A MARBLE AND 3 WORDS...

Allen and myself meet every Saturday Morning at the Urbana McDonalds at 7 am for fellowship, Bible Study, Discipling each other, Prayer, and to hold each other accountable in our walk with the Lord.  one Saturday in June, we decided we needed to take it to the streets and see if there are those in the community that need ministering or witnessing to....or needed to just feel the love of Jesus.  We grabbed a case of water and headed out to the band shell at Baker Park. We set ourselves up at the top of the the seating section and Allen noticed a young man sitting in the seats below.  Allen told him we had some water and that  if he needed any water he could have some, so he came up and asked if he could have 2 bottles.  He graciously took the water and I said to him, "I have something else I want to give you."  I put a marble in his hand and told him that whenever he felt the marble in his pocket or saw it laying wherever he may put it, to use it as a reminder that "Jesus loves him and so do I".  He just stood and gazed at the marble. He obviously was at war with something,  He looked "out of sorts", discheveled and "lost".  I asked him if he wanted me to pray with him and he said, "no thank you....I am ok really."  I said God bless you and he went back down to the seat he had occupied at the botton of the venue.  I watched him and said to Allen that I felt he was really having difficulties about something and that I was concerned.  I went back down to him and asked him if he had had anything to eat and that I would be willing to go out and pick some food up for him.  He said, "no really, I am ok.  I just had a rough night", and he showed me his back pack where he had gotten sick on it.  Bingo, this young man was fighting a terrible hangover.  I assume he probably slept in the park that night.  I did not pass judement on him but showed him the love of Jesus and I told him that we all have bad nights from time to time, meaning that we all make bad choices in our lives.  I continuned that what is important is how we bounce back from those situations.  He thanked me again for the water, we hugged, and I went back to the top of the seats.  He was sitting in his seat with his head down, and it appeared from afar that he was holding the marble in his hand and looking at it.  After 10 or 15 minutes he opened his back pack and pulled out a 1/2 full fifth of liquor.  He looked at it and Praise God, he went over to the trash can and disposed of it.

I am not going to take credit for anything but I have to think that a marble, 3 words (Jesus loves you) and the power of the Holy Spirit led this young man to react the way he did by throwing his alcohol away.  I do not know this youngs man's name, and I regret not getting it, but God knows who he is so please pray for him.

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