The Everyday Club

11/02/09 Francisco, about 35
I stopped at the park after work and used a million dollar tract to start a conversation with Francisco, who was walking his pit bull, Linda. He believes he will go to heaven, but although he is Catholic, he has chosen not to believe in hell. It was a beautiful day, with fall colors all around us, and I told him that while we can love and appreciate life, we only have a brief time here and we need to also prepare for eternity. The Bible teaches that we will all live forever but that where we spend eternity is what is really important. Hell is hard to talk about, but it helped when I pointed out that its purpose is not torture, but punishment. "Do you believe God is just and will punish sin?" Francisco, thinking of heinous crimes such as mass murder, agreed, especially when I pointed out that large numbers of murderers are never caught. I then used some of the commandments to help Francisco realize the consequences of his own sin. Although he was very stoic, he seemed truly concerned and wanted to know how he could be forgiven. I told him of salvation through faith in Christ and the repentance that confirms saving faith. Francisco thanked me for stopping to explain all this to him and gladly took the additional info I gave him.