It was not the shoes themselves that caught my attention, but the man that filled them and determined their steps. When I first met Virgil he was 90 years young. I don’t remember the exact details of that first introduction, but I can tell you he was not lying in a bed or resting in a rocking chair, or reclining in a lazy boy. He was either on his feet and moving or had just sat down, but only briefly. You might think from this description that he was just nervous energy. But that would not be accurate of the man. I think he was moving because he had a clear view of his destination, his responsibility, and the brevity of time.

I heard from those who knew Virgil long before I did that he was once an avid outdoors man; a man who loved the mountain air and the feel of the trail beneath his feet. For years Virgil lived in the open spaces of Wyoming and in view of the Rocky Mountains.  His feet often took him to these wilder and wider places. But why wouldn’t they?  There was so much ground to be covered and so little time.  By the time I met Virgil all of the ground covered in those 90 years had finally slowed his pace to a shuffle.  Abraham Lincoln once said, “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.”  These words of Lincoln remind me of Virgil.   Like Lincoln, Virgil’s pace eventually slowed, but he was still moving forward and it was where those feet still took him that inspired and humbled me.

Every Wednesday at 1pm, unless weather or sickness prevented it, Virgil’s feet shuffled him into the Washita County Jail.  Moving from the jail parking lot to the entrance was an effort of determination and resolve that would shame young men a fourth his age. I watched with respect and sometimes with concern at the effort it took for him to get in and out of his car and to step onto or down from the curb in front of the jail. He always came with his bible and binder in hand that held World Bible School study booklets and church bulletins.  Virgil was regularly accompanied by his two much younger partners in evangelism, Donnie (at least 20 years his junior) and Chris (a mere child at 60 years his junior!) As often as I could, I too had the privilege of joining these three men in what was often a highlight of my week – sharing the truth and grace of Jesus with our friends behind bars.

Like Superman, heavy steel doors and bolted locks were no obstruction to Virgil.  The guards knew him on a first name basis and not only opened the doors to let him pass, but held them until he did.  For three hours the jailers would bring in groups of men to sit with Virgil and his co-evangelists to hear and discuss the Word of God.  The meeting place was a holding cell.  The walls were cinder block, painted light brown, illuminated in florescent lights.  There were no windows.  There was a heavy chain bolted into the side of the brick and mortar bench on both sides of the wall for seating.  It was the size of a chain you would use to tow a truck.  The acoustics were terrible. Sound echoed off the cold, barren walls.  Just a few words would multiply and morph into a muffled and distorted collision of noise. This complicated things because Virgil was hard of hearing.  But did this deter him?  Not at all.

Every week Virgil would introduce himself to the new guys and greet the regulars. Oft times, because of the acoustics and Virgil’s lack of hearing, the new guys would have to repeat their names two or three times until Virgil got it right.  The guys didn’t mind.  They loved this old man who had a love for their souls that compelled him to shuffle into their lives with the grace of Jesus.  When Virgil was not present, the guys always asked about him.  They showed a special concern for this man who was like a grandfather to them.  He always had a word of encouragement, never condemned, but never hesitated either to tell the men what they needed to hear to be right with their Creator.  They cried when they heard he’d taken his last step in the jail.

Recently a young inmate told me, “There’s no love in prison.” I understood why he could say that, but I also knew it wasn’t the whole truth.  Why?  Because I had the blessing of knowing a man who brought the love of God into that jail nearly every week.  That love was what kept his feet moving.  Though only a shuffle, as Virgil drew near to the end of his earthly journey, he didn’t waste a step.  Other men half his age would not set foot in a jail unless they had to.  Virgil did it voluntarily, determinedly, in step with His Master until just two weeks ago when he took that final step into eternity.

It’s going to be hard to fill Virgil’s shoes.  They kept moving until the very end of their 95 year journey, even if they shuffled. The man that filled them was an inspiration to many, including myself. What do you want to bet he’s already laced up a new pair of shoes? Running shoes most likely!

