Thanks Weird Guy...

So...there I sat in my office (slash senior adult lady's Sunday School room) when in walk this elderly fellow that I've never seen before. He stepped into the main office where I promptly heard him ask for the senior pastor. Our senior pastor not being in the office, he was introduced to our outreach pastor, Bro. Roy. Upon introduction, a hearty discussion quickly begin. Being a few doors down I couldn't make out all that was being said, but what I could hear seemed pretty bizarre. So, of course I had to make my way in there to get a better listen.

I went in to the office to "get some coffee" and quietly stepped past Roy who was sporting a rather bewildered look. I poured my joe and then decided to prop up the door jam while I listened to the discussion. It only took me about 30 seconds for my face to contort to the same look of bewilderment as Roy. I honestly still have no clear idea of what that weird guy was talking about. Something about Jesus (but be it known that his idea of Jesus was certainly not the same as my own,) and sin, and humor, and orbs of energy.....seriously, I have no clue.

Anywho, after a few seconds of being at a loss for words, or patience, Roy turned to me and said "what do you think about all this, John Michael?" While trying to give my thoughts on the subject it became pretty clear to me that I really had no idea about what the weird guy was talking about. Being me, however, I continued talking hoping to say something that would appease the air of confusion that was making me a slight degree of dizy. The guy was obviously not satisfied with my answer and with a certian level of aggervation, began to say a lot more nonsense. I figured that if I was going to listen to him, I might as well be comfortable...so, I took my place in the chair that was next to his.

Somewhere along the way he began quoting the verse about "milk & meat" from 1 Corinthians chapter 3. I was fine with that up until the point when he began saying that the verses following go on to say that God will take away His salvation from someone if they sin after conversion. Seeing as there was a Bible sitting next to me on the end table next to me, I politely picked it up and handed it to the man. He ask me angerly what it was for..."I'd like for you to show me those verses," I said. The guy got pretty hacked off and again began quoting Scripture to me, saying that 1 Thessolonians says that I am the one who has to give an answer for the hope that is in me. I told him that actually that verse is in Peter, and then just told him that I was arguing and that I was just unaware of the verses he was talking about. He took the Bible, looked at the spine of it, made a funny face and began to thumb through it (I later found out that he was a hater of all translations that are not KJV.) After a few moments, he took the Bible tossed down on the table, and brushed his hands off as if they were dirty or something. This was an obvious display of his disgust with that particular version (NIV.) I asked him if something was wrong with that Bible, and Roy reitterated that question stating that he had led probably a thousand soilders to the Lord with all manner of versions. I would like to add that the guy never found the verses he was talking about.....b/c they were never there to begin with.

***2 more stories about this guy and this blog is done***

Somehow, the guy segued in to a story about a sick kid in the hospital who was going to die. He said at first he didn't care about him and then he decided that he would "project some positive energy on him." He said that after doin this he saw an image of this boy with "a silver orb of energy wrapping around him." After doing this, he told God that if he was real then how come he could project his engery on the boy and heal him but He couldn't. "IMMEDIATELY," said the weird guy, the silver ord changed to a gold one..."and I knew it was not of this world." Oh yeah, b/c silver orbs of engery floating around people are totally normal...but gold ones, Wow!

About that time Roy got a phone call. I'm sure he was quite relieved. As he stepped in to his office to take the call the weird guy told one final story. He said that the previous week he had gone to a "fellowship." He wouldn't call it a church...or our church a church for that matter. He said he told all the men at the church that He wanted to pray. "I want to pray, HEY, let me pray, let me pray," he said. The men ignored him he told us. Then he said it all over again, only louder and more animated. "HEY, LET ME PRAY, LET ME PRAY. I WANT TO PRAY!" "Finally," he said, "they let me pray. And I told those men that didn't any of them understand anything about the Spirit. And I got up and left." ...........at that........he got up and walked out of our office as abruptly as he came in. Our church secratarty look at me as I sat trying to figure out what had just happened and said with a matter-of-fact face, "We get 'em like that in here from time-to-time."

