After nine months ...

I've been thinking a lot recently about what it means to witness. We like to say that we witness by our actions, that it doesn't take much to show people about the love of Christ. We set an example. We show unconditional love. But we always stay ready. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect ... " (1 Peter 3:15).

I believe that. But I also believe that sometimes we kind of have to nudge people along. We don't have to be in their face about it. No, that's not the way to do it. There just has be a clear understanding for why we are doing what we're doing. In that scripture from 1 Peter, the message is to those who are being persecuted and those who are suffering for their faith in Christ. So sometimes, we need to suffer, too. We need to step out in such a way that it's clear the action we're taking doesn't benefit us in any way.  When people see it, they'll be prompted to ask why. That's the opening, Peter says. That's where we step in with the reason for the hope that we have.

Another point of that scripture is that once Jesus was made alive by the Spirit after his death, he went and witnessed to the "imprisoned spirits." So he got new life and "made proclamation" to those who were dead. We get that chance, too. We can follow Jesus' example by taking our new life and then ministering (witnessing) to those who still are dead in their sins.

Day 289: 'Sorry'

She wasn't very impressed with me. She just kind of looked like me like I was nuts. Sophia and I were at Sonic, and the car hop was a girl who probably was in her teens still -- certainly no more than 20. But she was no-nonsense. When she brought Sophia's orange slush out and the cup was leaking, she turned right around and got her another one. She was back in less than a minute.

So I asked her my question, and she just looked at me. She didn't answer. So I explained a little bit about my project. And still she just stared at me, apparently dumbfounded. And then, simply -- "Sorry" -- and she turned her back to me and walked away. That was it. So Sophia and I took our food and went home.

Day 288: Park Avenue

He was a 20-something guy. I could tell he had an outgoing personality. When I asked him my question, he walked right up to me and tipped his Texas Longhorns cap back on his head. He didn't mind if I prayed for him. So I did. He thanked me. "I'm a Christian myself," he said. Then we shook hands, and he left. He was driving a green Buick Park Avenue. A woman, his wife I think, was sitting in the passenger's seat.

Day 287: Twang

He was a young guy with a shaved head, freckles and glasses. He had a little Texas accent. He was driving  a pickup. I took him for a farm kid. I asked him my question and he immediately said "yes." At first, he went to pull the gas nozzle out of his truck (we were at Quik Trip), but I stopped him and said a quick prayer. He crossed himself then and reached out to shake my hand. I really appreciate that, he said.

Day 286: What's the catch?

He was in his 30s, probably, a guy with a goatee and a ball cap, standing next to a four-door sedan, looking at his cell phone. I stepped over to ask him my question. He just looked at me. There was that typical silence, and then, "Oh." I thought maybe he said something more, so I asked him what he'd said. "Oh," he repeated.

What proceeded from there was one of the most sluggish conversations I've ever had. In very slow words, he asked, what I was doing. So I told him about my project. And then, again slowly, "What's the catch?" I told him there was no catch. I just wanted to pray for him. It would take just 10 seconds. Again, there was a pause. His eyes kind of wandered off in the distance, and I began to wonder whether he ever would answer. But he had to answer -- I was standing right there, waiting.

So I told him he could say no. That's not an option I usually have to offer up to someone. Normally, they come up with that on their own. Then he rubbed his forward, and said, "Well, no, I'm tired right now." That was his way of turning me down. Another moment passed, and he seemed content with that answer. So I said, "God bless you," and then thanked him and left.

On the way home, I wondered whether maybe he'd been drinking. But he really didn't look like it. He just wasn't on top of his game. So I prayed on the way home that God would bless him, and that he'd wake him up.

Day 285: The machinist

He was pouring gasoline into a tank in the back of his pickup. He was maybe 50 years old, a big guy with a machinists' union shirt on. I walked over to him and he looked right at me, attentively. He didn't hesitate at my question, starting to pull the gas nozzle out of the tank. (He said yes.) I told him he didn't have to stop what he was doing. I just prayed a blessing for him. Then I thanked him and left. He still was filling that tank when I walked away.

Day 284: The pastor

I figured him for a soccer dad, or a baseball dad. He was in his 40s and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and looked somewhat athletic. I took him for a guy who spent a lot of time at the ball fields, watching his kids play. Naturally, those quick impressions we get of people aren't always completely accurate.

