Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts

Sunday, April 3, 2011

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.