stories: Dallas Homeless
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
This story was submitted by Lionel, one of my readers, who blogs at “The Gospel in 3-D“.
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On the Saturday before Christmas a group of independent believers decided they wanted to find a unique way to share the love of Christ with the homeless. But it actually started way before then. I got the idea by praying for a creative way to serve the community abroad. As I was walking through the mall the Spirit gave me a clear revelation. Steve and Barrys was having a going out of business sale where their shoes and coats would be 40-60% off. The store has really good quality clothing at a really low price so I thought “why not buy a bunch of clothes and coats and take them down to the homeless”. Well I decided to talk to a few friends of mine and a couple of them were interested.
My brother Ced decided to forward to the pastor of a house church he has been attending and they took the idea even further. They added water, sandwiches, fresh fruit and also decided to buy even more clothes, coats, and shoes. This was a blessing indeed since I really didn’t want to go there alone and due to the fact that the Lord impressed upon my heart to ask others in order to give them an opportunity to serve. Well I decided from there to post the outreach on my blog www.blackandreformedministries.com [Lionel has since started blogging at www.gospelin3d.com] and I found that a sister named Javetta who visited the blog was actually in the area and wanted to do what she could do. Javetta who blogs at regeneratedmusings.blogspot.com decided to bring some shirts and socks.
Well we started out over Brian’s house, they were making sandwiches, fellowshipping, and getting ready for the outreach. It was nice to meet other believers. Not worrying about doctrinal stuff, not talking theology, but living out theology in the way that Christ did. As we finished up and the kids came down, we noticed one problem. We really didn’t know any direct place to go. So we set out to one location, talked to a few people and ended up at a docking station. There we found hundreds of homeless men and women and all type of people from all walks of life. It was fun to laugh with them, share with them, and not try to proselytize them. No “how to get out of hell today” cards, just loving talking about Jesus and when the opportunity arose, sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus.
At the end this was a success! Not because the media was there, not because our church had checked off one more thing on the list, not because there was some program. It was a success because we only wanted to do what Jesus wanted us to. Quite a few people were excited and gave us hugs and “God bless”‘s.
I did want to highlight something. We ran out of shoes early and there was a woman in her mid 40’s or so who had on a new pair of industrial work shoes/boots, but they looked rather small for her stature. Well after talking with her for awhile she shared her disappointment about her inability to retain a pair of shoes. She said someone had given her the ones she had on but they were about a size or so too small. Our sister Javetta kindly and without a second thought, took her designer boots (not designer as in 100’s of dollars but very stylish and hip) and gave them too her. She told us a story about how she searched for those boots a couple of months and had finally found the right size, but that she was listening to a song about how God gave away what cost Him and decided that she wanted to be like God. Wow!
Well we won’t stop there. This month we will partner up with my good friend Shannon Neffendorf who owns and operates www.oakcliffcoffee.com . We will go out the next time to share some coffee and the love of Christ. We want to trust the Spirit to give us creative ways to minister to people. I don’t know what we will be doing in February. Maybe giving some roses or something like. Just want to love folks as Jesus commanded us.
There is one thing I learned. That is, we love people in spite of the responses we get back. I remember a place in Luke where Jesus heals 10 blind men. Of the 10 only one returns and Jesus asks “where are the others”. Jesus being fully divine knew and understood before He ever healed them that they wouldn’t thank Him. That they would celebrate their gift of eyesight and ignore the gift giver. However, that did not hinder Jesus from loving them by healing them. And even though many people never told Jesus “thank you” and many who were healed by Him maybe yelled “crucify Him”, his love was the determining factor not others’ response. And that is where I am today. Regardless of the appreciation, regardless of the praise or the pats on the back, I want to serve others as my Master would serve them. The entire work of redemption is a work of service on undeserving creatures – myself included – and Jesus boasts “the son of man did not come to be served but to serve”. This is not conditioned on human response but flows for His love for humanity.
stories: The kind of friends we all need
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
Last month, my father-in-law had quadruple bypass surgery. As you can imagine, this was a tense time for our family.
While he was in surgery and we were all in the waiting room, several friends of my in-laws joined us. One set of visitors surprised us. I’ll call them Mr. and Mrs. B. Since we lived in the same city as my in-laws until about 10 years ago, I know this family, but I didn’t know they were good friends with my in-laws.
They sat in the waiting room with us during the surgery, and rejoiced with us when we heard that the surgery went well. They didn’t just sit quietly though; they struck up conversations with many of the family members, both with those they knew (like us) and with family member that they had never met before.
After surgery, when they were leaving the hospital, I heard Mrs. B say that she was going to work at the local crisis center that afternoon. The crisis center provides food and clothing to families that are in need. The food and clothing are provided by people from the various churches in the county, and are distributed by volunteers to people who come by the center. So, besides giving up their morning spending time comforting our family, they were giving up their afternoon serving others in need – mostly people that they did not know.
At dinner that night, I asked my mother-in-law about this family. I said, “I didn’t realize you were good friends with Mr. and Mrs. B.” She said, “We’re not. We’re in the same Sunday School class with them, but we don’t do anything else with them.”
