Friday’s Walk

by Josh Humberger

On Friday April 2^nd, 2010 we glorified Jesus. I did this with an amazing team of people, which started with a very simple idea. An idea over two years in the making. An idea that I knew I had to try and live out, but was not sure how or when to do it. After attending STORY Chicago last year, this idea was confirmed. So, after hours of thinking and praying about this simple idea, I told a few people about it. The reaction was mixed. Here is what I said: "On Good Friday I am going to dress as Jesus and carry a cross in three major downtown cities. By doing this, people will see this and they will think of Jesus and that it is Good Friday. Then they will think of their relationship or lack of one with Him and think of what He did for us" Period.

Although a simple idea or plan of action, it took a tremendous amount of time and preparation to do this. For starters, not getting a hair cut. I wanted to look as best and authentic as I could. So for 15 months I let the hair ride. A big thanks to my wife for her patience in this matter. Next, was getting in shape. It was going to be a physically grueling day to pull this off. To get in shape and get strong enough, I started and completed an extreme physical fitness program called P90X. 6 days a week for 12 weeks. The beginning was rough but I stuck it out and it worked. Towards the end, I was able to do over 40 pull ups in a workout. Next, came all the planning of my routes and what cities. Location scouting. Putting together a team that would be with me. Growing a beard, finding a costume. Going on 5 mile walks in the park with weights. Daily bible study. Watching and studying Jesus films. Going to the tanning booth. Mapping out and driving the routes and having the closest hospitals marked. Designing and building an authentic 8 ft cross. Prayer, then more prayer. Catering, transportation, the list goes on and on and then came the attacks…

Two week prior to the walk, crazy things started to happen. Scary things. During this time I kept going to scripture. I kept going to 3 key verses. Reading and meditating on them over and over. Ephesians 6:13 Joshua 1:9 and Hebrews 11:1. I can truly say that it felt like many times, something was trying to stop me. For example, two weeks before the big day I had a freak accident. I heard something pop in my lower back. For over two days, if I even lifted a coffee mug, I would catch my breath. The week of the walk I awoke in the middle of the night after a terrifying nightmare, in which I was attacked and stabbed in my leg. I laid there on a sidewalk and watched myself die. I had a few people say to my face that "I could get shot and die doing this." I had people willing to help with this project then back away. My jeep broke down and I had no wheels to get things done three days before Friday. So many things were coming at me that at times I really doubted if I was going to pull this off.

Two years of thinking and planning, came down to one day. Was it going to be raining and 34 degrees? Were any of us going to get sick that week? Was I going to get arrested? If I got attacked will the team remain in safety? Will I martyr myself doing this? I was filled with so much anxiety the week of, that I had some serious trouble sleeping. I would just lay there in bed and be thinking about that cross. In building it with my dad, I wanted it to really look big and real. After it was completed and stained, I had one reoccurring thought. This thing is HEAVY. Was I really going to be able to drag it as far as I wanted to. Crazy questions mixed with anxious fear. Deep down though, I found strength. It was the reason I was doing this. JESUS

Good Friday Morning I awoke at 5 a.m. My first thought was, "Well. Here we are. Today is the day. Tomorrow morning, if I am still here, I will never have to feel this much anticipation ever again." As the team arrived, we had breakfast and prayer. We reviewed and double checked everything. Loaded the truck and then headed to the east side of downtown Toledo. Although the butterflies were dancing, I was really more excited and just ready to GO OUT and do this. I will state this now. If I would have tried to do this alone, it would not have happened. Thank you to my team: Sam, George, Tom, Justin, and Mike, and then all of the love and support of my family, friends and relatives and my church Threshold. THANK YOU for the prayer support. I could truly feel you with me out there. It was amazing. And what happened on this day was one of the most exciting, adventurous, and fulfilling days I have ever had in my life as a Christ follower. Thank you all.

Toledo -Detroit - Cleveland. 3 Cities in 1 day. The 40 pound cross was carried over 5 miles. When the day was finished we had traveled over 410 miles and completed it in about 15 hours. What happened was truly amazing. First off, nothing bad happened. It turned into a day of prayer, worship, and a very positive experience. For us and for those who saw this. I could write for hours on all the different life experiences but I will share just a couple highlights of each town.

Toledo: Our hometown. Television crews and the Toledo Blade followed us the whole 2 mile route. It was beyond exciting walking across the Cherry St Bridge while looking at downtown Toledo as the sun rose upon the buildings. Although it was not really busy this time of the morning, I had plenty of cars driving by honking their horns at me. I had one lady who just had to talk to me and say "God Bless you for doing this." It was also really neat walking across 5/3^rd Field and through downtown and it's historic buildings. I also saw the impact it was having as I made eye contact with folks. We ended by doing a lap around the Lucas County Court House. At the conclusion of this walk I stopped at the 10 Commandments statue. I then did something that no one noticed. I laid the cross down in front and across it. We then went into St. Paul's church across the street to rest and pray. While inside, I gave my mom a quick call to update her and tell her everything was alright. She said my dad went to the park and went for a walk and to pray at the exact time I was walking. I heard that and started bawling.

We then hopped on 75N to Detroit Rock City. I was feeling super happy and wanted to jam some heavy music. I was getting more pumped up because I knew that I was going to physically be able to drag that cross. My only issue was the top of my shoulders. They were getting tender and sore. One thing I never prepared for or expected was that on the side walk, every five feet is a gap. Every time the bottom of the cross hit a gap it dug down on my shoulder. I knew that I was going to be in some pain but I also knew that what I felt wasn't .00005% of what He went through for us.

