7/27/11 Walter, about 25
I remember praying for opportunities to witnesss years ago, sincerely asking God to cause them to fall in my lap throughout my day. What I envisioned was that people that I happened to bump into would express some sort of spiritual interest at best or that at worst I would "pop the (spiritual) question" to someone I was already having a natural conversation with. The key word there is "natural" - I reasoned that these conversations would just happen naturally and I told myself that this was somehow more spiritual, more of a "God thing" than if I purposefully initiated a conversation. What I now believe is that I was secretly justifying my own fear of rejection, a fear that is rooted in a fear of man and rooted deeper still in my own selfish pride and concern for my own ego. That pride didn't just disappear, and I still fear rejection, but God is working on it. Today is a travel day and I stopped at a rest area in Wisconsin. Walking back to my car I saw a young man driving a "Geek Squad" car who had stopped at the far end of the parking lot for a smoke. His was the only car past mine, and to talk to him would mean a short hike of perhaps 75 yards. There could be no other reason for me to walk in his direction, and should he reject a conversation it would mean a long humiliating (in the world's eyes) walk back to my car. He had just lit up his cigarette, so I knew he wasn't leaving soon and I decided to make the journey. It turned out he - Walter - was very willing to talk, had a false assurance of salvation, and welcomed my correction. He has some serious thinking to do about the place Jesus needs to have in his life, and he thanked me for the conversation. No matter where it goes from here - or even if Walter had rejected a conversation in the first place - I believe God has been glorified through the boldness and obedience He so graciously gave me.
Gospel conversations from the streets and marketplace....
7/25/11 Krishna, about 25
"How can we explain the inequality that people are born into unless we see it as the result of choices made in earlier lives?" - I was asked during a conversation with Krishna, a doctoral student at IIT. He was introduced to me by Anand, a Christian from India who is also an IIT student and attends our church. I had found out that Krishna is a practicing Hindu so I asked all about his beliefs, which in turn had helped me earn the right to share my beliefs as well. We finished our conversation by comparing some key differences between Christianity and Hinduism, which had led to the above question. My answer focused on both our sinful nature and our purpose for existance - to bring glory to God. Because of our sinful nature no one can say they deserve any privileges - life itself is a gift we don't deserve - and no matter what advantage or disadvantage one is born into we can all use "the hand that we have been dealt" to bring glory to God. This contrasts with the self-centered purpose of most other religions which make one's personal happiness or fullfillment the chief purpose for existence, setting us up to feel cheated by the inequalities of life. The three of us enjoyed the conversation, and we agreed that if anyone would change their mind about their beliefs it would have to be an act of God. I wouldn't have it any other way.
"How can we explain the inequality that people are born into unless we see it as the result of choices made in earlier lives?" - I was asked during a conversation with Krishna, a doctoral student at IIT. He was introduced to me by Anand, a Christian from India who is also an IIT student and attends our church. I had found out that Krishna is a practicing Hindu so I asked all about his beliefs, which in turn had helped me earn the right to share my beliefs as well. We finished our conversation by comparing some key differences between Christianity and Hinduism, which had led to the above question. My answer focused on both our sinful nature and our purpose for existance - to bring glory to God. Because of our sinful nature no one can say they deserve any privileges - life itself is a gift we don't deserve - and no matter what advantage or disadvantage one is born into we can all use "the hand that we have been dealt" to bring glory to God. This contrasts with the self-centered purpose of most other religions which make one's personal happiness or fullfillment the chief purpose for existence, setting us up to feel cheated by the inequalities of life. The three of us enjoyed the conversation, and we agreed that if anyone would change their mind about their beliefs it would have to be an act of God. I wouldn't have it any other way.
7/24/11 Jerome & Jalisa, early 20's
Perdoname, pero yo necesito a practicar espanol. Hoy en dia, yo reuni con un hermano cristiano desde me iglesia, Nick, con el proposito a hablar con algunos personas en la calle o sobre la acera con el buena noticia de jesuscristo. Le pregunte una joven pareja, llamada Jerome y Jalisa, acerca de sus creencias. Jerome hablado y Jalisa escucho la conversacion. Jerome, un african-americano, fue criar en un iglesia bautista pero rechaze sus creencias cuando el aprende sobre otras religiones. Pero estuvo claro que el no entiendo mucho sobre la biblia o cristianismo. Todo lo que sabia era que Dios se supone a perdon todo personas, no importa que persona pedira por perdone o no. Ademas, Jerome llamada pecado solamente error. El clama que pecado es solamente resultado de situationes con mal optiones, y cualquier persona era tratando a hace buenas cosas pero que sus opciones fue limitado. Jerome cree que pecado no es mal, pero solo error. En ese manera, el tiene dos excusas - que Dios perdone todos, y si algun persona es culpable, el tiene un excuso bueno por ese comportamiento. Le pregunte porque Jesucristo murio y Jerome dijo que es hacer para la pecado de el pueblo de sus propio tiempo. Jerome echa la culpa a Dios por sus pecados y rechaza creencia en Dios porque ese mundial esta lleno de mal. Pero cuando he utilizado la ley de Dios, Jerome comenzo a escuchar con atencion. Sin embargo, era mucho a considerar, y nuestro dejo el con mas de leer.
