Driving down the road the other day I came to a stoplight. I glanced over my left shoulder at the truck beside me. It was an old, light blue, chevy pickup. The man driving looked to be in his late 50’s to early 60’s. He wore a white undershirt, red suspenders, and a tell-tale green hat with a yellow patch on the front. His truck, clothing, and sun-leathered face gave him away as a farmer.
Seeing this man, I began thinking to myself, “How do I reach this man with the gospel of Jesus Christ?” This of course was simply for the sake of thought, since I had no idea of his spiritual state. He might have been, for all I knew, much more holy than I. But I came face to face with the difficulty I bare, as a minister in a small Southern town of approximately 7,000 people.
I can’t go to the local Starbucks and hope he pops in for a venti latte. First of all, we don’t have a Starbucks or any other coffee shop for that matter. Even if we did, he certainly wouldn’t be found there. I can’t make an appearance at the concert of the newest underground indie-rock band. Of course, we don’t have any indie-rock bands, much less new ones, and if we did, he certainly wouldn’t be found there.
I could go through the list of what constitutes cultural engagement in any metropolis of significant size, but none of it quite corresponds to where I am. What I do have, however, is the Bible. I can love him. I can become as he is that I may win him to Christ.
So what am I doing? I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’m growing corn. It’s a little garden in my back yard, but I’m learning about farming. I learned yesterday from a farming friend that my corn is currently falling over because I didn’t plant it “two knuckles deep”. I’m also seeking relationships with men in my congregation who are involved in the farming and cattle community. I’m trying to equip my folks to do the work of ministry as I struggle to do ministry along side them. I may never see that man with the green hat again. But if the Lord should so order that he and I should cross paths, I want to look back on the time between that stop light and our next meeting, and say to myself, “I’ve prepared as best as I can to present to this man the very words of eternal life as winsomely as I possibly could. The rest is up to the sweet, sovereign mercy of God.”
1 Corinthians 9:19 - For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
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