1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (The Message)

26-31Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."

Condemnation

I just had to share a little bit about what happened to me at church on Sunday morning. Patty and I were up early so we went to the early service at 9 instead of the later 11 am service. I am so glad we did.

The sermon was from 1 John 3. Here are verses 11-24 from The Message.

11For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other.

12-13We must not be like Cain, who joined the Evil One and then killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because he was deep in the practice of evil, while the acts of his brother were righteous. So don't be surprised, friends, when the world hates you. This has been going on a long time.

14-15The way we know we've been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don't go together.

16-17This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.

When We Practice Real Love

18-20My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

21-24And friends, once that's taken care of and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God! We're able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again, this is God's command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit he gave us.

After the sermon Pastor Jack said he felt that there were some who felt that they were under a lot of condemnation. He then invited anyone who felt like that to come up for prayer. I had been feeling condemnation after talking to another brother about some things. I felt that God wanted to do something for me right then and there so I went forward. I received prayer for about 10 minutes and just felt this warmth that I had never felt before. It was just like the peace of God washed over me and He told me that He loved me and is in control. All of the condemnation I was feeling just fell right off of me.

I just had to share that. Our God is a God of Love. He loves you just the way you are, right here, right now.

Peace!

Get Service

God's EXTRAVAGANT, Outrageous Love for YOU

If you feel beaten down, hurt, wounded, abused, know this...God loves you wherever you're at, just the way you are.

Something to ponder

There is an understanding of church as more than just a weekly service. They reject the facade of traditional churchianity and promote a greater understanding of the people of God as a community.

There is a heavy emphasis on local community and the importance of our relationships with one another. It is in our relationships with each other, in our one-anothering, that the kingdom of God is demonstrated.

On a personal level, there is an emphasis on men doing business with integrity, wives loving their husbands, and living in honest accountable relationships with other believers.

This is why good, sincere people are still following this teaching. Anyone following the principles I’ve listed would grow in their Christian walk.

So what went wrong? The problem is that the teaching is truth with a twist.

It is confusing because while the words are all about love and unity, the methods and practices demand compliance and conformity.

The first twist is that the kingdom must be a demonstrated reality in our lives before we can affect the world around us. Therefore the focus is on the process of being perfected.

The effect of this is a completely inward focus. Rather than understanding that personal growth and transformation occur as we give our lives to love and serve the world around us, we become completely paralyzed and immersed in our own development.

The second major twist is that community is elevated above the individual. This sounds great as far as rejecting individualism and promoting unity, but it comes with a price when individuality is completely suppressed and rejected.

This is where much of the damage has happened to this church. As the corporate ideal is elevated, people are called to die to their individual preferences. They are asked to commit to the community values and to protect and guard the unity of the group.

The problem with all of this is that it is transformation and unity as defined by the leadership. This has resulted in control in order to produce conformity. Information is controlled and differing perspectives are sacrificed for the sake of oneness.

The life of the Spirit has been squelched. There is no room for it in this controlled environment. People’s gifts have been suppressed. Their discernment has been shut down with the threat that questioning is subversive and dangerous. In the effort to produce ideal community, a real thriving community has been destroyed.

There is a great deal of inspired truth and revelation in the teaching of this group. The appeal of truth is the hook. In this particular group, if you swallow the hook, you will find that you have bought into a toxic church environment.

It is the result of truth and revelation being interpreted through a grid of hierarchy and control. The real life that should be produced from the truth being taught is aborted at the hands of those who have put themselves in the position of controlling and defining the expression of life in this community.

In the end, many are left realizing that the reality wasn’t what they hoped it would be. It fell far short of the ideal that was promised.

Churches, people, and teaching are never completely good or evil. In fact, there is usually much more truth than falseness. However a small degree of falseness can produce devastating results.

A good friend sent me this today, right when I needed to hear it. Thanks man!

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Teddy Roosevelt

The Contemptible Body by Tara Shuster

Here is a great article written by Tara Shuster called The Contemptible Body that was written for this weeks BWC. Enjoy...

