How are you spending your Dash?

What an amazing day! So today was almost like the first day of Spring! Here in Omaha when the weather gets in the 40s in January, you're thinking Spring! But the reality is that we have a few months of ugly coming. Today, however was indeed good. And what a day?! We had old friends back to visit, had another visit from the Omaha Fire and Rescue folks, had some friends deliver loads of brand new coats and just too many other things to remember. Those couple or three hours that we spend on that corner each Sunday are beginning to have lots of features. :)

Our day really started on Friday evening at the memorial service we attended. Our friend Doug passed away at the young age of 42 a few weeks ago. We attended a service in his honor Friday at the Open Door Mission. It was probably one of the coolest memorial services I've ever attended. For lots of reasons. I mean, Doug is gone. That pains us all. He was a great guy and someone we were just really getting to know. Developing a friendship with him and getting to go a little deeper. But the pastor at the shelter who delivered the message was right on with that message. One thing I took away was this – how am I living my dash? You know the dash. That mark on the tombstone that separates our birth date from our death date. Our dash. Our life. Here on earth. How are you living yours?

A couple of long lost friends returned to our corner today. Gabe's been in jail for a while. Seems he had a debt to take care of. Satisfied that debt by doing some time. He's a short Italian fellow. Last time I saw him he was doing pretty badly. Told us he had cancer. Was losing lots of weight. Didn't have that much to lose, so we were worried about him. I've often wondered over the past year or so if he didn't lose his fight with cancer? Hadn't seen him for a long time, so I had to wonder. I was having lunch with my Mom Friday at a Quizno's sandwich shop downtown and I swore I saw Gabe walk by outside. Nah. Couldn't be. Could it? I haven't seen him in almost a year. Couldn't be. So we run into him at the Memorial service on Friday night. Sure enough. It was him. And he was back today on our corner. Telling me he knew that God had a purpose for him and helping his buddy who is confined to a wheelchair. It was good to see him again. And Wolf was back. We met Wolf early on and saw him weekly for a while. Helped him move a couple of times from shelters to apartments to motel rooms to apartments to rooming houses. Big dude. Easy 6'5" and maybe a biscuit shy of 300 pounds. Good guy. Good to see him again. Working regularly and living on the outskirts of Omaha. Doing well. Was good to see him also. Nice to see him come back and pay us a visit.

Our friend Mark had to be taken away in an ambulance today. Not sure what happened. Someone called me over and he was already down. Looked like he had a seizure or something…not sure. He wasn't really sure where he was. I leaned down to try to see if I could do anything as Robin was trying to get through one her phone to get help. Mark was in pretty rough shape. Been drinking. But he did recognize me. He started to cry when I asked if I could do anything. He mentioned his wife, Pamela. And cried some more. It was really weird. And sad. I prayed with him there and he got it. He pointed up and said He was with us. And He was. They took Mark off in an ambulance…

I met Denise today for the first time. She already knew me somehow. Denise is an African American woman. If I were to guess, I'd say in her 50s? A victim of domestic violence. And apparently she has a bit of a drinking problem. Her face was pretty disfigured. From beatings I guess. How does that happen? I just don't understand. I must have called 7 or 8 different shelters to see if she could get a place to stay. No room. Worked the phone off and on the entire time we were on that corner today. At one point it wasn't looking good. I told her so. She broke down. I told her it wasn't over yet. We'd keep trying. Finally I found someone at the Lydia House and they had an opening. She told me she'd been there before. In the program. But she didn't understand that "Bible stuff". Then when I told her that she was in? Her response? God is good. I told her she did understand that Bible stuff. She laughed and said it again. God is good. She was in rough shape. I hope she makes it. God willing, she'll make it. He is good. :)

Something really cool is beginning to happen on that corner. Others are starting to take more and more ownership of this ministry. I think we served 171 meals today. On a January day in the middle of downtown Omaha, God blessed us with 171 meals. With that comes the need for people to help serve. God sends 'em. And when they take ownership and do His work, it is amazing. Every single thing that happens on that corner is His doing. We had a couple show up a few months ago. They are trying to get back on their feet. Trying to make a go of it. Another couple that has been instrumental in making this ministry go has taken them under their wing and I am amazed at how God is working there. We just have to be available and He will absolutely use us. And when He does, the results are usually pretty remarkable. I spent a few minutes talking to another fellow who has been bringing his family down to help recently. He also is in. Cooked this week. And wants to do more. There's plenty to do. I can't wait to see how God uses these folks. He is truly amazing.

So my dash is being spent presently on a street corner in downtown Omaha. There, we get to spend a few hours each Sunday in the open air confines of Gods greatness. With a couple hundred of our newest friends and family. In His fellowship. What a great opportunity! To think that God would bring us all together under the guise of us ministering to them? Ha! I think it definitely works both ways mostly. And it never seems like work. I was in our garage at 8:00 a.m. this morning, listening to good worship music, praying over all the stuff we get to bring to our friends and loading the trailer with all the donations that are beginning to make our garage look like a mini thrift store. We parked the trailer at around 3:30 this afternoon in its parking spot on the side of our garage. The day just happens. The dash is just that. A dash in time. I cannot believe how blessed my family is. What a deal! What a day! What a dash I'm living!

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

..."it matters to that one"... :)