Arrived in Galesburg, IL Enroute To Quincy

I just arrived in Galesburg, Illinois after a 16 hour train ride on the California Zephyr. My layover in Galesburg is a mind blowing 9 hours! The southbound train from Chicago Union Station doesn't  arrive here until 8:38pm tonight.

The train ride was relaxing but filled with flash backs to previous trips with my former wife and step children. Those memories of long ago taking the train from Denver to visit our families in Illinois were good ones filled with laughter, talking all through the night and little Clara sleeping with her head resting on my arm.

This trip back to Illinois was much different. There was no one waiting for me at the station and no one sitting next to me in the railroad car. Just solitude, quietness and hours of looking mindlessly through the opaque window at the darkness of the Eastern Colorado Plains and the North Platte River Valley of Nebraska.

The genesis of this trip back to Illinois began back in January when church board member, Jim Burns, invited me to speak to the Church about my journey across America. After finding out that I would be back in Quincy, local attorney, Michael Bickhaus, arranged a speaking engagement in front of the St Francis Catholic Church Men's Group as well.

I'm also trying to scare up some additional speaking engagements in other venues while I'm here in Illinois. I also plan to visit with family and friends back in Morton. After all, it's Mother's Day May 8th. Gotta say hi to mom.

Yesterday when I boarded the Zephyr I belatedly remembered that April 28, 2014 was the day I left Morton, Illinois and headed westward toward Colorado. It's been a fantastic 2 years of wild adventure, making lasting friendships, of pain both physical and emotional, of fear and finally of personal transformation.

It was well worth it all to be sure. I would never trade these last 2 years for anything.

Even so, I went hungry without food for days, slept in bone chilling cold, was drenched by torrential rain, driven into an old abandoned barn by lightening, dehydrated by the constant lack of water, attacked by bed bugs, suffered a blood infection, attacked by dogs, run out of town by a fundamental Baptist cleric, rescued from heat stroke, developed whopper sized blisters, body burnt by a blazing western Sun, threatened with a gun by a genetically challenged red neck in Nebraska and jailed by a Sheriff in Eastern Colorado.

What's not to love about a journey out in the wilderness like that?

Walking out of the Train Depot this afternoon in Galesburg I was thrusted into a blustery cold north wind as I moseyed on down to the McDonald's for lunch and to get on WiFi. After all, I have 7 more hours to kill waiting for my train to take me to Quincy!

The pics show Denver Union Station and the mighty Mississippi.

Peace to y'all!

BR Schoenbein
April 29, 2016- Friday

Almost 4 Feet Of Snow Fell on Idaho Springs During The Last 48 Hours!

The weather forecasts suggesting 2-4 feet of snow for Idaho Springs have in fact turned out to be accurate. We now have almost 4 feet of snow since Friday!

The moisture is much needed. This snowpack addition will help the Eastern Plains of Colorado in the summer as the melt will flow downward from the mountains into the semi-arid grasslands.

It's very difficult walking from the Lucas House into town with this sloppy, deep, heavy wet snow as most homeowners do not shovel their walks although a town ordinance requires it.

Churches around town including Calvary Evergreen were cancelled as well as the Tin Shed Food Pantry. So, I went down to the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop and began inviting people to sit down at the roundtable to discuss the Bible.

In other news, my good friend, Brett Pullins, from Groveland, Illinois who has so graciously supported my journey from the get go, asked me in a Facebook post about the metamorphosis of my political beliefs since undertaking this walk across the country. He's right. I have changed my views.

When I was examining my life back in late 2013 and early 2014, I  wondered why my life didn't look any different than my unsaved neighbors. As I have said before, it's not that I was "sinning" in horrible ways. It was just that I seemed to have no real evidence that my life was radically different than anyone elses. It appeared that I was following cultural mores rather than Christ. I had somehow become a cultural Christian only.

So, I began studying the Gospels, reading them voraciously. My goal was to find the real Christ Jesus, not the one that American culture created. Not that American culture is necessarily worse than other cultures, although there are aspects of it that which I can no longer condone.

I instead sought the authentic Jesus. I think we all create our own version of Jesus. Some of us believe he was a weak, skinny pacifist who was a great teacher but nothing more. Some think of him as a conquering hero who came here to judge the world. Some on the right think that Christ would have made a great Republican and would be very comfortable at CPAC meetings wearing a three piece suit with a red power tie. Some believe Jesus wants them to be materially rich and wealthy beyond their dreams.

But, the Christ I found in the Gospels was completely different than the Jesus I grew up with. I have a relative who believed his entire life that God rewards a "good" Christian with material wealth and supported the corollary belief that the poor are being punished for their sins with poverty. This belief system is ubiquitous in the social and familial circles I used to travel in.

