Lee wasn't having a very good year. He lost his job, his wife, and his friends. When his problems became public, his reputation in the community was tanked. Ashamed and embarrassed by the man they used to call Dad, even his kids turned against him. His family was paying a horrible price for his bad choices and private demons.

 

His life-long friends had deserted him and conveniently forgotten his name. No more backyard barbeques, no more hunting trips with the guys. In fact, no one even wanted to borrow his tools anymore. 

 

Even his mom and dad had given up on him. The intervention failed. By everyone’s account, Lee was a lost cause. He was alone and hopeless.

 

His wanter had quit on him. He just didn’t have the desire to get better; his normal life was buried in the graveyard of the past. 

 

Finally, Lee walked out—taking nothing with him but misery. Before long Lee sightings began to surface. The rumors poured in. Some reported his ghost like appearance; others talked of seeing the shadowy recluse hiding in the caves. Soon stranger things emerged: he was seen talking to himself, arguing with himself, yelling at himself. The stories of his craziness become legend. He refused to get close to anyone, but from a distance you could see the battle scars and sores that looked inhuman. 

 

Lee felt more like a zombie than a human. His neighborhood was now more about death than life. In some bizarre way he had become the spokesperson for the shadow world. His only words were about despair and darkness. 

 

But this day was not like all the others. This day felt strange.

 

He could sense something unwelcome even before he saw the strangers. Normally he had a routine for strangers: a little yelling, the wild eye stare, and a lot of swinging arms and rattling chains, whatever it took to keep people away; but, this visit had the feeling of anything but normal.

 

Part of him pulled back in fear and foreboding, while something deep inside him compelled him to move forward in spite of his panicked apprehension. 

 

 “What do you want with me? I didn’t ask for this. Get away. I just want to be left alone.”

 

Everything inside him poured out. Unified by panic, his personal demons gave voice to his fear. Together they cried, “Leave us alone.”

 

The gentle stranger asked, “What is your name?”

 

He responded, “My name is Lee…and his demons added “gion” (well, it could have happened that way).

 

Mark tells that story in chapter five. 

 

It didn’t take long for Lee’s demons to assess the situation. Retreat was planned. “We are finished here. This guy is toast. He is wasted. 

Send us into the pigs…that’s a sweet ride.

 

The stranger made it so. The pigs ran, not out of the area, but they did run out of land…over the cliff and into the Sea of Galilee. 

 

Lee watched with new eyes. No more zombie; his past, his fear, his torment and shame and bitterness, his doubt and despair were buried in the sea. He was clean and fresh and free.

 

In that moment, everything changed. 

 

He turned to Jesus, “I want to stay with you. I don’t know what’s next. I’ll just go with you. With you, I’m safe. OK, if I go with you?”

 

Jesus refused, “NO!”

 

Lee had become a chapter in God’s book. He was a walking miracle and therefore he had a story to tell. 

 

Jesus said, “Go home to your family and friends and tell them what God has done for you.” 

 

For Lee it was more than words. Lee was a new man, not a restored version of the old Lee. He was brand new, and that, well, is totally amazing.

 

If God can make Lee brand new, what can he do with you and me?