The High Places

"Are you going to go bow to the monk?"

I stop to catch my breath before I answer.

Today, my explorations led me far out of town. To a cave. 

It was way bigger than I expected, and way more devoid of people than I anticipated.

I was all by myself in the base of a mountain that in it had huge statues of Buddha all over.

The ground everywhere is littered with idols and incense, ribbons, money and stones.

It felt like something out of a movie. 

It felt like something out of the Old Testament. 

It felt incredibly devoid of hope. 

Before leaving to go home, I decided to climb higher, to the top of the mountain. 

Along the way I met one man who was coming down. 

The man who's now asking me if I'm going to bow to the monk at the top.

I tell him that I won't be doing that, because I am a Christian. I follow Jesus. 

They're all the same he says. Just be good. Think good. Do good. You just have a cross to protect you.

I say that's not true. And the cross is only a reminder of what Jesus did for us. 

I want to go on, but he is losing interest. 

He heads down, and I head up. 

Of course there's another temple up there.

I choose this moment to sing every worship song I know

almost out of anger that this place exists.