Confessions of An Evangelistic Jerk

My friend Tim Fisher

     writes about his soul-winning nightmare.

He was a once a youth pastor,

     young and passionate for Christ.

Wanting to help his teens become “soul-winners”,

     he developed SWAT (Soul Winning Advanced Training)

          though he confesses he wasn’t so advanced himself.

One night he took his youth group to a local shopping mall,

     with a plan to approach strangers,

          engage them in conversation

               and ask them to participate in a three-question survey

                    leading to a spiritual conversation.

After an hour of this activity

     (not having been arrested by mall cops)

          the group headed to McDonald’s to celebrate.

As they sat down to eat,

     Tim noticed a young woman sitting by herself –

“a prime candidate for further evangelistic work.”

Approaching the woman,

     he noticed that she wore a cross on her necklace –

          a conversation-starter!

Tim writes:

     “After clearing my throat, I asked in a manner as natural

          as I could muster one of the most unnatural questions

               you would ask a perfect stranger.

     ‘I noticed your necklace and was wondering

          what the cross means to you?’

     She replied somewhat timidly…

          'It reminds me of my mother, who gave it to me.'

     With an urgency, as if the flames of hell

          were about to engulf her at any moment,

               I blurted out, ‘Well, let me tell you

                    what that cross means to me…’

     A few moments later, as I rapidly spoke lest I forget something,

          the young woman got up shaking her head and walked out,

               leaving me bewildered as to why anyone

                    would reject eternity so.”

Tim has come a long way since then.

     In his new book Contagious But Not Quarantined

          he suggests much more natural ways to share God’s love.

It’s a book well worth reading, and I highly recommend it

     if you’re serious about sharing God’s love with others.

                    (available at Amazon.com and bn.com)