Update 10.12.2013 - Hartford Marathon

      It was the Hartford Marathon today, with thousands of opportunities to share the gospel!  With seven men to do the work, we set up the banners and signs right in the middle of the park where all the runners and spectators were milling around, and preached the word for almost 4 hours!
     If you haven't noticed, people are totally unconcerned about God, sin, their eternal soul, and where they will spend eternity.  To give you an idea, here are some actual responses we got to our typical evangelistic pitches of "Can I offer you something from the scriptures today?" or "Find out what Jesus Christ did for you!"  Here they are:

"No THANK you!"
"I already have a church home."
"Do you know where the beer tent is?"
"Isn't that a bit graphic?"
"I'm a believer, too!"
"I worship Satan."
"Where's the beer tent?"
"You're not going to win people this way."
"Thank you, this is just what I needed!"
"{expletive}"
"I'm born again, brother!"
"Hail Satan."
"I think 26.2 is enough [to get me to heaven.]"
"No thanks, I love my sin."
"What?  Do you think marathon runners are a bunch of evil people?"
"Are these tickets to the beer tent?"
 
While some of these were either an encouragement or on the humorous side (I think I was asked every hour where the beer tent was), most of these statements show the absolutely LOST condition of men and women today.  We need to pray for the lost.  We need to pray for laborers to win them--and we need to be willing to be one of those laborers.