I'm a man of many weaknesses. They range from sweet tea and milkshakes to the Weather Channel and the latest movies. Today I paid the price for another of my flaws--driving. When I hit the road I tend to turn into an impatient, offensive, wreckless, lackadaisical maniac with no regard for those I blow by, cut-off, or run off the road. When I first started driving I paid dearly as I often recorded traffice tickets. However, with the oncoming of marriage, a receding hairline, and debt, I've been able to avoid being pulled over. Until this past April. Long story short (too late!), I was pulled over for going 20 miles over the limit on the interstate while trying to pick up a pal at the Dallas airport.

So, today I found myself at a defensive driving class. Six hours of yawns and films made when I was still in elementary school. Topped off with a sub-par buffet meal. Typically, these day-long events are made to bore you into never wanting to speed again. However, today was a bit different. For some strange reason or another, in this class of approximately 30 people I was able to meet some interesting characters, and overhear conversations between others.

A sampling of the class:

There was the young college girl whose parents immigrated from southern Asia. She insists on living alone while refusing to travel back home to her parents who only live 4 hours from her.

During a break I met a 70 year old lady whose three children are adults now. She frankly told me they've abandoned her after all her years of raising and supporting them. All she has left is her pet dog who is the only 'person' to listen to her. Now, she's certain that if something bad were to happen to her pet dog, she'd "shoot herself with a gun before the day ended". (her own words)

Then there's the middle-aged man who felt it necessary to keep his occupation a secret when asked by some of the group. The only thing he let know about himself was that he couldn't understand why we, as American citizens, couldn't speed a few miles over the speed limit without being in danger of getting a ticket.

Meeting and talking to these folks today made me think. A question often raised where I work at Mission Waco is, "What does "Good News" look like to _______?" For example, what does Good News look like to the struggling single mother of four? What does Good News look like for the homeless ex-convict who can't land a stable job because of his criminal history? What does Good News look like for the child who goes home from tutoring everyday to a father who may or may not be drunk?

In the Gospels, there's reference after reference of Christ going out to preach the Good News of the kingdom. He also commanded his followers to go out and do the same. For the most part, it seems evangelical Christians have historically preached the Good News of the kingdom of heaven. However, something's missing. I see it everyday at work. People come in off the street or out of the projects knowing the story of Christ. That's the problem...it's simply a story. Somewhere, whoever has done the "preaching" left out a crucial aspect in Christ's example and instruction--action. In the Bible, it often came in the form of good deeds, healing, resurrecting the dead, driving out evil spirits, feeding the hungry, etc.

So at Mission Waco we often challenge ourselves with the aforementioned question: "What does Good News look like to ________?" For it's simply not a message.

As I pondered on the mix of people that I had brief contact with today, that question came to mind,

What does Good News look like to the young college student estranged from her parents?
What does Good News look like for the elderly lady who has lost faith in life?
What does Good News look like for the paranoid man who is simply looking for a break?

In the Bible, the answer was different for each person. As Christ-followers, how do we seek to effectively give Good News to each person we meet?