Sharing the Gospel of Jesus in a bar. yeah. a bar (pt8)

by Craig on July 27, 2012

Thirteen people…
not one was Christian…
a night out in a sports bar…
none expected to talk about God.

But I was there too…
watching a baseball game…
and I couldn’t resist inserting myself.

*Pictures are coming soon, I’m running behind, not really at my best. Sorry. But I wanted to at least get some words up. God bless all of you for hanging with me. Means a LOT.*

This is part 8 of the series…

the “Sharing the Gospel of Jesus in a sports bar” series began here.

But be warned, the beginning of the conversation is very rough around the edges – just sayin’ .¯\(°_o)/¯

Anyway…

I left off with what I thought would be a conciliatory thing to say. Chris, the alpha male of the group, just had a major debate point shot down.

And I’m thinkin’ that in a debate about God we should always leave someone a corner in which to safely surrender.

It’s debating with love.

It’s the way Jesus did it.

So…to Chris…
who was a little quieter now…
off balance and shuffling a bit…
I offered up, “I respect your opinion, Chris…”

But it didn’t have the effect I thought it would.
It riled him up again, and he responded with a derisive laugh…
and a boisterous, “It’s not my opinion. It’s atheism.”

I’m thinkin’ that what he did was the equivalent of patriotically waving a flag during the lull between battles.

And I thought to myself, but didn’t say out loud, “He would call faith an opinion! That’s a statement easy to exploit.” But a race to win debate points didn’t seem all that important. So I let it slide.

Anyway…

at this point I decided to sit and listen and observe….
and discover who was getting closer to the Kingdom…
and who was building a wall to hide behind.

You’ll be able to see their directions by what they say.

They continued to debate about God without me.
Some of it was pure drivel, but some was surprisingly shiny.

Here…

eavesdrop.

Ty1er (to Mark) Before !@#$%Christianity came into play it was standard to have orgies at the parties in Rome. Those were the days.

And it was interesting to watch who laughed…
three of the six guys…two of the seven women.

Mark (to Tyler): Ty, really? !@#$%^ Christianity

Ty1er: Yeah the Romans knew how to party.

Chris: But Ty, Christianity appealed to slaves and impressionable women. It was first hippie movement.

My brain engaged after that less than half true comment about the beginnings of our faith. My mouth almost opened but then one of the six guys, who had been pretty silent till now, said clear as a bell in a brief window of silence…

Tim (to everyone) : Belief is only a yearning for the truth.

Wait. What?!

There is more…

Please come back.

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

A. July 27, 2012 at 12:48 pm

Craig, glad you are back, and so glad, too, that you are sharing this series with us. You have a gift.

Reply

Craig July 30, 2012 at 7:37 am

A. my friend – I am still far from back, although today for the first day in more than 2 months, reality actually seems sharper, and the “there and nowhere” a little further away. Sept by step. Maybe the hardest struggle of my life – and to say it’s not also spiritual as well as mental and physical would be a mistake I think, God bless A.

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Martha Orlando July 27, 2012 at 3:13 pm

Oh, wow! Tim actually said that? How great is our God!
You know I will be back, dear friend . . .

Reply

Craig July 30, 2012 at 7:35 am

One thing I guess we all forget when talking gospel to someone is asking them what they know already. It can be insulting to skip over that. Tim clearly had thought about the subject, regardless of his current behavior. It was an eye opening statement – and not the only one.

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Debbie July 30, 2012 at 10:00 am

I love getting to read your reactions, even if you kept it to yourself, when they spoke. And how God controlled your responses, letting you debate with love. That is a nugget of wisdom there! God bless you as you lean on Him today. Praying for Jesus to carry you, to cover you, to restore you and renew you each moment of the day.

Reply

Craig August 2, 2012 at 8:51 pm

first, my friend, of course I thank you for your prayers – these eight or nine weeks now I’ve been some of the most traumatic moments of my life – the struggle is so hard – the doctors are not much help – the psychiatrists least helpful among them. but it’s just like Alice at the end of Wonderland – flip over all the cards – understand that they are just cards – not an army – not a jury – not a king and a queen – it’s all just to be toppled – doesn’t mean it’s easy. Then one of the more challenging things of my life. But we’re getting there – we’re getting there. Having people like you around – that keeps me in the here and now. You have always been a blessing to me – and I’m grateful for having met you, even before I started my blog – you are the only one who is reading me that I knew before I started. Thank you. God bless and keep you, Debbie.

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