Just in Time: A Baby Story from the Street

     Several months ago a pregnant 19 year old showed up at Retreat from the Street.  Her name is Carol.  One of our regulars, Donnie, had met her on the street and thought he had better find her a safe place to be so he brought her to Retreat.  Initially she often talked of satanism and other occult spiritualities - a valuable technique for a young homeless girl to keep people at a distance.  She was difficult to get to know, but over the course of several weeks she began to open up as this sweet, but street savvy, little girl.  She recounted how she became a foster child at 4, being bounced from home to home, frequently experiencing all kinds of abuses.  She ran away often. 
     In her late teens she found a man I only heard her refer to as her “fiance.”  She discovered that she was pregnant so they began to ride the rails together in an effort to find work.  First, from Portland to New Orleans.  Then on to Raleigh, NC where they were able to find work.  Soon her fiance was downsized, so she quit too and they jumped the train for new opportunities.  They stopped in Atlanta to try to ”make” some money while on their way to find work.  They set up their “Stranded, need money” sign on a highway exit and waited for sympathetic drivers.  Soon an unsympathetic police officer drove up.  He arrested both of them.  Neither said anything, but since he was holding the sign the fiance was booked.  Carol was released.  When the fiance was brought before the judge he pleaded not guilty and instead of being released with a fine he was detained until the court date.  This is what left Carol on the streets by herself.
     When we met her she was already over 6 months along.  Over those next two months she realized she had better do something for the sake of the baby.  She approached Gary, the director of Retreat, about her situation.  He began to ask her questions to find out if there was any safe place for her to go. Back in Portland she had an “aunt,” the closest thing to a mother figure that she knew, and an older sister, Tiffany. (Tiffany had been fostered as well and they had not reunited until Carol was 18, just before she started riding the rails, and just as she found out she was pregnant.)  Gary spent two weeks trying to track down these women, discover if they were stable, and see if they were willing to take Carol into their homes. 
     After making sure the contacts were willing, we booked her a bus ticket to Portland.  On Friday, August 12th, with a knapsack, the clothes on her back, and a bag full of food, Carol left for Portland.  She arrived Sunday morning and on Wednesday she gave birth to a 6’11″ healthy baby girl named Khatt Lee.
     We were blessed to be able to play a part in ensuring that a 19 year old, lonely, lost girl was able to make it “home” to safely bring into this world a beautiful little girl of her own. But as I reflect on Carol’s story I am reminded that it was a homeless man, simply being attentive to his neighbor in need, that made our blessing possible.  May the love of the least of our brothers be a witness to the relentless pursuit of God, and may it be an example to us as we try to live faithfully in the midst of a broken world.  If you would like to partner with us as we seek to save lives and spread this message of hope you can do so by donating here.

A View from London on the Occupy Movement

Here are two responses given by Rev. Dr. Chris Brittain of the University of Aberdeen in relation to the Occupy London movement and recent events regarding the actions of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  The first is in response to the Cathedral’s decision to have the protesters removed.  The second regards the comments made by the former archbishop.

It is one of those rare occasions that leaders in the contemporary church long for: to be at the heart of the action. In a society with little interest in organised Christianity, suddenly St Paul’s cathedral finds itself at the epicentre of the Occupy London movement (St Paul’s may seek injunction to move activists, 24 October). Rather than serving as a museum to the past, it has become a site of public contestation. Initially, the church demonstrated a hospitality that intrigued activists. Impressed after hearing a priest offer prayers for both the protesters and the police, one young man said: “It has changed my idea positively of the Church of England.”

On Sunday, however, the cathedral shut its doors, using the meagre excuse of “health and safety concerns”. Today the church has admitted that its main worry is lost tourist revenues. Such a stance will only confirm what many outsiders already think about the church. Influence and relevance in the wider society do not come without some inconvenience. It is a pity that the cathedral is unwilling to get its hands dirty. As an Anglican, I hope St Paul’s doesn’t completely squander this chance to make a real witness to its faith while it is in the public eye. Does suing young and unemployed protesters really model the call to love one’s neighbour?
Rev Christopher Craig Brittain
Aberdeen

