Sherry - 39 years old

Pete & I met Sherry in the food court at North Hill Centre sipping her Jumba Juice and looking at some children's books. We asked her if she would mind answering some questions from a spiritual questionnaire and she was quite happy to do so.  It took no time to find that Sherry was friendly, bubbly, and willing to engage in conversation.

She said that she had a religious background in the United Church when she was a kid, but that her family dropped out when they began to be involved in sports and she hasn't been back since.

"I don't know anyone who goes to church," she said.

"No one?" Pete asked.

"No. None of my friends go to church. I don't know of anyone who attends anymore."

She said that looking back on her religious experience as a kid, she would describe it with the words, "community," "fun," & "singing."

If she had the opporunity to ask God any questions, she said that she was not sure she would have any questions.

"Not even about the meaning of life? What your purpose is?"

She said, "No, I think it's up to each one of us to determine that."

"If at the end of your life, God said to you, 'Why should I let you into heaven?' what would you say?"

"You tell me," Sherry responded.  "I would say to God, You tell me what kind of person you think I am.  How would you evaluate my life?"  Sherry said she'd evaluate her own life at an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

"Do you mind if I ask you another question?" I said.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you believe that there is a personal God who created us?"

"Yes."

"And do you believe that there is something else awaiting us after we leave this planet?"

"Yes. Most definitely. I cannot believe this is all there is."

"You said that you wondered how God would evaluate your life," I said as Sherry nodded.  "Do you know what standard he would use to evaluate you?"

"No, I don't," she said.  "My 8 year old son was just asking me these kinds of questions recently and I didn't know what to say.  Do you know? What do you believe?"

"Thanks for asking.  I think that God will judge us by the Ten Commandments? Have you heard of those?"  Sherry nodded her head.

"I believe that we will have to give an account to our Creator of how we lived our lives against that standard.  We have all broken them, and since God is a just God, he must deal with that fact justly."  Sherry continued to nod, thinking about what we were saying.

"That's the bad news," I continued.  "But Jesus willingly took the justice our sins deserved when he died on the cross and had the sins of the world laid upon him and compressed upon him during those 6 hours he hung on the cross.  Because he did that, he can offer to us the forgiveness of our sins because that's exactly what  we need.  Jesus calls us to turn from our sins and our lives of independence, and turn in trust to him for his forgiveness and salvation."

This was clearly new to Sherry, and she seemed to be understanding it, but still made some comments that evidenced that she was still trapped in our cultural assumptions that no one can really know the truth.

I asked her if she had a New Testament, and she said she did.  I said, my name is John, and I want you to pick up the New Testament and turn to the Gospel of John and read it anew and in light of our conversation.  She said that she would, and Pete added that it might be good for her to read it with her 8 year old son (Mark) since he was asking these sorts of questions.  She seemed to be very agreeable to the idea.

She asked us what church we belonged to, and we told her about NCC.  We gave her a booklet explaining the gospel, as well as our contact info and NCC's website.  She lives about 45 minutes away in a neighboring city to Calgary, but said that she may just have to make the trip sometime if she could find a Sunday that didn't have anything else going on.

We thanked her for her conversation with us, and she thanked us as well saying that she was glad to have the opportunity to talk about these things since we don't normally do this in our culture.

--
1 John 5:13, "I write these things to you who believe in the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

Lord Jesus, thank you for opening a door for conversation about your Gospel, and I pray that you will use this in Sherry's life (and in her family's life) to reveal yourself to them that they may believe and have eternal life.

Chris - 24

My friend, Pete, & I headed over to a new fishing ground, North Hill Centre, close to our church.  With the colder weather setting in, people are moving inside.

We met Chris, a young, sharp dressed college student reading his Kindle.  He was glad to answer some questions about his spiritual beliefs and opinions. He is from a Roman Catholic background, but considers himself something of a religious skeptic. When asked about his religious experience, he used the words "family," "comfort," and "the importance of spirituality" to describe it.

He'd like to ask God, "Why? What's the purpose of everything."  If God were to ask him, "Why should I let you into heaven?" Chris responded, "He shouldn't.  I mean if he has to ask that question, I wouldn't want to go."

So Pete and I probed in this area, and had a good discussion that lasted quite some time.

Chris told us that he believes that God accepts everyone into heaven? When we pressed him on this ("Even someone like Hitler?"), he tried to keep to his original position by stating that God sees the big picture and he knows what social factors (& even mental deficiencies) would go into producing something like a Hitler.

I pressed him about personal responsibility, and how it would be hard to conceive of a God who didn't demand justice.  That is, if there is no justice and God just sort of 'overlooks' everything, how could we conceive of God being good, let alone just.

Chris eventually conceded that some people could end up banished from God's presence, though Chris clearly disliked the idea that this could be eternal. Pete pressed him a bit more and asked him if it was possible that someone who didn't want to be with God in this life could still have those same desires in the next life.  Chris had to admit that this was possible.

I asked him how he--being a Roman Catholic--understood something like the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and Chris responded by saying that he died as an example.

