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Mystery Man in the Mojave Desert: A True Story

I have a friend who had an interesting experience with a spiritual twist to it. It happened around midnight. We’ll call my friend “Ben.” He called me the next morning to tell me about it because it astounded him. He wondered what I thought, which I will tell you in a minute.

IMG_0312One little bit about the story that is the backstory to this encounter. Ben had just suffered a broken relationship that went deep. He was hurting the night he drove onto the dirt road in the middle of the desert sands.

Ben was a new believer in Christ at the time. He was absorbing the Word and changing oh so very much. I once asked him how his new faith was affecting him. He answered, “I’m not so angry anymore.” I loved his answer. I had the privilege of sharing my faith with him and got to see him grow spiritually. It was a great privilege (I mention him in my book, The Meeting Place).

Back to the story. As Ben tried to makes sense of his hurt and deal with the anger and pain, he knew he needed to get off alone by himself. His work took him to the desert. He decided to use this time to pray and sort things out to try to make sense of it. He chatted with some people doing roadwork at a railroad crossing in the clear night air, and then he headed off by himself.

The next day he called me. There was wonder in his voice bordering on astonishment. His voice was sort of quivering. You must understand this about Ben, he is a very capable and strong personality, someone you don’t mess with, ever. He is a man in his early sixties. He was sitting in his pickup truck with the window down looking out at the desert typography and the bright stars in the indigo sky. Here’s what happened. . .

Verbatim, in Ben’s own words…

“I am going to share something I experienced a few weeks ago when I went for my night time drive in the Mojave Desert. I was parked up on a hill over looking highway 58. It was very dark, and I was seeking some one-on-one time with God. I was there for quite sometime, when I looked to my left and I could see a silhouette coming towards me.
I looked at this figure coming towards me, I put my pistol into my hand, not knowing what was about to unfold. When this person was a few feet away he smiled, I was still a bit unnerved. His clothes were very ragged, dirty, he looked very unkempt (but no odor as you would expect), and he had the whitest and brightest teeth, perfectly straight,
But it was his eyes that got me. Bright blue, and his pupils were “Star” shaped. He spoke very softly, clearly, and very eloquently. None of that matched his appearance. He asked if I had a dollar I could spare, usually I turn them away, but this time, without thinking I gave him my only $20.00 bill I had. (I only had the $20). He put his hand on my arm, thanked me and disappeared back into the darkness the way he had come.
A few minutes later I got this uncontrolled shiver, from head to toe, and a calmness came over me. I experienced some other things that night after he had left, but I am going to keep that to myself for now. I just thought I would share this part with you. GN GBU ALL
Ben Matthews  2013

 

I asked Ben to describe the man to me because I once had an encounter with a homeless man who sounded very similar. After my experience was over, I believed I had met Jesus or one of his angels on assignment (I’ll share that story next week). We compared notes and it was a perfect match. The whole happening seemed strange to him. The way the man arrived and then how he left. His shining teeth and bright eyes. How the man’s dress did not match his face and being. The way he looked at Ben with that penetrating look.

Later on I requested a copy of Ben’s encounter, which he then sent to me in an email, which is what you read above, word for word except for his name. Ben wondered what I thought. I couldn’t help but think he had encountered an angel or the Son of God. Those eyes and white teeth. They are the defining features. The uniqueness of the interaction. The request, odd in the middle of the desert (that was the same thing I was asked in my encounter). He knew it was something special, that also was telling.

Encounter with a mysterious person, was it a God-thing?
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I hope this story encouraged you. Scripture tells us that some have entertained angels unaware. Have you ever had an experience that may have been some sort of encounter with an angel or spirit being?

Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots by Amos Smith (Resource Publications, 2013)

This verse sums up this book, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you,” James 4:8 (NKJV). Amos Smith has written a tome to drive home a much-needed and oft-desired message directed to the passionate believer in Christ. It is his purpose to help the reader discover and then ignite a living, breathing relationship with Jesus. This book could be titled, The Jesus Paradox, since the theme throughout this book centers on Jesus Christ, the Divine (uppercase) God and the human (lowercase) man wrapped up in one God-being.

This writing demonstrates much passion by the author for his subject. Smith’s journey of faith took years to solidify, but it eventually led him to find something that deeply resonated with him, it was an honest search, which was found in the real, living aspects of Christianity. Smith’s search led him to read the Alexandrian mystics who lived during the middle ages and then on to an understanding and appreciation of Oriental Orthodox mysticism. What he found in their writings is a belief that is rich and real and, according to the author, fully centered on the God-plus-human, Jesus, a fully Divine person. The richness he found is shared in this work with an emphasis on centering prayer, which is the part I love the most. He goes on to share how centering prayer and silent presence with God is part of the daily spiritual pursuit and beckons the Christ-follower to discover a deeper level of  spiritual understanding–what it is to have a close relationship with God.

To be honest here, I had some trouble with the author’s take on fundamentalism and traditional approaches to creation and biblical tenants. I thought it a bit harsh and over-stated, maybe even somewhat blaming. My reaction had a basis. Quite frankly, I have some fundamentalist background and I first-hand know the label doesn’t fit many of the good and kind people caught within its limiting framework. The more I read his book, though, the more I could understand what it is that he dislikes about religion that over-emphasizes the system rather than the heart of belief. I could say the problem is when religious form overtakes spiritual process, where rigid beliefs hinder rather than grow an intimate spiritual life, which often is Pharisaical. True seeking of God is where one is able to find a living relationship with Him. This will take a letting go of barriers to belief that inhibit rather than grow faith. Fundamentalism can be a part of any rigid religious stance that fails to embrace Jesus and His living Presence, and thus, consequently, fails to change the heart. The point is well-taken. Spiritual life is about Jesus.