Jesus & Flip Flops

During the summers of 1995 and 1996, I vetted out my faith while driving across sea, land, and marshy swamps in a 15-passenger un-airconditioned van in the sweltering 99.9% humidity of Charleston, SC. This was an old rusty van that had seen more summers and sea salt than a surfboard in Hawaii. So there was a hole in the floor of it - us summer missionaries often zoned out while staring at the ground through it now and then.

Anyway, I was there as a college summer missionary doing puppet shows for kids on the beaches, in daycares at resorts, or in the downtown market area, doing facepainting while telling Bible stories, handing out water to beachgoers on a hot day or popsicles to carriage ride drivers and market vendors. On the weekends, we did a variety of things - from surfer cookouts to variety shows with singing, dancing, and clowning, etc. for tourists. It is resort ministry and it is all about building relationships with the people we'd regularly see working in the tourism industry throughout the summer and it is about meeting hundreds of tourists each week and helping meet a physical need for food or water or help meeting an emotional need by entertaining with a puppet or variety show. The hope is that by helping meet these needs, we would earn the right to share Christ with them.

This land-locked native Oklahoman fell in love with this kind of ministry - using the arts and simple acts of kindness to share Christ. I fell in love with the sand, surf, and sunshine too. Resort ministry is all about planting seeds not necessarily about reaping a harvest - you'd meet people and have to make the most of the opportunity because if you didn't the moment had already passed you by. We often gave away salvation/friendship bracelets to share the plan of salvation. Here's how it worked:

Gold bead: represented the golden friendship God originally had with Adam & Eve
A tied knot: represented that something got in the way of God's friendship with mankind - sin - the things we are "knot" or "not" supposed to do
Red bead: represented the love of Christ to the extent He was willing to shed his blood on the cross for all sin and that He wants to live in our hearts
White bead: represented the fact that because of what Christ did for us, if we want to be forgiven of our sins and made white as snow, all we have to do is ask
Green bead: represented once a person had invited Jesus into their hearts as Savior and Lord that like the grass or plants or trees grow, one should Grow in their relationship with Christ
Yellow bead: reminds us that someday when we die, we will spend eternity with Jesus and walk on golden streets

Anyway, we would go through this bracelet, give it to the people we met and leave the results to the Lord. In doing this kind of ministry, you encounter all kinds of people with a variety of beliefs and questions. I loved it! The times I didn't know the answers always drove me into searching the scriptures all the more for the truth. And usually it was the topic of conversation in the vanride back to the missionary staff house. I met street people, alcoholics, lots of soccer moms and dads just having a relaxing vacation, a Jew who had survived a Nazi prison camp, people who definitely had some spiritual warfare going on under the surface; you name it -- people with all kinds of beliefs. I still remember certain people's faces. It was interesting that oftentimes, while people were on vacation, their defenses were down and they would pour out their hearts to you about their current struggles and doubts. It was a prime opportunity to share the love and hope of Jesus with them.

So like I said in the beginning, I vetted out my faith during those summers and I believe what I believe because it's been tested and true -- not just in my head, but lived out in the trenches or in this particular example - in the sand and surf and street corner.

Every summer, I get the urge to pick up my flip flops, head to the beach and share Christ with people -- maybe I should start with putting on my flip flops and walking over to my neighbors' house across the street or next door. The beach is a long drive away, but using all I learned those summers can be applied anywhere. This may explain why some may see just a beach or a downtown market space, but I see an opportunity for a team to do a puppet show or build sandcastles while telling kids a Bible story or I see a space for a Christian performing arts team to minister and perform for locals and tourists in a place like Bricktown.

Now, um, where are my flip flops? Time to put some feet to my faith again.

The Bible says How Beautiful are the feet that bring Good News.
God, give us the eyes to see the lost -- everywhere our feet take us.