SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE [Unconference Testimony]

One beautiful story that needs to be told about the Unconference actually happened after the event itself was all over.

On Sunday evening a handful of us met for dinner at a local Shoney’s restaurant for one last opportunity to squeeze another drop of fellowship with one another.

But that wasn’t the only reason we met there. We actually had another agenda that night: We were there to bless someone’s socks off.

Richard Jacobson had suggested that we all do our best to be an example of Christ to our server by putting our money where our mouth is.

His point – and it’s a good one – is that Christians often take over a table (or several of them) at a restaurant, and they stay for three hours and they are often rude and they talk about Jesus, but then they leave a really bad tip. If you know anyone who works in a restaurant they’ll confirm this. It’s widely known that Christians are typically the worst customers to serve.  

What a horrible witness, right?

So, our goal was to reverse all of that on Sunday night.

Before we arrived, Richard had taken the liberty to call the manager of the Shoney’s and clue him into our plan. The manager assigned Melanie to serve us. [That’s her in the red shirt in the picture above and her manager is next to her].

Earlier this same day, a church group had come in and ordered about $70 worth of food. After only about 15 minutes of waiting - and just as their food was ready to serve - they decided to leave; meaning the restaurant had to throw out the food and Melanie lost a nice tip.

Our group didn’t hide the fact that we were Christians, which at first made Melanie nervous. But, as we learned later, she was surprised at how well-behaved we were.

After we had eaten and talked as much as we could with one another, it was time to go. Several of the women in our group cleaned off the tables, stacked the plates and saved Melanie the trouble.

As Henry Hon and Richard Jacobson were paying their bill, Melanie met them at the register. They asked her about Jesus. She said she wasn’t sure if Jesus was real or not. So, Henry told her she could just ask Him to show her.

By the time it everyone paid their checks, Melanie ended up with more than $200 in tips. A few people had even given us cash to boost the tip, even though they couldn’t come to the dinner.

As you might expect, Melanie was blown away and started to cry. Richard gave her a hug and told her that Jesus really did love her.

So, tonight, please say a prayer for Melanie. Ask the Lord Jesus to reveal Himself to her in a powerful and unmistakable way. She’s a young mom who’s trying her best to provide a good life for her family.

And the next time you are out to eat with a group of Christian friends, do your best to bless those who serve you and ask them if they know the Lord, or at the very minimum please do your best to make sure they don’t doubt that those who love Jesus also love them, too.

Let’s change the world. Let’s be the love of Christ to people around us.

That’s what we’re here for.

Peace,

kg