I don’t know if it was the weather, the time of day, or the Silver Spring location, but everyone we came across was very friendly and receptive of the fliers we were handing out. …Well, very receptive of the fliers Megan was handing out. I was having about the same amount of success as my two previous attempts. Where I stumbled on my words, Megan seemed to flourish in her fearlessness at approaching every person she came across. After a while, I simply relied on her to do the approaching, while I assisted her with following up with further questions.

We eventually got into a rhythm… She would approach, hand them the flier with vague description. Then I would follow up with specifics, like how the event was at the Round House Theater just around the corner next to the AFI Silver Theater. We used this system over and over and over again, until it became second nature.

Next to Megan, I became less confident in my ability to approach the strangers that we passed. Whereas, Megan’s confidence issue involved answering the questions these strangers had about The After Party. When people had questions, Megan looked to me to answer them. I was very confident in that role, so we ended up making the perfect team — each with a part to play.

We had a few notable encounters…

Megan was so bold in her approaches, that she often went up to cars stopped at stop lights to hand out fliers. She often went to typical “cool” guys in their “cool” cars, who would feel proud of the fact that an attractive girl took interest in them. When these guys reciprocated interest and looked to extend the encounter or invite Megan to stay with them, I would always step in and give them a wave and a smile and make it clear that the two of us were together.

That was also the case when she approached groups of guys on the street. One group wanted her to join them for lunch, so I had to turn around and make my presence known.

As we cruised up and down the streets of downtown Silver Spring, we also ran into a Christian woman, who was looking for a local church. We told her about the Frontline campus in Silver Spring, and she said she looked forward to checking it out.

One of the worst/best interactions came near one of the parking garages. We handed a flier to an older guy (in his 40s), who asked us if he should bring his wife. We said yes, slightly puzzled why he would think otherwise. He then inquired more, finally admitting he thought this was some sort of “swingers” event. I don’t think Megan understood what he meant, until we talked about it much later.

Finally, my favorite moment of the day came when Megan approached an older woman (seriously, Megan was approaching people way outside the typical Frontline audience). The older woman asked us specifically what the event was about. We told her it was a church event, discussing what happens after you die. She pressed us further, asking us what we thought happened when we die. Megan looked to me to give an answer, so I went straight into the 1-minute gospel message. This wasn’t hard, because I had just produced a video, which explained the Gospel in a nutshell.

I told the woman that I believe there is a God and a place called Heaven. But this Heaven requires absolute perfection to enter. Since we — the three of us — aren’t perfect, there’s no way we could get into Heaven, unless something outside of us interceded. Thankfully, God loved us so much that He sent his Son, Jesus, to come to Earth, live a perfect life, then die on a cross to pay for all of our mistakes (since the penalty for sin/mistakes is death). Once Jesus did that — died, paid for our sins, then rose again — anyone who has faith in that sacrifice for salvation will be seen as perfect in the eyes of God. And thus, will be admitted into Heaven.

I didn’t say all of that, but rather boiled it down to… I believe there’s a Heaven, but you have to be perfect to get in. Since none of us are perfect, we wouldn’t be able to get in. But thankfully, God sent his son Jesus to die and pay for our sins, so that we can get into Heaven. (You see, the woman never stopped walking, so I had to tell her this in the span of one block.)

When I was through summarizing the Gospel, the woman stopped, turned to us, and said, “That is the best summary of the Gospel I’ve ever heard. Short and to the point.” I thanked her, and she was on her way.

Megan thought that it was a wonderful compliment, and I was certainly glad to have received it.

After handing out fliers for about 3 hours, we finally gave out the very last flier in my stack. It was 6:30 PM, and we were beat. We sat on a sidewalk bench for a while, reflecting on the successes of the day. We then talked about other ways we could work together on other ministry projects. I was very happy to have finally found someone who I could partner with in ministry.

A fourth guy showed up, so I gave him half of my card stack. I didn’t really see any of the guys after that. Since they seemed to be staying close to the Metro, I decided to hit the streets.

