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Well, I'm Catholic
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Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2010 – Neighbor or Family?
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Rev 3:20 NASU
“Well, I’m Catholic,” answered the man sitting next to Abigaile and me on a park bench outside the playground, “Honey I Shrunk The Kids,” inside MGM Studios. I’d just asked if he was a Christian.
“I hear that a lot from Catholics,” I said teasingly. I’d been trying to talk Abigaile into handing out tracts but mostly she wanted to eat them or tear them up. I tried giving her crosses to give away but she grew attached to those. Abigaile is 18 months old and this Easter, she learned to recognize a cross and say, “Thank you Jesus.” She thought giving away crosses was a terrible idea. The man, sitting beside us was waiting on his children to finish playing and laughed at our antics. I took a moment to explain our mission.
“The Bible has a simple definition of being a Christian,” I said. “May I tell you what it is?” He agreed.
“First, you have to believe in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. You said you were Catholic so I’m pretty sure you do believe.” Again, he agreed.
“Second, you confess your sins to God. If you’re Catholic, I know you’ve done that,” I said. He laughed and eagerly agreed.
“Finally, you decide to receive Jesus and invite Him to be a part of your life. I’ve found that some Catholics haven’t done this final step." He looked a little puzzled so I continued.
“Believing and confessing is the hard part but it isn’t enough. Jesus is polite and waits for you to decide to receive Him and then invite Him into your life. The Bible calls this opening the door. Many Catholics have done this and it is certainly in your liturgy but I always ask if people have taken this final step. You’d be surprised at how many people believe in Jesus but say their relationship isn’t personal. I believe it is because they haven’t taken the simple step at the end of the process of becoming a Christian. Believing in Jesus without asking to receive Jesus is the difference between living next door to Jesus or having Him live inside your home.”
Abigaile and this poor man were squirming but neither had bolted. I asked the Holy Spirit if I should offer to pray with him and felt the Holy Spirit say I’d pushed hard enough. Many people are private or need time to process. I pulled a tract out of my purse.
“In the back of this booklet is a simple little prayer that completes the process of becoming a Christian. I know Catholics like written prayers so you should enjoy it. It was written by Billy Graham.” I carry different tracts and usually grab the first one I find. Apparently, that was the right one because his eyes lit up. He trusted Billy.
Abigaile looked longingly at the tract I’d given him and I assured her I had more for her. We left him reading. I forgot to introduce myself or give him my card with a quarter in it so I guess I won’t know the end of the story until I get to heaven.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.
This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at |
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