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44 Comments for 'Chicago Shreddin’'

1. On April 5, 2009 @ 2:21 pm Kevin Damghani said:

   • Greg… Man… Wow… I was a student at D2S a few years back and now am the youth pastor at the same church in Caledonia Michigan (Brightside Church). Our students had no grounding, no commitment, and no other reason to come to youth group other than to hang out with friends. I have been going through your materials over the past 8 weeks in prep for this weekend at Chicago and has little response.

     After the Friday night Drama we had an emotional night in the grass outside the arena. God worked through YOU and YOUR ministry in amazing ways as He does so often! I had 13 out of our 14 students cry their pain into my shoulder on a one-on-one basis. I heard stories about students from broken homes, living a lie of smiles on the outside and emptiness on the inside, students who cut daily, smoke pot, and students who completely are in shambles. The drama opened the discussion up so much and at the end of the conference on Saturday night, I talked to them again…. Not a dry eye. LIVES CHANGED FOR GOD! We had one student come to know Christ who was very emotional. We know that the bible says ‘A faith without works is dead’ and the rest of the students recommitted themselves to Christ and are on FIRE! We are going to be going door to door in Grand Rapids this Saturday and collect cans for our food pantry, this was the students idea! WOW!? Their idea? From our group? I’d think it was impossible to get such emotion, reaction, and authenticity from our group if God was not our God! Greg, I don’t know you but I love you and your ministry in Christ! Are you close to your goal of equipping 1 Million students?

     One last thing.. Our budget is so small for my student ministry and we used most of our funding for the year to buy both Gospel Journeys as well as a Venti Jesus book and Shreddin the Gnar book for each student… We gave these books to them on Saturday night as a next step in their faith and they were so excited to read them!!! They were so emotional that we got these books for them and that somebody cared for them to do that! Greg, I know these books will change their lives with Gods help! Thanks Greg!

     In Christ,
     Kevin Damghani

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     Kevin Stiles (Alaska Baptist) Reply:
     April 7th, 2009 at 7:49 am

     Kevin…great to hear that God was working in your group. He was very present and active in our group as well. We should be able to take Caledonia Schools and community by storm for Jesus with God working in this way. I would love to get together sometime…lunch or coffee at EB some morning.. and share about the weekend and strategize about some follow up steps to “keep the merry-go-round spinning”. Let me know.

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     Kevin Damghani Reply:
     April 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm

     Defiantly! I’m at EB right now as we speak! haha! If you have a facebook, look me up! Thanks for the reply! We are going to be going door to door in caledonia this Saturday to pass out flyers for our easter services and collect can goods for our benevolence team and shred the gnar! If your group would like to join us, let me know!

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2. On April 5, 2009 @ 2:35 pm Tasha said:

   • Hey this is Tasha,
     I was at your confrence this weekend and I had a life changing experience. Right before i came to the sears centre i didn’t have a very close relationship with god, but after the confrence i felt like i was closer to god and i owe it all to d2s!! You, Zane and Derwin opened up my mind and brought me closer to god.

     Thank you,
     Tasha

     P.S. KEEP SHREDDIN THE GNAR!!

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3. On April 5, 2009 @ 3:19 pm Paige said:

   • There is not enough words to describe dare2share! I went last year and this year and each year I’m amazed. You and Zane crack me up! I diffently look up to you guys. Thanks sooo much for changeing my life. I already cant wait for next year! Bring on BLAZE (:

     Thanks soo much for all you guys do.

     PS: GO BEARS! =]]

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4. On April 5, 2009 @ 3:30 pm Tracy said:

   • Hey Greg,

     I want to thank you for an amazing weekend!!! My husband and I are the youth leaders of a growing group of youth. Last year, we brought 6 youth to the conference, this year we had 15 attend. One student last year accepted Christ and this year he is on the phone sharing how Jesus Christ has changed his life. Another of the youth that came to the conference this year received a phone call last year during the cell phone challenge. She has not accepted Christ yet, but we continue to pursue her. I am looking forward to taking 40 or more next year!!!

     PS – That may have been the most realistic fake puke I have ever heard, maybe only second to Chunk from the Goonies. What a great talent you have there.

     God bless,
     Tracy

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5. On April 5, 2009 @ 5:37 pm Anonymous said:

   • Hey Greg,

     Hey do you think you could add maybe a video of that skit you did in Chicago this past weekend with the human lie detector thing? It was funny and I just wanted to share it with my friends and family. If you could, that would be great. Thanks.

