by Dale Reeves

Story Pastor

 

It started out as an uneventful lunch hour on Monday, November 11. It happened to be Veteran’s Day and I didn’t realize how many people would be off work that day. But the gas gauge in my car was near the “E” and I needed to pick up a few necessary items, such as toilet paper, laundry detergent, and dryer sheets. So, off I headed to Costco. The parking lot looked like it was a Saturday a few weeks from now, as people seemed to be in Christmas shopping mode already. After driving up and down a few lanes in the parking lot, I found an empty spot and parked my car, then decided to grab a piece of pizza there before gathering my items and heading back to the office.

 

There was only one small white table left in the corner that was not taken by other shoppers, so I quickly laid my pizza and napkins down, while getting my drink from the soda machine. I had just sat down and started checking out the new college basketball rankings on my phone (our UC Bearcats are currently ranked #17 in the country) when a lady pushing a shopping cart and carrying a hot dog asked if she could join me at the table since all other tables were taken. I said “Absolutely!” as God seemed to whisper to me:

 

“Put your phone away, and engage in this conversation.”

 

No-No Topics—Politics and Religion

I quickly discovered why God wanted me to have a conversation with this woman. Her name is Marilyn, and before her retirement, she worked in Washington D.C. in the offices of former Ohio Congressman Steve Chabot and Senator Rob Portman. A lawyer by profession, she had spent her career working in our federal government. She told me some inside scoop from her years “inside the beltway,” how she had learned about many attempts that had taken place to “get rid of” Donald J. Trump—things she couldn’t believe she had heard. She mentioned the recent presidential election, which led to our discussion of red and blue states, the shift that had taken place on Election Day, and what this might mean for the Democratic and Republican parties going forward.

 

I glanced around to see if others were eavesdropping on our conversation, since I am not known for having a quiet voice. We talked about Vice-president-elect JD Vance, whom she knew from this area, discussing his Catholic faith, and pro-life stance, among a few other things, and that is when she informed me that she is a Catholic who attends St. Susanna in downtown Mason. I told her of my role at Christ’s Church and then said, “We just met, and we are already talking about the two topics people are often told not to discuss—politics and religion!”

 

Marilyn responded, “And I am enjoying this conversation very much.”

 

After she found out I was a pastor at an evangelical church, she asked me several questions, beginning with, “Do you think God spared Trump’s life and that he has a purpose for him? . . . I’ve even heard that maybe this country might be ready to experience . . . what do you call it . . . a revival . . . and not just for our country, but for an impact on the entire world?”

 

Community Begins Here

Wow! I took a deep breath, and asked God for the right words as I wanted to respond appropriately to my newfound friend. I answered, “Of course no one is perfect except Jesus. I do think that God’s hand intervened in the assassination attempt. Trump certainly has his flaws, but could we be on the brink of a revival? Maybe, though I’ve read the end of the Book in Revelation, and I know there is a lot of tribulation to come before Jesus returns. . . . We need to be praying for our country and world right now, don’t we?”

 

Marilyn nodded in agreement. Then she pivoted toward a discussion of her personal journey of faith. She told me how a book had dramatically changed her view of honoring “the Sabbath,” because she had spent so many Sunday nights flying to Washington for early Monday morning meetings. After God got her attention, she said she stopped traveling on Sunday nights and devoted more time to her family. She said that she had been a Catholic her whole life, but that she felt her church was missing out on something. She continued, “I have a friend who attends an evangelical church, and she tells me how the people of the church rally around someone who is hurting and has some real needs. . . . In my church, I just attend, but I don’t have people in the church who would be involved in my life like that.”

 

I mentioned to Marilyn about some of the things that happen in Christ’s Church, such as providing a meal train for a family, or our Moms Group walking through a tough journey with a woman who has experienced a miscarriage or postpartum depression. I told her about the grief recovery ministry that we provide, and then I said, “One of our mottos at our church is this: ‘Community Begins Here.’ That’s really what the church should be about, worshiping God and walking through life with one another.”

 

Walk the Talk

Marilyn then shared how she had said no to a big promotion opportunity in Washington because she couldn’t agree with some of the policies she was expected to support. Some of her coworkers couldn’t understand her decision to pass on a great opportunity like that. They reasoned, “People support things in their jobs all the time that they don’t necessarily agree with. It just comes with the territory.”

 

Marilyn continued, “I think you have to be consistent with your walk with God everywhere, don’t you?” I agreed, as we talked about how some people compartmentalize their faith apart from other aspects of their life, and I thought about Brad’s sermon last week—how Jesus wants us all in, every part of us! Marilyn quoted from the book of Revelation, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15, 16, NLT).

 

Marilyn and I covered a lot of ground in our conversation that had started just over an hour ago. I believe that if we are listening for God’s voice, he prompts us to have interactions like this all the time. At the beginning of my day, I regularly pray for divine appointments like this to take place. Shortly after quoting that Bible verse, Marilyn said, “Well, I probably better get going, I have some frozen food in my cart that I need to get home.”

 

“Yes,” I said, “and I need to get a few items here as well . . . it’s been great talking with you today. I hope you’re right about the revival coming in our country and world. Regardless of what happens in the future, I’m ready, and I already have my ticket.”

 

Marilyn nodded and responded, “Me too.”