It was hot. I was tired and thirsty. My back hurt and legs ached. I really wasn’t interested in easing into a conversation about Jesus being the Way, the Truth and Life so I walked up to the two guys sliding rails on skateboards and blurted out, “Hey, we’re out talking to people about God and were interested in what you guys thought about the topic.”

Wow. I got a load coming back. One guy totally rejected any idea of God as Being and the other said he’d been so burned by religion that he didn’t have an interest. It turned into a 20 minute conversation about spiritual things. Major eye opener.

Have you ever gone out street witnessing? To me it is the equivalent of cold calling or telemarketing. I do not enjoy it, or at least didn’t before yesterday. Too often many “evangelists” lay it on the unsuspecting subject pretty heavy then rush to the “If you were to die today do you know where you’d spend eternity?” It communicates “I see you as a person to be converted.” It is a conversation killer. I once did frequent door to door evangelism with a guy who would not leave the doorstep until he got a decision from the people to whom we were talking. Totally turned me off to “tract” witnessing.

But yesterday I learned a few things.

First, just jump in and say you’re asking about God. Heck, people talk about sports, politics, the economy, why not talk about God. Just be ready for that conversation to go anywhere.

Second, truly be interested in a conversation. I learned a lot from the skateboarders about their worldview and where they are spiritually. They didn’t “pray to receive Christ” but we had a good conversation and they got to hear the Gospel as we both respectfully communicated our views on things.

Third, and this is a biggie, it isn’t my job to convert people. In other words, their salvation isn’t contingent upon me. It is contingent upon the Gospel. It is my responsibility to clearly communicate that God created, man sinned and separated himself from God, God is holy and has to punish sin, man can’t do anything to find his way back to God and lives under a death sentence, God loves His creation and wants to save humans so He sent Jesus to take the punishment due each person so that whoever believes in their heart and confesses with their mouths that Jesus is Lord they will be forgiven of their sin and their relationship – the relationship God intended man to have with Him – will be restored. Too often, I think preachers put a guilt trip on people that when witnessing we’ve got to “close the deal.” Wrong! The Holy Spirit is the deal closer. He is the One who saves, who grants faith and brings people into God’s Kingdom. Nobody gets saved without the preaching of the Gospel (my job), but salvation is of the Lord!

Fourth, there is nothing magical about some “sinners prayer.” You can’t find one in the Bible. Salvation is not getting somebody to pray a prayer. Salvation comes through belief (faith) that Jesus is who He said He is (God) and that it is His death and resurrection that makes salvation possible. Believe it and confess it!

Finally, I learned not to see people as targets to convert but people whom we should engage in genuine conversation. I found releasing my felt need to “close the deal” totally released all the pressure to be perfect in my presentation. It is easier to love people when you want to talk with them rather than talk at them.

Our orientation center is filled with reminders of keeping the world in view. You can’t walk around campus and not bump into a variety of globes and maps. One of the cool things – other than the great photography from points around the world – are the textures of the textiles of the world’s peoples. There are interesting dresses, skirts, blankets that wrap huts in remote nomadic cultures, mats that cover packed dirt floors in Africa and more. This brief (and somewhat hokie) slide show is just a few of the many. (No sound in video).

We were in worship Sunday and my mind gravitated toward….Sprite.

Doubtful the producers of the Sprite commercial had any idea they’d stumbled into a profound theological question when they asked: “What’s my motivation?” One of the nuances of orientation is small group worship, simulating a Bible study that leads to a church plant. Our group has 11 people counting two kids.

Our task Sunday was to look at Isaiah chapter 6. This of course is a passage of Scripture that many people associate with a calling to go overseas as a cross cultural witness, however, I saw something in these passages that I’ve been chewing on for a couple days. It launched Isaiah on his journey and should keep me – keep you – on yours.

Verses 1-4 reveal the intense holiness of God, so much so that as Isaiah witnessed this holiness he was devastated by his sinfulness. Think about that. Here’s a guy who was already a cut above others in his culture (read the first five chapters to find out how depraved the culture was) and he was already serving God as a prophet. This “good” man was rocked by his sinfulness when compared to God’s holiness. Verse 5 recounts his reaction, God allows for (atones for) the cleansing of Isaiah’s sin in verse 6-7.

Verse 8 begins the famous calling passage that culminates in Isaiah saying, “Here am I, send me.”

I wonder: Would Isaiah have been so eager to volunteer if he’d first been given the next five verses (6:9-13)? Doubt I would have been. Read them. God brings judgment on the people for their sins and Isaiah is the guy to deliver the news.

Here’s the application: Isaiah was motivated by encountering a holy God and NOT the task he was given. The application for the workers here at orientation preparing to go overseas– and any follower of Christ for that matter – is that the Christian life will ebb and flow and tasks are subject to personal likes and dislikes. However, obedience to the will of God grounded in the unchanging character of God is all the motivation any of us should ever need to live a successful – albeit sometimes difficult – Christian life.

Something to mull over next time you’re drinking Sprite.

I love flags…and maps….and globes. I’ve taken a shine to them over the past 12 years as I’ve traveled in nearly 30 countries. (Wish I could retake some of those world geography tests! Surely I’d do better. Our orientation center lends itself to flag gluttony and the cafeteria is a location for flag feasting.  The photo is a sampling of the flags, but there are many more that hang in the kids’ school as well as other locations around campus. How many of these can you get correct?

 

“What?” I thought, totally perplexed. “That’s an odd thing to say.” I may have anticipated something like, “Be sure to close the door to keep the kids from staring at the white guy;” or “Don’t mind the flies, it’s like that everywhere;” or even, “Take a deep breath and hold it before you go in there.” But, “be sure to chase the roosters out before you go? Is he serious?”

 

Dead serious.

 

As I was about to straddle the porcelain trench, sure enough, I had to shoo the community roosters which were lurking about. He learned the hard way. Glad I got the tip! (And by the way, there was no door and the white guy drew a crowd, the flies really aren’t that bad everywhere – just squatty potties in remote villages, and I needed a respirator more than a deep breath.)

 

I was reminded of that story as I entered the cafeteria bathroom here at the facility in Virginia where our family is preparing to go overseas. Third stall to the right, open the door – BOOM – China flashback, minus the rooster. Here in the first world, in a building with perfectly good plumbing and three other “real” toilets, is a squatty. Now THAT is commitment to preparing people to live cross culturally! (Now if they’ll just teach us about bidets!)

 

This whole journey began most recently with a call back in November to see if we’d “be willing to throw some things in a crate and move back overseas.” Michelle and I lived in Panama before but frankly had settled into a nice little life in Middle Tennessee: Great church, great school for our daughter, great friends at work and plenty of affordable municipal golf courses nearby. Well, long story short, house is gone, job is gone, school is gone, clubs are crated – along with everything we didn’t sell (which isn’t much) – and we are eight weeks away from moving to Europe for only God knows how long.

 

So to document this journey, I decided to launch a blog, Travels With Me, so you could come along for the ride. I’ll take you places that I’ve been, places where we’re going and take you on trips with me to places across Europe and countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. However, not all trips will be to geographic places. Some journeys will be spiritual, as God continues to carry my family and me down a path that began years ago. Ultimately it is life’s spiritual journey that matters much more than the geographic.

 

So welcome. I plan to post frequently…and I’ll try to give advance warning if there are roosters ahead!