Transitory Psychosis

I had an interesting experience at Walmart a couple of weeks ago. My wife and I stopped by there in a hurry on the way to work, a little after 6 a.m. I had something in my right eye that I couldn’t get out. We went there to find some type of eyewash in hopes of getting some relief.

After finding what we needed, we rushed to the checkout line. There was only one woman in front of us, with what appeared to be a week’s worth of groceries. I noted the cashier was obviously Muslim, complete with traditional head covering. Her accent indicated she was not a native English speaker, probably an immigrant. She was also s-l-o-w.

My impatience was growing as I scanned for another open register. The only other one open had a line much longer. So we waited. Finally, the groceries were almost all scanned and bagged. Then the cashier pointed to the remaining items and said, “I can’t touch that.” On the counter were two pounds of bacon, a tube of sausage, and a frozen sausage pizza. It dawned on me what was going on: As a Muslim she could not handle the pork.

Everyone’s frustration level was rising. My wife suggested the cashier let her scan it. She declined and went to ask another employee for help. He was not sympathetic and suggested she let the customer scan the items. Sheepishly, the cashier returned and handed the scanner to the customer. She scanned the pork and my wife helped her bag it before leaving. We paid for our items and left.

Questions filled the air as we left: Why would the manager station a woman who can’t handle pork at the register? How can she work at a place that sells pork and be faithful to her beliefs? Why didn’t she just let the customer scan the items to begin with? Doesn’t she know this is America? Why is she here if she won’t conform to our social norms?

In the midst of our frustration it hit me. While I still can’t understand the manager’s decision to put her at the register, I think I know why she is here. She needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. God brought her here to meet His followers who can introduce her to the Truth.

Sadly, all she saw in me was my frustration at being late for work. I hope her next encounter with a Christ-follower is more redemptive.

In the meantime, I’ve been reminded of a lesson I thought I had already learned: Wherever I am, whatever the circumstance, I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ. That matters far more than getting to work on time.

Sometimes on Fridays I post something light. Not today. I’ve viewed a challenging video from Dr. K.P. Yohannan, the founder of the missions organization Gospel for Asia. I’ve been aware of this organization for some time and while I’m not sure I would agree with them on every jot and tittle of scriptural interpretation, they do seem to be doing a good work.

More to the point, I believe this video will challenge you as it has me. God has placed in the U.S. the resources necessary to carry the gospel to the world in our time. It seems to me we have some obligation to do more with those resources than buy more “stuff.”



A while back WWJD was the craze. Before they acted, we challenged teens to ask: What would Jesus do? Lately, I’ve been asking myself a similar question.

I have what some would consider a dream job environment. I work with all Christians. Our department has a devotion and prayer together everyday before we get started. We have employee chapel once a month for the entire organization. I could go on, but you get the idea.
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I read an interesting article online from the New York Times with the provocative headline, “Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church.” The article is about how some churches are using the hugely popular video game Halo to draw students. (Read the article here.) These churches conduct Halo parties in which students play against one another. In some cases, after a period of play they sit down for a message or gospel presentation.

The article focuses on the fact that Halo is a violent game with an “M” rating, yet churches are using it as a tool. It quotes one 12-year-old as explaining the allure of the game saying, “It’s just fun blowing people up.” Some parents have reportedly questioned the use of Halo citing that it is a game that cannot even be purchased by those under 17 years of age, yet churches are providing a venue where younger players can play it.

I confess that video games are not my thing. I’ve never seen any version of Halo and have no way of forming an educated opinion about it. All I know is what I read. However, my interest in this story is more philosophical, having to do with the ethics and effectiveness of what some have called “bait-n-switch evangelism.”
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