“Approaching people in love means that we bother to actually care about them, it takes time, and it is a kind of investment in people, without judgments, without threats, without doom. Even the most hardened hearts can be mended by the love of God… and I think it is especially important to bear in mind that it is God’s love that we must display in sharing with others.”
I think this pretty much sums it all up. I have never found it helpful (but only hurtful) to “pound someone over the head with the Gospel,” as I say. People are looking for authenticity in their relationships, not a cheap version of love that has conditions.