dear Josh, I just finished reading your book, Undaunted. Our lives have been inter-twined for a number of decades. I went to Talbot shortly after you did and we had the same typist for our thesis. I did mine on the same subject—so much so that it looked like I had plagiarized your book. The truth is I never read your book until you gave me a free copy shortly after yours was published. I just had no idea how difficult your life was while you were growing up. It was such an encouragement to read your life story. I lived …

Appreciation for Decades of Ministry

Josh, Turning 65 this year, I’m trying to make sure some of my heroes know how much they have impacted me. Since 1973, when one of my students at a Christian high school gave me a copy of More Than a Carpenter, I have undoubtedly invoked your name, shared your testimony, and given away unknown quantities of that book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, and more. You were there when I didn’t have answers for unbelievers or fence-leaners. I spent most of my life in ministry as a television producer and ghostwriter, and I can’t tell you how often I’ve …

A Much-Needed Wake Up Call

Dear Mr. McDowell, Well done Sir!!!!!! I have been sounding the trumpet on this topic [pornography] for the past 10 years. We hit it hard in our confirmation program [at our church] (6th through 9th grade.). However, in recent years, I have been convicted that our efforts are coming too late. Despite the fact that all of our boys and at least half of our middle school girls report having seen porn, and I mean significantly disgusting porn, the parents are slow to appreciate the dangers. Parents look at me as though I have lobsters coming out of my ears …

Coaching Basketball and the Word

Coleen knew she was taking a risk. Sharing her faith in the closed country in Central Asia where she was serving as a teacher and coach could get her thrown out of the country — or even arrested. In this region of the world, there is one dominant religion. Other religions, like Christianity, are forbidden. But one day, Mara, a student at the university where Coleen was teaching and coaching basketball, approached her. “What makes your life so different?” Mara asked. She had observed Coleen all semester and was intrigued by her confidence and peace. Coleen knew God was opening …

From Successful Businessman to Seminary Graduate

Mr. Z had it all — or so it seemed. A wealthy and successful businessman, he owned his own construction company in East Asia. As a young man, he was proud of the many goals he had accomplished — a thriving business, a large bank account, a close circle of family and friends. He worked hard and partied often, which usually included heavy drinking and smoking. He did everything with intensity and passion. Yet he longed for something more. Every day he would wake up with a desire to regain the high he had felt the day before. He became …

You never know where a book you give might travel

You never know where a book you give might travel — or who it might impact with the message of Jesus Christ. Every summer, thousands of people from North Africa and the Middle East cross the Mediterranean Sea by ferry to vacation in Europe. When it’s time to return home, they wait in long ferry lines at European ports, often sitting for hours in their car. In this time of freedom from their home countries, our teams approach tens of thousands of people with a FREE gift: a packet containing a New Testament, a special two-language “flip book” version of …

Reaching into Closed Countries One Conversation at a Time

Each year, thousands of people from the Middle East travel to European cities for work, vacation, shopping, medical purposes and more. It’s in this time of freedom from their home countries that our Gulf Partnership Outreach teams approach tens of thousands of people with the truth about Jesus — talking about faith and sharing Christ-centered books and other resources with men and women searching for truth. Last summer, two of our team members were sitting on a bench and started a conversation with a Middle Eastern man and his wife. They shared the gospel, that Jesus loved them, and that …

Reaching the “Unreachable” with the Gospel

Omar* from the Middle East was one of the first to come to faith through the Gulf Partnership Outreach. Last summer he joined our outreach teams to help reach his fellow countrymen and was amazed at the opportunities he had to share the truth. The Gulf Partnership Outreach grew out of a vision to reach men and women living in “unreachable” regions of the world, like the Middle East, with the gospel. Every summer, thousands of people from this region travel to European cities for work, vacation, shopping, medical purposes and more. It’s in this time of freedom from their …

