The Challenge

My friend Michael had been “witnessing” to an acquaintance whom I’ll call “Spike”. Michael had known Spike from our pre-Christian rock & roll days. Spike worked as a roadie and concert lighting technician and projected a rough, tough demeanor. His language could make a sailor blush. He was loud, bodacious, obscene and funny as hell. Spike was also openly contemptuous of Christianity.

Michael took it as a challenge to “share Jesus” with Spike. Spike was up for the challenge. They would dialog, debate, argue. They genuinely liked each other and enjoyed butting heads.

One day, one of them (I’m not sure who), came up with a proposition: Spike would come to church with Michael and, in exchange, Michael would go wherever Spike chose to take him. A dangerous scenario (and one I would not recommend entering into). Both parties accepted the challenge.

As you can probably guess, Spike’s venue of choice was a strip club. He had attended church with Michael and although he had been pleasantly surprised by it, he hadn’t been converted. Now it was Michael’s turn to anty up.

Michael had been to strip clubs before, prior to becoming a Christian, so he knew what to expect. At the club, he ordered Coke. Spike had beer. They sat at the front of the small stage. The dancer came out and began her act. Michael looked into her eyes. He felt overcome with a sense of how deeply God loved this woman and knew her pain. He continued staring into her eyes, seeing her as a person, not an object for sexual gratification. By her expression, she seemed a bit taken aback by this man who refused to ogle her body but instead looked her in the eyes with kindness.

Spike, unaware of what was going on, held up a twenty dollar bill. The dancer came close and allowed him to tuck the bill into her g-string. Michael reached over and also tucked something in. The dancer, sensing the presence against her skin of something other than currency, moved back and retrieved from her crotch what Michael had placed there. It was a little laminated plastic card. She stopped in mid-step and read the card -- transfixed by it -- suddenly oblivious to the pounding music and audience of men.

It read as follows:

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: One belonging to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

The woman burst into tears, covered her face with her hands and ran off the stage.

I don’t know whatever became of Spike.