An Incarnated Christian

Well, Gloria and I have known for some time that May was going to be a busy month; we were right. The whole graduation thing was fun, but I'm glad that's over. This past weekend, as you know, we attended the KAIROS #19 at Torres.

Is there ever a bad KAIROS walk? I would think not. That said, this was probably the best one I have participated in. No, and not just because one of our church members was team leader and I was spiritual director either.

We had a gentleman that stood up yesterday for open mic at the closing ceremony. He was a young man and a practicing Muslim. One of the clergy on the team said he admitted he had only gone to get "ammunition" for his own faith. I supposed to help build his own arguments against the faith.

It was a complete shock when he approached the microphone. The entire weekend he had not actively participated. I shouldn't say that. He ate with his family (table), read letters, spoke some participated in the forgiveness and cross ceremony. He did not take the cross, but asked for a hug instead (which I was glad to comply with). whenever I saw him (he sat right across from me) he had his arms crossed with an expressionless face; so, I suppose you could say he wasn't as enthusiastic as some of the others were.

His comments at the closing were something like this:

A few times I thought I was going to have to bring out my Koran to get me back on track.....if there is a such thing as reincarnation, I think I'm coming back a Christian.

No, he did not profess a faith in Christ. Others did however. Those were wonderful moments. But he did, like I think a lot of people forget, receive the message. In all of our team meetings, not just for this walk, I've always been uneasy about the idea of "getting them." In other words, we plan for certain activities throughout the weekend. These activities can be pretty powerful, no doubt. But whenever I've heard someone go on about an inmate crying when we do this or that activity or singing this song, I get the image in my mind of a trophy head hanging on the wall in someone's den. That drives me nuts.

KAIROS introduces people to Jesus. Of course, we want them to know and experience the Resurrection. But that doesn't always happen--at least not on a weekend or in a way we recognize. We have to be okay with that. Am I running in circles yet. I'm just as excited when a man professes a new found faith in Jesus and I cry when some of them cry as well. But like the young man who is waiting for the incarnation, there are others whose decisions we will never know about. Again, we have to be okay with that. If not, we're probably focusing on ourselves a little too much.

So, keep up your kingdom work. Trust His plan and that what He has given you to do will be for His glory. Stay blessed...john