Angry Birds and Trains

It's amazing what an eight minute train ride can bring.

I was on my way home from the school of congregational development when I met Jonathan. I was looking forward to get home from a long day of workshops. I left the Sheraton hotel in Dallas only to see the blue line pass me, headed north to Garland without me on it. I shrugged it off knowing that another one would be coming by soon. When I looked at the schedule, I realized I had a 30 minute wait until the next train. So much for getting home early. I made a couple of phone calls and had a couple of interesting conversations about the old Dallas High School building at the Pearl Street station. 

Finally, the train pulled up. I boarded the train and sat down next to a gentleman who looked like he was sleeping against the window. I pulled out my iPad and started to play Angry Birds to pass the time on my way home to Garland. The gentleman woke up and was completely fixated on my game. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he asked me what I was doing. I told him I was playing this silly game to entertain myself on my way home. He asked if he could watch and I said no problem.

What he said next blew me away. "I'm sorry, but I'm drunk." I assured him that he wasn't bothering me and invited him to continue to watch as I explained the purpose of the silly game. He then looked at me and said, "I'm not a bad person." I encouraged him and said, “I'm sure you aren't”. 

It was sad to see the look of desperation in his eyes as he searched for affirmation from a total stranger playing a silly game on a train. Then I took the leap. I said, “I'm a pastor.” His eyes lit up, but then the despair returned quickly. “I’m a drunk and I shoot up." He showed me the scars on his arms.  "Do you think God could forgive me?" I fought back tears, as I looked at him and said, “Of course God will forgive you. That is why he sent Jesus to earth. So all of us can be forgiven and set free from those things that hold us captive.” I gave him my name, and shook his hand and he told me his name was Jonathan. 

He was getting off at the next stop, so I asked if I could pray for him. He gave me the honor of saying a prayer as the train started to slow down at the Mockingbird Station.
I prayed for Jonathan and sent him on his way to his next destination. I watched him leave the train, with a glimpse of hope in his step, and I pray that through my encounter with him, he had an opportunity to feel Christ’s love for him, and it would encourage him to clean up and start a new journey free from the bondage of drugs and alcohol.

It’s amazing how God will place situations in our lives to make us fully aware of what we are to be doing. After a long day of seminars and meetings, it could have been easy (and honestly preferred) to put my headphones on and ignore the world around me. But that isn’t what the Christian life is about. When we say “yes” to the Gospel of Christ, we are saying that we will walk with all people. It doesn’t matter if it is a longtime friendship, or a short 8-minute ride on a DART train. The church is asked to make a difference and transform the world with the love of Jesus Christ.