Update #9.2 - The Epilogue

And now it falls to me to wrap up the loose ends and finish the story out to it's full conclusion, for we have indeed reached the conclusion of this chapter. So let us begin with a summary of the yesterday evening's festivities before moving on to my larger point:

After meeting April and Kevin, it seemed only natural to ask them to dinner. "The Commissary" (a Memphis staple, I believe) was chosen, and our group of five (for our host, Nathan, had now rejoined us) settled down for some good BBQ and sweet tea, all of which I was very ready for. The conversation was not dull, and we parted ways with an extra bounce in our steps.

Before we parted, however, Kevin made this observation that I hope we have taken to heart and applied: "I really appreciate all your stories and your experiences," he said, "but I'm also encouraged that you're willing to talk about the times that things didn't work out quite right - the times you failed. Not because I'm glad you failed, of course, but it's encouraging to know that I'm not the only one who doesn't always get it right." Of course, I told Kevin, we all fail! Sometimes quite miserably! But that does not change the fact that we have been called to try, and it seems that our story has already been used to give other Christians that extra little push that they've needed to do just that.

Now, I have forgotten to mention that Kevin and April were not doing this with an entire group of similar students. They were not doing this as part of a church or even with a youth group. No, this was just their idea - to go out into the world and engage people as best they could. They had seen the calling, and they had decided to heed it just as every Christian should, which is the point I want to make now - we must all heed the call.

Now that doesn't necessarily mean that every Christian should be required to take a one-week hiatus once a year to go traipsing across the country (though it wouldn't hurt, I'm confident), but it does mean that every Christian is responsible to engage those people who are put in front of them and, more than that, to pursue those people. I don't think Christians are very effective at this quite often, and I am now more convinced than ever that it is due to fear, not a lack of ability. What the guy across the counter thinks of us is typically more important to us than his immortal soul. Not that we would ever put it in those terms, because if we did, we surely would realize our folly, but that perhaps makes the point all the more powerfully - we don't even think in those terms.

For the most part, Christians lead fairly comfortably, unobtrusive lives, leaving everyone else in peace simply in the hope that they will treat us likewise. But what kind of Christianity is that?! Certainly not the one I'm familiar with. The Christianity I know demands action and, if it's true as we believe it is, demands that a choice be made. We act as if the choice God gives humanity is not life's most important concern, and then we are surprised when others treat it the same way. If we truly believe that Christianity is true, then sharing that truth with other people is not something left only to "the elite," something meant only for specifically designated "missions trips," or even for grand road trips to other cities - sharing God's grace with other people should become a way of life, something as second nature to us as any other thing.

Now, this isn't to say that it will be comfortable at first; indeed, it may never be. After three previous "Louisville Slugger" outings, I still was not entirely comfortable with our outreach to Memphis late last night. Still, it was something that we felt we should do (especially since we wanted to get Nathan involved; that makes three so far!). But what I'm talking about is even more fundamental and less intrusive than this.

Alan and I were discussing how this trip has impacted us, as it has rather profoundly, I think. "Well, I won't ever be able to go into a coffee shop now without trying to strike up a good conversation with the barista," I said, "and I think I'll keep carrying a chess set around in my backpack - good hook if I'm not doing anything else."

"Yeah, we should make up some sort of 'evangelism survival kit,' and it should probably include keeping a couple of good books and a Bible in your pack," Alan added, "you never know when you'll have the opportunity to give something away."

Now these things are fundamental and easy, because this is where it begins to work into daily routine. People have told us that they admire what we're doing, but that they could never do it themselves. But everyone can; indeed, as Christians, we must! In our daily lives, some of these sorts of tactics should be included as everyday activities.

So, as I sit now in my own living room in Birmingham, Alabama for the first time in a week and a half, I'm beginning to look for ways to transform my area rather than someone else's. Imagine what could happen if we all did that? With a little prayer and tenacity, quite alot, I should think.

--Michael Taunton