The Everyday Club

6/10/10 Frank, Joe mid 40's
I arrived early to softball practice at the park and came across a guy (Frank) as he left the fieldhouse. He seemed to have just finished lifting weights and looked rather intimidating in his dark sunglasses. I asked about his spiritual beliefs and he told me he believes in God but no longer practices the Catholic religion he grew up in. He is a strong believer that "what goes around comes around" in the strong ties he has with friends and family, and thinks this applies to God too. He may not be perfect, but thinks he has made up for his imperfections with his good deeds. I asked if he has been raising his 4 teenage kids with a church background but he told me this has been difficult because they have three different mothers and he doesn't see them too often. I was just getting across the point that eternity is far too important to neglect thinking about, when Frank's very overbearing friend Joe joined the conversation. Frank looked thoughtful as Joe used opinionated, profanity filled language and was also highly confident that he too is a good person in God's sight. Yet I believe my boldness as a church guy reaching out to them with some rather direct questions really won their respect. Joe asked that I pray for an upcoming surgery he will be having and I did, right there. They were getting ready to leave so I gave them both MDB tracts and challenged them to take the "good person test" on the back. I think our conversation could motivate them to see themselves as God sees them, not as they choose to see themselves.