“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” they say. \u00a0The say it often because they want you to believe it. \u00a0But it’s not true. \u00a0I know.\u00a0 I just got back from Vegas where I’ve been doing something I’m not proud of, and this time, it came back with me.<\/p>\n
For years I have been going to Las Vegas. \u00a0I go for a convention. \u00a0It’s part of my job. \u00a0This year, it was no different. \u00a0I went to the convention as usual and found things in Vegas pretty much as they always are. \u00a0Although the city has a few good qualities, for the most part, it has earned the nickname of which it is so proud: Sin City.<\/p>\n
It is a place where immorality is encouraged. \u00a0Excesses of every kind are the foundation of its success. \u00a0From the casinos, to the buffet lines, to the lewd shows and legal, advertised prostitution, the city stands as proof that greed and lust are deeply rooted in the heart of mankind.\u00a0 Greed, and lust, and something else which showed its ugly mark in me this time. \u00a0And it was the prostitution that did it.<\/p>\n
If you are a guy who has ever been to Vegas and walked down the sidewalk on Las Vegas Blvd, you will understand.\u00a0 As you walk down “The Strip” as a single man, you will be provided multiple opportunities to procure your evening “entertainment.”\u00a0 Groups of hooker hawkers stand on almost every corner. \u00a0Wearing t-shirts that say “Girls, Girls, Girls!” or “Girls to Go” they snap cards and brochures containing pictures of women showing off what they have for sale.\u00a0 They snap the cards and slap the brochures just as you walk by so you will instinctively look and open to receive what they reach out to hand to you.\u00a0 Sometimes it can be like running a gauntlet.<\/p>\n
All these years I have managed pretty well. \u00a0I try not to look at them.\u00a0 How disgusting that they would try to make a living by selling girls’ bodies.\u00a0 What kind of job . . . what kind of life is that? \u00a0Indignation and disgust well up within me as I turn my head a little, and walk right on by.\u00a0 I have survived that way for years, until this year.<\/p>\n
This year, on the very last walk back to the hotel, on the very last night, something different happened. \u00a0Something different happened and I am ashamed.\u00a0 Ashamed not at what happened, but that it had not always been happening.\u00a0 This time, instead of looking away in disgust, I finally heard the urging to take a different approach. \u00a0As I walked past the t-shirt wearing hooker vendors, I prayed for them.<\/p>\n
My heart melted. \u00a0All these years I had been a pharisee.\u00a0 One of the proud scribes looking down in disgust at the sinners.\u00a0 Jesus would not have seen them this way.\u00a0 He would see them as lost sheep, in need of a shepherd. Victims of the devil’s schemes, needing someone to save them.\u00a0 All these years I had been turning my eyes, closing my heart, and running from the evil.\u00a0 Leaving those caught in its trap to fend for themselves.<\/p>\n
By the time I neared my hotel, I approached one last group.\u00a0 God could now manage to get through to my softened heart. \u00a0“Look them in the eyes as you pray for them, it’s what Jesus would do.”\u00a0 I did, and it still haunts me.\u00a0 She did not expect it.\u00a0 She expected me to look at the brochure, not her eyes.\u00a0 As I looked, I saw the shame and sadness.\u00a0 She looked away and dropped her hand.\u00a0 The brochure was not for me.<\/p>\n
I still pray for those people. \u00a0The ones who’s bodies are not good enough to sell.\u00a0\u00a0The ones who only hope to make a few bucks selling others.\u00a0 They are lost and without hope, as are the women they sell. \u00a0But we are all lost and without hope, except for the blood of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Those of us who are blessed to have accepted Him have a great gift.\u00a0 We should not hide it.\u00a0 His light and His love will send the message, but only if we are willing to give up our self-righteousness, look the world in the eye, and share it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John 8:10-11\u00a0\u00a0 NKJV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” they say. \u00a0The say it often because they want you to believe it. \u00a0But it’s not true. \u00a0I know.\u00a0 I just got back from Vegas where I’ve been doing something I’m not proud of, and this time, it came back with me. For years I have been going […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[91,90],"class_list":["post-137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consider","category-misc","tag-forgiveness","tag-self-righteousness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137\/revisions\/139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markspruill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}