TALES FROM THE TAVERN

For Christians God Moments Cartoon Posted May 21, 2023

I. Occasionally, I draw surprise caricatures of people at taverns. Most people respond hysterically to them, and it generally makes their night.


I generally draw my caricatures on napkins.

But I'll never forget the night when I had one guy burst into tears upon seeing his portrait. Just imploded into my arms. It wasn't apparent to me at first, but his life circumstances were so bad that he was contemplating suicide. He was taken off guard by the fact that someone cared enough to show himself in a more positive light. He was surprised that someone was genuinely interested in them and wanted them to experience joy long after the novelty had worn off, almost as if they had experienced unmerited love and acceptance in their own life.

He is still alive to this day and his living situation has greatly improved.

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II. There was another night when a girl I knew became "white girl wasted." The place we were in was rather notorious and there were definitely a few guys looking to take advantage of her... or worse. I offered to take her home, to which she accepted. What I wasn't expecting, however, was her trying to take advantage of me.

Being a married man, I declined her advances many times. What fascinates me about this whole ordeal was how quickly she switched from hitting on me to straight up hitting me. At one point, she was climbing all over me and slapping me in the face as I was still driving. Thankfully, she didn't live very far, and I was able to drop her off without any incidents. When I messaged her the following day, she admitted to not remembering anything from that night. It ended up becoming a turning point of sorts for her.

She has sobered up greatly and has been an advocate for mental health ever since.

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III. I've taken a drunk guy friend home as well, but the process was a lot more involved. I drove by vehicle with my bike in the backseat to meet him in downtown Akron. I left my vehicle in the parking lot, put my bike in his vehicle, and proceeded to drive the both of us to his apartment in Barberton. Then I got my bike out of his vehicle and rode it all the way back to my vehicle. That was nearly a ten-mile trip in the wee hours of the morning, but at least both of us were safe.

Formerly a hardcore atheist, he's much more open to the possibility of some higher being looking out for him.

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IV. During my college years, I frequented Virginia Beach for mission projects. But one of my best moments came during my down time. There was a night when I couldn't sleep, so I went out to a dive bar a few blocks down. There were two gentlemen that I talked to. One older guy said considered all the women he had in his life to be "a blessing from God" and there was nothing I could say to really convince him otherwise. There was a younger guy, about my age at the time, overhearing the conversation and was interested in what I had to say.

He briefly went outside to have a smoke when a truck blazed out of the parking lot, knocking him down and running over his leg in the process. The next few minutes were a blur of bolting out the door, calling emergency services, trying to keep him stable, and redirecting oncoming traffic. In the middle of it all, I began to pray for him -- namely that the injuries he had sustained were not serious. The paramedics soon arrived and evaluated him. To everyone's surprise nothing appeared broken, and he was eventually able to get up on his own.

That's a miracle in my book, far more effective to open someone's eyes to God's love than any conversation could.

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Some honorable mentions include showing a raging drunk some truths in God's word, like how a soft answer can really dispel a tense situation. I usually attract a lot of members of the LGBT community, and me loving them shows that God loves them and that they are so much more than their sexuality. These are just a few stories I have of positively impacting and possibly saving lives. These are stories of planting seeds of growth and change for the Kingdom of God. These are the "light in the darkness" stories convincing me more and more that... maybe this is where my ministry is supposed to be.

I've had many Christians object to this... and understandably so. Bars tend to be a hotbed for bad decisions, and I certainly wouldn't recommend them to anyone who struggles to control themselves and isn't grounded in Truth. Then again, I struggle with my caffeine intake more than anything, so I don't see evangelizing in a coffee shop ever working out for me. I also struggle to not act out of emotion, so a fast-paced and stressful environment is a no-go for me as well. But for others, places like that are their niche and that is where they are most comfortable meeting and "becoming all things" to people. If you're able to thrive in an area where some people struggle at, it could very well be where you're called.

As for me, I kinda like being this third-shift evangelist. It's got a nice ring to it.

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