7/24/11 Jerome and Jalisa, early 20's
Forgive me, but I need to practice Spanish. Today, I met a Christian brother from my church, Nick, with the purpose to talk to some people on the street or the sidewalk with the good news of Jesus Christ. I asked a young couple named Jerome and Jalisa about their beliefs. Jerome spoke while Jalisa listened to the conversation. Jerome, an African-American, was raised in a Baptist church but rejected their beliefs when learning about other religions. But it was clear that he did not know much about the Bible or Christianity. All he thought was that God is supposed to pardon all people, no matter if people ask for forgiveness or not. In addition, Jerome called sin only error. He claims that sin is only the result of situations with bad options, and everyone tries to do good things but their options were limited. Jerome believes that sin is not evil, but only error. In this way, he has two excuses - that God will forgive all, and if any person is guilty, he has a good excuse for such behavior. I asked him why Jesus Christ died and Jerome said it was done for the sin of the people of their own time. Jerome blames God for his sins and rejects belief in God because this world is full of evil. But when I used the law of God, Jerome began to listen with attention. However, it was much to consider, and we left him more to read.
Perdoname, pero yo necesito a practicar espanol. Hoy en dia, yo reuni con un hermano cristiano desde me iglesia, Nick, con el proposito a hablar con algunos personas en la calle o sobre la acera con el buena noticia de jesuscristo. Le pregunte una joven pareja, llamada Jerome y Jalisa, acerca de sus creencias. Jerome hablado y Jalisa escucho la conversacion. Jerome, un african-americano, fue criar en un iglesia bautista pero rechaze sus creencias cuando el aprende sobre otras religiones. Pero estuvo claro que el no entiendo mucho sobre la biblia o cristianismo. Todo lo que sabia era que Dios se supone a perdon todo personas, no importa que persona pedira por perdone o no. Ademas, Jerome llamada pecado solamente error. El clama que pecado es solamente resultado de situationes con mal optiones, y cualquier persona era tratando a hace buenas cosas pero que sus opciones fue limitado. Jerome cree que pecado no es mal, pero solo error. En ese manera, el tiene dos excusas - que Dios perdone todos, y si algun persona es culpable, el tiene un excuso bueno por ese comportamiento. Le pregunte porque Jesucristo murio y Jerome dijo que es hacer para la pecado de el pueblo de sus propio tiempo. Jerome echa la culpa a Dios por sus pecados y rechaza creencia en Dios porque ese mundial esta lleno de mal. Pero cuando he utilizado la ley de Dios, Jerome comenzo a escuchar con atencion. Sin embargo, era mucho a considerar, y nuestro dejo el con mas de leer.
7/24/11 Jerome and Jalisa, early 20's
Forgive me, but I need to practice Spanish. Today, I met a Christian brother from my church, Nick, with the purpose to talk to some people on the street or the sidewalk with the good news of Jesus Christ. I asked a young couple named Jerome and Jalisa about their beliefs. Jerome spoke while Jalisa listened to the conversation. Jerome, an African-American, was raised in a Baptist church but rejected their beliefs when learning about other religions. But it was clear that he did not know much about the Bible or Christianity. All he thought was that God is supposed to pardon all people, no matter if people ask for forgiveness or not. In addition, Jerome called sin only error. He claims that sin is only the result of situations with bad options, and everyone tries to do good things but their options were limited. Jerome believes that sin is not evil, but only error. In this way, he has two excuses - that God will forgive all, and if any person is guilty, he has a good excuse for such behavior. I asked him why Jesus Christ died and Jerome said it was done for the sin of the people of their own time. Jerome blames God for his sins and rejects belief in God because this world is full of evil. But when I used the law of God, Jerome began to listen with attention. However, it was much to consider, and we left him more to read.
