EVANGELIST DELIVERS SOBERING THOUGHTS

Evangelist Lowell Lundstrom preached and sang to a crowd of 1,400 at Friday night's Impact America crusade.

Lundstrom was joined by his wife, Connie, on the Show Me Center stage.

"I'm glad on Friday night we don't have to go to a bar. I'm glad we can go home sober with the right mate," Lundstrom told the audience during "Bring a Friend Night."

"I did one thing right, I chose Jesus Christ," he sang out in a rock 'n' roll gospel tune that brought a clapping crowd to its feet.

Lundstrom said people can have religion and still not be saved.

He urged the people to give their hearts to Jesus. "Try him for six months. If you don't like how it is going, you can get your sins back."

The South Dakota evangelist said he stole and cheated in his youth. "I am not standing here like I am some super person. I am a forgiven sinner."

Lundstrom said saving souls is the goal of the weeklong crusade and should be the goal of preachers everywhere.

"What good is a preacher that doesn't want to convert you? That's like a dog that won't hunt," he said.

Lundstrom said more than 400 people had given their lives to Christ since the start of the crusade on Sunday.

Upon proclaiming their faith, they were counseled backstage by volunteers and pastors from 26 churches.

More than 300 people were trained to act as counselors for the crusade.

The Rev. Cecil Barham of Bethel Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau said, "Our goal is to get them into the local churches."

He said about 80 percent of those who are converted at Lundstrom's crusades end up attending church regularly.

Barham said it's important to get people involved in churches in order to nurture their faith. "We realize they are like new babes in Christ," he said.

Lundstrom said it costs a lot to be a sinner. "Whiskey is expensive."

He spoke out against not only drinking, but also smoking and gambling.

"Some people, the only fire they have is on the end of their cigarette," he remarked. "Gambling," he added, "is robbery by mutual intent."

Those who gamble on a riverboat are throwing their money down the river, he said. "Why do you think it is better because you go on a boat?"

Lundstrom said that a person with a shriveled soul will never be happy.

"If you give your life to Christ, you will have a future in heaven," he said.

The crusade continues tonight. The theme is "Motivational Night" and will focus on the secrets to happiness and success.