Before I set off on my travels between the first and second semesters, I needed a little encouragement. I did not feel particularly on fire for Jesus Christ. At times, when the head pastor of the church here would walk on the stage, I would think, "Oh, crap! We're going to be here for three hours again!" In fact, I still feel like a dud every Saturday night in the midst of such a passionate bunch.
I heard about a book called One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven by Mark Cahill. I think I heard about it from somebody at GCM's Leadership Training in Colorado, but I'm not sure. I ordered the book from Amazon UK because it's impossible to find it in English here in Pamplona. I could have bought a Spanish copy from the church , but my purpose in reading it was to learn about witnessing, not to improve my Spanish. I'm taking four classes at the university to do that.
I finally finished the book yesterday. It is perhaps the most useful book I've ever read other than the Bible. From what I gather, the author shares the Gospel with everyone he meets. I mean everybody. In the book he gives accounts of witnessing to a lady as he was placing an order by phone and handing out tracts to everyone waiting in line at an airport. The stories he tells really opened my mind. For perhaps the first time, the fact that the Gospel is the greatest gift you can give somebody really hit me. In my mind, I think I've always seen it as an intrusion (albeit a necessary one) because that is what the world tells us.
He really challenges the reader by boldly stating that if you're not doing something to grow the Kingdom of God, then you're not living for him. It further impressed on me the importance of the Great Commission, which I've only begun to see since joining Gator Christian Life. The Christian life is all about the Great Commission.
Then there is another book that I read a little more than a year ago called Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. Some Christian websites tear the book apart (I couldn't find any criticism of Cahill's book online), but I think he makes some valid points. One of his main points is that Christian men need to follow their hearts and do what they love rather than lead a safe, church-based life that most people would call boring. But if everyone just did what they wanted, then the Great Commission would have to be forgotten, right? Possibly, but it does not have to be that way.
I've found a way to blend the lessons from both books in my own life. I've discovered what I love to do over the past year- travel to places where I've never been and meet interesting new people (I met a guy from Sri Lanka in Logroño. I had never met anyone from Sri Lanka before!). In the book, Cahill describes many conversations he has had with people while traveling. He always tries to talk to the person in the seat beside him on an airplane and approaches total stranger in airports. Since arriving in Europe in September, I have been on eight flights and have never initiated a spiritual conversation with the person sitting beside me- or any conversation for that matter. I have at least six flights left including my return to the States. Hopefully I can make them count. God has given me this opportunity that many people would kill to have, and at times I feel as if I have blown it. But I don't think I could have learned everything I am writing here had I not left the United States.
This leads me to the second (not quite as important) lesson I've learned here. I wrote a blog a few months ago titled "Writer's Block". I really wanted to write a great story, but couldn't think of anything. It's only come to my attention recently that most writers don't just pull their stories out of their butts. I learned from a documentary I saw in England that even elements of the Harry Potter books were inspired by J.K. Rowlings' life. For example, she gave Harry good father figures like Hagrid and Dumbledore because she never had one of her own. Bottom line- I need to have some interesting experiences of my own to draw from if I am ever to write anything good. But how?
I was just skimming through a Paris travel guide in preparation for my trip on Tuesday. There is a page in the back listing books describing or set within Paris. I didn't know that both Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell both spent some time in Paris and wrote books about their experiences. Hemingway also spent some time here in Pamplona and wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls in the Plaza del Castillo, one of my favorite spots in Pamplona. I saw another documentary describing the many writers that have journeyed to Vienna. I joked with my extended family that I want to go there and be inspired too. I have not completely ruled that out.
I still cannot say that I'm a very a bold witness for Jesus Christ, but one day I will be. I think it's kind of like jumping into a cold swimming pool. It's freezing when you simply touch the water, but when you jump in and stay for a while, it begins to feel warmer and you're glad you jumped in. I'm going to look for opportunities to witness to my Spanish friends, Koldo and Sabier, and to people I meet all over Europe. Unlike the YMCA of the Rockies, lost people are not difficult to find here. Now more than ever I really want to take up an English teaching job in Pamplona after I graduate. Maybe growing the Kingdom of God while doing what I love will give me enough experiences to be the next Hemingway.
