Tales from the Trail #09: A euphoric epiphany in Eubank …
Onward & onward I walked – through yet another night and well into yet another morning – and I was still seemingly “in the middle of nowhere” when I was blessed to happen upon the Eubank Baptist Church, quite fortunately on a Sunday morning as well, while a church service there was already in full swing … Noticing the gaggle of cars in its parking lot from afar, I eagerly hobbled up to the main sanctuary’s front doorway. It is true that I was expecting to receive a glass of water upon my arrival (and maybe even a bathroom break – both of which were indeed offered shortly thereafter), and yet I was not at all prepared for the warm wave of humble Kindness that was showered upon me from the get-go by the three gracious gentlemen (Daryl, Ed & John) I met there straight away …
As was par for this Walk’s course, I introduced myself upon entering and then briefly shared about my Walk (a bit about its whens & wheres, but more about its whys & hows). What I was not prepared to experience, I will freely admit, was how deeply we all bonded straight away when talking about the same; so much so that Ed quickly (and almost insistingly) invited me to attend his Bible study class between sermons that same morning. I gratefully accepted his offer* and that is what I indeed did shortly thereafter – sitting with 6 newfound Friends for a truly inspirational hour of discussion, talking in depth about the power of Jesus’ Way, especially when it was applied actively and humbly, without any hint of religious dogma or spiritual proselytizing whatsoever. One particular participant, Gary, nailed the message spot on from the very beginning, and I especially enjoyed bantering back & forth with him about keeping The Way alive through radical acts of Caring** (as opposed to pious words of preaching) and ever returning to the Here&Now to do so (“We’ve all just got to keep on walking!”).
In truth, everyone present was quite obviously moved by the entire event – some by the story of my Walk, and yet all of us simply by the pure sincerity of the mutual & unconditional Love shared in the room. I am not a religious man myself (What an understatement!), and yet there can be no doubt that something powerful happened there that day. Maybe it was a pristine communal experience of “limbic resonance” and maybe it was indeed “the presence of the Holy Spirit,” and yet either way there was no doubt that everyone in attendance left that room a “bigger person” – without question less likely to critically judge others, and without doubt far more likely to simply Be Kind.
*It was a delightfully rare blessing indeed to be offered any chance to speak with Christians about selfless Kindness & unconditional Love & non-judgmental Caring in the context of biblical scripture &/or the beautifully bold teachings of Jesus Christ – teachings that I have found, quite ironically, to be mostly absent from the vast majority of the Christian churches I have ever visited.
**As a crowning event to the entire encounter, Gary later offered to take me back to his house afterwards, where I was able to shower my self and wash my clothing (both of which were in dire need of the same), eat a bit of food, and then rest for several hours before Gary then drove me some 30 miles onward to continue my Walk from there.
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