"What is your spiritual gift?" The choices are exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy, service and teaching. It was the second time he asked me, that day. I gave him the same answer as before.

"I don't know. What's yours?"

"Exhortation!"

"What a lame ass gift. That's got to be the easiest to own" I said to myself.

"Come on what's yours. I'm not letting you leave until you tell me." he said as he blocked my way out.

"Do you want to wrestle to the floor right here?"

He laughed and mentioned his bad back as he stepped aside. I ran into him again as we walked to our cars. He wished me a good day and I wished the same for him. He's a simple man, a little clueless at times, or so I think.

"I'll have a good day as long as I don't get sad." He has been diagnosed as being bi-polar.

"Why don't you exhort yourself?"

"There's no glory in that." His answer was consistent with what I know about him. He does things for rewards as opposed to out of kindness. He continued on that he came from an abusive home and that his mother is still abusive, at least verbally so he has trouble encouraging himself.

I just let his statements hang in the still spring air, I opened my car door as I told him goodbye.

I never claimed exhortation as my gift.