The What If Game

Friday Greg, Kristen and I went to Pollock Pines to visit my mom. Mark had to work on Saturday, so he didn't go. On the way up, Greg and I played the What If game, which we love to play in the car or on walks. It went like this:
I asked Greg, "What if someone came into our church sanctuary, who had just killed someone and said they wanted to claim safety, since they were in a church. (There's a word for this, but I can't think of it). What would you say and what would you do?"
Greg said to me, "What movies have you been watching? That's no a law, at least in the US."
Greg continued. "First, for the safety of myself and my staff, give me your guns and knives and any other weapons, and I'll put them in the safe and we can talk." Then he said he would have the secretary call the police and tell them to come in quietly. He went on to talk to me like I was the young man and I answered him. He asked him why he did it and asked about the family of the one killed, and did he think of how they would be mourning? Did he think this thing out all the way? What would happen to him? How would his family and friends feel if he was given the death penalty? God can forgive him of this sin and all the others, but there is still punishment that comes from our choice to sin. Then he led him towards a presentation of the gospel. The police came in and Greg promised to visit him in jail and continue the conversation.

Next, he asked me a question. "You have 10 minutes to make three points on stewardship. What would you say?"

I talked about the different kinds of things we're stewards of, like relationships, possessions, money, our children, etc. Then I talked about the different between managing things and owning them, and that since we came into this world naked and broke and will leave the same way, we really don't own anything, but God provides things for us to use and care for while we're here. 1 Tim 6:7: "For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." Then I talked about how everything we have comes from God and how some people confuse the channel of our provision with the source of our provision. Some people think their source of their income is their job, but that's just the channel. The real source is God, for without his will that we have that job and make that money, it wouldn't happen.

I love our What If conversations. They challenge me to step up and do what is needed in the moment and educate me on how to handle a variety of situations. It gives him a new perspective sometimes, as I see different angles to things that he doesn't always think of. Try playing the What If game with someone you're discipling or with a friend or your spouse. Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Blessings on this peaceful Sunday.