The pilgrim setting off with next to nothing is part of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It\u2019s there in The Way of the Pilgrim<\/em> and Catherine De Hoeck Doherty\u2019s classic book Poustinia. <\/em>My brother met such a pilgrim here in the United States. The conversation went something like this:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens to you when you travel like this. Do you just walk or hitch-hike?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t hitch hike, but I accept a ride if it is offered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo the police pick you up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, but when I explain what I am doing they are usually friendly. Sometimes they give me a bed for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJail\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to do some prison visiting and evangelize the other guys in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere have you traveled?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you get plane tickets?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone will be traveling to where I want to go and they offer to buy me a ticket and travel with them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have any money to feed yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople usually buy me a meal and give me food. Sometimes I\u2019ll go to the local priest\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see. Where are you going to spend the night tonight?<\/p>\n \u201cProbably at your house.\u201d<\/p>\n So he came home and told the rest of his story. He was not a lunatic, but quite sane. He was simply taking the Lord at his word in a radical way. He professed that he had witnessed many miracles by living this kind of life. God\u2019s hand was evident in everything. He was a genuine mystic and holy man.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s to learn from such an encounter? A couple of things: First, it is possible to take the gospel at face value. Second, it is possible to live a life that is radical in it\u2019s obedience. Third, when you live this way\u2013living by faith\u2013you will see miracles. Fourth, if you don\u2019t live this way you will not see miracles. It\u2019s not that God doesn\u2019t want to do miracles\u2013it\u2019s that he doesn\u2019t need to if you are busy looking after everything yourself.<\/p>\n See, God is very gentle and easy going. If you want to look after yourself and work hard to earn a huge salary and buy health insurance and pay in to your life insurance plan and set up a neat and sensible retirement investment portfolio and do everything yourself God is good with that. He says, \u201cYou just go ahead then and set up all your safety nets and your sensible plans and prudent savings. I still love you, but I\u2019m letting you get on with your little plans. However, if you want to live a life that is truly abundant and free and dynamic and alive in the Spirit\u2013do something more radical.<\/p>\n Give it all away. Then you will see miracles.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The pilgrim setting off with next to nothing is part of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It\u2019s there in The Way of the Pilgrim and Catherine De Hoeck Doherty\u2019s classic book Poustinia. My brother met such a pilgrim here in the United States. The conversation went something like this: \u201cWhat happens to you when you travel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5339","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n