7/22/11 Rick mid 50's
Witnessing regularly has exposed me to many of the different forms that human pride can take, and I am reminded that I am not exempt. I believe it is pride that is behind the current rise of conspiracy theorists, with the idea that they somehow have access or insight to inside information that the general public does not. The same can often be said for those who subscribe to obscure beliefs and cult groups, much like the Gnostics of the first century. Today I asked a bicyclist on the sidewalk named Rick about his beliefs. I got an earful about some obscure religious theories that were all related to ancient Hindu vedas or texts. Rick grew up in a Catholic family but never really took Catholicism seriously. He was introduced to his current beliefs by a Hindu faith healer during a serious illness and he spoke about them with a great deal of pride and an authoritative tone. He has a niece whom he described as a born-again Christian and has had some discussions with her about religion. Because of that, I think, he had a "heard it all before" view toward Christianity and left the conversation before I could get much of a word in. In hindsight, I believe that even though he's had these discussions the "law and grace" approach in sharing the Gospel is probably something Rick hasn't heard before - since so many people choose to ignore the law and simply focus on grace - and I wish I would have "set the hook" with the law before letting this fish get away.
Witnessing regularly has exposed me to many of the different forms that human pride can take, and I am reminded that I am not exempt. I believe it is pride that is behind the current rise of conspiracy theorists, with the idea that they somehow have access or insight to inside information that the general public does not. The same can often be said for those who subscribe to obscure beliefs and cult groups, much like the Gnostics of the first century. Today I asked a bicyclist on the sidewalk named Rick about his beliefs. I got an earful about some obscure religious theories that were all related to ancient Hindu vedas or texts. Rick grew up in a Catholic family but never really took Catholicism seriously. He was introduced to his current beliefs by a Hindu faith healer during a serious illness and he spoke about them with a great deal of pride and an authoritative tone. He has a niece whom he described as a born-again Christian and has had some discussions with her about religion. Because of that, I think, he had a "heard it all before" view toward Christianity and left the conversation before I could get much of a word in. In hindsight, I believe that even though he's had these discussions the "law and grace" approach in sharing the Gospel is probably something Rick hasn't heard before - since so many people choose to ignore the law and simply focus on grace - and I wish I would have "set the hook" with the law before letting this fish get away.
7/21/11 Adrian, about 30
Pense que iba escribir en espanol por a practicar mi me lenguaje habilidades. Hoy en dia en el parque yo encontre un hombre y su hijo pescando en el estanque. Ese hombre va de Mexico y cree en Dios y cielo y el infierno. El tenio un madre Catolico y un padre Judeo. Sus bisabuelo era desde Alemania y fue a Mexico antes la segundo guerra mundial. Ese hombre dice el cree en Dios pero no cree en Jesus a causa de las creencias de su padre judeo. Adrian parece a pensar que su pecado sea el razon que no merece el regalo de vida eterno, pero el no entende como Jesus pagar por su pecados o tomar el castigo que se merece. Nuestros discusion centrarse en el divinidad de Jesus y require que yo explicar no solo la evidencia por la divinidad de Jesus pero tambien el razon se es tan importante por nuestro salvacion. Solo un sacrificio de infinidad valor es digno y capaz a tomar nuestros culpa y nos dan un relacion derecho con Dios. Adrian sabe la implication de este creencia que Jesus es el unico Hijo de Dios. SI El esta, El tambien es el Senor y por lo tanto merece la obediencia en todo. Demasiado personas no saben este implicacion.
Adrian 7/21/11, About 30
I thought I would write in Spanish for me to practice my language skills. Today in the park I found a man and his son fishing in the pond. That man is from Mexico and believes in God and heaven and hell. He had a Catholic mother and Jewish father. His great grandfather was from Germany and went to Mexico before the second world war. This man says he believes in God but does not believe in Jesus because of the belief of his Jewish father. Adrian seems to think that their sin is the reason he does not deserve the gift of eternal life, but he does not understand how Jesus paid for your sins and take the punishment he deserves. Our discussion focused on the divinity of Jesus and requires me to explain not only the evidence for the divinity of Jesus but also the reason it is so important for our salvation. Only a sacrifice of infinite worth and value is able to take our guilt and give us a right relationship with God. Adrian knows the implication of this belief that Jesus is the only Son of God. If he is, He is also the Lord and therefore deserves obedience in everything. Too many people do not know the implication.