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.”   Isaiah 52:7

Belief in Christ saves us.  True.  But that’s just the beginning of a covenant with him.  Faith is the genesis of a life with God.  When we believe in him and accept him as our Savior, we enter into a covenant; one in which God works and we humbly accept.  Our belief/faith leads to action.  Not a “pull yourself up by your boot-straps” action, but surrender.  Waving the white flag.  A surrender of our will to his.  Not with resentment or bitterness like when conquered by an enemy but with an acknowledgement of “I can’t do this.  I need you, and I give you control.”  Turning to him (repentance) and away from our old life is involved in this covenant.  And not just one-time, but ongoing.

Baptism is part of this covenant.  God calls us.  He offers us life.  We humbly receive.  And we are baptized.  Baptism is more than a physical exercise that we volunteer for to re-enact the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.   Baptism is the consummation of this covenant, of our vows to him; leaving behind the old life and entering the new.  It is the point at which we are united with Christ.  He moves in and fills us with his life.  We then begin to bear fruit in his likeness.

Baptism is “the passing through the water” like Noah did and Moses and Joshua with God’s people.  We cross over from captivity to freedom.  Baptism is the point at which we are united with Jesus, our Promised Land.  It is supernatural.  God is active in our lives at baptism.  It’s not just a social acknowledgement.  It is a transaction, but one which involves complete surrender on our part.  (Maybe that’s why we don’t baptize ourselves.)  God is the active party in this transaction.  He washes us in Jesus’ blood, he circumcises our hearts, and he “moves in” by his Spirit, to dwell forever.  Our loyalties do an about face; our focus shifts.  We give up all to receive the new life.

Noah is an example of this covenant relationship.  God called him.  Noah responded in faith.  “Salvation” had occurred because of Noah’s faith in God.  But deliverance and power in Noah’s life had not yet.  It wasn’t until he “passed through the waters,” that he received new life, his deliverance.  Faith and baptism are intrinsically tied together.

Moses, because of his faith, led the Israelites out of captivity.  They entered in to a covenant with God in the Passover meal but they still had to pass through the water to experience deliverance.

Similarly, when we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we are united with him in baptism.  We enter the water, and in faith leave our old life of captivity.  We come out of the water, and by faith are delivered into his Kingdom.  We can walk in that truth, taking advantage of “all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places” or we can quench the Spirit inside us and continue to live like a captive.

In summary, faith (belief) and baptism are tied together.  In the church of Christ tradition, we tend to make baptism the primary focus, the golden key of salvation.  The emphasis on baptism has eclipsed the importance of faith in the saving grace of Jesus.  “Just get them baptized” is the prevalent mindset, and yet the understanding of faith, surrender, sacrifice and holiness in a lifelong commitment to Christ is not equally emphasized.  Baptism has largely become a rite in the churches of Christ; one that is often carried out as a “work” that we “do” to ensure salvation, whether or not faith or repentance or surrender are understood.  Some other traditions, on the other hand, have minimized the importance of baptism.  Baptism without faith is a religious ritual devoid of power.  Faith isn’t truly faith unless it propels us toward obedience and dependence on God.  It is our faith in the power of God that saves us.  Period.  And by faith, we are united with Christ in baptism.

Imagine that new environments stress you out to extremes.  You have difficulties interacting with people socially, can be overwhelmed by chaos and lack of routine, and have difficulty explaining your needs to others.  That was me at the start of this mission trip with Rural America Ministries.  This being a difficult transition going so far beyond my comfort zone, even just for a month within the United States, I knew there would be challenges.

My month with R.A.M. came with great trials and great rewards.  This month helped me to work through many internal difficulties and fears by persevering in the face of adversity.  Situations led to me being more willing to ask for help and intentionally state my needs.  The spiritual benefits of this month ran deep into my soul and spiritual life.  I can no longer look at concepts such as stillness, perspective, service, prayer, in the same way.  The depth of learning I had during this month will be invaluable in the rest of my college career as a youth and family ministry major at LCU and beyond.

Through the example of R.A.M.’s leadership I was also taught some of the foundations of strong Christ-centered leadership.  The leadership modeled to me of prayerful, humble commitment has left parts of my life transformed in deep ways.  I was shown that being deeply prayerful before decisions has great power and I am reminded of a quote by Corrie Ten Boom:  “Don’t pray when you feel like it.  Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.  A man is powerful on his knees.”  This prayerful leadership style and Christian walk lets God have far more impact in this world and the work we do.