Then, my mother-in-law said the following: “But, that’s just the way they are. They are always the first people to visit whenever someone is in the hospital. When Frank (my father-in-law) was taking chemo treatments for his prostate cancer, they were the only ones who brought us food. We didn’t ask for it; they just brought it on their own.”
I said something like, “Well, those are the kind of friends we all need.” And, its true! Not only that, but that’s the kind of friend we all need to be to others.
Mr. and Mrs. B do not wait for others to ask for help before they being serving. And, they do not only serve those with whom they are close friends. When they see a need, they meet that need if its in their ability. They are willing to give up time and resources for people that they do not know, and who cannot pay them back or serve them back.
By the way, this family is part of a very traditional church organization. They have probably never heard the word “missional”. But, they know how to share their lives with others, both within the structure of the church organization and outside that structure.
This is a great demonstration of love – the love of Christ! This is an example that we can all follow, regardless of our giftedness, talents, resources, or lack thereof. God loved us by giving. We can only respond to his love by giving of ourselves to others.
stories: the Trash People
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
This story was submitted by Sam, one of my readers. I’ve chosen this “story” as the winner of the contest that I ran during the last month (see “A Contest: Examples of Serving“).
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In November I heard Dino Rizzo speak in a workshop at the National Outreach Convention in San Diego. Dino talked about ways to serve the community. He said that if he were new in a city he would buy some garbage bags and volunteer at a community event to help do cleanup. If there was no community event, he said he would just go up and down the streets in his neighborhood and pick up trash.
I told this story to our little group that is trying to learn how to serve an inner city neighborhood in our city. We decided that we should try it the following Sunday morning, the second Sunday in December, and then do it every other Sunday morning. Our first Sunday out was a cold, windy day, but we met, prayed and then picked up trash in the neighborhood for about eighty to ninety minutes.
We skipped the fourth Sunday in December, since everyone in the group was out of town or occupied with visiting relatives. However, we resumed our trash pickup last Sunday, the second Sunday of January.
We met, prayed and started picking up trash. About two minutes after I started a car pulled up near me.
(Him) “What are you doing?”
(Me) “We’re picking up trash to make the neighborhood look nice”.
(Him) “Who are you people?”
(Me, while pointing to the yellow shirts we all wore that has our group’s name printed on it) “We’re a little group of Christians just trying to help out the neighborhood.”
(Him) “What church are you with?”
(Me) “We’re just a small group that meets here in the neighborhood.”
(Him) “I mean, where’s your church? The building?”
(Me) “We meet in cafes or the park. We don’t use a church building. We try to be out around people.”
(Him) “But are you part of some church, like the Catholic church, or something like that?”
(Me) “No. We’re just followers of Jesus, and every other Sunday morning this is how we do church. We go out in the neighborhood and pick up trash.”
Suddenly I was his good friend.
(Him) “My name is xxxxxxxx. I’m on the planning commission here, and I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m church way back, but I don’t go any more. (He gave me some reasons. He doesn’t think much of “religious people”.) Now this is real religion.”
He told me about the dislike the churches in the neighborhood and the people in the neighborhood have for each other, a story that I have heard several times from the neighborhood. (Most of the churches in the area are attended by people who drive into the neighborhood. The churches and their neighbors regularly complain to the city, the police and whomever will listen about each other.)
As we continued picking up trash, people watched. When cars drove by, I looked up. Several people smiled and waved. Some people came out of their houses and thanked us, after watching us from their windows. When we reached the end of our time, and turned around to go back to our cars, picking up a few bits of trash that we had missed on the first pass, more people came out of their houses and thanked us.
Several weeks earlier I walked these same streets trying to see what I could see, and prayed for the neighborhood. No one stopped to talk to me. No one smiled and waved as they drove by. No one came out of their house to talk to me. A couple of gang members asked me for money. That was it.
Oh yes, we do not hand out tracts or invite people to church. We’re just getting to know them and they’re getting to know us. They’re trying to figure out who we are. When they’ve got that figured out, perhaps, just perhaps, they’ll invite us into the spaces of their lives. That is where we will be allowed to hear each others stories. But for now, they’re just smiling, waving, coming out of their spaces to say hello or thank you or to ask who we are and what we’re doing.
After writing this, I thought about a group that is trying to start a new church. Twice they have walked through our neighborhood, hanging invitations to the new church on people’s doors. I watched them. No one smiled and waved at them as they drove by, no one stopped to talk to them, and no one came out of their house to talk to them. After the group had passed, I did see people open their doors to get the flyers, look at them a second or two and toss them in the trash. Hmmm!
Contest Winner!
I received several very good stories from readers for my contest. (see my post “A Contest: Examples of Serving“) I plan to publish all of those stories on Wednesdays in my weekly series called “stories”. I’ll intersperse the stories of my readers with some stories of my own.
