Philadelphia: The city of brotherly love
God says to the church in Philadelphia, "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown." (Revelation 3:11)
Last week I took the cross to Philadelphia. It was the first time I had the cross strapped to my car...I must admit, it looked a little crazy:
I drove past Center City and just allowed the Spirit to lead me to a starting point. I took an exit near an older residential area and parked near a church on Berks and Memphis Streets. This was an easy intersection to remember because there's a Berks Street in Stowe and Nicolas Cage's character in "Gone in 60 Seconds" was named Memphis.
As I began walking a man yelled out of his truck, "Hey, where's Moses!?" I replied, "I believe you're thinking of Simon of Cyrene." So he asked, "Didn't Moses help Jesus carry the cross?" The other guy in his truck replied, "No man, you're way off." Then they asked me about the cross, what it meant, and why I was carrying it.
After setting off again, a woman was opening a storefront and placing a flower pot at the shop entrance. As I passed by I greeted her and continued on my way. A few moments later I heard her behind me yelling, "Excuse me! Sir, excuse me!" She had jogged up to me by the time I turned around. Short of breath she asked why I was carrying the cross. I explained the gospel of Jesus and that I was ministering out of the overflow of Love that God gives me. Her name was Salame and she offered me a bottle of iced-tea. Then she exclaimed, "So you just came out here to Fish Town to carry the cross for Jesus?!" Up until then I didn't know that the town was called Fish Town but I thought it was very fitting since I was out fishing. I prayed a prayer of peace and well-being over Salame and continued on my way. Only now as I'm writing this blog I searched "Salame name meaning" and found that it means "Well-being; peace." I love how God confirms things when we're pursuing Him.
I met several other people that morning but perhaps the highlight was a group in-front of a corner store by the El train. As I was passing the store an employee came out and asked if he could take my picture. As he was taking it a few others stopped for a picture. Then a gentleman my age asked me about the cross. As I was sharing the Gospel two more guys around the same age gathered also. I told them about the love of Christ, the testimony from my walk in 2010, and the freedom I've had since getting saved in 2009. Then they told me about their testimonies...Stories about their childhood, going to Catholic Mass as a kid but then leaving the church, getting caught-up in doing/dealing drugs, knowing there's a "higher power" but not sure if Christianity is true. We talked about evolution and creation and how, in reality, both take faith. It seemed like they'd rather have faith in God but weren't quite ready to give their hearts up. We talked for over an hour and then two of their girlfriends came and got pictures. We all held hands on that corner and had a great time of prayer; asking that our hearts be open to receive the love of Christ, that addictions be broken, and that we could be the best dads possible. When I found out they were parents I gave them a copy of my book and asked them to share with their kids.
I started getting closer to the city center and had a picture taken:
The early morning was pretty quiet but as the day progressed more and more people filled the city streets. I spoke with many fellow believers and was able to encourage them. I also spoke with many muslims and had healthy discussion about our faith. Philadelphia had by far the most muslims out of everywhere I've walked. ...and most of them tried to convert me to islam! On top of that, I walked by many closed an dilapidated churches. We need to keep Philadelphia in our prayers.
After walking around the city center I met a homeless man named George. I asked him to come eat with me at IHOP but he said he had to finish his beer. I told him to come over afterwards and meet me but he never came. The shop owner said that George never eats, he just drinks beer all day. While in IHOP it was amusing to watch peoples expressions as they walked by the cross leaning against the building.
Walking back towards Fish Town I received a lot of sarcasm: "hey Jesus, stop for a picture," "Jesus didn't have a wheel on his cross!" and even a little kid bowed down and very sarcastically said "God bless you." I mean, who teaches a kid to be sarcastic about religion!? I also had some great ministry. A woman was walking with her 5 or 6 year old son and asked him, "Hey Adam, do you know why this man's carrying a cross?" He replied, "He's following Jesus!" How cool! We had a great talk and I inscribed a copy of my children's book to him.
On my return trip I also walked past Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the National Constitution Center (We The People Museum). I felt led to intercede for the nation and pray that we get back to our Christian roots. Our nation probably had the most opportunities to prosper under God's blessing but we continue to drift farther and farther from His Truth. My message has always been about God's Love but I feel in my heart that America will face God's judgement if she doesn't repent.
It was getting near dinner time and I hadn't returned to my car yet so I turned on my phone's GPS to find the shortest route. While following that route I spoke with a couple police officers, construction workers, guys that just got out of prison, and a bicycler whom when I asked if he was a Christian replied, "no, I'm a vegetarian." I suppose he thought it was funny. I was also stopped by a young man who had a lot of questions. After explaining my pilgrimage he said that he was going to be filming a music video and asked if he could videotape some of my message. When I consented he jogged to a car at the corner and his cameraman got out and walked back with him. I gave a short testimony and began on my way again.
