In the Gospel of Luke, two disciples, Cleopas and one unnamed, traveled the road to Emmaus. As they discussed all that they had experienced in Jerusalem the last few days, a gentleman they didn’t recognize joined them and started asking questions. As they talked, He broke open all that Scripture taught about the Messiah. The two, captivated and eager to hear more from this man, invited Him to remain with them. Upon breaking bread, the couple’s eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus who had been in their midst the whole time.
While we might not walk a dusty path from Jerusalem to Emmaus, inviting Jesus into our journey makes us long for Him to remain with us, especially as our eyes are opened to His presence woven into our path. James and Debbie, married for twenty-one years, experienced this as they went through a growth in discipleship using The 10:10 Challenge book together. Taking the challenge left their hearts burning for Jesus, much like Cleopas and the other disciple.
James grew up Catholic but felt disconnected after many years of moving to different cities. He decided to become more intentionally involved with a Catholic parish community. As he settled into St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, MD, he shared with his pastor, “I don’t want to just fill a seat in a pew.” His heart desired more. Since the parish was working with the Evangelical Catholic to provide evangelization training opportunities in their community, the pastor invited James to participate in Reach More™ Mission Training, set to begin the following month. This twelve-week evangelization training group was an opportunity for James to grow as a missionary disciple and go deeper in the practices of prayer, mission, and community. The invitation to join the training group came at the right time and James accepted it.
Near the end of the twelve weeks, while James discerned his personal mission, he received a postcard about The 10:10 Challenge. It was an opportunity to accompany others through meaningful conversations about ten discipleship habits over ten weeks, and it caught his attention. The invitation stirred in his heart, and he felt called to start with those closest to him by reaching out to his family, especially Debbie.
Debbie found herself in a different place than James. Having experienced multiple losses in her family, including the death of her sister after her battle with cancer, she wrestled with many doubts. She kept questioning, “Why is this happening?” James’ invitation to join him in The 10:10 Challenge offered something new and different from her recent experiences. Though hesitant at first, she said “yes.”
It didn’t take long for James and Debbie to break through any initial awkwardness. They fully engaged themselves, praying through the ten sessions together. Debbie experienced joy and peace from the start and felt that she could come just as she was. She found assurance in knowing that, “Life is messy, life is stressful and it is ok. [The 10:10 Challenge] was a guide to make that connection, I can come into this and I can show up, and it doesn’t have to be perfect.” She could be herself and still encounter the Holy Spirit’s presence and action in her life and marriage.
For James, the experience created a space for him to be more open and vulnerable, allowing him to share his heart and draw closer to his wife than ever before. He described it as “opening doors in your most personal relationship that you didn’t realize were closed.” The depth of sharing and conversation in The 10:10 Challenge strengthened both their bond as a couple, and their relationship with God. James was particularly grateful for the opportunity to pray together. He said, “It was the first time we ever prayed together as a couple, which was transformational.” He and Debbie both opened their hearts to one another in new ways.
Similarly, for Debbie, the experience opened pathways to practices of faith that she hadn’t engaged in before. She discovered beauty praying in silence and listening for God’s voice asking, “What is God speaking to me?” Turning to Mary in times of darkness and confusion brought comfort. She began offering each day to God as she wakes praying, “Whatever today will bring, bring me through this.” They conversed about their relationships with God in new ways, learning things about one another and growing in their intimacy with Jesus.
Like Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus, James and Debbie’s hearts burn as Jesus walks with them daily. They recognize His presence with them more vibrantly than ever before. They desire more of Jesus’ love to work through them, discerning ways to share their love and desire for Jesus with others. They pray more deeply, returning to God in gratitude, asking for guidance, and living with openness to God’s will in their daily lives. They both experience a contagious joy in their faith.
Debbie and James’ experience witnesses to the truth that God meets us where we are and opens our eyes to His presence in our own stories. Jesus leads us out of our hurt or confusion. Just like when he revealed the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Debbie shares, “We see things we didn’t see before.” When we invite Jesus to accompany us on our daily road, we encounter a life of abundance. This is the kind of life that James and Debbie are grateful to experience together and are excited to go out and share with others.
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10