So, many of you may not know this, but Jesus lives in my neighborhood.Now, I'm not simply talking about a guy who resembles Jesus, like your college friend who let his hair grow really long while finding himself during the study abroad semester and you and the rest of your group can't resist giving him a new nickname when you're all reunited at a keg party just after winter break junior year. I'm talking about a man (admittedly who does have long hair and quite the plethora of facial hair too) who wears a long white robe belted at the waist with some rope, sandals, and always carries a sleeping mat and a Bible with him.Word on the street is that this Jesus figure is known nationally and travels from neighborhood to neighborhood spreading the word of God. I tried to confirm this with an internet search, but you try typing "Jesus" into any Google search strain and see if you even want to try sifting through the abundance of information. (Personally, I'm only willing to put that much effort into quests that result in money or diamonds. Which, seems frighteningly inappropriate considering the topic at hand.)I usually spot Jesus heading towards Nabeel's (which is a Mediterranean restaurant that makes perfect sense for a meal when you consider Jesus' Middle Eastern origins) or walking down Greensprings Highway near the KFC (who could blame the man for loving fried chicken as much as the rest of us do).Anyway, supposedly, the length of his stays depend on the level of need in the community, which makes me a bit nervous about how long Jesus has been in Homewood. It's been quite a few months, and we might even be nearing the year mark.Surely other places need Jesus too. After all, there are the hurricanes on the Gulf, mud slides in California, and Chad Michael Murray is marrying a teenager in North Carolina! What is so bad about Homewood?But, then, as I was sitting in my car the other day, staring up at a rather picturesque billboard, I had an epiphany. Who has messed with the Big Guy's message lately? Who is peddling his own brand of Christianity - quite aggressively, I might add? Who has a definite agenda when it comes to religion?And, then I realized (or hoped) that Jesus will be in Alabama until Roy Moore isn't.P.S. I tried to take a picture of Jesus from my car the other day, but as you can see, the camera phone's image wasn't quite what I had hoped for.
