Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover
Kenneth Robertson
By Ken Robertson
The other night, I was with my family at the Albertsons on Alameda and Broadway, perusing the Redbox with my clerical collar on. Normal.
A short, Hispanic man approached me. One tooth, wrinkled face, slightly bent over. He asked if I was a pastor. I prepped myself for the request for money. Normal.
Then he asked me if I had a degree in Divinity. Not quite normal.
Then he asked me if I had ever read the Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas (one of the most complex, rich works of theology in all of Christian history). Not normal.
Then he asked if I would read some of his own writing on how the Summa Theologica could be read through the lens of modern Christian existentialism. DEFINITELY NOT NORMAL.
As it turns out, my new friend Gill is a devout Catholic, a self-taught theology student, an aspiring writer, and a man who loves thinking God's thoughts after Him. We stood and talked for 15 minutes: we swapped favorite movies, talked authors, and he even gave me a volume of C.S. Lewis as a gift (right out of his backpack...of course). I gave him my number, and he promised to contact me. I hope he does.
Because he's a powerful reminder that my eyes aren't yet trained to see a kingdom that sprouts up in the most unlikely places.
“...for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”