Inspire, Summer 2010

Mack * is a flower vendor. Mack is my friend. He chose his occupation. He lives from home to home. He earns less than $100 a week. He is a veteran, father, political pundit, sports commentator, former husband, pizza connoisseur, and sarcastic cynic with a taste for a good burger. Mack is unabashedly authentic, with a sandpaper personality chafing at every socially unacceptable edge. More importantly, Mack is a valued creation of the Lord, a lost child whose reconciliation our Messiah eagerly anticipates as He gazes down the prodigal road. Worshipping Together Cedarville sponsors nearly 70 community ministries each year. These teams serve in a variety of ways: providing childcare, assisting the elderly, training the young, encouraging the poor, and strengthening the local church. I have had the pleasure of serving as a leader for a team dedicated to serving alongside a small church in downtown Dayton, about 25 miles from campus. All Nations Bible Fellowship (ANBF) is a collection of fewer than 100 believers from many backgrounds. Most come from challenging contexts with limited financial resources, yet the authentic joy of a typical Sunday morning has caused more than a few visitors to F lower vendors . We often pass on their overpriced bundles as they stand near the intersection. We wait impatiently for the light to change, eager to avoid eye contact. Or perhaps we concede and purchase a bundle of pink roses. Rarely, though, when we see the disheveled old man on the corner, do we look past his bouquet to glimpse the imago dei beneath the guise. my cedarv i l le THE Loving Those Prodigal Road ON by Cedarville student Jonathan Demers ’11 16 SUMMER 2010