i used to work in a bar...

[Guest shadow2b]

-LOL gary, i guess i'm not as much a fruitcake as you thought i was! but hey, i AM from texas ya know, and not even too far down the road from YOUR neck of the woods! guess i can't be all bad!

-nawwwwww---yuu is a true-blue-shonuff-130%dyed in tha wool-fruitcake-which is why i hadd

-change mah mynd bout yuse a leavin the GREAT-REPUBLIC OF TEXAS--I jess LOVES fruitycakes......

-of enny kynd--- & cense i erre the biggest fruitycake ova all tyme--I caints

-rejecyts no fruitycakes at all..evun if theys isa trains-playnted TEXICANS inta nevv-ad-aa--i jes

-knose yuse is gotta bea a feelin maighty porelee ryght bout nows,soze i caint be a holdyn no bahd

-feelyns toowarrds ya----soze i forgyves ya fera leavyn TEXAS,iknose yuse cuddnt hepp iyt-

[Catsmeow]

I think it all comes down to the heart. Jesus ministered to a Roman Centurian, which was against the protocol of a proper religious Jew. Pagans were regarded as "unclean". A good Jew dare not defile himself by coming in contact with a pagan.

Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman. A good Jew held Samaritan's in disdain and avoided them altogether. Yet, He sat and patiently explained to her who HE was.

Jesus took time to bless the children, despite His busy schedule and his disciples' protests.

Jesus lovingly forgave a weeping prostitute at His holy feet, begging for His forgiveness. Any other man would have regarded her with disdain.

So, in THIS DAY in which we live, we can follow His example and reach out those who are "defiled" and pagan - or - we can just ignore them.

The Good Samaritan

I think Jesus used the example of the "good" Samaritan to drive home a point. He showed how the religious proper of His day walked right on by a poor man who'd been beaten and robbed. It took a "low down Samaritan" to stop and "do the right thing".

Ya'll....when I first mentioned that I WAS going to be giving out candy (and tracts) at Halloween, you wouldn't believe the caustic remarks a few people made, (people who rarely post here anyway).

I was told to "grow up"!

Hmmm.

The little boy dressed as a vampire said to me he needed to hear that God loved him. I was a bit surprised when this youngster said that but it dawned on me that children need to hear: God loves YOU!

So, ...to the pure, all things are pure. As Paul puts it, "I have become all things to all men for the gospel's sake."

[Guest Calamity]

LOL, i've never been one much for political correctness or religious legalism!

Whew Wee! If that's not the understatement of the year I don't know what is! :x: :t:

You are very much loved and appreciated, Sis! And not to mention one of my favorites to debate -- of course I always feel like I've been ran over by a Mack truck afterwards......

God Bless ya!

LOL!! to both of you!

[Guest LadyC]

LOL, i've never been one much for political correctness or religious legalism!

Whew Wee! If that's not the understatement of the year I don't know what is! :x: :t:

You are very much loved and appreciated, Sis! And not to mention one of my favorites to debate -- of course I always feel like I've been ran over by a Mack truck afterwards......

God Bless ya!

good! then i'm doing my job!!!! so next time mark tells me i should learn to drive a semi, would you please tell him i'm hitting my targets just fine without a CDL?

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Hi,

I had a pastor that worked in a bar as a bartender while he was a christian. He led many people to the Lord by given them Godly advise. Actually the assistant pastor was led to the Lord at that bar by the pastor while he was bartending.

God is not limited to our religious ideas of him. God can work in a bar rooms just as he can work in any Church actually God is probably more welcomed in bars then in most churches.

God bless,

[Guest LadyC]

God is not limited to our religious ideas of him. God can work in a bar rooms just as he can work in any Church actually God is probably more welcomed in bars then in most churches.

sadly, i do believe you are right! i can't count the number of conversations i had about God during my years at that poolhall. probably hundreds. i only mentioned the two that i did because i felt like God was pointing out to me how He worked through me, not only in that environment, but despite my own attitude at the time i spoke with those two men!

[nebula]

God is probably more welcomed in bars then in most churches.

Didn't Jesus say something similar to this to the religious leaders of His day?

[Catsmeow]

I thought I'd read somewhere that Jesus said the harlots and publicans would enter the Kingdom before many of the religious zealots would...

I couldn't find the verse that supported that though...but it does say that the little children hailed Jesus saying, "Hosanna, Son of David!" and the pharisees were outraged and insisted He stop them from saying such things.

Jesus retorted, "Out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings comes forth perfected praise"...(paraphrased from memory here).

[eric]

Mighty fine testimony LadyC.

[Guest LadyC]

just thought i'd bump this out of the dusty, cobwebbed corner of the attic so it would be easier for Bob to find.... i was sharing a bit of this story with him in a PM...