Unnerving

I haven't had a lot of good conversations lately, which is why I haven't created a lot of posts, but I have been handing out a lot of tracts, which is my forte. When they ask what it is, I just tell them, "It's a Gospel tract: it tells you how to have eternal life," and most of them usually take it, though most take it without asking. I have had people say, "Well, no, I don't want that," but my feelings get ignored (oh, they do hurt) as I focus on the fact that they are not rejecting me but the Message.

But Saturday I did have a good conversation with a waitress at Bob Evan's (my first time there; also Jason's first time, who was with me; it was pretty good, I must say). Morgan is not a "chit-chat" type waitress; she isn't rude, but she is all business. But I was determined to reach her, because I have a rule that I witness to every waitress I get--then I leave them a good tip, too. Yes, that is kind of tough on a missionary budget, but the Gospel MUST go forth! Plus, if you said the things that I said to her, you would definitely want to leave a good tip.

I stopped her by asking if she had a minute (sometimes servers don't, because they have so many tables, so I always ask). She did, so I gave her the Good Person Test. After we had discovered that she was a liar, thief (she got the Steelers joke), and murderer (she gave the ghetto answer "hater"), she asked how many checks we wanted and walked away. I wasn't sure if she was offended or just concerned that we might have to run. I turned to Jason and said, "She left before I could give her the Good News!"

When she came back, he told her, "Hey, you left before he could give you the Good News."

"Oh," she replied, "I thought that that was all there was to it."

"Well, that would be pretty depressing," I answered, "walking around saying to yourself, 'I'm a liar, thief, and murderer, I'm a liar, thief, and murderer, I'm a liar, thief, and murderer.' Plus, what are you going to do about Judgment Day? What do you think would happen if you stood before God on Judgment Day and said, 'I'm a liar, thief, and murderer'--what would He do with you?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Well, think of it this way: would He find you innocent or guilty of breaking God's law?"

"Guilty."

"And what does God do with guilty people on Judgment Day?"

"He sends them to Hell."

"So what does that say for you?"

"I'm going to Hell."

"Do you like that idea?"

"No!"

"Good, that's why I wanted to give you the Good News."

When I gave her the Gospel (including that we must let go of sin to take hold of Jesus--not perfection, just repentance), she said that she had already prayed to receive Christ, so I challenged her: "When was the last time you read your Bible?"

When she said, "Um..." I knew it was going to be the wrong answer. "It's been a while."

"Well, now, Jesus said, 'IF you continue in My Word, THEN you are My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free,' and He means free from sin, which He explains in the verses that follow [John 8:30-36]. So, if you want to be free from sin, Psalm 119:11 says, 'I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.'" She nodded in affirmation as she walked away with our plates.

Pray for that girl. I don't think she received that well. But then I don't know. Jason noted that her piercings indicate that she may be a party lover, and that her conscience may have been bothering her a bit. I didn't pay much attention to her piercings, because I see them all the time at the Rock downtown (South Straub Park in downtown St Pete, where there is a big fake plastic rock where the drug addict, fornicating high schoolers hang out, usually dressed in black; and, no, I'm not judging them, you can ask them yourselves what they do--they are not ashamed of it [yet]).

Oh well, at least she knows that I didn't leave that big tip because I wanted to flirt with her.

God bless you guys, and thanks for your prayers.

P.S. This month, many towns are holding Mardi Gras celebrations. Plenty of people to witness to about departing from sin to serve the Risen Savior! Take advantage of the parties that Satan throws to gather sinners to be witnessed to! God bless you, and let me know how it goes!