The strong smell of dope wafted through the air. I had a flash-back to the days carrying the cross at Glastonbury Festival where the pungent aroma of marijuana would hang in the atmosphere all day.
As Catherine and I rounded the corner there they were! Two lads, one with a beer can and bleary eyes, the other with an unusually large and misshapen looking cigarette. We used to call them “funny fags” years ago. Both in their late teens they were enjoying their chill out , hidden a way from prying eyes.
I was on my statutory “Lockdown Exercise” walk, loving the warm evening sun on my back as we ventured up unexplored pathways around Carn Brea, our rugged local beauty spot.
“You’re on romantic mode, Linds, don’t ruin the evening by attempting to talk to the boys about Jesus!” ( I’d made that mistake on my honeymoon when I’d started to talk spiritually with a Chinese tourist guide who really didn’t want to hear about my faith. The episode only served to teach me some wisdom about being sensitive).
Determined to have learnt from my past mistakes I made a large circle around the boys and just shouted out “Enjoy yourselves lads!”. Catherine whispered to me that perhaps that wasn’t what should have been said to two boys smoking dope and drinking alcohol !
Coming to a cross roads in the path, Catherine asked me which way did I prefer to go. I decided to be honest. “ I need to go back to talk with those boys!” She graciously agreed and before many minutes I was back approaching their little encampment, a heavy dance beat coming from their mobile phone.
“Just thought I’d come back to say hello! In fact I felt God wanted to me to come back to see you!!”
“I knew it….didn’t I say?” He turned to his mate to back him up .”You’re that religiously chappy who used to come to our school to do those plays. (We used to do short drama sketches in our Christian Assemblies).
The ice was broken and we were immediately talking about the difference Jesus has made in our lives. I couldn’t believe the respect they showed to us. The conversation had come to the point of me offering to lead one of them in prayer to invite Jesus into his heart. There was a long pregnant moment when he appeared to be thinking hard about the challenge. Sheepishly, almost apologetically he said that he wasn’t quite at that point that he felt he could pray that prayer sincerely. “That’s a brilliant answer”, I found myself saying. “ It’s definitely got me thinking, definitely got me thinking”, he repeated. In fact, I felt that it was only a matter of time before the lad would encounter God.
Before leaving I asked if I could pray for them. They readily agreed, in fact they went to the trouble of turning off the pneumatic drill music that had been hammering away in the background. All heads bowed and before I even put words into my prayer, Jesus’ tangible presence was felt. His heavy love and peace. Wow, such beauty, the unmistakable sense of the Holy Spirit, that cannot be orchestrated or worked up. Jesus was there! I felt him , Catherine felt him and I hope the boys felt him.
As we left the boys called out to us, “thanks so much for coming to talk to us!”
Jesus asked Peter , “ Do you love me?”. Peter said that he did .”Then feed my sheep”. I believe that at least one of those lads was clearly searching, he was one of God’s sheep, he just needed to be found. I ventured home that night so peaceful and satisfied, an incomparable joy glowing in my spirit. You can’t lockdown the Good Shepherd!!
As Catherine and I rounded the corner there they were! Two lads, one with a beer can and bleary eyes, the other with an unusually large and misshapen looking cigarette. We used to call them “funny fags” years ago. Both in their late teens they were enjoying their chill out , hidden a way from prying eyes.
I was on my statutory “Lockdown Exercise” walk, loving the warm evening sun on my back as we ventured up unexplored pathways around Carn Brea, our rugged local beauty spot.
“You’re on romantic mode, Linds, don’t ruin the evening by attempting to talk to the boys about Jesus!” ( I’d made that mistake on my honeymoon when I’d started to talk spiritually with a Chinese tourist guide who really didn’t want to hear about my faith. The episode only served to teach me some wisdom about being sensitive).
Determined to have learnt from my past mistakes I made a large circle around the boys and just shouted out “Enjoy yourselves lads!”. Catherine whispered to me that perhaps that wasn’t what should have been said to two boys smoking dope and drinking alcohol !
Coming to a cross roads in the path, Catherine asked me which way did I prefer to go. I decided to be honest. “ I need to go back to talk with those boys!” She graciously agreed and before many minutes I was back approaching their little encampment, a heavy dance beat coming from their mobile phone.
“Just thought I’d come back to say hello! In fact I felt God wanted to me to come back to see you!!”
“I knew it….didn’t I say?” He turned to his mate to back him up .”You’re that religiously chappy who used to come to our school to do those plays. (We used to do short drama sketches in our Christian Assemblies).
The ice was broken and we were immediately talking about the difference Jesus has made in our lives. I couldn’t believe the respect they showed to us. The conversation had come to the point of me offering to lead one of them in prayer to invite Jesus into his heart. There was a long pregnant moment when he appeared to be thinking hard about the challenge. Sheepishly, almost apologetically he said that he wasn’t quite at that point that he felt he could pray that prayer sincerely. “That’s a brilliant answer”, I found myself saying. “ It’s definitely got me thinking, definitely got me thinking”, he repeated. In fact, I felt that it was only a matter of time before the lad would encounter God.
Before leaving I asked if I could pray for them. They readily agreed, in fact they went to the trouble of turning off the pneumatic drill music that had been hammering away in the background. All heads bowed and before I even put words into my prayer, Jesus’ tangible presence was felt. His heavy love and peace. Wow, such beauty, the unmistakable sense of the Holy Spirit, that cannot be orchestrated or worked up. Jesus was there! I felt him , Catherine felt him and I hope the boys felt him.
As we left the boys called out to us, “thanks so much for coming to talk to us!”
Jesus asked Peter , “ Do you love me?”. Peter said that he did .”Then feed my sheep”. I believe that at least one of those lads was clearly searching, he was one of God’s sheep, he just needed to be found. I ventured home that night so peaceful and satisfied, an incomparable joy glowing in my spirit. You can’t lockdown the Good Shepherd!!
