I was conducting Spring Week of Prayer at a large Adventist boarding academy in the eastern United States. It had been a fun evening. After the meeting that night the principal granted permission for the fellows in the boys' dormitory to watch one of the "March Madness" college basketball games. I decided to join the guys for the special treat.

It must have been close to midnight when I left the dorm to walk across campus to my guest quarters. In the pitch-blackness of the night I could barely make out a figure near the flagpole located at the center of the grounds. A voice out of the darkness said, "Pastor Wright, can I talk to you?" After collecting myself, I invited the young man to speak.

"My name is Jerry,* and I've got some questions about God. I've been praying to Him about my girlfriend, and she got worse sick anyway. Then I thought I would give Him a real test. Tonight after you preached about His power and how responsive He is to our needs, I asked Him to prove His presence by bending this dime. He didn't bend it, pastor, and now I'm not sure He exists!"

Well, I invited Jerry to walk along with me as we talked. We ended up spending the entire night in Bible study (probably against academy rules) as God spoke to this troubled young man's heart from the scriptures. The Holy Spirit showed His love for Jerry by completely convincing him of God's care. Jerry also realized that our heavenly Father has far more important things to do and far more affirming ways to deal with us than bending dimes.

By the time daylight broke on the campus Jerry had shared with me about his home life, and the dysfunction there. His parents had placed him in academy, he said, "just to get rid of me so they could have freedom." Jerry had never really been introduced to Jesus before that fateful night at the flagpole.

I'm happy to say that by Friday night of the week of prayer series Jerry had accepted Christ as his personal Savior, and I had the privilege of baptizing him along with other students on Sabbath afternoon.

Our youth are so precious. It is incumbent upon every Christian parent to model love for Jesus, not just mouth some words that are not backed up by action. Jerry didn't even feel loved by his parents, and so it was very difficult for him to relate to God's love. Are you reaching out to your child or some other doubting young person with real, genuine love for their souls? They desperately need to hear "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3).

*Not his real name