Comparing Religions

Iskandar is a scientist and philosopher in the Middle East. He was comparing different religions and trying to find the only true religion. When he visited one of our staff, he received the More Than a Carpenter book. He studied it for a long time and he was surprised by the facts in the book that led to the conclusion that Christ is the only Savior. He realized that the true way to salvation is through Jesus. Now he has a group of eight people that he studies about Christ with, through the More Than a Carpenter book. He wants to meet Josh McDowell …

Far from Everywhere

Rukshona was born in a remote mountainous village. She had never left her village and grew up in a very conservative culture and strict religious environment. The conditions for life were very difficult. They had no running water, no bathrooms. One day a mudslide came down on the village. Most of the houses were damaged. Survivors were moved by the government to another place. She did not know what to do and where to turn for help. She always wondered if there was a better life, if there was a way out of hopelessness. Our team came to the place …

33rd Street Prison

We went on a ministry trip to the 33rd Street prison in Orlando Florida. Some others who had gone to minister in this prison before informed us that nothing could be brought into the prison with us. Even our car keys and drivers licenses had to be left with the guards in the check in facility. They said they had tried to bring Gospel tracts in before, and were firmly told absolutely nothing could be brought in, and especially nothing could be left with the inmates. Since the ministry God has given to me uses magic props as tools it …

Books on the Subway

Over 20 years ago in Russia, Stas and I, along with the Josh McDowell Ministry and hundreds of American volunteers, had the honor of planting seeds throughout the former Soviet Union. The doors of Russia had just opened. For the first time the Soviet people were free to hear the Gospel and learn about God. In the day, we would stand by a Russian subway station, and open a box of Josh’s book More Than a Carpenter. We were swarmed with people wanting to know more about Christianity. It was estimated that each book was read by at least 10 people. …

No One is Immune

YouTube comment from Moody Founder’s week 2015 talk: Excellent! Everyone needs to hear this and I’m so thankful that he’s addressed this issue [pornography] so openly. I practiced as a marriage and family therapist for 12 years and the number ONE issue was this issue and we’re talking Christians. I counseled at Hope International University, a Christian college and every client I saw this issue was a part of it, from female worship leaders to couples I saw. When I attended Vanguard University for my Masters, there was a joke on campus about how they had all the dorms throw …

Passing on the Calling

My name is Bran. I went to Belarus and Russia with Operation Carelift (and later GAiN) many times over. The Lord used those trips in so many ways in my life. He planted a love for the Russian people—especially her orphans—in my heart, as well as a love for missions. And used that time in my life to call me into full time ministry. I have been a pastor since 2005 and see how the Lord used what he originally called Mr. McDowell to in 1991, to call me. Josh facilitated some truly amazing ministry that I saw not only …

A Timely Message

David Limbaugh highlights Josh McDowell’s message about cultural ‘perfect storm’ I’ve always felt as if I’ve known renowned Christian apologist Josh McDowell through his many excellent books, but I finally got to meet him in the flesh, and what a blessing it was. As I mention in my latest book, “Jesus on Trial,” I read his book “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” many years ago as I was seeking God and was impressed by his comprehensive treatment of so many issues that trouble skeptics. He is nothing if not thorough; he leaves no stones unturned in his exhaustive presentation of …

Invisible to the World — not to God

Brother Kuan lives in a country in North Africa that is hostile to the gospel. He’s the only believer in a small village where all his relatives live. Every day he experiences ridicule and offense — even from his relatives — because he believes in Jesus Christ. Life is hard in the rural countryside where Kuan lives. Typically, people in his culture come alongside one another in aid and support. But not for Kuan. It’s as if he’s invisible — even to his relatives. Sometimes he must work all day and night, alone. His family, fearful they will be “infected …

Not For a Lie

A gal I am working with—her name’s Jen—her husband Dave received Christ two months ago. Wayne and I gave him More Than a Carpenter. When he got to the part where the disciples went to their death—he said “they would not do that for a lie.” God is doing Miracles in this family! Thought you should know.

