Divine appointment at the hospital

Matt and I had quite an experience at the hospital yesterday. We learned that one of our regular Day Shelter guests, Bill, had been admitted. Bill is one of the guys we have gotten to know best. He has been very open in sharing about the heartache of his upbringing and numerous family tragedies. He is also open in confessing the wide range of sinful behavior he has been engaged in. He is also honest that although he believes in God, he does not know Him as Savior.

Yesterday, he called the shelter asking if we would come visit. We somewhat reluctantly decided to go (we were tired, busy, etc.). Once we arrived we started with small talk, trying to learn what was up. But he quickly began to talk about his need to get his life straightened out. We began to talk about what he would need to do to get right with God. His mindset, coming from a rough upbringing without any Christian influences, was that he needed to do more good deeds for God to accept him. We began to share the good news that God does not require our good deeds for salvation. We need only to trust in Jesus' sacrifice, ask for God's forgiveness, and turn from our sins to follow Christ. We shared some scriptures and talked for quite a while on the intricacies of the Gospel.

Suddenly the patient on the other side of the curtain, who appeared to have been watching TV the whole time, pulled back the curtain. My immediate thought was, "this could be really good or really bad." It was really good. By God's providence (or is it just luck?), Bill's roommate was a retired minister. He told us that he had been listening in and that he had some things to say as well. So he began to quite eloquently and powerfully enhance the message we'd been teaching. [At this point I began to feel like I was acting in some cheesy Christian movie in the type of scene that never really happens in real life. But no, this was real life. This was happening.] Then the man's daughter-in-law, a pastor's wife, arrived and chimed in as well. Bill had a 4-person ministry team to help him understand the Gospel.

Throughout all this, Bill was soaking it up. He asked questions, made comments, and repeated said, "I don't know much about God but I know I need to follow Him." I tried a couple times to push him to make some sort of commitment, but at the same time I got the strong sense that he is on the path to salvation and that we need not rush him. I got the sense that God was orchestrating all of this. He is in control. It was wonderful to pray together (the five of us) and then leave with the assurance that not only were we leaving Bill in God's hands, but at least for the rest of the night, Bill and his roommate would have the opportunity to continue their discussion. We also left him with a New Testament which we know is the mighty sword of the Spirit. So although we did not see a definitive decision to follow Christ, I did not leave dejected but encouraged and hopeful. I expect that God will continue to move in his life. I look forward to seeing what comes about. I look forward to seeing what role I might play. I am amazed at what God has already done and how He chose to use us in Bill's life.

Count your blessings

I’ve been somewhat surprised and impressed by the thankfulness and positive attitudes of many of the homeless folks who I’ve gotten to know. In a recent conversation, one guy told me, “If you saw where I was sleeping you’d say it’s clear that God has been watching over me.” I asked, “Oh, so you’ve found a nice place to stay.” His response showed his positive perspective on a bad situation: “No it’s terrible. Dangerous. It’s an abandoned house. But the fact that I wake up each morning and no one has bothered me . . . that’s a blessing.”

The other day, Matt and I were going around asking our residents if there were any issues we could pray about. One guy, a fairly strong Christian, thought hard for several seconds and then replied, “No. I’ve got no needs.” He’s living in a small, one-room apartment in a homeless shelter and he tells us, sincerely, that he has no needs.

Should I be surprised that there are needy folks who are thankful for what they have? Probably not. Maybe I should be more surprised at the rich who have positive outlooks. After all, the scriptures say it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to go to heaven. I’ve been thinking about the phrase “count your blessings.” As for me, and most of you reading this, we have had so many blessings lavished on us that counting them can be a pretty overwhelming task. I wonder how many of us don’t even try as a result. Does it seem to be excessive to thank God every day for food, shelter, health, safety, transportation, jobs, and other blessings that we see as commonplace? Maybe it is those who are truly happy just to be alive or to receive a free meal or to have a place to take a shower who are best able to render the appropriate appreciation to the Lord for those blessings. In my life, those things have been a given. I take them for granted. But I must realize that they have been granted to me, by God. How could I not give Him thanks for them?

October HOPE newsletter

Greetings Friends and Family!

