The Gift

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Cor 9:15 NIV


I met a man who had given his country the gift of his faithful service. Dennis was 19 when he signed up to serve our country. He fought in Viet Nam. He came back to America to go to school on the GI Bill. His fist day of college, the professor had everyone introduce themselves and tell a little about their lives. When Dennis told his story the professor said, “Why don’t you come to the front of the room and demonstrate how to bayonet a baby?”

“Thank you for serving for us,” I said. “I’m so sorry that America didn’t treat you better when you came home. I entered college in 1970. I remember what professors said about the war and the soldiers. It was terrible. I had a cousin in Viet Nam and I got so angry.”

I met Dennis in the Charlotte KOA Campground. He was there to help a friend with their gun display at an NRA Tradeshow. Dennis had recently retired from a 35-year career as a fire fighter in Chicago and was spending his retirement traveling the country and living in campgrounds. He was single with no children.

“Many of the Viet Nam Vets have had a hard time,” I said. “That war seemed harder on our solders than the others. Maybe it was because of how they were treated when they returned.”

“The average World War 2 Vet saw front line combat 30-40 days during their enlistment. We saw it almost every day for the entire time we were enlisted,” Dennis said. “You can be under that much stress for only so long without it damaging you. I had nightmares for years.”

“Did it make you cynical about your country?” I asked.

“Not my country but it made me cynical about people. People do stupid things.”

“The people I’ve met also tell me that it made them have a hard time with the concept of God,” I said.

“Recently, I was in the hospital. The doctor came in and told me I had a spot on my lung and they were going to give me chemo. He walked out. The next thing that happened was a Chaplin walked in to pray with me. Next, a priest came in. Then a Rabbi. Wait – I'm not done. A Cleric came in. I figured I was covered on the prayer thing. God had heard from all sides. I was just glad a Buddhist didn't come in. The Buddhist would have told me to try to accept it and I didn’t want to accept it.”

“So did you have cancer?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “It turned out to be a lung infection. I still had a hard time. 12 weeks of antibiotics shut down my kidneys. Then it left me with 6 weeks of gout.”

“How are you now?”

“OK,” he said. “My foot still hurts.”

“It sounds like those prayers are working. If you had to pick, which of those religious brands would have worked for you?”

“I guess the priest. I don’t think any of them have it all right.”

“I have a real simple definition when I ask people if they are a Christ follower. Do they believe in the God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do they believe in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the son of God? Have they confessed their mistakes and asked Jesus into their life? Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus, not a religion. The religion might come later but it starts with a relationship. Are you active in the Catholic church?”

“Semi,” he said, pondering what I’d said.

It was time to go. I prayed about what to give him. The answer came and I walked to the car. I grabbed my book, The Secret to Dealing With Pain and Related Depression. It dealt with pain and contained the way to Jesus.

I walked back over and handed him the book and a card with a quarter in it. “The quarter represents the free grace of God. It is a gift. All you have to do is ask Jesus into your life. He makes everything better. This is a copy of my pain book. I don’t think you’re depressed but you mentioned pain.”

“Thanks,” he said, looking pleased. “May I make a donation or something?”

“This book is a gift. We live off of donations but this book is a gift.”

He opened his wallet and pulled out a $20 bill.

“You don’t have to do this,” I insisted. “This was a gift.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” he said. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to. I want to give you this.”

I knew I had to accept his gift so I took it. I prayed he would accept the real gift that the book told about.

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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904-614-3585.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

Losing Perspective in the Darkness

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 NIV

I was on the phone with My Best Friend Nancy as I stepped outside my camper. It was dark and Belle needed to walk.

“I can’t see anything,” I cried. Nancy didn’t like hearing that. She frets about me traveling alone and does not like me being outside at night.

“I can’t see and I can’t remember where the lake is. I can hear the frogs but it sounds like they are everywhere. How do I know I’m not going to walk Belle into the lake? Do they have alligators in South Carolina?”

“Yes,” Nancy said. “They do have alligators. Alligators eat dogs.”

