Did you know God is energy? Yeah, me neither.

 As many of you now know, we have moved.  Pros- it’s a sweet house that is a complete blessing; (so all that is entailed in that).  Cons-  we are far away from everything that we once knew as our “spots.”  Shopping.  Food.  Familiar roads.  A place for me to get my hair did.  It’s all new.

 For the past two years I have been going to the same place to get my haircut.  It’s a sort of tradition now.  I always go with Pablo, to the same place, and get my haircut done by the same guy.  I always get his name wrong because he is a mumbler, so I can hardly understand him, even when my brain is functioning correctly.  Yet, we laugh, we joke, and he gives me a haircut for a quarter of the price as it is in America.  During that time we talk life, sports, God, shoes, music... all of it.

I love that time.

So when Amanda told me that she needed to clean the house and organize, I knew that was my high sign to get a haircut.    (Aside from my head starting to look like Chewbacca). So I got ready, hopped into a taxi, and rode with my driver for the next 35 minutes.  (It use to take 6 minutes). 

As a general guideline, when I get into any means of public transportation I ask God if there is something that I should say.  Sometimes He says “yes,” sometimes “no,” sometimes “what do you think?”  Then it is my responsibility to be faithful.  

On this particular day He said “listen.”  Easy enough.  Only my driver wasn’t talking, he was listening too.  

On the radio was a guy speaking about energy and God.  I asked God for clarity concerning the Spanish because I am still getting back into the swing of things with the language.  As always He was faithful.  

 As I listened, this “specialist” began talking about how God is in everything.  They even had a radio skit prepared where this young man is “evangelizing” to another young man about how everything he does effects this world and the energy in it.  He talked about the philosophy of energy.  The philosophy of this or that.  One guy on the program even went as far as to say that in his opinion, scientists are the most blessed because they understand energy better than most people.  

Huh?  For realzy???

After listening for a while, the little Jesus photo my young driver had, flashed into my mind.  So I began asking God what needed to happen next.  Clearly this young man, with some sort of faith in Jesus was getting some mixed messages.  So I asked the driver what he thought about the program. 

He said it was interesting, and he thought that in principal, he agreed about the energy.  To him it made sense.  In my head I kept thinking, “is this specialist for real?  They let him on a national radio program to talk about this?”

When he told me he agreed, in my mind I sort of sighed.  This is exactly what we deal with.  People on public radio can talk about God all they want.  But what they talk about concerning God, may not actually be worthy of me capitalizing the “g.”  The whole energy stuff dates back as far as to the Incan time period.  So this is nothing new.

“He is not this celestial being that we are traditionally taught.  He is not in the heavens.”

“God is in everything.”  

“He is Energy.”  

It makes my heart hurt. 

So I asked the young man, “do you think this is a little contrary to what you believe about Jesus?  I mean, I see your photo with Jesus on the cross.  Do you think your photo reflects what this guy is saying?”  He just kinda listened then without really saying anything.

OH YEAH.  Planting seeds baby, I love it.

"Ok Shaun. Keep it simple.  Keep it simple."

“Jesus Christ dying on the cross is way more than energy.”  “Jesus Christ is straight up love buddy.  He is a Lover that is intimately concerned with us.”  I said some other stuff about God and love as my spanish fumbled and flowed.  In a couple of minutes He wasn’t ready for anymore because he was focused on traffic, and that was ok because we then arrived to my destination.

However, when I reflect on this time I realize that it is in these moments that I understand why we are called to do/follow 1 Peter 3:15. 

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...”

I pray that as I walked away, and as he put his change in the cigarette butt holder, he will look at that purple swatch of fabric hanging on his push-in lighter.  The ornately laminated and decorated purple fabric with Jesus on the cross all bloody and beaten.  

Then he will ask himself what he really believes. 

That kind of question can be a destiny changer.

So, I went to get a haircut.  

But, God wanted way more for this young man.  Amazing love.  Amazing.