"They've got my torch," one of my team members reported to me at the end of our Saturday night youth coffee bar. As a group of Christians we had commenced a weekly event aimed at befriending the young men and women who hung around the streets at night, many of them drinking wine and taking drugs. We provided hot soup, ham rolls, tea, coffee and juice, free of charge and also offered warmth, love and the message of Jesus.

Many had come and we were enjoying getting to know them - a lively bunch indeed! This particular night I had noticed my friend showing them his new torch. It was a real good one and would be very useful for tidying up the litter and broken bottles outside, in the dark yard, before home time. I was annoyed with these older lads for overstepping the line in this way. I felt that we had to do something quickly, or they would start to walk all over us, and we'd have to close down.

In our work for the Lord we have always believed in showing real love to the people we are trying to win for Him. This love is not a sentimental nor wishy-washy thing but is what we have called, "TOUGH LOVE." It was this kind of love that led the Lord Jesus to die a terribly painful death on a Roman cross. "TOUGH LOVE," took Jesus to that place of execution, because there was no other way that He could SAVE men and women and children. He had to suffer and DIE to pay for YOUR sins and mine.

It was "TOUGH LOVE," that took Jesus' followers out into a hostile world with the message that HE WAS ALIVE from the dead. Like their Master, they too suffered persecution. It takes "TOUGH LOVE," to be a true follower of Jesus Christ today too - why - because you have to be prepared to STAND UP for what is RIGHT!

I decided, as leader, that I would have to go and confront the men concerning the theft of the torch; so a few nights later, after much prayer I went looking for the gang. I knew many of the places they used to hang out, so I set out, alone ,to find them. It was early evening, on a warm summer's night and I walked down towards a piece of waste ground, in a quiet spot, near a building site.

I saw a crowd of young men and girls gathered in an opening. They were looking at something and cheering. I heard the loud noise of an engine and noticed that a couple of guys had stolen a digger from the building works and were driving it recklessly up and down. Everyone thought it a real laugh! Someone noticed my approaching and called out, "Here's mad Ray!"

The man who had taken the torch jumped down from the builders vehicle and strode up to me, with a stern face, "What do you want?" he challenged. I slowly stretched out my hand, and asked quietly, "Can I have the torch, please." He stared me in the eye and suddenly swung his fist, just missing my face. "You're not getting your ***** torch!" he stormed, then turned abruptly and walked away. I stood still.

Everyone went back to what they were doing and after a few minutes I turned to go. On my way home I thought it all over and decided I could do no more. I reckoned that we wouldn't see them or the torch again. What a surprise it was on the following Saturday to see them all back at the club and to be presented with the torch, which was deftly produced from the sleeve of the young man's jacket

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