He who is the Accepting of repentance

Today, along with several others in honor of September 11, I am blogging from the Koran. Our hope is to foster respect and understanding between Christians and Muslims (scroll down for a full list of the bloggers).

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I’m no Koranic scholar, so I apologize in advance to my Muslim friends for any gross misinterpretations. But as a Christian minister I must admit much in the Koran seems awfully familiar.

For example: the Koran tells a creation story that is meant to help its followers find a sense of identity in their relationship to the world. Like all origin stories (including scientific ones), it attempts to make sense of the violence and destruction we see everyday, and reconcile the paradox of good alongside evil.

Surat Al-Baqarah 2 tells us that mankind owes its existence to a power that is greater than all life and all matter. The Koran calls this power Allah (or the Lord), and teaches that Allah made the earth for mankind’s enjoyment, made mankind above the angels and, like the angels, made mankind with an ability to choose disobedience. Allah then placed the first man, Adam, as His authority on earth, in a garden paradise and instructed Adam not to eat from a particular tree. But Shaitan, a rebellious angel, led mankind to disobey, which produced enmity among the inhabitants of the earth.

At this point, in Surat Al-Baqarah 2.37, the story takes a surprising turn:

Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful (Sahih International).

Despite the work of evil that has infected mankind and brought destruction to the paradise God created, there is mercy. In fact, what makes this passage so surprising is the strong context of punitive justice. The purpose of the chapter is to exhort people to lead righteous lives, and promise eternal destruction by fire for those who reject Allah’s righteousness. Accordingly, one should expect judgment for Adam and all those who disobey. No doubt – knowing full well the justice of Allah – destruction for Allah’s newest creation is exactly what Shaitan had in mind when he sought to deceive.

But the Lord has surprised us all; as it turns out, He is accepting of repentance.

By His great mercy, the justice of the Lord has become a path for redemption rather than destruction – a path for those who, “seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah ]” (Surat Al-Baqarah 2.45).

This is the way forward for the good Muslim: a life of humility, realizing that our own brokenness is part of what is wrong with the world and a turning toward the Lord in order to receive His mercy – which then provisionally recreates the original paradise of life with Allah in the enjoyment of His good creation.

Like I said – awfully familiar.

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I realize that some may find it offensive that I’m blogging from the Koran on September 11. Perhaps they think the Koran and Islam are what the 9/11 hijackers represent. Although that is certainly what they themselves believed, it is not the bigger truth. Those terrorists don’t represent Islam, they represent religious fundamentalism in its worst possible form. Like Pastor Terry Jones, those who capitulate to the naive belief that Muslims are evil and Christians are good (or vice versa), or who create divisions of fear, hatred, and violence based on ideology, stand with the 9/11 terrorists, not against them.

Today’s blog was brought to you by Tall Skinny Kiwi. Full list of bloggers: Paul | Kathrin | Berthe | Scot | Andrew Parle | Joel | Brian | Eddie Gonzalez | Emily | Wolfgang Fernandez | Melody Harrison | Hanson | Matthew Kelly | UM Jeremy | Alley C | Chris | Andrew Jones | Joshua Seek | Hannah P | Relirel | Randy Olds | Ella

Technorati Tags: Allah, Ecumenism, Islam, Muslims, September 11, Surat Al-Baqarah, The Koran

3 Questions about Jesus: Daniel So

This week Daniel So answers our 3 Questions About Jesus: Who is Jesus the Christ? What has he done? And why does it matter? (Previous installments: Jason Coker| Jesse Schroeder | Cari Jenkins | Jason Clark | Ben Sternke | JR Rozko | Amy Rozko | Steve Burnhope | Jason Evans).

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Jesus is the most remarkable person I’ve ever known.

In him, everything that has gone wrong is being put back together, in all the most important relationships we know — with God, others, ourselves, and the world. For many years, because of my disconnected sense of identity, I sought escape. The longer I have followed Jesus, though, the more I have come to see that he offers something better than escape: in him is genuine hope.  That which is lost, broken, and dead is found, restored, and made alive in Jesus.

Before Jesus found me, I struggled with a sense of being “neither/nor” as an Asian American — neither fully accepted as “American” nor fitting in a “home” culture to which we never belonged. In, through, and because of Jesus, I am learning to see another way forward. “Both/and” people learn to navigate fluidly between worlds and cultures, with empathy for those at the margins. Jesus is not obliterating my ethnic identity; rather, he is restoring it and freeing me to embrace it for the sake of loving God and people more fully.