“Great,” I said. “I’ve completely lost my perspective in this dark.” An alligator didn’t eat Belle and I didn’t fall in the lake.

A couple of weeks later, I stepped outside in the pitch-black dark in Colorado. I knew there was a giant cliff close to me that dropped hundreds of feet into the canyon below but couldn’t remember which direction it was in. I knew that if Belle and I walked over the cliff, bad things were going to happen. I turned on my tiny flashlight beam and still couldn’t get my perspective back. I had completely lost my way and that tiny beam that pointed in one direction didn’t help. I needed a light that lit up the darkness all around me.

I meet many people who have lost their way. It is as if they are wandering around in the darkness and do not even notice it is dark. They don’t know which way to go or that there is anything available but darkness. They have lost their perspective about the difference between right and wrong. They have no idea of what living in the light could even be like. They have no memory of anything but darkness so darkness seems normal. They wander around dangerously close to a cliff and sometimes they fall over.

Occasionally, people shine tiny lights their way in the form of rebukes, pep talks, or advice. “You can do better,” people suggest. “Stop or you’ll kill yourself,” frantic loved ones cry. Unfortunately, like my tiny flashlight beam, these poor lost souls see the light but it does not illuminate the darkness or help them find their way out.

The only hope is to allow the bright illuminating “Sonshine” of Christ’s love and grace burst through us in the form of love, grace, faith, and kindness. The light of Christ is so bright that not only will it light up their darkness, it will make them long to walk towards it. Once they accept the love and grace of Jesus, He will convict their heart about sin and show them a way out.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904-614-3585.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

Who and Whose Are You?

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27 NIV

Who are you? Whose are you? What thoughts dominate your mind? What emotions control you heart? Whom or what do you worship? What increases or depletes your strength? Whom or what do you love with your entire mind, heart, soul, and strength? The answer affects your life and eternity.

People answer most of those questions in the first 5 minutes I spend with them. They speak words that mirror their thoughts. They wear emotions on the set of their jaw and the bent of their shoulders. They demonstrate what they worship by what excites or hurts them. Their strength is obvious by the shape of their body and the speed of their gait. The sweet aroma of Christ is unmistakable and the lack of it is as painfully obvious as a gaping hole left in a ship by an enemy torpedo.

The signs of pain are everywhere. God has called me to minister to people on the streets of America. I hear shocking stories as I travel. I witness shocking deeds. Some are so broken that they have lost faith in ever being happy again. Some are so hardened that bitterness spews out of every breath. I want to weep when I meet Christians who spot evil on every street corner and have taken it upon themselves to be the “sin police.” I apologize when I meet Christians and non-Christians who been so damaged by the "sin police" that they have rejected Christ and Christ’s church completely. People casually and jokingly share deeds so mean spirited, dangerous, or evil that I shudder as I recognize the deep pain behind their lighthearted words.

It is not hard to discover what is important to people. What we do with the information depends on who and whose we are. The easy way out would be to play the "sin police" by pointing out what people are doing wrong and how they could do better. After all, those mistakes are usually obvious to everyone. If we’ve spent time studying the Bible, we could hurl the words of God as an indictment and feel self righteous as we do it. The problem with that approach is that it focuses on behavior and not the heart. God cares about the heart. The behavior is a mere symptom of what is going on in the heart.

When I meet people on the street, I have a moment to influence a heart and if I focused on behavior, I’d lose that moment. When I focus on judging or reacting to behavior instead of having compassion for the damaged or hurting heart, it means that something is wrong with my heart.

What I long to do with every pour of my being is to let the perfect forgiving understanding loving heart of Jesus shine so brightly that that even if someone rejects it, they never forget the attraction. The heart of Jesus saw the sin of the prostitute but ministered to the damaged heart. The heart of Jesus rebuked the pious religious people so intent on living by rules and regulations that they had no room left to love. The heart of Jesus was compassionate to a thief condemned on a cross. The Jesus I want to radiate prayed for His executioners while His blood dripped onto the ground below.