I found that walking down the streets and handing cards to the individuals I passed had a better reception rate than handing cards out to the clusters gathered at the Metro. I believe this is because when people think you’re genuinely interested in them as individuals, they are much more likely to be open with you. (This actually helps prove a hypothesis I have about the drawbacks of “mass” communication, but I’ll save that for another blog post.)

I wasn’t familiar with walking the Ballston streets, but I just kept going — and when I felt lost, I just asked people how to get to the Metro.

Because I had plenty of time between “sets,” I was able to completely reset after each attempted interaction. I had time to analyze the successful attempts and overcome the unsuccessful ones.

Other than people taking the cards and thanking me, I had several notable interactions. I talked with one girl, who inquired about the organization behind The After Party. I used my typical opener, “I’d like to invite you to an event my church is having this weekend.” Her response was, “That depends on what kind of church it is.” I told her it was a nondenominational Protestant church in McLean. She was unfamiliar with McLean Bible Church, but did say she was skeptical of nondenominational churches in general. “Some of them can be pretty crazy,” she said, then admitted that she had recently moved to the area and was looking for a Baptist church in Arlington. I assured her MBC taught sound doctrine and invited her to check out Frontline Arlington. In retrospect, I probably should have suggested she check out Cherrydale Baptist as well.

I found one young Asian man sitting on a bench under a tree and handed him a card. He took it, even though he said he already received one at the West Falls Church metro (yep, we had a team over there, too).

Another Asian student I came across was very friendly and receptive of the card. Not to be stereotypical, but I don’t recall any Asians refusing the card.

After a while, I started focusing on people who looked unfriendly. I never approached anyone who was talking on their phone or had earphones in. But there were some very serious-looking, no-nonsense people who I made an effort to approach. Unfortunately, true to their appearance, they almost always refused the card.

Eventually, I only approached young women — using some of the old pickup skills within my social arsenal.

One particular situation involved me standing back, waiting at an intersection. I waited for an attractive girl to pass by and make solid eye contact. When one finally did, I gave her a smile. She smiled shyly, dropped eye contact, then reestablished eye contact before passing by completely. I waited. After about a minute, I hurried to catch up with her. She was two blocks down the street before I finally caught up with her. I ran the last few steps toward her — to feign being out of breath. I called to her, then said I really wanted to invite her to this event my church was having. She was visibly pleased that I had stopped her, but then quite confused that all I wanted was to hand her a flier. I back-stepped away with a smile, said I hoped to see her there, and left her with an experience to ponder for the rest of the day.

That was probably my favorite experience of the day. In a past life, I probably would have asked the girl out right then and there. But these days, I’m more interested in introducing women to Christ. I guess you could say I’m Jesus’ wingman.

I wasn’t sure who of the four of us had prior experience doing cold approaches to people on the street, so I figured I should make the first approach. A tip I learned from my pickup days is to purposefully get some “rejections” under your belt as soon as possible. So, expecting to be rejected, I stopped two young girls walking past us, handed them a couple of fliers, and simply said, “We’re having a party this weekend. You’re invited.” And that was it. They very willingly accepted the fliers, said “cool,” and continued walking.

One of the members of my small group flat-out said he didn’t feel good about walking up to some hot chicks and inviting them to a party — without explaining what it was all about. I disagree. Not only did I consider the approach “practice,” but even such vague invitation attempts can be a valid way of witnessing, should the girls go home, check out the website, and consider what The After Party is all about.

Our group of four split into two groups. Two guys went over to Barnes & Noble, where they had several interesting encounters (including one Hindu yelling at them and accusing them of “false advertising”). My small group leader and myself walked in the opposite direction towards La Madeline. I had seen two girls sitting outside there during our walk over from RTC, so I wanted to go speak with them.