George Carey’s entry into the controversy over the closing of St. Paul’s Cathedral (The Telegraph 28 Oct) may aim to articulate a ‘balanced’ approach to the issue, but there is nothing reassuring about balanced cynicism. After helpfully acknowledging that the Cathedral has not handled the situation with Occupy LSX well, he then proceeds to accept the un-informed view that the occupiers are ‘spoilt middle class’ young people who were rude enough not to leave when St. Paul’s asked them nicely. The former Archbishop then sits back and scolds everyone involved, calling the situation a ‘parable’ that illustrates the brokenness of British society. In the New Testament, parables are open-ended stories that challenge listeners to see the world in a new way. Carey’s perspective does nothing of the sort, but only repeats cynical stereotypes that reveal that he is not well informed. Bertolt Brecht once told a parable of his own: ‘When crime is committed, just as the rain fails, no one cries Halt’. What the Occupy LSX are trying to do is to at least cry ‘Halt’ against the many social ills that plague contemporary society. This hopeful gesture is a far more useful contribution that the former Archbishop’s cynical despair.

Occupy Atlanta, the Mayor, and the Clergy

Last Friday I was speaking at an event on hunger in Atlanta. Also at that event was the Director of Human Resources for the city of Atlanta. Her name is Mitzi and she is basically in charge of distributing federal funds to agencies that work with the homeless. We engaged in conversation about, what appeared like, the immanent closing of the largest shelter in Atlanta located in the community where we do our main work. The shelter is currently housing over 500 men and that number is growing as the night temperatures begin to fall. At the height of the winter they will house nearly 1,000 men.

A bit of back story might be helpful here: In brief, the shelter has been under constant siege for over the past decade from business organizations, government agencies, etc. These antagonists are against the shelter for many reasons including its location on prime real estate, the omnipresence of the homeless in this prime area, the perceived lack of good management, different philosophies of service, etc. All the homeless agencies and individuals that work in these agencies that I speak with directly see the essential need for the shelter, but refrain from speaking out on their behalf. I suspect because they are afraid of being targeted as well. Another long story short, a judge, at this point in the story, had ordered the eviction of the shelter. The leadership of the shelter, many friends of the shelter (including Occupy Atlanta), and some of the homeless who live there had no intentions of following that order.

Mitzi and I, and others, had a very interesting conversation. She let us know that it is not the city that will be closing the shelter, rather it will be the court at the hands of their marshals. But it must be pointed out that the city has been granted the power to shut the shelter down at the end of the month of they so choose. In this conversation she assured me that the Mayor had no intention of using said power. Nonetheless, the city does have an interest in caring for these men if the shelter is closed down by the court. You could tell the urgency and feeling of helplessness that Mitzi was reflecting. The city has a general plan (though insufficient for the need) in place but it depends on the cooperation of the men and the leadership of the shelter; neither of which they can count on. At the end of the conversation Mitzi invited me to come on Monday to speak with her and the Mayor about the issue, hoping that I could share some of my insight from the street level. I was glad to oblige.

At 2:30pm I would meet with Mitzi, then at 3pm we would meet with the Mayor together. Over the weekend I spent time on the streets talking with my friends about what they were hearing and thinking. I met with Anita, the executive director of the shelter, to hear from her what was going on and what might be done to avert a show down. We had a very constructive conversation. In the meantime the judge rescinded his order to evict for a time likely until he can get the legal argument in order. (His order was likely to be overturned if he had not rescinded.) Since the closing of the shelter had simply been postponed I still thought it extremely important to meet in order to help avert this inevitable show down.

On Monday I met Mitzi in the lobby of City Hall and we walked up to the board room in the Mayors section of the building. She informed me on the walk that she was not sure who all was going to be there or what the agenda was going to be. I was confused. I asked who else was going to be there. She did not know for sure, but thought that Bernice King was going to show up (Bernice is the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) I wasn’t sure what Ms. King new about the homeless problem but I was ready to advise the Mayor on what was happening on the streets and how he could help the homeless and avoid a world of trouble.

When we entered the conference room there was an impressive spread of food and refreshments. Two other pastors I had never met were already there. Soon more and more clergy showed up. All in all around 20 or so pastors were there. I knew two. This meant that something wasn’t quite right because I knew that most of these folks did not work on the streets. It also meant that it was unlikely we would have any kind of serious conversation.