On one day recently, I sent my daughter off to her first day of school, prayed at a funeral service, and visited a family in the hospital who was celebrating the birth of their child.  Life, death, new beginnings – everything all at once.  Days like those remind me of why I love and follow Jesus: the world we long for, which requires the courage, compassion, and creativity he fills our lives with, is already here and is on its way.

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Together, Daniel and his wife Jeya pastor United, their church community in San Diego, where they seek to cultivate better expressions of God’s love for the world. Their daughter lights up their house with her beautiful singing and electrifying dance moves.  Daniel also serves on the board of directors for Justice Ventures International, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening ventures that promote justice around the world. As a freelance writer and graphic designer, Daniel explores the connections between faith, culture, and identity. For more, visit headsparks.com

Technorati Tags: 3 Questions About Jesus, Daniel So, Gospel, Jesus Christ

3 Questions about Jesus: Jason Evans

Yet another installment of our latest series is provided by Jason Evans, who tackles 3 Questions About Jesus: Who is Jesus the Christ? What has he done? And why does it matter? (Previous installments: Jason Coker| Jesse Schroeder | Cari Jenkins | Jason Clark | Ben Sternke | JR Rozko | Amy Rozko | Steve Burnhope).

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I don’t think you make up a story like Jesus’ and hope it convincing. Gods aren’t to be born in barns, to peasant girls and laid in feeding troughs on the edge of empire. You have to really believe this to be true to write it down for others. And I guess that is why I believe. It is so ridiculous, that it just might be true.

There’s no pretense. There’s nothing trying to convince me. Yet, I’m convinced.

I think Jesus was on to something. Jesus got it. He saw how the world was intended to work. He could see that in our broken, feeble attempts we-meaning humanity-had missed the point. He knew what it would take to set us straight. The way he lived his life, the things he said and did showed us a way of living which would draw us back into a way we were intended to. Yet, I think he knew that the death we let enter into our lives had to be removed. And we couldn’t do that on our own. So, he defeated death for us.

I think that is something only God could do.

I have found this to be so in my own life. I look at the Gospels’ account of how Jesus lived his life, and I see a way to live my own. Yet, I quickly find that I am quite incapable of living as I want to. Jesus said he was “the way, the truth and the life.” And as mystical and ill-defined as that may seem I find it to be true. When I conclude that I cannot do it on my own, and I submit to this God-made-flesh I find life.

Some would call this, a crutch. I prefer, a stretcher.

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Jason is currently a student at Fuller Theological Seminary and has a certificate in Urban Ministry from Hesston College. Before joining our team, Jason was a church planter and church planting consultant. These efforts have been documented in several books. He and his wife, Brooke, have three children, Paige, Matt and Sam. They live in the South Park neighborhood.

Technorati Tags: 3 Questions About Jesus, Gospel, Jason Evans, Jesus Christ

3 Questions about Jesus: Steve Burnhope

This week my friend Steve Burnhope answers our 3 Questions About Jesus: Who is Jesus the Christ? What has he done? And why does it matter? (Previous installments: Jason Coker | Jesse Schroeder | Cari Jenkins | Jason Clark | Ben Sternke | JR Rozko | Amy Rozko).

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To me, the reality of a creator God is the most likely explanation of the created order; and to be in relationship with that God, humanity’s most likely calling.

Christianity understands a perfect God wanting a perfect creation to love and be loved by.  But for any love to be genuine, it must be freely offered.  Love compelled, even by God, is abuse.

Creation had to include choice, the option of living in a different story.

Christianity sees humanity choosing badly, collectively and individually, and finding ourselves living in the consequences of our bad choices – dominated and polluted by selfishness, independence and alienation.

Screwed up relationships with God, each other and our world.

A humanity once somehow made in the ‘image’ of God, now like a badly-faded portrait, stained and ripped.

Surely, though, a perfect creator God would know that this possibility would arise?  Yes – from the very beginning.  The potential, the risk, could not be programmed out without compromising perfection.

Surely, then, he must accept some responsibility for what happened?

Actually, not just some.  The Christian explanation says he intended all along to take the full responsibility; to pay the entire price of restoration.  To give us back a choice.