Pense que iba escribir en espanol por a practicar mi me lenguaje habilidades. Hoy en dia en el parque yo encontre un hombre y su hijo pescando en el estanque. Ese hombre va de Mexico y cree en Dios y cielo y el infierno. El tenio un madre Catolico y un padre Judeo. Sus bisabuelo era desde Alemania y fue a Mexico antes la segundo guerra mundial. Ese hombre dice el cree en Dios pero no cree en Jesus a causa de las creencias de su padre judeo. Adrian parece a pensar que su pecado sea el razon que no merece el regalo de vida eterno, pero el no entende como Jesus pagar por su pecados o tomar el castigo que se merece. Nuestros discusion centrarse en el divinidad de Jesus y require que yo explicar no solo la evidencia por la divinidad de Jesus pero tambien el razon se es tan importante por nuestro salvacion. Solo un sacrificio de infinidad valor es digno y capaz a tomar nuestros culpa y nos dan un relacion derecho con Dios. Adrian sabe la implication de este creencia que Jesus es el unico Hijo de Dios. SI El esta, El tambien es el Senor y por lo tanto merece la obediencia en todo. Demasiado personas no saben este implicacion.
Adrian 7/21/11, About 30
I thought I would write in Spanish for me to practice my language skills. Today in the park I found a man and his son fishing in the pond. That man is from Mexico and believes in God and heaven and hell. He had a Catholic mother and Jewish father. His great grandfather was from Germany and went to Mexico before the second world war. This man says he believes in God but does not believe in Jesus because of the belief of his Jewish father. Adrian seems to think that their sin is the reason he does not deserve the gift of eternal life, but he does not understand how Jesus paid for your sins and take the punishment he deserves. Our discussion focused on the divinity of Jesus and requires me to explain not only the evidence for the divinity of Jesus but also the reason it is so important for our salvation. Only a sacrifice of infinite worth and value is able to take our guilt and give us a right relationship with God. Adrian knows the implication of this belief that Jesus is the only Son of God. If he is, He is also the Lord and therefore deserves obedience in everything. Too many people do not know the implication.
7/19/11 Al, 58
Witnessing can be just plain hard work. Tonight I asked a man named Al, who was out walking his Rottweiler Dante, what he believes about eternity. He was obnoxious, full of profanity and difficult to talk to, having strong religious opinions based on his upbringing in the Catholic Church, yet rejecting any sort of church authority or the Bible, even though he hasn't read it. Talking with him was frustrating and the conversation often went in circles, but I stuck it out. In the end, we talked almost an hour and Al told me he had never talked to anyone this long about anything before, especially about religion. He gladly accepted a Bible which he promised to read and he said he felt that God had sent me to him. God may or may not use the conversation in his life, but I know for me personally I am learning to practice patience and forebearance and, like Paul wote to Timothy, "doing the work of an evangelist". (2 Tim 4)
Witnessing can be just plain hard work. Tonight I asked a man named Al, who was out walking his Rottweiler Dante, what he believes about eternity. He was obnoxious, full of profanity and difficult to talk to, having strong religious opinions based on his upbringing in the Catholic Church, yet rejecting any sort of church authority or the Bible, even though he hasn't read it. Talking with him was frustrating and the conversation often went in circles, but I stuck it out. In the end, we talked almost an hour and Al told me he had never talked to anyone this long about anything before, especially about religion. He gladly accepted a Bible which he promised to read and he said he felt that God had sent me to him. God may or may not use the conversation in his life, but I know for me personally I am learning to practice patience and forebearance and, like Paul wote to Timothy, "doing the work of an evangelist". (2 Tim 4)
7/18/11 Gabbie, about 20
Had a conversation on the sidewalk with a young lady named Gabbie who said she would have to see some sort of miracle before she would believe in God. I believe we can use the laws of nature - the very laws scientific people say they put their trust in - to prove God's existence to a far greater degree than those who say that nothing created everything. Here's my basic line of reasoning... Two well-known and accepted scientific laws - the conservation of matter and of energy - state that matter and energy can't be created or destroyed, they only change forms. I figure that since they can't create themselves then something outside of the realm of matter and energy and the laws that govern them must have made them, something metaphysical. The question then becomes whether or not this is a metaphysical "thing" or a "being" with personality. I turn to Newtons Third Law of Motion, which states that for every reaction there is an equal and oppositite reaction. I reason that matter and energy only act in response to other matter and energy forces acting on them, but the original metaphysical thing would have had no such forces acting on it. It therefore at some point made the decision to create, a decision completely independant of outside influence and thus evidence of the existence of being or personality. That's just a quick breakdown. I hope it helps and I welcome improvements to my line of reasoning...
