Shortly thereafter, the officers ascended out of the subway with a handcuffed man in tow. I learned that the distraught woman called the police because she heard or saw the man threatening to hang himself in the subway.
As LAPD officers dealt with the mentally unstable man, several LASD (sheriff's department) patrol cars arrived. In short order, deputies had a homeless man in custody, for reasons unknown to me. The man didn't want to go to jail, as evidenced by his screams and the fact that he allowed his body to go limp, required the deputies to carry him to their patrol car.
All this before 7:30 AM.
I stood on the boulevard, just outside the subway entrance, carrying my cross and distributing gospel tracts. It wasn't long before I was approached by Jermaine. He asked me where I went to church, which initiated a good conversation, with a young man who believed the Old Testament is reliable, but the New Testament is not. Join me as a share the gospel with Jermaine.
Download the audio, here.
My next conversation was with Muhar. Muhar initiated the conversation by yelling at me from several feet away, "Are you ready?"
I would learn that Muhar is at least sympathetic to a fiery cult known as the Black Hebrew Israelites. And wait till you hear what he thinks is the interpretation of the "Lake of Fire."
Download the audio, here.
After destroying an unknown number of brain cells while trying to reason with Muhar, I walked up the boulevard for a change of scenery. I stopped in front of the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theater. It just so happened that the theater was buzzing with activity, as workers prepared for the world premiere of the latest action movie, "Expendables 2."
I asked a group of employees in front of the theater what all the hubbub was about, which is how I learned about the premiere. Then one of the employees, a very nice lady named Anita, asked me a very common question, at least when I'm out with my cross. "Ready for what?"
I answered Anita's question, but she was pulled back to her duties before the conversation could really get going. Thankfully, I had gospel tracts on me.
Download the audio, here.
I walked back down the boulevard to the subway entrance where I found some shade to get out of the heat. It was going to be another day of 100+ temperatures, and the black reflective sidewalk of the "Walk of Stars" was like staring into a hot pool of water.
I wasn't in the shade for but a couple of minutes when a young man walked up to me, looked at the cross, and asked, "Where do you go to church?"
His name was Alexis. He professed to be a Christian, which meant I was going to take him through the "3 Minutes to Live" scenario. Sadly, as expected, Alexis could not share the gospel with me. While he affirmed everything I shared with him and insisted Jesus Christ was his Lord and Savior, something just didn't seem right.
Alexis shared with me that he had just been released from the County Jail, after spending eight months incarcerated for what he insisted was a crime he did not commit. According to Alexis, he was falsely accused of trying to kidnap and/or rob a woman in the subway station, the entrance next to which we were standing.
Alexis, who told me he was from Connecticut, said that even though he was on parole/probation, he had received permission to break parole/probation by absconding to Connecticut. Wait until you hear who allegedly gave Alexis permission to flee.
Download the audio, here.
After my conversation with Alexis, I decided it was time to read the Word of God, in the open-air. Even the simple reading of Scripture will set off a God-hater in a tirade. Listen to my conversation with a self-proclaimed satanist who called himself "Unique."
I do hope you will take the time to listen to the entire audio. Every Christian should love to hear the reading of God's Word. In this audio you will hear me read John 1-6.
Download the audio, here.
As God sometimes does, He saved the best conversation for last. As I read John 1-6 in the open-air, I noticed a man sitting on the ground, in the same patch of shade where I had talked to Alexis. It seemed the man never took his eyes off me. It was obvious to me he was listening.
When I finished reading the scriptures, the man got up from his place on the shady sidewalk and made his way over to me. What followed was about a 20-minute conversation, which ended with me praying for the man. His name was Quentin and, like Alexis, was from Connecticut.
Download the audio, here.
I spent a little more than four hours on Hollywood Boulevard this morning. And the Lord certainly redeemed the time. What was most encouraging to me about my time on the boulevard was that every conversation was generated by the "ARE YOU READY?" cross. The Lord continues to amaze me as He uses what, to some, is a foolish prop to draw people into eternally-significant conversations.
I do hope the testimony of this post is an encouragement to my fellow "Crosswalkers," and will serve as a motivating factor for other men and women to join our ranks.