     Sincerely,
     A kid from your Dare2Share
     Conference in Chicago

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6. On April 5, 2009 @ 5:39 pm Anonymous said:

   • Oh and thanks. This weekend really was life-changing for me. I’m really glad you’re doing this and I’m going to talk to all of my friends about it and witness.

     Sincerely,
     The same kid as before

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7. On April 5, 2009 @ 5:40 pm Mitch said:

   • I’m that kid up there by the way.

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8. On April 5, 2009 @ 5:51 pm Keeley said:

   • Heyyy Greg!
     I was asked to go to Dare 2 Share by my boyfriend that has been going there since we was like 12(he’s 17 now) and he’s always talked about it being really awesome but i never really thought anything of it. I’ve gone to church all my life and have always thought I’ve been pretty close to God. I’ve screwed up a lot but my friends have always known me as the girl who listens to the christian emo music. lol. But i really honestly never felt as close to God as i do now. And it is honestly because of you guys. I’ve never felt so incredible. And i still can’t get “WE ARE THE REDEEMED WE ARE THE ONE’S WHO ARE FREE, AND WE BELONG TO JESUS! WE ARE NOW ALIVE AND IN THIS WORLD WE WILL SHINE, AND WE BELONG TO JESUS!” lol. I just feel alive. Like none of my problems REALLY matter, because Dude, i have God in my life. My best friend! I’m sitting at home wishing so badly i was still at the conference and you better believe i’ll be back next year! I can’t WAIT! Thanks so much.
     You’ve changed my life.
     God Bless you all.
     Keeley.

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9. On April 5, 2009 @ 5:52 pm Keeley said:

   • I meant i still cant get those lyrics out of my head.(:
     lol.

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     Charis Reply:
     April 8th, 2009 at 11:01 am

     Same here!! I’ve had those lyrics and the lyrics “YOU’VE STOLEN MY HEART YES YOU HAVE YOU’VE STOLEN MY HEART YES YOU HAVE
     YOU’VE WIPED AWAY THE STAINS
     BROKE AWAY THE CHAINS YES YOU HAVE”
     stuck in my head ever since D2S and I just love it!! those lyrics are amazing and they make you stop and think.
     Shreddin’ The Gnar,
     Charis

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10. On April 5, 2009 @ 6:40 pm Sammee said:

    • I was there this weekend! I was changed for life! I could not believe how clearly I felt God’s presence and him tugging on my heart telling me that I need to be a light in this world! I have already been excited about sharing my experience and caring for others. This morning I started singing this song by casting crowns and I found myself absent-mindedly rasing my hands to God. No joke! And I’ve even encouraged my friend tonight telling her that she IS a princess and satan is feeding her lies about how her prince charming is not there. I told her that even if God’s will for her is to stay single, her Prince Charming is Jesus Christ (he’s our invisible groom lol) My relationships are becoming stronger and healthier! My friend and I… yeah, we’re going to like starbuck’s and bringing our friends to hang out and share our faith with them. I loved every moment I was there at D2S. I was paying attention and wow…. I am shredding the gnar already! Thank you so much! Praise God! He is my awseome father and creater!

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11. On April 5, 2009 @ 6:51 pm Sammee said:

    • oh also…. I “donated” my Bible. While we were collecting food in the neighborhood I brought my Bible and I put it in one of the bags just in case my head goes numb and I need to remember what a verse said. Well…. my Bible never made it back out of the bag of canned food items. So somewhere with 8 tons of food, my Bible it too. Maybe God meant for that to happen.

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12. On April 5, 2009 @ 7:36 pm Kathy said:

    • Hey Greg-
      I came to d2s for the first time this year in Chicago and was thoroughly impressed! I am a youth leader and prior to finding out that my own son had been struggling with pornography God was speaking to me about taking him to this conference. I reluctantly signed him up and had been praying that God’s will be done…..I was trusting that he had a plan for him there in Chicago. Shortly after signing him up I discovered my son’s issue with porn. I found myself paralyzed with grief…..feeling unequipped. This conference has not only helped me see what I need to do to be equipped, but during the conference my son wrapped his arms around me and thanked me for bringing him there. He said that he had never felt so close to God! Through Dare 2 Share Ministries God has given us both a gift…..a priceless gift to be treasured. Thank you for all of your hard work and determination for reaching these kids for Christ.

