Excuses and Inspirations

One of the bits of excitement from my birthday evening was the opportunity to see a new/old friend, Mr. Stephen Mcgee. He is an incredible photographer that has a huge heart and desire to see Christ's Love change lives and communities all over the world.

During our all-too-brief conversations at my house that evening, he asked me if I was following God's Call for my life. The question was pretty direct and I think it knocked me back on my heels for a second as I tried to answer that question as honestly and openly as I was able.

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Somewhere in my answer I related an observation I have had in my daily bicycle commute. There is a man who seems to live on the streets, considering that I have seen him more than once or twice in the same general area. He wears the same dirty collegiate jacket and baseball cap, and he appears to be in his 50s or older.* I have never heard him speak and he keeps a rather low profile, sitting on benches in wooded areas to avoid standing out.

In a way, he has unknowingly become a rouse to my American happiness. There are those days when I throw an extra piece of food or drink in my bag in hopes of seeing him, only to miss him on both legs of my ride. Those days when I am late, when I don't have time to stop and get to know him, those are the days when he sits, alone, on a broken park bench. He is hard to get out of my mind, even though most of culture has taught me to ignore his type.** As of yet, I have failed to even utter a shamed hello.

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I shared a condensed observation about this man to Stephen, about how I want to stop but make excuses about why I do not. In his biting-but-truthful manner, Stephen just said "Do it. Do what you know you are supposed to do."

Had it not been for the later events of the evening, that probably would have kept me up all night in thought and prayer. Yet McGee, in all of his incredibleness, added further to the story.

As a gift, he gave me a copy of a photograph he took in September 2008, a photo that retails for much more than I could justify spending. I was held speechless and unable to respond for sometime, only finding enough words to utter something to the effect of "I will send you money for this some day."

(the version given to me does not have the text, which was from a showing he had in February 2009)

More important than the gift (which now hangs in my office) was the text McGee sent me later that night, which I share here verbatim as a thank you to God for blessing me with such an incredible friend:

"I'm stoked to have spent part of your birthday with you and to have given you a gift. You don't owe me. If you want to bless me, live your life sold out for Christ. Sold out for spreading his love. That will bless me."

Amen.

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*It is often said that the streets age you quickly and brutally, so it is hard to really be sure of his age.

**What does "his type" even mean? I don't know him or anything about him, for that matter.