My job on the streets of America is to love God with my entire mind, heart, soul, and strength and let that love bubble up and pour over every person I meet. Knowing and doing that are two different things. It is sometimes a challenge to love God with my entire mind when my mind whirls with uncertainty about what lies around the next corner. Loving God with my entire heart grows difficult when I let my heart be damaged by damaged people. It is impossible to love God with my entire soul when my soul craves what is out of my reach. I can forget to love God with my entire strength when my body is made uncomfortable by the demands of God’s calling. When I allow earthly distractions to interfere with loving God, the babbling brook that represents my love for others dams up and stops flowing. The only answer is for me to stop trying to solve every difficulty and turn my entire attention back to loving God with all that I am.

On those days when I manage to love God with most of my imperfect being, I notice beauty and peek around the next corner with anticipation. I recognize damaged hearts even as they hurl unfair, untrue, or cruel words about my Savior or occasionally me. I’m able to minister to a heart instead of reacting or taking harsh or ugly words personally. I accept the blessings God gives today and trust that they are not only enough, they are abundant. I serve God with the strength I have and He multiplies it and pours it out on the world the same way He fed 5000 with just a few loaves and fishes. When I love with the heart of Jesus, people want to know more of the Jesus who creates such love. My love for God grows as I witness the power of that love in their lives and suddenly, I have more love to offer to the world.

When the “who” of me becomes a Christ-follower seeking the Mind of Christ and the “whose” of me is God’s beloved, forgiven child, I can walk on water, move mountains, and say to the wind, “peace be still.” That kind of power is available to you if you want it. Who and whose are you?
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904-614-3585.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

What A Day

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady


This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24 NIV

What a day. I love sprinkling Jesus everywhere, but I must confess that if I get to pick, sprinkling Him across the towering red rocks of Colorado and Utah and along the Colorado River would probably be my first choice. In my last career, I was confined to an office. Now I get to do my work hiking places like Hovenweep National Monument.

As Belle and I hiked up and down the steep rocky canyon of Hovenweep National Monument, we shared Jesus with a Wicca practitioner and a Park Ranger. When we got back to the Visitor’s Center, Belle put on a trick show for an entire class of 5th graders. While she performed, I got to talk about Jesus. They were interested in reading Belle’s blog so I handed out my cards. The teacher thanked me for taking so much time with them.

As Belle and I hiked, I remembered the flat tire I’d had in Hovenweep in 2002. At the time, I thought it was crisis but it lead to the salvation of the man who changed the tire. This just goes to show that I don’t know what is good for me. I hear from him from time to time and he is doing great.

I also took great pleasure in the fact that because I’d prepared for this journey by working out at Curves, I was able to hike the steep rocky two mile trail with little effort.

This afternoon, I went to the grocery store. The woman in line ahead of me was angry about everything. I’m not sure what got her so angry but she was slamming her groceries out of her cart. In her fury, she laid her wallet down and panicked when she couldn’t find it.

“Here it is,” I said quietly, pointing the wallet that was perched on top of a can of peas. “You seem like you’re having a bad day.”

“I am,” she huffed. “This grocery store charges too much and they don’t take care of you.”

“We’re cheaper than the other grocery store,” the clerk argued.

“You’re too crowded,” the woman retorted.

I opened my purse and handed her a pamphlet entitled, Steps to Peace With God. “You look like you need this,” I said.

“I have peace,” she snapped.

I just looked at her and she looked sheepish. “I don’t believe this stuff but I’m sure you mean well.”

“I absolutely mean well,” I said.

“Ok,” she said, sighing. “I’ll take it and read it.”

Tonight, I took the 21 mile Canyon Land boat and dinner tour out of Moab. As I walked in, I remembered the sad college student who’d worked the ticket counter in 2002. She’d had a number of personal tragedies and what I call a “pocket full of tears.” I shared Christ with her and when I returned in 2003, she was a completely different person. She’d become a Christian, joined a church, and gotten active in a Bible study. Tonight, when I walked up to the same counter for the 3rd time, we immediately recognized each other and both got excited. Mallory was happy, had graduated from college, was still active in church, and had married a Christian man. Jesus had truly emptied her pocket full of tears.

