Pay It Forward...

For some time, I've been in the pondering and processing stage of a new post that, hopefully, will force you to take real hard look at the topic of evangelism. Without 'letting the cat out of the bag', evangelism, at it's core, is rooted in mathematics, and it all begins with the number 1. Having said that, there was something that took place this morning at Dad's Place (DP) that must be shared. And it all began with the number 1...

"Pay It Forward" is a made-for-TV movie that came out in 2000, and I believe that it should be a staple in every Christian's arsenal. An absolute amazing movie, from such an innocent viewpoint. Here is a plot summary of the movie...

"Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward--repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. Trevor's efforts to make good on his idea bring a revolution not only in the lives of himself, his mother and his physically and emotionally scarred teacher, but in those of an ever-widening circle of people completely unknown to him."

Not a 'payback', but a 'pay forward'.

Could be described as mercy in action. And in the instance that occurred this morning, a 'Good Samaritan' action.

Things were hopping a little faster than normal this morning at DP. When the dust was beginning to clear, someone had came in and had make their way up to the counter and wanted to do something that had never been done at DP before. This person said, (and I'll paraphrase) "I've been really blessed lately, and I just want to do something different for others. Take this (and this person hands me a certain amount of money) and let it pay for other people's coffees till the money runs out."

In my astonishment, I vaguely remember asking, "Are you sure?"..."Oh, yeah...spend it all." was the reply.

'Unreal'...was all I could think.

And this person requested to remain anonymous.

An incredible humbling experience for me this morning.

But my biggest blessings came as I looked at each customer when I gave them their coffee, and told them that a 'Good Samaritan' wanted to buy their drinks this morning, and to take care of them...no questions asked. The look on the faces staring back at me was priceless. To most, it was that 'wow' moment. Quite possibly the first 'wow' moment they had experienced in a while. It's so amazing to me to watch 'Jesus in action in a secular world'.

I would really love to know how the rest of the day went for those who received their gift this morning. Some, I'm sure will probably think, "Hey, I deserve this", while others may have forgot about it as soon as they were back in their cars. But I have this feeling that most will reflect back on the morning with that 'hmmmmmmm factor'.

To the person who opened their heart, you opened mine a little bit wider...'Thank you'...and may God Bless you richly because of this small token.

To myself and all others, I encourage you to also show Jesus to a secular world...pay it forward...to those that you 'don't' know...just because...

It really is contagious...