A few days ago my dear wife and I ate at a Cracker Barrel. As is our custom, after placing our order, we told our server, Nick, that we were going to ask God to bless our food and that we were going to pray for him, too. I asked if there was anything in particular he would like us to pray for. He said, “I don’t think so. I’m not really a church type person.” I told him, “That’s okay. We are going to pray for you anyway.” He smiled and walked away.

I don’t know if Nick was ever part of a church, if he was hurt by someone or something associated with a church, or if he was just unaware of who Jesus is. In that prayer, I asked God to send someone into Nick’s life who would let him see Jesus for who he really is: a loving, caring, giving and forgiving Savior. Let the love of Jesus shine through that someone so that the Holy Spirit can lead Nick to know and believe that Jesus is his Savior, too.

The problem is that the church gets and lot of bad press, and sometimes rightfully so. There are a lot of charlatans out there claiming to preach God’s Word who abuse their positions to hurt and steal. That is not what the church should be, but that is what a lot of people on the outside see. No wonder they are not really church type people.

Lord, help more of us be the kind of people who, in response to our Savior’s dying love, strive to let the Nicks of this world see the love us Jesus in our words, our lives and our actions.