Just A Nobody

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This blog was started to share the journey of what God has called me to do, serve our friends whithout homes. A long the way it has also become part of my journey as well.

Monday, May 26, 2008

I Want To Have A Affair

I have been listening to some CD’s that a friend gave me. The person speaking used a term “Heart Affair with Jesus”. This stuck with me and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to know what the two words Heart and Affair were defined as. So, I pulled out my dust dictionary and looked these two words up.

They are defined as:

AFFAIR- a procedure or action; a romantic or passionate attachment of limited duration.

HEART- Acts as a force to pump blood and maintain circulation; the whole personality including intellectual as well as emotional functions or traits; one’s intermost character or part; vital center or driving force; essential or most vital part of something.

I looked at these definitions and thought, that’s what I want. I want a Heart Affair with Jesus. I want my personality, emotions, functions and traits to reflect Him. I want Him to be the most vital part of my life. The one who maintains and pumps life to the rest of my being. My driving force in life and my center were all life flows from. I want to have a passionate affair with my Jesus, the only difference is, I want this affair to last a lifetime.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

What God do you Serve?



I have been thinking of recent comments people have made to me and I want to ask what god do you serve? The Lord has laid it on my heart and has called me to serve those who have no homes. I do understand that we all have our own calling in life, something we have been called to do and are very passionate about. Just because my calling is not the same as yours, does not make these people any less in the eyes of God. Because I have a deep passion for the people I am trying to serve, I get very ticked off at some of the comments I hear from a hand full of my fellow Christians. Now, it is my turn and this is to that hand full.

When you tell me “bring them to church and then we will accept them” – I want to know why you will only accept them once they enter your doors and most of all why aren’t you out in the community accepting them right where they are? Where were you when you first encountered God?

When you tell me “ once you get them to church, we will change them” – What will you do clean them up, put a new pair of clothes on them and then send them out the door again. You can’t change them on your own. God through you can. If you show them the same love that the Lord has shown us then yes, hearts and lives will be changed. Don’t just change the outside to make them presentable to your congregation. Show your congregation how unconditional love can transform a person’s life. Show them God’s love.

When you tell me “ I don’t know how to deal with these people” – Well how do you deal with a new friend? You meet them, you talk to them, you care about them, you spend time with them and you show them they are loved.

The one comment that just gets my goat is “ I have no use for these people” – I won’t even comment on what goes through my mind when I hear that one. I wouldn’t be pretty.

I hear these comments and I am so grateful that we serve a God that did not accept us on the same basis that we accept those in our own lives. Jesus could have sat in a building waiting for people to come to him, but he chose to go to the people. Jesus could have chosen to wait until people changed to love them, but he loved them right were they were. Jesus didn’t say, “ I don’t know how to deal with these people,” he dealt with them with love. If the Lord had said, “ I have no use for these people. “ where would you and I be today? If he looked at all of our hurts and pains, flaws, mistakes and all the other baggage we came to Him with and said “I have no use for you,” we never would have experienced and continue to experience the love that changed our lives and continues to transform us. So, next time take a moment and see that person the way God sees him or her; you just may see a totally different person.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Palm Bay Fires




Monday, my son Shawn was speaking at a high school in Palm Bay, Florida and fire broke out. Thought I would share the pictures with you. Makes me thankful God was looking out for him.


Shawn said: I was surrounded by FIRE in Palm Bay, Florida. I was stuck in the middle of the worst. This is a bad picture because I took it with my cellphone. But this picture was taken just as everything started to explode in flames and everything went crazy.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Acceptance

I came across this going through some old papers last night. I don't know who said it, but wanted to share it.



"ACCEPTANCE"

"Accept him whose faith is weak...For God has accepted him" Romans 14:1-3.

People everywhere are crying out to be accepted on this basis, so that they need not live under the pressure of pretense trying to appear the person they know they are not, in the vain hope of being more acceptable to others.

To love and accept someone because, "they think the way I do" or they do something "exactly as I would have done it," is really accepting them for their likeness to oneself. In which case who am I really loving and accepting?

Secure relationships require our acceptance of each other, complete with our differences.

Monday, May 12, 2008

God In The Small Stuff

I headed to the park this Mother’s Day and what a beautiful day it was. The sun was shinning, it was warm and there was a nice breeze blowing. I was there to see my friends without homes, but there seemed to be more in the air, a feeling that there was going to be more to the day.

To my surprise and shock, when I arrived at the park a group that is always there, greeted me with very loud “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting. I was totally blown away. We exchanged hellos and hugs. They caught me up on what was going on and how their week was going. I then gathered my things and proceeded to make my way around the park.

I found a girl who I have been trying to talk to for a while. She always looks very sickly. She has been on her own from a very young age and is always hungry. I feel so sorry for her; the drugs and the streets have taken such a toll on this beautiful girl. Today though she had a light in her eyes and a smile on her face that brought joy to my heart. She is usually very timid and stands offish, but today she let her guard down and we enjoyed each other’s company, even if it was just for a little while.

Then there is Miss Shilo. A young teenage girl, who is angry at the world. She was crossing the park and I thought I would try again to talk to her. I always try and give her something to eat, but she always refuses. She wants you to have the impression that she needs no help and she can do it on her own. Once again I offered and to my surprise this time she accepted and informed me it was only because she was really hungry. I was thinking that’s all right with me, at least it’s a start with her.

There were a few new faces this week. I tried to talk too as many as I could. I even learned to shake Indian style. One of the new guys in the park was an American Indian man and he said if we were going to be friends, then he was going to teach me how to shake Indian style, so we can greet each other the Indian way. So, Indian style is how I will greet my new friend.

As I was talking to someone, a little girl walked up and asked what I had in my bags. I told her that I had some sandwiches and chips. She informed me of her name and she was four years old and could she have some of what was in my bag, because she was hungry. I gave her something to eat and to my amazement she started talking about living on the street with her mom. No four year old should be that streetwise. She asked me what I was doing in the park? I told her I was there to see her beautiful face and smile. She laughed and ran off to her mom.

Later, as I was walking back through the park, headed for my truck, I passed Miss Shilo again. She was hanging out with a group of young kids and as I passed and told her good-bye, she would not even look at me. To my shock a few moments later she yelled out to me. I turned and with a smile on her face she said, “ You know I think your special.” I told her that she was the one that was special and she had a smile that could light up a room.

As I reached my truck, I felt someone grab my leg and there was the little four year old. She asked if I was going to come back so I could see her beautiful face again? How could I not, I told her and hugged her good-bye. When I was driving off the group that greeted me yelled out “ You know we love you.” “I love you too,” I yelled back.

I drove off thinking of how I went to the park to try and be a blessing to my friends without homes and in return I was the one that walked away feeling truly blessed. That feeling that I said, that there seemed to be more in the air that day, I really believe you could feel God’s presence there that day. He’s there all the time, but that day I really think he was doing something. When you see a angry teenager let her guard down, a little girl give you a hug, a broken young woman have a little joy in her heart or simply have a group of rough men express how much you mean to them, you can’t tell me that God is not at work in these lives. So, don’t always look for God in the big and spectacular, sometimes his best work can be found in the small things in life.