Road Trippin'

Here are answers to some of the Frequently Asked Questions about traveling on the Jesus Road.

1. Who else will be going with us?
Well, some guy from the IRS signed up. A couple of machinists (one's even non-union). There are some middle-aged women who knew how to buy low and sell high, kicking in a little cash for the trip. A girl in the sex trade business who might bring a couple of her friends who are exotic dancers. A few 20-something anarchists who want to yank the hinge pin out of the whole damn Pax America project. A soccer mom. One guy who identifies himself as a "pretty much reformed" sex offender. A Gulf war vet. A minister or two who will hook up after their evening church meetings are done. We'll most likely pick up more folks as we go along.

2. What do I need to bring?
It's pretty much a come-as-you-are arrangement. Good walking shoes. Maybe a water bottle. We're not sure how far we're going so it's best to pack light. We can get what we need along the way.

3. What will we talk about?
What things make you happy. Who you love. Who you hate. Why cities are so tall. What to do when so many people come to the picnic that you run out of food. How to be a good person. What to do when your friends leave you high and dry. How to fight for what's right without using your fists. Who God is. How to deal with a bad boss. How to tell the difference between a phony bill of goods and the genuine article. How to mourn. How to get rid of money so it doesn't weigh you down. How to pray. How to forgive. Why people are poor. How to die. How to live.

4. What will we do on the road trip?
We'll talk in the mornings, get to know each other better. In the afternoons we'll see if any of the folks in the town we're in could use a helping hand. Sometimes they just need somebody to watch the kids or get groceries. Sometimes you find people who are real sick and we'll try to make them well. We'll check out the jails. See if anybody needs us to trade places with them. We'll try to help folks turn their lives around. Occasionally we'll come across a town (and maybe a whole country) with a real devil on its back—we'll do our best to get it off. We'll do a little tearing down of old buildings and raising up new ones. We'll have bread, cheese, and fruit for supper. Drink a little red, red wine. Sometimes we'll go hungry. But every night we'll sing, dance, play charades, make up poems, sleep under the trees.

5. Where exactly is it that we are going?
Well, the destination is a little uncertain. We've got a map and some pretty good guides. The guy who's been there before died—got shafted, actually, on a trumped-up felony charge. Didn't even get "life without parole"—just slipped him the needle. Turned out later he was innocent. Well, innocent of those trumped-up charges, but guilty as hell of wanting to turn the whole "protecting our way of life" enterprise on its ear.

6. What will I tell my family?
By all means, bring them along! But if they won't come, are too busy, or need a lot of time to pack, then leave them. They'll come along when they're ready.

7. Do I have to have special qualifications to join?
Not really. There are no academic requirements, no social status prerequisites. It's mostly for any kind of folk who want to shed their old life and get born into a new one.

8. Will it be dangerous?
Could be. The police get antsy if the crowd starts getting too big. There's not really a permit for this kind of thing. But the folks who've done this before say you just deal with the danger when it comes along. No need seeking out the authorities. When the time is right, they'll find us.