This morning, a man I didn’t know approached me in Starbucks.

I was working on a new book. A few of my friends were also at Starbucks with me.

And then he came in and sat down.

A tall guy, heavily leaning on a pair of crutches. Graying hair. Lines in his face from many years of smiling.

He sat right next to me. Then he struck up a conversation about the power outlet between us.

He asked how my day was going…

An odd connection.

That one question sparked a whole conversation.

He shared about his life, some of the cool things he does (voiceover and radio work for one), and I told him about the book I was working on.

It turned out, he’s from Arizona and the book I’m working on is (partly) set in Arizona.

It was a good conversation.

We both sensed it…

After he left, I went over to my friend Alli Prince.

She mentioned that she’d felt God pressing on her heart to pray for that guy.

I’d felt it too.

While he was still sitting next to me, I’d felt a nudge in my heart to pray for him.

But I hadn’t. Because I try not to minister alone (and I was scared).

I’ve been thinking a lot about this verse:

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.”

LUke 10:1 ESV

Jesus had the disciples minister two by two.

And it’s a good idea, just from a practical standpoint.

Safety in numbers, and so on.

But also spiritually…when I’m by myself it’s so much harder for me to do public ministry.

She had to force me to do the right thing…

We realized we’d both felt called to pray.

So Alli said, “do you want to see if he’s still here?”

I want to note: this is NOT the first time we have chased someone down in a parking lot. Ministry means taking a second opportunity when you miss the first one.

(Or third. Or fourth…I’ve chickened out many times myself. Don’t say no to God just because of a number!)

Because Alli and I trained in ministry together, we’ve seen God do many a miraculous thing.

Either way, when she asked “do you want to see if he’s still here?”

I said, “no, but I’ll go if you go.”

[This is the best way to use peer pressure for good, my friends.]

So we went.

Praying in a Starbucks parking lot…

When we went out to his car (it was a convertable with the top down), I asked if we could pray for him.

He said yes!

He shared that he’s religious, but he’s been wrestling with darkness.

While Alli prayed, I listened to God.

A few weeks ago, I asked people to share their evangelism tips with me on my Instagram.

I think it was Zariel Pate who said something like, “I always listen to see what God wants me to say.”

That reminder helped me so much!

I knew that I should do that, but for some reason it hit different when she said it.

It wasn’t a teaching moment. It was just a “this is what I do” moment.

And that touched me.

A lightbulb went off in my head…

As Alli prayed, I listened to God.

And I got this clear image in my head of a lightbulb descending from the ceiling.

Afterward, I told him that God is the light. It’s like a lightbulb, all you have to do it reach up and pull the chain, to press into God’s word.

Afterwards, when I told a friend aobut it, I realized something.

Yeah, that guy was tormented. But God didn’t call me to address the dark.

He called me to speak the LIGHT.

That’s what I do, day in and day out. God is the light. He’s inside me, so I’m FILLED with LIGHT.

Even in a situation like that, my calling hasn’t changed.

I help people fill their lives with light, no matter where I meet them.

What do you think? Do you talk to strangers in Starbucks? How should we do evangelism? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

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OH…also if you want to fill your life with LIGHT, the music you listen to is a vital part of that. Enter your email below and I’ll send you the playlist that helped me smile more and cry less.

P.S. If you’re interested in a paid writing opportunity that my lovely friend Lucy Grecu is in charge of, click here.