Kurt Cobain was the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of Nirvana. His last words from a suicide note were: Frances and Courtney, I’ll be at your altar. Please keep going Courtney, for Frances for her life will be so much happier without me. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU.
It occurred to me today; it wasn’t a huge insight, but still… The exciting interactions I have with people are because I make it a point to interact with people. And with the opportunity to share about Christ each time, it makes for a dynamic mix. Today was Farmer’s Market day. I talked to two
The night before brain surgery, I thought about death. I searched out my larger values, and I asked myself, if I was going to die, did I want to do it fighting and clawing or in peaceful surrender? What sort of character did I hope to show? Was I content with myself and what I had done with my life so far? I decided that I was essentially a good person, although I could have been better–but at the same time I understood that the cancer didn’t care.
I asked myself what I believed. I had never prayed a lot. I hoped hard, I wished hard, but I didn’t pray. I had developed a certain distrust of organized religion growing up, but I felt I had the capacity to be a spiritual person, and to hold some fervent beliefs. Quite simply, I believed I had a responsiblity to be a good person, and that meant fair, honest, hardworking, and honorable. If I did that, if I was good to my family, true to my friends, if I gave back to my community or to some cause, if I wasn’t a liar, a cheat, or a thief, then I believed that should be enough. At the end of the day, if there was indeed some Body or presence standing there to judge me, I hoped I would be judged on whether I had lived a true life, not on whether I believed in a certain book, or whether I’d been baptized. If there was indeed a God at the end of my days, I hoped he didn’t say, “But you were never a Christian, so you’re going the other way from heaven.” If so, I was going to reply, “You know what? You’re right. Fine.”
Costco. The returns counter. Slimy carrots and never-ripened Kiwis. Chris the returns taker. A million dollar bill gospel tract. Chris said that he awoke that morning feeling like he sinned too much. I gave him the bad news and the good news. He repented right at the returns counter! I asked him to pray for
Wendy DePinto is taking serious the command from Jesus to “preach the good news to all creation,” while using a million dollar bill gospel tract as an “icebreaker.” Of course, after she musters her courage, I fully expect her to preach to humans too… Photo by Wendy DePinto