Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a call from one of the sharpest programmers I have ever met. This self-educated man reminds me of a Neo-type making sense of garbled code on his flatscreens; think the Matrix series. The reason he called is because he wanted to know if I was still in the loop politically - he was curious if I'd do lunch to discuss a project.
So, this afternoon at Pico De Gallo, I find myself across from Luke, a pencil thin, long-haired wiz kid with geeked out glasses. He skips the chit-chat and gets to business; he wants to know what I think about Ron Paul (for those of you who in the bubble, he's a libertarian Republican candidate for Prez). I admit that I am kind of burned out on politics and I've been undergoing some sort of metamorphosis but that Ron Paul appeals to me.
He's relieved because he's always known me to be an establishment Republican supporter involved in grassroots activism, the kind of guy who would wink at someone like Buchanan but vote for Dole because the former wouldn't stand a snowballs chance in hell at winning any popularity content.
Across from a plate of Puerco Asado, Luke leans in and almost whispers that the Ron Paul campaign has a plan to knock on every door in the country; every door! To which I exclaim, "WOW! That's crazy serious!"
So, since it was my turn to be curious, I ask him, "Why is this soo important to you, why does Ron Paul fire you up?" His answer blew me away!
Luke said, "I can believe Ron Paul, he does what he says, he's been doing it for over 20yrs!" I started laughing, not at my buddy Luke, but at the shock of the power in that reply.
After he repeats himself, we talk about how politicians from Mitt 2-Face Romney to the Sellout Express John McCain and of course all the others are nothing more than opportunistic liars with interests devoted to The Man, not this country or what's Really good for it.
My buddy Luke is impressed with the magic Ron Paul machine. This 20something wants to walk his precinct (coordinated along with thousands of volunteers across the country) to elect Ron Paul and thereby save this country from going to hell in a hand-basket.
You gotta honor that!
Then comes the pitch, like an Amway rep drawing circles on a napkin, Luke steps up to the plate and asks me if I want to be involved...
What a lunch... After spouting factoids like libertine pundit my mind was reeling. What I walked away with was Luke, and many thousands of others like him, want to turn the world upside down. They are tired of the status quo and being sold out by their parents generation. They want change that will ensure their future and their livelihood.
They want the unbridled pursuit of happiness without being encumbered by runaway taxation and the whittling of civil liberties.
They want revolution.
How can you reach this 20something generation with the message of Jesus? Many of them are fired up about social and political change? How will they come to hear about a kingdom not of this world? How will they find out about a revolution of the heart and mind that can spread love and truly save the world?
Well, first, you gotta listen to them, not start spouting your own hybrid political mumbo jumbo. And you gotta also care about the issues that matter to them all the while being true to what you say. The Millenials or Gen Y want to trust. Can you be trusted with their hopes, fears, aspirations and inhibitions? Are they going to know you as someone who cares about them or as someone who wants to use them?
The challenge for us as ministers of truth is to Do What We Say & Keep Doing It. If we preach love, let's love people; if we espouse civic duty, let's get involved; if we decry societal ills, let's rally to cure them. And in that context, we'll create trust that will give us the foundation to share Jesus Christ, crucified & risen to life, who'll truly save the world.