He said he'd be curious as to what we thought the message of the crucifixion was, and we told him we'd be glad to explain.  I explained that we are moral agents with a responsibility to live in accordance with God's standards, the Ten Commandments, but that we have all broken them and stand guilty before God.  Jesus died in the place of people like us, thus making a way for us to go from being guilty on the Day of Judgment to being innocent. God is just since he doesn't sweep sin under the carpet nor look the other way, and he can be merciful since Jesus stood in the sinner's place condemned.

In the end, Chris said that he couldn't accept that God would be that upset with our sins, even though he conceded that Jesus in some sense died for our sins.

We invited him to NCC & gave him our contact info promising to buy him a beer or coffee if he would like to discuss these things at a deeper level.  So, after about 45 minutes to an hour, we thanked him for his conversation.

We trust that we were able to clearly articulate the gospel, challenge a number of Chris' assumptions, and placed a pebble in his shoe with some things to think about.   May the Lord use this to draw Chris to himself.

--
I John 3:4, "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."

Lord, would you convince Chris of your holy standard, and of your holy opposition to our sin, that he might find in you the forgiveness that you offer to all lawbreakers.

Dusty-22 years old & Lance-29 years old (part 2)

**Read part 1 first
-----

"Can I tell you guys what I think will happen when we die? I'd be curious what you'd think," I asked.

"Sure," Dusty & Lance said eagerly.

"I believe that we were created by an infinite & powerful God who made us in His image. That means that we have the ability to make moral decisions--the ability to choose between right & wrong. When we die, we will be judged according to the Ten Commandments. Have you heard of those?" They both nodded, Lance more definitively, Dusty more hesitatingly as if searching to remember.

Directing my question to Lance, I said, "Can you name any of them?"

"There's something about theft or some kind of #%$&@%. Something about your neighbour."

"Yeah, you remember some. Let me help you out. Let's say that what I believe is true: God will judge us by the Ten Commandments. How do you think you would do?"

"Oh, I'd be screwed," Lance quickly affirmed. Dusty laughed, nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, let's look at a couple of them and see," I offered. "Have you ever lied or stolen anything?"

"#%$&@%  yeah," Lance said. Dusty nodded.

"Have you ever used God's name in vain? Do you find yourself using God's name as a cuss word?"

"I used to, but I try not to anymore," Lance admitted. Dusty nodded.

"Have you ever committed adultery?" They both hesitated so I clarified, "Adultery is having sex with anyone who is not your spouse."

Lance laughed pointing his finger at Dusty, "Dude, you  #%$&@  committed adultery 5 times this #%$&@! week." Dusty blushed like a kid caught with his hand in the cooking jar. Lance boasted, "I haven't had sex in a year. I'm like a  #%$&@%  born-again virgin!" he boasted, both fists in the air above his head.

"Did you know that Jesus said that if you look at a woman with lust, you've already committed adultery with her in your heart?" I queried.

"Aw,  #%$&@" he said. "I'm  #%$&@  screwed."

"Let me ask both of you something: If you were to die tonight and God judged you by the Ten Commandments, would he find you innocent or guilty of breaking them?"

They both said at the same time, "Guilty."

"But doesn't God forgive? I mean, if we ask him to forgive us, doesn't he have to?" Lance asked.

"Let's shift gears a bit. Let's say that your buddy, Dusty, killed your mom."

Dusty laughed nervously, but Lance began making fists and said to him, "If you did that, I'd #%$&@%  kill you. You don't  #%$&@% with my mom."

Trying to refocus him, I said, "Lance, what would you think if Dusty told the judge, 'I'm sorry for doing this, and I'll never do it again. Please forgive me.' And the judge lets him go. What would you think?

"I'd  #%$&@%  track him down and kill him," referring to Dusty while making fists with a scowl on his face.

"What would you think about the judge if he let him off without demanding justice?"

"He'd be a  #%$&@%  d'bag," he said with indignation.

"Well, let's transfer this to God. He is just & righteous and will no means clear the guilty. What would you think of God if he just swept things under the rug and just forgave everyone of their crimes?"

The wheels were turning in Lance's head. "I see what you mean," and then he protested, " If God judges us by the Ten Commandments, then we're all  #%$&@  screwed."

"Yes, we are," I concurred. "All of us, You, Dusty, Annie, and I are all screwed because we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard. But if you could go from being guilty to innocent on judgment day, wouldn't you want to know?"

"#%$&@%  yeah," said Lance. I looked at Dusty who nodded in agreement.

So I told them about how God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life (obeyed the Ten Commandments perfectly) and died in the place of people like us. Because he did that, God can be just (the penalty has been paid) and merciful.

"Does that make sense?" I asked.

"Yeah, it does," Lance said he as turned to Dusty who was nodding in agreement. Then -- and this is the  great part -- Lance began to ask Dusty,"Can you imagine anyone being willing to take your   #%$&@%  punishment? I mean, a priest or a rabbi or some other good person might be willing to, but really, who would want to do that for you?" Dusty continued to nod his head in agreement.

I said, "You don't know this but you are basically quoting Scripture: 'For a good person, someone might be willing to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Dusty & Lance were hanging on every word.

