A successful professional traveled the country offering hope to hurting people. His job kept him on the road at great lengths and was often in a different hotel weekly from town to town. One night after another long day at work he returned to his hotel room 1,700 miles away from home only to find a message on the answering machine. It was his wife saying the marriage was over and she and the kids would be gone when he returned. Devastated he could hear the voice of his mother saying when he was just a boy: “Baby, when life gets hard or you get in trouble – read the Bible or call a preacher.” He immediately found a Gideon’s Bible in the hotel drawer and began to read God’s Word. His mind raced with anger, fear and uncertainty. He found a Yellow Pages phone book in the same drawer and after midnight found courage and called a clergy. REMEMBER THIS – It takes strength to reach out when weak or hurt. That is a sign of strength NOT weakness. The pastor answered the phone and the man shared his whole life story and begged him to meet with him at the hotel lobby. Something told the preacher that the stranger on the other line may not make it to morning so he rushed to meet this anonymous man whose life was upside down.

At 2 AM the minister and man met in the lobby and the stranger poured out his heart to him. The pastor said: “Son, I am going to pray for you and laughter is like good medicine. I have good news! I want to give you TWO complimentary tickets for tonight’s show. Ringling Bros & Barnum Bailey’s Circus is in town and they have the world’s greatest clown. Take yourself and a friend and let this clown help you forget some of your problems. Folks come from far and wide to watch the world’s greatest clown make people laugh.” The man bowed his head in defeat. The pastor shocked said: “Sir, did I say something wrong? Honestly, I am only trying to help. Why are you crying?” With tears rolling down his face the man said: “Preacher, when I called you tonight I told you I’m in a different city almost every other night. Staying in a different hotel every other night.” The pastor blurted: “I don’t understand!” The man said: “Sir, I am that clown employed by Ringling Bros that folks come from miles around to forget their problems.”

THE MORALE OF THE STORY is who do you go to when your world is upside down, when life throws a curve ball or when the bottom falls out? In the past three years since leaving my Captiol Hill job, God has opened the door for me to preach over 600 times and been in 24 states and invited in nine countries. In my lifetime, I have seen my share of hotel rooms and without my faith in God and the support of family and friends I would have already been down and out. This Sunday is Halloween and I am honored to speak at an UPWARD event in Charles Town, West Virginia that afternoon. Two years ago, I wrote a blog called “Removing the Mask.” The one thing about Halloween that I recall as a child even more than the candy and costumes is the “clown-like mask” that many of us wore and sadly, wear today as adults. You heard that classic song: “Bring in the Clowns.” This time last year, my friend and former World Wrestling Champ and now Evangelist Nikita Koloff and I, spoke at a YOUTH EXPLOSION at Grace Brethren Church in Waldorf, MD. En route to speak that evening it dawned on me that many of those teens in attendance would be wearing a mask. The key was a “mask” not apparent to the naked eye but seen only by the Spirit of God. Man looks at the outward appearance (costume) but Jesus looks at the heart (motives behind the mask).

As teens, we hide behind hundred dollar shoes, expensive clothes, designer jeans, pre-marital sex, alcohol abuse, desperately trying to “fit in” with the wrong crowd longing for acceptance, approval and attention at any expense. As teens, many are “looking for love in ALL the wrong places.” Rebelling against authority, disrespect for parents and very little regard to truth and could care less about consequences. XEROX is great for paper but horrible for people. We shouldn’t settle being a carbon copy but the Original that our Creator made us to be. Let God live His life through yours. If we are to model anyone may it be Jesus. With Him, we don’t have to wear a mask. One problem with wearing a mask is that society and yourself miss the real you. Secondly, a mask obstructs your vision. The movie “MASK” is one of the most touching movies I have ever seen starring Cher. I can still hear Rocky Dennison saying: “These things are good” and he gives a laundry list of life at its best and adds “the sun shining on my face.” Then he says: “These things are bad…….” and he adds “the sun shining on my face.” Rocky was born with a deformed face similar to the Elephant Man. His heart radiated true beauty and rent that tear jerker today if you have not seen it. I can still hear Bob Seager’s classic “Roll Me Away” playing softly at the end of the movie at the cemetery of Rocky’s funeral. Rocky taught us its not our face but faith that is most beautiful.

One of the most poignant and memorable scenes in Hollywood history was in “RETURN OF THE JEDI” in 1983, when a dying Darth Vader in his son’s, Luke’s lap removed the infamous jet black helmet. The irony was the badly, beaten Vader knew that if he removed his mask that his breathing would eventually cease. The beauty is that before he died he finally could look on his son with his own eyes before dying. Today, the opposite is true. The longer we as adults and adolescents continue to “wear masks” we elect to exist and not live and ultimately, are en route to a slow death. However, for those whom elect to be liberated, chase freedom and be all that God has created us to be we actually live and not die.

This Halloween, regardless if you promote going “door to door” or go out for pizza with the family and/or turn off all the lights and pray that no one rings your door or eggs your house – Remember this – that God makes no mistakes. He LOVES you and sent His only Son, Jesus to die for your sins. He whom was always King – became a kid. Talk about a costume. He took off His Royal robes and substituted them for your ripped rags. He left the perfect, palatial Palace of Heaven to come to the sin-sick society called Earth. Born of a virgin, placed in a crib and sentenced to die on a cross long after temporarily laying down His Crown. He, whom knew no sin – became sin. That was the costume that Jesus wore for Humanity (not just Halloween).

Jesus, was despised by Pharisees, yet, adored by plain-speaking people, made prostitutes know “true love” and constantly built others up privately while “haters” tried to tear Him down publicly. Jesus’ grief became our grace. His mercy became our merits, His death became our life, His sacrifice on the cross became our Subway to the Celestial City and because He was rejected for so long we could be accepted for all eternity. Today, if you are reading this and are still wearing a “mask” of some sort – the beauty is relax, realize who you are in Christ, remember that you don’t have to pretend any longer and “ready or not” the world will be better when the real “YOU” comes out.

BTW – that night that Nikita and I, spoke at the YOUTH EXPLOSION over 70 students got out of the bleachers and publicly made personal commitments to Christ! Go God!! When the mask comes off is the first step when the Master can come in.