In the early days of his Christian life, Os Guinness believed that he had to prove his commitment to Christ by becoming a minister or missionary. So, urged on by his spiritual mentors, he worked for a well-known church, but he was miserable. God changed his heart and refined his calling through a random encounter at a gas station. Here's how Guinness described it:
[In the days before
self-service gas stations], I had just had my car filled up with gas and
enjoyed a marvelously rich conversation with the pump attendant. As I turned on
the key and the engine to [my car] roared to life, a thought suddenly hit me
with the force of an avalanche: This man was the first person I had spoken to
in a week who was not a church member. I was in danger of being drawn in a
religious ghetto … . Ten minutes of conversation with a friendly gas pump
attendant on a beautiful spring evening in [England], and I knew once and for
all I was not cut out to [work full-time in a church].
Os Guinness, The Call (W Publishing Group, 1988), pp. 5-6
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