"Guys," I said, "you've heard the bad news (we're all screwed because we've all sinned) and you've heard the good news (Christ died for people like us). Now we've got to do something with what we've heard. We have to respond to this news, and we do that by turning from our sins and trusting in what Christ did for us. 'For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

"Wow, I've got a lot to think about," said Lance.

Nodding in agreement, Dusty said, "Yeah, me too."

Annie & I encouraged them to think deeply on these things and to respond to the gospel. Neither of them had a copy of the Bible, so I gave Dusty a New Testament and Lance a copy of The Essential Jesus (the Gospel of Luke), along with booklets explaining the Gospel for which they were thankful.  Lance said he'd read the Gospel of John before, and he opened to it and was skimming the words.

I asked if I could take a picture with them, and they were delighted to do so. They insisted that I stand in the middle of them. From left to right, Lance, yours truly, and Dusty.

Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
__

Lord Jesus, would you seek out and save these two new friends, Lance & Dusty. My heart breaks for them, but I sense your pursuit of them. Just as you have shown mercy to me, would you show mercy to them?

Dusty-22 years old & Lance-29 years old (part 1)

My friend, Annie, & I headed downtown to the Occupy Calgary protest to do some interviews and to see if we could get into spiritual conversations with some of the folks there.

[On a side note, some friends of mine (thanks Pete & Bruce) sent a link to an article on the very different ways in which the police and city are handling the Occupy protesters over against Christians working / preaching on the same spot. You will find it interesting.]

It was a cold (41F/5C), cloudy day, and when we first arrived, we found the place to be a near ghost-town.  I've never seen this part of downtown Calgary this vacant. Usually the Olympic Plaza is filled with people milling around, people watching, etc. This time was very different.

We did find Dusty & Lance hanging around outside their tents (they later told us they had been a part of the protest for two weeks). [If you look hard at the picture you can see them in the center.] We approached them & told them we were with a group called New City Church & we were asking people 5 brief questions from an informal spiritual questionnaire. They said they'd be glad to participate.

Dusty believes that there is "a god," but most likely there are other spiritual beings greater than God (the "Illuminati," as he called them). He has had no spiritual upbringing or background and came to these beliefs as an adult. He would describe his present spirituality as "strong, powerful, & great."

He would like to ask God, "How did we get here, and what's our purpose?" If he were to face God when he died, he would tell God that the reason he should get into heaven--if it existed--is that he is a kind, spirited guy (which seemed to be true).   He'd also rank himself on a scale of 1-10 at a "7."

His buddy Lance--the more vocal of the two--is a former Jehovah's Witness. It might be more accurate to say that his mother was a JW because they were kicked out of that organization when his mother got divorced. Lance was 10 years old when this happened.

When asked what one question he'd like to ask God, he agreed with the question that Dusty put forward and added, "When is the end of the world going to  #%$&@%  happen?" Annie was quick to ask why this question was significant.  Lance said that he'd wants to prepare for it. Annie sought to clarify, "Does that mean physical preparation or spiritual?"And Lance said, "Both.  I've got to stock up on food and  #%$&@%, but I've also got to get right with God." I'm already drooling.

Lance also went on to tell us about his belief that aliens are already here on the earth, and that there are probably spaceships everywhere in our atmosphere, we just can't see them. He also told us about hearing God's voice one time when he jokingly told a Muslim woman he passed in the streets that he was God.  When he turned the corner, the sky parted and a ray of sun shone down and a loud, audible voice said, "No, you're not God. I am." Which basically freaked him out.

Lance says he has seen the Devil when he was a little high on crystal meth ("not that high") and the Devil & demons were beckoning him to come onto their side. He saw a very visible manifestation of the Grim Reaper passing by. Then a "warrior angel" appeared wearing battle gear and having a huge wingspan.  Lance said that this angel flapped its wings once lifting itself instantly about 20 feet off the ground. The shockwave of the wing-thrust shook the earth and dispelled the vision.  The angel then disappeared, and Lance says he knew right then that God was looking after him.

When asked what he would say when he dies if God were to ask him, "Why should I let you into heaven?", Dusty admitted frankly, "Please forgive me.  I know that I've done a lot of  #%$&@%  in my life and I need  #%$&@%  forgiveness." In spite of this, Lance would rank himself at a 7.5 on the goodness scale. "I've done a lot of good things. I even let Dusty stay at my place once when he needed somewhere to stay."

I thanked them for their answers to their questions and asked if I could ask them one more. They readily agreed.

"What do you think happens when you die?"

Dusty said, "I don't know. I think we go on to some kind of existence. I definitely believe in reincarnation."

"Maybe you could help me out on this, Dusty," I said. "Who gets to decide how we come back? I mean, who or what determines if we come back as a roach or a human or an angel? Is it God, or one of these other beings you say exists? Is it the outworking of an impersonal force?"

"Wow, that's a good question. I never thought about that."

"Doesn't that also imply some sort of standard by which you will be judged?"

"Yes," Dusty said, his eyes seemingly searching for a possible answer.

"Do you know what that standard will be by which you will be judged?" I probed.