Tell me, what do you think of when you hear the word “church”? Is it those TV Evangelists, protestors at veteran’s funerals, bombers of abortion clinics? Old women and Sunday clothes? A priest and a confession booth? Huge glorious steeples? What about the smell of old wood in ancient cathedrals? Billy Graham? How about pain and gossip and segregation? I’m just wondering, because I’ve been doing some pondering on the word myself…

Before 2004, I had attended church only for funerals and on one occasion, went to a Christmas play with my neighbors. Ah, the memories… But prior to that, I guess the only spiritual notions that crossed my brain where my grandmother’s haunted house, my extreme fear of death (at the time), and that my sister was in heaven with God. Nothing to theological. With four years of church-going under my belt I’m a bit more informed than I used to be, but informed in ways that I never thought.

As I’m sitting here, writing this and ignoring the huge amount of finance homework that needs to be done, a rush of my past collides with my own self and it causes my brain to be filled with so many emotions. You see, nowadays, when I ruminate about church and what it means to me, a swarm of pain, joy, confusion, and fleeting happiness comes and hovers over me.

About a year ago, I was involved in a somewhat nasty conflict at my previous church. It turned out to be one of the most painful and bitter experiences I’ve ever endured. But it opened my eyes to the fact that while churches should be Christ-like, they are still full of humans and thus have the ability to create pain.

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we Christians haven’t been the prettiest thing in America lately. I’ve read stories about a church that goes to veteran’s funerals protesting and holding up signs that say “God hates you.” At my college, there’s a Christian extremist group who like to terrorize everyone on campus with their signs that say “Islam is not a peaceful religion” and “Halloween is from the devil.” After seeing these things, it was like my eyes were opened and God whispered one simple, but powerful concept into my heart: God is love. Period. He always has been and always will be, no matter what the crazies at my school or the extremists protesting with their “God hates you” signs say. I had never understood this before (it seems a little ridiculous because that’s what the whole bible is about!). But I do now, and the concept goes even further: this love should always be present in our own lives, as well as the church.

Oh what an epiphany it was, but it’s nothing new. God, the one who created Earth and all its inhabitants, has always done nothing but love creation, despite what creation thinks. What we, especially as Christians, considered detestable, untouchable, sinful, and unlovable, God has not. He does not let color, ethnic background, political beliefs, money, sexual orientation, or whatever gets in the way of relationships, get in the way of His love for HIS creation. He’s even done something so drastic as to sacrifice his own son, his own self, so that there would no longer be the barrier of guilt or fright standing between Him and people. In a way, God’s love for humanity is like the ultimate love story. The Creator, so in love with his creation, took so many measures to make sure that his creation new of his love, and then, he gave his creation the choice to choose for themselves whether they believe in the Creator and his love, or not. Because love isn’t love at all if it is forced.

Speaking of choices, I make horrible ones daily. Everyone does, even churches do (big gasp here). Making sure to keep this in mind I’m still pondering the meaning… what does church mean to me? In the dictionary it’s defined as “the whole body of Christian believers; Christendom.” But I think it’s deeper than this. Just because we go to church, doesn’t mean that that’s all we need to do, and then just live our lives as we please. But we tend to skip right on over this. Churches become institutions instead of sanctuaries. God moves with or without steeples and preachers, because that is who he is. Yet, he has commanded us to be a body, a family. And this family of ours is commanded to bless others (remember Abraham, anybody? “I’m going to bless you so that you may bless others”). Isn’t this what it’s all about? God is love; so naturally, one would assume that’s what a church should represent. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of churches that do such, and then there are plenty that don’t. There are plenty that point a finger at those not considered Christians, while saving all their love for themselves (I got sucked into this thought, too)

Yet in all this, I begin to understand what Jesus was doing while he was here on this earth. He took special care to show love to the “outsiders,” the “sinners” and what the Jews considered at the time, the “unclean.” There are so many who need to be loved outside of our Christian circle.

