We had to use blood to stop the teenagers. Lots of blood. And a dead body….

Desperate times require drastic measures; I read about that somewhere or saw it in a movie. Nevertheless, we put that sentiment into practice at our corner in Lawndale, where hundreds of kids from Leuzinger High School cross the street when class ends. That’s where we set up and preach the Law and Gospel to those who have no standard for living, no boundaries, and no understanding of what God requires.

One problem: When we placed our preaching dummy on the sidewalk at the traffic signal—sans blood—the kids walked right over it and crossed at the light with nary a look or listen. But with the blood liberally placed on the head of the dummy, the kids slowed enough to hear a little of our preaching.

Indeed, there is power in the blood.