My Night with a Cop

Many of you know that I went out last Friday night with a cop during his "third watch" shift. I cannot go into all the details because I do not want to reveal his identity in any way. We were out from 10pm to 3am in Seattle and what I saw is something that continues to shake me everytime I see the state of our world. It was relatively slow night but the children I saw on the streets was enough to astonish and sadden me.

Most of the night, since he had been on vacation, was allowing him to catch up on some things because of his days off. So, the night was spent of us two speaking about the things of God, which was enough of a reason to spend a night with him. To be able to edify each other as we are going 80 mph (or so) on the backroads of Seattle is something I don't do too often.

As the night started to come to a close I finally got a chance to hand out some Bibles. Most of the night as we were going back and forth to calls, I would see 10 to 15 youth out and about hanging out at bus stops in the middle of the night. The cop even admitted that most of these kids are not bad kids but they are just trying to stay away from home where drugs and sex are prevalent among their drug dealing, prostitute parents.

These kids were ranging from probably 13 to 25 years of age, in the worst part of town, in the middle of the night. As we stopped to park in a shopping parking lot, the cop asked what I wanted to do. I simply asked, can I go and hand out Bibles to those young ones at the bus stop. He said, "sure" so I got out and approached a group of about 8 to 10 youth at a bus stop. They were probably wondering what a white dude wanted with 8 to 10 black youth in the middle of the night, in one of the most dangerous parts of town.

As I walked up to them, I looked them straight in the eye, and simply asked, "Can I give you a New Testament?" All but one took one. The one who didn't, was probably a 16 to 17 year old girl, who was obviously strung out on drugs. I urged her as much as I could to take one without offending the group, but she refused. I am not going to lie, these young men and women had no interest at all in what I was there for, so I didn't push, but simply gave them a copy of the sacred Text.

Before I went out that night I picked up 20, $5 McDonald's gift cards to hand out to the homeless, but for whatever reason the homeless were not out and about that night. This was a very exciting night for me and I can't wait to go out again. Which I have already scheduled to go out again on May 18th. I pray that I will be able to be a vessel for God's use to this population to teens and the homeless. I also thank God that he has given me a man in my life who is a cop that allows me to share Christ while on his shift.

Many that I have talked to can't believe that I would put my life in danger by walking up to drug dealers, prostitutes, gang bangers and the like. But I simply need to ask you, "Who is sovereign?" If I die on the street handing out Bibles and speaking about Christ, what better way is there to die than for our God? Even the cop said, "I will wait here in case you get jumped."

I don't ever know when I will breathe my last breath but I hope that it will be just as Stephen spoke, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit...Lord do not hold this sin against them!"

May God be proclaimed to all, not just who we think "are ready."

beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 2 Corinthians 11:23b-30

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
Isaiah 53:4-6


How can we not strive to share what He did for us?