I almost missed this evangelistic opportunity.

My daughter and some of her friends planned a picnic in the park near our house.  She sent me an invitation and explained that the picnic was one of the steps they were taking to plant a new church. I gladly accepted the invitation, but thought nothing more about it until the morning of the picnic.

It was then that my wife asked me who I had invited to the picnic.

Ouch.  I had not invited anyone.

“What about the families whose children are in your computer club?”, she inquired.  “Wasn’t the reason you started the club so you could build relationships with the families and talk with them about Jesus?”

Double ouch.

I looked on my phone and found the invitation that my daughter had sent me.  I sheepishly forwarded this on to two of the families whose children came to the computer club.

Surprisingly one of the parents actually came to the picnic.  She explained that her son was sick and her husband was taking care of him.

I learnt a lot about her world and why people who follow Jainism will not eat carrots. They don’t want to kill plants or animals.  By listening and asking questions I built on my relationship as a safe person to talk with about spiritual things.  I also have a better idea of what to talk about the next time we meet.

I almost missed this opportunity because I forgot a basic principle:  "Keep your eyes open for ways to intensify relationships so that spiritual transformation can take place."

Have fun building relationships and sharing about Jesus.