Finally the time came for us to meet with the Mayor. We were all ushered into another room and seated in a large circle. The Mayor entered, greeted everyone, and then began the meeting. He informed us that we were meeting about Occupy Atlanta. It appeared to me that everyone there already knew this, but it was news to me. He told us that he had gathered us together because he was about to start a new course of action and wanted to get our feedback. I thought it a bit strange that he gathered this group together to talk about this subject, but there we were.

He told us that up to this point he had been tolerant of the movement. In deference to the rich tradition in Atlanta of non-violent protest he felt that he would allow them to protest without disruption as long as they stayed within the “Kingian” parameters of non-violent protest. He also claimed that he was sympathetic to their cause. Mayor Reed had issued an executive order that allowed the protestors to remain in the park after hours. He then informed us that they had crossed the “Kingian” line and promised to escalate their actions even more to garner attention. He shared with us a few incidents that happened over the weekend that he found unacceptable. (As a side note, it is worth pointing out that these incidents were widely reported on in the news including how the Mayor had tried to meet with them in his mobile command unit where he seemed to at least nearly lose his temper. The stories were not flattering to the Mayor.) These incidents included promoting a hip-hop concert in the park without permit or security plan while falsely advertising acts that would be there to perform, but in actuality were never slated. (The Mayor claims Occupy Atlanta said the acts would be there, Occupy Atlanta claims they just said they would be honored there. I think the concert’s add was at least misleading.) Other incidents were occupying an upscale mall, using a generator the fire chief determined a fire hazard, and shouting down the Mayor’s spokesperson. According to the Mayor, because of these incidents and the promise of escalation, he was going to change course.

His plan is simple. He will rescind his executive order that made it legal for them to stay in the park after hours, but not before a contingent of clergy go to the park and try to negotiate with the leaders. When the order to vacate the park comes male police officers will then arrest males, and females will arrest the females.

After presenting this to the group those gathered were given the opportunity to comment. Because of the large number gathered this took the form of going around the circle and if your hand was raised you got to give your two cents. This was not a time for discussion, rather simply a time to share abbreviated thoughts. Most, but not all shared something. There were many in the room that were in support of the Occupy movement, but who were also sympathetic to the pressures and issues the Mayor was considering, especially given the way the Mayor couched the current situation. There were some others in the room that may not have explicitly stated their opposition to Occupy Atlanta, but their comments or suggestions betrayed their position.

One veteran of the Civil Rights movement stated emphatically that he was supportive of the Occupy Atlanta group and needed more assurances from the Mayor that this was absolutely in the best interest of the common good before he felt comfortable with the idea. Another pastor suggested that any negotiations be public and transparent.

My concerns that I communicated to the Mayor were threefold: First, I told him that I didn’t think the clearing of the park would go as easily as he suggested. Not due to a violent reaction, but simply because that is the nature of a large police action. Second, I asked what the plan would be after they cleared the park. There was no way that clearing the park was ending the movement and thus not the end of police involvement. And third, which I felt was most important, I asked how this related to the shelter since there is now no daylight between the shelter and the Occupy Atlanta movement. I was curious if this was also an opportunity for him to try and defang a situation before it could begin. In other words, I was wondering if now he would move to close the shelter. There was no response, which I was not surprised about. He had not been responding to most others either. He was just listening and taking it in. But what I was surprised about was that no one else even once mentioned the shelter or reiterated my concern. This was a clear indication that those gathered did not fully comprehend the implications and scope of what they were being presented.

Perhaps the most anticipated voice was that of Bernice King. She waited until everyone was given the chance to speak, then she gave a thoughtful and measured response. She said that if we were going to be talking about Kingian non-violence then it may be helpful to be reminded of what those principles were. She rehearsed them for us, then, among other comments, stated that if there was to be a negotiation then perhaps it is wise that those who have already determined what should happen should not be involved. This way the negotiations could be undertaken in good faith. I thought this was helpful in at least pointing out that there should actually be a negotiation and that a decision should be made after they have been given a fair chance to come to terms. My concern was that Kingian non-violence is not intended to be a tool of the powerful, but rather of the weak. I’m not sure the state can ever be agents of non-violence against those who call the status-quo and the powers themselves into question.

