There are two questions that govern my life. They are how we move forward as a church, as missional communities and as individuals in discipleship: What is God doing? How should we respond? These questions led me to discover that Jesus loves strippers. God leads us into places where it feels near impossible to see what God might be doing in that location. A while ago, I was led into one of those spaces.
“Want go into the strip club down the street?”
I asked Amy as she came in for a planning meeting for the missional community she leads that loves people experiencing homelessness.
“Um, sure?” She said with slight, yet puzzled hesitation.
This is what I love about Amy, she assumes the best and is willing to step into uncertainty.
I explained to her that it clearly wasn’t for entertainment value that I was wanting to enter this facility. It was a deep sense that I kept having every time I drove by.
I felt God nudge me every time my car passed on the busy Broadway St NE:
“Could you see me moving, even in there?”
After explaining this to Amy, I told her whatever I have of “street smarts” was telling me I shouldn’t go in alone, yet, bringing a man would probably not be wise either.
So we drove to BJs Bar and said a prayer in the parking lot and took a deep breath and went inside in search of what God might be doing in this place of brokenness.
ALSO: EVANGELISM—TODAY’S CHRISTIAN CURSE WORD
As we went inside the whole place just felt deeply sad. There was not a smile on anyone who was present.
There were men playing billiards, many in seats in front of a large stage. There was a female waitress who quickly figured out that we didn’t bring cash for the cash-only bar and kicked us out after a few minutes because there was a one-drink minimum.
