This is end of a seventeen month long project. When I started writing these stories, I had no idea how long they would last, nor where they would go. Thinking through so many subjects was a tremendous personal blessing. I am so very thankful for all the lessons God taught me through these stories. I hope they were a blessing to you, too.
Tomorrow, I look forward to where God will lead me next. May you all know the blessing of His presence every day of your lives.
Glory be to God!
Pilgrim: One day Monk warned me, ‘do not ever be late for a divine appointment.’ I didn’t understand, so I asked him what he meant. He smiled at me and said, ‘Always be alert to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Be ready. You never know when that moment will arrive.’ I assumed he meant a single moment in each of our lives. We needed to prepare for the moment, like Simeon in the temple waiting for the Messiah. How terrible would it be to live your entire life, but miss the moment ordained by the Spirit of God?
I’ve come to realize that I missed Monk’s point entirely. Discipleship isn’t about preparing for a single moment. It’s recognizing that God is continually at work. It’s knowing that God is intimately present and involved in every day of our lives. Knowing Monk as long as I have, I believe he learned the secret to living this way, and if you will permit me, I’ll share that secret with you today.
You see, Monk walked humbly with God. He didn’t live for glory, wealth or fame. Instead, he desired to see God glorified in and through his life. He sought out opportunities to bless others, as a testimony of the immeasurable blessings he received from his Lord.
The horrors of Monk’s past served as a constant reminder of our Lord’s transformational work in his life. Monk never forgot where he came from, and he committed his life to the One who redeemed him. He was a new creation. And now, praise God, his salvation is complete. He is at rest. He is finally home.
Those of us who are left behind must be thankful; for the testimony Monk left behind, for the fulfillment of God’s promises to Monk, and for the hope we have to one day join Monk among the great cloud of witnesses.
Lord, I thank you for the privilege of knowing Monk. I thank you that I personally got to witness his testimony. I thank you that I have grown closer to You by knowing him. May we all understand that you seek to walk with us as you did with Monk. May it one day be said of us all, we walked humbly with our God. Amen.
Pilgrim: Good morning, Monk. How are you feeling today?
Monk: I am afraid, uh, I am not having a very good day.
Pilgrim: I’m so sorry. Do you want to take something for the pain?
Monk: No, no. Perhaps a distraction.
Pilgrim: Is there something I can do?
Monk: Help me focus on something pleasant, uh.
Pilgrim: Well, I was thinking about it yesterday, and I wondered, when you enter glory, who do you look forward to meeting? Besides our Lord, I mean.
Monk: What a wonderful question. I want to meet the man born blind from John chapter nine. He fascinates me; such a strength of character when the whole world turned against him.
Pilgrim: I’d like to know his name.
Monk: I also look forward to meeting the criminal on the cross. To meet our Lord at such a dark time in their lives, yet in the moment of death to receive eternal life. What a wonderful display of grace.
Pilgrim: ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’ It’s like they journeyed there together.
Monk: Uh.
Pilgrim: Are you okay?
Monk: It was just a flash. Would you please read from the Scriptures? I would so like to hear the words of our Lord.
Pilgrim: Of course. He told His disciples, ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.’
Monk: I believe mine is ready.
Pilgrim: Monk?
Monk: Sing a hymn. Victory in Jesus.
Pilgrim: ‘I heard and old, old, story, how a Savior came from glory. How he gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about His groaning of His precious blood’s atoning. Then I repented of my sins and won the victory. O victory in Jesus, my savior, forev-’
Oh, Monk. May heaven rejoice at your arrival. You will be the first one I look forward to seeing when I arrive.
Pilgrim: Hello, Monk. I thought if you couldn’t go outside to see the flowers, I would bring the flowers to you.
Monk: Thank-you so much, Pilgrim. ‘Not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed as one of these.’ I do love the Spring daffodils.
Pilgrim: It’s good to see you smile. Is the pain getting worse?