The consistent focus of daily asking, “How did you see God working today?” began to open my eyes to the plentiful harvest of souls ripe in this world.  This Spirit and prayer-led attitude has bled into my daily life even after the trip.  Prayer is powerful!  I have seen its effects first hand in the lives at the Seymour Church of Christ.  Situations I saw where it was incontrovertible that God was actively participating in them: A man and his family falling apart under extreme pressure of circumstances, yet he yearned so much to hear God’s word that his truck stalling out twice in water to get to the study couldn’t stop him.  Humble women who sacrificially served the church and others doing such basic tasks as vacuuming the entire church building standing firm as an example of Christian service while being totally unrecognized.

I saw God working in such magnificent ways on this trip, in my life and the lives of those around me. Because of my experience with R.A.M. I saw this verse with entirely new eyes:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.  I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.  I needed clothes and you clothed me.  I was sick and you looked after me.  I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me.”    -Matthew 25:34-40

For physical and spiritual protection while cycling the 550 miles it will take to complete our trip.

 For the physical strength to complete our trip!

 For our words and actions to bring glory to God and redemption and hope to those we meet along the way.

 For our fund-raising goal of $25,000.00 to be reached.

 For great turn-outs at our scheduled prayer events in Boise City, Guymon, Woodward, Watonga, OKC, Ada, Antlers & Broken Bow and that these prayer events will be a catalyst for greater unity and future efforts for unity among all who claim to follow Christ.

 For no break-downs on the road with our bikes or our support vehicle.

 For cooler temperatures and NO WIND during our ride.

 For the grace and truth of Jesus to spread throughout the rural communities of Oklahoma and into all of rural America.

 For all the logistics and details related to the organization of this ride to come together as planned and needed.

 For relationships to be established with civic and religious community leaders that will open doors for greater ministry and service in the rural communities we cycle through.

 For a successful social media campaign during our ride, tripling RAM’s followers on FB and effectively sharing our journey during the ride.

  This summer God blessed me with the opportunity to participate in Rural America Ministries. Namely, I got to spend a month out in southwestern Oklahoma (mostly Cordell, Mangum and Granite) along with three other college students who I can now call my dear friends, Jacob Bos, Kaylee Cowan, and Savanna Harris.

God was constantly at work throughout my time at RAM. At least from my perspective, I would say that He was even working before RAM had officially started this year. I had never spent a summer like this before and I had never been to any of these communities. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive, and I came close to telling Jim that I didn’t want to do it. However,  a voice (which I am convinced was the Holy Spirit) kept telling me that this was the right thing to do, and that this was where God wanted me to be. Had God not been working on my heart before RAM this summer, it would have probably been much different.

I saw God at work through our time canvassing in both Washita and Greer Counties. In Cordell, I knocked on a door of an elderly man who had recently lost his wife. We sat down and talked about it, and I prayed for him. He said he was very appreciative of me coming and seeing him. Although this got me behind on my door knocking for that day,  that was an experience which I’ll never forget. He was lonely. He just wanted somebody to come and talk to him. When I answered the door he honestly looked miserable, but by the end we were laughing. It ended by him saying that he would tell his grandchildren about our Summer Encounter program. It felt so good that, if for at least for a little while, I could be a light for someone whose heart was completely broken.

I saw God through the children at both Summer Encounter in Cordell, and VBS in Mangum. I saw how innocent and full of life they were. How trusting they were. I had been struggling with personal issues over the last few months, and sometimes I felt as though that God hadn’t been answering my prayers. In Mangum, however, I overheard a little girl say emphatically that “God listens to your prayers! You just got to shut up and listen!” How simple is that? Adults always to try to make trusting in God more complicated than it really is. It reminded me not to be anxious, but pray and trust God through whatever situation I am in.

I am so extraordinarily thankful that RAM became a part of my summer this year. I am considering going once again. It’s amazing how the church can have such a huge impact in such remote places. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that our impact this summer was positive. God made this journey possible for us.