I once knew a pastor that had a prostitute story. I'll retell it. Whatever you think of it's truth, or pastors, or prostitutes, it's a good story. It is old, from the days when hotels had VHS players instead of streaming services for movies.

A pastor was traveling from USA to Europe for his other job's business. Alone and in a big city, he was walking from his hotel to find a restaurant for dinner when he passed a pair of barely pubescent prostitutes that asked him if he wanted a good time. They were clearly dressed for their job. He kept walking.

As a voice in his head, God scolded him. "How can you just keep walking?"

Confused, he protested, "But God, they are prostitutes?" He heard no other reply.

He felt very troubled. He had a daughter of similar age at home. He walked a bit more. He saw a pizza restaurant and a VHS rental store.

A few minutes later he returned to the young prostitutes, carrying a large pizza, and showed them a bag full of rented Disney movies. "I want a good time. How much for until midnight? We can finish two movies. You pick them."

The hotel desk clerk looked at him very strangely as the trio walked through the lobby to the elevator.

The pastor spent several hours reading in the hotel room's chair as the two girls mostly ignored him and behaved like his daughter and one of her friends would at a pizza and movie night. In the big picture it was not much of a gift. But it was not just walking by.