For the dinner portion of the tour, I sat with 4 people who said they were more spiritual than religious. Three were interested in my story and life but not Jesus. The fourth, sitting next to me, was a former Mormon from Utah and was willing to talk about Christ. I gave all of them quarters and cards. I quietly shared the way to Christ with the former Mormon and gave him a tract. Since he was sitting with his 3 friends, who were busy religion bashing while we talked, I didn’t push him to pray with me but I showed him the prayer in the tract.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the tract.

Just in case you think my day was perfect – it wasn’t. I got lost a couple of times. My GPS took me down a dirt road that had a fence at the end of it. You haven’t lived until you turn a camper around on a rocky narrow dirt road. A cabinet flew open while I was driving and hurled food items at poor Belle. Something fell off the shelf above me while I was driving and conked me in the head. I was without cell coverage most of the day. I had to hook up my camper up in the dark and I scraped my hand while I stumbled and fumbled around. The hose didn’t connect properly and soaked me. I plugged in the electricity and it didn’t work. Shivering and wet, I walked to the campground office in the cold black night. Fortunately, they were still there and got my electricity working.

My life on the road is hard. Often, I long for my comfortable bed and luxurious shower. I always long for my husband. Days like today make it all worth it. This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904 614 3585.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

Date Day

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Matt 7:3-4 NIV

Sunday was Date Day. Date Day is better than Date Night because it lasts all day and all night. Bob and I hadn’t seen each other in 3 weeks and we planned to pack Sunday with a day of worship, romance, and adventure.

Our day began worshipping at the San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’d spent the night at Hotel Albuquerque Old Town and the church was just a couple of blocks away. Bob and I strolled through Old Town holding hands and quietly walked into the church packed with people.

Fray Manuel Moreno started the original church of San Felipe de Neri in 1706. Fray Manuel was a Franciscan priest who came to Albuquerque with 30 families from Bernalillo in 1704 or 1705. Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, the founder of the city of Albuquerque, originally named the church San Francisco Xavier, after the Viceroy of New Spain. The Duke of Albuquerque changed the name to San Felipe de Neri in honor of King Philip of Spain.

On a rainy day in the summer of 1792, the old church completely collapsed. A year later, Albuquerque built the church currently standing on the Old Town Plaza. This lovely church is in the shape of a cross, has the Stations of the Cross on the 5 foot thick walls, and was constructed of adobe.

It was a peaceful service filled with prayer, reading the word of God together, and singing. We sat in anticipation as the Priest began his Homily.

The Priest said a parishioner once commented that no one ever had ever heard him talking badly about other churches or religions.

The Priest answered, “We have enough to talk about in this church. When we finish fixing everything here, we’ll talk about other churches.” We all laughed.

The Priest’s response is the best example of Matthew 7:3-4 I’ve ever heard. When we finish fixing everything about ourselves, we can start fixing other people.

We left the church and ate authentic New Mexican food in Old Town. We visited shops, again holding hands. Bob bought me a lovely mother’s day gift – you may have guessed what – a dramatic necklace. Who is surprised that I wanted that. We went to the movies and saw – you can probably guess again – Date Night.

We’d hoped to take the gondola up the Sandia Mountain and eat dinner at the Hotel on top of the mountain but the ice cold rain and hail discouraged us. I wondered if it was an example of the heavy rain that had collapsed that tiny church so many years ago. Instead, we drove around the city taking in the sights and ran a couple of errands. We ate New Mexican food for dinner. What can I say? We don’t have Mexican food in State College, Pennsylvania. After dinner, we returned to our hotel. I do not plan to write about the rest of our delightful Date Day.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904 614-3585.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

I'm Sorry

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

This is dedicated to the people all across America who shared with me their “Christian” and “Church” horror stories.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 NIV


To everyone who has been hurt by Christians who put legalism ahead of love, I’m sorry. Those same people crucified Jesus.

