The Everyday Club

1/27/10 Tom, about 26
I met with Jonathan, a young man and relatively new Christian from church I am mentoring. However, before we met at a cafe for Bible study we went to be "fishers of men" at a nearby grocery store. We talked with Tom, who definitely believed that he is a good person deserving of heaven. He cited his involvement with Habitat For Humanity, Toys for Tots, and his generous giving to various charities. As an adult he no longer goes to church, but doesn't look down on those who do, though he felt that all the time, money and effort that goes into church activities might be better spent helping the community. I reminded him that the Bible teaches that God will hold us accountable on judgment day, and asked how he thought he would do. He quickly saw my point when I helped him judge himself by the Ten Commandments, and he turned to go saying "I'll have to give that some thought, but i need to finish my grocery shopping.  But I have just one question for you.". 20 minutes later, he was still asking questions - good, thought provoking questions not for the purpose of discrediting our Christian faith, but to better understand it. He asked questions about God's justice, the purpose of free will, and the lavish spending by churches on their buildings. Tom learned a lot from our conversation, and Jonathan and I met for our Bible study time with renewed purpose and direction, and prayer for Tom.