In Jesus, God became human and entered his own created order.  Sharing in the suffering caused by our choices, submitting himself to humanity’s abuse of humanity, fully and genuinely participating in the best of what it means to be human in relationship with God and in the worst of what it means to be human in a damaged world.

God’s solution still requires us to choose.  There is still no compulsion.  This time, though, we know better what our God is like.  Who and what we’re choosing for.

And what he, in Jesus, has done to make it possible.

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Stephen Burnhope lives in Buckinghamshire in the U.K. and is part of the North Thames Vineyard. He was awarded the Master of Arts with Distinction by the London School of Theology and will begin PhD research in 2010. Stephen is married to Lyn, a religious education teacher and fellow MA graduate of LST, with four children and one grandson.

Technorati Tags: 3 Questions About Jesus, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Steve Burnhope

Should Christians be the most powerful people in the world?

On facebook this morning I took a line I’d crafted related to recent thinking on gender issues and reworked it. Here’s the original line, taken from a paper I wrote Monday about much of the Church’s teaching on gender and sexuality:

Men are domineering leaders who, through sheer expression of their potency, conquer hostility in the marketplace and reluctance in the bedroom, bringing forth a dual harvest of subservient wealth and children as their enduring legacy.

Personally, I don’t believe this is what it means to be an authentic man, but, unfortunately, many Christian men and women do (including many pastors). I think their belief betrays a fundamental error about the nature of Christian power in general and the nature of Christ’s power in particular.

So, today, while thinking of the recent idiocy surrounding the so-called Ground Zero Mosque (which, is an imaginary figment of right-wing propaganda), I took that line and reworked it:

Christians are domineering leaders who, through sheer expression of their potency, conquer hostility in the world and reluctance in the heart, bringing forth a dual harvest of subservient nations and converts as their enduring legacy.

Obviously, I don’t believe this is true either, but I think it is what many Christians believe – that the consequence of Christ’s victory on the cross is that Christians should come to rule in this present age, whether that be through governmental power (i.e. the Religious Right), cultural power (entertainment media), commercial power (business success and dominance), or familial power (husband/wife, parent/child). For me, the very nature of the gospel, and especially Christ himself, speak directly to these issues in a remarkably clear way.

Then in the comments, Jonathan Brink asked me a provocative question:

Jason, how would you say that to my 8 year old son?

Hmm. Good question. I took Jonathan’s prompt and asked my own 9 year-old daughter, Alannah:

“Alannah, I have a question for you. I have a friend who says that being a Christian means we should be the most powerful people in the world. What do you think?”

“What? Who’s this friend?”

“Oh, just someone I know on the internet.”

“Um, No.”

“No? Why not?”

“Well, first of all, I know some people say that we should make everyone Christians, but I don’t think so. I think if you’re Jewish or whatever, that’s not wrong. It’s not wrong to be Jewish. And, if we had all the power that would ruin everything! I mean, the only one who should have all the power is God. That way we would all have a leader.”

Wow. She covers alot of ground in that answer. Freedom, power, evangelism, and a sense of God that transcends religion. You can tell Alannah had thought about this before my question. We continued our conversation. I wanted to share with her my own thoughts about how Jesus exercised power in a surprising and truly revolutionary way, and how his life informs and empowers his followers’ recapitulation of that same pattern.

But what do you think? How should Christians wield power? Can they? What ought to be the power relationship between ourselves and non-Christians? Or between us and other family members? Between men and women, parents and children? Or between Christians and the State?

Technorati Tags: Church and State, Gender, Gospel, Politics, Power

3 Questions About Jesus: Amy Rozko

Amy Rozko is next to answer our 3 Questions About Jesus: Who is Jesus the Christ? What has he done? And why does it matter? (Previous installments: Jason Coker | Jesse Schroeder | Cari Jenkins | Jason Clark | Ben Sternke | JR Rozko).

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You couldn’t have asked any more important questions.  Ever since I met Jesus I’ve made it my goal to get to know him better and try to be better understand him. I’ve known him over 20 years now, and I have to admit that I still don’t have him completely figured out.  Is that so surprising, though?