In the end, it goes as Jesus said, “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.” If we have any condemning to do, then it should be right in the mirror, pulling that plank out of our own eye, because no one is without sin. However, because we are saved doesn’t give us the right to use the “holy finger” on those who aren’t.

Let’s face it, Americans don’t really like the church. And let’s face it one more time: American churches are starting to become a big, detestable eyesore. We need to be very careful in the direction we’re going. We are not out to please anybody, but God. But we should be out to love everybody created by God. Let us not be considered detestable and unloving, but benevolent and loving. I want to be out chasing the world like God chased his own creation: with a feverish, fanatic love that does the most extreme to reach far and wide across uncrossable barriers. For this is what love is, and this is what love does.

Sacred Reality

I have heard this quote from Tony Campolo many times before but found it again today in an article by Erin Warde titled Sacred Reality .

Speaking at Wheaton College, Tony Campolo once had great opposition to his words (which have been quoted various times, various ways, with the meaning still valid), “I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.” Not only do I find truth in his words, but also in the reaction. Crowds were shocked, just as he knew they would be. And, though I can speak for no one’s heart, I believe that those people were far more concerned with a four letter word uttered in church than 30,000 deaths. To make things a bit more real, 17 million children, just children, die from malnutrition and starvation each year, and I do believe that we as a society cannot bring ourselves to show enough compassion for these children and, as Campolo noted frankly - give a shit.

Border-blenders and Corner-dwellers (Part 4 of 5 by Rich Nathan)

As I was reading part 4 of 5 this just really hit home for me. These three paragraphs are what is wrong with the church today. Everyone thinks they're right and that if you don't believe what they believe, you're out. So read this carefully and think real hard about it...especially the third paragraph in bold.
Peace!

What has happened in the last generation is that there has been border-blending among the four great movements in the church. So we find many evangelicals who feel very comfortable praying for the sick and casting out demons; and there are many evangelicals who engage in liturgical practices such as using the Anglican Book of Common Prayer in their devotional lives, etc.

But while there has been a huge move of border-blending, there are still many corner-dwellers, people who believe that it is entirely wrong for someone in their camp to engage in practices associated with one of the other three camps. Corner-dwellers get really mean and mad when we step out of our traditional boxes.

So, for example, some conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists get mean and mad when we claim to be evangelical, but we engage in border-blending with one of the other wings of the church. Like the Pharisees of Jesus'’ day, some angry corner-dwellers may set themselves up as the judge of what is biblical - like the Pharisees, they get really mad when we associate with “the wrong sort of people,” and, like the Pharisees, they are constantly looking for reasons to accuse border-blenders for our supposed theological errors.

What is a Justice Revival? (Part 5 of 5 by Rich Nathan

Immigration and Community Values: Tale from Arizona

Thru the Plexiglass: Immigration Today

St.Pierre Wins

So the fight I had long awaited happened last night. It was very one-sided in favor of St. Pierre. From the opening bell to 15 seconds left in round 2, St. Pierre controlled the fight ending it with a barrage of knees to Serra's ribs and the referee stepped in to call the end as a helpless Serra had no answer and was no longer fighting back. For all of Serra's trash talking beore this bout, I'd have to say that the punch he landed in their first fight, was pure luck at best.

Previously unreleased UFC 83 video

It's going down tonight...and George St. Pierre will beat down Matt Serra. I'll blog after the fight.

Iron Maiden - Sign of the Cross - Rock in Rio

A little over a month away now. It's gonna be good! I'm telling ya!

Do you read books?

Do you read books like "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller or "A New Kind of Christian" by Brian McClaren, or "Divine Nobodies" by Jim Palmer?

If you do, then understand that you may come under attack for reading such bad material.

I guess it depends on what you consider bad.

Does loving your neighbor as yourself ring a bell? Then read this material.

If you think that it makes you a liberal pig and does not align yourself with the religious right? Then don't read it.

