Walking the cross on Buck Owens Boulevard. The city sign is Bakersfield’s most familiar and cherished icon.

Bakersfield, California is my hometown. So…naturally, this is the city I have the opportunity to walk the cross at most often. As of 2014, there are some 360,000 souls living in greater Bakersfield, a city that has seven official wards, or areas, supervised by seven elected council members, 7 official police zones, 60 official neighborhoods and 60 parks. And like all California cities, there are gangs. One of my main purposes in walking the large cross throughout Bakersfield and other California cities is to catch the attention of both saved and unsaved individuals, including gangbangers, drug users and other troubled and troubling individuals.

UPHOLDING OUR CITY LEADERS IN PRAYER

This is my favorite spot to hoist the cross upright and pray for our local leaders.

Downtown Bakersfield is my favorite area to walk. Most every Monday morning, this is where you will find the cross walker. Because believers are instructed to pray for city, county, state and national leaders, I walk the cross to each of our city’s administrative and judicial buildings, hoist the cross upright at each entrance and pray long and hard for our local, state and national leaders, including our five Kern county supervisors, seven council members, police chief and all police officers, our Superior Court judges and all other civic and political leaders.

PRAYING FOR ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
AND FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CITY

This is my favorite spot to pray for our “thin blue line,” that no other officer is killed in the line of duty and that these men and women are safe as they execute their duty to serve and protect.

It is both an honor and duty to hoist the large cross each week at the downtown main police department and pray for the safety and salvation of our city’s “thin blue line”  consisting of  almost 400 dedicated and brave law enforcement officers. As I hoist the cross and pray, most often at least one police officer will come outside, shake my hand and thank me for praying for them. This also allows me an opportunity to talk and pray with the men and women who are tending to personal business. One of the biggest problems I pray about here is for the women who have lost custody of their children due to some type of personal or family problem and who desperately want their children back.

HOISTING THE CROSS AND PRAYING AT OUR DOWNTOWN HOSPITALS

Hoisting the cross and praying for the sick and their families at downtown’s San Joaquin and Mercy Hospitals each week is certainly one of my most important ministry endeavors.

Dr. Jesus, the Great Physician, is willing and ready to help people in physical, emotional and spiritual need. That’s one of the reasons I hoist the cross upright at our downtown’s two very busy hospitals, Mercy and San Joaquin. As I pray loud and long for men, women and children who are hurting, I ask the Good, the Great and the Chief Shepherd of their lives to guide the hands and hearts of all attending physicians as they minister to the physical needs of hurting humanity, as well as comforting and bringing His healing Word to those experiencing pain, agony, sorrow and sickness. Every week individuals with sick family members come up and ask for specific prayer for loved ones. God in His goodness and grace has answered the prayers of many at these two special spots. \O/

CHESTER AVENUE AND ITS TEEMING MASS OF HUMANITY

There is never a shortage of people to talk to and pray with as I walk the cross along Chester Avenue, by far downtown’s busiest street.

Walking the cross along downtown’s busiest street is certainly one of my favorite soul-winning endeavors. Street people. Homeless people. Hungry people. Lost and confused people. There is no shortage of diverse personality and individuality I meet, talk to and pray for each week as I walk the 10-foot cross down this main artery of Bakersfield. These are God’s creations, and I get the opportunity to share God’s love and Good News in Christ to the least, the last and the lost, as well as the most, the first and the found.

THE CITY’S MUCH USED GOLDEN EMPIRE TRANSIT SYSTEM

Downtown Bakersfield’s busy G.E.T. city bus station is one of the places I hoist the cross upright and pray for the salvation of precious souls.

I’m always amazed at the great response concerning Jesus and the need for salvation I get from these men, women and children who walk or run helter-skelter into their busy, perhaps desperate, anxious and confused,  lives but who always stop and take the time to hear this street evangelist’s message about the God who died on the cross for their sins so they might be reconciled to Him! As I hoist the cross at the main G.E.T. city bus station and pray for these precious souls and for the safety of downtown, both men and women stand at attention, listening to every word…all because they know I am praying for them…for their safety, for their loved ones, and for their salvation. This is what street evangelism is all about: asking the divine Soul Winner to take the cross and break up the fallow, hardened, stony and thorny hearts and to expose the good ground of  people’s heart so that the Word can be sown, set, germinate and sprout up unto eternal life! Everybody has good ground in their hearts. The secret is to dig deep enough to unearth it.

ENCOURAGING  PREGNANT WOMEN TO LET THEIR UNBORN LIVE

Street Evangelist Tom Alexander praying at Bakersfield’s abortion mill and asking God to change the hearts of women so they will not allow the abortionist to turn their womb into a tomb.

The abortion mill on H Street and 25th isn’t my last stop downtown, but it is certainly one of great importance. As I walk up to this “family planning clinic,” usually there are several women, children and men who are praying for and asking women to not let their unborn be aborted. These are dedicated women and men with their children who approach each woman seeking abortion and share that there are two very great options other than allowing their unborn to be destroyed by the abortionist: adoption or adaptation. Victories in Jesus occur often here…but there are disheartening defeats as well, as some women still allow their womb to become a tomb of death rather than remain an incubator of life. Still…it is an honor and privilege to stand with these prolife women, men and children and watch as the Spirit of the living God convicts, convinces, converts and changes the hearts of hurting, frightened, and desperate women who are heavily encouraged by this current culture to allow the evil one to steal, kill and destroy their unborn child. Let us all remember to continually uphold both those women who have chosen to let their unborn live as well as those who have allowed the god of this world to convince them that death of their newborn is the best choice. It isn’t.

CITYWIDE CROSS WALK, CITYWIDE EVANGELISM,
AND CITYWIDE REVIVAL

Greater Bakersfield has a population of over 370,000 souls. This field of unsaved souls is ripe unto harvest as well. –\O/

Cross Walk Bakersfield! Not only downtown, but a cross walk throughout the entire city that’s been taking place since 2006. North. East. West. South. Central. It is my great joy, honor and privilege to bring God’s Plus Sign, the cross of Jesus, to all the people of Bakersfield, no matter where they live, no matter where they are in life — or in death!

The truth is, every city in America is desperate for revival and ripe unto harvest. As the TobyMac song goes, if revival is to start some place, why not here? And, if it’s got to start some time, why not now?

Even so, let it be, Lord Jesus, is my constant prayer and belief. Amen and amen. \O/