He was getting back into his little SUV when I got his attention. He spun around, attentive. So I asked him my question. His eyes widened. I can't remember exactly what he said then, but it was something like -- "Did you know?" And then, "I'm a pastor."

I've never encountered a pastor on this project. I needed it. He was encouraging. He told me about his church, which was in Salina. The pastor was taking a class at Friends University and was on the way home with his son. He's been at his church now for 17 years, right out of Manhattan Christian College. It has grown to the point that it started a second church.

He asked what I did for a living. I told him I was a journalist. "We need ministers in every occupation," he said. A church, after all, shouldn't consist of a pastor and just a bunch of members sitting in the pews. It should be filled with ministers who reach out to the world around them, no matter where they are. I couldn't agree more.

When I told him about my project -- to pray for one person every day -- he smiled. "One is a good start," he said. So I prayed for him there, asking for God's blessing and protection on him during his road trip.

But at the end of the day, he was a blessing to me. That's, after all, what ministers do: They minister. This project can be a drag sometimes. It's one extra thing to do in a day. The responses aren't always what you would hope. And sometimes I wonder whether it makes any difference. But running into a pastor like that reminded me that God's purposes are perfect. God has a plan that we couldn't possibly comprehend in full. Rather, we just do what we're called to do, faithful to Him, and he will provide the sustenance along the way. It's not such a drag then.

Day 283: Walking slow

He was a short guy, ambling along 1st Street and then Mosley. He was walking slowly, in no hurry to get where he was going. He was nicely dressed. And it wasn't until I got up to him that I realized how short he really was.

I caught up to him from behind and as I was passing him, I asked him my question. He just looked at me with a funny look on his face. He was of Asian descent, and wore thick rimmed glasses. "Pray for me?" I told him a little about my project then, how I like to pray for someone every day. He considered this, still smiling. "Well," he said, "if you're having trouble finding someone to pray for, I guess you could pray for me ... if it doesn't start raining." It's been a rainy week and every now and then a smattering of rain would fall.

So I told him I'd be quick, and I was. I prayed that God would bless him. I prayed some other things there, but it still was quick. Then he thanked me, pulling his hand out of his pocket to shake my hand.

Day 282: The beard

He was a rough looking guy with a ball cap and a big beard. He was probably in his 50s and stout. I asked him my question. When I first walked up to him, he just sized me up, not saying a word. Then he said I could pray for him. "Absolutely. My mother prays for me, and my brother-in-law is a pastor."

So I prayed for him. He thanked me, and we shook hands.

Day 281: Supportive

He was a short guy, probably in his 50s, with white hair. He was driving a silver Chevy pickup. He was leaning against it, filling up with gas, when I asked him my question. He didn't really hesitate. "You bet," he said. So I prayed for him. He bowed his head. He was friendly and confident. I told him about my project. "I'm really supportive of that," he said.

Day 280: The hat?

He was an older guy with a Kansas Jayhawks hat. He had been washing the windows on his truck. I stopped him just as he turned to get back into the driver's seat. He was friendly when asked him my question.

The long pause. I could see his eyes looking at me curiously through his sunglasses. He must have decided it was a joke. "Is it because of the hat?" he asked with a smile. I laughed at that a little bit. Then he said I could pray for him and stuck his hand out for a fist bump, which I returned. (Oldest guy I've ever gotten a fist bump from, I think). I had asked if I could pray for him right there on the spot, but he noted a car was waiting for him to move at the gas station and had to leave.

I prayed for him later.

Day 279: The truck

I didn't ask him about his truck. I should have. It was one of those trucks that catches your eye. It was a small, old Toyota with a topper. The original color -- or the base color -- was tan. But it was painted over with swirls of all kinds of colors. This wasn't a professional paint job. It was a spray paint job. The two "o's" of the Toyota on the tailgate were painted to look like eyes.

I saw him pull into the gas station and knew this was they guy. I think he was a landscaper, or a lawn guy. It looked like he had a bunch of plastic buckets, the kind that shrubs and trees come in, piled inside the bed of his truck. And he filled up a metal container with gas.

After he got back in his truck, I leaned in to his open passenger's side window and asked him my question. The man was probably in his late 50s or early 60s, with a shaved head. He was a smoker. He didn't really hesitate. "I don't see why not." So I prayed for him. He thanked me for it.

Day 278: Sugar, oil, pudding

That was my grocery list. Did you know that you can buy two 5-pound bags of sugar less expensively than you can buy one 10-pound bag? That was my education tonight.