On the way over, my partner approached some folks standing outside of a hair salon (who accepted the cards graciously and thanked us), as well as an older gentleman standing outside La Madeline (who accepted out of politeness only). We bought a couple of drinks inside, then sat at a table outside, near the two girls. We weren’t close enough to talk with the girls from our table, so we chatted a bit ourselves, then got up, and on the way out, did a double-take (another pickup trick) to say, “Oh, you girls might be interested in this…”

I pulled out two cards and told them they were invited to an event our church was putting on. The first girl surprisingly admitted that she already had two of those fliers. Apparently, she had been invited to the event by her small group leader (she was in a non-Frontline small group). The other girl said she didn’t have a flier, so I handed her one. We made some additional small talk, then departed.

We handed cards out to more folks on the way back to Barnes & Noble… A surfer-type dude, a punk rock girl sitting at an outdoor table, and possibly another. I can’t remember.

After reuniting with the others, we headed back to RTC. On the way, we handed out more fliers. I started to understand that it’s much easier to hand these things out while on the move, rather than standing in one place, targeting passersby.

We spent some time at one of our small group member’s condo (he lives in RTC), then on the way back to our cars a few hours later, I ran into an improv buddy of mine, Matt, and his gal pal. He was actually the one who spotted, then called out to me. I have a feeling he totally knew what I was doing there (thanks to my Facebook status), so after making small talk, he specifically asked what it was we were handing out (what a kind fellow!). We told him about The After Party, and handed him and his friend a card. Matt exclaimed that he would be there, but he’s always generous with his words. His friend, on the other hand, seemed very reluctant about the whole thing.

Leaving Reston Town Center, I felt like the whole task of handing out fliers was a piece of cake. Once you get over the fear of rejection and become immune to actual rejection, it’s a walk in the park.

The obvious reason for going out with a partner is for the physical and moral support. It’s tough to go out into a hostile world with the Gospel message. Undoubtedly, you will be rejected by a large percentage of the people you approach. And having someone else with you for support is paramount to keeping you motivated to press on.

So, it’s simply practical to go out in pairs.

But in my experience with approaching strangers — especially in bars — it’s even more helpful to be paired up with someone from the opposite sex. If a man and woman are together, most people will assume you are a couple. So, when you approach a group or individual, you will seem less threatening, in that they will not assume you are “hitting on them.”

If, for example, two guys initiate a conversation with a girl, the girl is already intimidated by the thought of being hit on by two guys — and her defenses go way up.

But if that same girl was approached by a woman accompanied by a man, she will be much less guarded.

The last thing we want is for people to assume we’re hitting on them. Instead, we want them to rightly assume we simply want to talk and engage in an entertaining — yet meaningful — conversation.

Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

It’s the easiest opener in the world. And it is always asked.

Example…

You walk into a bar with your partner/group. You enjoy each others’ company, then open an adjacent set, talking about anything. Build rapport through a totally normal, friendly conversation. And wait.

The group or individual you’re talking to will eventually ask you the question. How do you know each other? And that’s your perfect opportunity to say, “Oh, we know each other through church. We go to _______. Ever heard of it?”

Depending on their reaction to what you just said, you can tailor your follow-up questions and comments. And practice your listening skills. But more on that in another post.

The important thing here is that, by going out in pairs or groups, you provide yourselves with a very easy opportunity to bring up church, religion, Christ, and the Gospel.

Later, I’ll explain why it’s best to go out in coed pairs.

I wanted there to be similar training that taught Christians how to naturally discuss spiritual matters with friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers – without being confrontational, rude, or insincere (the typical stereotypes of proselytizing Christians).

Approaching a stranger with the purpose of sharing the Gospel with him or her requires the same skills as the art of picking up a woman at a bar. You need an indirect approach, a casual opener, listening skills, escalation in the conversation, and an eventual statement of interest (or objective). Unlike pickup, I think steering the conversation toward spiritual matters would be easy, as it’s an unexpected goal and not something the recipient is actively defending against. But I digress…

The point is that I had been learning so much about networking and approaching strangers, that I knew there had to be a better use of these skills than simply for my own selfish benefit. I hypothesized what this world would be like, if every Christian had the skills and confidence to approach anyone, anywhere, at anytime with the purpose of evangelism.

