G
Gregory_Olson
Guest
I was approached by a couple of evangelizing evangelicals today while reading Thomas Merton in the park. They were polite, friendly, and easygoing. After some conversation about where I was in life and what my bigger plans were, they asked me how my relationship with God was. I said “Well! Well, not as well as I’d like.”
They asked me where I went to Church, I said the Catholic parish at my campus, the Newman Center.
One of them said “Not as well as you’d like, hmmm. Are you looking for more–to grow closer to God and know more fully what God’s plan for your life is?”
I said “Yes, absolutely. That’s really where I’m at now: discerning and struggling to grow closer to God.”
So he told me all about how Jesus died for my sins, and through that same sacrifice, the Holy Spirit could draw me into a personal relationship with Jesus if I accepted Him as my personal Lord and Savior. He said before anything else, this is why I was created–to be in a relationship with Jesus. He said Jesus died to know me and be in a relationship with me, not for empty rituals. He asked me if I would like to receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.
I said “I don’t ne–well, um; Yes. I really would.”
He laid hands on me and I repeated after him something along the lines of:
“Heavenly Father, hear my prayer.
Thank you for this day.
I acknowledge that Jesus died for all my sins,
and I accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.
Help me to live and grow in Christ from now on.
Amen”
He prayed over me further “…God, Greg wants to know your personal plan for him,” etc.
He asked me what it felt like to make that prayer–whether I felt any different. (“A tingling in your belly?”)
I said “Actually it was very familiar. Parts of it reminded me of the Catholic Mass… Have you ever been to Mass?”
He said he hadn’t; I said “Ahh–no? You really should! I think you’d like it a lot–I recognize parts of your prayer from Catholic prayer.”
He asked me when Mass usually is. I said every day, but Sundays are best: 11:00am and 5:00pm. He asked me when I usually went and I said 5:00pm. I said ‘Hey if you came next Sunday I’d be there to shake your hand and introduce you.’ I said to his partner, who had been more or less silent, that she was invited too of course. They said they were looking forward to it.
We kept talking and in the course of the conversation I got around to asking him if he took book recommendations. I recommended the book I was reading then, The Seven Storey Mountain–I told him how wonderful I had found Thomas Merton’s story to be. He asked if he could find it at the library or online, and I ended up giving my copy to him, which was a pain, because I was finally starting to really get into it, but I knew he would probably get even more out of it than I had.
Anyway we all exchanged phone numbers and said warm see you later’s. So that happened.
They asked me where I went to Church, I said the Catholic parish at my campus, the Newman Center.
One of them said “Not as well as you’d like, hmmm. Are you looking for more–to grow closer to God and know more fully what God’s plan for your life is?”
I said “Yes, absolutely. That’s really where I’m at now: discerning and struggling to grow closer to God.”
So he told me all about how Jesus died for my sins, and through that same sacrifice, the Holy Spirit could draw me into a personal relationship with Jesus if I accepted Him as my personal Lord and Savior. He said before anything else, this is why I was created–to be in a relationship with Jesus. He said Jesus died to know me and be in a relationship with me, not for empty rituals. He asked me if I would like to receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.
I said “I don’t ne–well, um; Yes. I really would.”
He laid hands on me and I repeated after him something along the lines of:
“Heavenly Father, hear my prayer.
Thank you for this day.
I acknowledge that Jesus died for all my sins,
and I accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.
Help me to live and grow in Christ from now on.
Amen”
He prayed over me further “…God, Greg wants to know your personal plan for him,” etc.
He asked me what it felt like to make that prayer–whether I felt any different. (“A tingling in your belly?”)
I said “Actually it was very familiar. Parts of it reminded me of the Catholic Mass… Have you ever been to Mass?”
He said he hadn’t; I said “Ahh–no? You really should! I think you’d like it a lot–I recognize parts of your prayer from Catholic prayer.”
He asked me when Mass usually is. I said every day, but Sundays are best: 11:00am and 5:00pm. He asked me when I usually went and I said 5:00pm. I said ‘Hey if you came next Sunday I’d be there to shake your hand and introduce you.’ I said to his partner, who had been more or less silent, that she was invited too of course. They said they were looking forward to it.
We kept talking and in the course of the conversation I got around to asking him if he took book recommendations. I recommended the book I was reading then, The Seven Storey Mountain–I told him how wonderful I had found Thomas Merton’s story to be. He asked if he could find it at the library or online, and I ended up giving my copy to him, which was a pain, because I was finally starting to really get into it, but I knew he would probably get even more out of it than I had.
Anyway we all exchanged phone numbers and said warm see you later’s. So that happened.
If you see them again, anywhere, just say to them what you said here.