tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19461651.post1541969718222884314..comments2023-09-28T09:51:52.078-04:00Comments on First Thoughts: Listen to the MissingBill Shiellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801877602798105280noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19461651.post-81977602050898532042008-07-22T21:56:00.000-04:002008-07-22T21:56:00.000-04:00I have found that the best place in the world to m...I have found that the best place in the world to minister to the missing is in a casino. So very many times the person sitting next to me starts pouring out their heart. Casinos are an "escape from reality" for a lot of people. I almost always let the other person start a conversation. That way I know what is on their mind. For example, one lady asked where I was from. I told her then asked where she was from. She had come from Florida, she said, to get away from the stress her granddaughter was causing her. She was having to raise her because of serious problems her daughter was having. She then talked about all those issues. She finally said, "I don't know what to do!" I talked with her for a long time about some of the issues with her granddaughter and how she could resolve some of the problems and how she could fully trust the Lord for guidance and wisdom. This is just one example of very many situations I have encountered in casinos throughout the country. Most of these people are not going to go to church to seek help, but they will trust the advice of a stranger sitting next to them. Even limo and taxi drivers in Las Vegas are so receptive of any word of guidance. By the time you get from the airport to the Strip, you know their life story. I may get excommunicated before I join the church, but I fully believe God is sending his people into the harvest. They are not coming to us. There are lots and lots of ministers and pastors in casinos these days. God has them there for a reason. We don't preach to them, we are just there for them. I would not dare question the wisdom of posting this, but I feel strongly about that we are going to have to go into the highways and byways to find the missing. I would certainly not recommend this type of ministry to people who are not strong in their faith.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16953565058615794368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19461651.post-44650591112962536072008-04-03T22:23:00.000-04:002008-04-03T22:23:00.000-04:00Thanks for posting, Terry. It sounds like a good w...Thanks for posting, Terry. It sounds like a good way to do evangelism-- prayer. If we don't have to worry about programs, we can actually learn to be the only person God has created us to be. Out of that comes the best news we can share. And that's the gospel, the good news.Bill Shiellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12801877602798105280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19461651.post-84214692865320185232008-04-01T21:04:00.000-04:002008-04-01T21:04:00.000-04:00Dr Shiell: I remember the days when I handed out t...Dr Shiell: I remember the days when I handed out tracts in Nashville, did children clubs, went on Wednesday nights to "visit" people I did not even know. I was awful. The closest thing I came to doing "evengelism" was starting a prayer meeting in a mill. I try to live the Christian life and let people know that I am a follower of Jesus. When it comes to being verbal I am a failure and I feel so guilty. Terry IrwinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com