Last night

Had an interesting experience meeting some new neighbors while walking around after dark with Katherine. The first man we met was Andre, a young associate pastor who had a bunch of kids with him to invite our neighbors to his Baptist church. We had a nice long talk with him and explained that we already had a church we loved, but that didn't stop him from making his pitch, though he protested that he didn't want to pull us away from our Body.

Next, I met one of our next door neighbors for the first time--Katherine had met him before. We chitchatted for a while about how much all his properties are worth, then he mentioned that he was clergy. I inquired further, and he said that his denomination was quite liberal and tried to get lots of races, lesbians, gays to come and be part of their family. He asked if we were part of a church, and when we told him the name of our church, he started saying that he should be quiet because he thought a "Bible Church" wouldn't approve of how his church operates.

Incidentally, when he saw Pastor Andre's church bus in driving nearby, he remarked disdainfully, "They must be out proselytizing." Soon after, two women came home very close to us and began screaming and cussing at one another. It seemed obvious to me how much in need of a Savior from sin they are.

When I mentioned believing in the resurrection of Christ, our neighbor said, "We do, too--to an extent." Then he talked about God's role as a comforter who's with us, going through the same "process" as man is now, rather than being a "traffic cop in the sky" or performing miracles. I forget what else he said, but there was a lot said that I didn't feel the need to challenge him about right then. He said something to the effect of, "I used to be like you until I was enlightened to the truth." We invited him and his wife over for dinner and hope to be an influence in this man's life. But part of me is really afraid--much more than I would be if I were dealing with a straight-up non-believer. This man has heard the gospel all his life and seems to have rejected the meat of it. How can I love this man and still speak the truth? Part of me would just be content to nod in understanding to everything he says and never say a word in protest. Except I'm pretty angry that this man is also leading about 100 other people at his church to, most likely, their eternal doom. I have to keep remembering that I once walked in darkness, too--judging and condemning this man won't help him or anyone else. But what will help?

For the last 5 years, I've known a young woman for whom "missions" was the core of her being, and we've served alongside one another in various capacities for many of those years. Today, I learned that she doesn't want to be associated with "missions." She wants to be a "normal person" while continuing to love Jesus and share Him with others. She still wants to live overseas among Muslims, too. Maybe go work for the U.N.! What do I say to her? Do I try to lure her "back to the fold" or encourage her to test her wings in some other field? This fine lady feels hindered by the stigma of being known to many as a missionary and doesn't want to confess this name among the people she's witnessing among--for fear of being labeled a bigot or an imperialist, I think. I can see her point while still wanting to help hundreds of men and women launched out into full-time work among Muslims. Does that make sense? I wonder if she represents a new wave of workers yet to come...