Conversation

2/24/18                      Dominic                     about 25

Out on a sidewalk after class, a business administration student named Dominic told me he had someplace he had to be soon, but agreed to talk for five minutes about his beliefs.  He kindly allowed that to stretch to 15 minutes, but with the cold weather and to honor his original agreement, I did my best to keep the conversation short while covering as much of the basic Gospel as possible.  Dominic assured me he appreciated the conversation at the end, but that he did have to get going. 

Part of the art of sharing the Gospel is adapting our message to different situations, conditions, personal issues and attention spans.  We can't just have a "spiel" if we want to be genuine and responsive with the Gospel.  For a variety of reasons, I believe there is a point of diminishing returns where it is best to quit while we are ahead.  For some, it may be information overload; for others, distractions and decreasing attention span.  For still others like Dominic, an upcoming appointment may be looming.  If the person I am talking to is only looking for a way to gracefully end the conversation, I have probably long overstayed my welcome.

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  Colossians 4:5-6