Friday morning Christmas in the Park

I am speechless and blessed....my best Christmas ever. Talk to you all soon...

Amazing Grace...

Last week, when it rained for the Friday Morning Church in the Park gathering, I ran over to the Rite-Aid on the corner to buy some charcoals. The charcoals we brought were soggy from the rain.
I couldn't find any bags, it being terribly out of season for barbecuing, so I asked the clerk. She searched the aisles with me and we found two bags at $10.99!!!!!!!!!!! a bag. Ouch! We both marveled at the price. Neither one of us had any authority to change it.
She just happened to be at the register when I checked out. Through our conversation I mentioned we were barbecuing at the park. She asked if we were the ones who fed the homeless on Fridays. I was amazed that she even knew about it but here is why she did:
One of the men we minister to, I will call him R., a young man who suffers with alcoholism, has been a regular customer there at the Rite Aid...he has befriended this checker. She explained to me that she feels sorry for him and buys him a beer once in a while. She knows she shouldn't but she doesn't want him to do something illegal to get a beer. She said that R. will always say to her, Ma'am, I am going to take this beer, go sit under a tree at the park, take out my Scriptures and read.
The checker is most fond of R. and we both got teary-eyed when she shared this.

Well! Yesterday, I got to the Park early. R. and a friend of his were walking by on their way to the gazebo. They stopped and we talked. It turns out that R. got his stuff stolen: a backpack with his Bible, his anti-seizure medicine, and a radio. He was heartbroken about the Bible and the medicine. I didn't know he had seizures. Another pastor in town, who gets R. to church on Sundays, filled R.'s prescription for him. R. said all was well now, this Pastor got him a Bible and some more medicine.
Here is this young man, so bound up by alcohol, robbed of medicine, and this is what he shared after I said I met his friend at the Rite Aid...
R. said that that lady is very nice to him and he always goes there to buy things when he has money. He said that one day last week this lady got to talking with R. and she shared that she was in trouble financially. Her job just wasn't paying the bills. She said that she spoke with her boss about getting an advance on her paycheck.R. Prayed for her and encouraged her to Trust the Lord. He prayed for her right there on the spot.
As he spoke, his face lit up as he explained that the checker just found out that she has many hours of overtime coming to her. She shared that with R. R. said the checker thanked him and he said, It ain't me lady, its the Lord who did this! He praised God and so did I and so did his friend as we stood there listening to him.
On another note, M. came today and when I saw her I could tell she wasn't feeling good. When I asked her what was wrong she could barely hear me. She has a huge infection raging in her ears and glands. She sat on the cold cement benches barely eating all bundled up and not herself. She had been to the emergency room and they gave her a prescription for antibiotics but she didn't have any money to get it filled. One of the others went to the drugstore with the prescription and got it filled for her.
When I left I stopped by her to say goodbye and we hugged and I prayed for her healing. AS I walked away I was overcome with sadness that she was out there so sick.
I know that I can't fix everything...I know there are limitations and it takes the whole Christian community to pitch in and snatch others away from destruction...I know that...but I cried for M. How do they get themselves so dysfunctional that they cannot even care for themselves and maintain the basics. What makes it easier for them to be sick in the cold and rain than to have bare minimums like food and shelter.
And then there is this thought: Do any of us realize that to God we look just like the R's and M's? That we look poor, wretched, blind, miserable, and naked to God, destitute and helpless without Him? We see a difference between us and them but without God we are just as decrepit.
Here is the joy of it, though: As we go, if we dare, if we are obedient to the call to get out there and share the love of God, and offer the hope that is the Gospel, if we do that, we do well. Some will never leave their lifestyle. That is not a measure of salvation. R. prayed for a lady with a job and her need was met. R is spreading the Gospel! If R can pray for people and he does, what the heck should we be doing????? Discussing the wrongs of the church? Asking questions for the pure sake of hearing our own intellectual savvy? I think not...
We think we have a corner on what church should be...again, I say, what will you do to be the church as God purposed it to be? How long will we all sit and ponder the theories and what-ifs of the Word before we realize there are people entering eternity with no knowledge of God or what He did for them. I challenge you all to get out there and do, not a random act of kindness, but an 'on-purpose, with purpose, gospel action to and for someone you meet....do it in the Name of Jesus...let's get movin', just go out and see what the Lord would have you do today for a lost soul.
Then, let's get back here and celebrate together over what the Lord has done out there. Don't miss it! Don't miss out on what you have been called to do. It ain't about us anymore...

Friday morning...

When I pulled up to the park this morning there were already 15 or so there. Some were laying under the trees, being real still, saving their energy. Others sat around and on a shaded table off to the side. There were only a couple under the gazebo. No one from my side was there yet so I didn't get out of my car.

I have a new car. Everything works; the air conditioning, the radio, the lights... I sat in my car with the engine running, the air on, and the doors locked. I figured it would be best to wait this way 'til someone came.

Those that were there already could see me but they didn't beckon me to get out of the car. They knew why I stayed there. It didn't make them feel bad though. They knew I was being careful for a reason. They agreed with my behavior.

Finally Jimmy and Pastor Dave came with the food. Those at the table and under the trees arose and met us. I was out of the car now. They came to help carry the food and drinks to the gazebo.

They always help. We feed them first and then we have church. They always stay
'til the end and then they help us get everything back to the car. We go our way in our air conditioned cars and they...well, they retreat back into the desert or to the library where they can sit in the coolness and pretend to read the newspapers. Mostly they wander around downtown til dark and then head back to camp.

They are the homeless ones. We are not. But once a week we meet and have church in the park.

Some would say we go and feed the homeless. To me, it is church in the park. Pastor shares the Word, sometimes we sing a song or two. The food is good...at least they always thank us for our trouble.

Many of our regulars were not there today. Some of them had pink slips of paper, tickets over $600.00 each for being homeless. Wednesday was July 4th, Independence day...so a lot of our regulars were not there, especially the women. We think they are in jail for the weekend.

But once a week, for a couple of hours, we have the same life, we and them. We sit together and eat and listen and pray.

Jimmy says they are all mostly left over cowboys with no cows...

It's the highlight of the week for me. I love going to Friday morning church in the park. It's real and good and full of Jesus.

Simple, church.