Had a conversation on the sidewalk with a young lady named Gabbie who said she would have to see some sort of miracle before she would believe in God. I believe we can use the laws of nature - the very laws scientific people say they put their trust in - to prove God's existence to a far greater degree than those who say that nothing created everything. Here's my basic line of reasoning... Two well-known and accepted scientific laws - the conservation of matter and of energy - state that matter and energy can't be created or destroyed, they only change forms. I figure that since they can't create themselves then something outside of the realm of matter and energy and the laws that govern them must have made them, something metaphysical. The question then becomes whether or not this is a metaphysical "thing" or a "being" with personality. I turn to Newtons Third Law of Motion, which states that for every reaction there is an equal and oppositite reaction. I reason that matter and energy only act in response to other matter and energy forces acting on them, but the original metaphysical thing would have had no such forces acting on it. It therefore at some point made the decision to create, a decision completely independant of outside influence and thus evidence of the existence of being or personality. That's just a quick breakdown. I hope it helps and I welcome improvements to my line of reasoning...
7/16/11 Gary, 34
We have raspberry bushes planted all along our sidewalk, and have been pickiing them every day to make raspberry jam and other goodies. This morning I looked out the window and watched a business-dressed man, who was walking his dog, picking berries and eating them like they were going out of style, so I went out to see what he would have to say for himself. He apologized profusely, claiming it didn't occur to him that he was stealing, and we went on to a lengthy "get to know you" conversation in which I found out his name is Gary and he is a divorced and under-employed Ivy League M.B.A. who has recently moved back from the East Coast and to our neighborhood because of the lower cost of living and lower rent. After about 20 minutes I asked about his spiritual beliefs. Gary grew up nominally Catholic but over the last two years has converted to Mormonism. Though I thought I knew all about Mormonism and view it as a cult full of false teachings I asked about Gary's view of their beliefs and practices anyway. I was kind of surprised at how knowledgeable Gary has become in such a short amount of time but also how similar to orthodox Christian belief he made it sound. He downplayed some of their more outlandish beliefs and focused on the biblical beliefs, and his discription of the sense of community he has experienced as a Mormon was hard to argue against. I need to do my homework if I want to make a case for biblical Christianity with Gary or any other Mormons I talk with in the future.
We have raspberry bushes planted all along our sidewalk, and have been pickiing them every day to make raspberry jam and other goodies. This morning I looked out the window and watched a business-dressed man, who was walking his dog, picking berries and eating them like they were going out of style, so I went out to see what he would have to say for himself. He apologized profusely, claiming it didn't occur to him that he was stealing, and we went on to a lengthy "get to know you" conversation in which I found out his name is Gary and he is a divorced and under-employed Ivy League M.B.A. who has recently moved back from the East Coast and to our neighborhood because of the lower cost of living and lower rent. After about 20 minutes I asked about his spiritual beliefs. Gary grew up nominally Catholic but over the last two years has converted to Mormonism. Though I thought I knew all about Mormonism and view it as a cult full of false teachings I asked about Gary's view of their beliefs and practices anyway. I was kind of surprised at how knowledgeable Gary has become in such a short amount of time but also how similar to orthodox Christian belief he made it sound. He downplayed some of their more outlandish beliefs and focused on the biblical beliefs, and his discription of the sense of community he has experienced as a Mormon was hard to argue against. I need to do my homework if I want to make a case for biblical Christianity with Gary or any other Mormons I talk with in the future.
7/11/11 Mario, 24
At the park I met a well-dressed young man named Mario who responded very positively to my questions about God. Though he really couldn't explain the Gospel, God has clearly been working in his life. He grew up with no father but with a godly and faithful mother who raised him and his brothers as best as she could. However Mario turned to the gangs and street life, dropping out of school and fathering five children by three separate women. He was on the road to destruction when suddenly his mother, only 38, died of a brain anuerism three years ago. That got Mario's attention, and Mario decided to live for God, dropping out of the gang and moving to another part of Chicago to avoid repercussions. He's been living "under cover" ever since, wearing nice clothes with long sleeves and full length pants to cover up his gang tatoos. He lost his apartment and is now on the street but is thankful for a new construction job he just started recently. He is anxious to get on his feet financially so that he can start to live responsibally and take care of his children. Our conversation served to verify these goals, assure him he is on the right path, encourage him to join a local church family, and help him articulate the gospel which I could tell has already given him a new heart with new desires for the things of God.
At the park I met a well-dressed young man named Mario who responded very positively to my questions about God. Though he really couldn't explain the Gospel, God has clearly been working in his life. He grew up with no father but with a godly and faithful mother who raised him and his brothers as best as she could. However Mario turned to the gangs and street life, dropping out of school and fathering five children by three separate women. He was on the road to destruction when suddenly his mother, only 38, died of a brain anuerism three years ago. That got Mario's attention, and Mario decided to live for God, dropping out of the gang and moving to another part of Chicago to avoid repercussions. He's been living "under cover" ever since, wearing nice clothes with long sleeves and full length pants to cover up his gang tatoos. He lost his apartment and is now on the street but is thankful for a new construction job he just started recently. He is anxious to get on his feet financially so that he can start to live responsibally and take care of his children. Our conversation served to verify these goals, assure him he is on the right path, encourage him to join a local church family, and help him articulate the gospel which I could tell has already given him a new heart with new desires for the things of God.