Monk: Our Lord is gracious. He has not given me more than I can endure.
Pilgrim: Thank God for that.
Monk: I have been thinking about you lately. Pilgrim, would you do something for me?
Pilgrim: Of course, Monk. Anything.
Monk: When I have left this earth, I want you to carry out an important task. An assignment, if you will.
Pilgrim: Name it, and I’ll do it.
Monk: Live. Everyday, live. Honor God, create, love. Do not wait for tomorrow. Make each day meaningful. Do not let a single day go to waste. How many have perished while waiting to truly live?
Pilgrim: I promise to do my best, Monk.
Monk: How many lives, how much potential has been lost because of violence, tragedy or even sloth and laziness? Do not allow that to happen to you. As much as you are able, glorify God as a living sacrifice. Make it your daily prayer your earnest ambition. Carry your cross daily.
Pilgrim: I will, Monk. I promise.
Monk: I am sorry for berating you, Pilgrim. I wish I had done more for my Lord. I squandered too much of my life.
Pilgrim: That’s not true, Monk. It’s never through our efforts, but the Holy Spirit that works through us. As we walk with Him, He brings glory to the Father. You have faithfully walked with Him. What more could you have done?
Monk: Thank-you, Pilgrim. Your wisdom encourages me. I am tired.
Pilgrim: I’ll let you rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Monk: Our Lord willing, I look forward to your visit.
Monk: Oh, Pilgrim. I am sorry. I must have dozed off. I did not hear you come in.
Pilgrim: That’s okay, Monk. You need your rest. Do you get outside very much any more? The Spring flowers are in bloom.
Monk: I am afraid not. I just cannot seem to muster the energy.
Pilgrim: I understand.
Monk: Pilgrim, this morning my mind wandered back to the time I first met our Lord. It feels like lifetimes ago.
Pilgrim: You have walked with Him a long time.
Monk: That is not what struck me. It is not simply measured by time, but events. I remember my first trip to the Holy Land, the earthquake that nearly destroyed the village down from the monastery, the friendships borne from our ministry there. I remember the mysterious benefactors who blessed us with support. The weddings I got to celebrate. Seeing children grow up from those families. The privilege to study under the godly and wise.
Pilgrim: You have been a blessing to a lot of people.
Monk: I am amazed by how much God had done in and through my life. I am the one who is blessed.
Pilgrim: It must be good to look back on your walk with God without regret.
Monk: I did not say that, Pilgrim.
Pilgrim: I forgot about your family. I’m sorry.
Monk: That is not the regret I was referring to. Although, I still mourn over how I treated them. What I am speaking about are all the times my pride keep me from serving our Lord more.
Pilgrim: Leave it to me to ruin beautiful moments by dredging up horrible memories. What a friend I am!
Monk: Do not be hard on yourself, Pilgrim. Reminding me of the monster I was only shows how much our Lord transformed my life. By His Spirit, I truly am a new creation. Glory be to God.
Pilgrim: Amen, monk.
Monk: I am sorry, Pilgrim. I am suddenly very tired.
Pilgrim: I’ll let you rest. God bless you, Monk.
Pilgrim: Good morning, Monk. How are you feeling today? Do you have much pain?
Monk: What pain I have is manageable. Thank-you for asking.
Pilgrim: I was thinking about things, Monk. Doctors may not be able to heal you, but God can. I’m praying that God will supernaturally heal you.
Monk: I appreciate the sentiment.
Pilgrim: I believe in the God of miracles. I’m convinced you will be healed because God will be glorified in it.
Monk: I do not know, Pilgrim.
Pilgrim: Why not? You just need to have faith.
Monk: I do, Pilgrim. I know our Lord will bring healing. I just do not believe it will come the same way you hope.
Pilgrim: You got me confused, Monk.
Monk: Ultimate healing comes through passing away of the physical body. We cannot be perfected until the imperfect is stripped away. Like you, I yearn for healing, but I want eternal healing.