The cashier was a nice guy. I was the last one into his line before he put up the "lane closed" sign. I actually arrived there too late, but he let me in anyway. It was the 20-items-or-less line. We chatted about the card scanner and how it often didn't work (it did this time) and about the plastic bags, which resist the notion of holding 10 pounds of sugar.

He handed me my receipt, and I asked if I could pray for him. His face scrunched up, confused: "Pray for who?" "I'd like to pray for you," I said. He considered this for a moment and then said I could. But he didn't have time right then for me to do it. So I told him I'd pray for him as I left.

Day 277: Another Shocker

He was a large man, about 65 years old, driving a GMC-type suburban. He leaned patiently against that truck while it filled with gas. The pumps were running slow today. He wore a black shirt with a WSU Shocker emblem on it.

I asked if I could pray for him and he didn't hesitate. "Yes," he said simply. I asked if I could pray for him right there. "Yes," he said again. So I did. Afterward, I told him a little about my project. He didn't seem too interested in that. He just thanked me and didn't say much else.

Day 276: A Lexus

He was driving a silver Lexus SUV. He was in his 70s probably, but he looked fit and healthy, with his glasses perched on his nose and his shirt sleeves rolled up. I took him for a retired businessman. He also had a bit of an intellectual air to him. His wife was sitting quietly in the passenger's seat while he filled up with gas.

He smiled at my question. He seemed like a welcoming, kind man. "I could probably use one," he said. So I asked if I could say a quick prayer for him then. I explained my project. He said I could, and he bowed his head while I prayed.

Afterward, he shook my hand. He asked if I was "affiliated" with any particular group. I took that to mean some group that makes its mission out of this type of witnessing. I just told him I felt God was calling me to reach out to people. He said that was a good thing.

Day 275: Watchful

He was keeping an eye on me from the start. He watched me from the moment I pulled into the gas station to the point that I pulled into the stall next to his. It was a pretty busy gas station on Rock Road in Wichita, so it was a little unnerving that he picked me out as the guy to watch. So I almost didn't approach him. And then I thought better of it.

He was a young guy, no more than 30 years old, with glasses. He was driving a white four-door car. I stepped over to talk to him after he got back from buying a quart of oil. He had gotten into his car when I got his attention, and he got out quickly to listen to what I had to say. He didn't hesitate at my question. He said I could pray for him.

So I did. It was a very short prayer. Then he shook my hand and thanked me. To me, it was kind of a weird exchange. He was very attentive. But he almost seemed ready for me -- certainly not at all surprised I would ask something like that.

Day 274: David

He was a tall, young guy with a shaved head, standing next to a green pickup. I was filling up our mini-van with gas and walked over to him. Something about him made me feel old. He couldn't have been more than 20, and he looked a little uncomfortable when I got up to him.

I just asked him my question. He mumbled a "What?" So I asked again, and he said yes. He had to say yes. I took note of a cross hanging from his necklace. So I prayed for him. He thanked me and shook my hand. He said his name was David.

Day 273: Anthony

He was filling his car up with gas at Snacks, a little convenience store in Park City. I stopped to ask him my question. He was probably about 20 years old, a tall skinny guy wearing baggy pants. He shrugged when he heard the question, "OK." So I prayed for him, asking for God's blessing in whatever the guy was doing that day.

He warmed up then, as people often do. He said his name was Anthony, and he thanked me twice as I was getting into my car to leave.

Day 272: The creed

"I believe in a higher power, greater than myself, who I consider to be the Lord God Almighty above." That was how he answered my question about whether he believed in prayer. It was a creed, of sorts -- something to believe in. And it was a good one at that.

That came at the very end of our encounter. When I first approached him, he was hesitant. He said I could pray for him, but paused for a moment when I added the fact that I wanted to pray for him right there. He was about 60 years old, with a long pony-tail and a ball cap. He looked like he had been working that day. He squinted at me after I'd gotten his attention.

Finally, he let me pray for him, so I did. He seemed to loosen up then. "The power of prayer," he said as he shook my hand. He said we all can use prayer. "So you believe in prayer?" I asked, hoping to draw him out a little more. "Absolutely," he said as he leaned back against his car, "I'm a Christian. I believe in a higher power, greater than myself, who I consider to be the Lord God Almighty above." So he witnessed to me.

