Sobriety

i hear words echoing in my head and heart: "Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." and i recall a hazy memory of seeing a man with long hair standing on the street corner preaching to group of plaid-uniformed 8th grade girls and their nun chaperon on their walking field trip to the library. as we waited for the light to change, he told us that Jesus is alive and will be returning to the earth soon. Sister Mary whispered that we should ignore him.
but i couldn't.
i was fascinated with seeing someone who was living as closely as my childish brain could imagine to John the Baptist and Jesus. i had read the Bible many times and couldn't make the connection between its words and our world. here i was seeing a connection!
when we got back to class i asked Sister, "What if that man is telling the truth, shouldn't we listen to him? Isn't he acting like a John the Baptist?" i can't remember her words, but i remember their impression- the Bible isn't really relevant for us today.
that day i began putting away my childhood faith.