Ah, at last, some sunny, dry, hot weather. Perth had it all! Running in the 90s F during the day, with hardly a cloud in sight, I was in my element. Dry, too. Some locals were complaining it was too hot. As far as I was concerned, it was absolutely beautiful, a welcome respite from the soaking wet east.
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| Swan River in Perth |
My lecture that day was held in the State Library, a gorgeous facility in downtown Perth.
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| State Library auditorium |
While I was greeting guests, an apprehensive character swaggered up to the literature table and asked me what the event was all about. I told him it was a talk on “Are you ready to flourish?” He asked me if it had anything to do with a church, because if it did he wasn’t coming. Churches are corrupt, deceitful, and always begging for your money, he explained to me. He was full of several other strongly held opinions, too.
By the time he finished, I about resigned to discontinuing the conversation and hoping he would leave me alone. But another voice said, “This is a child of God. Christian Science is a universal truth that speaks to every child of God. He can benefit from this lecture.” So, I didn’t give up.
I explained that the talk was sponsored by a church, but it was not a church service and no one was going to ask for money. It was about spirituality and healing and how he could experience more blessing in his life.
He nodded a bit of approval. And then he bellowed out, looking me square in the eye, “Okay, I’ll go, but if you say ONE thing that I don’t like, I’m getting up and leaving!!!” I said, “That is perfectly fine.” And I meant it in a sincere positive way. I’ve had people leave my lectures before. I can handle it.
He never left. He sat glued the whole time. I looked him in the eye several times and spoke directly to him, and he continually nodded approval to my points back to me throughout the entire lecture. It was like we had a private-conversation going between ourselves, even though I was speaking to over a hundred people. Afterward, he made a point to shake my hand, tell me I did a good job, and that he liked what he heard. I was very happy with his response. A heart won over!
That’s lovely Evan, and good that you were vigilant enough to argue for good. It always pays off and is always worth it.
Wonderful Evan! The easy thing would have been to ignore him, but God had other ideas & you listened. What a blessing for all who attended:-)
How beautiful! So wonderful to hear.
Way to go Evan. You saw an opportunity where mortal mind would have seen belligerance, and a heart was softened and helped. I love what Mrs. Eddy says about Christ Jesus beholding in Science the perfect man where mortal mind saw imperfection. Not exactly correct quote, but perhaps the essence.
That is so precious and humbling. Each one graces our path as he appears to be but when embraced as you and others did, they never leave the same and neither do we. I appreciate the honesty and humility of your blogs. It helps me be a clearer listener. Sher