It would be easy for me to get existential and abstract when talking about Jesus, so let me first talk more concretely about what I know about Jesus.  It is undisputed among legitimate historians that a man named Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth approximately 2000 years ago in an area of the world now known as the nation-state of Israel.  If you can believe in the historical reality of Julius Caesar or Cleopatra then you can believe that Jesus really lived and walked on this earth.  His life was of such significance that we restarted our clocks, so to speak, to mark time before and after his life here on earth.

Jesus was the only person born fully-man yet fully-God.  I can’t fully explain what this means but let’s just say that he was absolutely unique.  He taught about God and the meaning of life with authority and in a way people could understand.  He backed up his teaching with miraculous signs that backed up his claims to be God (the most astounding being that after having been killed for crimes he did not commit he rose to life again).  Jesus claimed to be God and Jesus spoke with the power, authority and love of God.  So either he is, in fact, God in the flesh, or else he was crazy or else he was a scam artist.  The people who knew him best were willing to bet their lives on the fact that he was God and, over the past 2000 years, millions of others (including myself!) have come to the same conclusion about Jesus.

Sorry for the monologue.  Did I answer all of your questions?  I’m sure I didn’t.  I actually hope you have even more questions.  I’d love to keep exploring who Jesus is with you.

PS – I’d encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of John before we talk again if you’re curious– some great stuff about Jesus life and teachings written by one of Jesus’ very best friends.

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Amy and her husband of just over a year, JR, live in Elgin, IL (Chicagoland area) where she also works for International Teams US as the Director of Mobilization. They are an active part of Life on the Vine and really excited to be participating in the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization this coming October in Cape Town, South Africa.

Technorati Tags: 3 Questions About Jesus, Amy Rozko, Jesus Christ

3 Questions About Jesus: JR Rozko

JR Rozko approached our 3 Questions About Jesus as though it were an email from a  friend, asking: Who is Jesus the Christ? What has he done? And why does it matter? (Previous installments: Jason Coker | Jesse Schroeder | Cari Jenkins | Jason Clark | Ben Sternke)
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Dear Friend,

What matters most to you?  No matter how you answer that question, I’d venture to guess that it relates to what it means to live a life of significance.  I mean, regardless of whether we think that some higher being exists or not, the mere fact that we exist compels us to wonder what life is all about – it’s really the most fundamental of life’s questions right?

The basic Christian answer to this question regarding the purpose of life is that we have been created by a God who made the world and everything in it and desires to be in relationship with us.  As I’m sure you’d agree, our world is far from perfect.  I wonder what you might name as its fundamental problems and where you think they came from?  Christians would say that all the pain and suffering in the world stems from the fact that this relationship we were created to have with God has been broken by our prideful attempts to try and be God as opposed to be in relationship with God.

This is where Jesus comes into the picture.  Jesus is both our chief example of what it means to live in relationship with God as well as the one who has restored our ability to even have that relationship.  Jesus fed the hungry, restored sight to the blind, and made crippled people walk.  He did all this to exhibit God’s desire to make all things new.  The pinnacle of this mission came by way of his death and resurrection.  He was killed because he suggested that God was ultimately in charge of the course of history and not us.  A few days after the ruling powers hung him on a cross, God triumphantly raised him from the dead.

I realize this might be difficult to believe.  It is – and it should be.  I wonder if you can pinpoint any beliefs you hold that might be difficult for someone else to believe?  I bet you can.  That’s because believing is always a matter of experience and relationship.  One never really comes to believe in God, the resurrection, or the ongoing work of God in the world until they experience it in the context of a true relationship.

Looking forward to more conversations.
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JR and his wife Amy live in Elgin, outside of Chicago.  JR works for Northern Seminary and Amy works for International Teams.  They are part of Life on the Vine, a missional community in the NW suburbs of Chicago.  JR blogs at lifeasmission.com.

Technorati Tags: 3 Questions About Jesus, Jesus Christ, JR Rozko, searching

3 Questions About Jesus: Ben Sternke

This week Ben Sternke responds to our 3 Questions About Jesus: Who is Jesus the Christ? What has he done? And why does it matter? (Previous installments: Jason Coker | Jesse Schroeder | Cari Jenkins | Jason Clark)

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Who is Jesus Christ? Wow, where to start. Jesus is a lot of things. First, I should say he was a man who caused quite a stir around 2,000 years ago by claiming that the God who created the entire cosmos was working through his life to save the world from itself, to make everything right.