Two weeks ago, I attended a workshop on “How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less.” It was a business-networking workshop based on a book of the same name. We basically learned how to give a good first impression through our body language, tone of voice, and attitude. I had already taken the class and read the book three years ago, so it was more of a refresher for me. After the class was over, the teacher asked me if I would like to take over for her as the teacher of the workshop going forward. I thought it’d be fun, so I said yes.

The next day, I signed up for a “How to Share Your Faith” workshop at McLean Bible Church. This was the first time they offered a training workshop on evangelism, so I didn’t know what to expect. The workshop was held yesterday, and I can quite honestly say that it changed my life.

The majority of the workshop was typical stuff… We discussed the reasons why we don’t engage in evangelism (fear of making things socially awkward with friends and coworkers, etc.), what the Bible had to say about the topic, and ways to turn a conversation towards spiritual topics.

They showed this video of Penn (from Penn & Teller), which I found very powerful…

We participated in an activity where we practiced approaching strangers (note: there were a couple hundred people in the room) and bringing up Christianity naturally in our conversations.

I thought it was all very beneficial, but nothing mind-blowing. Then we had a surprise…

It seemed like the workshop was ending about 2 hours early, when the organizers surprised us with instant field missions – tasks for every table to accomplish out “in the field” (i.e., Tyson’s Corner) in the next two hours. As soon as I heard this, I was totally psyched. This workshop just turned into a boot camp (a la the pickup arts boot camps).

My table was assigned the Bed, Bath, and Beyond shopping center on Rt. 7. My teammates seemed anxious on the drive over, but I didn’t. I’d done this kind of thing before, and sharing the Gospel with strangers seemed like a really easy thing to do compared to the other stuff I’ve had to do on boot camps.

When we arrived at BB&B, I took a walk around the store and thought this really wasn’t going to work for me. Some of my tablemates successfully opened folks in the store, including the manager, so I figured they had the place covered. I went next door to Chic’s and Wings for a beer with one of my teammates, Heidi.

When we entered the bar, nobody looked up, so I didn’t have an immediate “in.” Heidi and I sat at the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. We chatted with each other, then I brought the bartender, Jessica, into our conversation. We talked about the NCAA tournament (of which I knew nothing about), but fortunately Heidi and Jessica connected, as their schools were still in the tournament (or had just lost). After a short while of this, I mentioned to Jessica that we were from a church up the road and had a short questionnaire for her, if she had the time to participate. She said she had to take care of some other stuff, but would come back if she could.

After 5-10 minutes, Heidi sighed and supposed that Jessica was not coming back. I said she had to at least give us the check.

Jessica did return and said she could take our survey. I assured her that if she at anytime didn’t feel comfortable answering any of the questions, she didn’t have to (I honestly hadn’t read the 5 questions prior, as this was Heidi’s challenge). As Heidi asked Jessica the very simple, non-confrontational questions, I noticed Jessica’s boss standing about 10 feet away, looking for some sort of signal from Jessica. I figured they worked out a “safety sign” to trigger a rescue prior to coming over. Thankfully, the manager was never signaled to come over, though she never took her eyes off us.

Heidi finished her questionnaire, and we found out that Jessica was a self-proclaimed Christian, but didn’t really know whether or not she would go to Heaven if she died, or by what criteria that could happen. She also told us that she doesn’t go to church, but that was mostly due to the fact that she had just moved here from Michigan not too long ago. I invited her to attend Frontline on a Sunday night, as there were more people like Heidi and I there, and we’d love to have her. I handed her a little Frontline card with basic information on the services (which was my challenge). Jessica thanked us, and I left her a big tip.

As we were leaving, Heidi grabbed some other material she had with her and approached a two-set of guys sitting at the bar. She told them about Frontline, invited them to come, and gave them the info cards. I couldn’t find the correct words to tell Heidi how proud I was of her boldness – as that kind of cold approach can be really intimidating – but I hope she somehow knows.

