Yehoshua.
"...Jesus in disguise."
~~Teresa of Calcutta~~
When I moved into The Pad three and a half months ago, I was truly expecting to leave jaded. A terribly bad living situation and a horribly broken relationship that literally ripped my heart asunder prior to that were cause enough for my apprehension. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. It’s an irrational mindset, but sometimes it is easier to err on the side of extreme caution, rather than subject one’s soul to a kind of death.
“Josh Taylor is kind of a brash individual.” Those were my thoughts moving into the house. Beside the fact the domicile was up for sale, it was one of my main reasons for not wanting to move into the place. Brashness seems to be a Taylor family trait. If you ever want to know what a Taylor is thinking, just ask. They’ll tell you without an ounce of minced wording. If you’re not ready for it, it might seem a bit annoying. Josh isn’t afraid to let you know if he thinks something is retarded. But, as it was, I didn’t have any other options, so I would just have to suck it up if I wanted to stave off my encroaching homelessness.
There are, I imagine, very few things that can make a man feel utterly humiliated. Some would more willingly leap to their own death than suffer such a fate. When I came and sat down before Josh, to let him know my situation—that my roommates were kicking me out, with prejudice—it was humiliating. I didn’t have much in the way of finances to offer him. Jobs consisted of small moving jobs and bank-owned property evictions here and there. The offer was laid on the table to pay him a certain amount a month, but I think he knew already it would be difficult or impossible to live up to the standard I was setting for myself. But, as Providence would have it, against his better judgment, Josh allowed me to stay there for the three and a half months before gong to Rochester College or until the house was sold—whichever came first.
Lots of conversations took place during our time living together. Conversations about everything under the sun. The location of these exchanges were varied. Parks. Bars. Sports arenas. Home Depot. Lowes. Car rides. Movie theatres. The subject matter was equally varied. Jesus. Sex. Women. Dating. C.S. Lewis. Fears. Friendships. You name it, we talked about it. There were a lot of things we didn’t agree upon. There were a lot of things we did. And, we were both pleasantly surprised to find out certain things about the other.
Yard work was key around the house this summer. Weeds had grown up all around the property, which are unsightly to potential homebuyers. So, the two of us set about digging up the sides of the house, digging up behind the garage, and cutting down shrubbery and trees obscuring the house in the front yard. It was intensive labor. During this time, many of our conversations took place, with a good dose of Rush Limbaugh ranting or raving about how the Democrats are idiots playing somewhere in the background. I won’t bore you with the details of each of our conversations, but I will tell you that each of these singular moments added up to a greater whole, consummating in my preparedness to enter the collegiate world again.
A few weeks ago, Josh and I were hanging out at our friend Dena’s house. Amongst the laughter and discussion, Dena made allusion to the fact Josh’s name comes from the Hebrew, Yehoshua, meaning “The Lord is Salvation.” Although it was said in jest amongst friends, there was not a moment during my time at The Pad when this fact was wasted upon me.
It is no mistake that my friend Josh bears the same name as my Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ. In a lot of ways, Josh is like Christ. While I don’t stake the salvation of my eternal soul on Yehoshua Taylor, he mirrors the saving grace and compassion and truthfulness of Yehoshua, who is the Christ.
Matthew 25:35,36 reads, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Yehoshua Taylor was the epitome of this verse in my life. He has been the very picture of Yehoshua of Nazareth. Sacrificial. Understanding. Patient. Kind. Truthful. These are all things Josh was willing to be, even when people disagreed with him. Even if his unabashed willingness to tell the truth is mistaken by some as a brash attitude. Even if I disagreed with him.
There’s no moral to the story here. There are things in this universe that are quite rare. Yehoshua Taylor is a rarity…one that will not be forgotten, as he has changed my life as only Christ before him was able to do.