Day 271: Sherwin-Williams

He was a little old man, filling up his mini-van with gas. His wife was waiting in the passenger's seat. It was a chilly night for mid-May, and he was wearing a jacket and an old ball cap with the Sherwin-Williams paints logo.

I asked if I could pray for him. He stepped right over to me where he could hear me. "I supposed you can," he said. So I prayed for a blessing for him. He thanked me. "I could use that," he said.

Day 270: No more prayers

I watched her for a few moments, slowly and meticulously working her way around her car, cleaning the windows. She used the scrubber in one hand and a paper towel in the other, making sure the glass was perfectly clean. The woman probably was in her 60s with long black hair billowing up around her in the wind. She didn't move very well, or quickly, and she had a brace on her right wrist.

I asked her my question. She looked at me, and then went back to cleaning her windows. "Oh no," she said, "I don't need any more prayers. I've had enough prayers. I lost my sister and my niece and we've been praying a lot. Tomorrow, we're going to pray some more." 

I told her I'd like to pray for her right then. "No," she said, matter-of-factly. "I've been prayed for enough." That wasn't logical, but I didn't argue. I just told her I would pray for her as I was driving away. She said that would be fine, as she kept scrubbing those windows.

Day 269: Go

He was a big black guy, driving a big white truck. I asked him my question. He was a confident guy but for one thing -- he didn't want to make eye contact. I just couldn't get him actually to look at me. But he spoke quickly, and with a forceful voice.

"Pray for me?" he said. Then he shrugged, "OK." Still no eye contact. So I told him about my project -- I just needed 10 seconds of his time to say a prayer for him. "10 seconds? Go." It was like he was challenging me to keep up my end of the bargain. He didn't bow his head along with me, but I prayed, and I prayed quickly. 

When I was done, I thanked him. He just nodded. But he didn't look at me.

Day 268: 'Pray for everybody'

He looked like he hadn't quite departed the '60s. He was about 60 himself, with short white hair and a beard. He was wearing glasses, a kind-of Hawaiian t-shirt and shorts. He was a laid-back guy, or at least that was my impression.

I asked if I could ask him a question. "Sure. I don't know that I have an answer for you," he said. He spoke loudly. I just asked him my question, whether I could pray for him. He paused, and then, "Sure. You can pray for everybody." Well, as a matter of fact ...

So I just told him a little about my project. He was a sarcastic guy, and said I could pray for him -- "You can do whatever you want." So I did. He didn't stop what he was doing (getting gas, of course). Then I thanked him and started to reach out my hand to shake his. But he just turned and walked into the convenience store.

Day 267: The railroad

He drove a large white pickup. On the side it said "RCL: Railroad Controls Limited." So he worked on the railroad -- I suppose fixing or installing train signals or something. He may have been from Texas. That seemed to be where his company was based. He was in his early 30s and seemed to be an easy-going guy.

I asked him if I could pray for him just has he was hopping into the truck. He looked me over with a wry look. "A 10-second prayer, huh?" he said. I told him that's about all the time I needed. "Well, go ahead," he said. So I prayed. He was kind of amused by it. But I just thanked him, and he did the same -- "Thanks bud!" And then he was gone.

Day 266: Nothing special

I was hoping for something special. Today starts the last 100 days of this project. I wanted the last 100 days to be full of encounters that are moving and memorable. Today wasn't that.

The guy was carrying a 24-pack of pop out to his Ford F-150 when I stopped to ask him my question. We were at QuikTrip. He was about 50 years old, a skinny guy wearing a ball cap. He looked me over and then said, "Sure." Then he kind of stepped back to see if I would really do it. So I prayed for him. In the meantime, the guy grabbed his receipt out of the gas pump and started folding it up.

Then I was done praying, and I thanked him. He thanked me and left. That's all there was to it.

Only 99 days left ...

Day 265: A sadness

I saw a friend of mine at Walmart. I had no idea what a trial he's gone through during the past couple of weeks. His mother had died of cancer. The early prognosis had been a good one. The doctors thought she would do well with her treatments. But the cancer spread quickly. It was over before my friend could make it to her side in Ohio.

