Not far from the Kingdom

Brad writing:
Tonight I arrived back at the apartment at 6:30pm after a long day (hopefully one of the last of such) spent at IKEA. Speaking of spent, that's how I felt. Actually, I felt like I had been pretty jerky to my family, and in a generally sour mood. On the tram ride home, I began to pray that God's power would be made evident in my weakness, as a Ukrainian man was coming over for dessert. He was introduced to us through a PCA pastor from the States who was in Vienna last week, and who got to know him and have some degree of spiritual conversation with him, but the US pastor didn't know German and had to return to the States and asked me to pick up with him. It turned out to be a rich two hour discussion, and I was able to share both from the Word and from my own experience MY need for Jesus...not just 28 years ago when I first professed faith, but TODAY in IKEA when I wanted to curse loudly and unashamedly. (Note: the Spirit and my wife restrained me!) I sensed great receptivity from him. In his own words, he is spiritually restless, feels distant from God, and he is searching for faith, peace with God, and a Christian community where he can grow. PLEASE PRAY that God would rattle our conversation around in his mind and sink it into his heart, that the Gospel would begin to make sense and take root.