One of the top rated videos on YouTube is a clip called “Home” It was created by a young Filipina named Christine. She works under the name, Happyslip. In her video, she says, “This Christmas, I am gonna be home. And I wanted to ask, where is home for you? What things do you think of when I say the word, Home?” Besides being well produced and directed, her brief production is popular. Nearly a quarter of a million people watched this video in the first two months of 2007. Some think that this is because the idea of “home” appeals to a certain sense of nostalgia and longing in the viewing audience.

Thirty-five years ago I was a long way from home. I didn’t know how far I had wandered from home I was until I wandered into a rock concert in my college gymnasium; It happened like this: one of the groups inexplicably began to sing, a cappella, in beautiful three-part harmony: “All God’s children get weary when they roam; don’t it make ya wanna go home?” All of a sudden, I was strangely and deeply homesick - for a place I had never been. Later, they did a rendition of a new hit single, “Mama told me not to come.” It was uncanny. It was as though this band was reading my mail. Their lyrics seemed to reflect everything I was going through in my life.

Things were not well with me. After the concert, I was startled by an image I saw in my dorm room mirror; through a drugged out stupor I stammered to the person staring back at me, “What are you doing? Where are you going? You are so screwed up.” The next day, a campus evangelist showed up at my door. The guy we derisively called a Bible-beater snapped to a cheery attention when I answered his insistent rap, “My name’s Ken Osborne. Who are you?”

“I don’t really know.” I answered.

“How have things been going for you lately?”

“Terrible.” I said – my voice trailing off.

Oddly enough, he hadn’t come to preach but to ask questions. “Do you want to tell me about it?” Here was a guy who evidently didn’t know what he was getting himself into. He looked way too establishment to be able to relate to my latest exploits. I thought to myself, I am going to blow this guys mind.

“You got time to listen?” I asked. He apparently had nothing but time, and I had a long and sorry tale to tell. I thought that he would turn tail and run; but nothing I said seemed to surprise or shock him.

After I had finished pouring out my soul, he said, “I see what you mean; things really aren’t going well for you; … Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?”

“What is it?”

“Do you think that somebody could be trying to tell you something?”

“Yeah...Yeah! Maybe someone IS trying to tell me something.”

“Can I ask you another question?”

“What?”

“If someone is trying to tell you something, who do you think it is?” Somewhere deep inside, I knew the answer:

“God; God is trying to tell me something.”

“I think you may be on to something there. Do you mind if I ask you another question?”

“What?”

“If God is trying to tell you something, what do you think it is that he is trying to say?” I knew right away:

“I think He’s trying to tell me that I am going the wrong way.”

“OK, now, can I ask you one more question?” This Bible-beater didn’t preach much but he sure had a lot of questions.

“Why not?”

“How would you like to turn around and go the right way?” In the face of that question, my shoulders slumped and I hung my head.

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

“I can’t!” I almost shouted. “I’ve tried; if there is a God, God knows - I’ve tried! Something in me keeps pulling me back into a lifestyle that’s killing me – like a moth circling a flame or a dog returning to its own puke.”

“What if I was to tell you” he said, “that Christ could come into your life and give you the power to become what you’ve always wanted to be and do what you’ve never been able to do on your own?”

“That would be way too good to be true.”

“But it is true. Has anyone ever told you that Christ is no longer dead; that he is risen from the dead; and that he’s still alive today - and by his Spirit he is present with us here in this room?”

“No, not exactly. Hey, I believe in God, I just don’t know about Jesus; how can we know that Jesus is the Son of God?”

“He’s here, why not ask Him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just pray and ask him to reveal Himself – to come and help you.

“I don’t know...”

“What if you start by just telling Him what you’ve told me?” I paused for a long time. Ken reminded me that nothing I could ever say would surprise or shock the Lord.

“OK. Here goes, God, if you are real all I can say is that, if you’ve been listening to all of this, you must already know that I am pretty screwed up. If Jesus really is your Son, I have made a huge mistake in rejecting Him all these years; I am sorry; I really am, I am sick of what I am doing and I’m sick of what I have become; I feel so lost; I’ve tried everything I know and I still can’t find my way. If you are what I am looking for, please help me to find you. If you are real, show me. Help me find my way home.” There, I said it.

Almost at once, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. For the first time in months, I thought to myself, I can make it; I will survive; God is real, He loves me; I will find what I am looking for; everything is going to be alright.

“Now, how would you like to ask Jesus into your life?” Ken asked.

“I guess I’ve already tried everything else…”

“OK,” Ken said, “if what I say sounds like what you would like to say to God repeat after me … God, I believe that you are real and that you have showed your love for me by sending Jesus to suffer and die in my place…I trust, in your great mercy, you will forgive me of all my sin…Please send your Holy Spirit to come and take over my life and give me the strength to be what you have always wanted me to be… In surrendering my life to you, I believe that I have passed from death to life; Jesus is now my Lord and I am now your child…As you enable me to do so, I will serve you for the rest of life…Thank you for hearing my prayer…Amen.”

When I opened my eyes, I looked out my dorm room window. I know it sounds like a cliché; and I guess it is. But everything looked different. I saw the world with new eyes. The grass was a different color of green. The leaves on the trees were veined with reds and purples I had never seen before. Something had changed. It was as if a river of life had flowed through me - sweeping away all of my past and making me brand new.”

It reminded me of when I was a boy; I used to go with my friends to a place in Oregon called Beaver Falls. The falls were fed by a small stream which, depending on the time of year, was about a foot deep and maybe 15 feet wide. When this stream crested the cliff, it cascaded 20 feet to a rocky shelf on one side of a small pond. The rocky face behind the falls was shaped in such a way that a person could shimmy to the backside of the falls; from that vantage point we could look through a sheet of water that looked like a shimmering wall of undulating glass. Then, by taking one step forward, we would plunge ourselves under the full force of a falling river; if you didn’t brace yourself, the force of the falls would drive you to your knees. But, if you could stand up under it, it felt like you were being scrubbed clean from the inside out.

When I stepped into the grace of God, I was like I became a whole new person. I will be the first to admit, that my life since then has not always been easy. Life has its trials. But through Christ I have undertaken a journey to become the person God always intended for me to be. I have finally found a place of rest in the presence of the Lord. I can remember about that same time that Eric Clapton wrote a song that included these lyrics:

I have finally found a way to live
Just like I never could before.
I know that I don't have much to give,
But I can open any door.

Everybody knows the secret,
Everybody knows the score.
I have finally found a place to live
In the presence of the Lord.

Sometimes we say, as a euphemism for death, “He’s gone home to be with the Lord.” When I gave my life to Christ, I did not die and go to heaven, but I did find my way home. And I wanted to ask in closing, where is home for you? What things do you think of when I say the word, “home”? Does it make you homesick - sick enough to turn around and come home? An early saint once observed, “Restless is the heart until if finds its rest in God.”

Jesus said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me, get away with me and you will recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” (Matthew 11:28 MSG) Here you can see that Jesus is not trying to turn you into a religious person; rather, He is inviting you to enter into a relationship with Him. He wants you to be a person who is at home in His presence.

Are you trying to find your way home? There is an answer. To start with, check out our website under RESOURCES and click MEET JESUS; pray the prayer that is there and call the number at the bottom of the page - or click through on our links to “need him”; you will be glad you did. Also don’t forget to view Christine’s video at: www.youtube.com/happyslip