However, in the Gospels I found a Jesus who warned constantly about acquiring wealth and that I couldn't serve money and God simultaneously. Only one of those could be my master with the other taking a back seat.

I found a thoroughly radical man. A mystic. I didn't find a Jesus who studied the Scriptures from dawn to dusk like the Pharisees did. Instead, I found a Jesus who didn't just talk his walk but rather he walked the walk. I found a Jesus that constantly went out at sunset and spent the whole night praying to his father.

His life was the "Way." A way is a pathway, a way of life. It's not just about a belief system or an intellectual dogma.

In the Gospels, the story is related that when told his mother and sisters and brothers were outside and wanted to talk to him Jesus said that these here, the people he was talking to, were his mother and sisters and brothers ; that those who hear the word of God and DO the word of God are his true family, not his blood family.

I found a Jesus who in fact stated he did not come here to judge the world. He did not come here to be served but rather to serve. I found that he was not only God Incarnated but a human as well.

I found a Jesus who gave up his livelihood and went town to town as an itinerant preacher proclaiming the advent of God's Kingdom breaking into human history for the very first time. And, ultimately, his Kingdom will be established physically here on the new Earth. That's the real good news, that's the real gospel.

Another problem with my religious upbringing was that Jesus's divinity was so over emphasized to the point that his humanness was inadvertently discounted. Thus, it was difficult for me to identify with Jesus when growing up. It's obviously hard to identify with an omnipotent God who was in control of all things at all times.

Jesus championed the poor the lowly, the marginalized, the repentant sinner. He would not be a conservative Republican today. On the other hand, Jesus never told his followers to build his Kingdom by manipulating the political system either. Rather, he told them and us to go out and proclaim that his Father's Kingdom is among us right now. And, he told them they must let go of their lives and throw caution to the wind and put all our skin in the game of life so to speak.

Lose your life in Christ to save your life. He didn't tell us to run for President or Congress. His Kingdom is not of this world meaning it's not to be fashioned after the "wisdom" of man but of God.

However, when I see Wall Street sucking the life out of my country and the corporations and politicians stealing from all of us I feel a rage bubbling up from inside and I want desperately to take a whip to them and drive them out of the body politic.

So, no, I am no longer a Republican. Nor am I a progressive or Democrat. I'm a follower of the "Way." My political views are no longer identifiable as part of any political party.

To me, trusting in any political system, Socialism or Republicanism/Democratism forms of government or philosophy is trusting in man not God. It's trusting in Egypt...metaphorically speaking.

So, as I continue this journey, my views be they religious or political are bound to change even more. But, that's what life should be about: seeking God and changing your life becoming "born again" dying to self and daily following Christ on the Way.

BR Schoenbein
April 17, 2016-Sunday

Living In The 19th Century On My Farm On The Lucas Place

It's spring in the Rocky Mountains today. Tomorrow, however winter comes back with a snarling vengeance. Weather forecasts are for heavy wet snow in the mountains starting tomorrow night continuing through Sunday. Yay! I love the snow up here.

I left Morton, Illinois almost 2 years ago! During that time I have learned to do many things like live without cash money, ask for things I needed, test myself, work on being patient, accept other people's opinions and so on.

My views of Church, Christianity and the like have evolved much over the last 2 years. I have made it a life project to discover the real Christ Jesus by steeping myself in the heat and warmth of the Gospels. I did not limit my search for the Christ in the Bible. Instead, I found him in the faces and in the lives of the people I met on the road from Illinois to Colorado. I found him in the messy and the dirty day to day muck in the lives of the people around me in Idaho Springs, Colorado. And, of course, I found him in my own scummy life too.

He is a hidden God. You do have to seek him to find him. He's there. You just need to get on the right path, the Way as Christ put it once. The Way, the Truth(Reality) and the Life. He's the Way through Reality to get to Life and Life more abundantly.

Are you letting your problems, your circumstances, your successes, your failures, your relationships get in the way to getting on the "Way?"

I have learned to do without many material things. Like cash for instance. I have lived on about $600 in cash since around November of last year. My last contribution was 2 months ago for $100. I was able to stretch it out the best I could.

I use cash for incidentals, like laundry and dish soap, toilet paper, shoe laces, shoes, clothing etc. I have a very small pipe tobacco and cigar Bill every so often. That's my singular luxury item.

I work 7 days per week holding Bible studies, counseling, helping the homeless, entertaining people at home, working for the churches in various capacities, creating new relationships around town, proclaiming the Kingdom of God to those willing to hear with their ears and see with their eyes.

I am embarking very soon on a new dimension on this journey of mine. I'm at a fork in the road, yet, I'm not sure which road I'm taking. My guess is it's going to be the road less traveled. That seems to be my forte.