Pilgrim: That means your body dies.
Monk: You, most of all, should understand that we’re travelers through this life, waiting to enter the next.
Pilgrim: Aren’t you scared?
Monk: There is always some anxiety when facing the unknown. ‘But I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day.’
Pilgrim: I used to sing those words when I was a boy in Sunday School. I never really understood them until now. I feel ashamed of myself.
Monk: Why, Pilgrim?
Pilgrim: I’m supposed to be the one comforting you.
Monk: Do not be ashamed. The Scriptures comfort all His people.
Monk: Pilgrim, there is something I must tell you.
Pilgrim: What is it?
Monk: Doctors have discovered that I have advanced stages of cancer. It is terminal.
Pilgrim: What? No! Maybe they made a mistake. That happens all the time. You should get a second opinion.
Monk: I already have that. Both doctors agree.
Pilgrim: Monk, I’m so sorry. Did they give you any idea of time?
Monk: The cancer is aggressive. At most I have weeks.
Pilgrim: What about treatment? I’m sure they could do something that would give you a little more time.
Monk: Why would I desire that? And at what cost to the quality of life I have left? My faith is not placed in medicine.
Pilgrim: I feel like I just got the wind knocked out of me. I’m sorry. How are you feeling?
Monk: I feel the same, pilgrim. My stomach is fluttering. Am I scared? Hopeful? Anxious? Confused? Perhaps a little of all of it.
Pilgrim: I can’t believe it, monk. I just can’t believe it. I’m so sorry.
Monk: You know, after the initial shock of the diagnosis, a strange thought occurred to me. Soon I will join the great cloud of witnesses.
Pilgrim: I feel so selfish, monk. What am I going to do without you?
Monk: You will walk with God as you have always done. As we have done together.
Pilgrim: You’re right, as always.
Monk: Pilgrim, may I ask something of you?
Pilgrim: Yes, of course. What is it?
Monk: Please walk with me through this to the end. I do not want to face my last days on this earth alone.
Pilgrim: It would be my… I’m sorry.
Monk: Do not be sorry for your tears, pilgrim. I am thankful you consider me worthy of them.
Pilgrim Thank-you, Monk. You have my word.
Pilgrim: I was talking to a man who said I was a polytheist because I worshiped the Trinity. He argued that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate gods.
Monk: Were you able to correct his error and convince him of the truth?
Pilgrim: No. If anything, it made me more confused. I know what I believe, but I don’t really know why. Does that make sense?
Monk: May I offer an illustration that may help?
Pilgrim: I was really hoping you would.
Monk: Before I do, would you please fetch me a cup of water?
Pilgrim: Of course, monk.
Monk: May I have some ice as well?
Pilgrim: No problem. I’ll be right back.
Here it is.
Monk: Thank-you, Pilgrim. This is my illustration.
Pilgrim: What is? The cup?
Monk: Look at the water. What do you see?
Pilgrim: Ice water. Wait. The water is the Father, the ice is the Son. That’s only two parts of the Trinity.
Monk: Watch as I blow on the cup.
Pilgrim: The mist. That’s the Holy Spirit. I see it.
Monk: It is water in three forms. They occupy the same place at the same time. Also notice how they constantly interact with each other. They move from state to state, solid to liquid, liquid to gas, then back again. All things flow through the Father.
Pilgrim: Monk, that’s amazing. The same God in three forms! That’s the Trinity! Thank-you!
Monk: The Apostle Paul declared that the world reveals God’s invisible qualities. Here, the mystery of the Trinity is revealed by the most basic of elements. As always, Pilgrim, you are very welcome.
Pilgrim: I was thinking about what you said about disciples being soft.
Monk: It is not just disciples. It is an entire generation.
Pilgrim: Why do you think that is?
Monk: People have stopped thinking.
Pilgrim: Really?
