Sk8er KidZ

This happened three weeks ago (July 30th)...just now getting around to posting it.

My son rode in to work with me so he could spend the day at the skate park/dirt jumps down at Goose Gossage park in Colorado Springs. I stopped by the park at about 4:00pm to pick him up, he had his bike, skateboard and a cooler so I was walking across the park to help him get all his stuff together so we could head home...

There was a group of 7 or 8 boys (probably from 10 to 14 years old) all sitting on one of the stunts sitting there laughing and having a good time. It felt like one of those divine appointment times...so I stood there for a few seconds and I heard one of them say to one of his buddies "Dude...do you have a pen?" They scrambled in pockets...not one of them had a pen. I reached in my pocket and said "Well, what color do you want, black or blue?" and offered them a pen from my pocket as I stepped up onto the stunt with them.

They started drawing mustaches on each other...one tried to draw glasses on another boy, they were having a riot just goofing off. I stood there laughing along with them, the whole time thinking and praying silently "How can I crack this conversation open?"

Then, one of the boys swore...another one of the boys looks at him pointing a condemning finger and jokingly/sarcastically shouts out loud at him "SINNER, you are a SINNER!"

Wow...I could have driven a Mack Truck through THAT door!

I knelt down and asked..."Hey, do you guys know what sin is?"

Did that ever get their attention.

They all huddled around as I walked them all through the ten commandments. It was my very first one to many witness encounter. There were a bunch of people down at the skate park that afternoon, but amazingly I only had to say two or three times..."Hang with me here a few...this is VERY important..." to refocus a boy as his mind wandered to other action in the park.

I had asked about lying, stealing, blasphemy...when on perfect cue an attractive teenage girl, not dressed very modestly, walked across the park right next to us to go sit on a bench. And of course one of the boys made a comment about her "hotness". You know that not a single one of those boys had the slightest CLUE that it was a sin to look upon a woman/girl with that kind of intention in their heart? I got to talk about how God cares about the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, the intentions behind those thoughts - not just the actions we take, not just the things we actually DO, but even the things we THINK about.

I got the "Well, God is a forgiving God" response...we got to talk about how a good Judge would judge them in a courtroom and it doesn't matter how much you ask for forgiveness, if you break the law - there WILL be consequences.

Well...not one of them wanted to go to Hell, so I transitioned to grace and the cross, repentance and faith. One of the boys paused me with "Are you like a preacher or something like that?" I said "No...I'm a follower of Jesus Christ and He has placed a burden on my heart, so many people are going to end up in hell and He doesn't want that to happen, so I talk to people about this Truth whenever I can."

His response? "Wow man."

I asked if any of them had a Bible at home. I ask this a lot when I get to that part of the conversation...not one of them had a Bible. My wheels started spinning and I heard myself ask "Would you all like to have a Bible?" I didn't have any with me...and I didn't expect their response...the unanimous answer was "Yes!". Then my wheels really started spinning as I scrambled to figure out how I could get them all Bibles IMMEDIATELY.

I pulled out my cell phone, called Calvary Worship Center, got the secretary on the phone and said "Hey, Denise, I'm at the skate park and I need eight Bibles for some kids right NOW." She says "I'll have them waiting for you, you can pick them up right now."

One of the boys says "My Mom will be here to pick me up at 4:30...will you be back by then?" It's now about 4:20 and I tell him, "You betcha". I hop in my car and scramble for the church trying to figure out how in the world I can get over to Calvary and back to the skate park by 4:30.

We get to Calvary and Denise is there with the Bibles. She hands me one separately, it's very nice bible, leather bound and it's even in one of those nice covers with pockets and a zippered closure. She says "I'm not sure about this one, use your judgment. It belonged to an older man that died, his wife brought it in and asked that we give it to someone that needs a bible." I knew immediately which boy to give it to. All those kids hung in the conversation, but there was one in particular that focused VERY intently on everything I said.

I headed back to the skate parking thinking..."there's no way I'll get there by 4:30, besides that...will those kids even still be there? I mean, what skater kid waits at a skate park for some nutty 'preacher' guy to bring them a Bible?"

I pulled back into the skate park at 4:30...I really didn't even expect to see those kids ever again. Surprise...THEY came running out to ME in the parking lot, swarming me for those Bibles! It was incredible. As I handed a Bible to one of the boys he looks at me and says "You mean, I get to KEEP this? This is mine?"

And as I handed that boy the "special Bible"...his face lit up, "Wow, this is really nice...and I can KEEP this? Thank you very much." as he walked toward his mom's car as she had just then pulled in to pick him up...