After everyone had been heard a note pad was sent around the room for those who were willing to be part of the negotiation team to give their contact information. I let it pass me by. I first of all believed that there could be no honest negotiation. The dye had been cast. Second, I had no intention of being an agent of the state, dressed up in clergy garb, to stand against the outcry of the poor. It doesn’t matter how I feel about the movement itself.  Besides, the Occupy Atlanta group exists to not negotiate, at least not in the way or with the people the Mayor suggested. They exist to highlight injustice and the collusion of the powerful against the interests of the poor and the common good. Although I’ve not heard this articulated, greed and indifference are just as damaging to those who practice them as those who are their victims: judgment brings repentance and healing.

At this point the Mayor informed us that there would be a press conference and he would like those who were present and willing to stand with him when he made the announcement about rescinding his order. When asked when the press conference would be he informed us that it would be right now, there was already a cadre of cameras ready. As we were preparing to exit I huddled with a few of my colleagues who work closely with our friends on the street. We felt this had all been stagecraft.

The police chief and fire chief joined for the press conference. The clergy followed behind the Mayor. The Mayor gave his already prepared remarks.

When I left the building I called Mitzi. She didn’t answer but later returned my call. I told her that this was not why I was there and that it all seemed like a P.R. stunt. I also informed her that if she ever wanted to talk about the shelter I would be willing to help find an agreeable outcome. She said she would call me soon.

A Day at the Park

Central to our mission is breaking down the dividing walls between persons, cultivating friendship with those the world ignores, and fostering dignity in the dehumanized.  We do this by sharing, praying, advising, listening, teaching and providing spiritual care.  But we also do this by playing together.  Sometimes we play chess or checkers, other times we kick the soccer ball around or throw the frisbee.  This week the director of our Retreat program, Gary, decided it was time to break out of the everyday routine and spend a day of play at Six Flags.  He gathered together several of the folks who regularly volunteer and attend our ministries along with our intern team and provided a much needed break – a time to rest, laugh and enjoy one another away from the chaos and stresses of street life.  Despite the record heat, all participants had a great time together enjoying one another as friends and fellow roller coaster riders.  Some might complain that the time and resources spent on Six Flags could have been better spent on programs that feed the homeless.  Well…maybe.  But maybe it’s worth providing an opportunity for those who often feel less than human the chance to just be human – not to be homeless, or poor, or judged for just a few hours.  Maybe it’s worth seeing someone delight in the rush of the Dare Devil Dive who just a few months ago couldn’t imagine past their next hit of crack.  Maybe laughing, playing and feeling “normal” is priceless.  I think so.  You can bet we’re not going to Six Flags every week.  But every so often if you happen to be standing in line at The Georgia Schorcher with your friends take a look around.  Maybe you’ll see us there with our friends.    In Service to the Vulnerable, Pastor Andy

If you would like to help support our work on the streets (or in the amusement park) with the least of our brothers and sisters you can do so by donating online safely and quickly.

Our Friend Steven

Sharing in one another’s sufferings is central to being a community.  There is plenty of opportunity for this sort of sharing.  So this makes it all the more important to also share in one another’s joy - to celebrate together.  Recently one of the members of our community, Steven, who had initially resisted the kind of community we participate in, gave in to the relentless pursuit of God.  One of Church on the Street’s missionaries, Gary, was there to love him and gently show him what this pursuing God desired of him and wanted to see in him.  Steven’s life will never be the same.  Here is a letter Steven wrote to Gary from rehab in response…

Wanted to sit down and openly express myself. At first, I wanted to thank you. But then, I question myself. How did I become to know you? I was lost, on drugs, and spiritually broken. Not knowing my way around Atlanta and would have never imagine eating lunch at a church as you have provided.

Thank God, that I was hungry. I now know why.

He brought me to you knowing that you would help bring me back home to him.

You pursued, and I procrastinated in every form there is known to man. Today, I thank God for putting you in my life and my recovery. Now would like to thank you!! Gary, may God work threw you to continue reaching people as myself. Thank you my brother in Christ.