After leaving the bar, I realized how much more satisfying it was to do these kinds of social “missions,” than the other kind of challenges I’ve been involved with. And how cool it would be to find a partner who had the same calling.

I went home and “cleaned house” literally and figuratively. All of the ambitions and selfish pursuits I’ve been preoccupied with paled in comparison to this new calling. I want to continue developing my social and conversational skills – not for secular ambitions, but rather for spiritual, eternally significant ambitions.

And not only do I want to continue learning these skills, but I want to start teaching them as well. I want to lead evangelism boot camps. I want to train Christians to do this. And I want to spend my time with people who want to do this.

But I have to be prepared to lose everything else in my life. I’ve spent so much time developing social circles outside of my Christian world… It’ll be hard, but I have to accept the fact that, once I start down this path, I may very likely lose everything else.

With God’s help, and the support of Christian friends and fellow evangelists like Heidi, I’m willing to take that chance.

I’m sorry I can’t be more specific than that. I’ve been working on a large, multi-year project that I don’t want anyone to know about yet. There are several phases to this project, and I just recently finished a long, difficult one.

The next phase begins in April, when I will begin training of another kind.

Creating the end product will seem simple compared to the difficulty of the research and training involved.

But it will be worth it. Personally, spiritually and (hopefully) financially.

I will say this about my project… A lot of what I’m doing involves conquering fear.

Most people fear talking to strangers. Whether it’s public speaking, mingling, or approaching people of the opposite sex. They fear inter-personal communication, because it makes them vulnerable. The anxiety of putting themselves out there and being rejected is too much for them to bear. So they don’t even bother trying.

When you add this fear of passive rejection with an additional fear of active aggression that comes from talking about controversial topics, you have the great terror that every Christian faces.

Evangelism.

Not only is it frightening to approach a stranger in the first place, but it’s absolutely terrifying to try to build instant rapport with a stranger AND talk about something they will probably hate you for bringing up.

The logistics are confounding.

And yet, that’s what we’re supposed to do as Christians.

But just imagine if Christians could get over this approach anxiety and have enough conversation skills to talk about controversial topics without coming across as judgmental or obnoxious…

The “Christian” stereotype would certainly be different.

Most Christians fall into two categories, when it comes to evangelism… 1) They’re too afraid to even make the approach, or 2) they have boldness, but no interpersonal skills to communicate in a civilized manner.

The only “evangelists” I’ve run into in my life have been crazy wackos on my college campus, who thought that shouting at the students—calling them sluts and pagans—was the best way to talk about Jesus.

What if we could transplant that boldness into someone skilled in civilized conversation?

Evangelism involves four body parts… The heart, brain, tongue and balls.

• A Christian needs a heart for evangelism. The concern for the unsaved drives them to want to help.
• A Christian needs a brain for evangelism. They have to know the message that they’re trying to communicate.
• A Christian needs a tongue for evangelism. They need to be able to communicate the message in an appropriate, clear way.
• A Christian needs balls for evangelism. They need the courage to talk to anyone about Christ and risk ridicule and rejection.

It is my mission to provide these skills to fellow Christians.

Last weekend, I spent a lot of time in prayer over the issue of evangelism. I listened to a lot of teaching and read books on the subject. I slowly acknowledged that straight-up evangelism (i.e., telling someone the story of the Gospel) was not necessarily every Christian’s call, and that I had thought “too highly of myself” and the task of evangelism.

For some are called “to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” Both evangelism and “making disciples” are an equal part of the Great Commission. While every Christian should be able to give an account for the hope that is in him, we are not all called to be evangelists.

I didn’t want this acknowledgement to make me lazy in the task of evangelism, but I had to admit that to be a witness for Christ was to testify, when He and His teachings are “on trial,” as a witness to His work in my life. When I am in the presence of false accusations against Christ and Christianity, it is my duty to stand up for Christ.