“Josh Taylor is kind of a brash individual.” Those were my thoughts moving into the house. Beside the fact the domicile was up for sale, it was one of my main reasons for not wanting to move into the place. Brashness seems to be a Taylor family trait. If you ever want to know what a Taylor is thinking, just ask. They’ll tell you without an ounce of minced wording. If you’re not ready for it, it might seem a bit annoying. Josh isn’t afraid to let you know if he thinks something is retarded. But, as it was, I didn’t have any other options, so I would just have to suck it up if I wanted to stave off my encroaching homelessness.
There are, I imagine, very few things that can make a man feel utterly humiliated. Some would more willingly leap to their own death than suffer such a fate. When I came and sat down before Josh, to let him know my situation—that my roommates were kicking me out, with prejudice—it was humiliating. I didn’t have much in the way of finances to offer him. Jobs consisted of small moving jobs and bank-owned property evictions here and there. The offer was laid on the table to pay him a certain amount a month, but I think he knew already it would be difficult or impossible to live up to the standard I was setting for myself. But, as Providence would have it, against his better judgment, Josh allowed me to stay there for the three and a half months before gong to Rochester College or until the house was sold—whichever came first.
Lots of conversations took place during our time living together. Conversations about everything under the sun. The location of these exchanges were varied. Parks. Bars. Sports arenas. Home Depot. Lowes. Car rides. Movie theatres. The subject matter was equally varied. Jesus. Sex. Women. Dating. C.S. Lewis. Fears. Friendships. You name it, we talked about it. There were a lot of things we didn’t agree upon. There were a lot of things we did. And, we were both pleasantly surprised to find out certain things about the other.
Yard work was key around the house this summer. Weeds had grown up all around the property, which are unsightly to potential homebuyers. So, the two of us set about digging up the sides of the house, digging up behind the garage, and cutting down shrubbery and trees obscuring the house in the front yard. It was intensive labor. During this time, many of our conversations took place, with a good dose of Rush Limbaugh ranting or raving about how the Democrats are idiots playing somewhere in the background. I won’t bore you with the details of each of our conversations, but I will tell you that each of these singular moments added up to a greater whole, consummating in my preparedness to enter the collegiate world again.
A few weeks ago, Josh and I were hanging out at our friend Dena’s house. Amongst the laughter and discussion, Dena made allusion to the fact Josh’s name comes from the Hebrew, Yehoshua, meaning “The Lord is Salvation.” Although it was said in jest amongst friends, there was not a moment during my time at The Pad when this fact was wasted upon me.
It is no mistake that my friend Josh bears the same name as my Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ. In a lot of ways, Josh is like Christ. While I don’t stake the salvation of my eternal soul on Yehoshua Taylor, he mirrors the saving grace and compassion and truthfulness of Yehoshua, who is the Christ.
Matthew 25:35,36 reads, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Yehoshua Taylor was the epitome of this verse in my life. He has been the very picture of Yehoshua of Nazareth. Sacrificial. Understanding. Patient. Kind. Truthful. These are all things Josh was willing to be, even when people disagreed with him. Even if his unabashed willingness to tell the truth is mistaken by some as a brash attitude. Even if I disagreed with him.
There’s no moral to the story here. There are things in this universe that are quite rare. Yehoshua Taylor is a rarity…one that will not be forgotten, as he has changed my life as only Christ before him was able to do.
posted by C. E'Jon Moore @ 25.8.05
4 Comments:
John always errs on the side of honesty, and he will tell you things to your face that most people say behind your back. I agree, a cool dude! Good reflections bro, dwelling on positive things is truely beneficial, especially when in hindsight we can see the work of God in our lives.
DK
Who is John?
He meant Josh.
I am so happy that you saw the hand of the Lord at work. Josh let his light so shine that you could see the Lord working. The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and God's hand turned Josh's heart to give you lodging. Jesus' life in Josh extended to you friendship and work. I hope you will take that temporary tangible touch with God's hand, REMEMBER it in your future, and whenever you are feeling like God isn't there for you, REMEMBER!!!
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