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Stretching Two
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Luke 10:3 NIV
Recently my wife and I were in a restaurant. It was a Sunday night; a church night for some in the restaurant. There was one large table of couples who had obviously just come from church. (I actually knew some of them.) They were giving the waitress a hard time. It was obvious she was having a bad day beyond just this table, but they weren�t making her day better.
I like to leave my waitresses feeling better than when I get to the restaurant, so I tip well and I try to be kind to them; even make them laugh sometimes. My wife and I have started asking for limes with our water. Just for fun I began to challenge our waitress to eat a lime with me. If you�ve never tried this, they are often sourer than lemons. She refused, said she needed to work. I kept encouraging her in a nice, teasing way. After several attempts to get her to open up, she comes back to our table to fill our water glass . This time she finally went to smile at me. When she opened her mouth, her teeth were covered with a quarter sectioned lime peeling she had been hiding behind her lips. The three of us, my wife, the waitress and me, broke out in hearty laughter.
She found out later that I am a pastor�she couldn�t believe it. I was �nothing� like the table of churched people before us. She asked, �What kind of church are you from?� I think she suspects it is the kind that loves people who are having a bad day. By building a relationship with her first, I was able to show her that not all believers are ungrateful customers. That was her impression when we arrived.
We left my new friend laughing with a nice tip; a business card in case she ever needed a good laugh or someone to talk with. I learned another valuable lesson of reaching people for Christ who may not even want to be reached.
Recently my wife and I were in a restaurant. It was a Sunday night; a church night for some in the restaurant. There was one large table of couples who had obviously just come from church. (I actually knew some of them.) They were giving the waitress a hard time. It was obvious she was having a bad day beyond just this table, but they weren�t making her day better.
I like to leave my waitresses feeling better than when I get to the restaurant, so I tip well and I try to be kind to them; even make them laugh sometimes. My wife and I have started asking for limes with our water. Just for fun I began to challenge our waitress to eat a lime with me. If you�ve never tried this, they are often sourer than lemons. She refused, said she needed to work. I kept encouraging her in a nice, teasing way. After several attempts to get her to open up, she comes back to our table to fill our water glass . This time she finally went to smile at me. When she opened her mouth, her teeth were covered with a quarter sectioned lime peeling she had been hiding behind her lips. The three of us, my wife, the waitress and me, broke out in hearty laughter.
She found out later that I am a pastor�she couldn�t believe it. I was �nothing� like the table of churched people before us. She asked, �What kind of church are you from?� I think she suspects it is the kind that loves people who are having a bad day. By building a relationship with her first, I was able to show her that not all believers are ungrateful customers. That was her impression when we arrived.
We left my new friend laughing with a nice tip; a business card in case she ever needed a good laugh or someone to talk with. I learned another valuable lesson of reaching people for Christ who may not even want to be reached.
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