Yesterday was another great day in Chicago--despite waking up with a tummy ache. It really should not have come as a surprise, we literally ate our way through the city!

I crossed many things off my list: MillenNium Park, Grant Park, The Art Institute, American Girl and Lego stores for goodies for the kids & Sprinkle's Cupcakes for treats for us. We watched the Alabama game from our room before enjoying a wonderful dinner at Japonais.

I was intrigued/moved by the homeless people who were panhandling along the most heavily traveled/touristy streets--especially the disabled and the women. I wondered about their stories--how much role the economy played in their predicaments versus addiction or mental illness. I think I have watched too many episodes of Intervention.

The person who had the biggest impact on me was a middle-aged Asian American man I encountered on Michigan Avenue. He was well dressed and did not appear to be homeless. It was Saturday afternoon. The streets were packed. He had positioned himself on one of the most prominent corners--directly across from Saks Fifth Avenue. With a broad smile across his face and a twinkle in his eyes he was shouting at the top of his lungs: I LOOOOOOOOOVE JESUS. I LOVE HIM AND HE LOOOOOOVES ME. He unashamedly announced his love over and over again. He was undignified and he didn't care what passersby thought.

He was not asking for or accepting donations. There was no judgment. He wasn't preaching to anyone. Instead, it appeared he couldn't contain his joy. He wanted the world to know his good news and so he was testifying--loudly and proudly. And, frankly, to the world he looked like he had lost his marbles.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. If we really believe what we claim, why aren't we all shouting from the top of our lungs?

I don't know.

As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. Acts 4:20 NIV