May 2020

Today I drove by a homeless man walking with too many bags on his shoulders. As I drove by I noticed his right knee was wrapped and I thought “That’s a lot of weight on a bad knee.” As I was thinking these things, Jesus told me to go back and pray for this man’s knee. I went back, drove up next to him and asked him “What’s wrong with your knee.”  He thanked me for my interest and asked me what I did for a living.  I told him, “I’ve done many things” because I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell him what I did.  I got out of my car and he began telling me random stories of injuries and court dates – backed by laminated court and hospital documents – which seemed to go nowhere and everywhere at the same time.  I kept asking him about his knee; to which, he acknowledged my question, but persisted through his determined narrative to furnish me my answer. 

I found out later that this man was around 60 years old. As a result of his wandering stories I learned that his name is D. Johnson, he is from North Carolina, and his father’s name is L. Owen Johnson.  None of his story means anything to me until he pulled a laminated picture out of one of his dirty traveling bags.  This picture was of his father in a Baltimore Orioles baseball uniform.  His father played thirteen years in the major leagues for the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox.  The story of professional baseball was cool, but the remainder of his father’s story of was even more interesting. 

Once D’s father’s baseball career was over he began another career and became the founder of Grace Tabernacle Church, Grace Christian School, and Grace Theological Seminary.  D. is very proud of his father. He is also a believer in Jesus Christ and I don’t know how to explain this politically correct, but he was not right mentally. Finally, after D.’s story was complete, I told him Jesus told me to pray for his leg.  To that D. said “Amen” and allowed me to get on my knees, hold his knee and pray for him.  I just asked Jesus to do whatever He wanted for D. Johnson, so the prayer wasn’t what you or I would call “special,” but I did what I was told.  When I was done praying for the knee, I stood-up and D. told me he felt “energy” enter into his knee as I was holding it, praying. D. Johnson also told me he felt energized; younger even.  I think Jesus made his walk “easier,” for his future travels.  That’s what I felt in my heart anyway. 

I asked D. Johnson if I could take a picture of him with his father’s picture. I wanted to share it with you. He shied away and told me he didn’t like his picture taken. He did say I could look-up his father online however and share that information.

So, today I spent about an hour and a half with D. Johnson on the side of highway.  He never ask me for anything, just to listen to his story. Even when I offered him the brace off my right leg, he denied it.  The one thing he accepted gracefully was the prayer Jesus instructed me to give; to which Jesus healed, and “energized” him for his future travels.  Awesome!