7/14/11 Ralph, Bob, Ed, & others 50's
Out on my bike I came across some beer drinkin', White Sox lovin', talk like a sailor "good ole' boys" hanging out on some front steps. I stopped and gave them some million dollar bill gospel tracts, and everyone but Ralph took them. I started to explain them and ask some questions about their spiritual beliefs but they kept changing the subject to everyday small talk. They started to warm up when they saw that I had a sense of humor and that they couldn't get rid of me that easy. I finally asked Ralph if he believes in God. "Sure I f----in' believe in God, why the hell not?" he said, not in an angry tone but unaware of the dispespect he had shown. In his mind God was lucky that he would even profess belief. My next statement was not about God's love or the wonderful plan He has for their lives - I asked "Do you fear Him?" This caught Ralph's interest and from that point on it seemed like my honesty about Ralph's sin and God's judgement and punishment all seemed to earn his repect. He asked for several million dollar tracts to give to his friends. He took me around the neighborhood to visit other friends and listened when I shared both law and grace with them. I believe he has probably heard the watered-down versions of his need for Jesus without reference to the law in the past, but today I think the law helped Ralph's need for forgiveness make sense.
Out on my bike I came across some beer drinkin', White Sox lovin', talk like a sailor "good ole' boys" hanging out on some front steps. I stopped and gave them some million dollar bill gospel tracts, and everyone but Ralph took them. I started to explain them and ask some questions about their spiritual beliefs but they kept changing the subject to everyday small talk. They started to warm up when they saw that I had a sense of humor and that they couldn't get rid of me that easy. I finally asked Ralph if he believes in God. "Sure I f----in' believe in God, why the hell not?" he said, not in an angry tone but unaware of the dispespect he had shown. In his mind God was lucky that he would even profess belief. My next statement was not about God's love or the wonderful plan He has for their lives - I asked "Do you fear Him?" This caught Ralph's interest and from that point on it seemed like my honesty about Ralph's sin and God's judgement and punishment all seemed to earn his repect. He asked for several million dollar tracts to give to his friends. He took me around the neighborhood to visit other friends and listened when I shared both law and grace with them. I believe he has probably heard the watered-down versions of his need for Jesus without reference to the law in the past, but today I think the law helped Ralph's need for forgiveness make sense.
7/9/11 Jesus, Humberto, others
Thought I'd try something different for a change. I needed to re-string my guitar so I decided to work on it at the park, then tune it/play it for a while. Thought maybe it would be a conversation piece that might spark some conversations with passersby. I got a lot of smiles and affirmations, a few comments from fellow guitar players and a guy who wished he could play guitar, but the bottom line is that in an hour and a half I'd had no spiritual conversations to speak of. Then I got up, walked over to people and initiated some conversations myself. In half an hour I talked to more people then I would have had I sat at that park bench for five hours. Why, oh why do we Christians think that the world will or should come to us or to our churches to initiate spiritual conversations when the whole emphasis of the Bible is for believers to go and tell? Today was just a reminder and affirmation of that truth.
Thought I'd try something different for a change. I needed to re-string my guitar so I decided to work on it at the park, then tune it/play it for a while. Thought maybe it would be a conversation piece that might spark some conversations with passersby. I got a lot of smiles and affirmations, a few comments from fellow guitar players and a guy who wished he could play guitar, but the bottom line is that in an hour and a half I'd had no spiritual conversations to speak of. Then I got up, walked over to people and initiated some conversations myself. In half an hour I talked to more people then I would have had I sat at that park bench for five hours. Why, oh why do we Christians think that the world will or should come to us or to our churches to initiate spiritual conversations when the whole emphasis of the Bible is for believers to go and tell? Today was just a reminder and affirmation of that truth.
7/8/11 Ray, about 60
While out for a "fishing expedition" with Jonathan, from church, and his young son Joshua, we ran into an older man named Ray on the sidewalk. He said he believes in God but has no church involvement and doesn't read the Bible. He didn't seem too interested in spiritual things but suddenly said "I can't wait for Olsteen to come to town" - referring to an upcoming visit by Joel Olsteen to Chicago's nearby Cellular Field. He said he watches Olsteen on Sunday mornings. Now I believe Joel Olsteen is in the category of "health and wealth" preachers - preaching a "different gospel— which is really no gospel at all" like Paul writes of in Galatians 1 - but, as Jonathan later pointed out, we didn't want the focus of our witnessing to be our crticism of another preacher. We wanted the truth of the full Gospel to shine, so what to do? I tried to affirm the positive side of Osteen's message but to say that something is missing - that the good news of God's grace doesn't make sense without the bad news of God's law and justice that Olsteen leaves out - and I challenged Ray to read the Bible for himself and compare it to Olsteen's message. I gave him a New Testament and pray that he will do just that.