"No, I don't," he admitted.

"That must be pretty scary," I said. Dusty nodded in sober agreement.

"Can I tell you guys what I think will happen when we die?  I'd be curious what you'd think."

"Sure," they both said eagerly.

See part 2.

TJ ~ 21 years old; Darcy – 55 years old

My friend & church planting coach, Steve Laug & I, made it out a bit later in the day than we anticipated, but we still had a little over an hour to go out sharing the gospel, so we headed down to a favourite fishing spot:  Kinsington.   We met 2 folks, one we talked to for about 60 seconds and the other for about 60 minutes. 

TJ ~ 21 years old

TJ was a sharply dressed young man hanging out on a bench finishing a sandwich, and he said he was willing to answer some questions about his spiritual beliefs and background.  He said he had no spiritual background, and he didn’t have any thoughts on religion or spirituality.  There were no questions that he would ask God (though he thought about it for a moment and admitted that was a hard question).   He said that he’d really have no answer if God were to ask him “Why should I let you into Heaven?” insisting, “I’m only human.”  He rated himself an 8 on the good-o-meter scale saying, “No one is perfect.”  It seemed that TJ was simply humouring us at this point and not really engaged, so we left him a Gospel booklet saying that this might give him some food for thought, thanked him for his time, and headed on to see if we could re-cast elsewhere.

Darcy – 55 years old

A few minutes later we found Darcy enjoying the sunshine, a cigarette, and a book.  He looked like he was a few pages from the end of the book, so we interrupted politely.

“Excuse me.  I hate to interrupt you,” I said.  “You look like you have a good book going there!  We out in the community today with a questionnaire asking people to answer a few questions about their spiritual backgrounds and beliefs.  Would you have a moment?”

“Sure,” said Darcy, and he closed his book.   We introduced ourselves and Steve asked him what he was reading.  “Herman Melville’s Short Stories.” 

“Oh,” said Steve, “I just finished reading Moby Dick again. I really like Melville.”  There was an instant connection between Darcy & Steve. 

Darcy was raised Anglican, but is no longer practicing. He describes his current spiritual beliefs as a combination of existentialism, zen, & liberalism. If Darcy could ask God a question, it would be “Why?” I asked for clarification and he said, “Just ‘why?’ Why is there anything? Of course, if God exists, then that would answer that question.  But ‘why?’  What is the meaning of life?” 

When asked what he would say if God asked him about letting him into heaven, Darcy said very diplomatically, “I’ve lived a life that conforms to most religious teachings.”  He would rate himself an “8” on a scale of 1-10 re: his goodness. “I don’t want to sound arrogant.”  

I thanked him for his response to our questionnaire and asked him if I could ask him a question about his Anglican background. He said, “Sure. Go for it.”  

“Why are you no longer a practicing Anglican?  Was it a conscious decision or did you just sort of drift away.”

“It was more of a conscious decision.  When I left home, I started wrestling with the problem of evil.  It seems just like there is so much needless evil, and I don’t get how to reconcile that with a good God.” 

I told him that is a common struggle for people, even for those who consider themselves believers. I wrestle with that myself and told him that for me, understanding the crucifixion of Jesus helps:  the Bible contributes the event to both the evil will of people and to the plan of God. If God can bring good out of the crucifixion, then I can trust that he has a reason for allowing other things that I don’t understand the reasons for. 

Steve asked him if he had an issue that he had suffered with personally or if it were more just theoretical.  For Steve it has a personal edge because he has suffered through cancer. Darcy said that he has had a pretty normal life.

Steve followed that up with a question about his Buddhist beliefs: “Do they bring you comfort? At the end of the day, what do these beliefs do for you?” Surprisingly, Darcy admitted that it doesn’t bring him much comfort, and he knows that when he dies that it won’t bring him any comfort but he hopes that he doesn’t have to deal with that for some 30 years.  

Steve gentled challenged him on a few points of Buddhist beliefs, and Darcy surprisingly stated that he does have issues with them.  For example, he doesn’t believe in Nirvana, nor does he know really how they serve to guide him in life.  If he witnesses a child being abused, does he help out or is he supposed to feel nothing?  

I took the opportunity to ask him a bit more about his background with Anglicanism.  “Darcy, let me ask you a question. You obviously have some background with Christianity. What do you think of Jesus? Who do you think he is?”

“Well, I think he was a great religious philosopher. I mean, you just have to look at some of his teachings to see that.” 

“I agree, Darcy, but what do you think about his teaching in which he said things like, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life’? Or ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Jesus seemed to say some pretty strong things that set him apart from other religious teachers.

Darcy thought about this for a moment.  “Well, I think we are all sons of God, and Jesus was talking about accessing God through his teachings.”

“Do you believe everyone is a son of God?  What about Hitler, or folks who commit acts of evil that leave you questioning God’s existence?   Surely not everyone is a son of God.”  

Darcy speculated that Hitler must have been mentally imbalanced to do the things he did, but that can’t be said of everyone who does evil.   Some clearly choose it. 

Steve jumped in, “Have you heard of CS Lewis?”

“Yeah, he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia.” 