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13. On April 5, 2009 @ 8:59 pm Matthew said:

    • Hey Greg, my name is matt and im 19. i hope you remember me… i was the guy in the front that was always shaking his head.. and saying AMEN. and i was the kid at the end of the Chicago conference that talked to you in the way back. about alot of stuff like your son Jeremy, and how we missed him. then you shared your dog story with us.. that was really your nose story lol. but anyways just trying to give you some inside on who i was.

      well Man i just want to say God is going to bless you so much for all that you have done for him, and all that you will do… KEEP SHREDDING THE GNAR 4 JESUS!

      I Pray not only that the students Go out and keep fulfilling the Great commission. but that they wont forget the Impact that DARE 2 SHARE BRINGS, AND THAT ITS NOT YOUR STRENGTH THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN ITS THE POWER OF JESUS CHRIST…

      AND that being persecuted is not something to be afraid about because… its said in the BIBLE DO NOT FEAR 365 times. one for each day! AND! in 1 PETER 4:16 HOWEVER IF YOU SUFFER AS A CHRISTIAN DO NOT BE ASHAMED! BUT PRAISE GOD THAT YOU BEAR HIS NAME! awesome words of encouragement. Your more then welcome to E-mail me back. and even maybe we can have a relationship and Grow together. IN EVERYTHING WE DO : MAY WE GLORIFY YOU JESUS!

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14. On April 5, 2009 @ 9:26 pm brianna_love said:

    • That drama Friday night, that was what really made me believe. That’s what got me to trust. I was that girl in the bedroom. I was the one about to cave into her demons. Ha. I actually did cave. I set up a noose in my closet, and I had it around my neck, but just as I was about to kick off from my chair, something told me that I wasn’t supposed to die that day. That I was to live on for something greater. That was about four years ago, and it wasn’t until this past weekend that I discovered that it was God’s will. I have been struggling with depression since elementary school (I am now a Senior in high school), and now I feel as if I can survive. I feel that I can make it through, and I can heal. I felt infinite this past weekend. I truly felt invincible. I hope Dare 2 Share is around for a long time. It’s something that I would definitely be interested in being a part of in some way, shape, or form in the future.

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15. On April 6, 2009 @ 6:17 am shelle52002 said:

    • THANK YOU!!!!

      I can’t tell you the last time I stayed up after midnight! We are so fired up with the tools you have given us, that the YOUTH and adults in our group have set up an action plan to execute in our church, schools, and community! Mark and I gave our board a two minute reason why they should let our youth attend. We can’t wait to let them know that we WILL be attending again next year! The five adults in our group are just as pumped up and excited as the youth! One more…thanks for signing Michael’s bible…See you next year, in the meantime, we will be Shreddin the Gnar in Dubuque, Iowa!

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16. On April 6, 2009 @ 10:56 am Will said:

    • Hey, Greg.
      Sounds like an AWESOME conference!
      Just wanted to shout out a ‘Thanks’ and ‘Be Encouraged’ to you and all our brothers and sisters at D2S.
      ‘Thanks’ for being the Catalyst God Uses to bring so many to Him. But more,and OH SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT, the Way God Is Using your ministry to lead guys like me from ‘baby’ Christians to Sanctification.

      “12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14

      Thanks for the Spiritual Steak, buddy. IT IS MIGHTY TASTY!!
      And as you have fed me with God’s Nourishment, so He Is Teaching me through you and others how to feed and encourage ‘baby’ and ‘adult’ Christians.
      Happy Easter, Stiers and D2S.

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17. On April 6, 2009 @ 4:06 pm carrie said:

    • hey greg this last weekend i went to the dare2share conference and it was amazing it opened my eyes because i never really shared my religion until saturday when we were challenged to go out into the city of chicago i was at first dissapointed because no one wanted to listen but then i came to my last three houses and i was amazed. my friend kate and i went to a mans house and we did the do you have cans is there anything we can pray for you about script but then we asked him if he new he was going to heaven or hell and he said he was going to heaven because we are now in hell but me and my partner were puzeled then we talk to him about our faith and we told him about jesus and all the stuff we learned, and by the end he didnt slam the doopr in our faces he listened and i saw in his eyes that he was getting what we were saying and we gave him one of the little booklets and he promised to read it and i was be wildered by his reaction because i had hoped and prayed for that but i never thought i and kate would be able to do that. even though he did not go to christ i still think we a made an impact. this last weekend everyone that spoke the skits and songs they spoke to me and opened my heart and i just thank god for you and the dare2share program its amazing and you guys are doing the most asome job and i just thank you for this lifechanging experiance.

