The walkway in front of Louisiana State University’s Union is commonly known as Free Speech Alley. A place where anyone such as organizations, groups, clubs and individuals can congregate, and share information, their thoughts, and opinions, whatever they choose to, without persecution. Walking through Free Speech Alley I commonly saw the man I deemed “The Jesus Talk Guy” sitting there and every time I passed I was thought he was the most fascinating person in the world. I was touched and intrigued to see someone I did not know sitting in Free Speech Alley openly willing to talk about God.
Mr. Ivan Imes has been sitting in Free Speech Alley with his “Jesus Talk” t-shirt and two foldable chairs for several years now a few hours three days a week. He sets up his two foldable chairs in the shade of one of the oak trees in Free Speech Alley and patiently sits in one of them waiting for someone to come and sit to talk with him.
While I was intrigued about talking with “the Jesus Talk Guy”, I was very apprehensive before my interview. I was afraid he would speak down to me, quoting bible verses and trying to persuade me to believe what he believes is the correct way to live or believe in God. But soon after I sat down in one of his set up chairs with a piece of paper that said “Questions? Prayer Requests?” on the back, my apprehensions were proved wrong. I was pleasantly surprised that he was very nice to talk to and did nothing more than share how he came to sitting in Free Speech Alley with his “Jesus Talk” t-shirt and his passion for giving his time to the students of Louisiana State University. The interview was very informal and was not intimidating for myself. I felt as though I was talking to someone I already knew and trusted; someone I could share anything with.
Mr. Imes said that one day in April 2000, he was sitting at his computer and just typed “Jesus Talk” at the top of the page, thus was born his idea to reach out to students in the Baton Rouge community. He said, “I went to the pastor of the church I was attending and asked if I could do this and he said ‘no’”, referring to his “Jesus Talk” project. After he began sitting in Free Speech Alley, “I later realized that I was not ready at that point in my life”. A few years later he joined a new church and again proposed his “Jesus Talk” idea, this time he received a very different answer. His new church encouraged him to pursue his idea which he says was “undoubtedly inspired by God”. When I asked Mr. Imes if sitting in Free Speech Alley was important he said, “Absolutely. I did not feel like I could sit downtown and I what I wanted to do was strictly for the students”.
Mr. Imes said that one day in April 2000, he was sitting at his computer and just typed “Jesus Talk” at the top of the page, thus was born his idea to reach out to students in the Baton Rouge community. He said, “I went to the pastor of the church I was attending and asked if I could do this and he said ‘no’”, referring to his “Jesus Talk” project. After he began sitting in Free Speech Alley, “I later realized that I was not ready at that point in my life”. A few years later he joined a new church and again proposed his “Jesus Talk” idea, this time he received a very different answer. His new church encouraged him to pursue his idea which he says was “undoubtedly inspired by God”. When I asked Mr. Imes if sitting in Free Speech Alley was important he said, “Absolutely. I did not feel like I could sit downtown and I what I wanted to do was strictly for the students”.
Due to his “Jesus Talk” t-shirt and his blatant openness to talking about God, I assumed that Mr. Imes had always had a tie to the church, and I was surprised to find out that Mr. Imes had only been going to church for about fourteen years. He said that one of his sons got involved in the church before he did. His relationship with his family was greatly improved as he got involved in regularly going to church and developing a relationship with God. Mr. Imes is a retired chemical engineer and owned his own business. As well as his “Jesus Talk” project he is in counseling in an Addiction Recovery Program.
Despite the controversial topic of God, Mr. Imes said he has never had any conflicts while sitting in Free Speech Alley. “I do this for the students and no one else”. Mr. Imes makes himself available to the students of Louisiana State University in a non-threatening way. He peacefully sits in his chair and just waits for someone to sit down. He considers himself to be a non-threatening person. “I’m a grandfather figure you can talk to, you usually do not think of a grandfather to be threatening.” Also “I don’t bring a bible out here; that would scare people off.”, he said chuckling. “Students feel like they are able to come and talk because it is anonymous, safe, and spiritual.” After speaking with him I found this to be true, I did not feel intimidated or looked down upon at all.
The number of people who sit down to talk “varies, some days there are quite a few people and other days, only a few”. After I learned how many people came and talked to him I wondered if he ever got discouraged by the numerous amounts of people who walk past him with a cold shoulder, he responded “I could easily get discouraged but I don’t. I pray that God sends those who want to talk to me. I can only help those who want help”. After Hurricane Katrina the students especially needed someone out there willing to give their time and willing to listen to what they needed to express even if they were not quite ready to talk about the tragedy. Mr. Imes said “I pray that God enters the lives of the students and I pray that he helps them through whatever situation they are going through.”
After learning about the amount of time Mr. Imes gives to the students of Louisiana State University in Free Speech Alley I was curious about what he gets out sitting and talking with students as well as his reaction to talking to students. He smiled at my question and said “It brings me great joy and brings me closer to God; it’s a continuous learning experience. I experience different things when talking to students; I sometimes get the chill or cry. God is amazing and restorative force and I’m glad to be a part of that in the lives of students.” I was moved by his answer and saw his passion for the students.
In writing this English 1001 paper I realized that it is sometimes hard to open yourself up to a perfect stranger, even if it is just for a student interview, but the result was enlightening. Mr. Imes’s passion for the students showed when I was talking with him. It did not seem like he was interested in any kind of publicity, he truly believes he was inspired by God to give the gift of his time to the students of Louisiana State University. The giving of his time is the greatest gift anyone can give; time cannot be taken back. It is often the simplest things like the giving of time mean the most to those who are in need. I realized the importance of the interview genre and its place in society.
2 comments:
this is totally amazing to me having known him before he was this person. I am so happy he that he has found the Lord and has spoken to so many, I am just sorry that it took so long.
Have you heard or seen the documentary "The Jesus Guy"? You can check it out here. Watch the trailer or leave comments.
www.thejesusguy.com
www.thejesusguymovie.blogspot.com
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