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38

But if no such false accusations are present, then my attitude should be to look for opportunities to share the Gospel, but to also be keenly aware of how my words, attitude and behavior bare witness to those around me, as well. In this way, my life is a witness to Christ. Christians are constantly being witnesses for Christ, regardless of what they’re saying or who they’re with—simply by the lives they lead. If verbal evangelism is not present, then surely our lives tell the watching world of Christ’s work of salvation.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” – Titus 2:7-8

However, if we lack both verbal evangelism and non-verbal evangelism, then it is safe to say there is no Christ in our lives to bare witness to.

The Friendship of J.

Prior to meeting with J. on Monday night, I had become very nervous and conflicted over my evangelistic strategy. I had previously been determined to share the Gospel with her that night. But as I had begun seeking God’s direction, I became more open to the idea of letting my “light shine before her” and simply showing her Christ’s love through my actions.

Part of the brokenness I see in J.’s life is how little she values herself and how that affects the way she allows others to treat her poorly. Above all else, I wanted to treat her the way Christ sees her—as individually valuable. That was the theme of the evening. Whether it was holding an umbrella over her, as we walked to the car, or buying her an expensive dinner at Clyde’s—I wanted her to feel valued. And maybe one day, I’ll be able to explain to her where that value comes from.

As the evening came to a close, it was important for me to show her that she didn’t need to do anything to earn the favor she received. It was freely given—as is Christ’s love. We went back to her apartment after dinner for a drink and to watch “The Office,” but I was very cordial and left immediately afterwards.

The evening turned out well—albeit slightly different from what I had intended. Once I got home, I breathed a sigh of relief and went straight to bed. …But not before going into my bathroom and throwing up.

The Departure of M.

M. is the hardest working person in my office. M. is the quietest person in the office. He is ignored by upper management and is passed over for promotions time and time again. M. puts me to shame in both patience and work ethic. He is not a Christian, but he lives out the call of Christ to “be perfect.” More so than I. I admire him a lot.

I’ve tried to be as good a worker as he, so that I wouldn’t tarnish the name of Christ through my apathetic performance in the office. But I always fall short of M.’s example. So, instead, I try my best with my work and show Christ’s love to M. by being a positive and trustworthy friend in the office. Although he’s used to eating his lunch in his cube, I’ve been inviting him to join me for lunch in the cafeteria and at local restaurants. We also went to two rock concerts together last month.

While we ate lunch in the cafeteria on Tuesday, he told me he had accepted a job in McLean and was leaving Sprint Nextel. He said I was the first to know. I felt honored that he wanted to tell me first, but I was also sad that I only had two more weeks to hang out with him. I told him I was happy for him, and he thanked me for my encouragement.

I imagine I will be hanging out with M. a lot in the coming weeks. And I hope I can continue to apply the methods of evangelism I’ve been considering here. In M.’s case, there is a two-week end point. But with other people in my life, I don’t have a clearly defined time span to influence them. The next time I see them could be the last.

So, I prayed for these folks and asked God for the opportunity to talk with them about Christ in the coming days. As I mentally went through the list of folks I started with, more and more folks came to mind.

It’s a simple thing, but when I came to work the next morning, I shared out one of my iTunes playlists. (Note: Many folks in the office share out their playlists, so everyone can listen to each other’s music with iTunes.) Well, instead of sharing out a sample of songs, I shared out several sermons and lectures by John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul that dealt with work-related issues (like honoring God with your work ethic, finding the right job, etc.). I was pleased to find my playlist accessed routinely throughout the day.

At lunch, I sat with my friend and coworker, M.. (We went to a couple rock shows together last month.) Our conversations usually revolve around how Sprint Nextel is screwing us over—disgruntled, to say the least. On this day, I decided to stay positive and tell him, truthfully, that I wasn’t too worried about circumstances beyond my control. I told him it would actually be cool to not have to work in January, because I was planning to take seminary classes this winter. He seemed surprised that I was interested in going to seminary. He told me how he grew up in a Catholic school and needed to “get back into it.” I told him I was a Protestant—to which he suggested that Protestants and Catholics basically believe the same thing. It wasn’t the time to bring up theology, so I let it pass. He told me that all religions basically believe the same thing (which didn’t surprise me, since this is the prevailing view of our pluralistic & relativist culture), but what he hated most of all was when people tried to push their beliefs on him. We didn’t talk about religion after that, but the door is still open. At least now he knows where I stand, and the topic is within limits to talk about. M. is one of the people I will pray for.

