theJourney

It's really early in the morning and I'm editing again. I don't know what it is about night, but it's when my creative juices flow. And so, I'm flying through lots of footage looking for the right shot of a pastor during a service in Nairobi, Kenya. I think the same old grandma who made the flannel banner to hang in the church has a lot of frequent flier miles, cause she's been to this church too.

While the church has services in both Swahili and English, the banners are only in English. Anyway, so one of these banners says, "Go and Tell." I suppose it is from the old song, "Go and tell it on the Mountain." Turns out that while its an American import, its not as bad as it sounds. It was written by an African-American named John W. Work, Jr. in 1907.



So that brings me to a conversation I had with my friend Jen tonight. We talked about missions and I asked her what that meant to her. She talked about going somewhere abroad for a few weeks. Hey, I can't blame her, that’s what just about everybody thinks in the U.S. Its what we are taught, missions are in someone else's back yard. Well, folks, I've got good news. It ranks just behind the last line in the chorus. We don’t have to go anywhere to tell anything. In fact, I've got a pretty good view of the mountains from my living room. So why not tell the story here, in Highlands Ranch, white middle class suburb that it is? And friends, don't worry, I'm not planning on getting a bull horn or anything. I think just being a neighbor will suffice. So long as I love my neighbor as myself anyway. And for those of you who don’t have a view of the mountains, maybe you could love your neighbor by taking them up the mountain for a day, on a hike, snowboarding, or just for a good beer up in Estes Park. Heck, there were lots of times last winter when I wanted to go snowboarding, but didn’t want to go alone. I sure wish a neighbor would have thought of that. I’m sure I’ll find plenty of neighbors that are in the same boat this winter! And then, maybe as we got to know each other, and shared the good, bad and the ugly in our lives, His story would be told.. On the chairlift while in the midst of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.



And maybe this all makes sense why there are so many missionaries abroad that are from flat areas of the country like Texas and Oklahoma and the rest of the bible belt. They don't have any mountains near by.

Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.


okay, step down from the soapbox.. Thank you very much good night!