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18. On April 6, 2009 @ 4:47 pm Bethany said:

    • Greg,

      This weekend was really awesome for me. You and your staff really opened my eyes to what i need to do to get closer to God. During the drama put on Friday night, i started crying. That was me for about a year and a half. I had thought that way. I had those demons in my head telling me that i wasn’t worth anything to God, and telling me that i wasn’t good enough for anyone. Satan had put people in my life who were like demons on earth. I finally gave in and started cutting myself. I felt as though it was my way out if everything that was going inside me. It would all go away for a few seconds, but then it would all come back, so i would do it again and again. It had gotten really bad to the point where i had wanted to kill myself, but something inside me said, “No, i want you here.” i knew that it was God talking but somehow i just didn’t believe it. During your drama, i had been touched very deeply, and was feeling all these emotions inside me and i almost walked out because it hurt so much. I’m really glad that i didn’t because at the end i watched and realized that God has my scars, and i shouldn’t make them myself.

      I had always gone to church, and i had faked that i was okay, i put on my “smile”. i finally started talking to what i now consider my best guy friend, Philip. He had always encouraged me, and still does. I’m so grateful that God put him into my life. We had talked and i had instantly felt better about everything, and i know that was partly him, and partly God working through him. I praise God to this day that i have him in my life. I also praise Him for my youth pastor, Chris Peoples. He has always prayed for me ever since i told him, and he has helped me through this. He is an inspiration to me and i love him for that. =]

      I’m still not over the whole cutting thing. I haven’t cut for about 3 1/2 months now. and today is April 6, 2009. and i’m hoping and praying that i don’t ever again. I still feel the urge every once and a while, but i think about it everyday, constantly because i have scars. I had already known this, but i re-discovered it this weekend, God loves me for who i am, and i shouldn’t try to change it because that would mean trying to change God. I shouldn’t cut anymore because i’m hurting God, i am made in His image and He loves me. I shouldn’t try to “pay for” all the bad things i’ve done, God did that for me, He already bled for my sins and i don’t have to.

      I made this comment and told this to total strangers, but i knew that God wanted me to. To all of those out there like me, all of those who have ever cut, please remember this, GOD LOVES YOU THE WAY YOU ARE! We don’t need to do this to ourselves. It’s pointless. It may be your escape for a couple seconds, but it always comes back. God can.. and will take all of our feeling away, we just need to let Him. I really hope that someone benefits from this. Even if its just one person.

      Thank you so much Greg and the D2S staff. Dare2Share means so much to me. And i praise God that i could go and experience this. I am now at peace with myself. I needed this conference. THANK YOU THANK YOU!! and God bless you for everything that you do.

      I wasn’t going to say this, but i had something tugging in my heart to do so. If anyone has benefited from this, would you send me a shout. missy_gremlin@hotmail.com. I love you all, even if i don’t know you, and thats okay. =]

      Bethany

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19. On April 6, 2009 @ 6:31 pm Deanna said:

    • I just want to say, that I was one of those 5,000 teenagers in the sears center, and you really inspired me. The experience changed my life. You are the first preacher to ever really make the whole relationship with God thing click! I just always thought that I would never measure up and that no matter what I did I would never be good enough to feel God. I felt like I was unforgivable. But you inspired me. I asked Him for forgiveness there in that arena. I was in tears and… I felt Him… I heard him say, “It’s okay now. You’re my daughter and I love you too.”

      Here I am, tearing up again. So thank you Greg for being such an inspirational preacher and for the life-changing experience. I’m going to keep Shreddin’ the Gnar at school and over spring break to all my friends.

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20. On April 6, 2009 @ 8:27 pm Andrea said:

    • I took a youth group to the Invincible conference in St. Louis, but the whole time I was thinking about my sister, who is in high school near Chicago, and how much I wanted her to be able to hear and experience everything that we did. She has grown up in a Christian household without really making Christianity her own. She has begun to really question her faith and her relationship with Jesus, and my heart aches to be there for her and to encourage her to continue to dig into God’s word and grow.