God doesn't care if you're a liberal or a conservative. All He cares about is whether or not you are loving others and bringing His Kingdom to the world.

1329 miles and I'm back!

So I just got back from my week long road trip. I drove a total of 1329 miles. In those miles I saw, heard, and did a lot of things. For those that don't know, I have to hit the road twice a year to inspect and maintain the weather equipment that so many people across the entire U.S.A. volunteer to do for us and you. You would be amazed at some of the requests we get at our office for weather data. For legal cases, agricultural issues, etc.

Work wise, this trip was uneventful. All equipment was operating good and all that was required of me was routine preventive maintenance. The joy I get out of it is being out of the office and talking to the people. I had the opportunity to give out some awards on this trip to some folks that have been doing this for us for 25 years. I also handed out some awards to institutions that have been keeping the weather data for us for 75 years. They were very appreciative of the recognition and we appreciate all that they do.

Outside of the work part was some things I observed on this trip. While I was in Blythe CA I had to fill my work truck up because I was heading out to some very remote sites. While I was filling up and also cleaning all of the crap off of the windshield, a gentleman came up and was poking through the garbage. At first, I thought he was looking for cans or something. But he was actually looking for food. He picked a styrofoam container out of the trash, opened it, and what I can only assume found what he thought was edible. It looked nasty to me. But he took his bike and went over behind the station and proceeded to eat it. It was leftover chicken wings. I walked over to him and asked if there was anything I could do for him. He was very evasive. Did not really want to talk. I just told him that if he wanted something to eat, I would gladly buy it for him. He just sort of looked at me and said "thank you my friend". I had to head out so I gave him $20 and told him that I would be praying for him.

While I was in Parker AZ I was behind a Native American lady that was buying Similac, which is a baby formula. She was using some sort of "program" that helps folks like her get stuff like that. I don't know if it was a government thing like W.I.C. or if it was a Tribal program. The cashier said that she did not have enough for all of the Similac. I just interrupted and asked her how much it was and paid for it. The Native American lady had some tears in her eye. I just told her that it would be okay and to take it. She gave me a hug as she left, along with a smile.

I did not know either of these folks. But I do believe that I was there for a reason. I just wish that all people that are Christ Followers could do this instead of argue with each other over who is right. Sometimes the church imposes rules on what you can and can't do and I think that that scares a lot of folks away.

Whether your a fundamentalist, reformed, calvinist, modern, post-modern, emergent...Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran...you get my drift here? What does it matter?

If we ALL just loved God, our neighbor and our enemies, WHAT's The FRIGGIN' PROBLEM?

We are not the morality police. God is.

Nuff' said.

Love someone today that is less fortunate than you. Encourage someone. Don't berate them with doctrine and rules and legalism. God loves EVERYBODY! You don't have to take a class to be a leader or a better Christ Follower, just follow God and you'll be fine.

Peace! I'm glad to be home.

Hitting the Road

I'm hitting the road early tomorrow morning for my week long work trip. I'll be back Friday evening. I'll be in Southwest and Western Arizona and Southeast California. I'll stay the night in Parker AZ right on the Colorado River Monday night, beautiful downtown Blythe CA (for those that don't know anything about Blythe, I'm being VERY sarcastic) Tuesday night, and Yuma AZ Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Lots of miles will be covered on this trip but I really do enjoy doing it. I get to get out and actually talk to my volunteer weather observers and they are some great folks.

Until next weekend...Adios!

Do something nice for someone this week. Encourage them.

Peace!

GET YOUR MIND (OUT OF THE PEW AND) INTO THE GUTTER

I'm sorry about my sarcasm, but this "Christian Bubble Bible" thinking, to me, is incredibly unrealistic and I believe the reason so many people just don't want to attend church. I just do not think the "formulas" work anymore.

I do believe in the power of the Bible. I also believe that just loving a person where they are goes a long way. I have heard too many Christians being more concerned about their non-church-going friends "changing" than just "loving" them where they are at.