Life here at the Lucas House is taking on the form of a working farm. I'm hauling gallons and gallons of water each day. I'm boiling water for baths, washing dishes, washing my clothes in the kitchen sink. I'm sewing patches on my wore out blue jeans, making coffee in my old coffee percolator thing.

All I need now is a few head of cattle, some hogs and chickens and I'd be in business!

Cheers for now!

BR Schoenbein
April 14, 2016-Thursday

A Disappointing Week

Busy time lately here in Idaho Springs, CO. My friend Amy P called me last Tuesday to tell me she was experiencing severe abdominal pain and could I come over.

I found Amy writhing with pain and crying. I tried calling 911 but she wouldn't allow it. So I began calling friends and couldn't get any help in driving her to the ER down in Lakewood. I then called Pastor Craig Babcock from Evergreen Calvary Church up on Floyd Hill. It took him 40 minutes or so to get to Idaho Springs.

Pastor Craig and I spent the next 7 hrs in the emergency room at St Anthony's Hospital as the doctors ran a CT Scan and performed an ultrasound. They found a "suspicious mass" in her uterus. So, they referred her to an OBGYN. Long story short, the gynecologist found several fibroid tumors in the uterus. These tumors are benign.

In order to get her to the doctors I had to borrow Joe the plumber's only pickup truck. He has two cars but his wife and daughter need them for work and school. Joe needs his truck for work but graciously and without thought allowed me to use it to take Amy to her doctor's appointment. I had to keep the truck for 3 days since the doctor's office couldn't confirm the appointment until Friday.

I learned a hard lesson from this experience. I called around 6 Christian ladies from churches and businesses in town all personally known by me to ask them to take Amy to her doctor down in Lakewood. All 6 had reasons why they could not do so. I gave them 3 possible days to pick from but alas...none of those 3 days worked for those 6 ladies. The reason I called ladies was because this medical issue appeared to be a female issue and my thinking was that Amy would feel more comfortable with a lady than me.

The last person I called was Joe the plumber. And, fortunately, he didn't let his need for his truck outweigh the need of a young lady in distress. The others had excuses (some of which were legitimate excuses by the way) of one kind or another and refused to help.

A couple of these ladies were friends of Amy and in fact had hovered over her  like a mother hen in the past. That's why I thought they would be glad to give up their agenda for Amy...who by the way is disabled and is pretty much without family in town.

So, the job devolved on me by default. Not, that I minded. I was glad to do it. I care for Amy very much...as does Joe and Pastor Craig. Amy also has a male coworker who volunteered to pay for Amy's prescriptions and drive her to the local pharmacy.

What I found out later was that at least one of these women criticized me for taking Amy to the doctor where female issues would be discussed. This was considered inappropriate by this woman. She also quizzed Amy about the nature of Amy's relationship with me. Was it a boyfriend/girlfriend or father/daughter or brother/sister relationship? And, on and on the inquisition went.

I don't mind criticism especially where it's warranted.  But, this lady could have sacrificed some of her precious time to help Amy but chose not to. Therefore, she is not eligible to criticize me since she could have rectified the situation.

You really know who your friends are when your desperate and down and out. You should be able to expect help from your Christian brothers and sisters. We are supposed to be family. True family. Spirit should be stronger than blood. But, this is the central problem with American Christianity today, lack of solidarity amongst believers, lack of love for God and our neighbors, lack of love for the brotherhood and sisterhood. Don't get me wrong. I can be guilty of this as well. But, I struggle against it trying to deny my own agenda and think of others more and more.

This lack of love was exposed by Christ himself in his letters to the 7 churches in the Book of Revelation. The appalling lack of Christian hospitality and this idea of rugged individualism so endemic in American culture is surely the reason why so called Christians in America have had so little impact on our culture today.

Try it yourself if you don't believe me. Toss away your monetary and familial crutches and throw yourself out into American society carrying only a backpack and announce that your a disciple of Christ proclaiming the nearness of the Kingdom of God.

In my particular experience, I found assistance and solidarity more frequently with non religious persons than with alleged conservative evangelical Christians. I was astounded by this.

I did find true Christian hospitality out on the road too. But, all too often I ran into opposition with the nature of the focus of my journey and by the clergy and Christian fundamentalists. I expected solidarity from fundamentalists as my proclamation of the Kingdom of God is a "fundamental" of Christianity... or so I thought.

I believe the "Church Universal" as it operates in America today is so accommodated to the westernized culture of greed, individualism and isolation that it is of no effect or import. The salt had lost its saltiness. America's lampstand has been taken away. We Christians are the image of our culture instead of the image of God.