Which sounds incredibly cliché, doesn’t it? It’s easy to find nutcases like that today. The thing about Jesus, though, was that he backed up his claims by making things right with unusual power and effectiveness: delivering people from sickness and psychological oppression, bringing freedom from guilt and shame, challenging injustice, and teaching people how to live well.

Ultimately this put him on a collision course with the religious and political authorities of his day, because they had stock in keeping people fearful and needy. But instead of fighting them, Jesus allowed them to torture and kill him. Even those closest to him didn’t understand this. Why not fight to stay alive? They thought it was over after that.

Hang with me, because here’s where the story gets crazy. He didn’t stay dead. A few days later he was alive again, in a totally new way, like he’d gone through death and out the other side. He had actually conquered death by his own death and through his resurrection opened the door for everyone to enter into a truly blessed life in God’s family.

We enter into that life by becoming an apprentice of Jesus. It might sound kooky, but you can actually know Jesus today. You can really be with him and he will teach you how to live a blessed life in God’s family, just like him.

Pretty unlikely story, huh? Yet I find myself living in it every day.

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Ben Sternke is a husband of one, a father of four, and currently pastors Christ Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a recent missional church plant. He also blogs about faith and church leadership at bensternke.com.

Technorati Tags: 3 Questions About Jesus, Ben Sternke

Coincidence or God? Lost In-Laws

This is my last coincidence story for now. The car keys made me scratch my head and the drunk uncle incident made me wonder about God’s involvement in coincidences, but this encounter actually helped Jenell and I make a major life decision. Bear with me, this one requires a little back story.

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In December of 2007 Jenell and the kids and I had flown out from Columbus, Ohio to visit my parents in San Diego. One night they told us to go out and have fun, just the two of us, so we decided to drive up PCH and find a restaurant. We weren’t very familiar with the area, so we just headed north.

We soon found ourselves passing through Carlsbad village, a collection of beachside shops and restaurants, and Jenell said, “Oh, I think this is where my brother’s shop was!”

Over ten years before Jenell and I were living in Utah when she and her half-brother, Adrian, first made contact. They always knew of each other, but never met. Somehow Adrian’s wife tracked down Jenell and reached out, calling her one day. He was in his early twenties, newly married, and curious about the sister he’d never known. They formed a bit of a relationship over the phone and soon we were inviting them to come to Utah for a visit.

They spent a weekend with us. It was a amazing to see this person who in so many ways resembled Jenell – in appearance, mannerisms, and even sense of humor. More so for Jenell, who had been raised an only child. They connected instantly.

Adrian talked about the retail business he’d just started back in California, and we talked about our dreams for ministry. We talked about kids, about marriage, and, of course, about God. Adrian was an atheist and his wife Stephanie was dabbling in other kinds of spirituality, so they were a little unsettled to learn that we were in Christian ministry. It wasn’t long before we were chatting about religion and God, but the discussion remained friendly – even if it grew serious at times.

When the weekend ended we said our goodbyes and sent them back to California. Adrian and Jenell traded phone calls for the next year or so, but we both moved and changed numbers soon afterward and eventually lost contact. Jenell was always grateful for that visit, but sad about losing the relationship too.

All of these memories came flooding back ten years later as we drove through Carlsbad Village that night. We wondered aloud about Adrian and Stephanie: Did they still live in the area? Was Adrian’s business here? We talked about how nice it would be to reconnect.

We kept driving up PCH, looking for a decent restaurant, all the way to Camp Pendleton at the end of Oceanside. Nothing looked good, so we turned around and headed back to Carlsbad where we’d seen a Mexican food place that seemed promising. We parked, left our names at the crowded adobe-style restaurant, and were told it would be about 30 minutes.

So, we walked. And prayed.

We were in the throes of a big decision, pretty sure God was leading us to plant a church…but where? How? Our trip to San Diego was, in part, an excursion to see if God might be calling us back there. Was this the place? How would we know?

We walked around the Village, talking through it all and praying out loud, “God, show us what your will is? If this is where you want us, make it clear.” That’s when I saw it. Across the street.

A Starbucks.

“Let’s cross the street,” I said earnestly. “I think God is leading us over there.”

Jenell snickered.