Shortly after that I found my car and strapped up the cross for the drive home. Ya know, I hardly ever take extra socks with me but that morning I really felt led to pack a pair. Halfway through the day my feet began to feel sore, like they were going to blister. I took off my shoes and realized that holes had worn through my socks. Thankfully I had a fresh pair to change into. Thank you Lord for a great day of ministry, for your guidance, your direction and discernment!
Last week I took the cross to Philadelphia. It was the first time I had the cross strapped to my car...I must admit, it looked a little crazy:
As I began walking a man yelled out of his truck, "Hey, where's Moses!?" I replied, "I believe you're thinking of Simon of Cyrene." So he asked, "Didn't Moses help Jesus carry the cross?" The other guy in his truck replied, "No man, you're way off." Then they asked me about the cross, what it meant, and why I was carrying it.
After setting off again, a woman was opening a storefront and placing a flower pot at the shop entrance. As I passed by I greeted her and continued on my way. A few moments later I heard her behind me yelling, "Excuse me! Sir, excuse me!" She had jogged up to me by the time I turned around. Short of breath she asked why I was carrying the cross. I explained the gospel of Jesus and that I was ministering out of the overflow of Love that God gives me. Her name was Salame and she offered me a bottle of iced-tea. Then she exclaimed, "So you just came out here to Fish Town to carry the cross for Jesus?!" Up until then I didn't know that the town was called Fish Town but I thought it was very fitting since I was out fishing. I prayed a prayer of peace and well-being over Salame and continued on my way. Only now as I'm writing this blog I searched "Salame name meaning" and found that it means "Well-being; peace." I love how God confirms things when we're pursuing Him.
I met several other people that morning but perhaps the highlight was a group in-front of a corner store by the El train. As I was passing the store an employee came out and asked if he could take my picture. As he was taking it a few others stopped for a picture. Then a gentleman my age asked me about the cross. As I was sharing the Gospel two more guys around the same age gathered also. I told them about the love of Christ, the testimony from my walk in 2010, and the freedom I've had since getting saved in 2009. Then they told me about their testimonies...Stories about their childhood, going to Catholic Mass as a kid but then leaving the church, getting caught-up in doing/dealing drugs, knowing there's a "higher power" but not sure if Christianity is true. We talked about evolution and creation and how, in reality, both take faith. It seemed like they'd rather have faith in God but weren't quite ready to give their hearts up. We talked for over an hour and then two of their girlfriends came and got pictures. We all held hands on that corner and had a great time of prayer; asking that our hearts be open to receive the love of Christ, that addictions be broken, and that we could be the best dads possible. When I found out they were parents I gave them a copy of my book and asked them to share with their kids.
I started getting closer to the city center and had a picture taken:
After walking around the city center I met a homeless man named George. I asked him to come eat with me at IHOP but he said he had to finish his beer. I told him to come over afterwards and meet me but he never came. The shop owner said that George never eats, he just drinks beer all day. While in IHOP it was amusing to watch peoples expressions as they walked by the cross leaning against the building.
Walking back towards Fish Town I received a lot of sarcasm: "hey Jesus, stop for a picture," "Jesus didn't have a wheel on his cross!" and even a little kid bowed down and very sarcastically said "God bless you." I mean, who teaches a kid to be sarcastic about religion!? I also had some great ministry. A woman was walking with her 5 or 6 year old son and asked him, "Hey Adam, do you know why this man's carrying a cross?" He replied, "He's following Jesus!" How cool! We had a great talk and I inscribed a copy of my children's book to him.
On my return trip I also walked past Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the National Constitution Center (We The People Museum). I felt led to intercede for the nation and pray that we get back to our Christian roots. Our nation probably had the most opportunities to prosper under God's blessing but we continue to drift farther and farther from His Truth. My message has always been about God's Love but I feel in my heart that America will face God's judgement if she doesn't repent.
It was getting near dinner time and I hadn't returned to my car yet so I turned on my phone's GPS to find the shortest route. While following that route I spoke with a couple police officers, construction workers, guys that just got out of prison, and a bicycler whom when I asked if he was a Christian replied, "no, I'm a vegetarian." I suppose he thought it was funny. I was also stopped by a young man who had a lot of questions. After explaining my pilgrimage he said that he was going to be filming a music video and asked if he could videotape some of my message. When I consented he jogged to a car at the corner and his cameraman got out and walked back with him. I gave a short testimony and began on my way again.
Shortly after that I found my car and strapped up the cross for the drive home. Ya know, I hardly ever take extra socks with me but that morning I really felt led to pack a pair. Halfway through the day my feet began to feel sore, like they were going to blister. I took off my shoes and realized that holes had worn through my socks. Thankfully I had a fresh pair to change into. Thank you Lord for a great day of ministry, for your guidance, your direction and discernment!
Comments
Post a Comment