Today we celebrate with Steven and thank God for his life.  We thank God that He has allowed us, and especially Gary, to play a part in Steven’s story.

Thanking you for your prayers

Through various Facebookposts over the past few months we have mentioned and requested prayer for JB.  Thanks to your prayers, we eventually reconnected him with his family and got him a place in a rehab facility.  This past Friday night I was talking with a friend about how JB’s initial 30 days should be nearly completed and that meant he would be allowed to leave the facility.  I commented that if he didn’t show up at Retreat from the Street in the next few days I was going to find him.

Saturday morning, Pastor Andy and I were preparing for Saturday on the Streets with a couple of our volunteers when JB walked in the door beaming from ear to ear.  He told us how well he was doing, that God had worked miracles in reconciling family relationships, how stable he was in his sobriety and how much time he was spending in group and personal Bible study.  He had his Bible with him and showed me composition books full of personal notes from his studies.  He joined us for Saturday on the Streets and really displayed the heart of a servant by serving coffee and snacks to our friends.  But most striking was his impact on several people he knew on the streets and their reaction to his sobriety.  He was very quick to step to the side with some of them to share about the grace of God in his life, encouraging them to look to the Father for transformation.

He came to church with me Sunday and has shown up at Retreat from the Street both Monday and Tuesday (today).  He is finally free from probation and is going back to complete his schooling at a local technical college.  He seems to be truly centered in his faith.

As part of his recovery program he wrote a letter which I am reprinting in its original form with his permission.  May the Lord bless your heart as much as He has ours through JB’s reconciliation, recovery and his love for God and those on the street that are still struggling with bondage.  

Dear Cocaine,

When I first met you I thought you were a recreational drug. So, then I decided to get to know you better. What I think I liked about you was, that you were there through the good times and the bad. But, then the more I got to know you things changed. Not just you had changed but me also. My addiction for you started causing me pain and suffering. You remember when we hook-up at 10:00 o’clock that evening and partyed all night and I told you I had to be at work first thing in the morning and you had other plans. So, I agreed and missed work and got fired. And, as a result I couldn’t pay my rent and got evicted. But, I didn’t turn my back on you. I gave you another chance. Do you know my sick love for you caused me financial problems, legal issues, and family pressured me to stop seeing you. So, I am writing this letter to say it’s over. You have been destructive to me and my well being. I wished I never met you. But, today through the faith I have in Jesus Christ, I hope you will never destroy another persons life ever again.

JB

To all of you who have prayed with us for him and the many others, we give you these updates so that you can see the result of your labor and to encourage you to give all the more diligence in continuing to lift us all up both now and forever, Amen.

God has called His people to love our neighbor as ourselves and this from the very beginning. Help us help those most vulnerable and least loved of all God’s highest portion of His creation. We all, as sheep, have gone astray. Help (nay cause us) Lord Jesus to walk in your love, Amen.

When loving others becomes infectious.

Keith has 1 year clean and God led him to Retreat from the Street to fulfill one of his final steps in his recovery. The court and his program required him to perform some community service hours to complete his journey. When we met he was unsure (as many are) how to enter into our simple form of ministry. It took a couple of days before he was comfortable forming relationships, but since he started he has been blessed and a blessing. This morning he told me how he had decided to throw a bar-b-que this past Saturday at his recovery center. He has been working for several months now and said that the few dollars he saved up and subsequently spent on the food (grill and supplies were already available) had made an incalculable impact. His supprise was not so much how it affected those he was reaching out to, but how it altered his own thoughts about loving others. Though he may not have begun that Saturday thinking about loving others, the end of any act of outreach often results in a deeper introspective view of God and his creation. 

Today when he arrived we spoke about the weekend and what he could do at Retreat. I told him what I always do: make a friend and let his sobriety and faith be an inspiration to them.

Enter Marcus.  Several days ago he found his way to Retreat. A quiet, somewhat humble guy that tended to stay to himself. I hadn’t had much time to get to know him well but he was paying attention to what was going on.

This morning he took me off to the side and started to tell me a story I am starting to hear with more frequency. “I just can’t do this any more,” he said.  “I don’t know what to do or where to start.” It turns out he just got out of jail after serving several months and returning to the streets he has fallen back into addiction with no family or friends willing to take him in. He stated how thankful he was for a place like ours that doesn’t push or judge. A quiet place to clear his head and consider the course of his life. 

