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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
April 2001 |
One man's puzzling call leads him
to make a journey of a lifetime
By Lori Crantford
Jeff Haake has a fear of adjectives. Words like "nuts," "weird," "insane" and "crazy" leap to his mind as he contemplates telling his story to a broad audience, one that he can't personally fix with a penetratingly sincere gaze to convey what he describes as "the most awesome experience of my life." Jeff relinquishes his fear of this audience's reaction to the same place his experience came from: the hands of God.
Jeff's amazing faith journey began last fall when he started utilizing the Indianapolis St. Luke's Prayer Chapel. "There's this big Bible in there," Jeff says, " and I started this habit of going in and just reading whatever page was open. Every time I went in, it was on a different page, and it was always relevant - like a rifle shot to where I was. I would think, 'this is weird,' because the Scripture would be exactly what I needed on that day. That's how I got started on my open-and-read Bible study.
The open-and-read ("OAR") Bible study is exactly what it sounds like: you open the Bible and begin to read. St. Luke's Senior Pastor Kent Millard reports that John Wesley used OAR as a method of study, not focusing solely on the exact place he began to read, but using the open place as a launching point and reading until "something jumps off the page at you" as meaningful.
Jeff's habit is to read the first chapter only that is on that page. In October the Prayer Chapel Bible was open to Colossians 3, and it spoke to Jeff like no other verse had before. "I thought, 'this is so cool!' and I started writing it down in my Palm Pilot. I went out that day and bought a Tinsdale Bible, which is the translation type of the Bible in the Chapel, but the translation still isn't exactly the same as the one in the Chapel. I haven't found that exact wording anywhere else."
Jeff began his own early-morning study along with his routine of walking the Monon Trail in the pre-light, pre-bird morning hours. "On January 8 my OAR led me to Ezekiel 24. During my subsequent walk I heard, loud and clear in my head, "Go to Jerusalem." This would be the point when adjectives began to toy with Jeff's mind. "I stopped in my tracks and began having this conversation. "'This is crazy, it's nuts,' I'd say to myself. 'Why?' 'Just go!' the answer came, strong and clear."
Needless to say, this weighed heavily on Jeff's mind. "I was asking for a sign," Jeff recalls, and they started coming: jet contrails over a full moon in the sign of the cross that his whole family marveled over; another OAR read having to do with unquestioning faith. Prefacing his confession to his wife, Amber, about his experiences with "you might think this is weird, but …" Jeff shared with her the events he felt were compelling him toward Jerusalem.
Then on Jan. 13 Jeff's OAR brought this passage from Zecharia 8: "People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem."
"My fate was sealed," says Jeff. "As of 10 a.m. that day, I had no ticket and a regular work schedule for the next week. By 12 noon my ticket was confirmed, my backpacks were packed, and Amber and [son] Jon had me on my way to the airport for the 2:20 flight to Newark." Jeff used his Frequent Flyer miles to purchase the ticket. "It took 80,000 Frequent Flyer miles for the trip; I had 82,000," Jeff notes with a smile.
Jeff landed in Jerusalem on January 14 with no itinerary, no reservations, no clear plan and alone. He spent the next week serendipitously meeting people, finding safe and comfortable lodging and spending time in the Holy City.
Pastor Millard enviously describes Jeff's ability to experience long periods of time in holy places, such as the Garden Tomb. "When you tour the Holy Land you are usually with a large tour group, crowded into small places where you have a few minutes. Jeff was able to spend an hour alone there!" says Dr. Millard, shaking his head, wistfulness enveloping his face.
In his journal, Jeff writes "Because I was a lone traveler . I was able to experience every station of the Via Dolorosa ["path of sorrows," the way Jesus walked through Jerusalem to Calvary] virtually alone! No Disney World crowds, no lines. I didn't feel pressured to move along and I was able to savor each moment for the first time, especially Jesus' tomb. It was truly a gift and a blessing."
During the trip Jeff continued to struggle with the "Why?" he had first asked on that early morning walk. OAR readings made repeated references to earthquakes, an image that was troubling to Jeff. His mainstay Scripture, however (Colossians 3) gave him some focus: that I may know Christ better. "It was comforting and powerful to read these words in this place, at this time," Jeff comments. "The impact is not lost on me that this incredibly holy place is completely surrounded by Moslems and Jews. You feel truly blessed to be a Christian!"
Fortunately for Jeff, there were no earthquakes in Jerusalem during his visit. The strongest physical experience he likely had was Turkish coffee. But as Jeff's pilgrimage ended and normal life resumed, he began to bring the experience full circle. "It has occurred to me before [this trip] that all of us have the capacity for a greater level of spirituality. But we have to step across that line and take the plunge, take a leap of faith."
If Jeff has a conclusion, it is "that we live every day loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. … I think the earthquake image is a message of a sense of urgency," he continues. "It [the return of Jesus] could happen any time. It's made me totally reevaluate everything. Where are my priorities? It's not like I was thinking before, 'Jeff, you're a total schmuck' - you just look at life differently. I look at myself more critically."
While running this story brought Jeff's fear of adjectives to light, he decided to risk it. "If I can help other people understand that 'Wow! I can be a normal person and still let go sometimes!' then I want to tell this story," Jeff explains.
"How many people hear God's voice and ignore it? This has been a gift."
Jeff Haake is an investment advisor and owner of Penn Street Financial Services. He has also been president of Faith & Families for the past two years. He worships at Indianapolis St. Luke's with his totally normal family, Amber and Jon. Lori Crantford is editor of The Communion, St. Luke's monthly newsletter which also carries this article.
Last updated January 14, 2004