I´m almost an honorable member of our local "Starbucks" though a very modest cup-of-coffee- customer. I approached the table of a lonely man from Turkey, a Moslem. "So you believe in God", I smiled.  "Of course, I do", he replied.   "Please tell me about your God", I went on. "I can´t do that in 5 minutes, and I´m waiting for my wife", he said.

In parting I gave him my "gospel card" saying, "You can´t tell me about your God in 5 minutes. If you care to read this, you´ll find that I can tell you about my God in 15 seconds!"  Now he  smiled, and I went back to my table and saw him at a distance looking into my simple gospel greeting.

In the neighborhood of our loved ones in CA.  (now in WA) I talked to a retired gentleman at his house.  He had my card and he invited me in to meet his wife too. They let me read a word from Mk. 1:15, a very short word.  I said to them, "This is the shortest sermon Jesus ever preached."

So I went on from there for a while and walked on, but they did want me to come back which I did.  Next time my "sermon text" was the same, and at that occasion a visiting son from a neighbor state was also there.  The atmosphere was kind, but nothing happened.

Sometimes I see a "Jehovah´s Witness" holding up their magazine.  I may say, "What is your message to me, if I´ve got only three minutes to live?"  I get no short answer, so I instead point to my 15 seconds answer, "Christ died for you!" which is also the key word of my little gospel card.

"Say it simple, say it often and let it burn", a  statesman once said. He´s right.  Can you spare 15 seconds for a gospel word of Christ do you think?

Febr. 17, 2016 - jn