      I talked to her yesterday and she told me something amazing. A couple of girls showed up at my parents house while my sister was out in the garage. They were out “Shredding the gnar” for the conference in Chicago! They talked to my sister for a little while, and prayed with her. I believe that this was no coincidence. I just can’t get over how neat it is to know that God is working on her heart and bringing people into her life to support and encourage her while I cannot be there. Thank you!

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21. On April 7, 2009 @ 1:23 pm Tise said:

    • I’m a youth leader of a small church right outside of Chicago, and I LOOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEDDDDDDD the conference this weekend! It was unlike anything i have ever experienced! I have to mention that I’m a Black girl from Chicago, that usually listens to gospel and R&B, but FEE was so great!!!! When i got home I went straight to ITUNES to purchase their cd! It goes to show you how God’s love has no color boundaries and if you’re open his Word can change you! I cant wait to next years conference. The few kids we had come are excited and ready to spread the word! ( lol! Can you imagine little black kids telling their friends to Shred the Nar? It’s Amazing!) Thanks Greg for your commitment to God! I know its hard work, but I thank God for giving you the vision! The most important thing is your message is solid! Strictly based on the word of God! Unfortunately that’s a hard thing to come by, everybody wants to change the word to fit their lives. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be! I pray for you and the conference and look forward to more Great things next year! Thanks a million times!!!!!!

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22. On April 7, 2009 @ 5:05 pm Melissa said:

    • Dear Greg,

      This year was my first year at Dare 2 Share, and i LOVED IT! I had heard my friends tell me how amazing it was when they went last year, so I decided to go and see what it was all about. When we got there, I looked around and was shocked to see so many teenagers there! All of those people were there to either come to know Christ or further their knowledge of him. I couldn’t believe it. The messages that you guys gave on Friday and Saturday were so amazing. One of my friends next to me on Friday actually started crying when they did that skit about the demons in Lauren’s head. She had done some of the things Lauren did, and it really touched her to see Jesus bearing the same scars. Today she texted me and told me that she had spread the Word to someone. I was thrilled for her! My best friend actually shocked me on Saturday. When you had us all stand up and throw our hands up to the Lord, this friend of mine started praising God as I had never heard him pray before. He didn’t care what those of us around him thought of him. I think he was spiritually connected with God that night. On our way back to our church, we called on of our friends who didn’t really know Christ. The boys tried to be serious and tell him about G.O.S.P.E.L., but they couldn’t be serious enough to do it. So I took the phone out of my friend’s hand and started talking about God at a mile a minute. I got him to say that one day he could believe in Jesus. Last night at Bible Study on guy prayed for the strength to be serious enough to help this friend out. So many lives were changed that night. I pray that you and Zane and Derwin never stop doing what you do. If you keep at it, millions of people from the new generation will spread the Gospel through the world and start a revolution. Thank you for everything, Greg.

      See you next year!!!
      Melissa

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23. On April 7, 2009 @ 5:48 pm Beth said:

    • Greg, Zane and Derwin,

      I went to the Dare 2 Share conference the last 2 years with our youth group as a leader. It has not only touched our youth in a special way, but has always impacted my faith as an adult as well! Dare 2 Share this year was exceptionally special to me. Being a leader, I wanted to set an example as an adult during the cell phone challenge. A neighbor of my husband and mine lives with her boyfriend and has a child with him. She has a very interesting outlook on God. She believes there is a “higher power” and feels if she does good deeds that this would be good enough. I opened my cell phone, not knowing exactly who to call and her name was right there in my contact list. I called her, and shared the Gospel with her. She accepted Christ right over the phone with me and I prayed for her right then and there. She then proceeded to tell me the weeks leading up to my call were ones where she was considering harming herself. Because of that call, she decided not to. I kept telling her how loved she was by God and how now is the time he is calling her. That she may not always be pursuing Him, but He will ALWAYS be pursuing her. I just visited her yesterday and she wants me to help her find a church to go to. She wanted to know all about the conference too, so I know that she is taking this very seriously. I am so estatic that God had used me to reveal himself to her. This experience has left me changed in my faith walk forever.