Rejected by the World…Accepted by God

Mira lives in a closed country in Asia. Formerly, she faithfully practiced the majority religion of her country. “I read prayers five times a day and considered myself a very righteous person,” she shared. But beneath her religious façade, Mira struggled with anger. Occasionally, she would have fits of rage and lash out at those around her. One day, Mira became angry with a family member. “I was so angry,” said Mira, “that I started hitting her against a wall.” When relatives heard the commotion, they ran to stop Mira. But it was too late. Her relative was already dead. …

A Concert in Cincinnati

On October 7, 1995, I was 14 years old, a freshman in high school. I was, for the most part, a good kid, but I also knew I wasn’t always good. I came from a family that attended church, but faith was not a big part of our lives. A friend from school invited me to the Newsboys concert, downtown, at the Cincinnati Coliseum. I didn’t know Josh was going to preach at intermission. I don’t think I knew who the Newsboys were either. I went because I was invited. I don’t remember many details. That night was a blur, …

A Couple Changes

Thank you Josh for being used by God! Forty-one years ago you spoke in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania on the topic…Roaming through Romans. It was a Campus Crusade fall conference. I was invited by a student from the University of Pennsylvania. That weekend after hearing you share how a person can become a Christian, I trusted Jesus as my Savior. A month later my girlfriend and I attended your Maximum Sex talk at Villanova. We were so convicted by the Holy Spirit that we left the field house, went straight to our car and began praying to God. We asked him to forgive us for being intimate …

A Stark Contrast

Blake Woodall Owned the Famous (or Infamous) Starck Club in Dallas in the 1980’s “We just did whatever we wanted to do.” When his club became a drug hotspot, Woodall left, trying unsuccessful ventures in business and religion. “You know the people in robes handing out books at the airport? I think I’m the only person in America who actually read one of those books.” And then someone handed him a copy of More Than a Carpenter. Starck Club Creator’s Life a Stark Contrast to Dallas Hotspot’s ’80s Excess by Steve Blow for the Dallas Morning News Imagine that we …

Mask, Manuscript, Scroll

Email from Josh – March 3, 2014 First time to use manuscripts, mask, and scroll in presentation. In fifty years in ministry [this is the] most incredible response by all ages. It was so so much fun for me. It was all topped off by a lady about forty-five years old , one sharp dresser. She came to me and said, “I must talk to you.” Tears came to her eyes and she began,”I was born into a wonderful Christian home, accepted Christ at thirteen. I have always attended this church. After your presentation today, for the first time in …

A Generation of Believers

Russia, 2013. We just had the honor of hosting Sergei and Sveta Shashin, director of Russian Jesus Film, a ministry of Campus Crusade. They are a result of the seeds/books that were planted throughout Russia in the early 90s. At different times and places, both Sergei and Sveta received a copy of Josh’s More Than a Carpenter book. The book changed their lives, led them to the local church and eventually led them to be the one of the directors of Russian Jesus Film ministry. Sergei shared, “All of the current leaders of the church in Russia were raised in …

Holding on to the Truth

I remember meeting you in a parking garage in Orlando during the 2012 YPS conference. I was on staff at Global Youth Ministry at the time and you walked up to the group I was in—I had seen you before and you looked familiar to me but I didn’t know why. You began questioning me and the others about our faith, and you asked one simple question: what made our faith different from the rest of the world’s religions? What proof in the bible did we have that made what we believe different from others? My friend Josh and I …

A Mother’s Devotions

Hi, my name is Holly. I have two teenage sons. They are great boys but they are going through the typical stuff that teenagers have to face. My son Chase asked me one day “Mom how often do you read your Bible?” I said, “Son I may not pick up my Bible daily but I read scripture daily in the devotionals I subscribe to.” This conversation led me to Google and through a search for teenage devotionals, I was led to this site. I read your devotionals every morning and take the time to send the ones that I feel …

When Forgiveness Seems too Hard

He shifted from one Converse clad foot to the other and waited patiently for the other students to clear out from the classroom. I stood at my desk shuffling papers when I noticed that he remained. “Hi James. What’s up?” I asked. “Mrs. Lia, I just wanted to tell you that the testimony you read about Josh McDowell’s life made a big impact on me.” He spoke, softly. I sat down in my swivel chair to listen. “My dad left home a long time ago and he struggles with addictions too. But I want you to know that Mr. McDowell’s …

