A Different Approach to Sharing the Word About Jesus

 I had a dialogue with several men on Saturday evening.  The conversation went well for about half an hour.  Then we got into discussing how to share our spirituality with others.  One of the men said that we had an obligation to tell someone that if they did not get Jesus in their life and repent, they would go to hell.  I and another gentleman felt that was a rather direct and somewhat harsh method to tell someone about Jesus.  We stressed that we would rather just dialogue with the other person and not tell that person they would go to hell if they did not change their lifestyle.  The "you will go to hell" person is a Deacon in a church, bible study leader, and was trained to think and speak the way he does. This after a life of not being a model citizen.  He is very sincere in his beliefs which is his right.  But me and the other man felt it was a somewhat rigid attitude to take towards someone else.  My thoughts were to just continue a dialog with the non believer and listen to what they have to say, and why they think the way they do.  I personally would rather take that approach. When the time was right, I would then bring up the "technical" aspects of giving your life to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit.  Whatever I become in my spiritual walk, I do not ever want to become a "one way or the highway " Christian.

Immigration-The Source of the Problem is within the Countries People are Fleeing From

 There is an amazing fact to the immigration crisis.  Governor's of  some states are trying to pass on the responsibility of taking care of the immigrants to other states.  But, why are those Governors not focused on the conditions in those countries immigrants are fleeing? I have not heard one governor talk about the United States applying pressure to the governments where immigrants are coming from, or providing aid to those countries from whence the immigrants are coming!  There has been no talk about those countries taking actions to build up the foreign countries' housing and job infrastructure, or stopping any mistreatment of the citizens causing them to flee to the United States.  Their is no talk of providing aid to those countries, under specific conditions, so those countries can build affordable housing, and have clean water, food, and jobs, for their citizens.  Would that not be a better solution than giving the inhabitants of those countries the one choice of embarking on a dangerous journey to the United States?  

Instead politicians and their followers gripe and moan about all the immigrants and aliens coming into the United States.  Does the land where the immigrants are coming from contain poisonous soil and unbreathable air?  Are those countries unfit for human beings to live?  If not then what's the problem?  If the problems can be fixed in those countries, fix them.  Then the United States won't have to worry about trying to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people a year into the United States.  Governors will not have to expend state dollars to ship immigrants to another state.  Is that not the widely touted "win-win" scenario of legend?  

So, to the federal government, to the President, Vice President, and our dysfunctional Congress and Senate I ask you to answer the question.  Why are you not working with those countries where the immigrants are fleeing, or applying pressure to the governments of those countries to fix the conditions that are making their citizens flee from to the United States?  

In the Presidential debates that would be a topic I would like to hear the candidates talk about.  Having the countries of immigrants fix the conditions in those countries that are making their citizens flee to the United States.