Walking with Jesus

This past week, I walked with Jesus and I..... learned... listened... stretched... grew... loved...

A group of 23 Access members went to Toronto to find Jesus. He is exactly what we found- in the person, conversations, and experiences. We saw Jesus in the people we met and we were Jesus to those who needed him. And because I could probably write a novel about everything that I saw and experienced, this post will be in bullet point. :-)

• Brian was a homeless man who got to eat a hotdog and fries finally after a long day. All he wanted in the world was a bed.
  
• Sindiswa had been in prison with Nelson Mandella (yup, that's right). She was one of the smartest, intelligent, and hospitable women I have ever met. I deeply appreciate and respect her view of life and politics. And she gave me a free mug. :-)
• Gary was a man who struggled with language, drugs, and alcohol, but loved Jesus the best he knew how. He knew the Bible better than most people I know, but I have never heard Jesus talked about correctly while still using the F bomb every 2 words.
• There's something freeing when caucasions are dancing with others at an African festival.
• Community dinners are by far better than having food all to yourself.
• Loneliness kills. Community revives.
• Which is more broken: a prostitute who must give away her body to survive? Or the girl at the club who freely gives it away?
• All people should be loved, respected, and shown dignity. Even if their bedroom is outside.
• Everyone has a story. Everyone wants to share their story. Not everyone gets to share it.
• Jesus is everywhere, no matter how broken the world seems. Hope rises.
• If you want to learn about joy and purity, hang out with a child.
• If you want to have the ultimate time of your life, play with a pool with many children.
• Sometimes loving someone means helping them rob a bag a chips for their hummus. :-)
• People are attracted to those who can stay pure and have a good time- like playing duck duck goose in the middle of a city, crawling through a cardboard sign, or climbing on construction poles.
• Which do we want: someone to say "the prayer" or a changed heart?
• When it comes to communion, I want a whole lot of Jesus.
• Death is the worst and ultimate evil. The good news is that Jesus has conquered death!
• Life is good. Life should be celebrated. It's good to be alive!
• Jesus keeps us safe. Simple, yet so true.
• Wisdom comes from hard and difficult trials.
  
• There is beauty in painting next to a homeless homosexual man.
• If the church isn't caring, loving, and hospitable to someone, they will find that community somewhere else.
• The church should be accepting of any new believer, no matter where they are in life. But it shouldn't be satisfied in keeping them there.
• Peace is found in the simplest of interactions.
• We are all beggars. Some of us just know where to find the bread.
  

Ho-Lee-Chow, I could go on. I am just in awe of my Savior and the life he has given me. Love wins.

Denying your cross?

I tell you, people at Grace really make you think. I think I'm reading the most books I have never read at one time this summer and it's awesome! I have never been so challenged to consider why I believe what I believe or how I believe what I believe like I am this summer. What does it mean to say that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Am I modern or postmodern in my thinking? How does the way I live and think and the way others think and live affect how I evangelize? What is evangelism? These are just a few of the craziness going on in my head. I want to specifically talk about one part of the thoughts right now.

Jesus says this in his gospels: "²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life^a]">will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)

The interns just finished Greg Paul's book, God in the Alley. Seriously people, this is a must read. The tag line is "Being and seeing Jesus in a broken world" and it's a collection of stories from Sanctuary, a church community in Toronto, that illustrate ways to see and be Jesus outside of common normalities. One of the guys is Patrick, whose story sounds like hell. But he tells it to students each day who come to learn about the community. Each day, he goes through the pain of his story for the benefit of Jesus and the students. Each day it hurts. And each day, his story is being redeemed. It's his way of denying himself and taking up his cross.

I get all of that. And I like it a lot. But what in the world does it mean for the person who has grown up in the church, loves and follows Jesus the best way they know how, completely understands that they are sinful and have been forgiven, and never experienced any terrible part of their walk of faith or "major" rebellion? I mean, practically, day to day, how do they daily take up their cross and deny themselves? I asked this today and was not satisfied the the answer. I get that eventually they will have to deal with something difficult and that at some point they are going to need to spread their wings and move out of their comfort zone. And yes, they do need to be using their gifts and talents. But is using gifts and talents, things that we should enjoy and be happy to share with others, really ways to deny self and take up a cross? To deny our self and take up our cross is not pleasant in any means. It's dealing with pain and suffering- all the ugly persecuting things that sane people will push away from.

So I'm left with my original question. Does it mean trucking through day to day life no matter how boring, mundane, or exciting it is? I definitely think there is a way- I'm just trying to figure out what it looks like.