Gone Fishin' SixIhe Atụ

Gone Fishin'

The News Is Depressing

Gina and I were on a walk about a month ago and enjoyed a nice conversation with a neighbor about half a mile away. Since then, we've talked two or three times and traded grapefruits for oranges.

I go out of my way to walk by her house regularly, hoping to have a conversation about the Lord.

Today, I brought her grapefruit, and we talked outside for about 30 minutes. She is a great conversationalist, a very industrious single 65-year-old.

She said, "I regularly work 3 hours in my garden to get some relief from the very DEPRESSING NEWS."

I immediately thought about the Steps To Peace With God tract in my pocket, which I brought to read through with another neighbor.

I asked her where she went to college and found it to be a Catholic nursing school in Bel Air, California. I said, "Did they have a spiritual dimension to nursing school?"

She explained they required theology and philosophy courses. I said, "Are you still strong in your Catholicism today?" She said, "No, I'm afraid I've fallen a long way from Catholicism." And looked embarrassed about it. She had married a Jewish fellow, and the priests would not allow her to be married in the church. Very upsetting to her.

She was disappointed at the time because she figured the Ecumenical Movement would have made it possible for her to marry him. She said she hadn't read her Bible since she was a young child.

I said, "It reminds me of when I became a Christian at 21 and hitchhiked across the country to the World's Fair in 1964 with my best friend. We didn't take any money."

I said, "We understood that following Christ meant telling other people about him, so it was our mission. I remember sitting in Grand Central station between two nuns and telling them that they could KNOW they were going to heaven if they died. They told me, 'That's not true. You can't KNOW if you will go to heaven.'" I showed them my Bible where it says you can KNOW, and they said that it is not in their Bible." (It is.)

M is a very strong personality and I noticed her becoming softer. I expected her to be reactive.

We chatted about a few other things and ultimately as I got ready to leave I said, "M, I always carry around with me a leaflet by Billy Graham called Steps To Peace with God. Because you shared with me your distress about the news, I thought you might really like it.

Normally, I would sit down and read it with you, but because of COVID-19, I would just ask if you would be willing to read it?" She said, "Sure."

We talked for another 10 minutes about other things, and off I went.

"Thank you, God, for doing what you usually do. Making things easy if I don't force It."

I am learning to love the people with whom God’s Spirit is prompting me to share His story. I never know what God might already be doing in their lives. The love of Jesus has stirred within me and completely overcome my fears and obstacles to sharing. Praise the Lord!

What an adventure! To God be the glory!

Please say a prayer for M. She is like millions, depressed about the news - wanting HOPE.

Be Encouraged. Be Inspired.
Have GOALS. Go. Open Your Mouth. Ask Questions. Listen. Share your story.

Your brother in Christ, Drake

Billy Graham says, "I am convinced that one of the greatest things we can do is to memorize Scripture." Billy Graham, Personal Thoughts of a Public Man p. 88