I appreciate everyone’s contest entry. I think that each of the stories gives examples of brothers and sisters in Christ seeking to demonstrate the love of Christ to their communities – especially to “the least” of their communities. I think these stories will be encouraging and challenging examples for all of my readers.
But, who won the contest? I know that everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting for this announcement.
I chose the story of S.C.R. which he called “The Trash People” as the contest winner. Congratulations! Originally, I said that I would publish the winning story today, but that was before I decided to publish my “stories” series on Wednesdays. So, I will publish S.C.R.’s story on Wednesday.
And, for winning this contest, I’ll be sending S.C.R. a copy of John Perkins’ book Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development.
stories: 20 years with a missional wife
This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)
Since today is my twentieth wedding anniversary, I thought I would start my “stories” series by talking about my wife. (Yes, I know that its hard to believe that someone would stay married to me for 20 years, but I promise that its true.)
I met Margaret when we were both 10 years old, so we’ve known each other for more than 30 years. In that time, I’ve never heard her use the term “missional”, not even recently when that word seems to be everywhere. But, I have learned more about missional living from her than from anyone else.
She has always been a caring person; the type of person that is deeply affected by other people’s circumstances and emotions. She truly rejoices when others rejoice and weeps when other weep. People notice this about her too, and people love to talk to her – to share their struggles with her.
Another reason that people like to talk to Margaret is that she is very accepting and not judgmental at all. In fact, she finds it easier to accept other people’s faults than to accept her own faults.
These two traits (empathy and acceptance) work together in Margaret to drive her to action. When someone tells her their problems, she wants to serve, comfort, and help. She cannot sit idly by while other people struggle alone. She wants to be part of their struggle. But, she goes beyond “wanting” to help; she actually helps people, giving of herself over and over again.
I’ve seen her comfort someone for hours. She’s made more meals for people than I can count. She’s taken care of people’s children and houses and pets when they could not do it for themselves. She’s given money to people in need – money that she had saved to buy something for herself.
Last fall, Margaret was talking with one of the elderly ladies who lives in government assisted housing development. The lady told Margaret that the housing authority does not rake their leaves. Within a week, Margaret had asked her friends to help her rake leaves. We raked leaves for 6 housing units.
Another time, Margaret was talking with one of the elderly ladies who had been sick. The lady said that she was resting so that she could wash her dishes, because she had not felt like washing them for a few days. Without asking or being asked, Margaret immediately went into the lady’s kitchen and washed her dishes.
These are not out of the ordinary occurrences. She does these kinds of things all the time.
Little things? Yes, these are little things. But, I believe that “missional living” is found more in the little things – the everyday things – the ordinary things – than in the great things. God has taught me how to care for people, how to love them, and how to serve them by watching and imitating Margaret.
I thank God for 20 years with my missional wife. I look forward to many more years.
(Update: I wrote this article several weeks ago. After I wrote it, Margaret’s father had heart problems and underwent bypass surgery. He’s doing well, but he will have a long recovery ahead of him. Margaret once again demonstrated that she’s a servant by staying with her parents for 2-3 weeks to help them through his recovery process. I miss her greatly, but I’m so proud of her decision to serve them.)
stories: A New Series
This post introduces a new series called “Stories”. This series will present the stories of people who are seeking to serve God and serve others in their lives. This could include acts of service that would seem “mundane” and also service that would seem “out of the ordinary”.
What is my goal with this series? First, I believe that teaching happens primarily through example. Yes, words are important for teaching. But, I believe that teaching with words should reinforce what we’re teaching through the way we live – the way we walk.
For example, consider what Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi:
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9 ESV)
He also told Timothy:
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings … (2 Timothy 3:10-11 ESV)
Notice that in each of these examples (and many, many more), Paul encouraged his readers to follow his teaching in word, but he also encouraged them to follow the example of his life. In fact, he often reminded his readers of his manner of life among them.
In the following passage especially Paul welds together the concepts of word and conduct:
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ESV)
So, first, sharing these stories is a method of teaching – a method that is sorely lacking in many churches today. We have replaced this holistic method of teaching and discipleship with a method that relies almost solely on words. In fact, many future leaders are taught not to get too close to the people they teach, making it impossible for them to teach with their conduct.
Second, sharing stories is a way of encouraging others toward love and good works. We see this especially in Hebrews 10:24 –
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works… (Hebrews 10:24 ESV)
This idea is present in many of the other passages above where Paul exhorts his readers to not only learn from his conduct, but to imitate his conduct.
So, these stories are given as a means of stirring us all up to love and good works – that is, provoking us to demonstrate the love of Christ through our good works. These are examples that we can follow in our own lives as God gives us the opportunity and the ability.
These “stories” will include my own stories and the stories of people that I know. Occasionally, I will share “stories” from other blogs or other sources. Similarly, I will share some of the stories that I’ve received and that I continue to receive through the contest that I’m running (see “A Contest: Examples of Serving“). So, if you haven’t done so yet, please email your stories to me – both for that contest and for my new series.
Hopefully, through this new series, we will teach one another and encourage one another to walk in a manner that is worthy of the gospel and worthy of our Master and Shepherd.