Restaurant Interruption

Recently, Erin, the girls and I were having dinner in town at The Old Tymer's Cafe here in Durango. All dinner long I kept hearing different aspects of a conversation going on behind us. We were sitting at the red table on the right and the people talking behind us were sitting at the table on the left were the couple is sitting in this picture. In retrospect I am confident that God was getting my attention and the Holy Spirit was directing me to this table. They talked about 9/11, the wars, politics, the economy, activism and much more. Each point they discussed seemed to grab my attention even more than the last. As I overheard bits and pieces of what they said I also prayed silently for them. Then, as we were leaving the restaurant, right as we passed their table, I heard one of the 2 men sitting across from a middle aged couple ask them, "So last time we talked you were looking into religion trying to find one. Weren't you going to the Jehova's Witnesses church for a while?" They said, "Yes, but not any more. We still haven't found what's right." The conversation immediately switched to the New Age as we left. I could sense a conviction to return and speak with them growing with every step we took away from the restaurant. Finally I told Erin I had to return. I walked back to the table and said, "excuse me for interrupting your dinner. I overheard you talking about searching for God. I don't want to be pushy or anything but wanted you to know that Jesus is pursuing a relationship with you. Here are a few words straight from Jesus' mouth. I hope they encourage you as you search." I gave them 2 copies of the Red Letter Gospel I happened to have in my back pocket. They were extremely kind and thanked me for the notes and said they would read them. 

A few points stick out. First, the Holy Spirit had been making me aware of their conversation so I wouldn't miss the part about searching for God. Second, He wouldn't let me walk away but kept convicting me, leading me to return and share. Finally, I was pretty scared about interrupting their dinner but found it wasn't awkward at all; they were actually thankful for the conversation. All that being said, God had been setting this up from the start and I just needed to trust Him! 

Well, I hope this story encourages you. Have a great Sunday and if you happen to eat out this afternoon, look for opportunities to share the Good News at the restaurant! 

Evangelism idea: An evangelism tip!

The evangelism idea for today is simple but GREAT! A friend of mine, pastor Terry Willis, says his goal when he and his family eat out is to tip their server so much she'll cry tears of joy!!! That is a great attitude! Unfortunately, Christians are known for being terrible tippers (I have known Christian waitresses who have told me this is known by all in the restaurant industry). Erin and I have always tried to tip our servers more than they would ever expect and we always leave a short message on the tip telling them about Jesus! Every time you eat out you have an opportunity to leave a witness for Christ both through giving generously and by leaving a short message. Here is a copy of a receipt from a meal we had last week. We left Beth a tip and a message. You can read more about this exchange at the end of this post. This story illustrates the effect a little generosity and a short message about Christ can have on someone. Also, if you eat out often at a certain location you will soon develop a very good reputation and a very Godly witness. The idea for today is to leave a generous tip (2 Cor.9:6-15) and then write a simple note about Jesus to your server. It takes very little on your end but will have results you can't imagine! Read what happened here and check out this article for more thoughts on Christians and tipping!