As we made our way to the Starbucks we kept praying, “Show us Lord. Show us something.” We were so engrossed in our talking and praying we nearly ran into a small group of people walking the opposite direction. We managed to thread past each other without incident, until one of them turned back suddenly and said, “Jenell?”

We both turned and looked at the woman who’d called Jenell’s name. I didn’t recognize her. And I could tell by the look on Jenell’s face that she didn’t either. Slightly amused, I waited to see how she would handle it.

“Uhhh” Jenell mused, trying desperately to make the connection. Finally, she gave up, “do I know you?”

“I’m your sister-in-law!” The woman said.

Now I was confused. Sister-in-law? Was this woman crazy? My brother and his wife lived in Stockton, and she’s not…then it clicked. She did look familiar. I glanced to her left, and there, eyes wide and mouth agape, stood Jenell’s brother Adrian. They were older, but it was definitely them.

Everyone freaked a little – except the couple with Adrian and Stephanie who stood off to the side looking every bit as awkward as they felt. We invited them all to dinner with us, but the other couple had to get back home. Adrian and Stephanie joined us.

At dinner, Jenell said, “Wow, I can’t believe you guys still live in the area after all these years!”

“Oh, we don’t,” said Stephanie.

“We live about an hour away, in Temecula,” said Adrian.

“We haven’t been here for years,” added Stephanie. “We hardly get out these days with the kids. I don’t even know why we came here tonight. We never really come back this way anymore.”

“Don’t you have a business here?” Asked Jenell.

“Oh no,” laughed Adrian. “That didn’t last long.” He switched subjects quickly; something else was on his mind. “I have to tell you guys, that weekend in Utah changed our lives.”

We blinked. “What do you mean?” Jenell asked.

“Well, we became Christians because of you.”

We just stared, unbelieving.

“Oh, we’re like totally Christians” Stephanie emphasized. “Adrian even thought he wanted to be a pastor for a while.”

“It’s true” he said, chuckling a little. “I even went to bible college for a while.”

“But, you were an atheist,” I said. “How did that happen?”

“It was you guys,” he continued. “We just couldn’t get over how different you were. You didn’t judge us or pressure us, but you had this passion for God and life that we wanted for ourselves. It didn’t happen right away. We came back and time passed, but sooner or later we started looking for a church where we could find that same thing. Eventually we became Christians.”

We talked for long time, catching up on each others families – nieces and nephews that had never met, jobs and careers, causes and passions. We talked of the joys of discovering God and fellowship, and the disappointments that come along with church too.

It was a real gift to us, in more ways than one. It turns out they’re amazing people who are doing amazing things. And we get to hang out now (see the pics above from Father’s Day this year). Not only was it a gift to hear – all those years later – that we’d made some kind of difference in their lives, but we took it to be a genuine sign that God was confirming our sense of being led back to California, and while we didn’t base our decision solely on that encounter (not even close), the truth is, it was a factor.

We asked God to show us something, and He gave us something instead; more than we could ever have imagined.

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Was it God or coincidence? How can we know the difference?

Technorati Tags: Coincidence, Free Will, sovereignty, Stories

Coincidence or God? Drunk Uncle

I have two more coincidence stories to tell. Honestly, my response to the car keys incident was plain-old, head-scratching bewilderment. Nothing more.

But this next encounter made me wonder. (Yes, I’ve changed some of the names).

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One cool summer evening the phone on our bedside table rang late at night. Jenell and I both jerked straight up in bed, immediately gripped with anxiety: Was someone hurt? Had there been an accident?

I snatched the phone from its cradle, “Hello!”

“Hi, yes, uh this is Robert Smith an I need to talk to someone about my bill.”

It was man’s voice. Older. Unrecognizable to me but recognizably intoxicated. Lascivious music loitered in the background and voices crowded the middle distance.

“Excuse me?” I said, “your bill?”

He jumped on my question: “Yes! My bill. I need to talk to someone about my bill!”

“What bill?”

“What bill?” He mocked with disgust. “What do you think. My phone bill.” He lamented to someone over his shoulder, “Jesus, what the hell is wrong with this person?”

“I don’t know who you are and I have nothing to do with your phone bill.” I flirted with hanging up, but somehow I felt he needed to understand he’d called the wrong number. Mostly, I just didn’t want him to call back. “I’m afraid you’ve called the wrong -”

“I already told you, this is Robert Smith. Just look up my account. You guys fucked up my bill and I need to straighten it out. Right now!”