“That’s right,” Steve said. “He also wrote a book called Mere Christianity in which he said that Jesus was a great moral teacher, but you can’t just leave it like that.  To say the things that Jesus said gives you only a couple of options:  either he is a madman on the level of someone who says he’s a poached egg (Darcy laughed nodding his head), or his claims about himself have to be true.” 

“Hmmm…that’s interesting the way you put it.”

“Let me see if I can clarify an important distinction about Christianity,” Steve continued.  “Jesus says that our life is not about improving ourselves morally. Life is not a journey in which we arrive at the end. It’s more like we need to be honest with ourselves. I can’t fool myself about all the mistakes I’ve made, how can I think I’m fooling God? In fact, when Jesus preached his famous sermon called the Sermon on the Mount, he out-Mosesed-Moses. In other words, he took the 10 Commandments and said, ‘Let me show you what they really mean. You think you’re good because you haven’t committed adultery, but when you look at someone with lust you’ve already committed adultery in your heart. When your angry with someone, you are murdering them in your heart.’ Jesus raises the bar so high that it strips us of any sense of being able to make ourselves better.”  

Darcy was nodding his head saying, “I’ve never really thought of it that way before. That’s interesting.”

Steve continued, “So it’s not about saying, ‘Look at me God.  Aren’t you glad I’m on your team?’  It’s more like just throwing yourself upon his mercy because you know you don’t deserve it.” 

“Interesting,” Darcy replied.  “I’ve never looked at it that way before.”  

“And where Jesus comes in is that I need someone to stand in front of me and take the justice my junk deserves so that I’m left with mercy.”  

I jumped in, “That’s why one of Jesus’ apostles, Peter, said, ‘The righteous (Jesus) died for the unrighteous (people like us) so that he might bring us to God.’  We can’t work our way to God, we need a Saviour who can bring us to God.”

A lot more could be said about the conversation (it lasted an hour or a bit more), but this was the gist of it. Darcy was a very warm individual who gave us much more of his time than we anticipated. He thanked us for stopping to talk with him, and he especially thanked us for giving him some things to think about and for the way we gently challenged some of his beliefs. We gave him a booklet on Christianity explaining that we thought he’d be especially interested in reading it.   He thanked us for it, and we chatted a bit more before heading off.  

Steve and I really enjoyed this conversation because we were able to engage Darcy in a way that was natural.  We believe there are many people like Darcy who want to talk about spiritual topics, but there’s not really space in our culture to do that.

Darcy, for his part, wasn’t defensive at all and was really candid about the nagging questions he had about his own beliefs.  Steve and I left encouraged and thankful for the open door to speak about the Gospel of Christ, and wondered optimistically what God would do with this conversation in his life.  We prayed that the seed of the Gospel will grown in his life leading him to come to a true knowledge and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.   

-----

Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." 

"Lord Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God, would you seek out and save TJ who seems to have suppressed the knowledge of you so deeply that he doesn't have much to say. Amen."

Acts 10:38-44, "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

"Almighty God, would you be pleased to reveal Your Son to Darcy.  He has had some exposure to religious teachings and genuinely seems to want to think about these things.  Be pleased to drive home to him what Your holy prophets said, 'Everyone who believes in him receives the forgiveness of sins through his name.' Amen."  

Brandi - 32 years old

Annie and I bumped into Brandi on the campus of SAIT as she was hanging out waiting for class to begin. We found out that she has a Christian background but is currently not practicing. She said she drifted away from the church about 3 years ago as life got busy with kids and a husband and her job which entails shift work.

She described her religious experience as “profound,” “calming,” “empowering.”  When we asked her, ‘If you could ask God one question, what would it be?’ Brandi said that she really didn't have any questions.  “No big questions about the universe, the meaning of life, etc?” I asked.  She said that she is aware that God has blessed her life and for that she is thankful.

“If God asked you, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would you say?” Brandi answered matter-of-factly, “Because my grandma is there.”  When asked to rate her goodness, she said she was at seven. 

We gave Brandi a booklet on the gospel.  We went on to explain that the Bible teaches that we have all broken God's commandments ––everyone has. And God must judge righteously according to his perfect standard. Brandi was nodding her head in agreement. We went on to explain that Jesus died on the cross in the place of people like us––people who had broken God's law. He is the righteous one who died for the unrighteous.  I could see the wheels turning in Brandi’s mind as she was nodding.  This was not unfamiliar to her, but she didn’t seem like she had a good grasp on it.

We went on to say that is not enough simply to know these truths, we must embrace them ourselves. At this point, Brandi said that she does want to get back into church and into these things, but she has found that life is too busy as she has to work on Sundays and is going to school and trying to raise a family.

We told her about New City Church, and that we would welcome people just like her--people from a wide variety of backgrounds and questions––and we would be honored to help her on her spiritual journey.   I told her that we meet just a few blocks north of SAIT and pointed out our website to her.  She said that she would definitely check it out. 

We encouraged her to take the booklet and to read over it and to think on these things more deeply. As she was heading off to class we thanked her for her time in for her conversation.

