Well the time has arrived. Someone finally approached me with an invitation to join them in their journey with Jesus; it only took 1yr & 8 months, but my time of acceptance or rejection arrived. A wonderful young man named James approached me at Starbucks after ordering a coffee & told me about his church. Unwilling to let a good opportunity slip by he then asked, "Would you like to join us this Sunday? We're a new church & you can come with tattoos, piercings, or anything else." I asked him about his service & made his drink. Homeboy saw a glimmer of acceptance in my eyes & left some tracts at the end of the bar.
1yr & 8 months. That's how long it took someone to invite me into anything remotely Christian let alone a relationship with Jesus. My assumption is that we are surrounded by people who aren't being invited.
One of the things we are realizing here in Santa Cruz is that we are saying no for people. What I mean is, instead of actually inviting them we assume they'll say no, so we never ask. In fact, we are inviting many people who are saying no, but rejection is a part of the gospel. However, 1 invite per year & eight months is not enough. We need communities who invite people into a relationship with Life. Too, what we're realizing is that most people are saying no to something that doesn't exist. They're saying no to a god who isn't GOD; they're saying no to a jesus that isn't anything like JESUS; they're saying no to a religion we're not a part of. People's "no's" stink of educated ignorance, which is our responsibility & joy to remedy.
The next day a woman approaches me saying, "Can we hang this sign up, we're starting a new service here in Scotts Valley." I tell her, "I'm sorry Starbucks won't allow religious material in the store." She becomes frustrated & walks away. I stand there thinking, "I'm right here, why not invite me?" The poster isn't important, but I am. Invite me; don't say no for me 'cuz I might say "Yes."
When's the last time someone invited you?
I haven't been invited to anything for 5 days.
3 comments:
where did you get that picture?
I know, it's pretty sweet! Google image...
Great post... You should write a book on this whole concept.... unbelievable dude.. I'm going to start a writing ebooks that are 5 or 6 Chapters long.. the first one is going to be called..
"SO YOU LIKE KILLING BABIES?: A question to Christians who vote pro-choice."
Gonna be a hard one to swallow.. and I'll probably get drug around town and thrown off a bridge somewhere...
*side note* to keep you updated.. I had to take a small break from design stuff to get ready for school... which in fact.. school isn't happening this semester.. long story.. anyways.. I'm back in artist mode and will be making the changes you asked for soon..
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