I had an odd encounter today.  Mornings I tend to get to work early as this gives me time for a walk followed by coffee and a look at the news and then prep for the workday.  When I was nearing the end of my walk a fellow was jogging towards me on the sidewalk.  He stopped a few feet from me and I casually said that he had more in him then I.  It was intended to be a positive comment on his jogging as opposed to my walking.  He spoke about the need to exercise touching on jogging and running at the beach then asked if I power walked.  I said I fast walked and was going to follow with “it isn’t really power walking” but was cut off with him explaining that fast walking wasn’t power walking and then illustrating what it was.  I was sensing something a bit off but tried being polite when he suddenly asked if I knew Jesus Christ, telling me Jesus had told him to talk to me.  This didn’t really strike me too odd as I’ve been a Christian for nearly 50 years and am used to seeing people evangelize.  I told him I’d known the Lord since I was 18 and he asked my age which I told him.  He then began questioning my relationship with Jesus and telling me of pastors who would never see heaven.  He wanted to know what I do for the Lord and told me that many of the common practices such as attending church and having head knowledge of the Lord wasn’t being a Christian.  I’ve been accosted before by people who are very legalistic and judgmental if you don’t believe and behave as they see appropriate but I believe we each have to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” individually.  That’s not to say we shouldn’t be in community and accept accountability but the ultimate working out of our relationship with Jesus is our own job.  Anyway, it was getting near time for me to show up in the office so I told him so and that I had to go and it had been a pleasure to meet him, holding out my hand to shake his.  I received a strange look and no returned offer of the handshake followed by his turning and jogging back in the direction from which he had come.  It almost had the feel of “shaking the dust from your sandals if they don’t receive you”.

The entire encounter left me wondering what exactly that had all been about.  I tend to self exam throughout my day and this added a layer to that.  I’m still wondering what to think.