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Faith Walk portrait of Jon Voss shot inside the The Star studio. Photo of JIM BARCUS/The Kansas City Star 09232009
I remember the sky said “Bam!” and the rain came down in torrents on top of our Army surplus tent. Storm winds lashed the canvas and then flipped the entire structure over. In that moment my tent mate and I went from sleeping to survival. It was cold, wet and miserable. It was also the most memorable moment of my Boy Scout leader training, a real “act of God” moment. But it was not the moment.
I’ve always loved to travel. Growing up, my family used to tease me that on vacations, I spent the entire time in the car with my head in a book, but that wasn’t true. Here’s what really happened. I grew up as part of a large family with diverse talents and desires, and let’s just say things were never very calm. Now, imagine a station wagon barreling down the highway. Inside are 10 adults and kids, dozens of toys, suitcases, pillows and a huge green dinosaur bobbing out the back window.
As I pull into the driveway, I ask for the right words to make her sons feel better. I pray that God will give me divine guidance to help this family through death. Shirley has not eaten or been able to drink for several days. She is very thin and pale but appears comfortable. Her family wonders why she is not dying. They love her, but they feel her time has come. And yet, death does not come. Her breathing remains shallow, her heartbeat very faint. As I stand and count her breaths, she looks upward and smiles a radiant smile.
“Why do you go?” Friends ask me this whenever I mention that I enjoy going to Bible studies. I suppose that’s because they know I am an atheist. About a year ago, some buddies and I started going to different churches together. The initial surprise on our fellow churchgoers’ faces when they learned we were nonbelievers was priceless. Some of them asked, “Why are you here?”
