September 30in30

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Overcoming the "it'll be awkward" barrier

Though I have done 30in30 many times before, I had always followed my golden (fear of man) rule - don't give tracts to people I will see again. This included people that caught the same train or bus, people I regurlary go to to get food or coffee, colleagues, shop keepers of my favourite stores. Shameful I know.

Last year I recognised I had a problem but didn't really do anything about it. This year I was determined to make sure I did something about this bad habit.

I think it was about here (marked on the map) during my journey home from Perth Underground Train Station on Friday that I overcame my paralysing fear of man and broke my golden 30in30 rule. despite some moments of hesitation, I reached into my handbag to grab a tract and gave it to this man sitting next to me.

I gave it to him fully knowing I could see him again someday cos he caught the same train home as me. This was BIG for this wussy serial tract-and-runner.

Thoughts raced through my head such as 'what if I see him again - it'll be awkward!' 'he doesn't look like he'd be interested' 'can't I just give him the tract when he leaves?'... But I knew God wanted me to at least try talk to him so I gave him the tract saying 'this is for you, it's a gospel tract'.

He then looked at it for a while, turned it round and read the address of our church. 'Ullapool road... where is that? I think that may have been the church I got married in'

We talked more and it turns out it wasn't the same church, but he then went on to say 'the problem with this is that I am an engineer and I believe in logic, so I won't be able to believe in God'. We talked a bit more about that and then he had to get off the train because he had arrived at his stop. We parted with him saying 'we could talk about this for hours, but I need to get off here'. He handed the tract back to me and I told him it was OK and that he could keep it and read it properly later. He thanked me and popped it into his pocket

I kinda regretted not starting the conversation sooner cos I ran out of time, but at the same time, I was happy that I overcame my fear of man and that I didn't just wuss out with another tract-and-run. I think God was gracious enough to even give me a pleasant experience too.

Maybe someday I will see him on the train again and we can continue our conversation. Instead of dreading this day, I'm kinda looking forward to it!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Kings Park 30in30 Opportunities

Thank God for a great 30in30 lunch today! God cleared the rain and also made sure that the shelter was available for us to set up the lunch, worship God and hear from God's word. Bro Kang expounded on Matthew 17:24-27 and showed how Jesus taught Peter the lesson of not fearing man.

We had a gazebo to ourselves and because of a little rain, some strangers joined us for singing. Gave them two of the tracts just as they were leaving.

One couple was sitting near us during the 30in30 Lunch. After a while, I approached them and surprisingly he used to give out CHICK tracts 40 years ago, actually THIS WAS YOUR LIFE the faithful chick tract :) Asked whether he was still attending church and he and his wife are attending Perth Christian Life Centre. Ended up talking about witnessing and revival in perth. Also gave him our TRY THIS QUIZ tract and we were both encouraged by the encounter.

Once again God used 30in30 not just to bring the Gospel to the lost but to encourage other Christians to go back to a witnessing lifestyle.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Bigger is your excuses or God?

As I left the campus late last night, I saw a wallet was sitting on a car's roof in the car park. I looked around and can see no one but my own shadow.

I feel very strange that the wallet was there, thinking to myself, what should I do with it. A voice in my mind said, better for you to take and return it, than someone else stealing it. And so I took that with me.

As I flip through the compartments looking for IDs and found a UWA student ID. I was ready in my mind the next day I shall bring it to UWA library as they should have no problem looking up her contact. Then, I saw a note in the wallet wrote something like "If you found this wallet, please call xxxxxxxxx..."

So today after lunch, I sms to the number, few seconds later a guy rang. He's the boy friend of the owner. Gave him This Was Your Life and Are You a Good Man? tract. Told him that it's a gospel tract and I am a Christian. Asked him if he's a Christian. ".....Yeah....use to be" he replied and I asked "So what happen now?" "Oh now I believe more in science", "But science and Christianity can co-exsist together." I told him. "I study Biology as well".

As we continue to chat, we found out that we are actually doing the same unit together and were trying to get our assignment done by 6pm tonight. So we shook hand and back to work.

Although I didn't really open up the gospel with him, but at least I know that I will see him again in the lectures. I hope this incident will be a little seed in his/her girl friend's heart of a Christian testimony. God will water it and cause it to grow.

Brothers and Sisters, September is a month fill with rare encounters and opportunities. We can find the smallest excuse for not giving out a tract or gospel to someone, but God can crush even our "biggest excuse" by bringing us to the rarest encounter. Honestly, how many lost wallet can we find in a year? Randomly found one in the month of September sitting on top of a car? Maybe it's not random after all.......

Be sure that God will amaze you with His power. Pray for more opportunities to testify Him and be prepare for the rarest encounters : )