Reid - 21 years old

Annie and I bumped into Reid up at SAIT as he was sitting on a concrete garden box texting on his phone. He said that he was up to answering some questions from our spiritual questionnaire, and so we began.

We asked him about his spiritual background, and Reid said that he was not “religious” in the traditional sense, but he believes in the earth as our mother and that she gives us energy. He describes his worldview as “grounded,” “open-minded,” and “accepting.”

He would like to ask God, “What is life?” We asked him to clarify what that meant, and he said that he had read a book which describes D M T which is a part of every life and every cell and that his question, “What is life?” is the question that that book entertained.

“If God exists anywhere to stand before him and he said, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ what would you say?”

“That's a good question,” Reid said as he pondered it for a moment. “I think I would say that I have lived my life for me. Do whatever you choose.”

Reid would rate his goodness at 5 or 6, halfway between good and evil “for balance.”

“That's the end of the questionnaire,” I said. “Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?”

“Sure. Go-ahead.”

“You said that you believe in mother Earth and that she gives us energy. Is that something you've always believed, or is that something you just recently begun to believe?”

“My girlfriend's family is very spiritual.  They've taught me a lot. For example, they have taught me to go out to the mountains to take off my shoes as if were standing on sacred ground to put my feet upon the earth to feel the earth and to absorb its energy.”

“Does that appeal to you because you feel disconnected from this world?”

“Yeah. I think a lot of people feel disconnected from this place,” Reid said.

“Did you have any other spiritual background growing up?  Did you ever attend a church or were ever a part of a community of faith?” we asked.   Reid simply shook his head.    At this point, he told us about his girlfriend more, and about his studies.  

Trying to wrap things up after about 15 minutes, I gave him a booklet explaining Christianity and said, “You consider yourself open-minded.  You might find this interesting.  It speaks of spirituality from the perspective of what Jesus taught.  You had mentioned that you would rate yourself somewhere between good and evil. This booklet actually has a copy of the 10 Commandments by which we can rightly evaluate our life.”

As Reid was flipping through the book, I asked him if he had ever heard of the 10 Commandments. He said, “No.” I asked him if he had ever seen the classic movie, “The Ten Commandments,” and he had said no.  [Insert a double “Wow!” here].

I told him that I thought he would find the contents of this booklet intriguing, and that it might stimulate his thinking in these areas.   He said he would read it.   “Fair enough,” I said, and thanked him for his conversation, and as we walked away, I looked back and indeed he was reading the booklet.

Looking back on this, I think I should have stayed engaged in the conversation a bit longer, and I wished that I had given him a copy of “The Essential Jesus” to read (which I had in my backpack), but with a headache I wasn’t as quick on my feet as normal.   At any rate, we were able to get a copy of the Gospel into his hands.  Annie & I found a bench and reflected on the conversation, and Annie prayed for Reid.   

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Acts 18:26, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  For in him we live and move and have our being."

Lord God, would you reveal yourself to Reid.  With is background, he has not even heard of the 10 Commandments until this conversation.   Please use the Gospel to speak deeply to him, and draw him to yourself.

Jeremy - 51 years old

Annie & I met Jeremy on the campus of SAIT taking a break, resting in the shade, and watching the people go by. When we asked him if he'd be up for answering a questionnaire, he said with a big smile, “Sure!”

“What is your spiritual background?”

“A.A.”

“Okay, any other spiritual influences in your background?”

“I guess Roman Catholic,” he said.  “My parents were catholic but they're not practicing and it's really hasn't had an influence on my life.”

“What words would use to describe your religious experience?”

“God shots.”

“God shots?” I queried.  “I’m not familiar with that.”

“God shots are like those times of the day when you going around and you're struck with  spiritual thoughts or experiences and you just realize there's got to be something out there--you know, watching over you.”

“Oh. Okay. I think I follow you. What other words would you use to describe religious experience?”

“Unknown.” “Unproven.”

Jeremy would like to ask God, “Where did You come from?”

If God were to ask Jeremy, “Why should I let you into heaven?” Jeremy would say, “Because You let everyone else in.”  And on a scale of 1-10, he would rate his goodness at a 7. 

“Thank you, Jeremy, for answering these questions. I'm curious about something you said.  Do you mind if I ask you another question.”

“No problem.” 

“Do you believe that everyone goes to heaven?”

Jeremy backpedaled a bit, “No, not everybody.”

“So, some get in and some don't?” I sought to clarify.

“That's correct. There are clearly some bad people who wouldn’t get in.”

“What is the standard that determines who gets in and who doesn't?”

He thought for a moment, “I suppose that it that it depends if you're a good person.”

I gave him the booklet on Christianity and showed him the 10 Commandments and said, “God has given us the 10 Commandments by which we can tell how we have lived our lives.”

Jeremy read the 1st commandment and said, “Oh, I have broken that one.” We talked a little bit about the Commandments and I said that breaking one commandment is like breaking the link in the chain--once it's broken they're all broken.  God sees us as lawbreakers.”

At this point Jerry sent threw out an objection seeking to change the conversation, “You know I think life may be implanted here from outer space.”

“Oh, how do you know that?” I said. 