While out for a "fishing expedition" with Jonathan, from church, and his young son Joshua, we ran into an older man named Ray on the sidewalk. He said he believes in God but has no church involvement and doesn't read the Bible. He didn't seem too interested in spiritual things but suddenly said "I can't wait for Olsteen to come to town" - referring to an upcoming visit by Joel Olsteen to Chicago's nearby Cellular Field. He said he watches Olsteen on Sunday mornings. Now I believe Joel Olsteen is in the category of "health and wealth" preachers - preaching a "different gospel— which is really no gospel at all" like Paul writes of in Galatians 1 - but, as Jonathan later pointed out, we didn't want the focus of our witnessing to be our crticism of another preacher. We wanted the truth of the full Gospel to shine, so what to do? I tried to affirm the positive side of Osteen's message but to say that something is missing - that the good news of God's grace doesn't make sense without the bad news of God's law and justice that Olsteen leaves out - and I challenged Ray to read the Bible for himself and compare it to Olsteen's message. I gave him a New Testament and pray that he will do just that.
7/6/11 Roberto about 65
When people point to their good works as evidence of salvation it can mean one of at least two things. Either they are confident of their own goodness, in which case they don't trust in the savior because they don't think they need saving, or they have been born again and can point to the good works God is doing in and through them as evidence of the Holy Spirit's living presence within them. I believe I found just such a believer in Roberto, whom I met at the park. Early on in our conversation I could tell he trusts in Jesus his Savior and now has a heart for serving God by loving his neighbor as himself. Yet I continued the conversation, hoping to help Roberto put into words his hope of salvation. Why take the time, since I believed he was already saved? Because Roberto needs to be challenged to grow and to learn to share his faith and besides, just because I think someone is a believer doesn't make it so. Better to share the Gospel just one more time with someone who may need to hear it just one last time before it is finally received by faith unto salvation.
When people point to their good works as evidence of salvation it can mean one of at least two things. Either they are confident of their own goodness, in which case they don't trust in the savior because they don't think they need saving, or they have been born again and can point to the good works God is doing in and through them as evidence of the Holy Spirit's living presence within them. I believe I found just such a believer in Roberto, whom I met at the park. Early on in our conversation I could tell he trusts in Jesus his Savior and now has a heart for serving God by loving his neighbor as himself. Yet I continued the conversation, hoping to help Roberto put into words his hope of salvation. Why take the time, since I believed he was already saved? Because Roberto needs to be challenged to grow and to learn to share his faith and besides, just because I think someone is a believer doesn't make it so. Better to share the Gospel just one more time with someone who may need to hear it just one last time before it is finally received by faith unto salvation.
7/5/11 church people
Although God has blessed me with faithfullness in keeping my daily witnessing goal over the long holiday weekend, I haven't been reaching my writing goal - every other day - mainly because my conversations have been very similar to each other and its been hard to think of something noteworthy to write about. I try to talk with people who live reasonable close to our church in order to invite them to church when they are responding positively to the Gospel. However because of the makeup of the neighborhood this means that most have common beliefs in God and salvation by church affiliation and/or good works. But the similarity of these conversations doesn't mean they are not important - they can be very important to the people we talk with. We don't have to drive to another state to huge sporting events or concerts to share the Gospel - wherever there are people there are opportunities - and we must not let anything stop us from sharing Jesus - not fear, laziness, busyness, or even boredom. There is nothing boring about the Gospel unless we are led by our own selfish motivations for "success" rather than letting the Holy Spirit guide us, and besides, if nothing else fear trumps boredom everytime.
Although God has blessed me with faithfullness in keeping my daily witnessing goal over the long holiday weekend, I haven't been reaching my writing goal - every other day - mainly because my conversations have been very similar to each other and its been hard to think of something noteworthy to write about. I try to talk with people who live reasonable close to our church in order to invite them to church when they are responding positively to the Gospel. However because of the makeup of the neighborhood this means that most have common beliefs in God and salvation by church affiliation and/or good works. But the similarity of these conversations doesn't mean they are not important - they can be very important to the people we talk with. We don't have to drive to another state to huge sporting events or concerts to share the Gospel - wherever there are people there are opportunities - and we must not let anything stop us from sharing Jesus - not fear, laziness, busyness, or even boredom. There is nothing boring about the Gospel unless we are led by our own selfish motivations for "success" rather than letting the Holy Spirit guide us, and besides, if nothing else fear trumps boredom everytime.
