Below is a blog post that Dave Ohlerking wrote recently for the Children's Cup blog. The whole thing is just a bit much for me to wrap my brain around.I love his style, his heart, and his technique,- it's not in what he says, but what he doesn't say.
I understand no one will like this blog post, but perhaps you can appreciate the raw truth of it.
(from Dave) "If God Doesn't Help Me, I'll Be Dead Tonight."
June.23.2005
I remember his panicky eyes.
His whole body was trembling.
The meeting was about to start. The man had asked to talk to one of the ministers.
I shook his hand and felt him grab hold to keep from collapsing.
“If God doesn't help me I’ll be dead tonight.”
I knew this was serious. “You came to the right place—God will meet you here tonight.”
“I don’t know if He’ll want to help me. He knows what I did to my neighbors eleven-year-old daughter.
“If I’m alive tomorrow I must face her father and the police.
“I used to serve God. I knew it was wrong, but I looked God in the eye and did it anyway.”
He collapsed against me.
I found him a seat near the altar by an altar worker. “You are doing the right thing,” I encouraged him. “Just open your heart to God during this service and I’ll meet you at the altar after the altar call."
But at the end of the service I couldn’t find him or the altar worker.
“Oh, no he’s gone—He didn’t make it.”
I wept as I pushed through the crowd to find him. Then I saw him making his way to me—he was calm and had his arms open to embrace me.
“You were right. God took me back. I know it will be hard tomorrow, but I can do it because He’ll be there to help me.”
The peace in his heart--that peace that passes understanding--was deep enough to conquer his fear of prison.
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