Oh yeah, also at one point of this 20 minute or so conversation, he told me that if I had read Matthew I would have had known he was coming that day. What?

A New Look...

Well, thanks to my 朋友 in china, the Johnsons, I now have a new layout for my blog. I was reading on their page the other day, and being jealous of the cool design they had when I saw a thingy that showed me where they got that look for it. Coodos Johnson family, coodos.

Speaking of new looks...I saw a girl the other that had gotten a new hair doo...sometimes change isn't a good thing.

Continuing with this theme, does anyone remember what the old Coliseum used to look like in Jackson? Is it just me or did it just look like a giant hot dog stand. Man! was that thing ugly. Then they remodeled the outside (which now looks MUCH better) but they put a shiny new copper roof on it. I'm pretty sure my retinas are still damaged from catching the sun's reflection off of that thing while driving down I-55.

Once more...my wife has been working out a lot lately. Now, her new look, I'm liking it!

Get Behind Me...

It's way to late (really too early) for me to be up. Jess and I have about a 10 1/2 hour drive ahead of us. In just a few more hours we'll go and pick up our rental car and be on our way to Roach, MO. Before anyone ask...no, we will not be staying in the roach motel. New Tribes Mission's Missionary Training Center is up there, and we have to go for an interview/orientation. I really can't express how excited I am to finally be beginning this process. It's something we have known for a few years now that God was calling to for a long-term work. However, this is not coming about without satan throwing in a few frustrations.

Because of the length of travel in such a short time (leaving Thursday morning, coming back Saturday night) we decided to leave Lu with my mom and dad. Unfortunately, she began to have a fever tonight. On top of that, Mae has been pretty sick as well with a LOT of congestion. Luckily, pneumonia was ruled out by way of a chest X-ray. However, we have to give her breathing treatments every 4 hours. My poor wife is worried sick about not being with Lucy and doubly worried about Mattie being so far away from home while she is so sick. "When I try to do good, evil is right there with me." Paul certainly hit the nail on the head.

This I know...we must be in the will of God, b/c it's certainly apparent that satan is flinging his fiery darts. There's a work to be done. Get behind me!

Cost...

Jess and I leave this Thursday for Missouri to visit the New Tribes Mission training center. It's about a 10 1/2 hour drive one way to get there...can't say I'm looking forward to that. But! It is really exciting to finally be getting started with what we know God has been calling us to for some years now. Lately, however, I've been able to spend a little more time than normal with my dad (certainly more time than last year) and it's been really great. We still argue (we're too much alike not to) but, it's been really pretty cool just being able to "hang out" with him more. The other day we went and worked on my sister's house that she's building and I had the best time just joking around with him. All this extra time with him lately really makes me regret be a turd of a son for the last umpteen years.

Over the year we spent in China, and even now, I've really been wrestling through the Scripture, Luke 9: 57-62. I feel like I pretty well understand this passage, but it hasn't made it any easier to swallow. In the midst of moving to Missouri, and certainly moving out of the country again in a couple years, I'm finding myself asking God why we are called to leave our family. I have a great family...truly, I've been blessed with possibly the greatest family ever and to be honest, had God not called us to foreign ministry I'd be perfectly content staying in Florence, MS, near everybody for the rest of my life. Before my Papaw passed away, especially the last few years of his life, I got to watch my father not just take care of him, but just be there with him pretty much every day. He was there helping him do all things he needed to get done and all the things he wanted and enjoyed doing. My dad is the kind of son I wish I was. His relationship with Papaw was something special. I really want that with my dad...but I know given our calling it may not be a reality.

I pray God grants me that one day, but I know that there are millions of people without a hope of salvation simply b/c there isn't anyone to go and tell them about Jesus. My soul desperately wants to take the Gospel to those people, but I have to admit too that I desperately want to be with my family. These things are certainly conflicting. But...my father raised me to follow my heavenly Father no matter the cost...even if it's him. It's really hard.