“Well I don't know it, and I'm not sure that we can know anything, but it makes sense to me. I believe you should just wake up in the morning and say ‘Thank you,’ and realize how blessed you are.”

“Who are you saying ‘thank you’ to?” I asked.

“Just…whoever is out there,” he said.

“Do you think it matters who you're talking to you?”

“Naw.  What’s important is that you are thankful.”

“Jeremy, let me ask you a question. What do you know of Jesus Christ?”

“Not much. I think he was a good man who taught a lot of good things and he is worth listening to. I think that his teaching and others’ teaching is what is important, we shouldn't get hung up on the person.”

“Jeremy,” I said, “Jesus has some pretty significant things to say. But what is interesting about Jesus is that it was a big deal to him what people thought of him. Other religious teachers put their teaching out front and themselves in the background. They would say, ‘This is the truth as I see it. Go and follow it.’ But Jesus does something different. He puts his teaching in the background, so to speak, and his person in the foreground. He says things like, ‘Follow me.’ He said things like, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.’”  Jeremy was taking this in.

I continued, “If what the Bible says is true, and we have all broken God's commandments, it is huge what Jesus said. He said that we all stand condemned and we must believe in him in order to receive forgiveness and eternal life.  Don't you think it would be wise to give attention to someone like Jesus?”

“I suppose,” he said. “But I like hanging out here and watching the girls walk by,” he laughed.

“And that's part of the problem, Jeremy.  He sees everything that we do and he knows all our thoughts. And the Bible says that we will all one day die and stand before God and give an account for our lives.  Nothing is more important than to take these things seriously.”

He was nodding his head.  

“Jeremy, I want you to take this booklet and seriously consider your life in light of what it says.  If Jesus is who he says he is, then this means everything.”  He continued nodding his head.  “Will you read it and reflect on what the message is saying?” 

Nodding, he said, “Yeah, I will.”  

“Fair enough.” 

We thanked him for answering our questions and for the conversation.   Annie & I went off and debriefed about the conversation and prayed for Jeremy.   Would you join us?  

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John 6:68, "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."

Lord Jesus, I pray that you would reveal yourself to Jeremy in such a way that he will know that there is no life outside of you, and that he would run to you for eternal life.

Goals: To Learn

As mentioned before, we have several goals for this blog:

• To Obey
• To Pray
• To Learn 
• To Teach
• To Model
• To Report 
• To Encourage

Jesus told people, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."   I remember reading this verse not long after I became a Christian and not understanding the metaphor.   How do you fish for men?   I remember asking a mentor who explained it to me, and I've learned over the years how appropriate the the metaphor is.   

I've recently tried taking up fly fishing. Fishing on the Bow River flowing in & about Calgary is supposed to be some of the best in the world.  But all the technique of casting will not do one any good if you don't know something about the fish and something about flies.  One has to know something about the time of year and types of flies in season, as well as something about where fish hang out and what spooks them.   

The fishing analogy could not be more appropriate.   

Fishing for people is a lot like fishing for trout.  You have to know something about people (& what the Bible says is true of them) and the basics of the Gospel, what they need to hear and what concerns (& spooks) them.   

Learning to fish for people is a life-long journey.  It is not something that is mastered in this lifetime. Rather, it's something you devote yourself to for the long haul.  

And just like fishing in a stream, you have to actually fish for people in real life.  That's how we learn, plain and simple.   

In fact, I often tell people that you don't even know what you don't know until you get into conversations with people.  You will find out what questions to ask, what verses you need to memorize, what types of objections are common, and what concerns people have that the Gospel of Christ addresses.   

And just like you learn to fish by actually fishing, so to you learn to evangelize by evangelizing.   

As I reflect on conversations with people about the Gospel over the years, I've always reflected on what I would have / should have said differently.  And that's just part of the journey.   I've learned the in's and out's of flies, different baits to use, how to approach fish by trial and error.   

And I'm glad to be a life-long student.  And the thrill of the catch keeps me going.   

I once heard someone define evangelism as "taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel and leaving the results to God."  It is our privilege to join God in his mission since he is the Great Missionary.   

Or to put it another way, He is the Master Fisherman, and we get to join him on the fishing expedition.   

Katt - 19 years old; Andrew - mid 20s

Katt & her friend Andrew were dressed from the punk scene and were just hanging out in Kensington trying to sell some cardboard street art for spare change. Pete D. & I asked if they'd be up for some conversation about spiritual topics and they said sure.

Katt did most of the talking at first. She was baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church when she was young but was no longer practicing. She considered herself to be pagan. Andrew says that he is Wiccan, a Druid priest.

When asked to describe her religious experience both within and without the ROC, she said that she believes there is right and wrong in all religions, and that all religions share a common thread of teachings.

She'd like to ask God "Why?  Why does the cosmos exist?  What is the purpose of our existence?"  She doesn't  believe in heaven, but only that our bodies are converted into energy that the universe in turn uses.

Katt is a typical postmodern.  Organized religion is used by people to oppress others. Her experience seems to back it up. She says that after immigrating from Russia, her parents enrolled her in a Christian school in Calgary where she was mercilessly picked on, even to the point where other students threw stuff at her. Her parents became so appalled at her treatment that they withdrew her.

