All We Need Is Love

 The Beatles made that line famous in a song, "All we need is love. Love is all we need." As we continue our 180 ministry at the skate park, I am more aware that those we meet need the love of Jesus. We had not been at the park for two minutes when I got to share the good news of Jesus with a young man. He was extremely friendly. Willing to engage in a faith conversation. He was also very mixed up in his beliefs. It felt like he had read many books on religion and combined all their beliefs together. He had a little Christian, some new age, and several other things I cannot identify the origin. I noticed when he left he wore an ankle monitor. He said he would return for the pizza but never came back. 

I also talked with another young man one year out of high school and working as a plumber. He makes good money and has aspirations to advance all the way to becoming a master plumber. When I asked him if he worshiped anywhere, he replied that he no use for religion. He once had been involved with some religious group he identified as a cult. It turned him off to all of it. I told him about Jesus and what Jesus did on the cross along with the resurrection. He was skeptical to say the least. He listened but did not want to trust Jesus. He did not fully buy into the resurrection of Jesus.

God prompts me when to gently nudge and when to back off. 

We also ran into three different people we met before in the past several weeks. One guy we met on the first night. I asked him if he remembered me. He said yes. He talked about us giving out cookies and water and talking about Jesus. While he did not say he was saved, he did say he was going to worship with his grandparents somewhere. He was the least shy of all the skaters last night diving into the pizza. He returned multiple times. Surprisingly when I asked if I could pray for him about anything, he told me about his aunt fighting the Corona Virus. We bowed and prayed right then. That is the first time we have gotten to pray with anyone. We count it as a small victory and another step of progress. 

In total, seven different people were there last night. We did not get to give a gospel witness to all of them. We did give out lots of pizza. We did get to know them all a little more. David earned more credibility blowing the leaves and acorns off the concrete so they could skate more freely. Allan and Connie provide a safe and warm place for them to talk and share about their lives. The Stedifors came last night as well and helped. This is truly a collective effort from Jesus through His people at Spring Creek Baptist Church. 

One guy, who told me what kind of skateboard to buy and where to buy it, asked how the give away went. He took pictures of our advertisement and posted it to his social media page as well as telling all his friends about it. I told him about the girl that won it a week ago.  

Progress is slow as I thought it would be. We are still earning trust. When we show up and people are skating we have not yet met, I can see them wondering why we are there. Bringing food often breaks the ice. Without fail, each time we show up several end up around the picnic table talking to us. Allan and Connie are so encouraging and friendly, the skaters naturally gravitate toward them. We ask lots of questions. I learned the name of two tricks last night. The drop in. Manualing. Drop in is when you start at the top of the ramp and drop down riding to the bottom. One guy told me he has done it from a twenty foot ramp. Manualing is like riding a wheelie on a bicycle except you do it on a skateboard. The guy who showed us that trick amazed us. He even rode the board riding on only one wheel! Those guys are talented. There is an art to skateboarding as we are discovering. 

We also saw some spills and falls last night. Even after crashing, these guys get up and try it again. We saw one guy keep practicing doing a 360 degree turn in the air from a ramp on a bike. It took him awhile, but he mastered it before the night ended. 

We don't know what we are doing really. Just loving people, trying to serve and express the love of Jesus in a tangible way through food. We are also seeking to introduce them to Jesus and His saving love. Like I said, "All they need is love. The love of Jesus is all they need."