The last two nights I've stocked shelves in the grocery department because there weren't enough hours to go around in the meat department. I was NOT happy about that. I have the second most seniority among all the guys back there and yet I'm the one whose hours get cut. This is the time of year where I can work full-time since school is out. And I NEED those hours to make money to pay for school (one more semester!). This is one of those situations where I have to watch how I respond and I must confess that I haven't responded as well as I should have. However, God has a way of working things out. While I'm not working where I'd like to be, I get to talk to a whole set of new people.
First, the awkward comments. Last night I was leaving work I had finished my job - fronting and facing the whole store. No big deal. So I really had nothing to do. I asked the store manager if there was anything else I could do because I didn't want him to send me home early. There wasn't so he sent me home. The awkward part came when he said, "Just make one more round and then you may go my son." My son? MY SON? He knows I'm in seminary and I guess he figured that's what we say there. Yep. Seminary is a place where we all walk around in frocks and refer to each other as Fathers and Sons and only speak in 15th century English. Its weird what people assume. I did tell him that I had never used that phrase with anyone and we had a good laugh. The weird things people say because they don't know what else to say. Eh, whatever.
Second, there's Glenn the Alien Guy. Glenn is an upper middle aged guy who doesn't get out much and watches a lot of History and Discovery. So, consequently he really thinks the Bible has something to do with Aliens and that Aliens really exists. He spends a lot of his time trying to convince me, but, oh, I don't know, call me a skeptic. Glenn is one of those guys who tests me in ways that no one else does. Two reasons:
1. When he talks to me its rarely in private so other people listen in. Most of these people think Glenn is crazy. He's actually pretty smart. He's got this whole algorithm figured out on how he's going to win the lottery and runs a lottery pool at work. Its crazy, but he's dedicated. I think I could write a book on this guy. Back to my point - people listen when we talk. I'm not saying I respond as graciously as I should every time we chat about E.T. but what if I joined in with the "making fun" crowd. It would be really easy to do. I mean he's a giant slow pitched softball on a pee wee field. Guaranteed home run. What would that say about the gospel? It would slam the door on him and everyone else. I'm certainly not saying that this is easy, but the Lord has really taught me patience with this guy. Why can't God save him too? Why wouldn't God save Him? He's the type of guy that is a social leper and needs to stand at the edge of the city and beg for attention (Luke 17). We should have mercy on such people. Not because I'm the "it" guy or have better social skills than him. Its because I was that guy on the edge of The City looking in and Jesus had mercy on me. Who am I to look down on him because he believes in Aliens. We were all hostile to the gospel and enemies of God at one point. His idols are aliens and money. Mine is usually me.
2. I'm learning a whole new set of apologetics with Glenn. How do you rightly defend the faith against aliens? Not that aliens are attacking Jesus or anything. But how do you fit the gospel into a guy's world view that includes crop circles and flying saucers. He thinks that Enoch was taken up by Aliens. Seriously. So I may need your help on this one. Here's what I've done so far. Every time we talk about it I try to get the focus of the conversation off of aliens and on to God. I learned a lot of good conversational apologetics from a book called "Pastor's Sketches" by Ichabod Spencer.... written in the 1850's. Anyway, he also believes in God and insists that he grew up Southern Baptist. Usually I conceded to him that aliens might exist. BUT, if they do, they are a product of creation and that there still is a Creator. So last night I took him to Romans 1 and showed him what happens to those of us who exchange the worship of the creator for the worship of creation. So I say, "Glenn, all of creation is pointing to their Creator and aren't meant to be ends to themselves for worship. Aliens should point us to God - if the exist." My goal is to show him, as great as aliens might be, God is greater and his affections and worship should be directed towards Him - through Christ. So, those have been my big challenges the last few nights.
Any thoughts on how you might share the gospel with someone like Glenn?
0 comments:
Post a Comment