J., the girl I sort of dated this summer, is another one I pray for. She recently showed up to a kickball board meeting and, while we chatted about each other’s love lives, she mentioned all these instances, when lame guys physically and emotionally mistreated her. It struck me hard at the time. I was so saddened by her jaded attitude towards dating and how little value she placed in herself. When I told her I was single again, she seemed genuinely excited about the possibility of hanging out. The reason, I can only imagine, is that I was probably the only guy she’s been with, who didn’t treat her like a sex object. While I don’t want to date her again, I am eager to hang out and be a good friend to her. Of all the people I know, she seems to be the most in need of spiritual deliverance. We are planning to meet on Monday for dinner. I’m going to pray continuously this weekend for God to prepare me for this evangelistic opportunity. I’ve never shared the Gospel with someone face-to-face. But I’m planning to on Monday. (Your prayers would be appreciated.)

There are others I would like to speak with about Christ. But J. and M. seem to be the ones God has placed in my path at this time.

I believe that once a Christian fails to be concerned with his own reputation in society (at work, at school, or even at kickball), his love for those around him blossoms and forces him to share the Gospel. After all, it’s because we love that we evangelize. If we do not evangelize, what does that say about our attitudes towards those around us? Do we love ourselves more than them? In order to have a heart for others, we must first take our eyes off ourselves.

Evangelism is something I’ve felt convicted to do for several years. Only now is it starting to happen. With God’s help, I will participate in the Great Commission and overcome the shame I feel for not having loved those around me. What happens to me, or my reputation, is irrelevant.

God, use me to accomplish your will. Help me to love J. and M. more than myself.

I was impressed with the church. The sanctuary is about a fifth of the size of McLean Bible Church’s. It provided an intimate, yet modern, worship environment.

The event was called “Conversations,” and it was a mix of drama skits, testimonies, and live music. In all honesty, I thought it was the best bit of evangelism I’ve ever witnessed. Each of the five acts targeted different segments of people—a few of which really pinpointed where my friend E is right now. At parts, it sounded as if they were talking specifically about mine & E’s relationship and year-long dialog on Christianity.

After the performance, the pastor spoke for a bit, explaining the role that Jesus plays in the big picture of salvation. He communicated it very well—making it clear and simple. I think E was impressed with the evening’s message, and M seemed to gradually become less and less hostile (judging from her body language throughout the performance).

Once the lights came on & we started to exit the sanctuary, I got caught up in some conversations with other audience members. I recognized one girl from Campus Crusade at GMU (ten years ago). I’ve also seen her at Frontline before. She told me she was just talking about me earlier today with P (the former leader of GMU’s Campus Crusade for Christ), with whom she works. Apparently, he popped in my “Heroine” CD and asked her if she knew what ever became of me. I told her to tell him I’m now the captain of a church kickball team. I also tried to recruit her for my team (even though I don’t have any spots left). She said her friends had wanted to join, but she wasn’t into it. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), she has just gotten married, and she and her husband are “shopping” for a church to go to on Sunday mornings. I told her—in all seriousness—that I was going to start going to Reston Bible Church on Sunday mornings (or Saturday nights), in addition to going to Frontline. I want to attend a church that’s more intimate and traditional than MBC. Then keep Frontline as something additional and separate—a place where I can do more serving than being served.

Anyway, I was really impressed with Reston Bible Church. They have a great facility, the pastor is terrific, the worship music is really good, and there seemed to be a lot of cool, young adults in attendance. Plus, I already know a few people there. I’m going to try and make it back there this weekend.

I HIGHLY recommend their “Conversations” performance. It’s playing for two more nights (Thursday, Friday). If you get a chance to go, you really should. It’s a really great presentation. They really know what they’re doing over there. Bring your friends.