Detroit: The city I was most concerned about for obvious reasons. The Lord gave us a really nice and warm day. The temperature during this time really started to climb around 11:00a.m. A big highlight is the visual of this walk. We went to a very popular blvd. The starting spot was Hockey Town and then we began the walk going past Comerica Park (go Tiga's) and into downtown. It was pretty busy with street traffic and I also knew there had to be thousands looking out the windows of their buildings while at work. In the beginning of this walk I received a few negative looks and vibes. One guy yelled at me that I looked liked Eddie Vedder from the band Pearl Jam. Right after that guy, I had a man who was hunched over walk in front of me. Believe me or not but his face changed/morphed into something beyond scary or evil. If you have seen the Passion, then you may remember the scene with Judas and the kids and their faces morphing. That is what I saw and all I will say about this. As we got about half way, I felt someone on my back while stopped at a traffic light. He was very close to me and I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Then he starts yelling. He starts street preaching while I start walking. At first I was like "oh nooo," but then what I was hearing him yell at the top of his lungs I could not dispute. He was preaching the word and attracting a ton of people to look at me. After a little while longer we stopped again at a light. He was staring at me so intently. So I reached out and gave him a hug and said "God bless you brother." He thought I WAS Jesus. He shared with me his feelings on the End of Days and that he thought Jesus really had come back. We continued for another mile to the walks conclusion with him preaching and me carrying that cross. A few days before, I was ripping on street preachers and the negative effect they have on people, usually because of the condemnation in their message, but this brother was different. I felt safe with him on my side. It was like I had a brother, a warrior if you will with me. It was an amazing experience and when we got done he shared a Power Ade with us and talked. Very kewl.

After Detroit, we hopped back down to the Buckeye state and headed east. I called my sister and she said that it was already on the noon news. 2 down 1 to go. Cleveland was next. While on the turnpike we stopped at a rest area and had a picnic. It was really starting to get warm as temps climbed into the 80's. Once we got to downtown Cleveland we drove our route and then parked behind Browns stadium. Although the team didn't know, I was not feeling hot. I think it was the warm weather and I was just mentally exhausted. All of that changed though once we started this walk. The city had an amazing energy. It was packed with people and while walking here I knew we were having a big impact. I would see business men walk pass and not look me in the eye. Other folks were taking my picture or shooting video from their phone and smiling. I would have some stopping their cars and staring. Some people were like a deer in head lights and staring with disbelief and yet others did not care. We ended this walk by walking down to Lake Erie and the Rock and Roll hall of Fame with the final stop being at Browns stadium. I saw a car do a u turn and then pull up to me. I looked over and it was an Asian couple. I said "God Bless you" and then he said with a nervous and shaky voice, "Ah.. are you.. hot?" He was so nervous in wanting to just speak to me that this was all he could spit out. Again, I really think they thought I was Jesus. I told him I was warm and to have a happy Easter. With a couple hundred yards left to the stadium I was tired and drained. I just stopped. I felt overwhelmed by emotion. I didn't want this to end. I wanted to walk more and go to more cities. I was sad it was over. I then got up to the stadium and set the cross down and said a quick prayer "that people's hearts be touched by what they saw and that they think of you Jesus. Thank you for what you did for us 2000 years ago. In your name, amen."

We then went out for a celebration meal. We found Great Lakes Brewery and had a couple cold beverages and great food. George and I both ordered a burger served on a hot pretzel bun. On the top of both buns was a cross. What a day. There are so many more stories to share and stories that I have heard that have been mind blowing. We were put on the front page of the Toledo Blade, covered all weekend on all three t.v. news station broadcasts, and aired also on a Cleveland station. 10's of 1000's of people saw this. This is not to toot my own horn. This was not about me. This was about Jesus and what we did with a simple idea. I am calling this visual evangelism. We took the visual of Jesus and without even talking made people think of Him. A friend of mine who works at a hospital said that she saw a lady running an AA group and the leader took out a copy of the Blade and asked the group to meditate on the picture. Another woman was having a rough week. On her way to work she was praying and asked Jesus for a sign. Minutes later she saw me and the cross on the bridge. She started crying. What happened next was incredible. She went into work, sharing with people with what she saw. This lady worked with my wife. We then took her out to eat the next week. For over three hours in BW3's we ate wings and talked about Jesus, church, and how screwed up religion is. So many people letting us know that they were touched by this. All praise and glory goes to HIM.

In closing, thank you for reading this. Tom asked me to write an update on Friday's Walk for the May newsletter. Just a paragraph. Sorry this turned into a blog. If you have read this far, thank you. What I am really excited about with this project is that it has been documented. I am currently working on making this into a documentary film and I am excited to announce I have an awesome Los Angeles film maker and company on board to help me edit and share this story. I hope that it will inspire folks to LIVE THEIR FAITH and show that when Jesus is 1^st place in your heart, that anything is possible. My goal is to have this completed and have a premier on Good Friday 2011. Please pray for this project. Thank you.

May you go out into the world and take your idea and make it a better place. It may be a difficult thing to pull off but with the spirit of adventure, especially with Jesus, it will be a journey you can't even imagine. "Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24.

Peace,

josh