This being the inaugural monthly newsletter, let me first fill you in on what I’ve been doing and will be doing throughout my time at Jeff. St. To begin with, we (the HOPE team – Matt, Lindsey, and I) serve the homeless five days a week in the Day Shelter. The tasks are fairly mundane for us, but they are so helpful for those in need. Some of our duties include:

* Checking mail for the 1,200+ homeless folks who use our address who may have no other address to call their own.
* Giving soap, shampoo, detergent, etc. for folks to use our facilities to wash themselves and their clothes who may have no other place to get clean.
* Helping people to store bags that they may otherwise have to lug all around town.
* Serving breakfast daily and lunch most days to folks who may truly be hungry.

To simply be able to help these people with these basic, yet important services is a blessing. But to be able to learn about their stories (often involving broken relationships, lost jobs, prison stays, addictions, etc.) is an even greater honor. In these moments, we can go beyond the physical and minister to the spirit and soul by sharing the Gospel, praying for them, or simply lending a listening ear.

Aside from 30-some hours per week of service in the day shelter, we also stay busy with church activities, HOPE team gatherings, and intentional hours of relationship building with our residents (Wednesday’s focus).

Ironically, one of the most memorable interactions I’ve had with the homeless thus far didn’t even occur at Jeff. St. It was early one Sunday morning, and I was working in the Day Shelter as usual. I took a call from a gal from the church community that I’m a part of here, Sojourn Community Church. She informed me that I didn’t know her but that my director recommended my teammate Matt or me to accompany her as she picked up a new homeless friend to take him to church. I, of course, couldn’t turn down that invitation so we met up and then found her new friend at the McDonalds, just as they’d agreed. He seemed a bit surprised and disappointed that she actually followed through with her offer. But being a man of his word, he went with us. We had a wonderful worship experience and heard some fitting exhortations from the scriptures (Romans 12:9-16). After the service, all it took was my asking, “What did you think?” for our new friend to begin pouring out his heart to us. In summary, his heart and life are broken, in serious need of the Lord’s healing touch. We mostly listened but also tried to console and counsel. As we left church, about an hour after almost everyone else, our new friend was hopeful and upbeat. I was amazed at how the Lord had used us to minister to this stranger turned friend.

The first book we are reading for our HOPE program curriculum is “Under the Overpass” by Mike Yankoski. It’s the story of a young Christian guy who wanted to see if he could truly live out the saying, “All I need is Jesus.” So he decided to give up his career, belongings, and relationships to be homeless for six months. Unfortunately, his radical experiment led him to the conclusion that the vast majority of “church people” are not interested in even acknowledging, much less helping the homeless. One of his reflections in the book reads, “If we are the body of Christ—and Christ came not for the healthy but the sick—we need to be fully present in the places where people are most broken.” Doesn’t this make sense? If we are truly followers of Christ, won’t we follow him to minister among the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed for whom He says He came to minister (Luke 4:18)? For much of my life I’ve been guilty of avoiding the broken and sick. But now I feel strongly that the Lord has led me to such people here at Jeff. St. Daily I thank God for the blessing of being able to be a part of this ministry. I pray that the Lord will give me a burden for “the least of these” (Matt. 25:40) for the rest of my life.

I thank you all so much for your support of this ministry in various ways, especially though your prayers and financial gifts.

Some prayer requests:
* Boldness and intentionality in my conversations with our residents and guests.
* Wisdom in conversations: knowing what to say and how to say it.
* Please pray for my new, broken friend, who I mentioned above.

I’m off to a good start in raising the $600 per month, but I’m still a long way off for the total needed for the year. I’d appreciate you prayerfully considering how you might continue to support our ministry here at Jeff. St. It is now possible to donate online at www.hopeforlouisville.com (go to the "donate now" section). Until next time, take care and God bless!

Complacent Comfort?

I’m already feeling quite comfortable here. That’s what scares me. You see, I just read in the conclusion of “Under the Overpass”: “Be relentlessly suspicious of your comfortable life, and of the comfort zones that render so many Christian fellowships insensitive and ineffective in our communities.” Unfortunately, when we are comfortable we are often complacent as well.

I’ve made a lot of friends among the residents and our homeless guests. But will I be satisfied with this group of friends without pursuing the rest? I’ve had many conversations on spiritual issues. Will I consider those people “witnessed to” without following up on those discussions? It appears that I’ll see many of our guests and residents almost every day. Might I lose the sense of urgency that “today is the day of Salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2)? Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep to show us the importance of one lost soul to Him and the Father. I pray that I will persistently and intentionally spread salt, light, and truth to all who the Lord brings my way.