9/15/10 David and Darell, both about 25
I went to a White Sox game, not primarily to share my faith but to enjoy the game with my family. However I did want to have at least one gospel conversation, so about the 7th inning I went for a walk around the field, past the groups of partiers and people waiting in lines. Being in such a huge crowd, all focused on beer and baseball, I truly felt like the "alien and stranger in the world" that Peter wrote that we as Christians are. (1 Peter 2:11) In that same verse Peter advises us "to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul". I did feel that war in my soul as I tried to remind myself of my purpose here on this earth while in the midst of all the distractions of the party scene. "Where do I start?" I wondered, but my goal was to talk to just one person, not the thousands I was in the midst of. Other excuses filled my head. "I don't want to be a party pooper" "These people are too drunk" "Everyone seems too busy to talk" "They'll be mad because the Sox are losing and take it out on me" I went outside on the exit ramp for some fresh air and a quiet moment for prayer, then dove back into the crowd. I found David and Derrick, two African-American young men, and had a good talk with them. They were a little silly at first, being caught up in the frivolitry, but a turning point in the conversation happened when I looked at them and sincerely said "I want to see you in heaven some day" They became very respectful, knowing I had their best interest at heart. They both have typical church backgrounds, caught up in trying to be "good enough" and forgetting Jesus - the way, the truth, and the life of our faith.
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