Carrying the cross.

What would you do if, while driving down the highway, you saw a man dragging a full-size one-wheeled cross behind him on the shoulder of the road?

I pulled over. Well, the seven of us from Oakridge Camp who were headed to the medieval fair yesterday pulled over. The cross-carrying man, Joseph Vasquez, told us that he often takes his custom-built cross out and walks lengthy stretches of highway anywhere within 100 miles of the metro - from Sayer to Pink to Comanche to Verden, where we saw him a few miles outside the town itself.

Why?

"It's a witness for Jesus," Vasquez said. He gave each of us a chance to heft the cross, which boasted a sturdy weight. He does it simply to remind passers-by to consider their spirituality.

I've had numerous theological conversations over the past few years, and I've shared my faith, I think. But this little encounter really forces me to stop and wonder - do I display my own convictions, whether perceived by others as right or wrong, with the same visceral impact that Vasquez gets from something as elementary as lugging a cross down a highway?

Do you?



Vasquez, third from left, invites roadside conversations with his
conspicuous conversation piece.