Monk: Thinking for yourself is hard. It takes practice and effort. With the proliferation of readily available information, it is a challenge to sift through mountains of misinformation, propaganda and lies to discover nuggets of truth.
Pilgrim: That makes sense. The internet is a blessing and a curse.
Monk: Thinking for yourself also means you must be willing to consider that you might be wrong. How many fragile egos can handle that? What if you discover that everything you believed, everything that framed your worldview is all a bunch of lies? You might be forced to dismantle everything you believed and rebuild. It is much easier to ignore the truth and hold secure in your well-established myths. After all, it is only the most profoundly disillusioned who are ever motivated to abandon their failing belief system in order to search for one that is better and true. Such a search is impossible unless you are willing to invest in the rigor of thought. Again, it is much easier to insulate our minds with drugs, alcohol and sex. Those things free us, albeit temporarily, from the nagging discontent that gnaws at the back of our minds. More drugs! More porn! Anything to keep me from facing the burden of truth.
Pilgrim: Wow, monk. I didn’t think this would get you so fired up. A lot of people deny the existence of external truth. What would you tell them?
Monk: That is a ridiculous position. As if, with our finite minds, we can grasp the universe in its complexity. Everything we could not conceive of must cease to exist only because it is beyond our understanding. Of course there is external truth! We are just too dimwitted to see it. We close our eyes because it might challenge what we believe.
Since you brought it up, faith and reason are complementary. They support one another. What do we do when that relationship is twisted and perverted? When your faith challenged and there is no reason for support, respond with hostility. Bathe your words in anger and spew vitriol back at the one who dare challenge you. Let your rage simmer until it becomes hatred. Now you have an explosive concoction, an ideological bomb. Don’t you dare engage in self-reflection. Never allow truth to undermine your faith. You are not the problem. You are never the problem. It is everyone else who is wrong. They do not comprehend the profundity of your truth. They must change to please you or they must burn. Anyone who challenges you is inferior. Treat them like the subhuman they are. Never, for the sake of your unassailable faith, allow doubt to enter your mind. Never entertain the idea you might be wrong! Don’t think! Ever!
Pilgrim: Okay! Monk, I need to get you fired up more often!
Pilgrim: Monk, are the disciples of today too soft?
Monk: Absolutely.
Pilgrim: You say that with such conviction.
Monk: Of course I do. Disciples today are too risk averse. Our Lord intentionally leads us into danger. The evidence of that is overwhelming.
Pilgrim: I never thought of it that way before. Why does He do that?
Monk: The moment we move beyond our control, beyond our comfort zone, is the moment our faith in Him becomes real. We are compelled to trust in Him.
Pilgrim: What if we don’t want that kind of life? What if we would rather live a quiet life?
Monk: The Apostle Paul tells us to seek a quiet life. Unfortunately, our Lord told us that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Paul understood that very well. After the Lord met him on the road to Damascus, He prepared Paul for how much he would suffer in Christ’s name.
Pilgrim: But that’s just for Paul, right?
Monk: All but one of the Apostles died for His name’s sake. John, the only one to reach old age, lived in exile. That does not even speak of the persecution faced by the early church.
Pilgrim: You don’t make a very appealing case for discipleship, Monk.
Monk: I would never wish to mislead anyone, Pilgrim. I would add that the blessings of knowing our Lord far outweigh the costs.
Pilgrim: Eternal life, abundant life, reconciliation with God. Those a major blessings.
Monk: Add to that a life with eternal purpose, the fruit of the Spirit blossoming from our lives. Dare I forget the many promises of God? He will never leave us or forsake us. He will strengthen us to endure our trials.
Pilgrim: The promised Holy Spirit.
Monk: He is a blessing beyond measure.
Pilgrim: I guess you could say that discipleship is the toughest calling you’ll ever love.
Monk: I could not express it any better, Pilgrim.
The Pilgrim and The Monk 