My wife could hear the yelling from the phone. She looked at me, questioning. I rolled my eyes helplessly and shook my head, letting her know it was nothing serious.

He was peppering his tirade with more profanity now. He was completely wasted, and emboldened by the alcohol to swing for the fences. Soon he would unleash all his phone-company-frustrations upon the uncooperative employee at the other end of the line. Me. I halfway sympathized, but also realized that it would continue to escalate. So I switched tactics.

“Alright Mr. Smith, my apologies, I’m going to take care of that bill for you.”

“It’s about fuckin’ time! Jesus…” he muttered.

“Can I have your phone number please? Starting with the area code?”

“Yeah, it’s 909-555-5151.”

909? I thought to myself. That’s from Riverside, California. What are the chances someone from my hometown would call a wrong number and get me in Utah? Weird.

“And where are you calling from?”

“Where am I calling from? What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“I just need it for my records, sir.”

“Uh…okay. I’m calling from a payphone at a bar in Victorville.”

Victorville? I had lots of family in Victorville. This was getting suspicious.

“Okay,” I said, “give me a second to pull up your account on the computer.”

“Great.” He was calm now. Satisfied and vindicated. He started talking again to the man over his shoulder about a woman across the bar, and the things he’d like to do to her. They giggled wickedly. That’s when I realized he was with a friend. Maybe someone less drunk than himself?

“Okay Mr Smith, I have your account in front of me and I can definitely clear these erroneous charges, but I need one more thing from you first.

“Great, what’s that?”

“Are you there with someone?”

“Excuse me?”

“At the bar. Are you with a friend?”

“What the f-…what does that have to do with my phone bill?” He was ramping up again.”Yeah I’m here with a friend. I’m here with my buddy Terry. He just got out of jail tonight and we’re freaking celebrating! Is that alright with you? Goddamn…” he said away from the phone again, “You believe this guy?”

“Could you put him on the phone please?”

“What? Excuse me?”

“Sir, can I please talk to your friend Terry?” I was still being polite.

“I don’t know why the hell you need to talk to -”

“Mr Smith,” I became stern, “do you want me to take care of your phone bill or not?”

He demurred, “Well, yes.”

“All right then. If you let me talk to your friend Terry I can erase this bill for you. If you don’t, you’re going to be stuck with these charges.”

“All right,” he gave in, “Jeeez, fine.” Away from the phone I heard, “He wants to talk to you…” followed by muffled protests. Then, “I don’t know, he just does. I need this taken care of, I can’t afford this bill. Just talk to him!”

The phone shuffled for a second. Then another older man’s voice tentatively said, “Hello?”

I recognized this voice.

“Terry?” I ask.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Terry Jones?” I pressed. I already knew the answer.

“Uhhh, yes. Who’s this?”

“Terry, this is Jason Coker. Your nephew.”

“What the…Jason? What are you doing on Robert’s phone?”

“He called me Terry.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know Terry,” I said, using his name as a punctuation mark. Do you know why your friend would call me here in Utah? From a bar in Victorville? After midnight?”

“Oh shit…” He trailed off.

Jenell was sitting up fully now, staring at me, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “Terry,” I called into the phone, trying to bring him back to the moment. “Did you give Robert my phone number?”

“No. No, no. Swear-to-God Jason, I didn’t give him your number. I don’t even have your number.” Off-phone Terry hissed at his friend, “Robert! You called my nephew. Jason. In Utah. He’s a PASTOR!” He let that last word sink in, as if he’d just unveiled the most dangerous secret in the universe.

“Then how did he get my number Terry?”

“Oh my God Jason,” he was back. “I know what this is.”

“Oh? What is it Terry?”

“This is GOD. Trying to tell me something.”

“Terry…”

“No, I’m serious Jason. Oh my God. I shouldn’t even be here Jason. I just got out of jail!”

“Terry, I don’t know if…”

“I get it Jason. Loud and clear. I get the message. I’m so sorry man, but I get the message.”

“Well, alright,” I said. “You take care of yourself.”

“I will. Seriously. I promise.”

“And tell your friend that I can’t help him with his phone bill.” With that, I hung up.

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So, God or coincidence? Is there a more likely explanation? Do you think Terry and Robert were telling the truth?

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