An unexpected evangelization moment in a bookstore

[ccmcmg]

1/2014 UPDATE: (written in the same thread as a ‘bump’ in case people are subscribed to this thread and wish to receive the update, instead of in a new post)

Over the past many months, I have often wondered where Tanner was, and how he was doing. Today, I visited the retreat center that he mentioned during our meeting last spring. During the prayer meeting, I was asked how I found them. In addition to the recent googling and a notice in a newsletter I receive, I mentioned how a “Tanner” I met last year had mentioned them. Apparently, Tanner is still in contact (maybe more, I don’t know) with people at this center, including one man who still works/lives <?> there. While I didn’t get a chance to visit with this man, I’m heartened to hear that the sister that lives there as well as the receptionist know ‘of’ Tanner, even though they haven’t met him. I understand privacy concerns anyway.

I’m planning on returning here for another prayer meeting next week (even though I don’t think it’s a ‘fit’ for me…). I’m going to take Tanner a card, and maybe something else, to leave with them, so maybe he’ll know how much meeting him last year meant to me.

Thanks for reading.

 

[kkollwitz]

I had a used bookstore encounter this month.

I was browsing the Bible shelves. A couple were next to me, the man had a huge book in his hands. He and she were talking about what it was for, how to use it. I turned toward them to go, and they asked me if I knew about the book: Strong’s Concordance. Wow, I love Strong’s Concordance! Yeah, lemme show ya how it works! If you’re wanting to learn more about how the Bible thinks, ya want this book (or the online equivalent). And I asked them some questions like I do my Catechism class kids, such as, “Y’all tell me why Sarah and Abraham were unhappy…yep, and then…uh huh, and what did Sarah do…laughed, that’s right…and they named him…Isaac. Yes, so we check Strong’s like so and see that Isaac means…and why does that matter? Yes. And so when God wanted Abraham to kill Isaac…yep! See, and without knowing the Hebrew you miss that very human and pro-life part of the story!” And we went through a couple more examples, and how the Concordance shows how similar Hebrew words share a common root, and that sometimes their meanings overlap in ways that matter, but won’t show up in English or Greek, like Adam and Ground. Where do I go to church? St. Mary’s? That’s Catholic right? The man was a former Catholic and now a deacon at his non-denom. We talked about growing up with the Latin Mass, how that alienated him, and how I loved reading the Latin and English out of my father’s Missal. Talked some more about faith journeys, other Bible bits, what some other Hebrew names mean, such as Elizabeth. Discussed our decisions to take Jesus seriously. So we had a great time faith sharing without arguing, and without me selling Catholicism the least bit short.

“Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence…”