7/2/11 Charlie, about 20
Tonite I met Charlie, an IIT student, as he hung out on his front porch with a friend. When I asked about his beliefs he said that yes, he does believe in God, but he's Jewish - and well aware of all that Jesus stuff. He said this because he expected me as a Christian to try to convince him that Jesus is the Savior. He was surprised when my focus turned out to be on the Ten Commandments and his need for a savior instead. We really had much in common, as he had to agree that he does indeed have a God-given conscience; that he should indeed be willing to take responsibility for his moral decisions; and that God does indeed have infinite worth and value. Charlie had developed an elaborate system of excuses for his sins, and our conversation went on for almost an hour as we worked through each one, from blaming God for creating him with a sinful nature to claiming he just follows his instincts, to blaming society for its influence on his decisions. In the end he had ran out of excuses - but proving a point never makes another person have a change of heart. Only God can do that, and i pray He will.
Tonite I met Charlie, an IIT student, as he hung out on his front porch with a friend. When I asked about his beliefs he said that yes, he does believe in God, but he's Jewish - and well aware of all that Jesus stuff. He said this because he expected me as a Christian to try to convince him that Jesus is the Savior. He was surprised when my focus turned out to be on the Ten Commandments and his need for a savior instead. We really had much in common, as he had to agree that he does indeed have a God-given conscience; that he should indeed be willing to take responsibility for his moral decisions; and that God does indeed have infinite worth and value. Charlie had developed an elaborate system of excuses for his sins, and our conversation went on for almost an hour as we worked through each one, from blaming God for creating him with a sinful nature to claiming he just follows his instincts, to blaming society for its influence on his decisions. In the end he had ran out of excuses - but proving a point never makes another person have a change of heart. Only God can do that, and i pray He will.
7/1/11 Anthony and his young friends, 40, late teens
I went back to the same music production studio where a week ago I met a crowd of young white musicians filled with mockery and contempt for God and Christianity, including the two leaders who had come from a heavy church background. I hoped to see and talk with them again, but instead found a black group - their producer, Anthony, hanging out along with three teenage musicians. They wouldn't admit it at first, but after my questions I found out they all came from strong church backgrounds. However the three younger muscicians all seemed to defer to Anthony, who at first maintained that he didn't really believe in "God" but just a higher power of some sort, and that this life here, especially on Chicago's south side, was his idea of Hell. He theorized that if we don't get it right in this life we can always come back to try again. I listened to all this and more without judgment, just wanting to find out what they believe so as to know how best to speak some truth into their lives. I asked Anthony why he had rejected the Christian faith he had grown up in, but he denied this, and they all agreed that "we believe in the Bible, we just don't take it literally". Anthony's tune changed quickly, however, when I used the Ten Commandments to expose his sin and need for a savior. Suddenly not only Anthony but all of them were proclaiming their faith in Jesus - the faith they have grown up in but have been taking for granted. It was like they all had a hand of cards which included Jesus as their "wild card" - something they never used but that they kept on hand in case of emergency. We talked about what true repentence looks like and the importance of making the faith of their parents their own, and they all thanked me for stopping by to talk with them tonight.
I went back to the same music production studio where a week ago I met a crowd of young white musicians filled with mockery and contempt for God and Christianity, including the two leaders who had come from a heavy church background. I hoped to see and talk with them again, but instead found a black group - their producer, Anthony, hanging out along with three teenage musicians. They wouldn't admit it at first, but after my questions I found out they all came from strong church backgrounds. However the three younger muscicians all seemed to defer to Anthony, who at first maintained that he didn't really believe in "God" but just a higher power of some sort, and that this life here, especially on Chicago's south side, was his idea of Hell. He theorized that if we don't get it right in this life we can always come back to try again. I listened to all this and more without judgment, just wanting to find out what they believe so as to know how best to speak some truth into their lives. I asked Anthony why he had rejected the Christian faith he had grown up in, but he denied this, and they all agreed that "we believe in the Bible, we just don't take it literally". Anthony's tune changed quickly, however, when I used the Ten Commandments to expose his sin and need for a savior. Suddenly not only Anthony but all of them were proclaiming their faith in Jesus - the faith they have grown up in but have been taking for granted. It was like they all had a hand of cards which included Jesus as their "wild card" - something they never used but that they kept on hand in case of emergency. We talked about what true repentence looks like and the importance of making the faith of their parents their own, and they all thanked me for stopping by to talk with them tonight.
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