Small Talk...

Where do I start...

I better start as near to the beginning as I possibly can. I was a single mother, two children, and saved about 5 yrs. In the beginning I was happy to stay single, almost bitter... But after meeting some saved couples and how they interacted with one another, I struggled with the Lord about my singleness... I came out resigned to spend life alone and be content to do so! God's word commands me to learn to be content in whatever state I find myself (Phil 4:11) ~ so I was going to learn!

I remember being annoyed almost like clock work! It seemed that I'd just settle down to do devotions with my children, I would hear the blowers, mowers, whippers, etc ~ the landscape crew was in the neighborhood! This landscape crew had been part of the neighborhood for the 11 yrs that I lived there.

My neighbor and I were having tea and she informed me that one of the fellas working the crew was asking about me. To that I asked her if she told him I was a born~again, blood~bought, regenerated, bible~believing, Christian? She said yes! Later, Cliffton told me, she told him I was a RELIGIOUS NUT!

Cliffton wasn't saved when we first had words. I remained cool, as a cucumber ~ I didn't want to give him any ideas, or lead him on in any way! But he was a handsome man, no doubts there. ~wink~

A couple of times he asked me about what I was trying to accomplish with my little garden ~ small talk, you know! ~wink~ I talked in the yard with him about going to church, and gave him a whole envelope full of bible tracts. Months before he had rented an apartment from Lomax's. He'd since moved out but they invited him to church a time or two. Cliffton told me he was a Christian so I asked where he went to church ~ he wasn't going! I said, "a believer would be going to church somewhere ~ the address is on the back if you'd like to visit a great bible teaching church (FBC)".

Cliffton did read the tracts over and over and called me on them. Halloween was coming up and he wanted to know my feelings on it. I tried to tell him my feelings about all the things we talked about were personal and everyone had to develope some personal convictions about things ~ but it was personal! And some things were not convictions, just strong preferences. This only added to the cult/religious nut thing.

Later, I found out that as he lay on his bed, Halloween night ~ Oct 31/1996, Cliffton repented and asked the Lord to save him.

Cliffton wanted to take me out ~ he thought I was a member of some kind of religious cult because I wouldn't go in the car with him (alone) to get a coffee. I told him I had a testimony to maintain in my neighborhood ~ I lived there almost 11 yrs (unsaved, then saved), people were watching. We could walk some place, I suggested?


TO BE CONTINUED...