      I also wanted to let you know what this conference has done for me. A couple months before I went to this conference, my husband and I had experienced a miscarriage. We had been trying for some time to have a child, and were devastated when we lost our baby. I had been struggling through a lot since then. Feeling not good enough, wondering if I was being punished, wondering if we weren’t fit to be parents in God’s eyes. I know now more than ever, that God would never take our child away from us for those reasons. And that we still live in a sinful world, where things happen that God did not intend to be this way. The thoughts I had mentioned before were NOT of God. After the PRAY lesson, I prayed that I would be able to forgive myself for the loss and that God would continue to reveal himself to us through this experience. I am so glad I had decided to go to this conference because I needed that reassurance again.

      Thank you for all you do to reveal the kingdom of God, not only to our youth, but to the adults you come in contact with as well!

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24. On April 7, 2009 @ 7:45 pm kc said:

    • hey greg,
      wow thats all i can say.
      i went to inVincible @ the sears center and it was so awesome!i could feel Gods presence in the room and it gave me gose bumps when leeland played!instead of collecting food my group and i went 2 the strip mall and other stores and shared jesus. i had such a great time i thought i was going 2 be beat 2morrow 4 church but i had so much energy man its still lasting its like God is the best most long lasting energy drink ever!
      keep on shreddin the gnar!
      ~kc

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25. On April 7, 2009 @ 8:18 pm rooneyal said:

    • hey Greg, wow and thanks, is all i can say right now i became a Christian two weeks ago and it was my first time at dare2share and i had a blast im so glad that there are people like you, and Zane, and Derwin out there to spread the good Lords word. i really liked how you guys didn’t tip-toe around the issues of todays teens, at that conference my life was changed God came to me and told me to spread his word. i had my first experiance of God working through me on Sunday when i witnessed to my girlfriend and my sister they are both now Christians. thank you so much it was a time in my life that i will never forget?
      thanks,
      Alex

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26. On April 8, 2009 @ 1:15 pm Becky said:

    • Greg,
      Thank you so much for your ministry!! I can’t explain how much this year’s conference impacted my students it was absolutely amazing! God is doing amazing things through you! I want to tell you a story about my students. I know some of them came up to tell you their story so i’ll tell you that part but then it continues after we left the Sears Center. so we went out to collect our cans and first of all we kept getting lost we didnt get to our neighborhood until like 4:30 and at this point i was very frustrated and am sorry to admit that i said i dont care if we’re in someone elses area we are just going to start collecting. So we break off into groups and my other leader called and told me to move over another block and i’d be in our area so grudgingly i did with my group so i called our other leader and told her to do the same so she did. And my group went up to this house and to make a long story short he asked us to pray for him b/c his girlfriend got pregnant and had an abortion even after telling her he would adopt the child and she didnt have to be apart of the child’s life. It was a very sad story so we said we’d definitely keep him in our prayers. meanwhile we had another group who had asked another guy if there was anything we could pray about for him and he mentioned his friend who got his girlfriend pregnant and was thinking about an abortion so they prayed with him. then as our groups were telling our stories we made teh connection with thier names that it was the exact same story. so we went back to finish up the conference and one of our leaders and one of our studetns was like shoot we didnt give them a gospel of John that would be so awesome if we could go back and give him one. so they asked me if we could do that and i thought sure i’ll take a vote to see what students want to go back to teh hotel and who wants to go back to these houses. not one single student raised their hand to go back to the hotel!!!! (if you knew my group, you might just pass out hearing that:) ) anyway now our leader of the cars was like o man i dont know if i can find it again and i’ll be honest i was a little worried about our safety it wasn’t the greatest neighborhood so before we left we said a prayer for guidance and safety. We got there with no trouble. we first stopped at the house that the guy (jeremy) asked to pray for his friend and girlfriend. He ended up not answering probably b/c there were 20 of us on his doorstep. but one of the students left their Bible with a note in it for him. then we went to other guy’s house who’s girlfriend had the abortion (Eefron) and when he came down the steps you could tell he was touched as he came to the door he was like o man you guys are awesome! and we gave him a Gospel of John with a note in their telling him we’d continue to pray for him and our church’s phone # if he needed anything. we prayed for him and with him and told him about his friend jeremy who had asked us to pray for him also. as we left one of our leaders looked up into his room and saw him sit down and looked like he was praying and thought what if this is what helped him. we had the discussion of what if in his bedroom he was having the same thought of Lauren in her “bedroom” the other night. you know i truly believe God led us to this young man. I dont think this happened just by chance. We will never what exactly we did, but i do know God was with us. WIth this experience our students were able to experience God in a way that some of them never have. Thank you so much for this opportunity for my students. All of them are pumped to continue to shred the gnar!!!
      my other leader and i were moved to shred the gnar in buying tickets (because of that lady that stood up, you should hire her!) we had 20 people there this weekend and we decided next year we’re bringing 40. we told the students our challenge to brig 40 people next year and they were pumped! I told them each person here just needs to bring one extra person next year and we’ll fill those 40 spots and they were like o we can so do that! so again thank you, thank you, thank you! we boughtthe Gospel Journey’s and we will keep this momentum going all year long until BLAZE!!! which by the way i am so pumped that Starfield will be back, i love them, they are awesome worship leaders!!!!