I called Keith outside and introduced them. I told Keith that I was too busy dealing with the rest of the crowd and that the only program I had faith in didn’t have any beds available. Asking for his help finding Marcus a good program he happily jumped in and by lunch time had called (and even went to) one of the programs he trusted. They came to me and said they were leaving to get Marcus settled in. Something made me ask them to wait ’till after lunch so we could first eat together and they agreed.

Here comes Steve.  About 4 weeks ago Steve entered a program. Well it didn’t work out according to plan. The program closed their doors his 2nd week there and threw everyone out.  By now you know the story, 1 or 2 days back on the street and he started using again. We were always supportive and never judged him for it. [I know these problems first hand and the more someone pushed the more I rebelled]. The question was simply “When?”  “When will you be ready again?  Because when you are, you know where I am, right?”  ”Right,” he would say.

As we were serving lunch he appeared in the line and just looked at me and said “Gary, I’m ready”. “Really? Are you ready today? Right now?”  He said he was and I told him to finish his lunch and grab his stuff.

After lunch the 4 of us walked outside and loaded Marcus and Steve into Keith’s car. I continued to encourge them and sent them off.  The truth of the matter is that I was the one most blessed.  I told them both to keep in touch and let us know how God is working in their lives.

Our work in this ministry is one of love – our love for the God of creation working itself out through loving others.  But the greater story is when others acting out of their own brokeness begin to reach out and love each other. This is the truest expression of community.    

This is the living mission statement of Church on the Street practically expressed through Retreat from the Street. These stories are not exclusive to our ministry so please post your stories on our wall at facebook.com/churchonthestreet and join us in this labor of love.

God is Good

What’s Going On?

The following are highlights (recorded on facebook over the past month) of how God is transforming the lives of the least of our brothers and sisters…

 (Note: Church on the Street is not in the direct business of social services, we are in the business of reconciliation.  Thus, what God is doing in our friend’s lives has little to do with our efforts.)

About a month with us was all it took for DJ to desire to return to S. Georgia to be with his family. He has been a stalwart in this community and we are very thankful for his participation. We are making the arrangements for him to leave this Tuesday morning for a 10hr bus trip. Another one of those for whom you have prayed. So many lives have truly been affected through these efforts. To God be the glory!

And AGAIN- one of the regulars “King” just said that he wants to enter a program and we are working on his info and intake process now. He has a favorite that we are trying to get him into so pray for bed availability today. Thank you all for your prayers and if you are so led please contribute to this cause. God is in it. Won’t you be too?

Prayer request- yesterday one of the IR-regulars showed up named Eric. I asked where he had been and he said he doesn’t come when he’s on his “MISSION” but comes when he wants to sit and think. He said he’s tired and ready to enter a program and wants our help. Eze. 11:19

Praise, praise- Matthew came by yesterday afternoon with very high spirits. He had worked through some issues so we called the program again they told him to come in. I saw him again this morning and he was beaming from ear to ear stating that he has been accepted and was only out today for an appointment but is in the stabilization program. Hallelujah!!!

New faces- as several of our friends have chosen to better their lives and entered rehab programs or transitional housing new friends are coming. God is always in front of our efforts not responding to them as if seeing the trend and acting on it (Eph. 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.). It HAS been done.

End of a good week – after much hassle over 2 weeks JB is finally doing his intake now. These things are never as easy as some would suppose. Through our eyes you may be seeing the homeless lifestyle a little clearer and understanding that “Get a job” or “Seek treatment” are very easy for us to say but much more difficult for them to do. It really requires God’s loving hand.

Good morning all. An angel of the Lord just picked up Matthew and Elworth and is taking them to a drug program right now. Remember their names and wash them in your prayers. (James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”)

God certainly gives us opportunity to enter into relationships when we are available and willing. Taking time to hear someone’s troubles and speaking grace into their situation can often times be all that is needed. Love takes on many forms. When we position ourselves in His Love then that love will flow out of us toward others. Abide in His love…

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Try to take notice of the vulnerable, lonely and hurting around you.  If you are able, give them your loving attention. If you’re unable to serve them, then help us to serve them.  Every donation makes a difference.