Undaunted Hope

Hi, I just watched the movie Undaunted…the story of Josh McDowell. I had no idea what he had been through as a child. He had a drunken father that constantly beat his mother, a sister who committed suicide and a male helper at the farm house they had who sexually abused him for about 7 years. He was so angry. Long story short, he came came to know Christ while trying to disprove Christianity and then led his Dad to the Lord whom died 14 months after receiving Christ. I believe God wanted me to watch this movie today. I …

Out of Darkness

Dear Josh, How can we thank you for your faithful service to our Lord Jesus? Your little paperback book, More Than a Carpenter was instrumental in bringing my dear brother back to Christ after he wandered into the New Age movement and Occult. After he watched the movie Jesus provided by Campus Crusades, the Holy Spirit showed my brother the truth of who Jesus was. Next he read your book, More Than a Carpenter. When he got to the end of the book, he said the sinner’s prayer asking Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. We burned all his …

A Gift that Changed a Life

I read More Than a Carpenter in the 80’s and it became my favorite book. I have bought many and given them away and I am still doing so. My mother was a public school teacher and I told her about the book. One year in the 80’s she wrapped the book and gave it to her teacher’s aides who were high school students. My mother is now 89 and she saw one of her former aides in the post office. He greeted her and asked if she remembered him. “Of course!” she said. He told her that her Christmas …

With your gifts, Ivan has been ministering in Russia for 25 years

“All of the current leaders of the church in Russia were raised in their faith by Josh McDowell books. At that point these books were the ONLY Christian books available in the Russian language, and now these people are sharing the gospel with the next generation.” – a ministry partner in Russia Sowing seeds of the gospel in Russia Ivan, a pastor with a heart for reaching Russia’s youth, is so passionate about sharing the gospel, that when his church had no money to pay him, he slept in his car for months in order to continue his ministry! He …

Ask Him Anything

Dear Josh, I would like to share a story that goes back … to 1985 when you visited our city to spend a week of teaching and ministry in Newcastle England. I was a student then and my memories of that week are still clear in my mind. The teaching you gave us is still with me too, and I wanted to get in touch to say thank you for impacting my life in such a profound way and to share with you just a couple of the many things I learnt from you back then. On the Sunday morning you …

Christ and Chemistry

I work as an administrator at a science museum in Russia. The purpose of our center is to communicate in a very simple way through games that science—specifically physics and chemistry—could be interesting. There are nine guides working with me. All of them are young people, mostly university students. This job is a source of extra income for them. From the very first day, the Lord allowed me to share with these guides about God. Because they have a specific work schedule, I have a chance to talk to everyone of them individually. I also meet with them as a …

Truth Never Void

For much of his life, Jallel knew little about Jesus. In fact, he considered himself an atheist. But at age 50, that began to change. In North Africa where he lives, Christ-centered resources like these are rare, restricted and sometimes even illegal. So it’s no surprise that he had never encountered Jesus. While traveling, he received a copy of the New Testament and More Than a Carpenter during an outreach event. As Jallel flipped through the New Testament, he thought to himself, “This might be from God.” He then opened up More Than a Carpenter and read it. He’d never …

Last Minute Testimony

Josh, Greetings in Christ! I was honored to attend your teaching Saturday night at Calvary Chapel Oceanside. I am so glad that the Lord had you change your message at the last minute. Because of the testimony of your life and what the Lord has done in it, my sixteen year old daughter, and her friend that she is dating, accepted Christ. Thank you so much! My daughter has grown up knowing the truth and knowing the apologetics, but she needed to hear from the heart and the Lord knew that. Be blessed in your ministry!

