He was wearing a bright red suit-coat and white gloves, standing alertly under the flashing neon lights of the Orpheum Theatre. It was a beautiful night, calm and not too cold. I came up behind him as he was watching the traffic pass on Broadway. There was an event at the Orpheum that night. I was attending it, and he was working it.
I stood next to him and asked him my question. He was an older gentleman, probably 70. He asked me why I would want to pray for him. I explained my project. "Well, you can," he said. "But I'm not a religious person." I told him that was OK, but I'd still like to pray for him. He consented. "Just don't touch me," he said. I chuckled. Now that would have been really weird if I'd touched him!
So I prayed to Jesus by name, just to make clear who we were talking about: "Dear Jesus, I don't know this guy at all, but he says he's not a religious man. I pray that you will be present with him and that you will make yourself known to him. Amen." That was it.
I asked him then if there was any way to convince him about God. The man proceeded then to tell me again that he was not religious. He doesn't bother other people, and other people don't bother him. We've got freedom of religion in this country. He started to turn away then, so I just told him I hoped he would find eternal life someday. "It might be out there," he said as he walked down the sidewalk.
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