Dichotomies

So today was an extremely strange day. I began my morning listening to a podcast from our church in Charlotte called REJESUS. A fascinating look at the Wild Messiah. So today I just listened to the introductory podcast. I downloaded the remainder of those that are available. I highly recommend this podcast series (ucfellowship.org). I’m sure it’s an amazing group of messages that will challenge anyone listening to really look into themselves and see what it really is they believe and maybe even why. So that was my morning in the garage getting ready to go to see our friends downtown. My Sunday mornings are getting a bit lighter. That’s one of the nice things about spring/summer. The needs, the physical ones at least are a bit lighter. No heavy winter coats. No gloves. Sneakers replace winter boots. It just seems the trailer is lighter. The other side of that is the amount of people in need. I swear today was one of the bigger crowds we’ve seen in a while. One way I can judge the number, because I’m not too good at looking at a crowd and guessing, is the number of handshakes and hugs. I always try to make my way through the line and greet our friends as best I can. The line today stretched almost an entire city block. I’m guessing at some point I’ll be shaking hands and getting hugs in the crosswalk! Or at least around the other side of the block. So the winter needs have lightened, only to be replaced by the sheer amount of people in need. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but I'm sure there’s a point here somewhere.

Which leads me to my next thought. This weekend in Omaha, the Oracle of Omaha himself, Warren Buffet, held his annual shareholders gathering. A mere 4 or 5 blocks from where we meet with some of the neediest people in Omaha, some of the wealthiest people in the world were cheerleading and carrying on about their good fortune. Approximately 35,000 people attend this thing annually. I suppose in some circles, they might have been voicing concerns about the fact that a single share of Berkshire Hathaway stock is "only" worth about $93000.00. That’s down considerably from it’s September 2008 high of $147000.00. PER SHARE!!! That’s just freaky. So a few blocks from our corner, some of the wealthiest people in the world were probably lamenting their misfortune. Unbeknownst to them, there were a few hundred people on a downtown street corner who were trying to figure out which bridge they might be sleeping under tonight. And asking us for tents. And sleeping bags. And these requests weren't for some vacation camping adventure. What irony. What an unbelievable dichotomy. What a shame. I’m not for one minute saying that throwing money at homelessness would solve the problem. Not at all. It’s much deeper than that for sure. But it was just odd to me as we left the downtown area today, as I looked at the Qwest Center, where the meetings were taking place, that there was such a divide between the two factions.

Today, the great folks at St. James were back with enough lasagna to choke a herd of horses. I mean, the line was long. I sometimes wonder if we’ll have enough. Not to be a doubter. I just wonder. And every time I looked at the stack of pans near the table, I wondered. And of course, we had just enough. Just like always We always have enough. I had an interesting conversation with a fellow about that situation. You see, Robin and I usually never eat downtown. I would feel pretty badly if I had a plate of food and someone showed up who hadn’t eaten. I would feel really badly actually. I can go home and grab a bite to eat. There folks have to figure out where the next meal is coming from. I once heard a guy say that if a fellow got hungry in this town, he wasn’t trying very hard. I understand that. But I struggle with taking something and then not having enough. His point was that we should at least have a small bite to eat with our friends. I know he’s right. I just have a hard time with it. One of his arguments was that we should show everyone that the food is good enough for us also. I know that much. The food is always excellent. Robin wouldn’t have it any other way. It has to be the best. So us not eating may send the wrong message in various ways. I just feel we’re there to serve. Him. And in the process, lots of folks get blessed in lots of ways. Not the least of which is us. I mean, we must have passed out 300 bottles of water today. That’s probably more than we’ve ever handed out. In fact I know it is. And we had lemonade and coffee on top of that. Just a massive amount of people showed up today. And not a penny from Warren Buffet. :) All from God. No doubt.

And the weather was absolutely stunning today. Barely a breeze and about 70 degrees. Chamber of Commerce weather for sure. Almost had a little dustup. And yours truly was right in the middle of it. It’s funny how alcohol adds strength to a fellow who otherwise might not be so bold. Today, in both individual cases, these fellows weren’t feeling much pain. And in reality, neither one of them probably could have landed a square punch. But I certainly didn’t want to find out. In the end, I know that eventually something will shake out. We’d never had rain until last week. So far, we've never had a fight. Someday, a scuffle will break out. With the number of people we see each week and the outside "influences", I’m not naïve enough to think it won’t happen. I hope and pray it doesn’t. I don’t want to see it. I was almost in the middle of it today. Would have seen it up close and personal. But cooler heads prevailed. Or something.

So another great day in downtown Omaha. It seems odd saying that a few hundred people in need constitutes a great day. It doesn’t. But when God provides for some of the needs of these folks, well that does indeed meet the criteria for me. I had one girl tell me that if we didn’t show up each week, she didn’t know what she’d do. Not sure what that means really, and I guess I don’t need to know. I do know that God continues to blow me away. Each and every week. He just sets such a great scene for us down there to show people what He can do if they only allow Him to use them in meaningful ways. It’s just amazing.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jeremiah 29:11

Peace, have a great and blessed week and make a difference.

…it matters to that one… :)