For me, it's not just about leaving the pew and going out to pass out tracts, it's about accepting people where they are. Loving them "in the gutter". In the dirty and broken places of their hearts. Just "loving" them. Accepting them.

This is who Jesus is. This is how He loves us. The last I heard, Christians are suppose to be like Him.

Don't you want to be loved no matter what? No matter how you feel or act?

I do. And I am. By Jesus.

Read the full article here

I found this quote on a blog I was reading. It did not mention who quoted this, but it sure is good stuff.

“…the judgers and despisers look down on others. They don’t love or respect them. Ah, it never ends. These two things happen simultaneously and perpetually in the life of the community. When we think it is theological exactitude or moral perfection or missional vision that is the point, these are not the point at all. They are important. But they are only the extras. In the last analysis, it’s not going to be what theology you embraced, what spiritual disciplines you practiced, what vision you crafted and pursued, but did you love one another. I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll ever, ever get that.”

Justice Revival

Rich Nathan is the pastor of the Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio, which is the co-sponsor with Sojourners of next week's Justice Revival.

He is doing a 5 part series on this.

What Doing Justice Means for My Church (Part 1 of 5)

Is Social Justice a Distraction from the Gospel? (Part 2 of 5)

Life Boat Theology vs. Ark Theology (Part 3 of 5)

Doin' the stuff

I'll tell you what...Obie and Leo have a great gig going at VCCG on Thursday nights and I have so enjoyed helping out. They hold a drop-in center on Thursday nights from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The kids can do BMX, skateboarding, rollerblading...all on ramps and rails. Inside, there is Air Hockey, Billards, Guitar Hero on the big screen, and they even have mats for wrestling now and sometimes demonstrations of MMA. In the gym there is basketball and very intense games of dodgeball. They also serve up hot dogs and drinks and have various contests for prizes throughout the night. The contests on this night were seeing who could eat 5 saltine crackers in 1 minute. A lot harder than it sounds. But there was a winner and he received a giant candy bar. The other contest was a jalapeno eating contest and the winner received $5.

There were about 75 kids present last night with about 15 girls. Obie said the girls have started showing up in the last couple of weeks and bringing their friends. I called Patty and she came over to help out.

This is an awesome ministry and these kids adore Obie and Leo. They even come to the church to hang with Obie when they see his truck there during the day. A few of them even popped in during Celebrate Recovery on Friday night and stayed for the discussion. This is relational ministry at its best.

Patty and I went to our first small group meeting at Mark and Bonnie's Wednesday night. It was just awesome. A very good time of fellowship, study, prayer and ministry time. I was able to pray with a guy who was really struggling and I can't tell you how awesome it was to see God move.

Tonight Patty and her sister are going to the Bon Jovi concert. I am sure they will have a great time along with the thousands of other females that will be there drooling over him.

Shannon has a job finally and I am proud of her. I pray thats she sticks with it. She really worked hard again getting her resume out. She has also been doing her share around the house these days and that is much appreciated by Patty and I.

Saturday is a special men's lunch at VCCG with a guest speaker. I've never heard of him but I have heard that he is very good.

Next week I'm off on a weeklong roadtrip for work. I'll leave Monday morning and then come back Friday night at which time Patty and Shannon head out to Mexico for the weekend. My co-worker Leslie and her family are also going down on that trip.

Saturday night the 19th is the much anticipated UFC welterweight championship fight between Matt Serra and George St. Pierre on PPV live from Montreal. I'll definitely be watching.

Sunday the 20th is the VCCG picnic and I am helping out Keith Killough and driving the van around to Phoenix to pick up some friends of his that are from out of the country. I believe I will be making three pickups in and around Phoenix.

Hope all is going well for everybody. Be blessed, be well, rest in Him.

Peace!

Dear AFA

As a Christ Follower, I am saddened that you are trying to throw your morality out to the world. You are not judge and ruler over the U.S.A. and you are most certainly not loving your neighbor as yourself. Boycotting MacDonalds will not change the world.

