Fishing Report: Transformed

(this is Part 2 of a 3 part series. Read Part 1 here.)

My fishing buddy is fearless. Driving home from the Transformed conference, he pulls into a gas station and drives around for a few minutes. Then he leaves and finds another gas station. I kept asking what he was doing, and he said, "you really don't no?" Nope. I was cluless.

"No use going to a conference if you're not going to apply what you leanred."

So Charlie saw 2 guys starting to pump gas. "Hey guys, you pumping gas? Do mind if we talk to you for a few minutes?"

They agreed. All four of us hopped out of the car, and Charlie and I went up to the 2 guys while the others stayed back a bit.

Charlie approached them. "Hey, we just came from this conference, and we want to apply what we've learned. Please indulge us for a couple seconds."

He pulled out a witnessing tool we purchased at the conference called the Lie Detector. It's a pocket-sized box that reads, "Lie Detector. Are you a good person? Let the cube decide. Drop it onto the box." It has 2 circles: yes and no. The cube, of course, is magnetically drawn to "no" no matter where you put it. Charlie asked both men to put the cube on the box of either yes or no. Of course, they both went for "yes," and the cube went to "no" both times. They really got a kick out of it.

So Charlie asked them if they've kept the ten commandments. He took them through the commandments, and as we continued, the look on their faces became somber as they realized their guilt before God. One of them admitted that he was a liar. But he hadn't stolen anything. I joked, "come on, man. You just told me you're a liar!" He laughed, but overall the mood became very somber as Carlie continued, and they admitted that if God judges them by that standard, they'd be guilty and end up in Hell. Charlie told them about the cross, the forgiveness God offers, and the neccessity of repentence and faith. He reasoned with them about how long eternity is, and reminded them that they could choose to live forever with the one who died in their place.

I concluded the conversation by pleading with them. I clapped my hands once a second as I said, "every second, 7 people die. Many of them didn't see it coming. It came upon them unexpectedly." I continued to clap the seconds as I spoke. "Shouldn't you give this some serious thought tonight? Shouldn't you make sure you're right with God tonight?" With thoughtful, somber faces, both men shook their head "yes." The Gospel clearly had an impact in those 2 men Saturday night, and I pray that the seed that was planted grows mightily. It was one of the most amazing witnessing encounters I've ever had.

The conversation was 5 minutes long. But I'll never forget it. If you ride roller coasters or skydive or bungee jump for a rush, I'm telling you that nothing beats the rush of sharing with someone how they can have complete forgiveness of sins, eternal life, a clear conscience, and the peace that comes only from the One who died in our place, sacrificing Himself so that we could go free. Sometimes, people laugh and snicker. It's still a rush. But Saturday night was unforgettable. Please pray for these 2 guys. Satan would like to snatch the seed before it takes root in their hearts.

My fearless fishing companion wasn't done, however. Sunday morning, he greeted me with another surprise...

TO BE CONTINUED...