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27. On April 8, 2009 @ 6:41 pm yasmin said:

    • Hi Greg,

      I went to your conference last Friday and Saturday and it was just so awesome. I wasn’t that huge of a God/Jesus fan back then,I used to consider myself an atheist before I arrived here in Chicago. My whole family has been religious and they couldn’t get enough of God. I was just like, going on with the flow even if I didn’t feel like it. But I as the months flew, I got closer to God and accepted Him last March. Now I know that going to your conference wasn’t an accident.

      You see, I own a game server wherein most of the players are from the Philippines. It opened last January, a few days after I arrived in Chicago. The players talk and act rough, they insult other players.. even the girls. It saddened me to see what was happening in my own little creation. And then I went to the Dare2Share conference. You see, I am not a talker. I hate talking to large groups of people, and much more sharing my faith. But your conference helped me a lot, and it on Friday night during worship that I asked God for strength so that I can spread the good news to my players.

      And so Saturday night, just after the conference. I got online and started broadcasting a simple prayer and approached a group of people and asked them what they knew about God. They laughed at me, as expected. But it didn’t let me down. At the end of the night, I talked to 6 people about God and that He loves us so much. With the help of what I learned in your conference, I was prepared to answer their questions.

      That’s not all, the next day after church I talked to more people. Each of them had a different story. Some turned away from God because He did not answer their prayers and some simply didn’t believe in Him. I began explaining to a group of at least 3 people and when I ended at around 12:30 midnight, I had talked to at least 15 different people who understood more about God. A player of mine told me, “Yasmin, please tell God that I love Him and that I accept Him whole-heartedly.” Another player also came up to me because she was full of guilt. She loves God but she kept on sinning. I told her everything I learned from Dare2Share and at the end, she told me that it was like she was sent in our server because her old server closed due to maintenance. Gosh, I cried a lot that day. I cried because I was happy of what was happening.

      And I prayed to God for all of the players in my server just as I was about to sleep. I want to share what happened to me so that everyone will be aware of the Spiritual Battle that is now going on. I was still half awake, drifting off to sleep when I suddenly heard people talking to me in fast english. I saw 3 shadows on my wall. Two was standing, one was sitting in mid-air. They were angry at me, I knew because I had a hard time breathing and I couldn’t move. Suddenly, a big shadow came and his voice was louder than the other three. It was so hard, I cried out to God for help. I heard my voice, it changed. It was deep and distinct because I couldn’t breathe anymore. But with God’s help, I had moved my hand and jerked myself fully awake. I ran to my parents room and explained to them what happened. Even after what happened, I am not scared to share God’s glory. I still continue to reach out for those people who don’t know God, turned away from Him and those who loves to hear more about Him.

      To those who are reading my story, God is with us always. He will never leave us because He knows that the devil will strike anytime.

      Mr. Greg, Mr. Zane and Mr. Dewey, thanks for everything. You helped me a lot!

      God Rocks!

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28. On April 9, 2009 @ 7:10 am Adam Jolly said:

    • Hey Greg,
      My name is Adam and I was at the Conference in St. Louis but I just read this and I feel like this is as good a place as any for my story. I have had a pretty rough go lets say the last five or so years and during that time I pretty much turned my back on God so to speak. I played church during this time like no other. To the point that, to be perfectly honest, most people probably didn’t know there was anything fishy going on. But I did and more so than that God did. See it all started when I was 14, at that point I had a pretty good relationship with God, I wasn’t a saint by any means but I attended church regularly by my own choice of course and I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I knew I was pretty much where I was supposed to be. Then she came along. She is the one that tore my whole world down. Between us having sex way way too young and her constantly cheating on me and lying to me. Needless to say it was not a good situation. Then my mom found out what had been going on and she put a stop to it. But then I found that I was addicted to the sex. I felt like I needed it and it took over me and made me a terrible person. Finally I got over that. . . well kind of. Basically I pretended it never happened. I lied to myself and everyone around me. But the damage had been done and I was so ashamed of myself. It turned me into a different monster, one that was very very self-destructive and I know that if God hadn’t have been watching over me I would have killed myself and I wouldn’t be here to tell you all of this. I had turned very suicidal. I tried to off myself in so many different ways but for some reason I could never pull the trigger or slit my throat or any of the other ways I attempted I never managed to actually do it. I know it was God. He had other plans for me. Finally I got away from her and that started to ease the pain and eventually the want to kill myself was no longer there. The want for sex had also went away and I promised myself that I would never do that again until I knew it was with the person that I was positive I would spend my life with. This was a promise that was hard to keep but so far I have managed to stay away from sex. Anyways back to the story. Things were getting better, but I couldn’t see how God could ever forgive me because I couldn’t even forgive myself. Mind you I was still in church all this time and should have heard that God would forgive me. Honestly if you would have asked I would have probably even told you that he had. But I never truly believed it. So I looked to other things to make me feel better. Porn was hard for me, I struggled with an addiction to porn for too long. Alcohol was another and probably the most recent and when I finally realized that neither was doing anything for me and it was just making the pain worse I knew I needed help. That was around the time I went to the Invincible Conference in St. Louis. I can’t say one set event that was the turning point because really it was the whole thing. But that Saturday night I told God it was all in his hands again because I knew I needed him and couldn’t go on without him anymore. I felt the change instantly. It was even more intense than when I got saved. It was the most incredible feeling I have ever had. I am growing in my faith so much now and I guess last night I pretty much told my youth leader that I wanted to start teaching. It just feels like that is where God has been leading me. So I think we pretty much decided that I was going to be the teacher for our Wednesday night youth Bible studies. I am so excited about the way God is leading me now. It is like he has always been waiting there to take my hand and all I had to do is reach up and my Daddy would take me places that I could never imagine. It is amazing what you do. You reach so many people and I know because I know that through you God finally got me back where I belong. I hope that you see through me that what you do is really making a difference. Thank you for everything you and all the others with the Dare 2 Share Ministries do. You guys are amazing!
      Your Brother in Christ
      Adam Jolly

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29. On April 9, 2009 @ 8:10 am seth meeks said:

    • Greg & D2S team,
      We just came back from the Chicago conference. i just wanted to share how our teens went out Shreddin the Gnar for Jesus! 16 of my kids hit the streets of Port Washington WI with flowers in hand. They gave away flowers to random ladies walking on sidewalks and in stores. With each flower, we wished them a happy easter and resurrection of Jesus. Some of our kids got to share what Easter meant to them and were able to share the Gosepel! thanks for being faithul to the cause of Jesus and His Church!
      seth

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30. On April 16, 2009 @ 9:42 pm Taylor Storie said:

    • Hey Greg!!

      I’ve gone to D2S for the past 3 years now and everytime, its fantastic. I made my boyfriend go. He was agnostic but was interested in finding some things out. So I took him. And guess what!!! He trusted Jesus!! I know, exciting right?! But anyways aside from the wonder and fabulousity of the entire D2S mission, staff, and JESUS!!!, I need pictures from the Hoffman Estates conference. I took a few good ones of my own but I don’t seem to have enough. And I can’t find any anywhere on the site and google is just a bad idea. SO! That being said, if there are any pictures to which I may access, can you please please PLEASE email me or something telling me where to find them? I’m trying to make this “shreddin” slideshow (pretty clever, huh) but I need more pictures because mine just DO NOT suffice. Thanks Much!! I Look forward to seeing to next year!!

      Taylor

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31. On April 30, 2009 @ 9:21 pm alex said:

    • hey Greg!

      i just wanted to say that dare 2 share was just aweosme i even got a side of the arnea to do the wave i had seen you speak at nationals in utah before and loved how u spread the gospel i got your book dare 2 sahre and it has really helped me out and when u had us call a friend i was nervous but almost did it instantly the friend i chose didnt want to listen and has been sayign how he doesnt care but i saw him buy a study bible thing last year and hopefully i can help if your and anyone at dare 2 sahre ministried could pray for me to help him out that would be aweosme. keep spreading the gospel

      Alex

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