I read the following blog post on the Doable Evangelism blog today. I think in the past week or so, I have had this exact same conversation with various coworkers about a dozen times. None of them have “believed in Jesus” yet, but that’s okay. I’m just developing relationships and trying to show them that Christians – even former pastors – can be normal.
It’s been 3 months since I left my “church” job to take a “secular” job. I’ve developed a nice friendship with one of my coworkers, Joey (age 27). Joey and I have been sharing stories about our lives and past as we work side by side. I have lots of colorful stories since I am 25 years older than him. We laugh a lot. He cusses a lot. He is pretty honest with me about stuff.
The other day, another gal at work told him that I was a minister. You should have seen his face when he heard. He looked at me and said, “Are you sh****** me? How could you be a minister? You are so NORMAL!” Then he had that look on his face. I could tell he was trying to remember everything he ever said to me. He said, “How? We talked sh**! I don’t know if I can ever talk to you again. I mean like I see you in an entirely different light. Are you going to try to convince me to go to church now?” I felt bad and tried to convince him that I really am normal, and the image he had of ministers is not who I am.
He didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day, but I knew he had to work things out in his head. The next day I was working next to him and he says, “I told my dad about you last night.” “What did you tell him?” I asked. “I told him about all the lies and deception,” Joey replied. I asked, “What lies and deception?” He said, “I told him how you act all cool and normal, but really you are a minister.” I laughed, but I really knew that in the past Joey had probably experienced the super holy, judgmental Christians (and clergy) who feel the need to accomplish their goals rather than listen to the heart of God and love people.
The story gets better. Two days later, Joey came to me first thing in the morning and told me that he “got saved last night.” I thought someone put him up to it….you know….tell me this so that he can have a laugh on me. Well, it was true. Joey said that a preacher showed up on his doorstep and told him about what Jesus did for him. Joey said, “I listened to him because I kept picturing your face and thinking that this must be what you do and what you tell people. I listened to him and then he made me pray.” “He MADE you pray?” I asked? “Well, he didn’t make me pray, I wanted to.”
I could hardly believe that Joey was telling me this story. I thought for sure that he was shi***** ME! I asked him if I could take my break with him and spend a few minutes summing up what the preacher said to him last night. Joey and I went to break together and I got to explain the love of God to him.
I believe that my friendship with Joey and me being my normal self at work, somehow helped Joey to open his heart to the words of the preacher and the love and forgiveness of God.
I love being in on what God is doing in peoples’ lives. I was created for this.
-Margaret
That last line is exactly what I told my wife last night after my latest conversation with a coworker: “I was created for this.” Thank you Margaret (and thank you Randy) for sharing this story.
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