Eternity Moment: Priceless

I’ve got lots of heroes.  Mine are not normal.  They are not rock stars and they are not professional athletes.  Heroes to me are people who take ordinary moments and find a way to make them extraordinary.  They take moments and allow miracles to be made. 

Heroes.

Wednesday was made up of chain reaction of moments.  Handing out 400 buffet lunches at The Orleans was incredible.  Days before Fox and CBS gave us some coverage and not knowing what to expect, you can imagine how we were excited to see a line waiting for us.  Despite the casino’s amateur ability in handling the potential big crowds, they had cops waiting at the doors to assure the two pastors didn’t cause any problems.  Frustrated by their eagle eye desire to micro-manage our every move; Craig nearly got arrested for loving on people.  Amazing haters will do anything to disrupt love.  

Towards the end of the buffet give away, I watched how X3 Director of Development and Sin City Bus Driver Steve Rose, captured one of these moments.  As we all stood talking, an elderly man who looked to be in his late 70’s wandered up to the line.  His bright yellow shirt and royal blue hat was hard to miss.  His wrinkled face told a story.  Or maybe it was my imagination what life events had caused his face to look so weathered and worn.  I wondered.  Maybe he was a regular at the casino.  Maybe he was a wanderer.  Regardless, he was alone.  Without hesitation Steven made his way over to the guy and asked him if he was hungry.  Within minutes Steve had him smile.  The conversation had evolved.  Some would have looked at Steve’s love and call it a waste.  Jesus looked at it and called it worship.  As I watched, I leaned over to a few of my friends and asked a rhetorical question, “What if this entire buffet give-away…what if this entire book tour stop was really about this one conversation that Steve is having?” 

Jesus’ love does that.  It takes a moment and makes it a miracle.  Before to much time had passed, the old-timer was thumbing through a Jesus Loves Sin City bible and fully engaged in a completely God-orchestrated conversation about Jesus.  It wasn’t awkward.  It wasn’t obnoxious.  It was Steve showing love in a practical way- giving a hungry old man a voucher for an $8 dollar buffet lunch.  As I watched this miracle in motion, my mind reflected back to the hours, days and months, I spent loving on Willie the Whino. (The Willie the Whino story is the thread that holds the Jesus Loves the Disconnected together in the JLYTIK book).

Steve stood and ushered his new friend to the restaurant entrance.   They exchanged smiles and he walked on in.  Nearly an hour later, Steve’s new friend came wandering out onto the casino floor.  His stomach was full and so was his soul.  With a smile pasted on his face, he looked at Steve and said, "I'm going home and telling my wife that Jesus bought me lunch today."

The old guy felt Jesus in the conversation.  Steve took the time to engage the guy and his physical needs and it open the door to talk about his spiritual need.  His instincts let one lead to the other.  Some try to go witnessing.  It doesn’t work.  It’s contrived.  Armed with Jesus’ unconditional love and unarmed from a pre-conceived agenda, interactions like this build the Kingdom.  In essence, it’s living like Jesus.

Steve Loving On the Old Timer

What would it look like if we abandoned ‘Field Trips of Faith’ where we go witnessing and instead commit ourselves to ‘Witness as We Go?’  To some it may seem to be the same thing, but re-read it.  They are Kingdoms apart.

Love takes time.  It waits.

Next week we will be at USC for the Los Angeles stop on the tour.  The debate with Ron and Craig will be streamed online to Facebook.  You won't want to miss it.

Much hope and more love,

Jason Harper