Read about this here

A little thought that my buddy Todd shared with me in an email this morning. Enjoy, and have a blessed day...

‘Your father who sees in secret will reward you.' (Matthew 6:6)
It is unfashionable doctrine. Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, urged us to ‘enjoy being unknown and regarded as nothing'. Lord, give me the ability to persist through tedium, to survive without the oxygen of recognition, praise and stroking, and to do some good things every day which are seen only by God.

The Shack

My good buddy Todd turned me on to this book. I'm telling you, this is a great book. I would recommend it to anyone. It will make you think, cry, laugh, etc...

http://theshackbook.com/

Wendel Clark Tribute

One of the best all around players in the game IMHO. Old time tough as nails hockey.

It's PLAYOFF time so I had to do a hockey post.

I finished reading the book The End of Religion by Bruxy Cavey while I was at the conference in Reno.

Some stuff from the book...


"At the same time, Jesus never taught that people could experience true spirituality simply by stopping those same religious rituals. Please understand -- and this is important -- becoming a religion drop-out does not by itself make you more spiritual... (Jesus) didn't just want people to stop licking the cup -- he wanted them to drink!"

"So when someone says to me, 'I'm spiritual but not religious', I imagine Jesus sighing with relief."

"This is, by the way, why I strongly believe in sticking closely to what the Bible teachings -- not to be an oppressive legalist, but to avoid oppressive legalism. Remember that in Christian circles, legalism is usually the result of human tradition being added to the Bible and passed off as Scriptural teaching."

"So offering forgiveness to sinners directly was, in a way, both a creative and destructive gesture. Creative for the human spirit; destructive for the religious system. At the same moment he was building people up, Jesus was also tearing religion down."

Wow! Good stuff man! Have a great week.

Peace!

Pagan Christianity - The Controversial Best Seller

I haven't read this book yet but I definitely will. I've read several great reviews on it.

BTW...this clip is funny stuff. Enjoy!

Diversity

So I just spent a week in Reno at a Diversity Workshop. I didn't really know what to expect. I thought it would be your typical government workshop. I was wrong. I actually enjoyed it and learned a lot. It was very interactive. We took the MBTI-Myers Briggs Test Instrument before the workshop. One of the top MBTI consultants in the country went over our results. I came out as an ESFP-Extrovert, Sensor, Feeler, Perceiver and my Temperament was Joy & Fun. The extrovert part sort of surprised me a bit.

There were about 40 people at the conference. Most of the races were represented. We had African American, Hispanic, Native American, Caucasian. The male/female ratio was pretty even. There were gays represented as well.

What I learned in the workshop could also apply outside the workforce as well.

The number one thing I took away from the week is that EVERYBODY has something to offer. Every piece is needed for a complete picture -- Inclusion is the key!

I was able to chat with one of the gay males after hearing him talk about a campus ministry he participated in. I told him how awesome I thought it was that he was doing that.

At the end of the conference the microphone was passed around the table and we were able to tell the group what we got out of the workshop. One of the gay males expressed his appreciation to the group that he was able to be heard and that it was one of the first times he was able to feel comfortable discussing issues about diversity.

All in all it was a great week. I appreciated Leslie (she is the diversity focal point in our office) letting me tag along and we will now begin the "real work" taking what we learned and applying it to the office.

Peace!

Love all, accept all, listen to all, and encourage all.

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

I got up this morning and was catching up on email and blog reading after my week in Reno Nevada for the Diversity Workshop. I'll blog a little about that later as I really enjoyed the conference and learned a lot.

I came across this story about a guy that was stepping off a subway and was robbed by a teen with a knife. He ended up giving the guy his wallet and also offered him his coat. The story ends well with the two going to a diner together.

check it out here

Could you do what this guy did after giving up your wallet to a knife wielding thug? I would like to think that I would be able to do it. I am not so sure I would be able to. At least not without any divine intervention.

Peace!