Questions Welcome

Several years ago, we heard Josh speak at the National Apologetics Conference. He told the story about when his (at the time) teenage son expressed doubts about God and Josh reacted with, “Great! Let’s talk about it!” That story helped us to effectively minister to our own son. One night, as a senior at a Christian school who was having his ear beaten by an atheist student (Yes, there was an atheist student attending the Christian high school.), he seemed bothered. When I asked what was wrong, he told me he was really struggling with his faith. Remembering what Josh …

New Faith and Old Tapes

I came to the Lord in November, 1971 at the University of Kansas. Just afterward I got a letter from a previous girlfriend, who shared how horrible her life was going. I wrote back saying. “We need to get together at Christmas” (when we would both be back in Des Moines from college). Well, someone gave me three tapes on prophecy/end-times events given by one Josh McDowell. The tapes were cassettes recorded at the seminars by non-professionals and were of poor quality, probably having been recorded through several generations of recording. But those tapes spoke life to me and gave …

The Pink Backpack

My name is AnnaLisa and this is a story about something that Josh did 30 years ago that changed my life. By the time I was in my second semester as a freshman at UCLA, Satan had convinced me of 2 things: My life was worthless. I had entered college a drama major with dreams of becoming an actress and soon found I was not as talented as I thought I was among so many other talented young men and women. I also had gotten Rubella—German Measles—and was unable to go to many of my classes. As a result, I …

Leaving the Church and Finding Faith

Atheism. It’s the greatest barrier to faith in Christ among young people in Europe today. And it’s fueling a crisis! Though this region of the world once had a rich spiritual heritage, today their youth are walking away from the church in droves. A mass exodus you might say. The younger generation just doesn’t see how Jesus is still relevant. And with all that’s going on in our world right now, the problems in this region of the world are often overlooked. Out of sight, out of mind. Forgotten. But the stakes couldn’t be higher! Recently, Josh traveled to Poland …

Accelerating the Gospel in East Asia

Today 9 out of 10 people in East Asia have never heard the gospel — but that is rapidly changing. Millions are coming to Christ each year. Here are just a couple of notes we’ve received from students: Diana’s story: I am a seminary student who dedicate myself as a future pastor. My plan is: after graduate from seminary, I’d like to accept some discipleship trainings. I was told that you will provide some of your books to [East Asia] so more people can gain the spirit of Kingdom. However, those books are very difficult to be found in [our country], and …

Fortune 500 Faith

I have been wanting to thank Josh personally for years for his part in helping me receive Jesus. I started my journey with Jesus when I was born again in May 1986. I was just finishing up college and worked in a pizza parlor to help pay for my expenses. A recent convert to Christ witnessed about Jesus to me — wearing a black biker jacket with a drawing of the Lion of the tribe of Judah on the back. God had has a sense of humor since I was just the opposite kind of person. This young man was …

“I need that book…!”

One of our Port Cities Project volunteers recently shared with us what a difference this project is making: “Last summer, a woman from the Middle East literally ran after one of our port cities teams that had run out of books, pleading, ‘I need that book that explains the message of Jesus!’” “Another woman living in North Africa had heard about a special pack of books that were being given away to people as they boarded the ferry to cross from France to North Africa. She wrote to her cousin in Paris, ‘Please find this set of books and bring …

Josh’s message was a ‘wake up call!’

“After Josh’s talk to parents [about the impact of Internet pornography], a lot of parents started to come to our family meetings and told us that Josh’s message was a ‘wake up call’ for them. The dads started to meet with their sons and daughters to discuss about their temptations and their sexuality. Most of them were shocked about what their children were thinking [and exposed to] but thankful to Josh that he helped them to start the discussion. A lot of Christian leaders there were ‘awakened to reality’ that the teenagers and youth from churches are involved in pornography and sexual things …

You really saved my life (indirectly) so thank you so much!!!

I just want to say that your book Undaunted really helped me to move on in my life. I had an exact life that you had, though I’m still working on forgiving my abuser. It’s really not easy to do so. I already forgave my parents for what they did to me. I’m 17 years old and I’m trying to move on from my depression, though your book really helped me to do so. You’re my ideal, Mr. Josh McDowell, I really look up to you. You really saved my life (indirectly) so thank you so much!!! – India Undaunted: …

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