To everyone who has been hurt by a church who judged them instead of loving them, I’m sorry. Jesus told them that if they judged, He was going to judge them.


To everyone who has been devastated by a Christian who did not honor their vows, I’m sorry. Jesus said they honored Him with their lips but their hearts were far from him.

To everyone who has watched a Christian use God’s word to kill or destroy, I’m sorry. Jesus said to love your neighbor.

To everyone who has been puzzled by a Christian trembling in fear, I’m sorry. Jesus said, “Oh ye of little faith, why do you doubt?”

To everyone who has been abandoned by a Christian, I’m sorry. God said, “I will never leave you nor will I forsake you. “

To everyone who has been wounded by Christians while doing the work of Christ, I’m sorry. Jesus said, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”

To everyone who has been reminded of their mistakes by Christians, I’m sorry. If you ask Jesus into your life, He won’t even remember your mistakes.

To everyone who has had Christians use the word of God to win an argument, I’m sorry. The Bible says they have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels.

To everyone who has watched Christians preach one thing while doing another, I’m sorry. The Savior called them hypocrites.

To anyone who has been criticized by a Christian, I’m sorry. Jesus said they should have first taken the plank out of their own eye.

To everyone who has rejected Christ because of Christians, I’m sorry. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries

Start At the Beginning

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

Have you ever wondered if the person sitting next to you knows the basic Jesus story? Do they know that He was born to a virgin, died on a cross, and rose from the dead. Do they know that He is the promised Messiah from the book of Isaiah? Do they know that He loves them and will forgive and forget anything they did wrong? Do they know that no one could or needs to work their way into heaven – that heaven is a gift to those who ask? Never assume the answer is yes. Sometimes, we have to start at the beginning – even with the person sitting next to us at church.

“Oh, I’m not religious. I Buddhist but not much,” Jade said. Jade was from Viet Nam. She was standing on my right removing my nail polish. I was in a massage chair with a young man working on my feet. Women filled the chairs next to me. Everyone could hear every word.

“How long have you been in the U.S.?” I asked.

“6 years.”

Were you Buddhist in Viet Nam?”

“She Buddhist,” the man working on my feet said as he frowned.

“You must be Catholic.” I said. The people I’ve met from Viet Nam are usually Buddhist or Catholic.

The young Vietnamese man working on the woman next to me said, “We both Catholic. She Buddhist.”

“Do you go to church?” I asked. They both nodded eagerly. “Have you prayed and asked Jesus to be your Savior and Lord?” Again, they both nodded.

“I nothing,” Jade said. “Not religious. What are you?”

“I follow Christ,” I said. “That makes me Christian. I love Jesus and asked Him to come into my life.”

“My husband Baptist,” she said. “What difference between Christian, Catholic, and Baptist?”

“Is your husband from Viet Nam?” I asked, surprised.

“No,” she said. “He American. He Baptist. His brother prays at everything – Christmas and Thanksgiving.”

“Does your husband go to church?” I asked.

“Some,” she said.

“Do you go with him?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“Do you like Baptist church?” I asked. “Do you like the preacher?”

She shrugged. “I no understand preacher.”

“You asked the difference between Christians, Baptist, and Catholics.” I said, struggling to find words for someone who had no background in religion or Christianity. “Christians believe that Jesus was born to a virgin, was murdered on a cross, and came back from the dead. A Christian has admitted mistakes and prayed to ask Jesus to come into their life. A Christian has a personal relationship with Jesus.”

“He born to virgin?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “God was His father. It is hard to understand because Jesus is God. God saw how bad we were living on earth so He came to earth to save us. God has several faces or roles. Just like you – you do nails, are a mother, and a wife. God the Father is our daddy. He made us. He made the flowers and trees. God the Son is Jesus. He came to earth as a man to teach us and to save us so we can go to heaven. When we pray to ask Jesus into our life, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives inside of us."

