One of the pitfalls of being old and traveling a lot is that sometimes I forget where exactly I’m going.  I make reservations way in advance, put stuff in a file folder and then head out when the time comes.  All that to say that on my way out to Richmond, VA to do a Doable Evangelism Seminar I changed planes in Atlanta, GA.  I didn’t have a lot of time to get to my connecting flight, and when I checked the monitor I discovered that I needed to be in a completely different terminal to get it.  I rushed off in the direction the signs indicated for terminal B.  As I came upon the rail system that would take me there, suddenly I remembered I had looked up the terminal for a flight to Baltimore, MD (next month’s DE Seminar).  I froze in my tracks…not wanting to get on a train if it wasn’t going to where my next flight was departing from.  I must have looked a tad frantic in the sea of humanity that was rushing to the open doors of the train.  That’s when I heard a still, small voice speaking to me.

No, not THAT ONE. Read the rest of this entry »

I try to help people out when they seem to need it. I try to be a good guy. I try to be someone people could count on when they are in a jam. So this week is not any different. I am just looking around for somebody to help out.

On the freeway, especially our freeways here in the Bay Area, there are always opportunities to help. I know a bit about cars so I try to stop and help if I can. Some woman was stopped on 280 on Tuesday. I thought I would help her out. I pulled in behind her, and cautiously approached her. I didn’t want her to get scared of me.

She was simply out of gas. East to fix! I offered to take her to a gas station. Then I thought better of that. I suggested I just go to the gas station and get her some gas. She was good with that.

I left. Found the nearest station. (Not easy off 280.) I returned 30 minutes later. Put the gas in her car. She started up her car and took off.

I was a bit peeved. No “Thanks.” There was not even a wave. So I prayed for her WAY behind her back. I prayed for her because she must be in such a big hurry that simple gratitude is ignored. What must her life be like? I am going to pray for her.

Sometimes our efforts feel like they are dismissed, or they just don’t count. The effort matters. We can all make an effort! It is so… doable!

-Anon (from New Life Community Church, Burlingame, CA)

We got this OA this week from New Life Community Church in Burlingame, CA: 

I wanted to let you know that on my flight I had a doable experience. My seatmate & I were talking generally about living in the Bay Area & he asked what I liked and what I don’t. I told him that one complaint I have is that in the Bay Area people aren’t interested in my faith journey as Christian in the same way that they would be if I were Kabbalistic Jew/Buddhist/Hindu/etc. And I acknowledged that Christian evangelism has been misguided at times, giving people some legitimate cause to be leery of us. I added that I was part of a group of people trying to do things differently.

We continued to chat and he agreed to answer the four Doable Evangelism questions. YAY! Here’s the 60-Second Survey:

• What’s the difference between spirituality and religion?
• Which spiritual person do you most admire?
• What would you say to Christians if they would listen?
• Has anyone ever tried to “save” you?

He had some interesting things to say. In particular he said that Christians should quit using Heaven as a carrot and focus on the here & now. Christians should speak of what relevance the faith might mean for people today. Interestingly, he also knew that the Bay Area has abysmal church participation, but he perceives that there are many churches here. We talked about faith for about 45 minutes — which is a long time for an amateur like me!

There is no dramatic conclusion to this story, no profession of faith, no sinner’s prayer prayed, etc., but a few days later I realized that this is in fact the ONLY time I have ever talked to an airplane seatmate about faith. I was comfortable identifying as a Christian and he seemed comfortable sharing his faith and concerns and doubts, too. I felt good that it was definitely a conversation, not a sales pitch.

I remember that Randy said we need a new way of keeping score in evangelism, and that we should be counting conversations not just conversions, so it was exciting to be equipped to interact with a stranger about faith and not feel weird and phony and Bible thump-y while doing so. The 4-questions approach really worked here because it facilitated an honest exchange of ideas.