The Everyday Club

12/07/09 Michael, mid 20's
After work today I stopped at a busy Starbucks and asked a young man working on his laptop if I could ask a few opinion questions of him. "How long will this take, I only have about five minutes". I told him that sometimes my questions turn into conversations but I could fit them in 5 minutes, so he agreed. I asked if he considered himself spiritual or religious. He didn't but does believe in some sort of impersonal higher power. He grew up Jewish but more as a cultural identity. His family never really participated in Jewish ceremonies or holidays. He believes he is a good person and that some moral laws are absolute and apply to everyone, such as many of the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. He agreed that he has a moral conscience and that he sometimes goes against it. My time was almost up, so I asked if he would like a brief summary of Christianity. He agreed and I focused in on our accountability for our sin and Christ's atonement as the perfect Lamb of God, reminding Michael of the Old Testament / Jewish system of sacrifice and explaining that it was completed in Christ. There is so much more that I could have said and I probably could have been more insistent, but I wanted to honor Michael's 5 minute request. If I truly believe the Holy Spirit is the one who changes hearts, then I sure didn't want to get in the way by breaking my word.