I’ve been away at a church planter’s conference at Cannon Beach this week. The weather was really sucky right up until we we had to leave…. Oh, well at least when my family goes there this summer, it will be nice… Hopefully!

There, I met an Ethiopian pastor. And during break, we walked down to the beach and I was showing him around since I’ve been there many times and it was his first. He came to the U.S. about 4 years ago with his family as a political refugee. He told me a harrowing story of a tourist from the U.S. who took his wife’s picture and how that picture was used to take her and her family out of Ethiopia.

They were Christians in a Muslim Country. He told me that if they were to have stayed, they would’ve been killed. And not by their neighbors, but by their own family members! Since coming to the U.S., he’s been driving a taxi in Seattle to support his wife and children (two young kids like mine) during night time and planting a church during day time for Ethiopians in Seattle. He said he is only 27 but looked at least 40…

He uses every opportunity to share the goodness of God with everyone. He said if a customer says, “What a beautiful day,” he would reply back, “It’s because a great God made the day beautiful,” and would start a spiritual conversation. And why not? He does not have to worry about getting killed for sharing the gospel in Seattle unlike Ethiopia!

Why are we so hesitant to have spiritual conversations? Why so afraid to share the gospel? Are we that insecure? And yet God Himself was shamed and exposed on the cross for our sake!

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26

Start with your family. Pray together. Read the Bible to your children. Have spiritual conversations with your friends, young people.

PH