When Katt was 13 she ran away and has been (mostly) on the streets since then. She's pretty turned off to Christianity because of Christians. She said it was not uncommon for Christians to get in her face and tell her she is going to hell for how she looks [I get so angry when I hear stuff like this].

I asked her if she was able to distinguish between Jesus Christ and his followers. She said she totally could, but then rambled on about great spiritual teachers. I honestly couldn't follow her train of thinking.   I tried to pull it back to the issue of Jesus as we learn about him through the historical documents of the Gospels. She said that she has read them, but doesn't remember much about them. Her ignorance of Jesus showed through when she said he was just like any other person who has lived, sin and all.

In talking to her about Jesus, I asked her if I could give her a copy of "The Essential Jesus" which is a fresh translation of the Gospel of Luke and an intro to the story of Jesus leading up to Luke's Gospel and then an explanation of why Jesus is essential. She thanked me for it and told me that she'd be glad to read it. I told her that it is really important to make sure she understands who the real Jesus is and what he claimed and to not write him because of the treatment she has received.

Katt seemed fairly sweet though you could sense her brokenness and bitterness just below the surface.

For a good chunk of our 30-40 minute conversation, Pete was talking with Andrew. He had a tattoo with the words, "Broken Soul." This angry broken soul is convinced that religion is just something used by the powerful to keep people oppressed. Andrew is pretty mad at the world and feels screwed over by the gov't b/c he served in Kosovo and the gov't somehow didn't keep it's promises to him.   He seems pretty messed up from it, saying that there's no such thing as post-tramatic stress disorder.  It's just called "seeing how messed up the world is and not being able to deal with it."

Pray that the Gospel would penetrate both Andrew & Katt's hardened hearts.

On a side note, while we were chatting with them, a fellow stopped by to drop a $5 bill into their collection which made Katt almost squeal with delight as she clapped.  He asked them what they were selling as he looked down at pieces of cut up cardboard with stick figures of robots and cats and letters drawn on them.   He proudly picked up the cat drawing like he had found a prize.  He stuck out his hand and asked Katt & Andrew what their names were (he even shook our hands as well).  He greeted them with a smile and wished them well. I so appreciated this man's gesture of kindness and wondered if he was a Christian.  So often, people like Katt & Andrew are ignored by people who have neither time nor interest to give to them.

We thanked Katt & Andrew for the conversation and they shook hands with us several times as we were leaving.   Pete even bought up his own prized piece of artwork!

Jared - 18 years old

by Pete de Jong

We met Jared and quickly thought that a conversation with him might be interesting. Any white guy with dreadlocks is usually prepared to think “outside the box”. We asked if he be up for a spiritual question to which he replied that he had a few minutes.

We asked Jared about his spiritual background, and he replied that he was raised a Christian (some sort of “missionary church”) and that his parents were still faithful and took their beliefs seriously.  He also indicated that he doesn’t practice anymore but certainly was not hostile at all to us or answering our questions.  Indeed, he was very respectful.  

We then asked him for three words that he would use to describe his religious experience growing up in a Christian church. He used: “thought-provoking, ”“beneficial,” and sadly, “contradictory.”  He’d like to ask God "Why?  What is the purpose of our existence?"   

When we got to the question about what he would say to God about why he should be let into heaven, things took a turn. Jared said that it did concern him that if God judged him according to the 10 Commandments that he would be found guilty of breaking them, and he went on to explain that he could give us all the right answers about Jesus if we wanted them. He explained that he had been taught “all this stuff” and that he even respected it to some extent, but he has more questions now than answers.  He indicated--without going into much detail--that people let him down.

As it was getting really hot on the sidewalk, I invited us all into the Second Cup coffee house for an iced mocha so that we could delve into that a little more. Jared explained that he was now a little late for a meeting he had with a friend but asked if we were in Kensington often because he would like to talk about his questions. We said it would be easy to connect with him, and so we exchanged phone numbers/email addresses, and went on our separate ways.

John followed up by sending this email:

Hi Jared, 

This is John.  My friend, Pete, & I bumped into you the other day in Kensington and asked you some questions about your spiritual background and opinions.  I enjoyed talking with you and appreciate your honesty in expressing that you have some questions.   

I myself had to work through a number of questions and objections to Christianity.  If it is true, I wanted to know it.  If not, then I would have to go somewhere else.   In fact, one of the reasons I became a philosophy major at my university was to study the best questions that have been put forth by the history of western thought.  I'd love to get together with you and hear some of your questions and perhaps offer some food for thought.  I've thought through a lot of this and would love to be able to help you on your journey if I can.

Absolutely no pressure.  I'm just glad you have an open mind and are asking questions and I hope you find the answers you are looking for.  Pete & I would love to buy you a coffee or sit down for a meal and chat.  My treat anytime.

Have a good weekend, Jared.   All the best, 

We really look forward to meeting Jared again.  Please pray that God would see this happen.

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John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Lord, please convince Jared that you are the way, the truth, and the life.