Every year each of our Urban Village sites pays a vendor fee so that it can have a presence in one of Chicago’s many neighborhood summer festivals. Our South Loop site just finished its second involvement with the Printers Row Lit Fest last weekend. I signed up for the 4-7 pm shift last Sunday and, as soon as I sat down, I knew my energy would be lacking. I’ve learned over the years at these festivals that it’s most effective to be in front of your table, chatting up strangers, inviting them to learn more about UVC, asking them if they’d like to make a button (we’ve purchased two button-making devices over the years and they’ve proven to be very successful at getting people to stop by). But chatting, inviting, and asking were not activities I was up for on Sunday. It was hot, for one thing–really hot and our table didn’t have any shade. Second, we had run out of button-making materials so our big enticement to get people to stop by was gone. So I plopped down in my chair and prayed that maybe the Spirit would lead someone to pick up a flyer.
It didn’t take long, though, for me to notice the evangelism techniques of the folks at the table next to me.
“Can I talk to you for just a moment?!? We have books for a dollar! Hello! For just a moment? Only a dollar!”
This was the pitch of 21-year-old D.M. Luevano, self-published author. She was selling her novel, “Within Forever,” which opens with these two sentences: ” ‘Stop your wailing, kid. You’ll wake the dead’ a deep voice ripped through the night air. I wiped away a tear with a sniffle, looking up from my parents’ dead bodies to see him.” She and her friend were doing their best to grab peoples’ interest as they walked by their table. They had been trying to sell the book for $5 on Saturday, but made only two sales. They dropped the price to $1 on Sunday and were having a little more luck. I was impressed with her chutzpah and tried to engage her in conversation. I don’t know if it was because I was from a church, but she seemed a little cool toward me, which was fine. I bought a copy of the book for $5 and watched her sell her story to strangers.
I admire her. It takes a lot of self-discipline to write something as big as her novel. And to have enough courage to self-publish it is an accomplishment. And then to feel confident enough buy space at the Lit Fest and tell others that her story is worth something.
It’s easy to let others tell our stories for us, especially our faith stories. To “come out as Christian” in 2017 is not easy, which is not surprising because the paragons of Christianity that are held up in the mass media aren’t anything to brag about. It may also be intimidating to share our faith stories because we feel like faith is an equation to solve or a legal case to defend. But I find comfort in the story of the blind man in John 9. So many others want to define this man and tell his story for him (including the disciples), but he gives his testimony simply, but powerfully. When the religious authorities want the man to besmirch Jesus, the man simply says: “I do not know whether (Jesus) is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
What’s your faith story? How has Jesus affected your life? How are you sharing it with others? That story is worth more than you know.