Compassion For Souls

Pastor Erik Raymond had an interesting post regarding his (and often our) frequent "ups and downs" when it comes to evangelizing. I was convicted by his quotation from Alex Montoya's book, Preaching with Passion. Montoya is a professor at The Master's Seminary in Sun Valley, CA.

Montoya writing in the context of losing compassion for people:

"That is when I retreat to a small taco stand in the barrio of East Los Angeles, to a place where real people live. I order a cup of coffee and sit with my back against the wall. Then I watch, I observe, I read, and I listen intently for the heart cry. A group of gang-bangers come in for a snack—one in four will die before the age of eighteen; two of the others will end up in prison. All are doomed to a hard life. A young mother comes in with her brood of youngsters. It is obvious they are poor. They share drinks. They live in poverty; some will never see a forest or snow. An old drunk staggers in, begging for a meal. He is quickly thrown out. That was somebody's baby boy. A mother at one time cradled that man and nursed him….I look, I listen until I hear their cries, until their souls cry out to me, "Please help, I'm perishing!" until the tears pour forth from my melted heart! I am in love with humanity once again."

I encourage you to read his entire post at www.irishcalvinist.com