阅读经文 

我们在社交媒体上辩论芝加哥警员枪击一名少年男子的事件，大家的情绪都变得相当激动。我认同其中一种立场的看法，而一个昔日任警员的同窗则站在另一面的立场。经过慎思之后，我们二人都深信，我们各自的看法才是唯一正确的。

一周之后，按照朋友的提议，那警员和我相约在芝加哥一所餐厅会面。我一直用茶匙搅动咖啡，后来他终于提议说：“我们祈祷好吗？”于是我们便一起祈祷了。在此后的两个小时里，我们都很留心聆听对方的看法，我们又约定日后再相聚。

到了第二个月，我在半夜收到一个年青人发给我的短信——一个刚从监狱假释出来的乐手。

“牧师，我需要祈祷。因着我过去的生活经历，无论我到哪里，我总是提心吊胆，恐怕有什么事情会发生。你可以为我祈祷吗？我感到求助无门，我开始感到绝望了。”第二天早上，我给他打去电话，我们便一起祈祷。从那天起，我们经常互发短信并一起祈祷。

圣灵会带领我们到哪里、要进入谁的生命中呢？警务人员？假释的乐手？一位老朋友？还是敌人？我们往往意料不到。

Emotions ran high as we debated on social media the shooting of a teenage boy by a Chicago police officer. I took one side, and a former classmate, a Chicago police officer, took another. We both dug in deeper, and we were both convinced that our own individual viewpoint was the only way to see things.

A week later, following a friend's prompting, the officer and I sat across from each other in a Chicago diner. I stirred my coffee with a spoon. Then he finally said, "Can we pray?" We did. And then, for the next two hours, we listened to each other. We committed to meet again.

The next month, in the middle of the night, I received a text from a young man—a musical artist just released from prison on parole.

"Pastor, I need prayer. I look over my shoulder everywhere I go because of the life I live. Can you pray for me? I have no one to turn to. I'm despairing." The next morning, I called, and we prayed together. We have texted and prayed together regularly since then.

Where is the Holy Spirit taking us, and into whose lives? A police officer? A musical artist on parole? An old friend? An enemy? We never know.