“Do you know about Buddha?” she asked.

“I do,” I said. “Buddhism isn’t really a religion. It is a philosophy or a way to live. It is a peaceful way to live. Buddha was a teacher and he came up with 4 Noble Truths about how to live. The people that I know that follow Buddha are very good people. The difference between Buddha and Jesus is that I have a personal relationship with Jesus. He did not just teach truth – He is truth. He rose from the dead. He is alive. No one that is Buddhist tells me they have a personal relationship with Buddha.”

“He is alive?” she said, clearly surprised.

“Yes,” I said. “The world killed him but He rose from the dead. He is God. He is alive in us when we ask Him to come into our life. He teaches us. You said you did not understand the preacher. If you had the Holy Spirit inside of you, the Holy Spirit would help you understand him. Jesus is also the way to heaven. Do you believe in heaven?”

“Yes,” she said. "Buddha say if you live good you go to heaven. I try to live good.”

“That is another difference between Jesus and Buddha. Jesus doesn’t tell you that you have to live good to go to heaven. He says you have to believe in Him and follow His ways. Heaven is free – all you have to do is believe in Jesus and ask for heaven. If you tell Jesus what you did wrong and ask Him to forgive you, He does. He does not even remember your mistakes after He forgives you.”

“He does not remember?” she asked in awe.

“No,” I said. “It is as if it never happened. We call that grace. It is free. You cannot work your way into heaven.”

I pulled out a laminated card that had 4 simple steps to becoming a Christian. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my Vietnamese tract. “Do you read English?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

I walked her through each step and read her the words from the Bible scriptures.

“Jesus loves you,” I said gently. “He said so right here. The Bible is God talking to you.”

“It is?” she said.

“Yes,” I said. “I love the Bible. I can read God’s words any time.” I read her more words.

“I think I believe in God,” she said.

“I can tell you want to believe in Jesus. You do not have to understand everything to be Christian,” I said. I read her a sample prayer to ask Jesus into her life. “Do you want to pray this now?”

“No,” she said. “Can I have this card? I want to read it to my husband. I want to ask if he did this. I want to know what he think. What is difference between Baptist and Catholic?”

“They are both Christian religions. They worship in a different way and they believe a few things differently, but they both claim to follow Christ. Remember – a Christian in someone who has prayed to invite Jesus into their life. Not every Baptist or Catholic has done that. They are both Christian religions but a Christian is a person. You cannot become a Christian because your parents were Christians. You have to decide that for yourself.”

“How old were you when you did this?” she asked.

“8. My parents are Christians and took me to a Baptist church but I was not Christian until I prayed this. I do not care what church you go to as long as they teach you to follow Jesus but if your husband is Baptist, you should go to the Baptist church with him. It will be wonderful for your son for both parents to be Christian.”

My time with her was over. She clung to the card as I walked over to dry my nails.

Just before I left, she came over to me. “I want to say thank you. No one explain this to me before. I did not know what Christian was. You taught me about Buddha. I did not understand difference. You good person. Thank you.”

“Jade,” I begged. “Please, go home, talk to your husband, and pray that prayer. Go to church with him and tell the church your good news. Let them help you understand.”

As I walked out of that nail salon, I thought of all of the hands Jade had painted. Surely, some were Christian. Had none of them told her that Jesus loved her? She was married to a Baptist. Why hadn’t he started at the beginning and explained that Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead? She went to a Baptist church. Why did no one figure out that she needed them to start at the beginning? I’ve learned to never assume people know about Christ. I always ask, even in church. I visited a church and led a woman to Christ while sitting in the middle of an advanced Bible Study she’d attended for weeks. The Christian women around her had assumed she was already Christian and were trying to teach deep Biblical truths to someone who needed to know that Jesus died for her. They sat stunned as she prayed to invite Jesus into her life. They all apologized for not starting at the beginning. Please tell the story of Jesus everywhere. Start at the beginning.

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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.

This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road leading people to Christ, you can donate at Donate

Copyright: Pocket Full of Change Ministries