This past weekend, Melanie and I were in Asheville, NC on a little vacation. Since it had been four years since we have taken off like this without the kids, we figured we better take time while we could.

While there, God taught me several things. I am going to share a few things with you if you don’t mind. As we walked around the area, we began to notice a definite presence of people living an "un-Godly" lifestyle. This is not the type of environment we are familiar with or comfortable with. As you can imagine, everywhere we went, this lifestyle being lived out in front of me caught my eye. It was very hard not to notice what was going on.

What God taught me on vacation:

1. Everyone needs God. Now, I haven't been called to move to the mountains and lead a ministry to this group of people, but what I did learn is this: No matter who we are; no matter where we are; no matter what our sin is… we all need God. I sat on a bench waiting for Melanie and a young man walked by and said, “Hello.” As I returned the greeting, I looked down the street and noticed a storefront sign that read, “Divine Connection.” I do not know what was in the store, but God used it to speak to me. People everywhere are looking for a “divine connection”. The question for me was this: “John, what are YOU doing to connect people with Jesus who do not already know Him?” And I continued to think.

2. Don’t live a sheltered life! The second thing I learned was that as Christians, we often shelter ourselves from the world and what is really out there. I walked into a “Christian” coffee shop while on vacation. It was a great place! Christian music, Christian books, Christian coffee! Well, not quite… but you get my point. Oh yeah… they had one more thing… A Christian!… There was a girl in the corner on her laptop drinking her coffee. But she was the only one in the store, besides the employee. Then a little while later, I walked into the other coffee shop a few blocks down. When I walked in, I heard secular music, saw people chatting, people on laptops, people in line, people drinking coffee. The place was packed! I asked myself, “Why are there so many people in this coffee shop and only one person in the “Christian” coffee shop?” The coffee was similar, both environments were cozy. I think there is a very basic answer. The Christian coffee shop was exclusive. If someone walked in and was NOT a Christian, right away, they would feel uncomfortable. My question was this: “How were the owners and employees of the Christian coffee shop going to witness and share their faith with nonbelievers if they would never come into their shop?” I think we, as Christians, are very guilty of hanging out in the “Christians Only” clubs and we will NEVER be an effective witness because we don’t know anyone who isn’t a Christian OR we think they are SO horrible because of their sin, that we don’t want to be around them.

I have a confession to make. I am a sinner. If a young man had not taken time of out his busy schedule one day to ask me, “John, are you a Christian?”, where would I be today? Do you remember who shared Jesus with you? Now, go and do likewise. Remember: 1. Everyone needs God! 2. Don’t live a sheltered life away from nonbelievers!