Wakefield

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  “In some old magazine or newspaper I recollect a story, told as truth, of a man—let us call him Wakefield—who absented himself for a long time from his wife. The fact, thus abstractedly stated, is not very uncommon, nor, without a proper distinction of circumstances, to be condemned either as naughty or nonsensical. Howbeit, this, though far from the most aggravated, is perhaps the strangest instance on record of marital delinquency, and, moreover, as remarkable a freak as may be found in the whole list of human oddities. The wedded couple lived in London. The man, under pretense of going a journey, took lodgings in the next street to his own house, and there, unheard of by his wife or friends and without the shadow of a reason for such self-banishment, dwelt upward of twenty years. During that period he beheld his home every day, and frequently the forlorn Mrs. Wakefield. And after so great a gap in his matrimonial felicity—when his death was reckoned certain, his estate settled...

Praying for a key

I finally understand now why God allows people to be brought together into clubs, bars, concerts and other diverse congregations. He allows Satan to bring people together so they can hear the gospel! Thanks for showing me that Mark Cahill! You know, my little train might be slow, but it does eventually pull into the station, knowwhutImean?

I’m praying about going down to Headliners, but will need a team to go with me. This is a local concert hall wherein gathers many Columbia youth who need to hear the gospel. Part of what is spurring me on to this is a text message I got from one of my kids who went down there to hear a band. The message read, “I wish I had some tracts.” How cool is that?

Why do I need to pray about going to a place like Headliners? Because, frankly, I’m an old guy, I’m scared, I have a family, a job . . . and I have a message to proclaim (which means I have no excuse not to go). When Jesus said, “Follow me,” He also included things like being made a fisherman and a cross-carrier. What I get from that is that if I am not fishing or cross carrying, I am not fully following. You follow?

I’ll never forget the conversation I had with a Jehovah’s Witness a few years back. She said, “I go out knocking on doors with the gospel every night. What do you do?” I felt ashamed to think how at that time I only spent two hours every Friday night on the street . . .

Years ago when I began in street ministry, a team member prayed that God would give us a bar. This was in a town where alcoholism caused the town to acquire a nation-wide nick-name of “Drunktown, USA.” This team member prayed and every time we went out to witness, we visited the bar (outside, of course). That first night two bouncers were on their knees repenting and we never saw them again. The bar owner got mad and offered free drinks for every tract that people brought in. Over the course of time, God gave us the bar; that is, it closed down and is now a parking lot—flattened like Tyre and Sidon. Other bars in that town have been converted into churches or centers of outreach and treatment, but the town is not dry.

I am asking that God would bring a team together for Headliners.
Each person in Headliners needs to either get mad or get converted.

What we need is the key to the place, like the woman at the well who was the key to the city of Sychar . . .

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