The Everyday Club

5/31/11      Tom,    about 50
I stopped at a park on my way home from work where I found a man named Tom sitting on a park bench, encouraging a neighbor as she ran laps around the park. He was glad to answer my questions about his beliefs, and soon recognized our conversation as heaven sent. I could tell by his attitude and his testimony that he has been born again. He grew up in a Catholic orphanage where he developed a deep dislike for the hypocritical adults in charge there. He joined the army and after returning from duty he married. He became an alcoholic and made many attempts at sobriety, but could never bring himself to achknowledge a higher power or take responsibility for his addiction. His wife died of cancer eight years ago, and he soon had a stroke followed by a heart attack. He had reached his lowest point when he experienced what can only be described as being born again, with a new heart, a new outlook on life, and new desires to make the most of the second chance he'd been given. He seemed to have some spiritual knowledge, but this experience seemed more like something that happened to him, without his really understanding it. I found myself explaing the way of God more adequately, explaining the biblical basis for what has happened to him experientially, maybe like Priscilla and Aquilla did for Apollos in Acts 18. He doesn't own a Bible or belong to a church, and as far as I could tell his only spiritual input comes from Christian radio. I gave him a Bible and an invitation to fellowship; let's pray he responds.