I’m hoping E will have a lot of questions for me tomorrow.

I just read today’s Table Talk devotion, and it concluded with these words… “If you make a serious effort to share the Gospel with others, you will experience rejection. Many of those you speak to will ridicule you and will laugh at the truths you hold dear. But by God’s grace, you will have success, too, for God has His elect, and all those He chooses, He predestines and calls. Press on in your proclamation.”

I will. And I do. Praise God.

Unfortunately, along with the museums, monuments, and other lavish sights of D.C. comes the unavoidable need for food breaks. And in D.C., the food is not cheap.

After wandering aimlessly from one vender to another, from one museum restaurant to the next, I tell Tina, Jo, Su and Shelley of the reasonably-priced cafeteria in the Air & Space Museum. We agree on eating there, and embark on our small journey down the street. But first, we must cross this street and get to the opposite side.

Across we trot, the small, one-way tar trail penetrating the souls of our shoes to warm our feet. Suddenly, we are approached by a strange looking man carrying a number of small books and pamphlets in his arms. The half-bald man wears a loose, Indian robe and upon his goateed mouth stretches an insanely vibrant smile. Immediately, my eyes catch sight of colorful, square smiley face stickers in his hand, and I think, “Cool. Free stickers!”

The man gives us a silly explanation as to why he stopped us, claiming that Jo looked like Cindy Crawford and Su looked like Claudia Shiffer. I was disappointed that he did not find me to resemble Stephanie Seymour. This objection of mine seeped up my throat, but right before the words tumbled over my smiling lips, he begins to describe the New Age group that he belongs to and works for. I casually tune out whatever this guy is saying, knowing full well that New Age thinking conflicts heavily with the Christian worldview and ideas that I believe to be the truth.

Reluctantly and impatiently, I wait for the man to give me a sticker and the opportunity to say “No. I’m not interested.” I know my Pennsylvania friends are extremely hungry, and I have no intention of wasting a minute of the preciously limited time I have with them on this man’s foolishness. All of my friends, except Tina, take the initiative of walking away from the man, leaving myself and Tina with the difficult task of telling the poor guy “No.”

After a few of the man’s pointless praises of his New Age group and repeated attempts to sell us some of his pamphlets, my friend turns to him and tells him that we are born again Christians and that we don’t agree with what his group is teaching. With a quick, surprised step back, the man grins and exclaims, “Christians?! You all look like punk rockers to me!”

Puzzled by the man’s seemingly illogical train of thought, I let out a small chuckle, but my friend responds quickly and sincerely says, “We believe that Jesus Christ gives us a certain liberty to be… ‘punk rockers’…” And with that, the man quickly darts away from us, apparently hostile to the name “Jesus.”

Now, I stand there, benumbed and silent, replaying the still-fresh events of the last couple of minutes in my mind. Tina turns to me and says, “Well, I guess he didn’t want to talk about Jesus…!”

Did he not? I think about what had happened. I think about what the man did. But I also think about what I did, or in this case, didn’t do. I didn’t want to talk about Jesus, either. During the entire encounter, I was looking for an opportunity to disconnect from this guy and get away from him. I didn’t see the perfect opportunity to witness, as my friend did. It never even crossed my mind. …but I know it should have.

As a Christian, it is my duty and obligation to tell as many people as I can about the free gift of salvation that Jesus Christ offers. Christ himself tells every Christian to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” I know these words by heart. I even tell other Christians to witness and spread the Good News, because it’s our Christian duty. Yet, this day, it is I who have failed in my duty. For something so important to me, it is hard for me to understand why I did not share the hope within me to a man that did not know the way to Heaven.

My friends and I regroup with our still-hungry stomachs, and resume our pilgrimage down the hot, white D.C. sidewalk. The jokes resume within our little group, and our laughter continues throughout the day. There is no further mention of the man we ran into outside the Smithsonian. And there is no mention of the great shame I felt inside.