We are the church at Laodicea who thought they had need of nothing being rich. They were neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. And, so God vomited them out of his mouth, metaphorically speaking. In other words, they were of no use to him in that state. Like Ephesus we too have lost our first love...love for Christ and for the things Christ loves...namely people.

The Church needs to look inward to itself and once again find its first love. Otherwise, it looks as if it has conceded the good fight to the side of evil, avarice and selfishness.

Let's hope that there is still time sufficient to repent, to change our thinking, to change our minds die to ourselves and follow Christ daily.

The first photo is Joe the plumber and the second is Amy in the ER.

BR Schoenbein
April 11, 2016- Monday

Took A Nasty Fall

Well it's April fools day today. And, boy do I feel like a fool! A few days ago I fell down the stairs at the Lucas House and cracked or bruised a rub or two in the process.

Pain was excruciating and it lingers for weeks I'm told. It was hard to even breathe but not so bad today.

It was my general clumsiness that's at fault here. No hospitalization or medical attention needed. Just time for healing is required.

I led the prayer at the Wednesday night service at First Baptist Church. We pray the Scriptures so I picked Isaiah 35 which paints a beautiful picture of judgement aka wilderness as it transforms into healing aka the Garden of Eden. And, the agent of this transformation of nature and humanity is no less than God. "Behold... your God comes and saves you."

I expounded on this chapter then prayed it. Pastor Dawit followed by teaching in Revelation 4. It dovetailed nicely.

Thursday, I discipled Mike with a Bible study in Revelation. We meet on Monday and Thursday mornings at the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop.

I met with Pastor Dawit yesterday at the Frothy Cup as well. We discussed the new creation in Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21 and 22 and about the 3 dimensions or phases of life: the bodily life we live now, then life after death, then lastly our life after life after death when we are resurrected and reign with Christ on the new Earth.

When I got home I found yet another 6 gallons of water in a 6 gallon tub on my driveway. I quickly drained it into my empty water jugs and placed the empty tub on my neighbors front door. Jim lives across Virginia St behind me and he has been providing me with water for the last week or so.

He confronted me one day on Colorado Blvd in front of the Lucas House last year and told me he didn't appreciate homeless people living next to him...meaning me of course. I responded with my infamous bad humor by stating clearly that since I in fact live in a house I was by definition not homeless so I told him his argument needed to be redefined and cleaned up and when it's converted into something intelligent I encouraged him to start a new conversation with me. Hahahaha! Jim, responded well. He laughed and said he would try to come up with something else to complain about. Told him that shouldn't be too difficult.

We had a good laugh that day. Then I met up with him about a week and half ago in the alley as I was carrying water. We got talking and he asked me why the water. I told him my pipes froze up and the water got turned off.

Well... he said he was sorry to hear of it. Then we both went our way. The next day I found a 6 gallon tub of water in my driveway. It was from Jim. I drained it and set it back in his porch. 2 days later I found another 6 gallons. And, it's been like that for the last week. So, I no longer need to carry heavy gallons of water from downtown. Thanks to Jim...who didn't want homeless people living next to him. He talks tough but he's an old softy who really does care for his fellow humans. Thanks Jim! 

Last night visited the Blackwells to watch "Saving Private Ryan" on Brian's huge big screen TV. Brian is a history buff and had never seen the movie. So, I checked it out from the Public Library and we had supper followed by a screening of the movie. Becky didn't want to watch it due to the violence which is understandable to be sure.

I'm hoping Cody Yates will be staying at the Lucas House this weekend like he said he would. It's my last chance to persuade him to walk with me to Seattle in June. If I can't convince him he's headed home to Texas next week. He's cleaning out his trailer in Golden, CO and then staying with me at the Lucas House for his last weekend in Colorado.

I shall miss Cody very much. He's a boon companion, a strong Christ follower and just a good person. He's a former US Marine like my other friend John. John and Cody are similar in age...in their 20s. They both paid me the highest compliment months ago when we three were discussing the Marine Officer Corp. They both told me I would have made an excellent Marine Officer! I'm telling you...I don't know if I have ever received a better compliment!

Mike, who I mentioned earlier in this post offered me a room at his home on 19th Street if I need it. He also offered the use of his shower too. Now, that I could use. I haven't showered probably since early February late January. I never did have shower capability at the Lucas House. Never did have hot water so I took many a cold bath in the old claw foot bathtub.

Today, I'm poring over my Road Atlas and Google Maps at the Frothy Cup to refine my route to the Pacific Northwest. Also, honing my speech for May 1 in Quincy, IL at the Unity Church.

Pics show the stairs I fell down. Yikes!

Well...y'all take care and I'll talk to you later. Peace!

BR Schoenbein
April 1, 2016- Friday