Drunk McDonalds

I had a very interesting conversation in Gatlinburg this past weekend. We had some free time during the day and some of the teens decided to go to McDonalds. Since I already had lunch that day I just found an open seat. Sitting at a seat near by was a gentleman that caught my eye. Something seemed odd about him to me...so obviously I had to talk to him. Ever feel like God is pulling you into a conversation? I said hi to him and the hour that followed became the most interesting one of the weekend. I asked if I could join him at his table and continue our conversation. Immediatly after sitting down I realized why this man seemed odd to me; I caught a whiff of his breath and it about knocked me down. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and this guy must have had some Jack Daniels for breakfast. "This oughta be good" I think to myself.

His name was Sam. He made outlandish claims that he was the son of the Tennessee govenor(false), he used to serve breakfast to big stars like Bono, Harrison Ford, and Sheryl Crow(doubtful), and that when there's any crimes on the news, you can bet it comes out of Ohio(I might believe that). I've had conversations with 3 or 4 drunk guys in the past...every single one of those talks led to Jesus. This was no exception. This was a man who was searching. He told me that he believed in God and absolutly loved Jesus(he asked me which one I preferred to pray to more...tough question). He told me though that he had a lot of questions. So for the next 45 minutes he fired them off at me. Some were legitimate questions, others didn't quite make sense...which makes sense since I was talking to a drunk guy. His big question was why Jesus was so special for giving his life since He knew that He would come back in 3 days. I won't tell you what I told him...you think about that one.

Bottom line and to make a long story short-er, I came to love this man that I didn't really know. He has so much potential and I told him that. I was able to shoot straight with Sam. I explained that no one can serve 2 masters and it seemed like he was trying to love Jesus while loving alcohol more. He agreed and told me that he planned on going to the bar after he left...he was eating at McDonald's to sober up. (?) By the end of our conversation though he was circling around the idea of getting help. I said a prayer with Sam and told him I had to leave. He didn't want me to go; he started naming off things we could go and do, things he could show me in town. I had to leave and I did so with a couple tears in my eyes.

Hope. Jesus brought hope to people. He went to where they were, talked to them as if they were close friends, and left them wanting more. Do we do that is my question? I'll admit that very few times in my life I've opened my eyes to that notion. Do we L1 by doing L2 to others and showing them that we care? It may have made a difference in Sam's life...I guess I'll never know until I get to heaven. That was the thought that made me ache on my way back to the hotel...I want Sam to go to heaven not hell. Please pray for Sam. Also pray that God opens our eyes to the hurting people around us who desperatly need Him. Be God's.