What do you pray? For understanding? For comfort? For some sort of divine peace? Standing there in Walmart with my friend and his three kids standing around us, I prayed for all those things. But it really was one of those Romans 8:26 moments, where we read that the Spirit is willing to intercede "with wordless groans" when we don't know what to pray. And maybe it's those prayers of the Spirit that lead us to Romans 8:28, where "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

Day 264: Jesus

That was his name. He was a Hispanic guy driving a large Suburban, and I stopped him at QuikTrip to ask him my question. He actually spoke first. He greeted me, and then he noted the ever-rising gas prices. We both agreed it didn't seem likely they were going to come down any time soon.

So I asked him my question, something that really stumped him. He just looked at me, giving me no answer. So I felt compelled to tell him about my project. "Are you serious?" he said. Sure enough, I told him. He asked my why I would do something like that, and I told him I felt God prompting me to pray for people. "Did you see the Bible in my truck?" he asked. I hadn't. Turns out, he was a Christian, on his way home from his job as a truck driver.

We talked for a few moments then. That's when he told me his name -- "just like Jesus," he said. He goes to church at Resurrection church in Wichita, down where they're trying to reach the "gang-bangers," he said. He had been attending a different church, but left because the pastor thought he was just going there to pick up girls. My new friend also told me how he played instruments at church, mostly the guitar and piano. His nephew has a band and already has made a record.

He was friendly, and, obviously, very talkative. He said he was a believer, and I had not reason to doubt him. But he also was very curious about my project. For that, I'm thankful.

Day 263: 'No comprende'

I've been worried about the language barrier -- not incessantly or anything -- but I've generally steered clear of trying to talk to someone if there was a chance they don't speak English. I broke that rule tonight. I stopped to talk to a short Hispanic guy who was standing next to a little red truck. His dominant feature was a big bushy mustache.

I asked to pray for him. He kind of shook his head no, but didn't say anything. I just played dumb. "Is that a yes?" I asked. And then he explained, "No comprende." Well, I didn't completely buy that. So I made the praying gesture, putting my hands together and closing my eyes, and I asked him if he knew what that meant. He nodded his head yes. So I told him I wanted to pray for him.

Still he shook his head no, but I just bowed my head and said, "Dear Jesus, ... " I stopped then and looked at him. "Do you know that name?" The man across from me couldn't lie. He said yes. So I prayed to Jesus, asking for God's blessing on him. The guy was looking at me funny when I was done. But I just shook his hand, thanked him and left -- all the while thanking God that no matter what language it is, people know the name Jesus.

Day 262: Hamburgers

I figured him for an electrician. He was driving a white van with a ladder on top. It didn't have a company name on it. He was a young short guy. As he was filling up with gas, the door to his van was open. On the driver's seat were two hamburgers in plastic wrapping -- probably bought inside the convenience store. They're the kind that you look at and wonder when they were made -- this week sometime? -- and then you start to eat them and try not to wonder when they were made.

So he had dinner and a fresh tank of gas. I offered him a prayer. He considered it a moment, and then said yes. So I prayed for God's blessing on him as he finished out his day. He smiled and thanked me.

Day 261: Geraniums

The little couple were looking for flowers outside of Leeker's. In a little box, they'd put a couple of small geraniums, and they were discussing in depth what else to buy. "Let's just get these," the woman said. They were in their 60s, maybe their 70s. They were short people. The woman used a cane -- one of her legs was badly out of shape.

Normally, I look for people who are alone to ask my question. I always figure you might be more receptive, and reflective, if you're alone. But for some reason, I felt the prompting to talk to this couple. They weren't sure about me at first. They looked at me skeptically, and then they wouldn't look at me. Almost no eye contact. The woman looked at her husband. He just shrugged.

I was patient with them, though, and eventually a "yes" came out. So I prayed. They were silent during the prayer, and quit looking for more flowers. Then it was over. It's funny how someone's demeanor can change after a prayer. They both smiled and thanked me.

Day 260: Chaps

He was a biker, for sure. The leather jacket. The do-rag. The chaps. I didn't catch what kind of motorcycle he was riding, but it looked like he was taking a long ride. I asked if I could pray for him. He looked me over kind of strangely, and said that I could. He chuckled a little. He clearly thought it was an odd question. So I prayed for him. He clasped his hands in front of him and bowed his head. Then I shook his hand, and he wished me a good day.

Day 259: Tire guy

He was standing in front of Walmart, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. He looked in his 20s, with glasses. His shirt said he worked in the tire department. It was a beautiful afternoon. Sun, and no wind. I just stopped to ask him my question. He was hesitant, but he said "yes." So I prayed for him. Then I thanked him and left.