Jesus on the road…

Somewhere in Mississippi, driving from Jackson to New Orleans, I spotted Lance on his northbound walk along Highway 61. I u-turned and walked out to great him. “I’m walking up the Mississippi River and praying for the country.” In our short ten minutes together, at least a dozen passerby slowed dramatically; a parade of supportive smiles, approving honks, and enthusiastic cheers. Several more pulled over to seek the cross bearer’s blessing and offer him rides and money (Lance doesn’t take any donations while bearing the cross. Standing in a circle, hands clasped with the believers, I endured a short prayer and smiled and with respect and relief when we broke the huddle. A frail white man, with a heaviest drawl, muttered something about the glory of living in the end times.  A stout black woman, squinting and beginning to sweat in the unseasonal January heat, proudly claimed to be “walking with the Lord” and concurred that indeed, “It’s a good feeling.”   Lance offered up the latest fighting between Israelis and Palestinians as proof that, indeed, the end is upon us.

More prayers for the country… the end is near.