Get Back on the Horse!

My view as of last week.

So, as you recall, last week I had that horrible confrontation with ‘Hank’, the drunkard who got so angry with me I thought he was going to knock my lights out. As the night went on it got increasingly hostile and nothing seemed to diffuse the situation. That night I went home and wrote about it, because honestly, I couldn’t sleep, looking inward wondering what I could have done better.

I was exhausted the next day as I dragged myself to Men’s Bible Study. I told them what happened, and one of the guys started a text chat group so I can send them a message when I was going witnessing so they can pray for me. Plus, it was good so we can stay in contact and pray for each other, not just myself.

The whole week I knew I had to get back out there, and that the enemy was just wanting to stop us from sharing Christ in that area. Originally, my plan was to go and sit at Hy-Vee outside and pray for Tim, James, and Ezra as they shared Christ, because I felt as though I was a hinderance to the good conversations they were having. But the Lord had other plans, and orchestrated something interesting.

Naitivism?

Last Sunday, Tim shared our experience with many at church, playing it up and saying how amazing it was. So much that Jared, a new father, wanted to join us. I wasn’t keen on the idea, hoping he would chose something less dangerous. But I was quickly reminded that I was thrown to the wolves when Tony first discipled me, and I was fine. So last night, he met me at Hy-Vee at 7pm, and just the two of us went out.

After we prayed, I wanted to use a new lure from my tacklebox: CONTRADICT tract from Tract Planet.

It’s an eye-catching tract in cardstock with a simple message on the back with a QR code and website geared towards the Contradict Movement, teaching that all religions cannot be true and every belief cannot be equally valid. If two beliefs directly contradict each other, both of them cannot be true, no matter how “tolerant” we become. Not all religions lead to God.

The very first of this tract I gave to was to a young man named Levi, who lived in the Salvation Army and practiced Nativism—a Native American pagan religion. He responded right away to it when I asked him what his religious beliefs were. He explained that he prays to his “goddess” and she tells him what is true and not true.

“So, what about sin? Is there sin, and who are you sinning against?”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Like lying, stealing, murder. They are universal. You’re not just doing these against other people, but to God.”

“You’re making this really easy,” I said. “So, what should you recieve for violating His law?”

“Hell. I know I’m going there, but I have to go there. There’s no way out, and I need to rescue my family from that place?”

“You don’t have to go there, and you’re family cannot be rescued. The Bible says that after this life there is judgment. But you still have time.”

“No, I have to go. It’s what I have to do.”

Stunned, I said, “We broke the law, but Jesus paid the fine with His blood. Don’t you think that you’re goddess is lying to you? Maybe she is a demon trying to trick you.”

As the conversation continued, it got even weirder. But at the end of our conversation, with more said, I prayed for Levi and gave him a Why Christianity tract to further think about what we said. Jared was floored by what he believed, but agreed that those tracts were the best ones he could have received. It’s amazing when you pray for what tracts to bring, the Lord lets you know. Pray that Levi reads the Bible (which he says he does) and learns something while living at the Salvation Army.

Many More Handed Out

Many more of these tracts were handed out to young adults and teens as they drew near the area. Most didn’t stop to talk, but several did. The other guys had some great gospel conversations, and I even helped Tim in some of his towards the end.

I was glad things went well this time, and I got back on the horse. The evangelislm life often presents unexpected challenges, and this experience served as a powerful reminder that while praying is undeniably important, it’s equally vital to find the strength through the Holy Spirit to rise again. It felt good to get back on my feet, to dust myself off, and to embrace the resilience that lies deep within. When we are kicked down, we shouldn’t stay down for long, because the Bible is clear—it will happen again. Each setback can be an opportunity for growth, a chance to learn and to reinforce our faith.