The Food Court at the mall is a pretty convenient place to meet. I use it to meet counseling clients, good friends, and new acquaintances. After all, it’s air conditioned and the space is free!

Recently, I was having lunch with one of my good friends. We decided to give up our regular grilled chicken salad feast and opted for oriental.

The young men who prepare and sell the wide assortment of dishes, are big on offering samples. Any one and every one who walks by, is offered a small piece of meat speared on a toothpick. They’re not so high pressured that they offend folks, but they ARE fairly aggressive while grinning from ear to ear.

Here’s what happened while my friend and I were visiting, solving the problems of the church, the world, and not a small number of individuals! (g) A gentleman, arms full of packages, was coming from one end of the mall where a really high class store is located. All his bags were emblazoned with the emblem of the upper class place he’d just been. He was maybe twenty feet away from The Sampler! He called out in a friendly voice, “Ya Wanna Sample?” The man glanced his way, shook his head “no” and kept on walking. Yes, he kept on walking, but he slowed down. I thought, “he’s hooked”! Sure enough, the second offering brought the shopper over to the counter. Then, it was just a matter of selecting what he wanted to eat. I honestly believe that finding something to eat was the last thing on his mind when he headed through the Food Court.

What changed his mind? The nice fella behind the counter offered him a sample – not once, but twice!

I read a story one time about a how a salesman more than survived the Great Depression of 1929. He traveled from town to town showing soft goods. Even when the merchants had nary a dime with which to buy his products, he kept traveling, eating into his meager savings a little bit each month to support his family and pay for his traveling expenses.

As the Depression eased up, this man began selling lots of merchandise. Why? Because he’d kept right on showing the merchandise even when he was losing money. The storekeepers got to know him and appreciated his faithfulness. He ultimately became quite wealthy and successful.

Are we not told to go even out into the highways and check the byways with an invitation to sample what Jesus has done for us? Our goal is to bring lost folks to the banquet table where they can fully satisfy the inner needs of their lives.

I know lots of Christians who go an entire lifetime and never share their faith. Their excuses are myriad. When we really like our choice of automobile, we’re not hesitant to recommend it to others. Laundry powder, dishwasher soap, shoes – none of the items we buy and use in our daily lives are beyond sharing with friends, family, even strangers.

Next week, Lord willing, I’m going to share a story related to me by a dear friend in Wisconsin. She told me how to deal with telephone solicitors!

Please use the “Leave a Reply” box below and tell me what comes to your mind as a result of this week’s piece! I always enjoy hearing from y’all.

– Just finished reading your “Last Straw” piece. Now I understand the frustrations you have been going thru. I get along fine with my computer, when it works, but have zero tolerance when I can’t get it to do what I want it to do.

     Question that I thought of is – why do people (myself at the top of the list) wait until they are at “the last straw” before turning to God? I’m thinking of myself right now. So, now (after reading your article – and thinking…again) I’m going to go pray and ask God to please calm everyone down involved with my current stress situation. I don’t know if my rambling made any sense or not, but your article made sense to me, thanks.

– Loved your camel page! We all have “Humphs” in life and the Lord pulls us through them all. Computers can be a pain, but the Lord uses them, too, so that people like you can spread the Gospel to others. Whatever it takes, it’s worth it, right? If one soul is saved it’s worth it.

– Computers don’t push my buttons…but, the past two Saturday mornings I’ve driven to the Walk – In Clinic with my daughter & then my hubby…well, guess who has the sniffles now? Yes, that’s my last straw! Thank the Lord — He is able to carry us through this stuff. I’ve graduated from any old tissue to puffs w/lotion … you can guess why.

– Yes, there are many applications. The one that seems to mean much to me is that as believers we are all interdependent on one another with the Lord as our supervisor and power source. So many times He has used others to meet our needs. God has given me a best friend who helps keep me on the right path. Praise God.

– Ah, yes….the final thing that pushes us OVER the edge, usually into stupid behavior, like yelling or smacking the computer a few times. I have learned *not* to do that. Now I have learned to pray about my computer. The church secretary looked at me strangely when I asked her to pray about my computer. Like God isn’t aware/interested in the small things. Of course He is!

      Okay, Christianwise, the last straw for me “could have been” all the new people, new hymns, and worship routine at the church God led me to as a newborn Christian. (I had asked Him for help; I had asked where He wanted me. He answered.)

– Boy, did your article “hit home” in SEVERAL ways this time, but, one in particular. Our 16 yr. old is “headstrong” on buying a car he has his eye on … [no matter what the wisdom may or may not be when it comes to the “big picture” in purchasing the vehicle] … anyway, in relation to your article and your talking about how having the computer given to you did not “cover all the costs”, I thought about the REALITY that FINALLY sunk in with our son JUST A FEW MINUTES BEFORE READING THIS ARTICLE. He is soooooooooooooooo afraid that car is gonna sell to someone else before he gets it bought [not taking into consideration that IF God means for him to have that car, it is not going to be sold to someone else]…and just as he thinks he has “just enough” to buy it, the thought enters his head that “enough to buy it” is ALL he has and the car will have to have tax, title, license, etc. How EASILY in life we forget to evaluate the “hidden cost” in “things that we buy or DO!!!”….thanks again for “sharing yourself” with us in your ministry.

PS…I’m glad you took the “space” to share the “extra” testimonials.

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