Does what we say really matter?

There was no healing at the pool of Bethesda until one was willing to step into the TROUBLED water (John 5:1-9). This morning DJ was very troubled and came in to Retreat like a tornado. I stepped directly into his trouble, spoke with him briefly then walked away.  After a few minutes he came back and apologized for his behavior.  He said that something we had talked about in Bible Study came to mind and he was sorry for acting that way. In our study we had talked about treating others as better than ourselves and forgiving others their trespasses as we are forgiven ours. He told me that he is more ready than ever to leave the streets and get back to his family and the life he once had.  And with that on his mind we made a plan.  After clearing up some issue with the court on Monday he will be leaving Atlanta to begin reconciling with his family. Thank you Lord for Your Word which is true and powerful in the changing of lives, Amen.

How hard are the streets – REALLY?

Yesterday I reported on Matthew and Elworth and their journey into recovery.  Today I have some more info…

While both qualified and were accepted into the program no beds were available for them to stay.  This is the reality for those who most desire to change.  Both have been to college, both held good jobs at one time but both fell into  addictive behaviors and suffered dire consequences. Brokenness is the end result of the fall of the first man “Adam” but thanks be to God that reconciliation and redemption are achievable through faith in the second man ”Jesus”.  Through the events of yesterday Elworth was forced to call his family and by grace he was accepted back home while he waits for a bed in the program (hopefully Monday). Matthew was received into a short-term emergency shelter while he waits for his place.

I had a chance to speak with Elworth a length yesterday afternoon and I told him that God’s forgiveness is never far away for those who seek his face and there is no end thereof (Matthew 11). I said that we are often allowed to go through things of our own accord but that the believer should come out the other side with a heart of thanksgiving and use their testimony of deliverance to glorify God through speaking that same grace and living truth into the lives of those that God brings into our path.  That’s when things got interesting, first he set back and looked at me with watery eyes and said, “You are truly here for a reason and those are the words I needed to hear.”  He proceeded to tell me how when he was younger he was heavily involved in ministry work and even was a missionary in China for a year. {Who are these fallen children of God??? People we would normally walk by giving no thought to them as human beings, created in the image of God and loved most deeply by HIm}. I don’t even know who directed him to this door but I DO KNOW that God’s hands were all over him.  The humility and tears of brokenness are really a beautiful thing to me (Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.) True repentance and confession of sin are brought fully to bear when we are shown the depth of our sin and this only happens when the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. I am so thankful to have been a part God’s work in his life.

Matthew, through teary eyes, also  revealed some things to me, but being of a more confidential nature I don’t feel the freedom to repeat them here.  But know that he confesses a belief in Christ Jesus and shows the signs of it in broken tears and contrite humility. 

These are by no means my works but Christ has called and equipped the foolish ones of this world to be light and salt in a dark and unsavory generation. These are the reasons that I say continuously that simply being willing and available to love when no one else will, to touch and hug and cry, to speak softly and gently, to believe that God wants to use you in these situations, to be the very source of God’s grace to those that are hurting, lost, lonely, dirty, smelly, unkind in return, judging yet not judged by us that our kindness will be unto them as if God were standing in our place. For it was the longsuffering and loving kindness of God toward us that brought us to that most precious fountain of life and he will do it over and over through us.

These are the greatest miracles. The redemption of the lost through us – these jars of clay.  Refining as silver and gold these unrefinable rocks of His glory.

“Pray without ceasing” is the admonition of 1 Thessalonians 5:17; pray for yourself first (John 17) that God will wash away your sin and remember it no more, that He will hear your prayers and answer them with a yes, that He will give YOU opportunity to share the gospel message with someone today.  Then pray for those who are most likely to be in harm’s way on the streets and that God will use these events in their lives to bring about a greater glory for Himself.  Finally, pray for us, as we work in His fields that it be not for our own vainglory but that Jesus will be exalted in us and through us in every circumstance.

Be of good courage, fear not, God is with thee. You don’t need to be a theologian or a pastor or even have a great command of scripture to play a role in God’s greater scheme.

Be available and willing.

By His grace ,

Amen