the bizarrest, most interesting religious talks i've ever had

...have been with my current housemate, dean. 

on the drive to church yesterday morning, the conversations flowed like this:

d: "i shot" (finger points up in the air)
j: "you heard a gun shot last night?"
d: "no, a shot" (shows me his finger pointing up in the air)
j: "dean, it's not nice to pretend to shoot a gun, i want you to stop doing that, please"
d: "no, a shot" (shows me his finger as a syringe, giving a shot to his other arm)
j: "oh, like you're getting a shot - i see"
d: "yeah, i gave him a shot, he's better"
j: "who'd you give a shot to? are you talking about jerry, since he's sick?"
d: "no, that one" (points up in the air)
j: "oh, you mean god? you gave god a shot?"
d: "right"
j: "so god is sick?"
d: "no, he's better"
j: "so, god was sick - but you gave god a shot, and now god is better?"
d: "right. i've got the power. in my hands."

next conversation, as we drive past cemetery:
d: "driver's dead"
j: "yeah, your brother driver is dead?"
d: "yeah, i'll be dead"
j: "yeah, i guess you will die some day. we all die some day."
d: "right, i'm going to be dead.  i'm a vampire."
j: "you mean, you're going to be a vampire when you die?"
d: "right, i've got it. in my room" (motions like he's putting in fake vampire teeth)
j: "so, you've got your vampire teeth ready for when you die and become a vampire?"
d: "yeah" (and motions like he's rubbing fake blood on his lips)

next conversation, as we're getting closer to the church:
d: "they've got water at church" (motions like he's scooping water and pouring it onto himself)
j: "yeah, you want to be baptized?"
d: "right. my name is jesus christ.  they've got water there."
j: "hmm...well, maybe we should talk to judi about baptism.  and i'm not sure if you've been baptized before or not.  maybe we should talk to jerry about that, since he might know whether you've been baptized already."
d: "right. i'm jesus christ."

oh, wow.  and of course, i could also mention the brief digression from these other topics of utmost theological significance, which happened between the 1st 2 conversations, as we passed a billboard for mcdonald's:

d: "they've got orange juice."
j: "yep, there's juice and smoothies on that mcdonald's sign."
d: "i got strawberry. strawberry. strawberry." (motions hands to the beat of his song/chant about "strawberry")
j: sms (shaking my shoulders), silent laughter, loud laughter, "dean, you crack me up"
d: "strawberry. strawberry. strawberry." (motions hands as above)
j: sms, silent laughter, loud laughter

i have suuuuuuch interesting housemates.  and to top it all off, ronez could not stop laughing and smirking all through worship.  what was his deal?  we'll never know.  but it brings me joy.

my name is jesus christ

I've said I would mainly be recording here my own thoughts and reflections as my work so leads me, and not so much record what the people I work with say or do. That is primarily what I'm doing here, but it flows out of something one of my housemates has said/done, so I must include that.

So, basically - one of my housemates likes to say, "My name is Jesus Christ...see, I've got the power in my hands."  The first time he said this, we were driving down the road from church, and I said, "Really? Are you saying that you are Jesus Christ?"  He said, "Right - I'm Jesus Christ. See?" as he showed me the palms of his hands. 

I said, "and are you saying that you have marks on your hands like where your hands were nailed to the cross?"  He said, "Right."  I'm not sure if he quite got what I was asking him about the nails in his hands - I think he's primarily focused on his hands because he sees clergy and music leaders use their hands to connote important moments, and that is where his power resides to make tubes of toothpaste disappear, snow to appear, and rain to stop - "See? I make the power in my hands."  

I then said, "Wow, that freaks me out a little bit.  I didn't know I was driving around Jesus Christ in my car every day."

And then I realized - well, actually I have been driving around Jesus Christ in my car every day.  My housemate was absolutely correct - I encounter Jesus every day in both my housemates.  Assuming that Jesus was relating himself to the king in his parable in Matthew 25, I can only hope that whatever good I do with "the least of these" that I live and work with, I am doing to Jesus.  And I can only hope that Jesus forgives me for asking him to make his toothpaste re-appear, asking him to keep his mouth shut when I'm tired of listening, and determining that it's not his job to lock and unlock the car doors. 

And I hope that something of the spirit of my housemate's prayers will rub off on me - "Dear Father,  My name is Jesus Christ.  I can help you.  I make the power, I make the sunshine...Thank you for the good food.  God help you.  Amen." 

And may I find more joy and humor than annoyance every time my housemate wishes not to shave, because he wants to "keep his beard" - because he's Jesus Christ, or Santa Clause, or Michael Jackson (because Michael Jackson ever had a beard?). 

Oh, life at its fullest.