Been to the mall lately? If you have, I’m sure you are very familiar with the kiosks lining the middle of the walkways inside endeavoring to sell you items such as Dead Sea minerals for your nails, facial products for your acne, and a new cell phone plan to replace your current one. All of these products are good and fine, but the people selling them can be… (how can I be nice?) persistent. I have a friend who affectionately calls them “mall stalkers.” Neither my wife nor I have mastered the art of avoiding these young “entrepreneurs” trying to sell us stuff we really don’t want or need. Without success, we have attempted the following methods: 1) avoiding eye contact, 2) walking close to the wall while avoiding eye contact, 3) power walking past the kiosk, 4) pretending to not hear their calls, 5) waiting until the kiosk worker is preying upon another unassuming passerby and then running past, and lastly, 6) yelling at our kids to create a distraction. Alright. We have not tried the last one, but I think we may.Today, my wife fell victim to one of the kiosk products; however, it wasn’t out of coercion, but choice. Yes, you read me right. My wife willingly surrendered herself to the kiosk gods. Why? They were selling merchandise she needed. Things seem to work so much better when a person receives something that they know they need, instead of only receiving something simply out of intimidation. I’m afraid, at times, the church has become the dreaded kiosk where those outside are avoiding eye contact, power walking past, or pretending to not hear the message of the church. Instead, the church should become a place of hope where weary souls can find the One they need, who is Jesus.
