My family and I were on a walk today when a man with thick, fluffy sideburns and a clean shaven chin was pulling into a nearby parking lot. When he got out of the car, he looked at my family and smiled. I greeted him with a polite hello, and the flood gates opened. Dana and I suddenly found ourselves in a very unusual conversation. He told us about his family blood line, his trip to Scotland, his brother's baby, his cousin's six kids, and finally his church background. This encounter reminded me of my days as a wrestling coach. When times were tough I would tell the wrestlers to persevere. Now, Dana and I were under the hot sun trying to follow along through multiple accounts of his life on our way to get the kids home for a late nap. The stories would have been much more enjoyable if he would have considered that we did not know his family. Occasionally, he would refer to a man named Danny. I didn't know if Danny was his cousin, brother, or roommate! During one of the rare pauses in conversation I asked, "Well I appreciate you sharing with us. May I share the gospel with you?" He agreed, but when I began to explain to him about sin he would suddenly begin a new topic about his family. After thirty minutes and a lot of sweat combined with overtired kids, I decided it would be best to part ways. I think it was easy to conclude that a relationship has been established. I will pray that we run into him in the next few days and hope that he is ready to listen.
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